I’ve had a rough string of ARCs lately so I was apprehensive going into this one but I’m happy to report I enjoyed this one!

Will this be one I go back and re-read? Probably not. But this was a fun look into the pitfalls of living in the past and wishing for a do-over.

I could have done without the constant food metaphors and similes, but Sadie *is* a pastry chef so it’s not out of left field.

I would have liked to see more from the family dynamic--particularly I think there was more that could have been done with her brother Owen.

Jacob was somehow the best and worst character at the same time. Complex yet cardboard. I think the concept for him was solid and present but I needed more from him, more about him.

While it stressed me tf out, I liked seeing Sadie try to temper herself for what she wanted and actually learn because of it. Is masking who you are a good thing? No. But did it have the side effect of allowing her to stop and pay attention to anyone but herself? Yes, so maybe there’s a balance.

Especially going into the New Year, I think this is a light, fun, quick book that is surprisingly poignant at its core. Definitely recommend for a snappy weekend read!

If you could get a do-over of your worst year ever, would you go for it? That's the question faced in The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner. When Sadie lost her job, her long-term boyfriend, and her apartment all within the same year, she tries a spell from a fortune teller at a NYE party to try again. Can she makes everything better with another chance or will she make everything worse in the end?

I loved this concept and seeing how making different choices could cause you to lose yourself along the way. It was frustrating to see a character truly lose who they are and not recognize what is actually important by trying to hold on to things they lost the first time around (but frustrating in a good way?). I really enjoyed it!

I received this ARC free from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was super cute!! This is perfect for those who love rom-coms and don’t like spice. Perfect if you love brothers best friend!

Sadie has a horrible year where she loses her job, her apartment and her boyfriend. When she makes a wish on NYE to redo the last year she doesn’t think it will actually happen. Until she wakes up the next day in her old apartment, late for work, with her ex-boyfriend sleeping next to her.

Over her second chance year, Sadie realizes how much things actually happened for the better. And she really sees Jacob, her brothers best friend. Jacob has been a little bit in love with Sadie since they were kids but never had the courage to do anything about it.

Now with a second chance to redo her year, will Sadie realize what’s most important and take the risk?

This was such a cute read!!

The Second Chance Year follows Saide who lost her job, apartment, and her boyfriend broke up with her. She is having one of the worst years of her life. She wants nothing more than to do redo this year. She meets a fortune teller who grants Sadie her wish of relieving her year. Sadie soon realizes that reliving her year might not be the best idea. But the one good thing about this is she finds love where she least expects it.

I have read other books with a very similar plot. I don't really enjoy books with this kind of plot. They always seem super predictable and repetitive to me. I thought this book was just okay. I love that Sadie was able to figure out what she wanted. I thought the relationship between her and Jacob was really cute. But other than that this book did not seem very original and I was left a little bored.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Forever, and Melissa Wiesner for the ARC of this book.

A cute romcom story with a time twist. I thought this was a good read. I really enjoyed Sadie. A female character who was strong and opinionated! Love it!! I wish the relationship with Jacob had more banter, but it still kept my interest and I was rooting for them. Really enjoyed the audiobook! The narrator was absolutely perfect for Sadie's voice.

*Thank you @readforeverpub and @harperaudio for the #gifted egalley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

Sadie has had a terrible year losing her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment. As she gets back on her feet, she's staying with her brother's best friend. And then she gets the chance to do it all over again -literally. So, she decides to go back a year to see if she make everything "right" again. But along the way she starts to realize maybe what she wanted isn't exactly what she wanted after all. I love a Groundhog Day-esque plot always, and I really, really loved this one. I loved Sadie and how she (re)navigated the world figuring out what she wanted/where she wanted to be. I also found myself rooting for her and where I wanted her to land in that second year. This was one that just made me smile. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this December 2023 release. It'd be a great one to check out during this often busy holiday season y'all!

The Second Chance Year, a contemporary romance by Melissa Wiesner is totally unexpected in its storytelling. When Sadie asks a fortuneteller for a do-over of the last year of her life, it still doesn’t turn out how she expected, even with magic guiding her life. Two proverbs apply to this novel, “Be careful what you wish for,” and “Things happen for a reason.”

