The Second Chance Year was an interesting concept. After a no good, very bad year, Sadie gets the change to do it all over. She’s able to make different choices, hoping for different outcomes.

Yet, she’s changed after her very bad year. So when she holds back her voice, doesn’t stand up for the underdog…she realizes that maybe what she thought she wanted, isn’t what she wants anymore (say that five times fast!). This story is less of a romance and more of Sadie’s year of discovering her true self. She deals with a misogynist boyfriend and boss, and there are some very real moments involving workplace sexual harassment. And at the end of the day, what Sadie learns from her very bad year made her a much better person (and character to like!).

The romance was sweet and cute, although very predictable. Regardless, I loved seeing their friendship develop and watch Sadie fall in love. I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with Jacob? He was so shy and sweet and adoring and I can’t believe it took Sadie so long to truly see him.

And wow, after reading this I need a pastry, stat.

How much of your authentic self should you really bring to your workplace and your relationships?

This is what author Melissa Wiesner answers in her emotional rom-com. Along the way, she explores the choices we make and how/if fate plays a role. She’ll warm your heart with a romance and make you smile with her witty banter.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡. 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭.

The Second Chance Year is about a pastry chef who has the chance to go back in time to save her job, fix her love life, and do over her terrible year when a carnival fortune teller grants her a wish.

Desperate to hold onto all the things she lost in the previous year, Sadie discovers that it comes with a price. Is she willing to shelf her authentic self at work and in her relationships for the sake of keeping her job, friends, and boyfriend?

You’ll love this romantic and heartfelt story with a spunky female and a swoon-worthy male. The slow-burn romance will have you choking back tears and agreeing that we all need a cinnamon-roll Jacob in our lives! The delicious pastries will have you wishing Higher Grounds Coffee was in YOUR neighbourhood.

This book is perfect for book clubs as it offers multiple topics for debate. There’s a #metoo movement focus, a spotlight on ‘fixing’ ourselves to fit in, as well as a highlight on women forging a place in male-dominated workplaces.

After losing her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment, Sadie has officially titled the past year her Very Bad Year. As she looks over everything thing that went wrong the past few months, she wishes more than anything to have a second chance to do things over. While at a New Years Eve party, Sadie is offered a chance to fix things by a fortune teller, and even though she doesn’t believe in magic, she takes the opportunity. Before the night ends, she ends up kissing her brother’s best friend, but when she wakes up the next day she finds herself 12 months in the past. However, she can’t stop thinking about the kiss and slowly discovers that keeping all the things she previously lost might not be worth it.

Second Chance Year is a super cute contemporary romance that was filled with pining. I found that the baking related similes were constant and got a little old. I enjoyed seeing Sadie’s character growth and liked how the pacing was set up. I was a little disappointed that we don’t get much actual romance, as the very end is when Sadie ends up with who she belongs with. I would’ve loved maybe another few chapters of the new couple and an epilogue further into the future.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Second Chance Year releases December 5, 2023

I’m starting to think that time loop/groundhog year stories are not my thing because this had me irrationally irritated.

Sadie has just experienced the worst year of her life with a break up with her boyfriend and losing her job as a pastry chef that led to her being blacklisted in the industry.
At a carnival themed NYE party, Sadie meets a fortune teller, and they grant her the chance to live out a do-over year.
The thing with most time loop stories though is that the characters never seem to understand that it’s not just their lives they’re affecting, but everyone else around them too.

I was able to predict the ending within the first chapter, which made everything in between feel arduous. I mean, introducing a nice, shy, gentlemanly character who always shows up for you and happens to be your brother’s best friend? That’s the obvious choice.

Sadie is naturally outspoken and stands up for what’s right, which is what ended up being her downfall in her “worst year”. Meaning, in this do-over, to be “successful”, she’d have to dim the natural parts of her personality and not stay true to her core morals, which was so frustrating to witness.

This one might have hit too close to home with Sadie’s profession as a pastry chef and her parents and partner always undermining her job and encouraging her to “go back to school”, as if a culinary education means nothing. I’ve also experienced the male authoritative figure dangling promotions without it ever leading anywhere which is so exhausting. Luckily Sadie was able to have her great big realization and redemption packaged in a neat bow, but realistically, it doesn’t work that way for everyone.
It also felt a bit like a slap in the face with that one scene with Sadie’s mother, how she’s also victim to workplace sexism, yet treated her daughter so shitty even though she knew first hand the affects.
And, the countless food similes were too much even for me.

I will say, I loved the found family vibes at Higher Grounds. If more of the book was focused there while giving us more one-on-one time with Sadie and Jacob and not including Paige, I probably would have enjoyed it more.

cw: sexism, workplace sexual harassment

It's New Year's Eve and Sadie has had a very bad year. Lucky for her, she runs into a fortune teller at a carnival party who offers her the chance to start the year over. The fortune teller warns her there is no going back once she sets the spell in motion, but surely whatever happens in her second chance year has to be an improvement.. Right?

I love sliding doors and time travel, and I loved this book. The characters were lovely, the whole storyline was entertaining without being predictable, and along with the light romance and super-sweetness, there were several bigger messages and important topics touched on as well. I could easily see other separate books being written about some of the other characters, and I hope that happens! I definitely recommend this book!

