I enjoyed this one - a story about a woman who moves to a small village in Scotland after discovering her husband has cheated on her. I found myself wanting to keep reading - always a sign of a good book. I found the ending a bit lacking, but overall really enjoyed this one.

This book was so refreshing. It was fun to read about a middle aged main character, and Edward was such a fun grump. I feel like some plot points and characters weren’t well developed but I still enjoyed reading it! P

This is a nice cozy romance, but entirely predictable. It isn't a bad book; it just didn't keep my attention and I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

The cover and book are both charming and delightful. I perfect light read. It was enjoyable and sweet. Loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bookshop of Second Chances, and it offers more than meets the eye as far as rom com or chick lit books go. It was refreshing to see a closer to middle-aged pairing, instead of a 20- or 30-something finding new love, and I liked that the book takes place over more than a year. You also get a great sense for the community and setting of the place. And Edward’s confession over what cleaved between him and his brother Charles was startling and unusual.

I did find a few things distracting about the book - way too much exposition of how rooms or places were decorated, down to the minutiae, for example. I also felt like Thea’s grief over her marriage ending seemed uneven, like she forgot about it until it became a convenient plot point. The book also felt a touch too long, by about 50-75 pages.

Overall a very solid read and one that I would recommend. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I love the cover of this book so much, it's so cute! This book just wasn't what I expected, though likely because it wasn't quite what I was looking for. If you want a cozy romance, this would be for you!

After losing her job and finding out that her husband is having an affair with her friend, Thea finds out that her great uncle has left her a home in Scotland and what better way to start over than by moving to a different country? This was cute but a little too long for my taste.m, it definitely could have been done in a lot less pages.

Thoroughly enjoyable, feel-good book without being too heavy on the romance tropes. I enjoyed the characters, it had a lot of plot, great read all-around.

Sweet, cozy, light,-hearted easy read. Loved the older heroine and really enjoyed the Scottish setting in this story.

I felt that this book was pretty bland. It started out great with a little bit of laughing and then it started to fizzle out pretty quickly. I couldn't connect with the main characters and the chemistry between them was very flat.

tl:dr Review: Sweet and easy read with a 40-something protagonist that transports you to small-town Scotland.

Full Review:
After reading a few thrillers back-to-back, I needed something lighter for a bit. This book fit the bill! While it started off making me wonder if it would be full of melancholy and self-pity, the protagonist quickly became like a dear friend.

I really enjoyed the fact that the main character wasn’t some 20-year old thinking her life was over, when really it had barely begun. I hate to use the word “seasoned” but the protagonist here really felt like she had lived a full life. That made it much easier for me to relate to her and feel as though we were good friends.

I needed the slow but steady approach to the story that this book offered after so many thrillers. It felt like curling up with a cup of tea on a cold day.

If you’re in the mood for a sweet and easy read about a woman taking a new lease on life in her forties, this is an excellent pick!

I give it 4 out of 5 thumbs up.

I started to read this but I just couldn’t stay interested in it. It’s probably just me and not the book. I may come back to it at another time.

This premise sounded like a perfect mixture to me and I was totally ready to read it.

Thea, fresh out of a long relationship and in deep pain, goes to the Scottish coast and a small village to go through her inheritance from uncle. Once there, she meets two brothers, Charles and Edward, who have a troubled relationship but also both quickly become interested in Thea. Thea, with her uncle's impressive book collection, turns to Edward for his expertise on handling it going forward, and finds herself in his employ. Little does she know all the doors this job and this small relationship will open.

Firstly, I did really enjoy the bits of humor that are sprinkled throughout this book. I do think it was very much a if you understand British humor, you'll get this more often than not, but I was fine with that. I think at times the humor was also much needed.

