4.5 STARS

This book was cute cute cute! Despite it sounding and seeming like a holiday book, it was so much more! So don't let the title make it seem like you could only read this around the holidays or the new year! I absolutely adored the characters, the setting, the way that we got a sprinkle of magical realism and the romance! Sadie was a fantastic main character to follow along with and I absolutely adored her when she was standing up for herself and for others. The character growth that we got to see as the story progressed was very well done and it genuinely made me root for Sadie.

I think Jacob was the sweetest guy on the planet and I loved each and every instance of the book that he was in. We love a shy, sweet, music composer with a love-complex! He was adorable and deserves everything good in the world!

I think that this book was a powerful statement on women and how they are perceived, even in society today. I read it and felt sick. I also read it and felt empowered. I loved it!

This book should definitely be on everyone's radar!

Sadie asks a fortune teller to help her get a do over on her past year as she feels she has made massive mistakes that have ruined her life. Unbelievably, the do over works but not before she has a sweet and meaningful interaction with Jacob, her brothers best friend. As we go though Sadie's do over year we see her making different choices. She holds her tongue when someone is being treated badly and allows herself to be pushed around. And while she has kept her boyfriend and her job this time around, she can see how the situations she is in with both are bad. Also, there is Jacob. While she remembers their sweet interaction, he has no memory of it. As the year progresses and she spends time with Jacob her feelings for him grow.

Although this do over year does not turn out the way she expected, maybe this year gave her perspective on what is really important to her.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC. This is my honest review.

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner is a delightful and captivating tale that offers readers a mix of charm, wit, and just a hint of magic. Sadie Thatcher, our relatable protagonist, finds herself in a downward spiral after losing her job, apartment, and boyfriend due to her outspoken nature. When a fortune teller grants her one wish to redo her disastrous year, Sadie takes a leap of faith. However, the twist of waking up in the past, with her former life and boyfriend, sets the stage for an intriguing journey of self discovery. This novel is a captivating page turner that will leave readers pondering the magic of new beginnings and the lessons we can learn from revisiting our past.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: December 5, 2023

Rating: 4.5 stars!

I devoured this book and then sat back, sighed a happy sigh while holding this book. This will be perfect for getting readers ready for the holiday season. I abandoned all my mom/adult responsibilities to sneak more chapters plus the writing was easy to follow along. There is a dash of the miscommunication trope but not enough to deter from the overall book.

Perfect for fans:
- Women's fiction with a sprinkle of romance
- Growth of the FMC
- Closed door romance
- Very little spice (kissing only)
- Brother's best friend
- Dash of miscommunication
- Time travel/year redo
- Hallmark vibes
- Similar to Chloe Liese, Christiana Lauren and K.A. Tucker

I love a well thought out time lapse storyline and The Second Chance Year really delivered in spades. Sadie’s having a Very Bad Year - losing her job, her apartment, her long term boyfriend all at once. She finds herself on New Years Eve with a chance to wish it all away, a chance to go back and get things right this time. But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for…

Sadie’s wish takes her back a full year and she does get the chance for a do over. With all things though, even a small change can alter the course and things don’t always play out the way you’d think.

I loved getting to go back and see Sadie try to correct course. A lot happens - and Sadie makes some valuable lessons along the way. I was so curious how certain things would pan out in this type of storyline, but was really pleased and satisfied with how it all worked out.

This story would be fabulous for a buddy or group read - I would have loved to discuss some of the nuances and emotions experienced with some fellow readers. The characters were all great. Obviously Sadie is a central character and this is her journey, I loved how the story played out and the thought provoking questions that come up around her personality and choices throughout. I really adored all the side characters too, and the sweet relationships built along the way.

This story was one that I found engaging - it was interesting and made me think and question things along the way. It was an emotional and relatable read — the ending was definitely both satisfying and heartwarming 😊 I really look forward to trying more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central / Forever for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Loved it!!!! What an awesome holiday story! Sade makes a wish and gets to relive what she thought was a very bad year, she changed herself into the person she thinks she needs to be to hopefully change the “bad” things that happened throughout the year. She learns th)at maybe the bad things weren’t so bad and needed to occur so that the good things can happen. A very heartwarming story just in time for the holidays!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Forever for providing me with a digital ARC of The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner! All opinions are my own!

