I could see myself reading this again in a heartbeat for a few reasons. First is the way Melissa tackles the sexism that every woman deals with - no matter where you work. It’s all so beautifully woven and intricately crafted to give you a sense of panic and also of peace. I work in a male-dominated field so it all hit home for me and I know other women will feel the same.

I decided to start off 2024 reading Melissa Wiesner's The Second Chance Year, and I am so glad that I did! This insightful, yet engaging story about a young woman who makes a wish on New Year's Eve for a "re-do" of the past 12 months of her life was the perfect novel to kick off the year.

Sadie Thatcher has had a very bad year. She lost her job, boyfriend, and apartment, and has found herself crashing on her brother's best friend's sofa. Wallowing in self-pity and regretting every life decision she has ever made, Sadie is in a very bad place. When her best friend Kasumi convinces her to come out to a New Year's Eve party, Sadie protests, but then relents ... and it is there that she meets the fortune teller who will change everything. Sadie makes a wish, desperately pleading with the universe to allow her to redo the last year of her life. As it turns out, wishes really do come true ...

Sadie awakes on January 1 to discover she is back in her old apartment, sleeping next to her old boyfriend, and very late for work at her old job. Is it really possible that Sadie is back reliving the first day of her very bad year? Determined to do things right this time, Sadie, who remembers everything about her terrible year, sets out to change the course of her future, censoring herself in conversations and avoiding situations that she knows landed her in hot water last time. But as time goes on, Sadie can't help but ask if she is being true to herself, and is this new life really so much better than her old one?

I love it when I can share that I did not spend one minute bored reading a book! Wiesner writes in an engaging style and moves her story along at a steady, even pace. Despite Sadie reliving the past year of her life, all of the events of said year are new to the reader, so this time loop novel never became stale or stagnant. Furthermore, Wiesner's characters feel like real, vibrant people, making it easy to root for them while getting lost in this spirited read.

I can't recommend starting off a new year reading The Second Chance Year enough! This novel gives off just the right vibes for January - a time when everyone is making (and breaking) resolutions and reflecting on their place in life and the universe. Tinged with just the right blend of introspection and intrigue, The Second Chance Year is quite the compelling, yet thought-provoking novel ... and I loved every minute of it!

Sadie Thatcher has a had a really bad year. She has lost her job, her boyfriend and her apartment and she believes that she has her outspoken, sometimes too spoken nature to thank for this. Enter a little bit of magic. At a very strange party, a fortune teller gives her the chance to live the previous year over again and Sadie takes it. But everything doesn’t turn out the way she thinks she wanted—instead, Sadie sees things that she missed in her life that were going wrong, that didn’t have to do with her big mouth but that she has the opportunity to change, And of course, she sees Jacob, her brother's best friend, in a whole new light.

I loved this book! It was full of heart, and Sadie's emotional journey, maturing and relationships to those around her and herself were just as important, or maybe more important than the romance. This was a perfect, lovely book to start the new year.

I ended up greatly enjoying this romance/women's fiction story about a woman who is given a second chance to redo her last year in order to get back her boyfriend, keep her job, and stay in her apartment. But of course the night before she sent back in time she kisses her brother's best friend and sends her into a tailspin and wondering if she shouldn't have redone her year.

I loved how the main character was able to learn who she truly was as a person and how her personality, interest, work ethic, and determination are the best things about her and not the thing holding her back. I also found the romance between her and the brother's best friend to be really sweet and lovey and I loved being able to see their relationship progress throughout the story.

My only critique is that while this is labeled as a romance, this is much more a story about a woman who is down on her luck and having an awful year and learns that its best to not want to redo the past and instead she should look towards the future.

I loved this so much 😭 I read this in one sitting. The pacing was perfect, the food descriptions made me hungry, and the romance was unbelievably sweet. The friendships between the different characters felt so real. The commentary on the way that women are treated in the workplace was effective without being heavy handed. And of course I loved the time loop!! This is perfect for fans of THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP and one of my favorite reads of the year.

I adored this story , 13 going on 30 ! What a great read! Be carful what you wish for this was a very cute story

The Second Chance Year by @melissawiesnerauthor made for an apt start to 2024 and my reading year 😍

After a Very Bad Year in which Sadie Thatcher loses her pastry chef job, her apartment, and her long-time boyfriend, she is desperate for a redo. So when she runs across a fortune teller at a New Year’s Eve party, she knows exactly what she wants: A second chance to fix her mistakes and make things right.

This story is the epitome of the old adage “Be careful what you wish for,” however, because as careful and intentional as she is during her second chance year, Sadie learns that even the smallest actions can have big consequences, and that maybe things really do happen for a reason.

I adored this story, and talk about a great one to start 2024 with! I loved all of the main characters aside from a few that were pretty vile, and the familial relationships, friendships and romances provided so much opportunity for growth, forgiveness, and change.

The time jump in this one gave me “Big” and “13 Going On 30” vibes, but in reverse, kind of like the last few episodes of “Felicity.” I absolutely loved it, and I can’t wait to read more from Melissa!

Thank you to @audible @melissawiesnerauthor @netgalley @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub and @hachetteus for my gifted galley and audio copy of this propulsive and heartwarming read! And thank you to @hlaserwolf for bringing Sadie, Jacob, Kasumi, Zoe and so many others to life!

This was an okay rom com. A little corny for my taste but I liked the idea of a do over year. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: THE SECOND CHANCE YEAR by Melissa Weisner

When everything goes wrong and Sadie Thatcher finds herself in a fortune teller’s tent at a New Year’s Eve party, she wishes for another chance at her past year. Shockingly, it works and Sadie has a second chance at her relationship with her longtime boyfriend and keeping her high-end pastry chef job and solo NYC apartment.