Characters. I liked Thea in many ways. I feel like she was very much a 'at the cuff' character. She was blunt, had her flaws and seemed authentic. I think something that showed from her past though that I didn't really think sat well with me was how easily she accepted Edward's affairs with Charles' past girlfriends/wives. I don't think those were okay. Ever. And Thea was very, flippant almost about it. As if she didn't see an issue. And I don't know, maybe her own betrayal was feeding that? And she wished she it was secretly something she could do? But it's super problematic.

Edward, is super problematic. Like on the outside, he's a bookseller and your lovable grump. But he's also been knowably cheating with his brother's lovers for YEARS over a teenage slight. Like, my dude, you are an adult. GROW THE HECK UP! Once, I could maybe see.. if that. But multiple times? No. And get the stick out of your butt and TALK TO YOUR BROTHER. The fact that this book is causing serious emotions is part of the reason I did give it a higher rating. But also, Edward was very protective and sweet. He also had the best of him come out because of Thea. Which I can acknowledge and see as a good part.

I think if you had cut the revenge plot down, it would have been such a better book. Seriously. Because this pettiness from Edward is just so unnecessary plot-wise. And it makes the book cheaper than it needs to be.

I did love the village character added and the small side characters. They were lovely.

Thank you for the ARC!

A light hearted romance which feels like it should be a category called a cozy romance. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The Bookshop of Second Chances was such an fun and well done rom com that follows Thea Mottram as her marriage of almost 20 years is ending and she’s just inherited a lodge and a rare book collection from a great uncle. She travels from Sussex to the Scottish coast to sort things with the inheritance only to find that she might just want to stay. A beautiful book with a strong, independent female lead. We need more like this. For fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over and The Overdue Life is Amy Byler.

THE BOOKSHOP OF SECOND CHANCES was a fun, cute book and it revolves around a bookshop! I enjoyed the book but it did feel reminiscent of several other books I've read. Perhaps it's an actual trope so that would make sense. There's just something about small, quaint coastal towns, especially ones along the Scottish Coast. I would recommend this heartwarming book.

Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Pub / Ballantine Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

📖My Thoughts📖

Revenge between siblings, a bookshop, unexpected romance, infidelity all come together for the makings of a great book! This book seemed to have it all. I really enjoyed watching the unforeseen romance that blossomed right before us. This was a good book to read while curled up by the fire with a cup of tea. It was a rather lengthy read and at some points, it seemed a little drawn out, but overall I think it was pretty good book. It was very easy to read and the characters kind of grow on you. I felt a lot of empathy for Thea and really thought she handled what was thrown her way very well. If you’re in the mood for a slow burn light romance, this is one you will enjoy.
Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Jackie Fraser for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Bookshop of Second Chances is a light romance with lots of undercurrents that take the story in different directions.

I enjoyed the character of Thea immensely.. She is witty, outspoken and would make a great best-friend. I had a little more trouble liking Edward. I know he was written as a curmudgeonly, aloof, bookseller, but, I just couldn’t get past his cockolding of his brother. For me, this makes him too difficult to warm up to. I do understand the theme of sibling rivalry and jealousy at play here, so I can’t entirely hold it against him. But it did affect my rating. I found it unlikely that Thea would jump into a romance with Edward after her recent divorce from a cheating husband. There must have been a very strong attraction between them.

The secondary characters are well-written play their parts well. Having never been to Scotland, I was surprised by how well the author pulled me into that setting. She has a lovely, descriptive way with words.

I recommend this tale to lovers of opposites attract, bookshops, Scotland, and well-drawn characters.


Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of the book. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

absolutely loved this book! it was such a fun read, i would highly recommend this books to my friends and family if they wanted a delightful time,

There has been an upswing of books about books lately, and although I do love it, I think that they're all starting to blend together a bit. That is not a fault of this book per se, but just a saturation in the industry. This one felt very reminiscent of a Jenny Colgan book, especially with its being set in Scotland, I did like that the characters in this one felt very realistic and that they took the time to talk through hard things to make relationships work. I liked the slow-burn, and wholesome nature of this story as well. I think this would make the perfect vacation read, or comfort read.