Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was SO good! I can't believe there isn't more buzz about it. I thought Sadie and Jacob were so cute. Wiesner handled difficult subjects really well, which made this book feel like it was more than romance. It was a cute way to ring in the new year!

"The Second Chance Year" by Melissa Wiesner is a delightful exploration of second chances, redemption, and the unforeseen consequences that come with wishing for a do-over. With a mix of humor and heartfelt moments, Wiesner crafts a story that keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

Sadie Thatcher, the protagonist, finds herself at rock bottom after a series of unfortunate events—losing her job, apartment, and boyfriend. Desperate for a change, she seizes the opportunity offered by a fortune teller to redo her disastrous year. The narrative takes an intriguing turn when, despite her skepticism, Sadie's wish seemingly comes true. However, the twist lies in the fact that she wakes up a year in the past, with a chance to correct the mistakes that led to her downfall.

Wiesner skillfully navigates Sadie's journey as she relives the events of the past year. The author cleverly weaves in elements of self-discovery, allowing Sadie to recognize the red flags in her relationships and career that she had previously overlooked. The exploration of regret, growth, and the consequences of impulsive decisions adds depth to the storyline.

The character dynamics, particularly Sadie's interactions with Jacob, her brother's best friend, inject a sense of romance and tension into the narrative. The forbidden kiss adds an element of complexity to Sadie's second chance, making readers eager to see how their relationship unfolds throughout the story.

Wiesner's writing is engaging and witty, capturing the essence of Sadie's journey with humor and authenticity. The pacing of the novel is well-executed, keeping the reader invested in Sadie's quest for redemption. The author's exploration of the intricacies of relationships and the impact of choices resonates with readers on a personal level.

In "The Second Chance Year," Melissa Wiesner delivers a charming and relatable tale of self-discovery and redemption. The novel's blend of humor, romance, and the exploration of life's complexities make it a thoroughly enjoyable read. Wiesner proves to be a skilled storyteller, and "The Second Chance Year" is a testament to her ability to create a captivating narrative that lingers in the reader's mind.

I adored this novel about friendship, love, and career; it really resonated with me. The premise is a female pastry chef in New York City who had a terrible year after getting fired from her job and she gets a second chance to "do-over" the year. She realizes each decision had a consequence and I enjoyed the aspects of her self-evaluation and personal growth through the book.

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I thoroughly enjoyed this rom-com from Melissa Wiesner! It was a great read for New Years! I enjoyed the magical realism element and the romance is lovely.
Our female main character, Sadie, is a pastry chef who thinks her tendency to be “too much” and speak up against injustice might have caused a Very Bad Year. When she is given a chance for a do-over by a fortune teller at a New Years Eve party, she takes it. But is being yourself really the best course of action?
The Second Chance Year is a book about friendship, second chances, and believing in yourself. I highly recommend it!

n The Second Chance Year Sadie gets a redo. She has the WORST year - losing her job, apartment, and boyfriend. On New Year's Eve, she meets a fortune teller and wishes for a redo... and wakes up on January 1 of last year with a chance for a redo.

This romance is a story that touches on sexism in the workplace, parental expectations, and friendship and is for all the girlies who tend to speak their minds, but who are struggling to live up to a role or expectation someone has set for them, or who just wish they could have a reset.

Highly recommend picking this up in December - it's perfect for New Year's Eve!

A great book to read in January, this story centers around a New Year's Eve party and wish to relive the past year and 'get it right' that comes true. I loved how Sadie had to navigate living a year that she had already participated in but in a new way, and the little things that compound to make that hard when she can't explain the situation to anyone; things like knowing someone's name that she shouldn't yet, or walking to the wrong apartment out of habit when she doesn't live there this time around.

While everything ties up in a nice bow by the end, I just kept my rose coloured glasses on and enjoyed the ride for what it is! Jacob was a delight in both versions of the year and I enjoyed seeing Sadie's growth and understanding that doing things 'right' didn't make her life right for her.

The romance in this story was exceptionally fun to watch unfold as we see the progression in their relationship. Their conversations were so raw and sweet; making my heart pitter patter.

While "The Second Chance Year" dealt with heavy themes like sexism, workplace sexual harassment, and bullying, it was very well handled and mixed in with lots of humorous, heartfelt, and powerful moments to balance it out and make this a book I found genuine joy in reading.

I love a redo trope thanks to some magical intervention, but it always has the possibility of falling flat and being cheesy or not very well done. This is one of the better books I've read that did this trope well. I found Sadie's freakout upon realizing she was given the opportunity to redo that past year believable, and the way she went about trying to save her career and love life was realistic. She had trauma from all she lost and did everything in her power to do what she thought would fix it.

I'm glad with how the book ended, the lessons Sadie learned, and the people she befriended and fell in love with along the way. Very satisfying ending.

This was such a cute romance novel! After a terrible year with one bad thing happening after another, Sadie wants a redo on her “Very Bad Year” and a fortune teller grants her wish. Obviously, I knew it was not going to turn out the way Sadie is hoping it would, but seeing how everything unfolded was so enjoyable. The story moved at such a good pace, and I really loved how it focused a lot on her growing from her previous mistakes. Sadie learning how important her outspokenness is, was such a good direction for her character development. Sadie’s relationship with Jacob was absolutely adorable and I couldn’t wait to see how they would end up together. Jacob was an absolute sweetheart, and I am a sucker for a good brother’s best friend trope. Jacob was impossible not to love, along with the other fun side characters. Overall, I think this is a fun, sweet romance that any romance reader would enjoy!

