Cover Image: Five First Chances

Five First Chances

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Member Reviews

Wow! I wasn't sure about this book at the beginning, but I wanted to see where it was going and I am so glad I did. In this story, Lou continues to move back in time to the same night as she tries to figure out how to make her life work out as it should. As she does, she learns about family and love.

I don't want to give any spoilers, so I will just say that each "chance" reveals a little more about Lou, her family and friends, and the man she feels is the one, Nick. She keeps going back in order to fix her mistakes and notices more and more about herself and things that she didn't before.

This book will make you laugh and cry. Kudos to Jost for a moving story that keeps you coming back chance after chance!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for my advanced copy of Five First Chances by Sarah Jost.

I either love or hate time loop books and unfortunately this one was more on the meh side for me. I struggled to connect with the main character and ultimately this book was just too long for me.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this!

I love a time loop story, it’s one of my favorite tropes, and overall I enjoyed this too. The beginning was very strong, and I liked seeing how the different loops played out. That said, the ending veered off from the “typical” time loop, and I was so so disappointed. I just finished and sat there in shock that that was how it had ended. The focus on relationships : friendships, family ties, and romantic, was really great, but I just couldn’t get past my feelings about the endings.

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Such a fun and cute read! Not one of my all time favs but a great read! Thank you Sourcebooks for letting me read this ahead of time!

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In Five First Chances, we meet Lou, who finds out she missed out on reconciling with her ex. As she reminisces about the relationship, she gets stuck in a well-written time loop and is given four more first chances with him. In each chance, we see Lou develop a little more into a stronger woman. I really enjoyed this book and watching Lou grow. Just make sure you're alone and with a box of Kleenex when you read this beautiful story!

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Even though I just read a time travelling book, I really do love them. So I was happy to read another almost back to back.

What would you do if you had one more chance to have the life of your dreams?

This was almost a DNF for me. It took every ounce in me to keep reading…I’m not sure if it was because I was having a hard time trying to keep track of what exactly was happening, or the storyline just wasn’t grabbing me. But it felt like a chore for me to read this.

Although halfway through I was a little more inclined to read, but I just was waiting for the fifth chance to happen already. It felt almost too repetitive.

This book does tug on your heartstrings. I was expecting a different ending though.


Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a DRC. Five First Chances is available now.

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This was wonderfully done with the perfect mix of angst and romance, which is a sweet spot for me. I love the way Jost built the characters and kept me guessing what was going to happen. Five First Chances is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

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Lou is caught in a time loop - as she goes through each one and makes different choices, her relationships with family and friends are all impacted. With each chance, Lou learns more about herself and those around her. Will she finally make the choice that pulls her out of the loop and allow life to carry on?
#FiveFirstChances #NetGalley

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Welcome to a tragic story with a time loop. Lou feels like she’s stuck on an endless path in life and when the man she loves announces his engagement to another, she starts to question the “what-if’s” in life. What would you do to start over?

Lou gets that chance to go back and start over and fix the mistakes that lead her to where she is. And it was refreshing. I’ve seen many a “do-overs” thanks to good old Hallmark, but I liked Sarah Host’s take. Watching Lou rebuild herself up and take the chances was heartwarming.

Grab some Kleenex and pounder the “what-If’s” in your life. I know I have days I dwell… if only I could time travel back.

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Five First Chances was a intriguing time-loop novel with an original premise.

What if you had the chance of a do-over of what you thought was the worst mistake of your life. What if it was not the worst mistake of your life. This is the dilema for Louise (Lou) as she navigates her somewhat sad life as a foreigner and teacher in England. She is originally from Switzerland, socially awkward and has a hard time making friends, oh and forget a love life. Lou is at the funeral of an acquaintance, when she receives a devastating text from her ex and inexplicably is given five chances for a do-over. Will she use those chances to reconnect with the one that got away, or will she find other chances more fulfilling? As she lives her chances over she finds her life going in directions she could never imagine, people that were on the peripheral of her life become important. Her relationships with friends and loved ones changes and Lou may just find the life she was always meant to live.

