This is the second book I've read by Amy Sue Nathan and I really like the way she develops her characters and their relationships with each other. The way she created memories for Teddi and Celia reminded me of the memoir We Hope You Like This Song: An Overly Honest Story about Friendship, Death, and Mix Tapes. This goes to show how real the friendship felt. And it made me even more thankful for my own best friend. I even became misty-eyed a few times.

Amy's attention to detail made it really easy to visualize characters and settings. I could even feel the summer heat. I liked all the Jewish references to rituals and food. Amy kept me guessing as to what was going to happen for Teddi and Shay, as there were a lot of secrets being kept. Teddi had a few romantic options and I wondered who she would be with by the end. My only minor complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed, but I like where the story went.

Take a "chance" on this novel if you want a heartfelt story about friendship and possibility.

Teddi: Lake Bell
Shay: Kendall Yeaman
Beck: Chad Michael Murray
Miles: John Krasinski
Cameron: Neal Bledsoe
Josie: Danneel Ackles
Violet: Bethany Joy Lenz

Favorite Quotes:

I sashayed down Lark wearing my light blue sundress, as if I were the star of an elaborate tampon commercial. All that was missing was the voiceover.

To me, Cousin Maggie had been like a fairy godmother in sensible shoes. She seemed to know what I needed, and when I needed it. It was Cousin Maggie who handed me Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret two months before I got my period when I was eleven. Cousin Maggie also gave me my first real camera for Hanukkah when I was fourteen. “You can make the world look however you want it to look with this,” she’d said.

At least at a wedding there were drinks and hors d’oeuvres. When alone at a wedding I talked to the bartender, sipped cocktails, nibbled my way through the mashed potato bar. Maybe funerals should have cocktail hours too. Mini latkes with applesauce. Kosher wine to drown your sorrows. Monogrammed tissues. I’d draw the line at funeral favors.

I flinched to stop myself from looking for my best friend. How I wished that bittersweet was still a term best left for chocolate.

My Review:

I fell right into this cleverly written and delightfully engaging tale packed with witty humor and the irreverent and snarky inner musings of a woman returning to her small-town and attempting to atone for her cowardly and less than stellar exit six years prior. Poor Teddi, despite her best intentions she was forever on the back-foot and coming up a bit short. The storyline was superbly crafted and the writing was cunningly amusing yet also poignant and keenly insightful. The narrative was vividly detailed with humorous and revealing observations that kept me smirking. I adored these flawed yet appealing characters, they plucked at my curiosity and kept me intensely interested and in need of knowing every little thing about them. Amy Sue Nathan has a new fangirl.

Teddi left Chance, OH years ago, after the death of her best friend. The only person in Chance she has had any contact with since then is her friend’s daughter, Shay, who has persuaded Teddi to return to Chance, to photograph her father’s second wedding. Teddi really does not want to return to Chance, to face the reality of the death of her best friend or to face the people she hurt by leaving so abruptly. However, she knows she must go, and does. When Teddi returns to Chance, she faces the hard facts of her friend’s death up close, her one-time relationship with her friend’s brother Beck, the new town Chance has become during the intervening years, and how much Shay has changed and grown since her mother’s death.

There are some great characters, in particular Teddi and Shay, who have been developed and portrayed quite well in this book. In addition, the small-town setting was perfect for the story. I enjoyed watching how Teddi and Shay coped with memories, secrets and their current lives, putting everything into perspective. I have not read anything else by the author, but hope to in the future. This is a great read for readers who enjoy stories of friendships and growth. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Full of small-town charm and friendship that not even death can touch, Left to Chance is a lovely story of how grief changes us and, in some cases, leads us to become the people we were always meant to be.

"The past, the present, the future, the people, the places, the joy, the sorrow, the possibilities."

Teddi Lerner left Chance, Ohio six years ago after her best friend died. She has kept in touch with her friend's daughter,who is now 12 years old, but has not been back to Chance since she left. She has become a very successful wedding photographer, living in San Francisco, and wonders what she should do about the personal relationship she has with her millionaire boss.

This is a story of going home, making amends, and growing up. It was a bit disjointed in parts and the quasi-romantic sections didn't quite work for me. But it is a good story about small-town life and grieving.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hope that I'd read the book and write a review for it.

It is not always I read a book and it sticks with me. This is the one for me.
When Teddi goes back to her hometown to photograph a wedding, she doesn't know how she will be excepted. She left many years ago with no explanation and never returned. She is hoping to just go in do the wedding and go home.
One thing after another happens to her while she is back home. She looks at things through fresh eyes and many things she has been avoiding are coming to the surface. Sometimes discovering ones self helps to heal the past and move on.