“The Second Chance Year” was an interesting and reflective take on the “do over” trope. The author did a great job at developing a story that had enough nuance that when relived there were a lot of interesting and not overly predictable differences from her previous year. I loved the connection with Jacob and the music aspect of it was so so sweet. I also appreciated that Sadie’s do over year didn’t revolve around getting the guy though that was definitely part of it. Her career path was so relatable and the relationships she made because of it were really special. I want to find my Higher Grounds and the place where I will be able to bring my talent and my whole self to work and truly love what I do. Sadie, you have it all figured out! :-)

This is a lovely rom-com filled with magical realism, empowerment, and hope. After a disastrous year, Sadie gets a second chance to do things differently when her wish is granted by a fortune teller on New Year's Eve. But as she lives her year over again, she realizes that perhaps the things she thought she wanted may not be the keys to happiness after all. I loved the magical realism elements to this story as well as the relationships that developed for Sadie as she discovered a new found family and the places she truly belonged. The themes of listening to your own voice and living life on your own terms are well-crafted and inspiring. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the author's future works. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I was looking for the perfect book to start the new year off with, and this fit the theme perfectly! The Second Chance Year was beautifully written and full of so much thoughtful points. There are some possible triggers so please be warned. You won't be disapppointed by this read!

I am always down to read a book with a FMC named Sadie! This was a sweet story about second chances and finding out who your authentic self truly is. The premise of going back and redoing the last year of your life is totally intriguing. Like what and how much can/would you truly change. In this story we get to see Sadie do just that and it is a wonderful ride.

I flew through this one. I had to find out how Sadie handled the new year. The comparison to Josie Silver was spot on. There were a lot of thinking moments throughout the book, but enough humor mixed in to make it not feel super heavy.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Ever wanted to have second chance to do things over ? This book is your typical main character finds a fortune teller and ask to do it over again except the build of this character over her do over year is beautiful.She truly finds her self and realizes the things she lost she was going to anyways .
I will for now tell you what I was drawn to when selecting this book , the title, and the cover really got me.
Thank you net galley and publisher for allowing me to read this book. !

Who wouldn't want a second chance to set things right and make different choices.I did not expect to go through such an emotional roller coaster in this book! The plot of the Second Chance Year was very intriguing to me, as we have all experienced regrets from “mistakes” we have made in the past. The characters in the novel were perfectly developed with movie-like quality. There was enough snark and banter between the players that kept me humorously entertained. And of course the villains in the novel were the ones you would love to hate. A great balance of good guys and bad guys. Overall, The Second Chance Year is a must read for fans of second chance rom-coms. Five outstanding stars.

This was such a cute idea and the writing was very good. To be honest it just felt too heavy handed. I mean Sadie seriously was sexually harassed by everyone and it felt too much. Sometimes less is more.

Quick, adorable and has some interesting topics for good Book club discussion!

Sadie works as an assistant pastry chef at a prestigious restaurant. She works hard and has a dream of, one day, owning her own bakery. I liked that she was strong-willed and sassy. We don't see too much of her attitude, at first, because we see her as she reeling from losing her boyfriend and job.

But her wish with a fortune teller gives her a do-over. It rewinds to before she blew up over a sexist remark and her boyfriend broke up with her, to before her frustration at sexism in the workplace got her in another argument with her boss and he fired her.

But playing it safe and watching her tongue may not work out how she thinks. I liked the turn of events, the realizations she had, the frustration over her parents but also the insight in her mother. Of course, the romance is really adorable. I loved reading about their slow burn from friendship to more. Spice level low. For such a cute cover, it actually tackles some topics that will spur interesting discussion for a book club. I really liked this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for my ARC copy! This review contains my personal thoughts and opinions.

I enjoyed The Second Chance Year! I was intrigued by the story's premise because, obviously, we don't get the chance to redo life in real life. I was curious to see what Sadie would do with her new chance at her most awful year. What I loved most about the book was the main characters. They were all likable to me, even most of the supporting characters.

I could relate to Sadie with speaking before thinking sometimes. This story made me think about how I would do things differently if given a second chance. I appreciate when books are relatable and make me think about how I would go about a situation. This story isn't a deep think piece but presents some great lessons.

Overall, I liked the story and recommend it to someone looking for a quick, light read!

Rating: 4/5

This charming second-chance romance was a great vacation read and perfect for New Years. Sadie has just had what she considers the worst year of her life. She’s lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, and can no longer afford her studio New York apartment and has moved into the spare room of her younger brother’s best friend. So when she meets a fortune teller at a New Year’s party, she wishes for a do-over. And her wish is granted! Suddenly she has the opportunity to make everything right.

This was a lovely, whimsical romcom with some serious undertones, as it discusses patriarchy and workplace sexual harassment. I feel like the author balanced the mature themes with the fantasy elements well, and nothing felt out of place or forced.

Perfect for fans of:
⏱️ - Groundhog Day-style do-overs
💪 - Fighting the patriarchy
❤️ - Friends to Lovers
🍽️ - Culinary Arts settings
💕 - Found family
🧽 - Clean romance (fade to black)

What a delightful debut. I can’t wait to see what Melissa Wiesner writes next.