With an incredibly charismatic lead and her awkward, dorky love interest, The Second Chance Year served everything I could ever want in a romance novel.

Sadie is a very endearing protagonist, and I think that part of me loves her so much because I see a lot of myself in her. In the novel, Sadie is criticized by her parents and (ex?) boyfriend when she stands up for herself and others who have been harassed by men. In her second chance year, she takes different approaches that ultimately lead to different outcomes but in turn, hold up the patriarchal structures that a lot of women face in the workforce. I truly enjoyed reading Sadie’s internal journey and growth throughout the novel, and feel that it mirrored my own experience with being criticized for speaking out against the unacceptable behavior that a lot of people face at the hands of men in power.

The relationship between Sadie and Kazumi is very wholesome and a great depiction of a strong friendship. While I would have loved to see more of the two, I understand that for the sake of the plot, it makes sense that the two would need space after their conflict. It was nice to see Sadie accept the consequences of her actions and it is clear that the two friends understood each other at the end of the day. Sadie and Owen also have a very adorable dynamic that I did not expect to see a lot, but I am glad Wiesner included him as much as she did.

Now, Jacob. The romance was very satisfying to watch unfold. Sadie and Jacob were so cute together and their interactions at Higher Grounds slowly built that romantic tension and before I knew it I was yelling KISS ALREADY at my Kindle. I don’t see the “he fell first but she fell harder” trope often, but now I need more of it! The Higher Grounds family were so adorable and homey. Weisner truly packs in the love in this novel, not only between Sadie and Jacob, but the other relationships that Sadie chooses to foster. It was unique to watch Sadie’s relationships blossom outside of the romantic, and Weisner did it very well.

The Second Chance Year found me when I not only least expected it, but needed it the most. Weisner’s book delivers a beautiful message to remain true to your morals and that even when the universe throws curveballs at us, they’re often what we need to reach our perfect destination.

I'm a sucker for a time loop plot. The Second Chance Year was a fun time loop book that avoided a lot of the cringe that often comes with time loops while still being really sweet.

Sadie is at the end of a Horrible Terrible Very Bad No Good Year, where she's lost her job and her boyfriend and her apartment and is living in the spare room of her brother's best friend's apartment. On New Year's Eve, she ends up asking a fortune teller if she could have a redo on this year, and after a shot and a potion and an "oops I kissed my brother's best friend," it's January 1st of the last year again, and Sadie has the chance to do her year over.

Of course, it's not as easy as she thinks it is. She hasn't had months of getting to know Jacob, so when she keeps running into him, things are weird. She's still with her old boyfriend, but she's noticing the same pattern of not good behavior, when he's with his finance bro friends and they're being sexist because "that's just how it is." And she still has her old job, but her boss is still rude and demanding and inappropriate. But Sadie's been given this chance to do this year again, so rather than stand up for herself and do the things that lead to her losing her job and her boyfriend, she decides to suck it up a little bit and see if she can't hold on to those things.

What I especially liked about this book is Sadie's struggle with her second chance. There are a couple of moments where she blurts something out that she knows because it's actually her second time in this year, and things get awkward, but for the most part, the focus is on Sadie, and her choices. And we get to watch her realize that maybe her decisions the first time around weren't so bad at all.

I also loved watching Sadie built a second family in Higher Grounds, the local coffeeshop where in the first timeline, she starts working there after losing her job, but in the second timeline, she starts working there on the side and ends up really falling in love with it there. The staff and regulars are quirky, but it really feels like home for Sadie and for you as the reader.

The middle third is a little slow, as Sadie's life kind of falls apart as she reckons with the decisions she's made in her second year. Especially around Jacob -- they're circling one another, and there's too much tension between them that they can't resolve because Sadie won't talk to Jacob and then doesn't want to get in the way of his dating other people. But, the last few chapters really pick up, as Sadie gets her spine back and starts being more like the Sadie of the first timeline, who sticks up for herself and her friends and what she knows is right and what she wants. It's less a romance story and more a story about a woman learning to love herself, but I did really enjoy it.