This was a bittersweet novel, with an ending that is not quite what I expected, but I feel if could not have been any other way. I really enjoyed the journey Lou took and now I wonder, what would I do with Five First Chances?

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

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Five First Chances is a time loop story where we first meet Louise (Lou) at her friend Yuki's birthday party. After learning that she has lost her chance with an ex who she still misses, Lou is plagued with what ifs. And then she slides back in time. The book is divided into 5 main sections, one for each chance. As Louise works through the same time period in her life over and over, she learns a lot about herself. More importantly perhaps, she learns about her family and friends, She learns about love, loss, and the importance of other people in her life. I really routed for Louise. At first as a socially awkward and insecure young woman, her inner dialog was relatable and realistic. Her journey is very powerful and the story is about gratitude and relationships.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted copy. This is my honest review.

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If you were a fan of Holly Miller’s Sight of You or any Groundhog Day type books, definitely check this one out. The story is well written and will capture your attention if you give it a chance. One or two of the Chance versions moved a little slow but the end is well worth it. This is not your typical HEA romance, so if you are in the mood for a romance with a different story that is also a little sad, check this one out.

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4 1/2 stars

What would you do if you had multiple chances to "get it right?"

I will start off by saying I'm usually not a fan of time loop stories but I took a chance with this one and it really paid off. The author did something beautiful here - - she didn't regurgitate the same day over and over. Each time the main character "went back," she learned and saw different things. Nothing stayed the same so it never felt redundant. And of course, there was the gradually evolving story line leading you to realize who the real love of Louise's life really was and it was beautiful.

I'm not going to share too much in my review for fear of giving things away. I'll just say this was an emotional read where all the heartstrings were tugged over and over. You want to see Louise figure it out and in the end she does. It all works out the way it's supposed to. This really was a lovely way to write this story. Some good points were made along the way. I won't deny that I might have shed a tear or two but I've been on a roll with emotionally draining reads lately so I think this one hit me at just the right time to put me over the proverbial edge. That said, I loved every word of it. Simply lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

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I love a good time loop, but I think we've been trained to expect them to send characters on zany adventures in pursuit of a do-over. This is not that. In Five First Chances, it's more like the universe is giving Lou chances to make progress incrementally, to learn a little more each time as she tries to take control of her own happiness.

You really have to be in the right headspace for this one. The beginning feels incredibly sad. Lou is dealing with a lot -- a mother who is depressed, her ex getting engaged to someone else, she's living far from home (she's Swiss living in London). Lou's journey ends up being incredibly cathartic. You'll cry, you'll laugh, you'll cheer as you finally see Lou getting somewhere. But as satisfying as Lou's journey is, it's the reveal of a thing that didn't change that wrecked me.

While there is a love interest and close friends in this, I wouldn't call it a love story, despite what the synopsis says. This is really Lou's journey. And it's one that'll you'll keep thinking about after you finish the book.

3.5 stars

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NEW RELEASE | FIVE FIRST CHANCES by SARAH JOST

Read it for the:
✨time loops
✨second chances over and over
✨emotional love stories
✨personal growth
✨enduring friendships

“𝙄 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢. 𝘼 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝘼 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢, 𝙄 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚, 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 “𝙢𝙚” 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝.”
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I absolutely love time loops and groundhog day-esque storylines. This beautiful love story was no different even though it was a punch to the gut. The beginning was a little confusing at first because it felt like I was dumped into the middle of Lou’s life and I honestly think that’s on purpose. I think we’re meant to feel as confused about Lou’s life as she is, but then her five chances start and everything starts to fall into place — or does it?

I loved navigating Lou’s life and her five chances. I found myself rooting for different characters with each chance and then feeling completely different about them in another chance. My favorite part of this story though is Lou’s personal growth. She goes through and endures so much and I was so proud of her at the end even though it ripped my heart out. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for something different and want to break out of a reading slump!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own!

