With apologies to F Scott Fitzgerald, American and other lives can sometimes have second acts. Prudence feels adrift when her second daughter starts college. She had purposely left the past behind to have a normal life. Alexei is also at a crossroads. The story of how their paths cross is fascinating. This story is about the balance between talent vs discipline; artistry vs showmanship; and substance vs form. Both Prudence and Alexei have to deal with obstacles in their paths and financial pressures in the present. There are great, if not always likable, supporting characters. I did love the failed rock star but successful studio musician Gabe.

This is an intriguing look at the price one pays for talent – perhaps not all the time, but often enough. It also explores the nature versus nurture dilemma – are great musicians born or made?

Prudence Paddington Childs was a child prodigy, playing concerts at age five while being cruelly exploited by a grandmother who was thwarted in expressing her own talent. As one might expect Prudence walked away from it all when she became an adult – swapping fame for marriage and family. Now facing an empty nest and a middle age crisis, Prudence has an opportunity to rekindle her career as a pianist on her own terms. A blackmailing ex-husband forces her into a competition that ultimately provides a second chance to reclaim her love of music.

Alexei Petrov, a Russian immigrant, is also a pianist, but unlike Prudence whose gift is the feeling she evokes through her interpretation of the music, his talent has been honed by perfecting the technical aspects through rigid discipline and arduous practice. He, too, has been exploited by parents who rely upon him not only for financial support, but also protection against returning to their homeland. It is Alexei’s popular reality television show pitting piano players against one another that brings Prudence and Alexei together. Despite their age differences and the competitive nature of their relationship, they find they have much in common.

The story unfolds in alternating chapters from the perspectives of the two protagonists. These characters are engaging and well-developed with an interesting mix of supporting characters – the blackmailing ex, Alexei’s controlling parents, Prudence’s current husband and a seriously disturbed HOA President with an axe to grind.

The author’s skill in weaving together diverse characters and social issues is evident. What I appreciated the most are the beautiful, evocative descriptions of what Prudence experiences in the interpretation of a variety of compositions. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more offerings by this author.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman is a story about second chances. And pianos, mostly. Prudence Childs had been a child prodigy. Really. She had been pushed to greatness by her grandmother. When I say pushed, I mean abused. When she finally got away from her grandmother, she basically quit. Now she was 50 years old, happily married, had just seen her second daughter off to college, and she didn’t know where to turn. Her husband tried everything, until he located her childhood grand piano and had it delivered. She lost it. She didn’t want a piano. She wanted to start a book club. At the same time, Alexei Petrov was hosting the last of his reality tv shows in which two piano players competed and were put to a vote by the viewers. He didn’t love it but he made a lot of money, which was all his mother wanted. She didn’t care about him so much, just the money. Then for the next season instead of being host, they decided to pit him against Prudence. And they changed the rules: they would now include a category of rock/pop. He couldn’t play that. He was in a panic.

Lots of intertwined stories in this complicated book. There was lost love, blackmail, death, child abandonment, grudges, empty nest syndrome, and so much more. Nothing is ever easy, but telling the truth often has more rewards than not. That might be the theme of the book. It was well written and very entertaining. It was hard to see where it was going, at first, but it made it to its destination in good time, with a happy-ever-after for most of the characters, although it looked different than one might expect. It was a terrific book.

I was invited to read The Second Ending by by Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Ballantine #MichelleHoffman #TheSecondEnding

While the story was enjoyable overall, the large number of characters and slow pace made it a bit hard to follow and stay engaged at times. Music is a huge part of my life, so I really enjoyed that angle, as well as the humor. The story appears, at first, to be a romance ... but it's not! And I appreciated that.

The story was creative and enjoyable, but it would benefit from closer editing. At times the story got bogged down in the events of the past, and some of those were repetitive.
It was a unique take on what can happen to those with helicopter parents.

Oh this was just lovely! I love quirky Prudence and her silly thoughts about everything. And Alexei is such a dear young man. The life lessons these two people learn makes for a great story. “And when someone believes in us, it unlocks something inside.”

This was a really good debut book! A lot of interesting Characters, second chances and fun. I enjoyed that Prudence had some growth and life lessons along the way. 3 stars!

Publish date 5/30/23

Thank you NetGalley for this fun Arc to read!

I got about 50% of the way and can’t bear to read more. I disliked most of the characters, especially Prudence. She changes her mind every few minutes and I felt so bad for Stuart that she kept secrets from him and put him in some bad situations. I also didn’t love the pacing of the story.

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

5/5 stars

This is such a smart, well-written book! The protagonist, Prudence, reminds me of Bernadette from “Where’d You Go, Bernadette.” She has a similar eccentric vibe.

I also loved Alexei and how he came into himself throughout the novel. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “coming of age” story but it does have that element.

The story follows Prudence and Alexei, as well as several supporting characters, as they prepare for a dueling pianos TV competition. The book is, at times, humorous and sad.

Loved this novel.

Wow! There is so much to love about this book. The opportunity to have a second chance in life is always fantastic. There is so much to love about Prudence Childs, including her resilience to conquer her past. To find a happy place, despite being declared a fraud. I love how determined Prudence found joy in playing, and I love the song selections in the book. I was able to play some of the music, so I can relate to the feeling while reading this story. I enjoyed this fast read which was enlightening, fast-paced, and inspiring.

