I loved the idea of this book. A look back at your life a chance to change things. The story is heartwarming and fun. It also certainly makes you examine your own life.

This book was not what I was expecting. I was expecting it to be a light hearted chick lit book. Boy was I surprised. It is a a very thought provoking and meaningful adult book. It was a nice change to have a story be about a woman that I could truly relate to. Eve, the main character, is finder herself t be an empty nester. The niece that she raised has taken a job in Paris as a nanny. Her niece left her a gift, 12 vouchers, that she is to fill out and mail to her. When Eve took on the task of raising her niece she gave up a lot, her career and the love of her life. So, what are the chances that she could pick back up the life she set aside all those years ago? Maybe at least the romance side since Paddy, the guy, comes back into her life at this very time.
I enjoyed reading this book because it was nice to read about a character who thought through choices instead of leaping and then re-thinking their choices or actions. This book spoke to me as I find myself about to be an emptynester. It reminded me that it's my turn again.
This book along being a wonderful romantic read will also leave you feeling satisfield, and will also remind you that you need to remember to be good to yourself.

3.5⭐ rounded up

The was such a sweet story about finding yourself as well as a great second chance romance.

What I loved about this book:

1. Eve and Paddy seemed to be the perfect couple back in college, but when tragedy strikes Paddy left Eve to carry on alone. While they are both flawed characters, they were obviously perfect for each other. The chemistry in this second chance romance is apparent and I was rooting for them the whole time because Eve definitely deserved her HEA. Eve was definitely a loveable character that was very relatable.

2. I've always wondered what life will be like when I'm an empty nester (which is about 15 years away). This story alternates between present day and exposing family secrets from the past. As you read along you'll like Eve anymore and your heart will break as you learn of everything she's been through. It was very inspiring that she doesn't give up when Caitlyn moves away and she uses the opportunity to find herself and prioritize her own happiness.

3. The 12 vouchers idea was a fun and unique plot and honestly I may start dropping hints so my husband gives me some because they sound super fun. A shopping spree for a nice dress? Sign me up. A day at the spa? Yes please! I could get to use to the idea of doing something completely unexpected, but just for me each month. I thought it was completely heartwarming that Caitlyn though of doing something so wonderful for the woman who raised her.

This was such a heartfelt read that was beautifully written. With a unique plot and an inspiring heroine you're sure to find this one enjoyable. If second chance romances or stories about finding yourself are your thing, definitely give A Dozen Second Chances a read. I hope you enjoy it!

An emotional and satisfying read, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this! Definitely one I didn't want to end - a masterful book. There are so many positive messages in the characters.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book about second chances, but the reason I knocked it down one star is that I felt the book moved quite slow. What I did like was that this was a book about find yourself and finding love. It was cute & uplifting. 4 great stars!

Eve’s whole world is about to turn upside down. Her niece (who she has raised since a baby) is leaving to work overseas, her work life is getting a shake up from a new principal and a man from her past makes a reappearance. Not to mention the fact that she is turning forty.

Just before Caitlyn (Eve’s niece) leaves for France, she gives Eve a book of vouchers, ensuring she will put herself first. However this isn’t as easy as Caitlyn intends. Eve has always been self less and put everyone else’s needs above hers. However when an opportunity to chase her dreams arrives, does she have the courage to jump?

I love this book. At the onset I thought it was going to be another easy read chic-lit. But it was much more. I highly recommend it.

Super cute read. Thanks for letting me read it. I loved everything about this book. I originally chose it for the cover and I’m so glad I did. I don’t want to give anything away... just read it!

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. It was very heartwarming and thoughtful and actually had a really unique storyline. Highly recommend.

I absolutely adored this book and the family aspect and the characters were great and I love how the whole story all came together. I needed a box of tissues and I read it twice in two sittings.

A Dozen Second Chances is my first Kate Field book and like many women's fiction novels, my feelings were mixed. Our star, Eve, is a lovely heroine. After raising her daughter alone for many years, she is now trying to find herself. Caitlyn, the daughter, was probably my favorite character. Although she's not the focus of the story, her compassion and insightfulness made her a wonderful addition to the book.

And then there's Paddy... Eve struggles seeing her lost love after many years. As charming as he can be, he is far from perfect. I found myself alternately rooting for an against him, reasons for which I cannot say due to spoilers. The story was well written, if not a little slow in places. Eve was a strong enough character to hold the book but I won't say I wasn't a little disappointed she didn't have a better hero. I suppose there is something to say about a book with a storyline that has a bit of realness to it though.