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Five First Chances by Sarah Jost is a Women's Lit book that focuses around the character Lou as she falls through time, again and again, learning to become the person she wants to be.

I couldn't put this book down. I am a sucker for time loop novels, especially ones that include romance. And while this book includes romance, it is not a romance book. This book is heartbreaking and inspirational, and it will make you cry so hard you can't see the words on the page.

But don't let the "heartbreak" deter you from reading this book. The Time Loop is done wonderfully, and in a way I hadn't seen done before, which is good, because I read a lot of time loop books. The characters are beautifully written. The growth Lou and Nick make after each loop is noticeable and appreciated. And reading the book never feels repetitive, which is hard in books like these.

I highly recommend this book. But make sure you set aside ample time to read it, because you will not want to stop. And also, make sure you have a box of tissue next to you. You're going to need it.

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This is a decent debut, but it is not the cute romance or rom-com that I was expecting. This is a heavier tragic love story.

I was intrigued by the time loop, and I was happy and relieved that it wasn't written in a repetitive way. There were some very slow parts where I found that I was pushing myself to keep reading. I didn't find Louise to be very likeable through most of the book which made me feel disconnected from her. However, she somewhat changed throughout the book, and I liked her more in the end.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Lou feels isolated and lonely. She thinks she knows the exact moment where it all went wrong. Maybe she was right, maybe the moment she didn’t text someone back was the moment it all went wrong, but maybe it isn’t for the reason she thinks? The concept is similar to that of the Midnight Library wherein Lou gets five chances to redo a moment and see where it all takes her. The book explores romantic relationships, familial relationships and friendships.

Because Lou doesn’t remember what happened on the last failed chance or even the original trajectory of her life, and only has some vague notion that something is happening, this book lacks the kind of emotional depth and self-exploration I want out of this concept. She does grow with each chance she gets but it’s more that she knows what she wants as an end result and doesn’t really do any self-reflection or understand the personal work required to get there. I think the ending would have had more of an impact if there was more opportunity for self-reflection. It was still gut-wrenching but I just wanted more from Lou and didn’t really relate to her.

The book also never explains how Lou ends up with this opportunity or what kind of magic allowed this to happen. It just does happen to her. Towards the ending there is a fleeting mention that she sort of wills the next chance into existence but again how? Why?

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmarked for providing a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I received a copy from NetGalley for review

Was this a book you’re supposed to read in one sitting? Probably not, especially with how sad the end is (spoiler: it’s not a HEA), but I did anyway. It’s now 1230 in the morning as I finish this and I’m so sad. Like yes the story is like Groundhog Day but it gives you hope that the main couple ends up together in the end and like..they do but also to get out of the time loop some shit has to happen.

I will say the story definitely dragged at times on the middle. I think it was the second or third time loop that was the worst one. It was super tough to get through because I didn’t feel like Lou learned a ton. By the end you figure out what she learned in each loop and how it affects her relationship with not only Nick but her other friends/family members.

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So you know the hero dies but this time loop novel sees Louise's relationship with Nick change each time they morph in time. To be honest, I got a little confused (and somewhat weary) about halfway through but it's such an interesting conceit that I kept reading. Also I liked the characters. Louise left home in Switzerland after a break up with Romain (definitely wasn't meant to be in any of the loops) to live and teach French in the UK. She meets Yuki; they are room mates until they aren't, but they are always friends and it is courtesy Yuki that she meets others such as, well, Nick and Ben. Nick is also a teacher and that's how they bond at first but then their relationship grows (it's different in each iteration but there's always the zoo). The loop also changes things for Louise's mother and sister Marion. And for Nick's sister Charlotte. There are, as you might expect, some twists here and Jost manages to keep all the balls in the air. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A patient reader will be rewarded.

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