QUICK TAKE: Ya’ll…I freakin’ loved Hillary Yablon’s SYLVIA’S SECOND ACT. If you’re looking for easy, breezy soapy escapism, stop reading this review and just go get yourself a copy of this book. It’s so damn delightful and utterly entertaining.⁣ Part GOLDEN GIRLS, part SEX AND THE CITY, the book follows Sylvia, a 63-year-old woman who -in the wake of her husband’s infidelity- reboots her life by moving from Boca to NYC with her best friend. Think Thelma & Louise, but with martinis and manolos, the book is a must-read for fans of FINLAY DONOVAN, THE NEST, WHERE’D YOU GO BERNADETTE. It’s hilarious and heartwarming and there’s a couple legit twists that had me gasping. I really hope this is the first book in a new series, because I could go on so many more adventures with Sylvia.⁣ I’m telling you…this is one of those perennial favorites that I just know I’m going to recommend to everyone this year.

Sylvia’s second act starts when she catches her husband of 40+ years in the act of cheating on her. She also finds out he has lost most of their money in a bad investment after making them move to Boca in Florida. Sylvia has never liked the move and decides to flee for her daughter’s house in CT. But Isabelle isn’t sympathetic to Sylvia. She wants her parents to kiss and makeup, but Sylvia has spent her entire adult life listening to others and she wants to her own life. She convinces her bff Evie to move to NYC with her and it will be as glamorous as Sex and the City makes it seem. (Any girl who has ever moved to NYC has a little of this expectation!)

But things don’t go as planned, especially on such a limited budget. Sylvia and Evie must hustle to find a place to live and get jobs. Sylvia had previously been a wedding planner until a disgruntled bride set her lawn on fire. Could she start the business up again? If you can make it in NYC, can you really make it anywhere?

This book was laugh out loud funny. Sylvia gets herself in the funniest situations. I appreciated she was an older main character who still has lots of life to live and wants to make herself happy, despite what her family thinks. Evie was also on her own journey after her husband and son both die young. She’s had a hard life and she’s trying to reconnect with her young grandson. These women had real life problems that they had to deal with and they did so with grace and a lot of wine.

Thank you @hillaryyablon and @pameladormanbooks for my gifted ebook. Sylvia’s Second Act is out now.

63 year old Sylvia walked into her Boca Raton condo to find her husband having sex with another woman. Soon after that incident her husband, Louis, admitted that he had made some bad investments and lost all the couple’s money.
Sylvia decided that she no longer liked Louis or Florida. So she packed up everything and flew to her daughter in Connecticut. Eventually Sylvia and Evie, another older friend from Florida, moved to NYC. Now the two older women had to find housing and jobs in the city. The two women were fans of the TV show Sex in the City and there were several references to the show throughout the book,
This is a humorous book about two older women and their experiences when they want change the trajectory of their lives. It reads like a romantic comedy after Sylvia becomes involved with the father of a bride whose job she was planning. I enjoyed the book because it spotlighted the problems that older women face when they try to change their lives.
I received this ARC from NetGalley & the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Sylvia and Evie and their determination to start life over and live for themselves. I love Isabelle and Ashton and their ability to see others.

This is an excellent title for a women's reading group.

This is a cute and quirky read. Sylvia is retired living in Florida and bored with life when she walks in our husband having an affair. She uproots herself with her 70+ year old bestie and moves to NYC to start over. It became a bit ridiculous for me in parts and felt long toward the end. Overall I liked it and it was a fresh take I hadn't read before.

3.5 stars but rounding up.

Thank you to Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP Viking, Pamela Dorman Books for the advanced reader copy.

At the start of this novel, main character Sylvia is 63 and living somewhat unhappily in Boca with her husband when she finds him in bed with her frenemy. She decides to reinvent herself, and with her 70something friend Evie in tow, decides to move to NYC and try to get back into the brief career she had as a wedding planner, though her husband and adult daughter do not approve.

This was just such a fun and funny book to read, I just flew through it! I literally was repeatedly laughing out loud while reading it. It’s written with the lightness and breeziness of a rom com or what we used to call a chick lit book - but about a woman in her 60s instead of the typical woman in her 20s or 30s which just felt like such a breath of fresh air. And while there’s a little bit of romance, it’s not so much a book about a second chance of romance as about a second chance at life. I could totally picture this book as a movie and I would for sure watch it if they made one.

Sylvia has been unhappy since her husband Louis made her move to Boca, and then to add insult to injury, she walks in on him having sex with her least favorite neighbor. After she walks out on him she enlists her most fabulous friend to move to NYC with her and start a new life, making her realize that maybe her unhappiness began before Boca. Now she has a new apartment, career, and some romance to boot! Sylvia is finally discovering who she is - it only took 63 years for her to get there!

This was such a fun novel to read and I didn’t want to put it down! I loved this coming of age novel, it was just with a different spin, the main character wasn’t 14 or 25, she was 63. I loved the mother daughter dynamics that ran through the book (both with Sylvia and with the other characters) as well as the tiny bit of romance (which was not a dominant theme). This was just a joyful Saturday morning read for me and I absolutely recommend it, or wait for the Nancy Myers movie that I have pictured in my head that will be made of it.

4.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Pamela Dorman books and Viking Books for the ARC to review

Sylvia’s Second Act by Hilary Yablon is a standalone humorous novel that was a fun read. The story starts off when meet Sylvia, our heroine, who walks in on her husband having sex with a neighbor. Sylvia hasn’t been happy for a while, and when her husband tells her they lost her life savings, due to bad investment; Sylvia decides to leave her husband, and start off at a second chance at life. Sylvia is 63 years old, and convinces her bff, Evie (widow in her 70’s) to move to New York, in hope to work again as a wedding planner.