I don't know who wouldn't want to redo one of the last few years! Especially their worst year!
This was such a heartwarming and lovable book with the most vibrate and wonderful characters!
This book felt like a hug! I feel like most books you read and either feel like you would absolutely love or hate to live inside and this one is the former!
This was a fast-paced and romantic book! It was charming and lovely! I can't wait to read more by this author! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers!

Thank you NetGalley and orever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc of The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner. I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. Sadie is. an Assistant Pastry Chef at one of the best restaurants in NYC and is dating a guy, Alex, for the past three years who is an Investment Banker. She has a terrible year were she loses her job and her boyfriend breaks up with her and at a NYE party, she makes a wish for a do over year and wakes up New Years Day starting the year over. Sadie decides to take on the second chance year a little differently and she realizes that even though she reigns things in, the big changes from the redo year will happen anyway in some fashion, such as Sadie and Alex will break up. This book makes you think about life and the paths taken and not. I truly enjoyed this book.

Very clever concept done well. Characters were easy to root for. I longed for a tad more depth but enjoyed it nonetheless. 4 Stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Second Chance Year is a cute time travel book. Sadie has the worst year ever when she attends a New Years Eve party and meets a fortune teller who gives her the chance for a re-do. Seeing the year for a second time gives Sadie a different perspective and the chance to do things differently.

This was a quick fun romance that I enjoyed thoroughly. This is a low steam romance, kissing only. Highly recommend!

If you could redo a horrible year of your life, would you?

Sadie is spending New Years Eve being convinced by her best friend to go to a Carnival Themed NYE party after she has spent the past few months moping on her brother's friend/roommates couch. Sadie lost both her boyfriend AND her job this year, forcing her to move out of her apartment, and move in with her little brother's best friend. Jacob just so happened to let her live there for free while she gets back on her feet. The Worst Year is almost over.

Sadie goes to the party and finds a fortune teller and she wishes to redo the year. And what happens? Her wish is granted. How does she relive this year when she knows things about certain days? How will she change things?

I really loved this book and it makes you think about sometimes things just happen for a reason. There are many fun characters that I loved. It was a quick read that I cannot wait to add to my physical shelf. A great New Years read!

A review will be posted to @bookishlifeofabbyh on Instagram closer to pub date!

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was cute, enjoyable read. I felt myself hoping for more Jacob and Sadie scenes but after finishing it, I thought it was just right. This was a book focused on Sadie refining her voice throughout the year. It was great to see her big scene at the end.

I really enjoyed the other characters as well. The cafe seemed like a place I would want to get a coffee from and frequent. The entire book (minus the redoing a year thing) felt very relatable.

Overall, a great read, perfect for the coming winter months!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC!

This was such a perfect end of the year book!

I really enjoyed the journey that Sadie went through during her do-over year, I think that a lot of times we all wish we could redo conversations, moments or even whole chunks of time but we don't take into account what that actually means. This book did a wonderful job showing all the intricacies of actually having to live a year of your life over, and what making different choices does to your relationships with others and to your relationship with yourself. I really enjoyed this book, I though the pacing and way the author structured the do over year was very well done. It felt like we as the reader really understood Sadie and her choices. The romance was also slow burn and very cute, though I wouldn't say it was the main plot of the book it was very nicely done. Overall I enjoyed this book and it made me reflect on the past but also look forward to the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for granting me access to this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing). I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

What a wonderful book. It could have veered into Groundhog Day territory but didn't. Instead of reliving the same day, Sadie relives an entire year, yet tries to change the outcome. Who wouldn't want a do-over? But be careful what you wish for. I loved how Sadie showed so much personal growth throughout the story. The workplace sexual harassment plot line was powerfully written. The slow burn with Jacob was perfect, as was the inclusion of fantastic side characters. If only Higher Grounds was real! It sounds like a great place to visit. I could absolutely picture it. Definitely recommending this one.

This book had me hook, line and sinker from the very get-go. I love the touch of magical realism with the whole flashback/re-do in time. Who among us hasn’t wished we could just go back and redo a part of our life, change our mistakes and do something differently? Side note: have you never seen The Butterfly Effect? When she loses her job as a pastry chef at a prestigious NYC restaurant as well as her long-term boyfriend - both because she opened her big mouth - Sadie finds herself with the prospect of ringing in the new year from her brother’s best friend Jacob’s couch. Her best friend Kasumi tries to cheer her up by dragging her out to a carnival themed party. Disappointed by her Very Bad Year, she makes a wish at the fortune teller’s booth that she can have a redo of the year, so that she can go back and right her wrongs. But when she ends the night back on the couch, kissing Jacob in the kiss to end all kisses, she thinks that maybe she doesn’t need the redo - until he rejects her. Mortified, she goes to bed, and wakes up the next morning exactly one year in the past exactly where she began. So as the year passes, Sadie tries to do the opposite of what she did last year. Not standing up to her sexist creepy boss. Not standing up to her boyfriend’s douchey finance bro coworkers. And in a cruel twist of fate, her lack of standing up and opening her big mouth ends up costing her her friendship with Kasumi. The kiss with Jacob from NYE still haunts Sadie, and as she spends more time with him in this year, she wonders if what she lost in the previous year was really her fate, and fighting to regain those things in this new year actually cost her everything that’s important. Balancing humor with drama, this book had me laughing one moment and then on the verge of tears the next as it makes you wonder about fate and what’s important in life. In addition to a wonderful story, the full cast of side characters really enhanced the whole book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher's for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner!

I loved this book. It was like being there with friends, I want more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher/author for the opportunity read and review this fantastic book!

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