DNF @ 50%

This book had a really good premise, but wasn't as I expected it. The characters and the story just lacked depth. At times the story was confusing, there was no background information about their relationship or how they developed feelings for each other. By half of the book I was just feeling confused and bored. I decided to stop reading it as I know I wouldn't enjoy it.

The Second Time We Met was the first book that I ever read from Frances Mensah Williams. I requested this book because romances are my favorite guilty pleasure. Furthermore, I also like second chances romance and this one is excellent!

This was a second-chance romance that truly captured all the awkwardness and idiosyncrasies that come with it! Some of the characters were a bit extreme, but I do feel like it played okay for this type of story. It had some laugh out loud moments, some cringe moments, and everything in between.

The characters are well-drawn and believable. The plot is perfectly paced, holds your interest, and keeps you guessing will they won’t they! It’s a page turner, for sure!

Cute story about finding your person. Does your person always come at the right time or does the past and families try and get in the way and create doubts? Fun read.

The Second Time We Met is a very lighthearted, easy read. It's cute but of course very cliche. I typically love the second chance trope but this one fell a bit flat for me. I had a good time reading it, but it's not a memorable book and it's not a book I see myself reading over and over.

I liked the first few pages of the book. And then I cringed so much. I expected a cute read about two people getting their second chance. But, unfortunately, I received a poorly-written story with characters who don't act like real people. I wasn't invested in this story at all, because after the first chapter or so we just get a mentioning of Cara and Henry meeting for the second time and starting dating after that. Like just why? Why would you do that to readers? I wanted to read myself about how they met, started talking to each other, began catching feelings, and so on. The Second Time We Met is an awkward and predictable story and I didn't care about those characters even for one second.

The Second Time We Met
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.2
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook/ Audiobook
Date Published: 8/1/22
Author: Frances Mensah Williams
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 344
GR: 3.82

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased. *I obtained the audiobook through KU for review.

Synopsis: Recovering from heartbreak, unlucky-in-love events manager Cara has vowed to avoid relationships. Then she meets Henry, unfortunately, this encounter is short-lived, doubtful she will see him again. When Cara quite literally bumps into Henry a second time at a work event, the run-in leaves them with feelings instead of bruises. Yet it soon becomes clear how deeply different their worlds are: Cara grew up poor while Henry had the best of everything. Cara and Henry will have to get creative with romance if they stand any chance of beating the odds to win they’re happy ever after.

My Thoughts: This was such a cute, quick story that I very much adored! The chapters are short, which makes stopping easier. The story is narrated by Cara, from her POV. Williams has a way of blending humor into the book that makes you laugh out loud. Meet the same man twice + your ex shows back up + interfering family = a quirky sweet romance! The narrator was amazing, you could feel what the characters felt and you went along Cara’s journey. The characters are well developed, with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and just worked really well for this story. The author’s writing style was complex, humorous, swoony, and kept me engaged throughout the story. This book is already out and on audiobook, a quick listen, I would highly recommend!!!

*thank you netgalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review :) *

this was a nice opposites attract book that had me legitimately laughing out loud. both of our main characters have been through personal troubles that have scared them away from the idea of love (more so our FMC than the MMC) but they still fall deeply in love and the chemistry that they have? off the charts! i loved the family scenes---i actually felt like i was in the house with them--with the bantering, familial chaos dashed with love and just the overall feelings of togetherness. this book tackles some serious topics but they are followed by healthy discussion and/or lighthearted humor. thank you for this book :)

3.5/5 stars

I was given an eARC copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher, and I really did not want to DNF it, but I ended up giving up about 30% of the way through. I just absolutely could not get into the story or connect with the characters. This book is about two people from completely different worlds starting a relationship and trying to fit into one another's lives. I think the first thing I struggled on is that, because of the title, I thought this was a second chance romance, but really the two "meetings" happen right away and then most of this story, it seems is not about two people falling in love but two people already in love and their struggles, and that just wasn't what I was looking for. The main characters are falling flat to me, and so far where I am there is a lot about her friend's love lives and I could do without that. I'm really bummed to have to give this one a bad rating, but it's just not for me!

This book ended up being different than I thought it would be. I thought it was going to focus more on the relationship between Cara and Henry, but that seemed to be a smaller part of the story in the grand scheme of things. It was more about Cara's entire life, including her family, friends, and job.