As Sadie lives the year all over again, she learns more about herself and the relationships she most values. Maybe some things were meant to change.

Read THE SECOND CHANCE YEAR for
- Brother’s best friend romance
- Gorgeous confectionary foodie descriptions
- Feminist girl power
- Found family

Read this book to start the new year. It’s so good!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)

👩🏻‍🏫 Reader note: Heads-up that this story does include sexual assault and abuse of power in the male-dominated restaurant scene.

😘 Thanks to @ReadForeverPub and @NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central for the eARC! I loved this story of self-discovery and romance! Traveling back in time/ground hog day to change things is a trope I love, but it can be hit or miss. This was so well done! I loved Sadie and of course sweet golden retriever, Jacob.

The characters felt realistic even if they were just side characters, and Sadie’s journey was so compelling. The ending was adorable and I think this was truly great!

Loved the premise of the book of what would happen if we could change destiny. I have a read quite a few time traveling esq books lately- seems to be a popular topic for books. Overall, a decent storyline and decent characters!

This was creative and made me think a lot while I was reading, which is a great combination. I think it’ll attract a wide variety of readers because of the depth behind it, making it perfect for book clubs. In general I just appreciated the commentary woven within the plot.

Ok, I kinda loved this. I enjoyed the entire ride and loved the characters. It was a completely enjoyable experience and I will definitely try to find more by this author. I also finished it on New Year’s Day which was pretty cool since that is around when the main events of the book took place.

Thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to this author and providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner
5 Stars

time travel
magical realism
found family
finding yourself
brother's best friend


Following the worst year of Sadie's life, she makes a wish on New Year's Eve to have the chance to redo the past year. When nothing happens, Sadie heads home to her brother's best friend's apartment, and they end up kissing.

The next morning, Sadie wakes up and it's January 1st... of the previous year. This book follows Sadie's story as she makes small - and large - changes to drastically change the outcome of the year. But what she doesn't realize is how her own actions have affected others around her. 

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to read it. I am a sucker for a time travel trope, and love magical realism. This book was an easy 5 stars, but check out the TW below. I thought Sadie learned some excellent lessons about herself, and the love story was sweet and romantic. 


TW: troubled parent/child relationship, workplace sexual harassment

I read this book in one night. I was up until 4:30 but I could not put it down. This is a HEA with no Spice. It is such a cute and sweet story of friendship, found family and falling in love.

Sadie just had a horrible, no good, very bad year. She wishes she could go back and change it and SURPRISE, it happens. As she navigates through her life and do-over year, changing her reactions and words she is also reevaluating the situations and the red flags popping up in her relationships. When Jacob comes into the picture, he has no idea what happened on NYE a year ago. And we get to see Sadie's reaction knowing what that one kiss is like. Seeing him as more than the gross kid she grew up with.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Melissa Wiesner and Netgalley for a digital copy of The Second Chance Year.

I liked this New Year's read. We deal with regret from time to time and wondering what if we'd made another choice. I like that the message of this one is to be true to yourself, and you'll usually make the right choice for yourself.

Sadie had a Very Bad Year and on a New Year's day party she finds a fortune teller that lets her relive her Very Bad Year again and change it to make it her best year. She thinks that by changing herself, she will get the promotion she wants at her job, get recognition from her parents (where the definition of successful is staying with her boyfriend, lower her head and go back to school cause cooking is not a real job), and stay with her Wall Street boyfriend that wants to shape her to be the perfect Wall Street wife. In reality, she realizes that she has lost her essence, her voice and the real love of her life and at the end her Very Bad Year was in fact a year of liberation from the chains imposed by herself, her parents and what a macho society demands from a woman. I loved this book so much! It is a Rom-Com for the ages! with an amazing message: We should not change to please others, we should be who we are and fight for what we want.

This story is perfect for our list of New Year’s Eve Books. After Sadie has lost her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend, she jumps at the chance to make a wish with a fortune teller on New Year’s Eve. She wants to do over her terrible year.

She wakes up the next morning and the date is January 1st of the previous year. With what she knows is coming in the year ahead, Sadie sets off to make different choices – but can she change fate and is it worth losing herself in the process? During all of it, she leans on her brother’s best friend Jacob. Their love story is a slow burn because this is really about Sadie’s journey toward the life she deserves.

The Second Chance Year is a sweet second-chance romance that has a lot to love. At the cusp of a New Year, it’s a perfect read to be completely charmed. It’s no easy feat to write a time-travel story with a side of romance. However, author Melissa Wiesner does it to near perfection. This is absolutely a journey worth taking that will leave any reader thinking long after the story’s over.

Full review: https://allpagesandpictures.com/2023/12/31/book-review-the-second-chance-year-by-melissa-wiesner/

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This was such a fascinating read and perfect for my final book of 2023. The story begins on New Year's Eve, the same day that I read it. Sadie is finishing an awful year, and she wishes for a re-do. The next morning when she wakes up, she is back at the start of the previous year.

Coming off the end of my own tough year, I found this especially intriguing. What would I do differently if given the chance? I related so strongly to Sadie and enjoyed seeing how she struggled with choices about what it right and true to herself.

She encounters so much misogyny, and parts were challenging to read. This reflected society so well. The book was a super fast read, and one that I greatly enjoyed. It's my favorite recent novel to play with time. I know I will keep thinking about it throughout the year.