There were laugh-out-loud moments, disgust, annoyance, anger, sexual harassment in the workplace, unexpected friendships, job opportunities, and so much more. Sadie has always stood up for those less fortunate or those who couldn’t stand up for themselves until her “Very Bad Year” gets a makeover, and she changes how she approaches life and seems to go more with the flow, whether she should or not. We get to know her a little at a time, and some of those she surrounds herself with—friends, family, coworkers, and even those she cares for. The story takes place over a year, and I liked how chapters would be titled the next month as we proceeded through the story.

She and Jacob apparently have liked and loved each other from afar, but since Jacob is her brother Owen’s best friend, neither felt they could act on it. Or could they? There were many layers to the story and several different tropes and storylines. They are nicely woven together as dreams come true for many characters. I loved how Sadie’s flair for baking was central to the story and how I could almost taste the pastries and other treats she made. I liked that the coffee shop became an essential part of her life but that she didn’t realize how it was her lifesaver and helped fulfill her dreams. The story had a good flow, and there was closure with the epilogue, but I wish it had gone on just a little longer to see how their lives and new business venture panned out. The icing on the cake would be if the characters were revisited and if Owen or her best friend got their own books to tell their stories.

The Second Chance Year is a contemporary romance with a little bit of magic as Sadie’s life gets a do-over for her “Very Bad Year.” Sit back with a cup of coffee and a sweet treat or two as you engross yourself in Sadie’s life.

Sadie has had a pretty awful year. She lost her job as a pastry chef, her boyfriend broke up with her, and she could no longer afford her apartment. Now she is living with her younger brother’s friend, Jacob, and working as a barista at a local coffee shop. So when given a chance by a fortune teller at a New Year’s Eve party to re-do her terrible year, Sadie jumps at the chance! But just before midnight she shares a kiss with Jacob that adds another layer to this monumental year. Now she is reliving her terrible year, choosing to hold her tongue and play by the perceived rules. However now she sees red flags everywhere, and Sadie begins to wonder if choosing to redo her year was a good idea after all.

There may have been times when I found the story a little predictable or thought Sadie was a little oblivious, but I still enjoyed this holiday-ish romcom 100%! Don’t go into this one expecting a ton of spice, there isn’t any, but it is completely full of humor and a delightful plot that I loved! This book also comes with a cinnamon roll hero and satisfying shenanigans that make this romcom worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and the author for my chance to read and review this book!

The Second Chance Year.... I'm not sure if I would categorize this as romance more like chick lit.

Unfortunately, the romance between Sadie and Jacob was the weakest least favorite part for me sadly.

There was no fun banter between the two of them and they barely could really connect and have a conversation. Sadie was like he's kinda hot and muscular from playing piano? mmmm this was a bit odd to me.

Also, what in the world was all the food references between the two of them?! They were a bit all over the place and had to reread what was being said.

For example: "Look the last year of my life sucked like a straw in my milkshake."
"Spinning around in darkness like cake batter in a kitchenaid." Ok this is just beyond odd to me haha.

I just felt like their relationship was so all over the place there was no chemistry.

Also, this one takes the cake for me.
"But my dad's face is as hard as burned loaf of bread, and my mom keeps sighing and shaking her head like I've brought pumpkin pie to a summer party." UMMM... what in the world?! I can't.

This really wasn't my cup of tea but if this speaks to you and if you especially like the baking references then I'd pick this one up!! :)

3/5 stars

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 12/5/23
Published to GR: 12/3/23

Sadie has had a Very Bad Year ™: she lost her fine dining pastry chef job, her Wall Street boyfriend, and her NYC apartment, leaving her with no choice but to live with her little brother’s best friend while she gets back on on her feet.

But after visiting a carnival fortune teller on New Years Eve, her wish is granted to re-do the past year of her life. As Sadie tries to change the trajectory of the Very Bad Year™, she begins to question the choices she has made and reevaluate her goals and what is truly important in life.