Sylvia takes all her jewelry and sells it at a pawn shop, to give her money to find a place that she and Evie can live. It was fun when they did not like the small places they found, until someone tells her about finding nice places with people who go away for a year, and rent. In a short time, Sylvia manages to get a job as a wedding planning business with her former rival. She is assigned in helping a young lady planning her wedding, with many issues along the way; her boss is thrilled how well she is doing. Evie, who used to play the piano, also revives her music at a restaurant.

What follows is a fun heartwarming story, with ups and downs in their new adventure; as both ladies find the courage to follow their dreams. There was a lot of laughter, and even some weird moments. I did not like Sylvia ex-husband, as he was a jerk. I also thought her meddling daughter wasn’t likeable, but that changed in the last third of the book. I did get a kick out of when her ex comes, and then the daughter, with her man hiding naked in the other room; pretty hysterical.

Sylvia life changes as her career escalates, a new romance, sex, fun, and together with Evie, their second chance becomes successful. Even though this story revolves around sixty/seventy set, there is so much fun and laughter throughout the book, as well as some problems. Sylvia’s Second Act was a fun story of second chances. Sylvia’s Second Act was very well written by Hilary Yablon.

This started out really fun and exciting before it became very repetitive and vapid. Sylvia, the 63 year old main character, thinks and behaves like a young twenty year old. She doesn't exhibit any wisdom or gravitas you'd expect from a woman her age. The side characters are one dimensional and exaggerated to the point of absurdity. Also, I really don't understand the need for all the references to the show Sex and the City, a series that is 20 years old as of the writing of this review. This novel did not work for me on any level.

What's not to love about this book? Sex and the City vibes but with a much wiser older woman who is every bit as fabulous as Carrie Bradshaw. I was kept highly entertained throughout the story and anyone who grew up reading "chick lit" will love this upmarket, smart, savvy take on the genre.

I totally enjoyed this comic novel starring Sylvia, a 63 year old woman starting over. Sylvia is shocked when she finds her husband naked and straddled by a friend in their Boca condo. Sylvia decides to follow her dream to move to Manhattan and become the wedding planner she once was and restart her life. The secondary characters include an engaged couple, Sylvia’s daughter, but most importantly, her best friend Evie who moves to Manhattan with her. I recommend this book for a light, positive experience. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

What a fun tale of second chances, where living your best life is the best revenge. Sylvia walks in on her husband of decades with her frenemy in a reverse cowgirl position on top of him. Then she finds out he's left them penniless. What's a girl to do but grab her best friend and move to the big city to revitalize her wedding planning business? From hilarious brides with no boundaries, a judgmental daughter, and a secret romance, Sylvia takes it all on with Evie by her side and a great positive attitude. Who says only 20-somethings can be the heroine of their own story? Sylvia begs to differ!

I loved the premise of this book and there were parts that were very funny and real and heartfelt. Unfortunately, there were also many issues, not least of which were numerous editing issues, including mixing up the two main male love interests name on the same page. Hopefully these are fixed before publication. Besides that, there was one too many over-the-top scenes, people showing up at someone's door late at night, secrets, and just situations that were so unbelievable it took me right out of the story. It's unfortunate because there is also a lot to like here.

Determined to not let her age or her cheating husband stop her from finding happiness, 63 year old Sylvia and her best friend Evie move from Boca to take on New York City in this entertaining second act story. This is a witty story and I liked how Sylvia has decided to put herself first and search for her own happiness. Having spent years as a big fan of Sex and the City, Sylvia is ready to have her own NYC adventures. With the ups and downs of their new lives, the story was a delicious read. Sylvia has to juggle resurrecting a career in Wedding planning, dating, and her unsupportive family. The ending was heartwarming and Sylvia and Evie are two women I would like to be friends with.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted advanced reader copy.

"Wedding drama is the best," and Sylvia Fisher absolutely agrees. She should know after making it her career and being damn good at it. But the wedding belle that broke her was her daughter's best friend, the bridezilla who set fire to her front lawn. And now she's sixty three, stuck living with her husband at a senior condo in Boca Raton, and hating her life. The icing on the cake is, upon returning home, she catches sight of her arch-enemy Belinda and her husband in a very delicate position, and the cherry on top is hubby Louis admitting he lost all of their money in a shady investment scheme. What will Sylvia do now...possibly fulfill her dream of living in Manhattan with her best friend, shopping for designer clothes, and revitalizing her wedding planning life?
This is a rom-com for the over sixty set, with plenty of laughs, family agita, insurmountable problems, tears and yes, romance. But it's also a novel that emphasizes self-love and self-awareness and there's no better drama than that.

If you’re looking for a woman of a certain age you can really root for, Sylvia is your girl. In SYLVIA’S SECOND ACT we meet Sylvia as she walks in on her husband having an affair. Humiliated and furious, Sylvia leaves her Florida retirement community and heads to the Big Apple with her octogenarian best friend to rediscover parts of themselves they thought were lost forever.

Watching Sylvia pursue dormant dreams and leave the comforts of her familiar life behind was a true joy. Sylvia is vivacious and daring as she embarks on a career in the wedding planning business, rediscovers romance, and most of all, learns to truly love who she was and who she is becoming.

This debut by Hillary Yablon features intergenerational friendships, laughable experiences, and is a big-hearted story in the Big Apple. Don’t miss SYLVIA’S SECOND ACT out Ja

READ THIS IF:
-You’ve imagined living out your deferred dreams
-Mother-Daughter stories resonate with you
-You appreciate references to Sex & the City

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: March 12, 2024

Many thanks to Viking Pamela Dorman books for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.