This has to be the cutest romance novel. It features a girl who is not happy with the way her life is going so needs a do over year but not all goes as planned. The characters are very loveable. The book is funny, uplifting, and so sweet:

This is a favorite of mine so far this month! I loved this one and the concept was so fresh and exciting. Wiesner did a wonderful job creating a main character who you related to and wanted to root for. I loved it!

If you could get one wish, what would it be? Would you use it to travel to your past so you could change some things that happened?

Sadie loses her job and her apartment. Her boyfriend also breaks up while she’s constantly struggling to get noticed by her parents who have eyes only for her younger brother who’s thriving in his career. Sadie’s dream is to open a bakery of her own which seems like a dream to her. Her friend Kasumi brings her joy and her brother’s best friend, Jacob helps her out by letting her stay at his place. Kasumi persuades Sadie to come to a party with her and little did Sadie know that this will change her life, maybe forever! She meets a fortune teller at the party with a 🔮 who grants Sadie one wish, a wish that will take her one year back. Will Sadie be able to change her life for the better? Will she be able to keep her job and boyfriend in her second chance year? Or will she realize that what she wants has been there in front of her all the time?

I really enjoyed this book! And omg I was salivating all the way through the book reading the various delicacies Sadie is making and I don’t even have a sweet tooth. Maybe I need to recheck my taste preferences but seriously the selection of pastries and deserts mentioned will keep you craving them. Also, I LOVED Sadie as a badass FMC standing up for harassment and gender discrimination. The book touches upon sexual harassment so please make sure to read the author's note beforehand. And Jacob, oh what a sweet guy! I loved how sweet the romance was and how the love built up. I loved how Sadie ultimately learned how staying true to yourself is more important than getting approval from others. She’s also a “crazy cat lady” with a cat like me.

You’d love this book if you enjoy,
~badass FMC
~brother’s best friend trope
~shy but handsome, sweet, and musical MMC
~delicious delicacies
~second chances
~a bit of charm and magic
~no spice

Thank you Netgalley and Readforeverpub for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I loved reading this book. Sometimes a second chance is all you need to see what was really in front of you the whole time.

I received an ARC through Netgalley and the publisher.

I loved this book! The story follows Sadie, a pastry chef who just had a Very Bad Year where she loses her job and her long-term boyfriend, and sees her life spiral. At a New Year’s Eve party, she encounters a fortune teller who gives her a way to redo her last year. The next morning she wakes up to it being January 1st of the year before and the story follows her throughout her “second chance year”.

I liked Sadie a lot as the main character and I really liked her story arc as well. It was great to see her really come into her own as the story progressed. I personally thought the storyline was really relatable - I mean who hasn’t thought everything would change if they got the chance to do something over? I also enjoyed Jacob as the love interest. He was kind and thoughtful and I loved how he interacted with all of the characters, but especially Owen. The story kept me captivated and I enjoyed the magical realism aspect. Sadie’s friends were awesome and the side characters really added to the story without taking away from the main storyline. It tackled some heavy issues, such as sexual harassment in the workplace, and I thought it was done really well. This was overall a great read for me, and I would definitely recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and the author for this ARC!

TW: sexual harassment, misogyny
Publication Date: 5 December 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I ate this story up! Have you ever questioned choices you made and wish you could go back and have a redo? Sadie is having a horrible year and meets a fortune teller during a New Year’s Eve party. She asks for a redo- and wakes up on New Years Eve the year before. She wants her boyfriend back, as well as her job, and makes all the ‘right’ choices to get them back this second time around. But are they really what they want?

I loved everything about this book. The characters, the romance between Jacob and Sadie. Very cute romance and highly recommend.

Absolutely loved it and I can see my patrons loving it as well. This book really got me excited thinking about the new year and I wish this book was a movie so I could watch it over and over again.

I enjoyed this so much, I basically devoured it in a day. It was a perfect New Year’s Eve book. I not only became attached to Sadie and Jacob but also all of the additional characters as well. Owen, Kasumi, Jose Luis, Zoe & my favorite Mrs Kaminski! The setting was beautifully described and while I’ve never been to New York City I definitely felt like I was picturing everything in detail.
*TW: workplace sexual harassment*

Huge thank you to Melissa Weisner & Netgalley for the ARC- I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

This book was so sweet and swoon worthy! It reminded me a lot of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez in a lot of way honestly. The cover was the first thing, and a lot of the writing had similarities though the plot line was completely different of course. This is one of the highest compliments I could possibly give being that Yours Truly is one of my all time favorite reads! I highly highly recommend reading The Second Chance Year if you want a swoony, rom com feel and an easy read 💕

I went into this one a little skeptical. Magical realism, again? Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Going a little deeper than the average novel, the author tackles some more mature topics.

Sadie Thatcher’s life is in shambles. She's lost everything. Her boyfriend dumped her, her pastry chef job is gone, and she's living in the spare room of her brother's best friend's apartment. How much worse can it be? After downing pint after pint on Ben & Jerry's, her best. friend finally convinces her to get off the couch and to give life another chance.

Not really in the mood to party, when Sadie has a chance to visit a fortune teller, she's skeptical. One wish sounds awesome but, how much faith can she put into this dog and pony show? More than she could ever, possibly, imagine.

