Second-chance romance and small town romance are usually two buzzwords that mean I'll love a book. At the 50% mark, I was pretty sure this would be a five-star. I was giggling, kicking my feet, immersed in the story. I loved Eli and Nick and seeing Eli interact with Nick's daughter was so wholesome! Unfortunately, I found myself just a little annoyed in the second half of the book at some of Eli's behavior. I get your thirties is your queer twenties, but sometimes I just wanted Eli to grow up and start being more mature. Sometimes he was also just so...millennial who works in the entertainment industry, and I often find that grating.

Though that diminished my rating, this is still a STRONG four-star, if not 4.5. I was thinking about this book all the time and I really enjoyed the story and the characters.

I enjoyed reading a romance with a trans character, but other than that I didn’t feel like this book had much to set it apart from the many other romance books out in the market right now.

*Second Chances in New Port Stephen* by TJ Alexander is a disappointing and underwhelming read. The premise of a second-chance romance set in a charming coastal town had great potential, but the execution falls flat. The characters are one-dimensional, and their chemistry feels forced, making it hard to invest in their relationship. The plot lacks depth, with predictable twists and a slow, meandering pace that drags the story down. The writing itself is clunky and fails to evoke the emotional connection needed for a truly engaging romance. Ultimately, it feels like a missed opportunity, offering little more than clichés and superficial charm.

I'm sad it took me so long to pick up this book, but I'm so glad I did! It is the perfect holiday read. It is full of trans/queer joy, in spite of living in a transphobic/queerphobic environment. Eli is a trans guy. I liked how his story didn't fit the typical trans narrative. He didn't realize he was trans until he was in his 30s, when everything just clicked. So often we read stories about trans people who always knew they were trans (which is great! We need those stories too), so it's refreshing to read about someone who didn't always have it all figured out but is no less trans than the trans people who did. Nick is also experiences a "late" in life queer awakening, and we love that for him.

One nitpicky thing is that the MCs are 39 years old, and the narrator keeps mentioning how high school graduation was 25 years ago. More like 21, LOL. In any case, I did appreciate the inclusion of slightly older characters (adult romances rarely feature MCs over like 35, and if they do, it's only one MC and the other is in their 20s, you know?). It was heartwarming how Eli and Nick (not Nicholas) found their way back to each other.

This is my favorite TJ Alexander book (I've only read one other though, haha)!

Right off the bat, the title and cover stuck out to me. I currently reside right near New Port Richey, FL so this already had me extremely excited. I thought that TJ Alexander absolutely wrote the most perfect book. They do a great job at speaking on important topics and having well diverse characters. I am excited to pick up another one of their books!

This is a well done second chance romance with a twist. I love that Nick never really questioned what he was feeling, he just went with it. I do appreciate that he didn't rush to find a label.

I absolutely *adored* the first half of this. Eli is great, Nick is great, and they're great with 4-year-old Zoe. The scenes were so wholesome and heartwarming and made me giddy with happiness that *finally* someone had taken one of my favorite fanfic tropes (two men brought together by caring for and loving a young child) and brought it into published romances.

However, all of that fell apart a little bit in the second half. Zoe kind of disappears and we're left with unnecessary miscommunication that goes on far too long. The end is also a bit aprupt and some things feel unresolved. Zoe could have at least come back in the end.

There were still many things I absolutely loved about this book, even if they didn't get enough page time. Nick's ex-wife is amazing, and the way they co-parent Zoe and stand up to her toxic grandma is wonderful. The scene where Eli's family recreates all the old family photos so he's more comfortable? Incredibly heartwarming. And absolutely everything about Eli's cousin Max. Seriously, why didn't Max get more page time? Max is quite possibly the best character and is only in a few scenes.

This was absolutely a 5-star, top read of the year in the first half, more like a 3 or 3.5 in the second half, so I'll split the difference and call it a 4 overall.

The audiobook was really well done. The narrator had a pleasant voice and gave all the characters easily distinguishable voices.

*Thanks to Atria / Emily Bestler Books for providing an early copy for review.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was a delight, and felt like a vacation. TJ's writing feels conversational and approachable, friendly and funny all wrapped together. A good reminder to all that its never too late for second chances. Made me want to book a vacation to Florida.

A really fun read about discovering yourself and finding true love. This would be a good beach read, especially for anyone traveling to Florida or over the winter holidays!

This was a total cute read for me. Fast, and enjoyable. I wasn't a huge fan of Eli, there was just something about him that I didn't connect with.
It was refreshing though to have such a variety of characters. The one thing I did like of Eli was the fact that he had newly transitioned and then coming home after that had to have been hard.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC

Was delighted to be the conversation partner with TJ for this book at their launch. So refreshing to read a book with older protagonists, especially a romance.

TJ’s books feel like I’m talking to a friend. I love books about being trans, especially set in places that I live in/have lived in! This book was a delight.

This is was a fun and light hearted Christmas romance. There is some family angst tossed in so it’s not all sugar plums but for the most part I laughed more than I didn’t in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Such a sweet second chance love story that touched briefly darker themes but not so much as to make this story dark. It was fun and light and sweet, even with one of the MCs being a bit annoying. I know I can't like everyone, but in some parts I really wished the MCs didn't end up together. It has happened to me sometimes with books where one character is the sweetest and the other feels like they don't care about the one they're supposed to love. But even with this detail, it was a very sweet not very christmassy story of second changes, and big changes.

This is a heartwarming and humorous tale that will captivate readers who adore lighthearted, feel-good stories about family, love, and self-discovery, particularly those who appreciate romance, LGBTQIA+ representation, and second-chance love stories.

The main character just wasn’t for me. All he did was complain and take no responsibility for his own actions. It was driving me nuts. His family was trying and he just didn’t care. Too much of a narcissist and i could stand it. The other characters were so interesting and lovely. He just ruined it for me.

An unexpected and joyful second chance holiday romance set in suburban Florida. Eli and Nick were childhood friends and high school sweethearts but haven’t spoken in years, when they run into each other at the Wine Barn. Eli is back in town after his NYC comedy career imploded, and Nick is running a local restaurant and raising his daughter. The two grow closer over the holiday season, but any chance of a future between them may be threatened by circumstances all around them.

My only regret is that I read this book too fast and now I have to wait for TJ Alexander to write something else. Please hurry.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

There's nothing better than a rom com with a small town and second chance romance! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was so cute! I especially loved that the MC was sober because I feel that isn't always represented in books. TJ Alexander does it again!!

2024 Pride Month

While I didn't love Chef's Choice as much as its premise, I knew I just hadn't found the right T.J. Alexander book for me. Until now.

Eli is a trans man that works in New York as a writer. Or rather, he did, until someone very high up on the show got flamed for harassing the women on the crew. He flies home to Florida for Christmas, a place he hates, that has people he loves. This, I felt in my soul.

His ex, Nick Wu, semi-recently divorced, with major DILF vibes, comes flying back into the picture. You know how I said I hate second chance romance? With a fiery passion? Guess I just hate it for straight people. I loved this. Come for me.

So with the backdrop of the South, not that this can't happen anywhere else (because it 100% can), we've got family members that deadname Eli, a little casual racism from Nick's former mother-in-law, and other little microaggressions to boot. Obviously, this won't be for everyone, but the same people that come to hate this will be the same people that hate the Bridgerton changes in race and sexuality.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books