Dreams may be nurtured by a single statement, but unfortunately they can also be destroyed as well. Prudence was a child piano prodigy, exploited by her grandmother until Prudence rebelled & stopped playing for years. Alexi was a master pianist who was driven and controlled by his mother. When the two of them met in The Dueling Piano Wars, a TV show, both learned a great deal about what it means to be a musician. They discovered one can rewrite an ending to your dream.

The Second Ending, by Michelle Hoffman, is a delightful book that ties a mid-life crisis, a long held grudge, and a cry for independence together with music. Dreams may be reimagined and realized whether you’re twenty or fifty. I do wish the author had left out the four-letter words. They did nothing to enhance the book. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

The Author conveys in words how a well played piece of music can transport you to other places in your mind. This novel is full of life lessons and the storyline becomes secondary to the amazing internal growth of the main characters. I could go on and on about how the author nails the sacrifice and dedication required for musicians, the brilliant references to composers and some great classical pieces and more. Anyone who grew up taking piano lessons and finding a love of this amazing instrument will be in love with this book.
It strikes a chord.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballentine books for the ARC
It was a pleasure to read

Great debut!!! This is all about second chances + hope.. is a little on the quirky side, and was a whole lot of fun!!! The story was so entertaining that it kept me glued to my Kindle. Is well worth the read. ❥ 4 stars — Pub. 5/30/23

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher! All opinions are my own.

The Second Ending is a fun read about a former prodigy who is now looking for a second..well, a second ending.

Prudence was once a childhood prodigy, who, as she got older realized that she was being exploited by her grandmother. She runs away, takes a job writing commercial jingles and...lives her life.

Now, she's on the verge of her 2nd divorce, her children are away at school and she's currently being threatened by someone claiming that she stole one of her more successful jingles. At the same time, she's interested in reliving her piano playing past in a duel of sorts.

Michelle Hoffman has a fun, light writing style that I feel many women will enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

First, thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had not heard of this author or title before finding it on Netgalley. I am so glad I got a chance to read The Second Ending. I so enjoyed the story and the characters. I found it to be an interesting and delightful read with a main character I liked and wanted to cheer for. I would easily recommend this fun read to others.

Prudence Child’s is a former child prodigy who has no played piano in over 20 years. Alexi Petrov is a piano phenomenon who has been hosting a dueling piano TV show. When Prudence begins to question her existence, and then an ex/husband resurfaces with potential blackmail. Alexi is unsure of where his life is going, but when these two are both tasked with the ultimate piano face off, they must find out why they started playing in the first place and determine whether it’s time for their second ending.

I really enjoyed this book a whole lot.

Prickly Prudence was marched in lock-step toward stardom at an early age, a piano prodigy, but now she's a middle-aged woman with no purpose now that her daughters are in college. Alexei is another who was bludgeoned into expertise by parents desperate for far different reasons than Prudence's horrible grandmother. Because her ex husband shows up with an offer--a threat--she agrees to participate in a TV reality show that involves piano duels.

On the way to the showdown we meet a number of characters whose lives are tangled up with this main story. The author delves into each backstory, then pulls back to a light brush with omniscient narrator, always with reference to the effects of music.

This is far less a romance than it is a novel about families, and expectation, talent and the dark side of child stardom. But the author clearly loves all her characters, flawed as they are; she understands the pain and bewilderment that can bring people to shadowy places, and how music can set them free. It's a feel-good novel, and I really loved it. Especially the writing about music, and about playing the piano. If you've ever played an instrument, the chances are you will resonate with this book. I know I sure did.

We all have dreams and parents who aren't everything we need them to be, but few have them on the scale of Prudence and Alexei. And for these dueling pianists, the stakes are ratcheted higher and higher with each chapter. Luckily, each pianist has a mentor or two to help them navigate the twists and turns.

The syncopated rhythms and complicated relationships made this novel hard to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!

This book was so enjoyable and such a fun read. I loved all the main characters and found their stories to be so interesting and engrossing. This isn't like many books that I usually read and I really liked the change of pace. This book had a lot of funny moments and I was genuinely invested what happened to each of the main characters. I really liked the writing style and while a lot of the book as leading up to the competition and a lot of talk of piano practice it never felt slow moving. I would've liked a little more written about the actual competition this is a minor criticism and don't feel it took away too much from the story. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful 'second' chance book. I really enjoyed how easy this book was to follow along. I was intrigued by Prudences weirdness that she wore with confidence. I came from a musical background, and Second Endings has inspired me that it might now have to be over with. It really forced you to use your creative mind to imagine what the musical pieces being played sounded like. This was just the "fluff" and comical relief that I needed (in the nicest way) from a stent of dark romances. I can't wait to see this in someone's hand later this year as I walk down the beach in my hometown.
Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Michelle Hoffman for the eARC copy.

Find me on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/70966203
Connect on Instagram at https://instagram.com/bookreviewrealm?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
BookReviewRealm's Blog at https://bookreviewrealm.com