Thank you Read Forever for the gifted e-copy.

The Second Chance Year is a really cute romcom! Sadie has lost her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment all within a matter of months. Now it's NYE and after the worst year ever, all she wants is a redo. She visits a fortune teller at a NYE party, and then goes home and kisses her brother's best friend...and then wakes up the next morning in bed with her ex, with her old job back, in her old apartment. She gets the chance to redo her worst year, but is it really going to end up any different or any better?

I really like the brothers best friend trope, and this one is done in a really cute way. I loved Jacob, and I loved how Sadie uses her redo year to get to know him better and to realize maybe her worst year ever wasn't exactly so terrible in the end. The side characters are great too, especially the characters at the coffee shop! Well - Sadie's parents are terrible through most of the book, so maybe not ALL the characters are great.

The ending was really well done, and I was pleased with how everything worked out.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am sometimes nervous about reading romance books, since they are not my favorite, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. There was just enough magical realism thrown in, that it was truly enjoyable. I loved Sadie, a strong woman who still managed to be flawed and vulnerable. I found myself rooting for her early on.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Sadie and Jacob. They have known each other for all their lives. Sadie is having a terrible year she has broken up wit( her boyfriend and lost her job. She goes to a New Year’s party and sees a fortune teller. The fortune teller tells her to drink vodka and spend three circle then throw some powder and she will go back one year. She does. Sadie starts to see Jacob a lot. He is helpful. They both fall in love.

A very solid 3 star rom com with magical realism. I loved the idea of going back to a year over again and seeing what could have been done differently but in the end you would do it all the same. Cute!

What if on New Year's Eve, after the worst year of your life, you had the chance to do it all over again?

Sadie meets a fortune teller that offers her just that. After accepting that she had just wasted her time and twenty bucks, she goes home and has an encounter with her brother's best friend--Jacob--that she just can't seem to shake. Even when she wakes up a year earlier with the ex-boyfriend and job she never wanted to lose, she still can't get Jacob off her mind.

By the way, Jacob is the absolute cutest, and this book is a great, sweet reminder that maybe even the things that happen to us that seem to be "the worst" serve a purpose all the same.

This book was written for you if:
1) You love fiction with a small side of the paranormal (like a dipping sauce)
2) You love a brother's best friend
3) You want a romantic comedy that is so sweet and can be read in an afternoon

I liked this book a lot. The MC, Sadie, has had an awful year. When she sees a fortune teller, she asks for a do-over. When she wakes up, she’s in bed with her old boyfriend and it’s January 1st. As she looks at her situation, she realizes that maybe it wasn’t as bad as she thought, especially after she kisses her crush, Jacob. This is a fun mixup of paranormal and romance that I enjoyed, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you NeGalley for providing an advance copy for review. I enjoyed this book. While the premise is not unique, I was entertained when reading and finished it quickly. This is not a book that will "stay with me", but I did enjoy it.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher; the review is my own.*

My exact rating of this book is probably 4.8 because I just can't give a perfect rating to a book with strong language. But if it weren't for that, I would absolutely give this a sold 5 stars because I loved it! I kept telling my husband how much I loved it every time he asked if I was enjoying my book (and even sometimes when he didn't ask). Can somebody please make a movie of this? Please? Just leave out those pesky, unnecessary f bombs so it can be PG-13; I will watch it (and so will my husband, who loves rom-coms).

Before I go on, I would just like to express my extreme happiness that this book did not contain a single sex scene. More in the Notes section.

I hesitantly shelved this book as magical realism, but it's not really. It fits in the same category as 13 Going on 30 and The Family Man--it's not really magic and fantasy, but it's slightly more than just fiction. Even with the time twist, though, it somehow felt completely plausible. Like, sure, why wouldn't Sadie be able to relive her Very Bad Year? Makes sense to me.

