2.75/5 Stars

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read the digital advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!**

This was a cute story, with tropes like friends to lovers, brother’s best friend, chosen family, and slow burn.
I don't usually like friends to lovers, but I've had such good luck in my recent reads, I decided to give this one a try!

The story follows Sadie, who is nearing the end of an exceptionally difficult year. She broke up with her boyfriend and she lost her job. Due to her financial instability, she had to move into her brother's best friend's apartment. Convinced that her tendency to speak her mind led to these calamities, Sadie attended a New Year's Eve party with a single wish; to somehow reset the year and undo her missteps. Through the intervention of a fortune teller, she was granted this wish, only to wake up once again in Jacob's apartment on New Year's Eve. When the clock struck midnight, an unexpected kiss was shared between Sadie and Jacob. However, upon awakening the following morning, she found herself back in her ex-boyfriend's bed from the year before.

The narrative is endearing, and the protagonist is affable, yet it follows a highly foreseeable trajectory and bears a resemblance to rom-coms I've encountered numerous times before. For example The 7 Year Slip, is one I recently read and ADORED. Unfortunately in comparison this book wasn't as strong as that one. The writing style was engaging, and I found it very easy to understand. I will mention though that there was an unnecessary amount of baking talk, it almost felt like a prop in order to make the story feel sweeter. I didn't mind it at times, but could have definitely been scaled back a notch.

Overall, a decent cute/ sweet read and I think many will enjoy it!

This is easily one of my favorite books for the year now! My top so far being Emily Henry’s happy place.
We’ve all seen every time travel movie and know that messing with the past is almost always destined for failure, so when Sadie gets the opportunity to redo her “very bad year” we just know everything is going to go wrong. I like how although this book takes place over the span of a year it doesn’t drag at all! Sadie’s character development throughout this whole book was immaculate. And I was routing for her every time something came her way. It addresses the topic of workplace harassment and sexism in the work place with sensitivity. This book will have you feeling for all the characters and by the end I was crying all the happy tears. It really makes you think about what you would do if given a second chance. If you want a cute and sweet romance, this one is for you!

I've read many books with the classic do-over tale but this one was a refreshing take. I loved all of the quirky characters and they did a great job adding to the overall story. Sadie had the opportunity to re-do her Very Bad Year and sometimes the things we wish for are not the things we need.

I would recommend this book for a quick, fun read.

Refreshing take on the much-desired do-over! Who hasn't wanted to change the past and do things differently? Sadie gets her wish, but soon learns getting what you think you want and figuring out what you really want aren't one in the same. A great soft romance, well developed characters and a story I just couldn't put down. Highly recommend!

this was such a sweet time travel/ brothers best friend romance. i loved jacob as a character, I love how he was sadie's biggest supporter even when she didn't realize and i loved sadie's personal journey in loving herself and choosing to be in the environments that make her happy. the end romantic gesture was everything. thank you netgalley for this arc.

Such a sweet, swoony romance. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie just had the worst year of her life. She’s lost her job, her home, and her long time boyfriend. She’s spending all her time on her little brother’s best friend Jacob’s couch. But New Year’s Eve is a time for new beginnings and Sadie meets a fortune teller who performs actual magic and offers her a wish. When Sadie wakes the next day, it’s January 1st of last year.. and she’s in bed with her ex in the apartment she lost, late for work at the job she still has. But she can’t stop thinking about Jacob. Sadie spends her second chance making herself smaller trying to hold her life together even though she’s seeing everything through a new lens, and she keeps running into Jacob making her question if the worst mistake she’s made is asking for a second chance.

This book was so cute! Sadie is an outspoken, protective, and fierce FMC. Jacob should be protected at all costs, which Sadie’s little brother Owen, tries so hard to do. There’s such a sweet dynamic between Sadie and Owen as siblings you’d expect to be pitted against each other thanks to their crappy parents.

The story has great pacing. It makes a quick but relatable introduction to Sadie’s heartbreak, her current living situation, and why in the world she’d be wishing so hard for a second chance to get it right. Every additional character is introduced so well and they’re easy to connect with. The slow burn romance is broken down in a way that the story never drags. It unfolds over the course of Sadie repeating her Very Bad Year and what happens each month. I truly enjoyed getting to watch Sadie grow as a person and learn so much from her do-over.

This dares to ask the question of how much happens to you is fate and how much is choice; if it’s better to speak up or stay quiet in your personal and professional life; and is a second chance really all you’d expect it to be.

I loved the concept of having a “second chance year” before I picked this book up and it definitely delivered! The title is exactly what this book was, a woman’s chance for a do-over from her “worst” year ever.
I loved how things panned out for Sadie and it goes to show that everything happens for a reason. Great, quick read with great messages sprinkled in.
Now to explore other titles from this new to me author.

"Quit fiddling around in the past. Quit trying to change things that don't need to be changed. Figure out what you want. And go get it."

Sadie, a pastry chef who is outspoken and and unafraid to stand up for what's wrong, finds herself unemployed, heartbroken, and living on her brother's best friends couch with unsupportive parents after being who she is. Her best friend, Katsumi, drags her to a New Year Eve's party where she meets a fortune teller who gives her a chance to re-do her entire year over.

What a pleasant surprise! I knew I would enjoy it after reading the synopsis and divulging on what the potential tropes would be: second chance, brother's best friend, friends to lovers with a touch of magic realism. As someone who can relate to Sadie, there are often times when I wish I could change actions/conversations/events that have already happened in my past but I think the author did a great job in executing that sometimes it's better to live in the present. Stop hyper fixating on what's already happened (the what-ifs of life) and the things you can no longer change.

Lots of moments to laugh out loud. Many tender moments between the romantic interest and Sadie. Found family - friends that become family. The author handled the topic of sexual harassment in the workforce and as someone who has recently watched Barbie... couldn't help the honesty in a male dominated society and how women are still viewed in this time and day.

There were many tender moments, and I loooooooved Jacob as a MMC. There's something about a quiet nerdy shy man who's affectionate that just gets me every time. Overall, really enjoyed it! I can't wait for what's next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read the digital advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

This book was terrific! So many tropes that I loved, including second chances, brother’s best friend, and coffee shop antics.

Sadie was a great heroine to root for, and I swooned over Jacob. He’s one of the best love interests that I’ve read about in a long time. You cannot help but fall in love with him along with Sadie.

Thanks to NetGalley for this wonderful ARC.

Overall, I liked it. I didn't adore it but I didn't dislike it either. For me, it took me a little too long to warm up to the protagonist Sadie. I understand that the first half of the book was her figuring out her mistakes but it wasn't terribly enjoyable to read her being so unhappy. Those brief flashes of goodness with Jacob or Higher Grounds just weren't enough to carry it for me and that made the book very easy to put down for a while. But, the writing was solidly good. I stuck around.

Eventually, it picked up. Around the halfway point I started getting interested again and by the last third I was sucked back in. It felt good to finally see Sadie being Sadie and the author kept me guessing in terms of the when/if with Jacob until the last minute. The ending was very satisfying and the concept in-general of redoing a year was neat so all-in-all, as I said at the beginning, I liked it.

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Sadie and Jacob were such a delight to follow along with in their journey! I really enjoyed Sadie’s strong character, and it was nice to see her progress and come into her own. Her story was like a warm hug; she’s someone you’d want to be friends with and you care about how her life is going. Jacob was the perfect counterpart, and is the prime example of chivalry in a modern world! I loved this story!

A sweet and swoony romance! After having a year of bad chances, Sadie goes to a circus themed New Year's party with her friend and wishes to go back and have a second chance at her last year in a fortune teller's tent. The next day she wakes up back in a bed with the guy who broke up with her the past year in the apartment she lost after she lost her job, but things slowly turn more for the worst again- she loses all of the things she thought she was protecting.

Not only was the romance in this novel rivoting, but the aspects of friendship and feminism in the workplace were just as powerful. The slowburn romance had a great leading up to the climax, although it was hard for me to be extremely emotionally involved in it. It was still very cute and lighthearted.

The characters were extremely likable, and their connections were really fun and pleasing. I'm enthralled with the staff and group at Higher Grounds and how well their characters went together.

The ending of the book, although a little cliche was still very sweet and warming. I loved seeing how Sadie grew as a person in this "redo" year of her life, and seeing the life lessons she learned.

Overall, this was a really cute, yet powerful romance. I would definitely recommend reading this! Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was cute! It handled the trope of changing the past well. Sadie learns from her mistakes. Some mistakes took a bit longer than others to learn from, but that was expected. My only complaint was the broken CD scene. I'm sorry, but WHAT?! As someone who grew up in the 90s...CDs don't just randomly break in CD players. Tapes? ALL THE TIME. But CDs? Nope. that was a really really weird plot device.

Looking forward to Ms. Wiesner's next book!

I'd rate The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner a 3.75 stars, as it was an incredibly sweet romance with tropes including second chance, friends to lovers, brother's best friend, found family, and SLOW burn. I loved the romantic interest in this novel, Jacob, as well as how the focus of the novel was staying true to yourself and standing up for your beliefs. Sadie, the main character, was also a very enjoyable narrator and it was fun to witness her character development over the course of the novel.

The novel begins with Sadie at the end of a Very Bad Year - her investment banker boyfriend broke up with her, she lost her job at a high end restaurant, and she is living in her brother's best friend's apartment after being unable to afford rent. Sadie is convinced that all of these misfortunes are the result of her "big mouth" and as she finds herself at a New Year's Eve party, her only wish is that she could have a chance to redo the year. After she uses a fortune teller to make this wish, Sadie ends up back at her brother's best friend, Jacob's, apartment. At midnight, her and Jacob end up kissing, but when she wakes up the next morning, she is back in her ex-boyfriend's bed the year prior.

While the novel was very feel-good, the amount of baking puns in the narration gave me a toothache. As I mentioned earlier, it was also a SLOW burn. I'm normally okay with a slow burn, but I definitely felt that it dragged on for longer than it needed to. I was also able to fly through the novel and enjoyed it, but I didn't feel a super deep sense of connection with the characters, though I liked them.

The highlights of the novel for me were definitely Jacob's entire character as well as the overarching theme of the book which was brought to light by Sadie's character growth. I found this read to move very steadily and I flew through the pages. I had a lot of fun with it! And even through this fun, the novel was able to tackle topics including misogyny and workplace harassment with sensitivity which was appreciated.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read the digital advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Such a cute read and feel like it did a good job with the “do over” plot and made it different. I really appreciated Sadie’s character.

"The Second Chance Year" is an adorable clean romance that unfolds through a captivating Groundhog Day concept. Sadie's year has been nothing short of disastrous until a magical twist grants her a do-over, starting from January 1st. She's torn between reshaping her past mistakes and embracing an unexpected romance with Jacob, her brother's best friend. As the story progresses, we witness Sadie's growth and her pursuit of self-discovery.

The book's time-travel element is skillfully woven into the narrative, offering a unique twist. The characters are relatable, and their development shines amidst a backdrop of baking and workplace dynamics. While the romance takes center stage, the story also delves into self-acceptance and personal evolution. Some minor inconsistencies and repetitions can briefly detract from the flow, but overall, it's an enjoyable journey.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the chance to dive into this heartwarming tale. The baking references add a delightful touch, and though not without minor hiccups, "The Second Chance Year" is a recommended read for anyone seeking a sweet romance peppered with self-discovery.

I went into this book having read the synopsis and thought it would be a cute meet cute, but I was WAY wrong! This book exceeded my expectations and I finished it in one sitting because I just fell in love with Sadie's character. She's a down on her luck girl who would give anything to just go back in time for a redo and when that's actually granted she quickly realizes a redo is not what she needed, but what she got out of it was way more!

I felt her and Jacob's story was so effortless and it's one of those love stories you just root for from the beginning. I also really loved her brother Owen and hope to get a little more about his life in a future book.

I also appreciated the way the author handled sexual harassment in the workplace and showed different ways of how that can be and for how long women have been dealing with this, mostly silent, made Sadie realize that she was going to stand up for not only herself but all the women who couldn't. It's so often where women are made to feel like they did something wrong and they are the cause of the harassment, when at the end of the day it isn't and something needs to be done about it.

