This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024! I love Black romance and I am definitely a science girl, so I was so excited to read a Black, STEM-centered romance! However, this book fell flat for me. I stopped reading at 59% in.

I did enjoy all the talk about marine biology. I liked all the shark facts sprinkled throughout the story. And I loved seeing positive blerd (Black nerd) representation! I also enjoyed the characters separately as people and the little sweet things that they’d do that showed that they still cared for each other.

However, the story felt incredibly repetitive to me. I felt like we were going around in circles with constant miscommunication from the characters. All the miscommunication made the characters feel very juvenile. Literally every problem in this novel could’ve been avoided if they’d just been honest with each other, from the initial breakup to the awkward workplace interactions. But, these grown adults were incapable of having a conversation. The scenes were too long and repetitive. I feel like the same things kept happening over and over again. And so many scenes was unnecessarily long, like chaptersss long. That just made the book start to drag for me, so I won’t be continuing the story.

But, if you’re someone who enjoys more slow burn romances and isn’t bothered by the constant miscommunication trope, you may enjoy this one! It had a really sweet vibe, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for this arc. All opinions are my own.

I really like a second chance romance trope. I love to see characters reconnecting and rediscovering their love for each other. I was expecting that, but the story focused more on their past. It was hard to get into the book of that’s

from the moment I saw this cover, I knew I was going to love this book. And the inside DELIVERED. I love a good second-chance romance and this one hit the spot. It was cozy and I absolutely loved the shark researcher side to it.

i have been searching for a book where one of the main characters is a marine biologist for what seems like forever now so i was SO excited to finally find this one. i loved that the author actually showed so much of the job and so many fun facts about the shark. made me so happy and kept me so entertained! i also loved how mature the main characters were especially when it came to their relationship and getting back together. it felt very real and i enjoyed that so much.

sadly due to the social media aspect/trope of this book it made it so hard to want to keep reading, i read to escape social media and be off my phone so i really don’t want to read about it in the place i go to escape it. if it wouldn’t have been for that aspect i would have rated it higher. still a fun, easy read! thank you for the ARC ❣️

A really cute, slow-burn, closed door romance! As a neuroscience girlie, I loved the biology aspect of this story too! Such a fun thing to throw in.

The chemistry between the two main characters was sweet. I’ve apparently been on a second-chance romance kick even though I swear I don’t believe in second chances romance?? For some reason, I wasn’t really rooting for these to get back together despite loving them both as individuals. Their first breakup was confusing and childish, and if that were my friend I would not advise them to get back together!

There wasn’t a ton of conflict in this story, so I really felt like I was just along for the ride. That can be so nice for a beach read! So low anxiety. The conflict that did arise was really well placed!

Dual pov, so we get the FMC and MMC thoughts on their relationship as we follow along the book.

A really good three star read! If the summary appeals to you, I would absolutely recommend picking it up. So cute, but didn’t stand out to me too much just because I didn’t really think they deserved a second chance.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC in return for an honest review!

3.5⭐️ Second chance romance AND it has to do with sharks?! Sign me up!! This book was just what I needed to fulfill both my love of second chance and my love of sharks. It felt like I was back watching Shark Week again <3

Hope is a character who is trying to figure out her next move after dealing with her true passion on pause and still not fully being over her relationship with her real true love that ended three years ago. Adrian, on the other hand, has become kind of internet famous and has a little crew where he films videos to educate others on sharks, while also still doing the research he loves, but longs for Hope and the relationship they had. They become faced with each other as Hope begins to work for Adrian.

The longing in this book was sooooo good. Each chapter the characters gush so much about one another and you can tell they never lost their spark. I kept cheering them on waiting for them to get back together but it honestly felt so natural and real, rather than rushed and ingenuine. They got to know the real present versions of each other and realized they had changed, but also in many ways stayed the same.

Adrian was soooo down bad. He completely had the ‘he fell first’ AND ‘he’ll never get over her’ trope down. The boat name?! That was too precious.

I loved seeing Hope conquer her fears over social media and having anxiety about being filmed. They were both so mature and great at being there for one another, really figuring out and discussing their issues and moving forward together. It was cute and fun and nerdy. I loved the diversity as well. I recommend for all the second chance lovers!

What a fun read this turned out to be!

•Second Chance Romance
•Fun Group of Characters
•Shark Research

I really enjoyed reading about Hope and Adrian in this second chance romance. It was so easy to root for them to work things out from the start.

A couple things that I’ve come to love about Chandra’s books are the fun plots and relatable characters.

It was such a perfect summer read and I look forward to the next!

Hope Evans is excited to get back into marine biology and has landed the perfect summer job on a shark research boat, except there is one caveat - the boat belongs to her ex. It's been 3 years and Hope is still trying to get over Adrian Hollis-Parker, but she decides to go ahead with the job, because it could help get her career back off the ground.

In the past 3 years, Adrian has become internet famous as a shark expert on YouTube, but despite how successful he's become it means nothing without Hope by his side. Now he's faced with the question of whether or not he can work in a small space with a the women he has never gotten over.

One of the things I love most about Second Tide's the Charm is that it doesn't take the whole book for Hope and Adrian to start addressing things between them. There is so much history there and you can that they still love each other and are meant to be. However, there is a lot of healing that needs to be done and the journey they take is truly wonderful.

I loved all of the characters in this book and found the story to be super endearing. If you are looking for a fun and sweet romance, this book is definitely for you. I can't wait to read more by Blumberg!

This was such a cute story, I love a second chance romance trope. I think if the book focused more on their reconnecting as a couple and not so much on the past, and had the ending not felt so rushed, I would've liked it more.

This book was so cute!! The characters were so funny and I had such a good time reading this!

The second chance in this book was such a cute aspect! The longing from both of the characters was felt through the pages!! One of my favourite aspects was the sharks!!

The diversity in this book was also so refreshing!

I loved the shark influencer aspect of this book. It was really interesting and unique. However, I struggled to get and stay engaged with the romance. There was a lot of miscommunication or lack of communication and I felt like the romance really took place in the past. Since that was the case I would have liked it to be dual timeline. I felt like I was missing parts. Overall this book wasn't for me but I might recommend it for big fans of second chance romance.

Second chance romance featuring shark researchers?! Sign me up!

I loved this from the first page to the last. All of the ocean puns, the science talk, the actual showing of them working with the sharks with the added layer of social media? It was so good I ate it up!

This is fun, flirty, and just nerdy enough for those of us who geek out over Shark Week! A perfect summer time read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an ARC of “Second Tide’s the Charm” by Chandra Blumberg in exchange for an honest review.

I’m giving this book 3 stars for its unique setting and unconventional love story that felt original and extremely smart.

What Worked: The main characters, Hope and Adrian, are marine biologists who specialize in studying sharks. They fell in love almost a decade ago at the age of 22 while working on a boat one summer conducting research. Their relationship lasted for five years, but they ultimately split because they couldn’t agree on their future, and the strain of long distance became too much to bear.

The story picks up three years later when Hope unexpectedly moves back to her hometown in Michigan to help her best friend, who suddenly becomes a widow with three children. Hope’s career as a marine biologist has stalled, so she signs up to spend the summer on a boat conducting research about sharks. The twist? The conductor of the boat and the leader of the project is none other than her ex, Adrian. This is their first time seeing each other in three years, and they will be in enforced proximity for three months. I found this setup incredibly smart. I really enjoyed learning about sharks and marine biology, which added a level of investment to the plot. The forced proximity trope worked well, and the unique setting made the romance feel fresh and distinct. I also appreciated the side characters; it was clear that both Hope’s and Adrian’s families loved and supported them deeply.

Where It Fell Short: Unfortunately, the chemistry between the two main characters didn’t quite land for me. While the author tells us that they love each other deeply, I didn’t feel it on the page. The slow burn was a bit too slow for my taste; the acceptance of love between the characters didn’t happen until the last 30 pages, which felt like too long of a wait. Additionally, while I appreciated the unique plot and background, I would have liked more romance injected with the marine biology details to create a better balance. As a romance novel, there wasn’t enough focus on the romantic connection, and the lack of spicy scenes left the relationship feeling flat. Even without explicit scenes, the chemistry or genuine connection between the characters should have been more palpable.

Final Thoughts: Despite these shortcomings, I really enjoyed the author’s writing and prose. Chandra Blumberg has a talent for crafting unique settings and thoughtful character dynamics, which is why I would definitely read more from her, particularly if she were to publish in contemporary fiction or another genre where romance isn’t the central focus. I believe her storytelling potential shines through, even if this particular romance didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

3.75 star, rounding up

I feel like this book is a softer love story. Not a huge grand sweep you off your feet kind of romance but one that will show a couple as they stopped communicating their needs/wants/fears with one another and how that translated into a miscommunication that culminated in their breakup. It felt realistic in the sense that communication is so centered to relationships and within a long distance one even more so and holding back can have a blow to the relationship and intimacy with one another. That is Hope and Adrian.

These two are still hung up on one another and that is either going to be a selling point for you or one that could frustrate you even more with the lack of communication that is happening. I didn’t mind the lack of communication but I struggled with not seeing the fall. I am a sucker for watching couples fall in love which is why I love romance so much. But with this one, they are still in love. They are still hung up on one another so we don’t get to see the moments that led to it. I think that if there had been some flashbacks to them falling/ falling out it would have helped me feel more connected to the romance aspect of the story.