Sadie (30 at the start of her VBY) experienced a tremendous amount of growth throughout the book. She had to navigate a lot of the same scenarios a second time, though her responses were different from the first time around, causing subtle (yet significant) changes to her life and the lives of those around her. Seeing Sadie learn about herself and the reality of her expectations was at times amusing and frequently heartbreaking (honestly, I can't believe I'm going to admit that I almost cried a little at one point). She was a protagonist I could wholeheartedly root for, and I just wanted everything good for her. Jacob (29 at the start of the VBY) was adorably sweet and just an all-around good, honorable guy. He was quite obviously (to everyone but Sadie) that he was very much in love with her, and I loved the story of how it started for him even though my heart hurt for how long his feelings went unrequited. I enjoyed watching Sadie fall for him as they became better friends. Everyone should have a person who truly sees them like Jacob saw Sadie.

Supporting characters were also well developed with distinct, believable personalities. Owen (29 at the start of the VBY) was both a good brother to Sadie and a good friend to Jacob. Kasumi, Zoe, Mrs. Kaminski, José Luis--all easily believable as real people. Sadie and Owen's parents frustrated me so much because of their obsession with seeing their children succeed in a specific way that they wanted them to, and their refusal to accept Sadie's choice of career as legitimate made me so sad. Even though he was all wrong for Sadie and got his own priorities mixed up, I appreciated that Alex was generally likable.

Something I feel like this book did well (aside from, you know, almost everything) was the way it brought attention to sexual harassment and misogyny. I recently read another book that tried to address the same topic but did it in such a way that I felt like I was being bombarded with a sledgehammer telling me that all me are sexist pigs trying to keep women down. It was overkill and prevented me from enjoying the book or taking the message seriously. However, The Second Chance Year successfully addressed those same topics: men who take advantage of women, expectations placed on women by men, and women's struggles to attain the same achievements and careers as men. The difference is that this book was a story that included those themes rather than those themes with a story thrown in. Although several men in this book were prime examples of why it's important to keep those issues visible, the majority of the male characters were not that way. It was those characters rather than men in general. The book didn't feel like a "men are pigs" rant. It was quite well done, to be honest.

I'm already adding a bunch of Melissa Wiesner's books to my TBR list, and I'm excited to see what else she puts out into the world.

Notes: Some swearing, including probably 5 f words. Some kissing and a couple brief makeout scenes.

Sadie is a true bad ass, but watching her make herself smaller and quieter to please those around her broke my heart. And honestly, it pissed me off because I've had to do this in my life many times. This book was so sweet, funny, and heart-warming, I never wanted it to end!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This book has my heart! Sadie has had a very bad year. And on New Year's Eve she wishes for a do-over. What will Sadie do differently this time around?

3.75⭐️

The Second Chance Year was a fun read - time travel romance, the what-ifs of if you could redo the past year and fix a shitty year. When Sadie speaks to a fortune teller at a New Years party to fix the past year, she's shocked to wake up the following morning, reliving her previous year. She's still dating her finance bro boyfriend, has her job as a pastry chef at a prestigious restaurant and is determined to make things better this time. She finds out just because she went back in time to fix it, doesn't mean its what is going to happen.

This was an incredibly predictable rom-com, but it didn't make it any less fun! Sadie is a super relatable character, trying to prevent the things she believes ruined her last year, without realizing she was giving up some of the parts that she enjoyed.

The brother's best friend romance trope is not usually my favorite. This was no exception. I liked Jacob as a character, but he and Sadie had very little chemistry in my eyes. Sadie's character was so devoted to making her finance bro boyfriend Alex work, we missed a lot of 'could be' interactions between the leads.

The quirky found family vibes the supporting characters gave was honestly my favorite. They made a lot of the scenes more entertaining.

Give it a rest with the baking and food puns.😒😒
"Something about that leaves me as hollow as a cannoli without any filling."

It felt like there was one every paragraph - i get it, Sadie's a pastry chef and food/baking is part of her character, but holy moly stop. I originally DNF'd the ebook because of them, but gave the book another shot on audio (at 2x speed) and managed to get through it quick. The narrator, Helen Laser, did an amazing job and I am convinced their performance made me enjoy the story more.