I would definitely try this author again should the book synopsis intrigue me.

This book follows the story of Eve, an almost 40 something who having taken on the responsibility of her daughter/niece is about to become an empty nester when Caitlyn moves to France for a year. Before she leaves she presents Eve with a envelope of tokens with the advise to do 12 things for herself.
After putting herself first she relives her love of archaeology and bumps into her old flame Paddy, what follows is a whirlwind of emotions and buoyed on my her grandmother eventual romance.
I loved this book and would happily read more about Eve, Paddy and Caitlyn.

Unfortunately I have decided not to finish this book. I have tried a few different times to get into it, but I just can't. the plot is moving so very slowly and I haven't been able to connect to a single character. Eve, the main character, seems almost childish and naive and I have a hard time liking her. Her redeeming quality is her love for Caitlyn. That just wasn't enough for me to keep reading, even though the premise of this book intrigued me. I also had a really hard time with this unedited galley on kindle. There were several times on each page where words didnt have spaces between them and it made it incredibly hard to read.

This was a great feel good read. I knocked it over quickly and enjoyed every word. It was full of emotion and very heartfelt. Thank you NetGalley for this enjoyable read.

This book is about a single mum, Eve, whos child has fled the nest, leaving her with the task of doing a dozen nice things for herself.

It then turned into a second chance romance when Eve's semi-famous old boyfriend turns up at a local school for a 'talk' on archeology.

All in all it was a light read, good characters and scenery with some more serious topics thrown in and some drama too.

I liked the writing but this arc was extremely hard to read. The letters and words were all joined together and there were breaks in the sentences. This was completely throughout and normally it's just here or there.

I thought this was going to be an easy, light read but it surprised me! It was heartwarming, uplifting and inspiring.

1 Mar 2020: added link to Amazon review

<b>READ 13 Feb 2020 (★★★½ rounded up)</b>

**ARC provided by One More Chapter/HCUK via NetGalley**

First and foremost, I highly rec A DOZEN SECOND CHANCES for anyone looking for a well-written, heart-warming story filled w/ both poignant and humorous moments, as well as entertaining secondary characters.

But fair warning: it straddles (or is combo of) CR and ChickLit. Or would that be Women’s Fiction? IDK, but NetGalley listing classifies it as ‘General Fiction (Adult), Romance’ (which, for me, wasn’t much help either).

And therein lay the source of my confusion upon finishing the book. I liked it—really liked it, in fact—but was disappointed b/c it was so…romance-lite.

See, by the time I started A DOZEN SECOND CHANCES, I’d forgotten about NetGalley listing and most of the blurb. Essentially went in blind w/ the cover as freshest memory = expected a second-chance CR. So whilst I had great fun reading, I started to fret as chapters passed w/o the story narrowing down to the romance. As in ‘OMG, I’m way passed 50% so when are these two gonna get to it???’ And then I finished and thought ‘Huh? Is there a sequel?’

So my bad. And after taking some time to mull over storyline, here’s what I sussed out:

The title, A DOZEN SECOND CHANCES, refers to more than just another shot w/ the guy who got away. It includes a second look at a dream deferred, at a relationship gone awry, at certain memories softened or skewed by time. All kicked off by creative device of 12 ‘Be Kind’ vouchers given to Eve Roberts by her daughter/niece Caitlyn (just before Caitlyn leaves for an au pair position in Paris).

Expecting CR, I had notion that each voucher would be catalyst re: progress of second chance romance. And the first one definitely was, and few more included or related to The Guy. But others furthered the larger picture—Eve being kind to herself and in the process, re-discovering herself as a person and re-assessing her life.

Viewed from that perspective, A DOZEN SECOND CHANCES has many positives embedded in the storyline. Eve’s loving relationship w/ Caitlyn and her Gran (who’s a total hoot). Her acceptance of mum who re-located to Spain. Her willingness to make changes and step out of her comfort zones.

Despite the above, I must confess that back 20% was major miss for me. Due to crumbs here and there, I wasn’t surprised so much as disappointed when storyline veered into clichéd territory, compounded by ass-u-me moments and bit of OTT/illogical angst/drama. IMHO, some (half?) were unnecessary and diluted quality of overall story. But each reader is different so, as saying goes, YMMV.