I absolutely didn't want this book to end and it made my heart happy with how it ended! Can't wait for more by this author in the future!

**thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Another great eARC has found it’s way to me and my Kindle. I really enjoyed The Second Chance Year. It was a bit of a slow start, but I quickly got into it and I found myself being drawn to read this more over my other current reads #moodreaderproblems

The Second Chance Year follows Sadie, an ex-ish pastry chef living the nightmare trifecta: losing her job, her boyfriend, and having to temporarily live with her brother’s best friend. She meets a fortune teller at a NYE party and gets the chance to re-do the last year of her life in hopes of everything working itself out. Sadie slowly realizes that by trying not to repeat the same mistakes, she loses a lot more than she bargained for, but also finds some much needed clarity.

The real star of this book is Jacob, Sadie’s brother’s best friend and the sweetest cinnamon roll I have ever read! He’s very shy, incredibly thoughtful, and loyal to those he really cares about. My heart absolutely loved the scenes where it was painfully obvious that Jacob has been crazy about Sadie 🤭 Also, reading this book made me realize that I really love the Brother’s Best Friend (or the Best Friend’s Brother) trope! I love how they always seem cold and standoffish to the main character, but thats only because they’ve been crazy about them for ages!

While TSCY is a romcom about second chances, it also depicts sexual harassment and its harmful effects on the individuals that it had happened to, and to others around them. It’s shameful that kind of behaviour is still happening in today’s society, but at least people who are perpetrating it are being called out on their gross behaviour and it is slowly but surely not being tolerated anymore.

Thank you so much @netgalley and @readforeverpub for the eARC! Definitely need a physical copy for my shelf once it comes out.

Do you know what my FAVORITE romance trope is this year???

Second chances.

Yep, I am falling madly in love with romances that feature the trope, and The Second Chance Year, fits perfectly into the pantheon. We have Sadie Thatcher, a pastry chef who has had the worst year of her life. And on December 31, she decides, reluctantly, to go with her best friend to a New Years Eve party where a fortune teller gives her an opportunity of a lifetime: start her crappy year over.

Is she willing to take the risk and possibly have a worse outcome?

You’ll have to read it to see…😂😂😂

Book friends, without giving any spoilers, I loved how Sadie’s second chance was a reflection of what she did before. She’s walking cautiously this time around the land mines that detonated the first time and finding herself drawn to the man she only thought of as her brothers best friend.

Though Sadie becomes a slightly different version of her previous self, it’s the journey in finding that happy ending that makes this book a delectable treat.

Add this one to your TBR!

Happy Reading ~ Cece

the second chance year by @melissawiesnerauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
tropes: brother’s best friend, found family, do over (a tiny bit of magic), pining, strong women, boy obsessed, he falls first, SLOW BURN

omg i literally cannot wait for this book to officially come out so that i can buy a physical copy to annotate🫶 jacob and sadieeeeeee🩷🩷🩷🩷 i love them. this book. i literally read it in one day. the only time i stopped reading was to sleep and to eat and during dinner i told my parents i had to leave so i could finish the rest 😬 melissa wiesner wrote jacob for the girlies who in real life aren’t going for the jacked bad boy. jacob is a cutie patootie. he is a certified cinnamon roll. jacob gray holds the YA book boyfriend standard 😫 HES A MUSICIAN HE PLAYS PIANO AND IS SHY BUT HE SINGS FOR SADIE ARGXKEJSK 🫠 like he’s literally obsessed with her. ok and sadie???? she’s everything. she grows so so much throughout the book and i’m so proud of her. and she’s not even real😀 sadie is loud. she lets the people know what’s up. she’s a pastry chef and literally makes the yummiest treats. i feel like you didn’t take that in. SHES A PASTRY CHEF. outspoken pastry chef girlfriend x shy musician boyfriend???????? it’s perfect phenomenal stupendous. i cried. the book was simply adorable. not once did i think it needed spice. it was perfectly paced and written. the magic was well done and it didn’t feel cheesy at all. i’m so so happy i got to read it before it’s pub date (make sure to get it DECEMBER 5th)🫡 i cannot say enough about this book. it was so much more than a romance.