I also feel that some of the reasons for Hope’s camera internet shy was not 100% flushed out for me. I wanted more. It didn’t seem like there was really the backlash to a degree where you would be as nervous as she was for potential backlash with people finding the old video.

I loved the side characters and even Hope & Adrian as characters they are funny, nerdy in their love of sharks which was so cool to see. I really hope we get other books with the side characters because I am def invested in them.

When your ex is your surprise coworker for the summer and you two haven't spoken in 3 years.. This is a second chance romance that doesn't hurt your feelings. I personally found it relatively low/medium angst because they are clearly soulmates so I was really excited to watch them fall back in love (or did they ever fall out?) all while researching sharks on the coast of North Carolina.

I got all the way to the end before realizing there was no on page spice (and not really even FTB). I finally understand what "high steam, low spice" means because their chemistry was so hot and undeniable, their mutual attraction was just so good!! Especially with dual POV.

I loved the nerdy STEM rep, the MMC being an influencer didn't bother me at all because it was all about the science. There were really fun close proximity moments weaved in and really sweet found family. I also liked that this tackled a common external pressure that can affect relationships where both people have their careers pulling them in different directions and like literal locations. And how to decide if it's a sacrifice and who will sacrifice to potentially move to be together and how to communicate effectively about it.

Thank you to HTP Hive for the eARC!

I picked up this book because I was excited to see POC leads in STEM, especially marine biology, which is such a fascinating and underrepresented field in fiction. The premise of a second-chance romance between two shark scientists was irresistible to me, and I was eager to dive in.

From the start, I loved how the book balanced the romance with shark research—something I didn’t realize I’d like so much! The dual POVs made it easy to connect with both Hope and Adrian, whose past relationship adds tension and depth to their interactions. It was good to see them communicate openly about their issues, rather than dragging out misunderstandings, which kept the story engaging.

That said, I wish we’d spent more time with them as a couple, reconnecting and learning about each other. The book sometimes lingered too much on their past.

Overall, this book was a good mix of romance and STEM , and I hope to see more stories like this with diverse leads in the future. If you're looking for a light, educational read this is it.

Oh my heart, the angst in this book was perfectly angsting. This is second chance done so well plus we love women in stem and forced proximity, this time featuring sharks.

Three years ago, scared of love tying her down, Hope moved back home to Michigan and she and her boyfriend of five years, Adrian, lost touch, ending their relationship. Now she’s trying to get back into shark science and she’s been offered a job on a shark research ship. The catch? It’s Adrian’s boat and the research is being shown on tik tok and YouTube and Instagram to Adrian’s millions of followers. Now Adrian and Hope have to face their past, the feelings they both still harbor, and their forced summer on a small boat.

My heart hurt so bad for Adrian and Hope - neither clearly wanted to separate but did such a terrible job communicating and are so clearly still so in love with each other. I did struggle a little bit with how they broke up cause it was hard to believe that a five year relationship would just fizzle. But I loved them together so much that I moved on from that hiccup. I love that I feel like I learned about sharks, I love a forced proximity, I loved loved the side characters who felt real and cared about both so much. And I loved that neither forced the other to change to make it work. If you’re looking for an academic romance like Ali Hazelwood’s or Nellie Wilson’s, check out Second Tide’s a Charm

Overall, I thought this was a cute book! I liked how they were both passionate about science, sharks, and educating others! I like Second chance romances, however this fell a little flat for me at the end. Just when they came back together, he needed space as she left for her internship. Then he came to surprise her and then just left?? The ending felt a little rushed and was slightly frustrating. With that said, I did enjoy this book! Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!

This was a book that truly breaks the rules of a traditional love story. To have Black characters that are lovers of the sea and to have sharks be the thing that brings them together was unexpected. I read this story because I was attracted to the cover and the premise. The characters are easy to like, though at times it feels like the stakes could be higher, it's an easy, if not predictable, love story. I appreciate the educational elements, the friendship at the core of a romantic relationship, and the empowered women that are showcased in this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an arc in exchange for an honest review. The premise of this story seemed really cute but it didnt quite hit the mark.

Second Change romances will never win in my eyes! Finding out that they dated for years and stopped talking when Hope moved into help her suddeenly widowed best friend. There was no breakup just the two of them too prideful to speak. That is beyond immature but in this case they both behaved like children so I guess they were meant to be.

I liked how much each of them loved sharks and how they incoprorated it into their careers. I also think the author did a good job of having Hope and Adrian take turns choosing themselves. Overall its a cute story but not super memorable.