The Second Chance Year was the perfect first book to start 2024! I always feel so much pressure surrounding selecting my FIRST read of the year but knowing I had this one on deck removed that stress and I am so glad I chose it. A time travel trope in a romance seems to always hit for me and this one is no exception. Add in some New Year’s magic and this romcom has its ~thing~ to set it apart while still feeling like a warm hug from an old friend. Sadie’s growth in all regards was stellar and as a real life brother’s best friend success story, I definitely have a soft spot for this connection. Happy 2024 to my first 5-star read and me! Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

The Second Chance Year was a super fun read about Sadie Thatcher, who meets a fortune teller at a New Years Eve party who offers her one wish to go back and relive her past miserable year. Sadie lost her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend in the past year and would give anything to go back and make better choices. So, she does the spell and then, before going to bed, she ends up kissing her brother's best friend whose apartment she's been staying at.

When she wakes up on January 1st, she realizes the spell works and she's in bed with her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend. As Sadie continues to live out her past year over again while making different choices, she starts to realize maybe she didn't want what she thought she did. And maybe the boy next door was the one for her all along.

Honestly, I just love this kind of premise. It reminds me of things like Freaky Friday and It's a Wonderful Life, which I just love so much. This one is perfect for this time of year and I loved how everything resolved. I tend to believe that things happen for a reason and we can't bend the world to our whims.

I also thought the narration was done well. I would definitely listen to more books done by this narrator and read more books by this author.

I've been having a hard time focusing on books lately and it was nice to find one to keep my attention.

Sadie's year has not gone as planned. She lost her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment. So, on New Year's Eve, when she crosses paths with a fortune teller, she makes a wish to redo the past year. She hopes to fix all her mistakes and get back the life she lost. But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for.

The Second Chance Year seems to have been written just for me. It had so much of what I love between its pages. I went into this blind, so I had no idea that the female main character was a baker!! If you know me even a little, you know I love a baking trope, pastry puns included. This book is chock full of them, and I adored it. It has a time loop (sort of) element, another trope I can't get enough of. Not to mention the romance, I loved watching Sadie and Jacob's relationship grow. Jacob was a great cinnamon roll hero.

However, this is so much more than a romance. This is about second chances, standing up for yourself, and not giving up yourself to please others. Sadie is forced to figure out how much space she wants to take in the world, and I am not sure I have ever related to a character more. My "direct manner" or "rough edges" have gotten me in my share fair of trouble. I have also found myself giving in or letting things slide to keep the peace, regardless of the outcome. I loved so much about this book!

I listened to the audiobook, and Helen Laser has found a new fan. I enjoyed her narration. She made each character stand out, and I could see the character's facial expressions, which is hard with audiobooks. I will seek out other books read by her.

Perfect for fans of:
Baking Puns
Time Loop/Travel Tropes
Brother's Best Friend
Second Chances
A Touch of Magic
Cinnamon Roll Hero
A Rescue Cat
Quirky Side Characters

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It’s so hard to watch Sadie try to constantly change herself to get the things she’s lost rather than learning from those experiences; which is a big takeaway of the book. When she finally starts being true to herself it feels like her story is finally authentic. Staying with Sadie while she perpetually rewrites life takes patience, but I was happy with the resolution and lessons learned.
Thank you #Forever and #NetGalley for the ARC.

What a fun book! Perfect for the holidays!

Sadie has had an awful year, mostly because she opened her big mouth, losing her boyfriend and her job. She attends a New Year's Eve party, and the fortune teller at this carnival-themed party gives her a chance at a do-over of the past year. She manages to keep her mouth shut - mostly - but things turn out very differently.

This was a light read, but it had some depth in exploring problems with sexual harassment in the workplace. The exploration of unexpected consequences was both thoughtful and interesting. Beautifully edited, with the action rolling along nicely. Characters had depth and were well done and interesting.