This is a book for all to read.


** I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Amy Sue Nathan returns following The Good Neighbor and The Glass Wives with LEFT TO CHANCE – can you return home, unchanged?

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." – George A. Moore

Teddi Lerner left Chance, Ohio years ago. It was not a place for wimps; however, she was on her way, regardless. The place that had haunted her for the past six years. The town she grew up in, and ran from, on the day of Celia’s funeral.

Teddi is a successful wedding photographer for Hester Hotels and is called home to photograph the wedding of her best friend’s (Celia) husband, Miles. They had a daughter, Shayna who is now twelve years old. This is the only reason she is back. This is what mattered most.

Everything has changed in the small town. There is also Celia’s brother, Beck. Beck, of course, looked better at thirty-five than at twenty-nine.

Beck held a grudge. She did not blame him. But Teddi had allowed herself to believe he would forgive her.

She had always photographed things that grew. Babies, kids, flowers, relationships. Those things also died. She also had forgotten what it was like to be with people who knew things about her besides what she had chosen to tell them.

Does she know what true friendships and deep relationships meant? Letting someone in, letting her down, and possibly letting her go.

From an unexpected friendship, secrets of the past, guilt, and emotional courage— a warmhearted charming story of love and loss and what it truly means to return home.

Redemption. Facing the past and overcoming obstacles. A Hallmark story for those who enjoy happy endings and discovering the truly important things in life.

For fans of Sonja Yoerg, Barbara Claypole White, Patti Callahan Henry, Joanne Demaio, and women's contemporary fiction.

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks

Woman (Teddi) returns home 6 years after leaving hometown.

After the death of her childhood best friend (Celia), Teddi fled her small hometown of Chance, Ohio (near Columbus) to pursue a career as a photographer. Six years later, at the request of Celia's daughter, Shay, Teddi has returned to take photos at the wedding of Celia's widowed husband and a new love. Why did Teddi leave so abruptly? Does Shay have ulterior motives for asking her to visit? Will Teddi finally find closure over her best friend's death? Read this sweet story about best friends, grief, family, love, and moving on to find out!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Rating - 3.5

This was a lovely story about returning to a past that can’t be outrun. Teddi Lerner, an amazing photographer, left her life in Ohio behind when she lost her best friend Celia to cancer. She and Celia had been more like sisters than friends, and the hole that was left behind was nearly unbearable. When she left, she didn’t keep in touch with anyone other than Celia’s daughter Shay, and that was limited at best. No one knew her reason for leaving, but that’s not the only secret she carries. When Miles, Celia’s husband decides to remarry, Shay talks Teddi into returning to take the photos of their wedding. What will happen when she returns? Will she be able to rekindle relationships or will the memories be too much to handle?

This emotional story is filled with twists and turns as the story progresses, and I liked that it didn’t go exactly the way I thought it would. I found myself hurting for all the characters in this book. Miles, Shay, Teddi, and Beck (Celia’s brother) all lost a huge part of their lives when they lost Celia. When faced with terrible heartache, they all found different ways of dealing with it, but it wasn’t easy for any of them. Facing the decisions they made and accepting the consequences of those decisions is hard for everyone. For Teddi, going back was the only way was the only way to move forward.

While the book revolves around Teddi’s return home, she is also dealing with a lot in the life she’s built away. With major decisions looming, Teddi must decide what she really wants from life and who she will spend it with. While she has built a successful life as a wedding photographer, she must decide if that is all she wants from life or if there is something more that is missing.

I enjoyed this story, but it took on a lot. Not only was it a story about returning home, it also covered dealing with grief, rekindling relationships, facing old flames, choosing a path in life, and multiple romantic choices. I also found it interesting that Teddi who hadn’t talked about her past anyone since she left opens up to everyone while she is at home, even strangers. It seemed like such a drastic change that it didn’t really fit with who the character was supposed to be.

There were also some transitions that weren’t very clear. As I was reading there would be a jump in time and I often had to go back a paragraph to reorient myself with where I was and figure out the time shift. Making these chapter breaks or including a transition would’ve made for a smoother read.

Overall, this was a good book. I enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change over the course of the book. I think it did a good job showing that people deal with grief in different ways, and that loss isn’t easy for anyone.

I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down, the characters felt like old friends and I became invested in their lives and stories.. I am a huge fan of small towns where everyone knows each other and this town was that. Teddie leaves her hometown to return six years later and picks up where she left off. Great story with a lot of feeling

Teddi Lerner is back home in Chance, Ohio after running away from her best friend Celia’s funeral service. She is coming back for Shay, Celia’s 12-year-old daughter. Her dad is getting remarried and have asked Teddi to take their photos. She is a world known wedding photographer. Teddi has made quite the life for herself away from Chance. She is sought after, travels everywhere, and is dating her boss. What Teddi didn’t count on were the emotions and feeling of home that Chance would return to her.