I feel like this book had too many subplots, some of which took up several chapters and seemed to take center stage for a while. I didn't really care about Ashanti and her whole record deal fiasco, for example, and thought it could have been pushed back for other storylines.

Another thing that disappointed me was that we just jump straight into Cara and Henry's relationship without any build-up. I would have liked to see the relationship develop and how they got to that point.

Despite some of its flaws, though, I didn't hate this. It entertained me enough and even made me laugh out loud at a few parts. Overall, an average read.

The book premise was really sweet, and I was excited to read this second chance love. However, the book didn’t engage me at all. I found myself losing focus throughout the book, and I’m left to DNF it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I see the mixed reviews here but I thought The Second Time We Met was a sweet, charming, quick read. I enjoyed the characters and while there was no surprise moment for me personally, I still enjoyed the story.

Unfortunately i wanted to love this book but it just fell flat, if cara and Henry’s love story was developed more without the other 50 short stories regarding the other characters it would definitely be a brilliant read

This was a fantastic story. A well-written novel that's hard to put down with two fantastic characters that can't be more opposite, but while reading, you cheer for them. Frances Mensah Williams is a new author for me, but I'm ready to read more of her books.

I really liked that this book had diverse characters and that they were genuine characters. I felt like the characters were real, flawed and relatable. Frances Mensah Williams did a great job crafting these characters to be realistic. I felt like all the people in this book could easily be real people that I know and love. Also I liked that the main and secondary characters all faced real and sometimes major problems. Cara and Henry meet at the beginning of the book however do not get the chance to exchange contact information or have super long conversation. Then meet again at a work function, where they get a second chance. Each has their own baggage yet will they be able to make a relationship work? Can they put other people's opinions about their relationship aside? This book I had a hard time getting interested in at the beginning. I got lost in a few of the chapters and was not able to follow exactly what was happening in parts. I also felt like some parts at the beginning may not have been needed. However, if you are looking for a real, raw, relatable and vulnerable read I would recommend this book.
If doing partial stars it would be a 3 1/2 star out of 5.

DNF at 58%.

Cara and Henry meet whilst volunteering, but she misses the coach home and their fledgling romance seems doomed before it even started. Then Cara is asked to organise an event for a swanky lawyers dinner, when her colleague is indisposed. Henry is one of the lawyers and the two pick up where they left off. But Cara and Henry couldn't be more different. He's from landed gentry with an estate in Gloucestershire while she comes from a Ghanaian/Caribbean background and an estate in KIlburn, at least until Cara's widowed mother remarried and the family moved to Cricklewood.

I wanted to read this opposites attract romance but it felt like the author wasn't really interested in the relationship between Cara and Henry, there was lots of distractions in the form of Cara's two friends (who were both dull as ditchwater as far as I'm concerned) and her brothers' shenanigans. There was also the obligatory spiteful snobby sister and her snooty posh friends who try to trip Cara up and Cara's Irish ex-boyfriend Ryan who returns after three years of radio-silence wanting her back. When Cara's friend Ashanti decides to sign a record contract with a dodgy label and hand over all of her original songs I could see that the book was going to be more about her than Cara and Henry - frankly I thought she was so stupid she deserved to be ripped off!

Anyway, the mystery behind Ryan leaving, Ashanti's drama, and Henry's irritating family all just bored me to tears, sorry, and I gave up at 58%.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This wasn’t an omg amazing read, but I really enjoyed the characters. If this wasn’t such a crowded market, it would be way better to me

Although I really did enjoy this read, there were a number of little gripes I ended up with at the end.

I think on the surface, Henry and Cara are great together however we didn’t see any development in their relationship. There were a lot of characters with side-storylines that didn’t seem overly important or add much to the book and I wish we had got to know the important characters more.

The Second Time We Met was a sweet story concept. Second chance romance stories are beautiful and inspiring. Cara and Henry are a sweet pairing. The characters were vibrant and animated. The quantity of characters in the story did not jeopardize their development. However, I lacked the connection to them at some points throughout the story. I think some events could have been explored in greater detail, while others could have been simplified. The sequencing of the events was predictable for me, which I lament. However, I was still able to enjoy the story. I found the nature of Cara and Henry's relationship enjoyable. Even though they are from two different worlds, they put in the effort and energy to make their connection long-lasting.