I listened to this book while stuck in traffic on I-75 through Georgia, and it made my own awful journey much more tolerable and enjoyable. The narrator was wonderful. Highly recommended. Solid 5 stars.

I enjoyed listening to The Second Chance year. The story and concept was interesting and done different than other time loop stories that I have read (although honestly I haven’t read many). I appreciate that the male/female relationships were there (yes, some slow-burn romance) but the biggest relationship was Sadie’s relationship with herself. Keeping true to herself and who she is as a pastry artist and her identity as a woman, Sadie tries to navigate, work and men in her very bad year but when given the opportunity to redo can she do it differently?

I appreciate Sadie’s relationship with her parents and the complicated feelings she has for them and their constant disappointment in her.

Overall, a fun read!

Narrated by Helen Laser ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
by Melissa Wiesner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I absolutely love 'second chance' genres and this
particular story did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed everything about it. The MC's and side characters were interesting and well developed, the only thing I would have enjoyed more was the god awful parents being put in their place.

This is my first time coming across this author and I definitely want to go explore more of Melissa Wiesner's books.

Sadie's year hadn't been the best. In one fell swoop, she managed to lose her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend—all thanks to her big mouth. She'd also been fired from the restaurant she worked at. Who wouldn't want a do-over?😂 So when a fortune teller offered her one wish, Sadie jumped at the chance to redo her awful year. She didn’t believe magic would fix her life, but taking a leap of faith, she made her wish.

She finally got it, and was so excited to see everything as she had wanted it; her boyfriend, her job and her life. Still, something was missing. As the days went, she realized her job wasn't all it was cracked up to be and her relationship had problems of its own.

Jacob, her brother's best friend and a musician, gradually became a constant that she looked forward to. She couldn't also forget the kiss they'd shared before her second chance year began, a kiss he didn't know existed since she had began the year afresh.

So, would she continue with life as it was, or take a chance on the unknown? I loved seeing her eventually figure it all out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I read this in both e-book and audio and enjoyed it.

This was a super good book! It’s a little bit like The Seven Year Slip. Overall I really enjoyed Sadie’s character and how she grew throughout the book. It’s so much more than only romance! As a 29 year old women, Sadie and all of her struggles are super relatable!

This book was such a fast-paced fun read, especially for this time of year! The concept of a second chance year and what it would mean to go back and re-live the past year to potentially change the past was really well done in this storyline. I loved how the storylines overlapped in a way that the character recognized, and yet diverged - since who would really know how other things change as you're changing your own story.

The romance element was really sweet - I wanted a little more of it! The surrounding cast of characters definitely helped to progress the story and gave an extra dimension that was really fun. I really enjoyed getting to see how the journey progressed throughout the second chance year and the character arc to ensure that things ended up working out the way that they should have all along.

The audio version was very well done. Excellent narration with enough nuance in voices to be able to distinguish some characters and give them their own personalities.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Pub for the audio copy and for the chance to read this book!

This was probably one of my favorite audio book stories I've listened to this year. I sometimes find myself getting distracted when listening to an audio book, but this one had me pretty focused on the story. The story is focused on a girl, Sadie, who's having a pretty bad year - breakup, lost a job, doesn't know what to do next. At a New Years Eve party, she finds a fortune teller who is able to grant her the wish to re-do her very bad year. It follows her in the next year trying to not make the same "mistakes" she did the first time but she's seeing things from a new perspective now and maybe thinking her old year wasn't as bad as she thought.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC of The Second Chance Year!

I truly loved this book. I just wanted a cute little romance and it was so much more than that. The fmc goes on a journey of self discovery and the journeys the men go in this book are awesome to watch. This book reminds us to be grateful for what we have and don't squander a second chance!

After broken up with and getting fired, Sadie Thatcher think she's had a pretty terrible year. So she asks a random fortune teller at a holiday party to grant her a wish ... a "do over." Thinking she's never be able to turn back time, she was wrong. The very next day, she wakes up and it's a year earlier. She has the same boyfriend and the same job. So she makes different choices and we experience her life throughout a year of second chances.