Overall, lovely read w/ absolute sense of being in Lancashire/England at all times. I would love a summer holiday in Eve’s town. 😊

~ 28 Nov 2020 ~

NB: Above is review as posted on Amazon (being processed). Full content on GR (see link #1).

I loved this story! It was a beautifully written second chance romance story. But it wasn’t just a romance story, it was an ode to be kind to yourself, to discover what is important to you, and to live your life the way you really want. That is especially prevalent with the use of the “Be Kind To Yourself” vouchers that Caitlyn presents Eve with as she is moving to France for the year. Reading about Eve finding herself and taking time to do nice things for herself makes me want my own set of vouchers. A lot of times, women, not even just mothers, but women, and people in general, spend so much time thinking about others and helping others, and doing things for everyone else but themselves, and our needs often get put on hold, or shoved aside. This story reminds the reader that sometimes it is ok to think about yourself, or do something nice for yourself every once in a while. When your own needs are met, you are able to continue to help and think about others. I also loved reading about Eve’s second chance at love with the one that got away. It was so sweet to see both the characters develop throughout the story as we learned more about Eve and Paddy. This is definitely a feel good story, and you’ll find yourself rooting for these characters until the end. I would highly recommend it!

kate field can write a book. let me tell you. so i'll tell you right now. i loved this book with all my heart. check it out right now!

Caitlyn was leaving for Paris and would be gone for twelve months. She would be over five hundred miles away. Eve had plans to travel once, she knew what it felt like , the heady mix of trepidation and excitement, the belief the world was storing opportunities with your name on, waiting to be discovered. Eve spent years enjoying her independence. She might now have an empty nest, but filling it with a man wasn’t her idea of freedom. Caitlyn had inherited her mom Faye’s artistic talent as well as her looks. Caitlyn had made even twelve coupons that she was to fill out and sent back to her every time she did something nice for herself. Caitlyn said to Eve she’d put her first for forever. Now it was eve’s turn according to Caitlyn. She had to treat herself , do something purely for her. Then Eve told her to get going. She wrapped her arms around Caitlyn, feeling in the embrace the memory of a lifetime of hugs, from the tiny child around her knees, the embarrassed teenager to the young woman who stood over her. Who knew when the next one would be. After Eve got home she felt the difference in the house. Then Tina rang the doorbell. Like she had when they moved in and she had sandwiches with her. That was fourteen years ago and they had been firm friends ever since. Eve remembered how at twenty the world seemed to be there for the taking remembered the plans to travel the globe to be at groundbreaking archaeological digs with Paddy her boyfriend. It had been so possible, so tangible. But at twenty one her world shrank. Her sister Faye had died and she stepped up to raise her niece Caitlyn. Paddy had left Eve so long ago to follow his dream and Eve had settled in to raising Caitlyn. Now Eve was a school administrator. Tina wanted to go listen to a talk and Paddy was giving the talk. She wanted eve to go.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved that Eve gave up on her dreams to raise her niece and gave her all to that. I loved how close Eve and Caitlyn were. I really like that Tina had been a true friend. Paddy and Eve had hot chemistry. I Didn’t like how Paddy left Eve behind. This book was a little predictable. I really enjoyed the plot and pace. At times I chuckled and others I choked up while reading this book. There were a lot of emotions in this book. I loved Eve’s grandmother Phyllis and felt she added to this book. book. I liked the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend it.

What a delightful read

I'm not normally one to read a second chance romance, real-life has ruined me but I found #ADozenSecondChances to be refreshingly unique. This story is not just about a second chance to fall in love but a second chance at life, to live the life you are destined for, once you have completed the chapter you were given.
The characters are playful and easy to imagine, my favourite being Gram, a mischievous sidekick who has the world wrapped around her finger, just don't forget the shortbread!
My thanks to #Netgalley and #HarperCollinsUK and @OneMoreChapter for allowing me the chance to review this wonderful story.

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dozen-Second-Chances-Kate-Field-ebook/dp/B07P2GKJ5J/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=a+dozen+second+chances&qid=1581025773&sr=8-1
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dozen-Second-Chances-Kate-Field-ebook/dp/B07P2GKJ5J/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=a+dozen+second+chances&qid=1581025773&sr=8-1
Also available from iBooks

Check out my blog for my review on #ADozenSecondChances by Kate Field @ https://sloantate-mckate.blogspot.com/2020/02/a-dozen-second-chances-by-kate-field.html My thanks, as always to #Netgalley, #HarperCollins and #OneMoreChapter for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy