Lara Avery's The Year of Second Chances is a beautifully written tale of grief, healing, and the unexpected joy of new beginnings. The story follows Robin, a young widow thrust into a world of online dating and self-discovery after receiving a posthumous message from her late husband.

Avery's portrayal of grief is both honest and compassionate. She doesn't shy away from the raw emotions that Robin experiences, but she also infuses the story with humor and hope. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the supporting cast adds depth and dimension to the narrative.

While the plot may seem predictable at times, Avery's writing style keeps the reader engaged and invested in Robin's journey. The book's exploration of second chances and the possibility of love after loss is heartwarming and uplifting.

Overall, The Year of Second Chances is a poignant and enjoyable read that will stay with you long after the final page. It's a must-read for fans of women's fiction and anyone looking for a heartwarming story about healing and hope.

Thank you, Netgalley and William Morrow, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

I just finished The Year of Second Chances by Lara Avery, and OMG, it was such a heartwarming rollercoaster! 💖 The story follows Sienna, who, after a whirlwind year of chaos, decides to take a leap of faith and move to a tiny town for a fresh start. Imagine finding your life’s reset button in a charming small town where everyone knows everyone’s business!

Sienna’s journey is all about self-discovery and healing, and it’s filled with the sweetest romance and unforgettable friendships. 💫

I really liked how the author explores the grief of Robin and how it affects her entire family.
"Love should connect you to people, not chain you to them". This was one of my favorite quotes.

Really enjoyed this novel - the main character is just hitting the one year anniversary of her husband's death of cancer and she has spent the last year grieving - working hard at her job in accounting, watching TV and eating snacks to numb herself. She receives an email that her husband had programmed before his death setting up on an online dating site. She decides to try it and the book covers her array of dates and healing and growth. I liked that it was sweet but not too sweet - there was some good humor in the book through the author's distinct voice and a bit of heft.

This had a real PS I love you vibe. You really feel for the main character. The writer put you in her shoes and you felt like you were on this path with her side by side through it all. Although it’s obvious who she would end with, it was nice to watch her growth journey. You walk hand in hand with her as she learns how to prioritize herself.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy

A surprising thing her husband left her.

Robin lost her husband at a young age and is shocked when she realizes he wanted her to DOS something she's never done.

They were high school sweethearts and she never dated anyone else.

She's mourned him for a year and is super reluctant to fulfill his request of actually dating. He signed her up with a dating sight before he died.

So what follows is some dates and we get to know. Her family also.

The story has some funny moments and sad and a few surprises.

I liked Robin.

A good solid story.

Thank you to the author publisher and net valley

4 stars
Highly recommended

It took me awhile to process my feelings about this book. On one hand, it feels very real life which is sorta refreshing because life doesn't often end with all the pieces falling into place perfectly. On the other hand, there was something that I can't put my finger in that didn't have me craving the next step of what would happen. An enjoyable listen though!

Good book and I really enjoyed the whole story. It was well written and well done. I liked the main character and the way they unfolded over the whole book.

This was absolutely delightful and everything I hoped it would be. I enjoyed the character development and setting, as well as the overall plot immensely. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

This was just meh for me! The premise of the book sounded so good! But unfortunately it wasn’t what I expected and read through the book really fast.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... not for me. I can't stand when women think their happiness comes from being with a man and that's what this whole story felt like to me.

This is everything women’s fiction should be.

Emotional, honest, with lighthearted moments amidst a deeper subject. A year after she loses her husband to cancer, Robin gets an email from him. He signed her up on a dating app before he died. She just has to activate it. She’s an introvert, and a people-pleaser, and Gabe wants to make sure she doesn’t stay alone forever.

Robin has to adjust every role she’s ever had, as the former small town mayor’s wife, as a sister, daughter, friend. It all shifts and changes without Gabe. Never mind trying to find love again. Her attempts to find herself outside of widowhood is beautiful, and sad, and painful at times but my God, I loved every word of this novel.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The following is my review as posted on Goodreads and Instagram:

I’m thankful that the publishers gave me the opportunity to read and review this book! I went into this book thinking it was going to be a fun, light read (mostly based on the pretty, colorful cover…I know, don’t judge…). While it had many funny, light-hearted sections, the author didn’t not shy away from the tougher side of life, including (TW) death of a spouse, alcoholism, and failure to launch. I thought the characters were very well developed, the relationships were very realistic, there was a cute, sweet little twist, and the ending was perfect. It was all tied up in just enough of a nice, neat bow without being corny or unrealistic. I gave this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet (eventually) feel-good read. As a side note I enjoyed the reference to the Empire Builder near the end. I am from a family of “train enthusiasts” and we are looking forward to taking this particular line in the next year or two!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I absolutely loved it!! Highly recommend this read!
This is one I wish I could go back and read again for the first time!

The Year of Second Chances was a sweet, wholesome book about grief and love. I went into it thinking it was something that it wasn't which effects my rating. I was hoping for more lightheartedness and humor, and although the book had some, the overall tone of the book was deeper than that. This is a classic case of "it's not you, it's me". I did really love the ending.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

This was a gut-wrenching read about grief, widowhood and finding a second chance at love. Robin is a young widow, and a year after her husband, Gabe's, death, she finds out that he signed her up for a dating site. While initially reluctant, she is encouraged to find someone else to be happy with.

This book was a fun filled book with love and second chances. The book gives you hope that all of us can have a second chance with love and life. A really good feel book about yourself and others. This book will make a fun book club discussion.

I liked the premise of this one when reading the blurb. I didn't love the execution of all aspects of the story, including the clear male love interest as soon as he turned up, but I was able to overlook it. I get the grief aspect and really respected the female main character setting clear boundaries and conveying her feelings appropriately. I didn't love the deceased husband feeling like he knew better than her as to what she needed. I understand wanting her to get out of her shell, but that was a little excessive. The grief aspect was really well and compassionately conveyed, so I give the author a good deal of credit for that. The female main character's family though was terrible and she could use a lot of distance from them to help with her healing. And they need to go to therapy and get out of her business. The ending felt a bit rushed and things wrapped up a little too cleanly, too quickly. Definitely interested to see what Ms. Avery comes up with next. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This one ended up being a DNF for me, mainly because I could not stand the heroine and hating having to spend time in her head.

Thanks anyway for the ARC, but this story just isn't for me and I will be DNFing. Not interested in the characters or the plot.