I absolutely loved every character in this book, I thought they were all perfect and really drove the story forward. I seriously had butterflies 10% into the book and that never happens. I really connected with Sadie and loved the plot drove female empowerment and camaraderie.

My only complaint is that I wish had been able to see more of the romance between Sadie and Jacob (an epilogue from Jacob’s POV would have been amazing!).

Overall, a super quick and enjoyable read!

Love love love this book. It really made me take a look at my own life and be grateful for the things I do have even when things don't always go my way. Also had me laughing too. Can't wait to read what Melissa will write next.

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner
Contemporary romance. Magical realism, wishing, time travel.
Sadie Thatcher is having a Very Bad Year. She lost her job. She lost her apartment. She lost her boyfriend. She’s living on the couch of her brother’s best friend, wrapped in a blanket and eating ice cream. Her best friend convinces Sadie to go to a New Year’s Eve party where she finds a fortune teller. Sadie makes a wish to do the last year over and wakes up the next morning, a year in the past, in her old apartment, with her boyfriend next to her. She vows she will spend the next year doing everything differently. No more talking back to her boss. No more public fights with her boyfriend’s coworkers. It’s going to be different this time around.

We could predict what was going to happen. That doesn’t make it any less charming. With Sadie no longer being vocal about certain issues, her situation and friendships change. Sadie finds herself missing the people at the coffee shop. She talks to Jacob more and realizes he’s way more than she’s noticed in the past.
Sadie changes how she reacts to situations which does change events but not how she expects or even wants sometimes.
It does have a couple of deep “learning” points, but more, it’s an adorable romance where Sadie finds it’s better to just be herself.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I will absolutely share my love of this story with my bookclubs.

Thanks to the pub. for the ALC.
This was such a fun time loop story. Now, if this isn't your favorite trope, there is only one here, and it's so worth it to give this one a chance because it was such a well thought out story that really showcased the lessons the main character learned through her second chance year. It was easy to root for Sadie and what she wanted. I felt like since she had so many life changes happening, she was an easy character to relate to. I felt so many emotions while listening because of the great character development here. This is a perfect book for someone who wants a story with depth and occasionally asks their own 'what if' type of questions.
The audio narrator did such a great job capturing the complexities of this story in her performance. It's a book I would highly recommend on audio.

This was cute at times and slow at others. I love that we're getting more magical realism romances, and while this one wasn't my absolute favorite, there were still things I enjoyed.

Sadie was an interesting character because she starts out the book in the absolute worst spot in her life and wishes for a do-over of her year. We get to see her try to fix herself and her life only to realize maybe things weren't so bad and she just needed a different perspective. We get a lot of character development of her, which I think was actually well done. Sometimes, it was annoying to see her make the choices she did and give up parts of her strong personality, but it was easy to see, as the reader, that it was all part of her journey.

Jacob, the love interest, was sweet and cute. I feel like we don't often get quiet types in romance novels anymore so that was a nice surprise. It might have been better if we could have gotten into his head at some point. He came off dull at times because he kept to himself, but there were also some cute, little moments. I wish we could have gotten more between Jacob and Sadie. Even just more little things here and there, but again, the journey.

Overall, this was a nice novel, just kinda slow and not as mushy-gushy romantic as I would have liked. Good themes of what matters most, friendship, feminism, etc.

A sweet (pun intended) story of a pastry chef with internalized shame about "having a big mouth" who gets a chance to redo a year in which maybe she spoke up too loudly, too quickly, or too often. Or maybe she didn't? Wiesner's story centers around sexism in male dominated industries (mostly the culinary world, but also touching on academia and finance) and the challenges of speaking up about harassment and discrimination when systems reward those who play along and punish those who call out bad behaviour. It's a challenge this reader related too all too well, and I enjoyed watching Sadie's journey toward accepting that speaking up can be a good thing, even an essential thing, despite how often the results aren't ideal. We also get a lovely found family story with a group of new coworkers in a charming coffee shop, a strong central friendship with some ups and downs, a look at the difficulties of meeting parental expectations when those expectations are deeply out of line with personal goals and strengths, and a lightly threaded romance with a shy composer harbouring a lifelong crush. A perfect read for anyone who wrestles with choices about when and how to speak up under difficult circumstances, told with warmth, joy, and a well-deserved triumphantly happy ending.