"Second Chance Year" by Melissa Wiesner offers a nice blend of charm and magic. Wiesner's skillfully paced narrative invites reflection on life's twists and turns. Meanwhile, Helen Laser's narration enhances the experience with captivating flair. This is a tale of self-discovery, romance, and the universal desire for do-overs, leaving us excited by the possibilities that unfold.

Special thanks to Hachette Audio for the advanced listener copy via the NetGalley app. Five stars for this fun and easy read!

This is was a cute, easy listen with an unexpected ending. The characters were likable and the type that you miss when you finish a book. They were easy to root for.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you have a year go completely wrong you might want a do over. Sadie lost her job and her boyfriend in close proximity and she is forced to move in with her brothers nerdy best friend. It’s time for some serious self reflection and personal growth. She vows to not be so outspoken and begs a fortune teller for a do over. She learns a lot about herself and decides to make some changes. The book has some underlying themes of workplace Harassment and sexism. I thought the book was ok but the themes are really beaten over your head and it’s so utterly clear what Sadie should do. I felt the characters were a little black and white for my taste.

In 'The Second Chance Year' by Melissa Wiesner, Sadie's life has crumbled, but her wish for a do-over is granted. As she relives her challenging year, we witness her growth, accompanied by laughter and a sweet romance. The narration was engaging and held my interest throughout. Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to experience this captivating story.

Sadie was a very chaotic main character - she is very outspoken, and spent a lot of the book trying to hold her tongue. I enjoyed reading her descriptions of how things went the first time, and what she wanted to change the second time around.

Her relationship with the love interest was also adorable. They were very easy to root for. There is a found family aspect with some people at a cafe, which felt very cozy and fun. I felt like her relationships with her ‘best friend’ and parents could’ve been better developed, but the rest were good.

I’d recommend this as a cute holiday-adjacent romance!

I loved The Second Chance Year. It's New Years Eve and Sadie is looking back at her terrible year and all the mistakes she made. She is magically given a second chance on the year and wakes up on New Years Day the year before. As she navigates her second chance year, she realizes a lot about herself, her job, and her relationships.

This story is so heartwarming and witty with a hint of romance. I couldn't stop listening. It was the perfect read as we approach the end of the year. The narrator was great and I loved this story. I highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance audiobook arc copy of The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner in exchange of an honest review.

"I found 'The Second Chance Year' by Melissa Weisner to be an enjoyable and heartwarming read. The creative writing style, with its entertaining analogies, brought a fun element to the story. It was fascinating to witness Sadie's journey of self-discovery throughout her second chance year. However, the book did have moments of slow pacing, and for those seeking a strong romantic element, it may not satisfy that craving. Nevertheless, 'The Second Chance Year' is a cute and engaging rom-com that explores themes of personal growth and finding what truly matters in life."

4.5 rounded up!
This book was such a delight! After Sadie’s wish is granted for a do-over for her worst year ever, we follow her as she tries to keep the bad things from happening. The endearing main characters had me hooked with their 'it's always been you' moments, and I found myself squealing in joy over their encounters. Following Sadie on her journey to repair her 'worst year ever' provided incredible character development, although I wished for more Jacob/Sadie interactions. Despite that, I fell head over heels for all the characters, including the side ones. The author's skillful use of breadcrumbs to convey meaning instead of spelling it out directly was a delightful treat, adding a layer of enjoyment for me. The theme of feminism weaved through the story was also very enjoyable and it was giving “The Man” by Taylor Swift. I honestly could’ve gone for 50 more pages of these characters!

Read If you love:
Magical Realism
“It’s always been you”
Brothers Best Friend
Emotional Rollercoasters
Cat Ladies
New York setting
Found Family


Many thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Melissa Wiesner for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!