Four stars for this new book by Michelle Hoffman. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. I felt the story was a good one and liked that the MC had to figure out what to do with herself now that her kids were away at college. That’ll be me in a couple of years and I dread it too!

I didn’t connect with the male characters as much and that left the overall book not one of my favorites.

Overall this was a good read but for some reason I kept thinking my grandma would appreciate it more than I did. I liked Prudence's antics but for some reason never really connected with Alexei's character.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a cute, quirky story! Loved Prudence and Alexei's characters, and especially loved her ex-husband's naivety.

Requested this on a whim after reading a formal child stars memoir and wanted something in the same wheel house. However this just wasn’t for me.

I was asked to review “The Second Ending” by Michelle Hoffman, and I started reading the novel without looking at any other previews or even reading the synopsis!

We meet Prudence who once was a precocious child prodigy and became world-renown—until she left it all to write commercial jingles. Yet, now Prudence is facing an interminable life with kids in now in college. Looking for some action, she decides to return to her first love by competing on Dueling Piano Wars, a reality series I wish really existed. She is competing against Alexei who has his own issues.

This is a cute story that I enjoyed much more than I thought I would and I mean that in the nicest way possible. I really wanted to be able to watch this show, though the vivid writing helped me picture exactly what was going on.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing me an advanced copy of this delightful novel.

This book was awesome! It centers on Prudence, a child prodigy whose talents as a pianist are phenomenal but now at age 48, she is being threatened as a plagiarist because of a jingle she "wrote" years ago. At the same time, she becomes interested in a "piano war" with the celebrated Alexie even as she's contemplating divorce from her second husband. Lots of great plot lines, so many songs that I remember from my youth, and funny, awkward characters who often do what is least expected. I laughed and I cried and I seriously considered taking piano lessons...but we don't have a piano, so there you go!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman was a fun and sweet debut!

I really enjoyed this book.
The way this story came together was heart warming and so unique. I was left wanting more and could not put this one down!
I liked how the book had references to classical music.
A story full of warmth and heart.
I was so intrigued and hooked once I started reading.
There wasn’t anything I disliked. I only wish the story didn’t end.
A phenomenal debut about second chances, unforeseen joys, and the extraordinary power of music.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You Netgalley and Random House & Ballantine Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

I loved this book! There are some flaws but not serious enough to change my assessment. This novel is quirky, funny, warm, and delightfully different. The main theme is music and the incredible power it can have when it is played by exceptional people and heard by all kinds of audiences. The rapture is can create is the highest art form. As you read the novel, it becomes clear that the main protagonists are truly gifted pianists but only one is a prodigy. She is the fulcrum that balances the entire book. A few of the side stories could easily be eliminated and the author need not have tied everything in a neat bow for the ending. Not every literary work needs to have a happy ending. Read it.. it will make you smile a lot.

A fun, in-depth look at the world of classical musicians. I really enjoyed the concept of the dueling musicians show, and the behind the scenes stories of what it takes to make and stay at the top of this world. And I appreciated the way new characters cropped up in each chapter, fully drawn and interesting. This was a fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book.

Thanks very much to Ballentine and NetGalley for “granting my wish” for this eARC! I’m very interested in reading fiction centered around classical music and classical musicians…The Second Ending is a fun, quirky story of a former piano prodigy undergoing somewhat of a midlife crisis after her children are grown and out of the house. I really liked how specific pieces of music, classical and non-classical, were threaded throughout the novel. I wasn’t surprised to read that the author herself is a lifelong pianist. It did take a bit of suspension of disbelief to believe that a “dueling pianos” show so heavily reliant on classical pieces would be so popular (even though I love classical music, I am well aware that I am in the extreme minority of Americans in doing so), no matter how handsome and charming its host is. But, hey, I’d like to live in a world where that’s true.

Thanks again for the eARC of this book!

An absolutely delightful and wildly entertaining read!

