A former child prodigy and an internet sensation go head-to-head in an epic dueling piano competition... what could go wrong?

Dreamy virtuoso Alexei Petrov's Russian upbringing (and family's lifestyle) depend on his practicing all day, every day. There's no room for error and absolutely no room for fun.

When she was three, Prudence Childs taught herself to play piano. At 48, she's sent her daughter off to college and wondering whether there's more to life than writing jingles for commercials.

For the competition, both pianists will need to learn something new and will discover whether they might find a new way to play— on the keys and in life.

A story full of music references of two classically trained pianists who have to come to grips with the relationship they have to being a musician. I appreciated the contrast between the child prodigy Prudence and the young virtuoso Alexei.
Honestly Gabe was my favorite character. Seeing someone who has gone through it all and come out the other side steady and with a calm outlook is refreshing. It was nice to have a chill character.

I didn’t find myself ever truly pulled into this storyline. I had difficulty connecting to the characters. It was okay but missing something to be a five star read.

I ran hot and cold with this book. There were parts that were delightful and others parts that seemed to drag. I found the book to be much more serious than the cover would lead you to believe. This is more of a character study than a playful book. It took a while to get into the book as I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

Those that play music and those that don't both know how certain pieces can reach in and touch your soul. The Second Ending is a written piece that does the same thing. It is about overcoming fear, growing beyond expectations, and finding your true self (no matter your age). This story will touch your soul and maybe (hopefully) awaken a long lost dream and you'll have your own Second Ending. Brava!

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. DNF. I tried. I really tried to get into this book, but I just could not. Even after reading others’ reviews that said there were enough funny bits to balance the slow parts, I could not find them. It was just too slow and uninteresting for me to finish this one. I hate walking away from a book before finishing, but there just wasn’t anything that made me want to keep going.

The first sentence of the debut book's summary reel me in to request an arc: "A former prodigy who refuses to believe her best years are behind her and a young virtuoso searching for his passion both get an unlikely shot at their dreams in this sparkling debut about second chances, unexpected joys, and the miraculous power of music."

Who doesn't love a comeback story about second chances, a potential rivalry between past and future, and music? The book was a warm hug with optimism about starting over or again and how small the world is. There are multiple POV from different characters, which I liked because I was able to spend a brief time in the character mindset. I think it provided a better understanding of why the characters are who they are and to see how they grew from the first chapter. The pop culture references throughout about Dancing with the Stars and the song A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton is a nice touch. Also, the book is set in my home state of Arizona, which is rare to read about it.

I would recommend to readers who like fiction about second chances, new beginnings, multiple POV, and a non-linear timeline. I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Oh this book was so much fun. I wasn't expecting it to be a fun comedy, although let's face it, most comedies are fun. It totally reminds me of "Old dog teaching new dog tricks" so to speak. I loved every minute of it!
Prudence Childs, is just so awesome. After realizing she had been taking advantage of as a child prodigy, she said goodbye to music. Or so she thought.

Enter Alexei Petrov, he reminded me of a yes man. He's a self made sensation thanks to the wonderful ins and outs of social media.

These two come together and the story takes off from there!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this book except for the Bobby/Tamara plot elements and found myself skimming those parts. Otherwise parts of this book were quite special. Overall, it was an engaging and quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of A Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Loved this book and how the characters were developed. I found this to be a fun, quick read and was thrilled to be chosen to read this ahead of all my friends and family. This is one that I will for sure recommend to everyone!

There was no shortage of things that bothered me throughout this book. But, the good/fun parts of the book were enjoyable enough to help compensate for the not-so-good bits. After skimming through some other reviews, it seems I'm not alone in finding some similarities between this book and Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Lessons in Chemistry; reader who enjoyed either/both of those titles are likely to enjoy The Second Ending.

For anyone who was a "gifted* child, this will speak to you Highly recommended, bring Kleenex for tears if all kinds

I loved this book - how much? Every time I had to put it down I dreaded picking it up because I could not stand the idea that either major character would not succeed. Because “There is no middle road for prodigies. There would be some sort of fall. There always was.”

This was so clever, so fun, so well written with humor, pathos, compassion and understanding. To say more would end up being less - just grab a copy and get involved in the lives of Prudence, a child prodigy and Alexi, a brilliant but learned musician and the ultimate competition.

A million thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy.

I was really excited to read this, but unfortunately, I couldn't even finish it. It was SO slow. I felt like I was forcing myself to get through just the first 25% of it. I put it down a couple times, thinking I just wasn't feeling it, but found whenever I picked it back up, it was the same. There were so many characters to keep track of, so many twists that just didn't make sense to me, and an all around story line that I just couldn't keep up with.

I love that my fellow book-loving friends put this book on my radar, and I really enjoyed this adorable story.

The main character stole my heart, and had me laughing. It was such an enjoyable read, and I loved reading and listening to the audio format.

*many thanks to PRH and PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy

I love an author's debut novel, as I think there is something really special about every one of them. So needless to say, I was excited to read The Second Ending. I loved how lighthearted and fun, yet moving and deep that it turned out to be. It was a surprise, and that intrigued me and kept me wanting to read more. The problem I had was that it was really, really slow going in the beginning. Yes, the backstories are important, but there also comes a point when editing is absolutely necessary and some of it could have been left out. But I'm glad I kept pushing through, as all in all, it was a good story that I enjoyed.

I apologize for the delayed review! I loved this title and we still keep this stocked at our store! Great story of second chances!

On the surface, The Second Ending is about a piano competition where 2 pianists will vie to be the best. But while preparing for the contest they both find ways to become better people. There are some really funny parts along with some tear jerking moments. This story was a great reprieve from the outside world. And it made me want to buy myself a piano!

Very enjoyable novel about two child prodigy pianists and all the circumstances that made them who they are as adults. Lovely descriptions of music.

This was a complicated story with a lot of characters and twists. I did not enjoy it very much honestly. I was not hooked at the beginning and found it hard to keep going back to.