They say you can’t go back home again but like Bon Jovi sings “Who says?” Everything is different but the people all seem the same. I loved this little town and how Ms. Nathan described it. I want to sit in Perk and have my coffee, or sit in the town square and people watch. Your heart goes out to Teddi. Your heart goes out to Shay and to Beck. It takes a turn that I didn’t expect but I ended up really wanting to happen. The characters were all so rich with emotion. You felt for everyone of them. I really enjoyed the book and will keep these characters with me for some time to come.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s and this opinion is humbly my own.

Teddi returns home, the small town where she grew up, had a best friend and a young woman's love affair.  Having left home six years ago after her best friend's death she's never gone back. Despite the fact that she loves Celia's daughter, Shayna, and has kept in touch with her with coordinated visits in other cities.  Teddi has been working for a large hotel chain, becoming their photographer  and capturing many high profile weddings and other events.

Small town Chance Ohio has changed, the outskirts growing a lot, and yet the bones of the town have remained similar, but different.  Teddi is nervous and feels a strain in being back, and photographing the wedding of Celia's widowed husband.  She also begins to see that Shayna, 12, is not a little girl, but a young tween with many confused ideas about love and where her family is going.

I loved everything about this book, learning about Teddi's pain, and also seeing her open up sharing eventually with the people that were still in Chance, and her still loved her.  She wants so much to make things good for Shay, but she starts out not having a clue.

Amy Sue Nathan pulls these characters together to not make a pretty picture of going home, but a gut wrenching reality of life.  A look at the mistakes we make, and how we struggle to right them and make a better life.  Teddi is lovable but so lost, and I wanted to be her friend, and give her a hand in turning around her fears and confusion about going home.  In the end she had many friends, old and new that gave her that push.

I highly recommend this book.  It's perfect for this time of year, when we think of family and friends ,and often going home.  Thank you again to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.

Amy Nathan knocks it out of the park! Loved it! Looking forward to reading her other books.

This was my first book by Nathan but I enjoyed it so much that I’ll be adding her earlier work to my TBR. There was something so natural and authentic about her writing, I was almost immediately invested in Teddi’s life and that of the residents of Chance, Ohio. This was full of poignant moments and plenty of life lessons that stick with you long after you turn the final page.

Teddi doesn’t want to go back home but there’s no way she can say no to Shay. When I say she left six years ago I actually mean she fled, leaving everyone she knew and loved because she was in so much pain and had no idea how to face it. Running away was easier. Her homecoming is awkward to say the least, the only person who seems truly happy to see her is Shay. I loved that Teddi’s life was far from perfect, it was totally messy but she was finally willing to face her issues head on. She was brave, honest and she had a terrific sense of humor.

This book had it all, a fantastic small town setting, characters that felt like friends or people that you would want as friends, and wonderful, touching lessons about friendship, loss, love and life. It all had so much warmth, tenderness and heart behind it and I throughly enjoyed every second I spent getting to know these lovely characters.

After six years, Teddi Learner returns to her small hometown of Chance, Ohio to photograph the wedding of her best friend's husband, Miles. Miles is getting remarried after the death of his first wife, Celia. Celia and Miles and had one daughter together, Shayna, who is now twelve. Teddi and Shay had a somewhat superficial relationship after Celia's death--a yearly visit in Chicago, Skype calls, etc. But Shay's now nearly a teenager and she's personally asked Teddi to come to town--a place she's never set foot in since her beloved best friend passed away. When she arrives, she finds Chance has grown, and so has Shay, who is struggling with her father's remarriage and fitting in within her teen friend circle. Further, Teddi's memories of Celia are as strong as ever, and so are her feelings for Celia's brother, Beck, whom she was seeing when she fled town after (okay, pretty much during) Celia's funeral. Teddi has a new life now, photographing weddings all over the country for Hester Hotels. She left Chance behind and never looked back. But now that she's here, she can't help but notice all (and who) she left.

I enjoy picking up novels like this sometime because they let me indulge in my Lifetime / Hallmark movie side (I'm a sucker for those, especially at Christmas time). This book was an excellent diversion and while I certainly could predict some areas, it surprised me in others.