Prudence is a 48-year-old woman living in Scottsdale, Arizona with her beloved husband, Stuart, and dog, Mrs. Wintour. Her youngest daughter just left for college and she is at a loss for what to do now. Maybe she’ll start a book club? No one would know she was once one the most famous pianist in the world. When her husband surprises her with the piano she grew up playing hoping to make her happy, Prudence starts to play again - something she never thought she would do after quitting decades ago. She begins to attract attention and is hired to compete on a hit TV show featuring dueling pianists. At stake is a one million dollar prize - but also Prudence’s pride, confidence, and the threat of her darkest secrets being exposed…

Prudence captured my heart in the first few paragraphs as a lovable former child piano prodigy with fabulous style and a flair for the dramatic. Alexei was equally lovable as a sensitive, lonely world-class talent who has yet to break out of his shell. I was riveted by all of the storylines (even though the one(s) with the ex-husband and vengeful HOA member were infuriating) and enjoyed the pacing. The descriptions of how music, played expertly and with passion, transforms the people listening were touching. Toward the end of the novel, I wondered how all of the plot threads could possibly be resolved with so few chapters left and was not disappointed. I adored this from start to finish and recommend it to everyone.

Thank you very much to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this amazing debut!

This book was adorable!!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I was able to read this advanced copy during a few death days here and I was all the happier for it. The people in this book felt very real to me. The ups and downs, the insecurities, the moments of reckoning. The storyline was very original and surrounding the characters was music and the love and joy and sadness we can get from it. I have already started recommending this book!

This was a sweet unique story about child star pianists and how their lives were affected by the expectations placed on them growing up. I enjoyed the quirky characters. Would recommend this book.

I fell in love with this book within minutes of starting it. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read an advance copy thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. The premise is original, and I liked how the story is told from the point of view of several characters. The various characters have diverse backgrounds, ages and circumstances, and the author skillfully brings all of them to life. I appreciated the humor in the book, but there were also serious issues about musical prodigies and the lifelong impact of the pressure put on them. There were also lovely episodes of the transformative power of music and of people having the ability to change at any time in their lives. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from the author.

Such a refreshing book about brilliant pianists and the pressures throughout their careers. Prudence has been playing since the age of three and suffered greatly throughout her life from early trauma.
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

4 stars- Prudence is impulsive, quick witted, melodramatic, empathetic and some may say she is simply out of her mind. I adored her and her antics. I can't wait for readers to meet Prudence and read this book. Thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read Michelle Hoffman's delightful novel. Loved the characters - especially the protag, loved the story, loved the writing. This is one I'll be recommending to friends and family.

Michelle Hoffman's wonderful novel follows a child prodigy's journey. As a small child being raised by her grandmother Prudence, a gifted pianist, loves to perform. As she enters young adulthood, her grandmother's support becomes exploitative and drives her away. A letter from her beloved teacher, leads her to a phenomenally successful career writing jingles. After Prudence marries and raises two children, she has a new opportunity to perform and has to overcome her fear that that the past will repeat itself.

At times laugh-out-loud funny, this is a charming novel about second chances. The plot device of having two pianists pitted against each other is great fun, and the prize money provides ample stakes to keep the reader interested. The blackmail was a tiny bit far-fetched but it's easy enough to suspend disbelief and roll with it, particularly due to the talented writing. Fan of music as well as musicians will find much to love here. Ultimately the narrative speaks to a larger message about performance versus integrity and how we are seen by others versus how we see ourselves. Thoroughly enjoyable and would be wonderful for bookclubs.

Second Ending is a wonder for Michelle Hoffman’s writing about how musicians experience music-- in a laugh-out-loud tale about piano players, reality television, stage moms, former child stars, blackmailers, and the mysteries of art. Two pianists, both prodigies as children and each now teetering on the edge of familial and financial disaster, are pitted against each other in a televised competition with a million-dollar prize. Eccentric Prudence hasn’t played in public for years, but is forced out of retirement when her ex-husband blackmails her with a secret that could ruin her financially. Russian TV star Alexei must succeed to prevent his family’s deportation back to Russia. Hoffman shows how differently Prudence and Alexei play and think about music, as well as how their performances are perceived by their families and by the TV audience. Their mentors—a grizzled former rock star for Alexei and an elder piano-playing freelancer for Prudence—lead them to think about how they approach the inner work of creation as well as technical performance. It’s a beautiful book and funny to boot.