Normally I'm not a fan of the groundhog day/do-over trope but I loved The Second Chance Year! It was nice because when Sadie went back in time, it went month by month and each month would feature a situation that happened previously then it was wrapped up and it just helped things not feel long at all.

I LOVE Sadie and I LOVE Jacob and I LOVE THEM TOGETHER. What a sweet romance!!

I love FMC's who are honest even if it causes problems because I'm just such a stickler for speaking up and saying whatever you want even if you probably shouldn't. It was crazy to watch Sadie's journey and her learning to remember that she's great as she is. I never once stopped rooting for her and felt like I really understood her!

All of the side characters were perfection. I miss them already!

There were definitely some heavy topics - sexual harassment, lots of gaslighting and misogyny - that all really ticked me off. I thought everything was handled really well though (thank you Melissa Wiesner!).

Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a sweet romance where the main character struggles in her career and love life and gets a chance at a do-over from a fortune teller. It was an enjoyable, low pressure read.

When a magical New Year’s Eve wish sends Sadie Thatcher back in time one year, she vows to do things differently. This will no longer be the year that she lost her job; it will no longer be the year she lost her apartment; and it will no longer be the year she lost her longtime boyfriend. But here’s the catch: maybe some good things did happen in that original year—like her job at a local coffee shop, her time at her brother’s best friend’s apartment, and that searing kiss she had with him on New Year’s Eve before she was sent back in time.

As Sadie learns during that time loop, though, it’s best to be true to yourself and to live up to your own expectations, not those imposed by others. Even when things don’t go as planned, maybe they still happen the way that they are supposed to.

What a cozy read! There are aspects of misogyny, gaslighting, and harassment portrayed, but those are countered with true friendship, found family, and the love of someone who cares for you just the way you are. Sadie learns some life lessons in this one, but they are handled in such an affirming way.

Jacob is a shy, sweet, cinnamon roll of a hero that any reader would love to cozy up with, and the food and drink descriptions make me want to park myself at a table at Higher Grounds.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from Forever and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Sadie lost her job, her boyfriend and her apartment all at the same time and has been having a rough time ever since. She finds herself stuck at a job she doesn’t love, alone, while living with her brother’s best friend. While attending a New Years party, Sadie is given the chance at a do-over, but at what cost? The Second Chance Year is an exploration of second chances, regrets, and the concept that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

While the cover gives off “look at me, I’m a romance vibes” I’d actually have to say this is more of an exploration of self-happiness. Sadie’s second chance offers her some wisdom as well as an alternate viewpoint of her life. She grows in ways she might not have were it not for this fantastical opportunity. The book tackles sexism and harassment in the workplace in a way that nary a female would not be able to relate to. When combined with a spicy personality, it’s a tough thing for Sadie to navigate.

Sadie’s relationship with Jacob was dull. He was sweet as a cinnamon roll but their connection was lackluster. Apart from kindness and nostalgia, I’m not sure why they connected or how they last long-term. His only real purpose was to offer up a comparison and the alternative was so unappealing I’m not certain this quiet little introvert needed to parade out in such a way. Despite the romance not quite landing, overall the Second Chance Year was a cute and quick read.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Time Travel Romance, Women's Fiction, Magical Realism
Spice Level: Medium (mostly fade to black)
Theme: Be true to yourself

I've run across several romances with the basic idea of wanting a do-over. This one is fun, and here's why:

Sadie has a big mouth. (Her words, not mine.) I loved how she would stand up for herself—too often women are pushed into a box that they're "too much" or "brassy" or any other negative adjective when they don't accept being treated poorly.

I adored the fact that she kissed her brother's best friend right before the do-over! This added a new layer of trouble.

The unwritten conversation of what's going on in Jacob's head is sublime.

This is a novel of personal growth, which is why I'd place it in women's fiction with a healthy dose of romance. I don't love the bed scene and think it could be trimmed.

If you love love and personal life chaos, you'll love this book.

Happy reading!