Content warnings: sexual harassment in the workplace (on page but not graphic), strained parent-child relationship

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with an eARC of The Second Chance Year in exchange for my honest review.

This book caught me completely by surprise! The writing is so engaging and fast paced, I read the whole book in one sitting. It’s a completely charming and smart take on the “do over” idea, and the author created such a rich environment that I want to get a coffee at Higher Grounds. Can’t wait to read what she comes up with next!

I received a copy of this book from Forever publishing through NetGalley.

A heartwarming story full of self discovery, love, standing up for yourself, and second chances. What happens if you were to get a second chance to repeat a portion of your life? Would fate allow things to end up the same or would decisions alter the future? The Second Chance Year is proof that in the end things will turn out the way they are supposed to be. This is a light hearted story that also addresses a deep topic of sexual harassment in the workplace. I loved all the characters, especially Sadie. The fact that she is a strong woman who stands up for herself is an important message for all. I loved the story between her and Jacob and I'm happy with the ending.

The perfect holiday read set to release on December 5.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @netgalley & @readforeverpub for sending me this book for review. All opinions are my own.
“One disastrous year. One magical wish. One chance to change the past.”
I really enjoyed this book and I couldn’t put it down. I do love books with magical realism but the Groundhog Day thing, where someone relives the same day over and over again, isn’t usually my favourite. It often tends to feel repetitive. But The Second Chance Year was different so stick with me.
Over the last year, Sadie lost her job as a pastry chef at an up-scale restaurant, her boyfriend of three years broke up with her, and she lost her apartment and had to move in to the spare room of her little brother’s best friend’s apartment. On New Year’s Eve, Sadie makes a wish for a second chance, a do-over of her Very Bad Year.
Sadie navigates through the entire year all over again, trying to fix the mistakes she thought she made the first time around, but also catching the red flags she originally missed in her relationship and her career. Because we hadn’t seen her year the first time around, it wasn’t repetitive at all.
I loved the magical realism and the way it was done. I really enjoyed watching Sadie try to do things differently the second time around but she struggles with being true to her herself. I loved the descriptions of the desserts Sadie makes as a pastry chef. I loved that throughout the book Sadies finds her allies that she overlooked the first time around, and we get to discover all of their hidden creative talents, which wouldn’t have come out if she hadn’t relived the year. While romance wasn’t necessarily the focual point, there was definitely a slow burn between Sadie and Jacob but ultimately very sweet.
This book contains descriptions of sexual harassment in the workplace which Melissa Wiesner acknowledges at the beginning.

I flew through this book in two days, its a quick and fun read. Sadie's life falls apart, she loses her pastry job, her boyfriend and her apartment all in one year. So, when at a NYE party she meets a fortune teller who gives her the chance to rewind and redo the past year, Sadie jumps at the chance. Not surprisingly, things aren't always better the second time and then again, some things are even better.

I really enjoyed the side characters especially everyone at the cafe and of course sweet Jacob.

There is some romance, but it's a secondary story to Sadie rediscovering herself and her strength.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the advanced reader copy.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳 opens up into Sadie's Very Bad Year. She's lost her job, her relationship went up in flames and she's definitely not satisfied with her temporary gig - that seems more permanent by the day - as a Barista. She also has to hole up with her brother's best friend - Jacob because of course her apartment's gone too.
The misfortune seems to last forever until she happens upon a fortune teller at a New Year's party and wishes to rewind the year. But not all is as it seems when she wakes up in her ex's bed - a year ago... maybe for worse?

- ~ -

I love it when the story features a male character who, above all, empowers the female character. And was Jacob the perfect example. He came across as a shy nerd initially, but his confidence was more of the quiet, self-assured kind which inflicted well on the story and on Sadie.

The story gives away an important message - make the most of your time, live it the way you want for it never does come back.
It was an empowering read. Sadie didn't shy away from speaking her mind out loud.