Nathan gives us some great characters, particularly Teddi and Shay. Teddi is complicated and a little annoying, at times, but she comes across as realistically human and flawed. Her love for Celia is incredibly strong and you can feel her loss and heartache come across the pages. The novel is a real testament to female friendship. At times you want to push or prod her a bit, but she's also stronger than she thinks. As for Shay, my heart often broke for the poor girl, struggling at the age of being between a girl and a teenager, with the added difficulty of having lost her mom.

Nathan also does a good job of portraying the eclectic cast of characters in small town Chance, with some good foils popping up for Teddi. Some of my particular favorite appearances included Teddi's cousin, Maggie, and childhood friend, Josie. Because it's a small place, Miles' wedding is the talk of the town, and we see how it brings up some bitterness and long held issues among some, including the immediate family.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. The hardest part was some melodrama in the plot and theme, which got to be a little too much at times. Some things seemed to be blown a bit out of proportion and there can be a lot of different plot threads going on at times. However, there are some really lovely and powerful moments and some incredibly funny ones--much of which stem from the strength of the characters. There's a bit of a picture perfect ending, but not the one I expected. This was a sweet, touching tale in many ways and exactly the read I needed at this point in time. 3.5+ stars.

Teddi is an interesting and sympathetic character, and I thought this book did a good job of portraying small town life. The plot was also appealing, bringing a powerful emotional punch to the "you can never go home again" chick lit theme. It did get a little messy closer to the end, with the various love interests involved. The older boss (Simon), the guy she left behind (Beck) and the childhood neighbor (Cameron) re-emerging were all vying for Teddi's love, and knowing that two would fail just made it unduly complicated. I just don't think from a plot perspective that having three potential suitors really works: one will obviously lose, but another one gets short shrift -- for no apparent reason and with what seems like unfinished business -- while the third prevails. It seems like chick lit as a genre is waning, as some of my favorite authors are now writing mysteries and thrillers, while others are writing young adult novels. If I had read more chick lit books recently, maybe this one wouldn't have ranked so highly, but considering its recent competition, I think this is a worthy contender and I would definitely read this author again.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly can't think of much to say. This book was somewhat flat and I don't understand the overwhelmingly very good reviews. Yes, it was an easy read. Yes, it flowed. BUT. It didn't say much or do much for me. There were a few moments towards the end where I experienced what COULD HAVE BEEN a powerful novel. That's the book I wanted/expected to read.

Left to Chance's title is a double entendre. Teddi Lerner has left her hometown of Chance, Ohio, after the death of her beloved friend/soulmate/like a sister, Celia. She returns, as a successful photographer, to shoot the wedding of her Celia's husband's remarriage--to Violet. And to again bond with Shay, Celia and Miles' [husband] daughter who is having a particularly difficult time. She and Teddi have kept in touch, but...

"Teddi knows it’s time to face the consequences of her hasty retreat from family, friends, and, her old flame, but when she looks through her viewfinder, nothing in her small town looks the same. That’s when she truly sees the hurt she's caused and—maybe—how to fix it."

Shay is hurt at her father's remarriage [a tween] and there also are some "Mean Girls" scenes. Teddi doesn't know how to reach her and is having her own problems. Never over the loss of Celia. And, is she in love with her boss, Simon? Her old flame, Beck [Celia's younger brother]? Her old neighbor, Cameron? Too much? Yep. And there were obvious flags as to plot lines--I prefer some element of surprise.

I often note phrases that caught my attention--here only two and they're weak. "Most houses in Chance were small, but they loomed large in my memory..." And, "My best friend had to die for me to start living."

So if you want a readable book, this is it. But, IMHO, don't expect much more.

I received this book "Left to Chance" from Netgalley for my honest review.

Took me a little bit to get into this book but after a couple of chapters and getting to know the characters it did get better. I sometimes have a hard time if I can't connect with the characters names - I prefer more common names when I am reading. It was a good story.

I enjoyed this book, and actually read it in three days. I thought all the characters were well written, though Teddi and Miles were a little annoying. Miles especially.

I think it’s good story for anyone struggling with the death of a friend—I was able to relate to Teddi pretty easily in that regard.

I like the small town feel that was used at the setting. Being that I also live in a small town in Ohio, I was able to picture a majority of the story as if it was happening in my town.

Amy Sue Nathan is a new to me author, and I was swayed into requesting this book by a lovely cover and an intriguing premise. What I got was a charming and introspective contemporary story about love, friendship, healing, brokenness, and family. I loved the small-but-growing -and-changing town setting, and Teddi's realization of the connections she let lapse and her ensuing solitude was resonant. It's hard being a grown up and facing down your choices, and Teddi is all of us as she faces her big mistakes. This is a sweet, comforting story that may deal with tough topics but remains hopeful.