🍰 Time travel/alternate reality
🍰 Magical Realism
🍰 Brother's best friend
🍰 Friendship, New beginnings
🍰 Emotional rom-com
🍰 Rescue cat!
🍰 Quirky found family
🍰 Standing up for yourself

CW: Sexism

Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Wiesner, and Forever for the ARC of The Second Chance Year. 💖

This book was a perfect cozy up under a blanket and read it straight thru kind of book. At the end of a really bad year, including a breakup and a lost job, Sadie makes a wish for a do-over. She finds herself back at January 1st of the previous year and facing a new chance at all the bad things that happened in her life. Peppered with romance and self-discovery, this was a delight. I loved the cast of characters and loved the relationship Sadie has with her brother and best friend. Thank you foe this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

SWOOOOON. Wow. I loved this. "I wish you could see yourself the way I do". Jacob is incredible. And Sadie is badass! I loved the characters in this story so much. I stayed up way best my bedtime reading this I just couldn't get enough. This was a you don't know what you have until it's gone type of story. Just beautiful.

Thank you netgalley for this earc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read. I really enjoyed the concept of Sadie getting a second chance at living the worst year of her life. In many aspects of her life from friendships, her career, her love life, and her values; Sadie gets to see how different decisions make a change in her life. This story was lighthearted but also had some great moments of reflection for the reader. For me, it was just that life is going to happen to you and the only thing you are going to have control over is how you react to life. With that, it's important to always try to stay true to yourself and what you believe in. Sadie's story really confirmed that thought process for me. I did feel bad for her in the sense of how she is constantly fighting for the approval from her parents and it seems her superior at work. It is difficult to navigate figuring out who you are and who you want to be when you are also fighting that battle of approval from others. I found that her storyline with Jacob was very sweet. I loved that he always saw her when she thought no one else was. Overall, I enjoyed this one.

The Second Chance Year is a sweet story of a second chance opportunity. Sadie Thatcher seems to be down on her luck and having a hard time bouncing back from her circumstances after breaking up with her long term boyfriend and losing her job. When a mysterious stranger gives her the opportunity at a second chance on the year, she takes it. Suddenly she has erased the past bad year and finds herself ready to relive January 1st and move forward from there. But is reliving the year exactly what she is looking for to help mend her broken soul?

Melissa Wiesner has written a charming character in Sadie and the audience can;t help but cheer for her in all aspects of her life. A great read all around. Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Books for my copy of this novel.

This is the first book that I have read from this author but I absolutely loved the writing style. Sadie is a bad a** baker who doesn’t let anyone walk all over her, until it gets in the way of her dreams. Is she too outspoken? She time travels to fix all her mistakes. Are they truly mistakes though? This is a must read to find out how Sadie finds her bakery dreams and love.

The premise was cute (always love a time travel-y romance) but a lot of the experiences were really gross from a sexism perspective. This is fiction - we don't have to fully adhere to the "real world" and a lot of the sexism did nothing to move the story / romance forward. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

While this premise isn't new -- main character Sadie gets a second chance to re-do a Very Bad Year -- it was executed flawlessly, where I really enjoyed the character's journey. While she deals with workplace sexual harassment (trigger warning), her career pivot is really sweet and fun. The romance is actually subtle and takes a backseat, and might be the only thing I wanted more of.

Sadie’s life is falling apart around her - job, love life, and apartment all gone. When on NYE she gets the opportunity to wish to go back to last year, she’s transported in time. When Sadie gets the chance to make different choices this time, will they lead to a happily ever after?

This book is for anyone who has ever wondered if going back in time and making different decisions would make life better. A heartwarming story that will have you thinking about the impact of your actions. A recommendation for anyone looking for a sweet story!

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I started this but could not go on as it didn’t grab me. It seems like a trope that is over used. So, I’ve set it aside and maybe will come back to it another time. Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.