The next morning Sadie realizes her wish has come true. She's back with her boyfriend, she has her job, and has traveled one year back- she's been given the chance to not make the same mistakes again. Will the chance to do it all over be the fresh start she's looking for? Or will getting another change put her life in another tailspin?

I thought the author did a great job at describing the timeline & Sadie’s journey to find herself. I loved how the focus wasn’t just on the romance parts of the story and we were able to meet a whole cast of characters throughout. I laughed and I felt the feels. Melissa also did a great job at dealing with some of the tougher themes of the book! I loved this book and can’t wait for everyone else to as well🥰🫶🏼

Read this if you’re a fan of magical realism & time loop romances like FIVE FIRST CHANCES and THIS TIME NEXT YEAR

This was so good! Super fast-paced. I think I finished it in 2 sittings. I cannot wait til it comes out so I can start recommending it to customers! :)

While this was an enjoyable enough read, I feel like the going-back-in-time-and-getting-a-do-over plot has been done already, and this didn’t necessarily offer anything new. It was well written, and again it was enjoyable. I think it had a bit of slow start, and it took me a while to get into it, but overall pretty good!

Sadie gets to re-live and hopefully improve her “Very Bad Year” with a Second Chance Year.

Since she knows what is going to happen, can she change her reactions? Will she continue to be outspoken and reactive or will she change and still be true to herself?

The premise is thought provoking for the characters as well as the reader. The characters are well developed, some are likeable, some are lovable and some are despicable! They combine to make it a very enjoyable story. I would definitely recommend reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pub Date 05 Dec 2023

It felt light, easy enough to read. Sadie felt immature, and I didn’t want to hang out with her longer. I stopped after chapter 1 (4%), but I imagine it will be an easy three stars for the right reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. I was skeptical about the whole Groundhog Day concept at first, but as the story went on, I couldn’t put the book down. All the topics mentioned were well executed. I loved all the side characters and the main characters even more. I’m a sucker for a shy mmc. This is the perfect book to pick up during the holidays

Sadie is having a horrible year. She lost her job and got broken up with. When she goes to a carnival themed New Year's party she wishes for another chance at the horrible ear. She goes back to her brothers best friend Jacob's apartment where she's been crashing. The night ends with a kiss she never expected from the person she never had noticed before.

She wakes up the next morning in her old apartment with her old boyfriend exactly one year in the past. She wants to try to make the year better this time around but keeps remembering the kiss and the guy she is now realizing has always been there for her.

This is my first book by Melissa Wiener and I absolutely enjoyed it! It was a romance story with a big focus on the FMC growth as she navigates the choices she made and learns how each one impacts her life and those around her. The romance aspect is not the central plot but is so enjoyable. The MMC is a sweetheart who you will definitely root for. There's also a big side story about women in the workplace and the challenges they face.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever publishing for this ARC and the chance to give an honest review.

Read from: Sep 13, 2023 - Sep 16, 2023
Good reads review posted 9/16
Instagram post scheduled for 9/19 and 9/20

When Sadie wishes for the opportunity to go back and "redo" an entire year of her life, you're cheering for her to get everything she wants. But that night when an unexpected encounter occurs with her brother's best friend, her eyes are opened to the possibilities of things she might have missed wallowing over the past mistakes she has made. When she wakes up to realize she's sent back to relive that entire year, you travel with her as she navigate through the mistakes she made and make sure she fixes her wrongdoing- All while remembering what happened that New Years Eve night. I loved this book. It fits the bill for anybody wanting a romance, as well as following a character through their life decisions and learning along side them through the ups and downs. The realizations, compassion and connections made through characters will leave you, sad, happy, angry, and rooting for them each step of the way. This is the perfect book to get lost in on a cozy afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate.

The Second Chance Year
Melissa Wiesner

Do you believe in the magic of second chances? For Sadie, a down on her luck pastry chef, a do-over of her “very bad year” cannot come soon enough. She’s lost her job, her apartment and her boyfriend. When the opportunity arises on New Year’s Eve to have a second chance at her “very bad year”, she seizes the opportunity. Will she fix everything she thought was wrong or will she realize the grass isn’t always greener on the other side?

Melissa Wiesner whipped up a novel that really takes the cake (pun intended) in the romcom department. I loved the clever way Wiesner told the alternate timeline story because I wasn’t re-reading things over and over again. I also appreciated that while this book is a romcom, the romance wasn’t the main story. I found Sadie’s personal growth and the way Wiesner dealt with hard topics (sexism and harassment in the workplace) to be the main points of focus that were so eloquently portrayed in this page-turning novel. They say that “baking is love made visible”, but I think the same is true about Melissa Wiesner’s writing as well. Can’t wait to get lost in the pages again!

Thank You to @ReadForeverPub (Forever, Grand Central Publishing) and @NetGalley for allowing me to read this sweet-as-pie novel ahead of its December 5th release date later this year.

The second chance year was a quick, light read for me, while also being thought provoking as we all have had years or situations we would love to have a second chance. I can relate a lot with this female lead character, being described as abrasive by some, but admired for standing up to bullies by others just shows its a matter of perspective in what one person sees as a flaw, another admires. As a mom of 3, I don't have a lot of time to read, but I read this one in less than 48 hours and did not want to put it down!