- ~ -

4.01 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 (𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

There is a lot more to this book than its pretty cover and romcom premise. What I liked most about this book is now the author was able to give depth to a romcom story. There still was the quirky dialogue and fun scenes, but this author was able to also bring workplace harassment and sexism to the story without overshadowing the romcom aspect.

I think everyone wishes that we could go back and redo things differently, but Sadie's journey showed that sometimes it is hard to see that we are exactly where we are supposed to be. Sadie’s flaws were perfect and reading her grow into the person I knew she could be was endearing. I also enjoyed how this book didn’t follow the traditional time loop where the same scenario plays out over and over again. It was refreshing to read a re-do rather than a time loop.

Overall this is a sweet and thoughtful read with wonderful character development and great story. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I really liked Jacob and the sibling relationship between Owen and Sadie <3 very cute and enjoyable. the last 40% of the book definitely picked up, in my opinion, and tied the whole book together.

This has been a surprisingly hard book for me to review. “The Second Chance Year” is a sweet and charming romance. The title basically tells you the premise of the book: after an exceptionally bad year, Sadie is given a second chance to relive said year and see if she can change the outcome.

There were a lot of things that I liked about the book. I thought Sadie as a character was really interesting. She is someone who has strong beliefs and can be outspoken, but she’s also more sensitive than she lets on. In changing the outcome of her year, she has to change herself, and how that affects her relationships with her friends and family is really well done

The relationship between Jacob and Sadie was sweet. Jacob was adorable. For me, though, I wish there was more. I don’t mind that this was a slow burn and not very steamy, but their coupling felt rushed and lacked the romance that I so desperately wanted.

This review was hard because while there wasn’t anything really wrong with this book, it isn’t one that’s particularly memorable either. I thought it was cute and entertaining, but it was hard to find things I could really gush over. Overall, it was just ok.

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!**

Sadie has just had a particularly bad year, losing her job and her boyfriend. She’s camping out on her brother’s best friend’s couch licking her wounds. On New Year’s Eve she is given a chance for a do over and wakes up the next day and it’s New Year’s Day of the previous year. She finally has a chance to right her wrongs but as always, what she asked for may not be what she wanted.

As someone who doesn’t consider themselves a strong, romcom girl… This one hit all the marks for me. I generally don’t like a story where the girl doesn’t have it all together, but in this case, she was getting it together on her own. She was looking to fix her relationships with the men in her life, not for them to save her. And I like that. I also really liked that. The characters were nuanced… It was easy to root for them and yet still cringe when they did frustrating things. Jacob was just a perfect love interest but the balance of his behavior with Alex’s made Sadie’s choice very thoughtful.

There was also was some real substance, I appreciated the thoughtful way that workplace harassment and gender inequality were tackled. Sadie got to show us how different situations played out differently, depending on her reaction and behavior. For the audience where this is targeted… I think that is a very useful plot point. 

Thanks to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Sometimes what we want is not always what is meant for us! This is a modern day romance with a touch of redo. Sadie navigates her world while given a second chance to achieve her desires.

Here you will find:
- Professional Kitchen environment
- New and old friends
- Closed door spice
- Workplace Harassment

Overall a good romance book, where the romance was not the main star, but was nicely weaved in. With career path and friendships take the lead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC. These thoughts are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I enjoyed this book! It looks like your typical NYE rom-com, but it was definitely deeper than that. I enjoyed Sadie’s year of self-discovery and finding herself again after a terrible year. I’ll be recommending this one.

This was a cute read and I always enjoy a story where someone gets a do over and decides if what they thought they wanted was really it. Is it predictable? Yes, but I enjoyed going on the journey with Sadie when she wakes up on New Year's Day repeating the year over again. The year she is redoing didn't work out in her favor, she lost her job, broke up with her boyfriend, and lost her apartment, so she thinks she can fix it all by reliving the year. But as the fortune teller warned her and she soon learns, not everything you think you can fix with a do over is what you really want in the end.

I adored Jacob, Sadie's brother's best friend and who she was living with prior to her do over. I loved the interactions between him and Sadie, but at times I wanted a little more from them. I liked how their relationship grew organically even though Sadie was changing the course of the future with both her and Jacob's story.