Brava! Well written, suspenseful, really good story of a pianist who makes the right decisions, especially at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman

A delightful story about two pianists at different points in their career who will face off in a million dollar competition on a reality show. Prudence, a former child prodigy, walked away from her career in her teens to write jingles and raise a family but still has an incredible ability to touch listeners of her music. Alexei is the young host of the reality show, pushed into his career by his overbearing mother. Both approach the competition from different perspectives but learn a lot about themselves in the process. The book is full of flaws characters who are entertaining in their own. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this and can't wait to pass it along.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This was quirky and a breath of fresh air! There are many points of view and even the "bad" characters are not truly loathed. Prudence was a child prodigy who was abused both emotionally and physically by her grandmother. After an early whirlwind career, she falls out of the spotlight to just live a normal life as wife and mother. Her current life, however, as a middle-aged woman is missing something. Prudence was such an interesting character, and I loved her devoted husband, Stewart! Even as secrets and past revelations come to light, he is still standing by her. Then we have Alexei another musical genius who while talented has to work at it. He has another fascinating storyline and I enjoyed how the two characters are thrown together and while technically "enemies" they understand each other and have a connection.

The premise was clever and while everything ended a little too smoothly, I enjoyed the execution. Truly a fun read!

Although this started out a slow burner for me after I got into it more it picked up the pace and did not disappoint. I love a second chance happy story and thats exactly what Michelle delivered with The Second Ending. I highly recommend reading this book if you get the chance or opportunity to do so.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. While this books was a slow starter for me, after I got into it more, I found it to be hilarious and heart warming. I am
Always a sucker for second chance storylines and this didn’t disappoint. I look forward to reading Michelle Hoffman’s next book.

A delightfully funny novel about two piano prodigys that also digs deep into childhood trauma, anxiety, and self-esteem. This book is so hopeful, and each character plays an important part, not only in the plot, but in everyone's redemption. I loved it!

A heartwarming story of second chances. Clever, funny, inspiring. Great characters and a relatable story. Beautifully written and thought provoking.

This is a strong story of second chances, or maybe even third or fourth. It has a light-hearted feel with clever, snarky humor that made me chuckle, while probing deeper issues of familial expectations and trauma. I thoroughly fell in love with Prudence and wish we could go out for drinks, though she could absolutely drink me under the table. I also fell in love with her husband (not the ex!), who seemed to understand and care for her in ways I haven't seen as much in novels lately. The "mid-life" protagonist is one I relate to in many ways, and I found this story to be a bit of a comfort read.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading this book, but I was definitely NOT disappointed. What a heartwarming book. I think this book will leave readers pleasantly surprised as it is not as predictable as the reader may think. I would definitely recommend this to my patrons at the library.

The Second Ending was incredibly heartwarming and very funny. Michelle Hoffman created such an interesting cast of characters - some more entertaining and charming than others - but all of the intertwined storylines made this a very fun read. Most of the characters thankfully learn some important lessons along the way as well. Thank you to Ballantine Books, Random House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

I love second chances. Whether that’s in love, chasing your dreams, or just life.

The Second Ending does just that. It shows the power of a second chance. Prudence was a child protege. She played at the White House and all over before she was 12 years old and yet she fell out of love with the music because she felt like she was being forced to do it.

Similarly, you meet Alexei. He wasn’t a natural with the music, but he was determined and strategic. He worked hard to be the best, but his family’s expectations were overwhelming to say the least.

But, when the two marvels of music find themselves preparing to duel with their pianos? Life takes an unexpected turn toward a happy ending for both our musicians.

What a deeply meaningful book. I thought I was getting light, fluffy romance, but what I got was even better. I loved this story and (most) of the characters. If you read one romance book this year, pick this one!

Prudence Childs was a child prodigy but pushed out of her career by a domineering grandmother. Alexei Petrov has worked hard to make his Russian parents proud. They gave up everything for him. Now he has a popular reality TV show featuring dueling pianos. When Prudence is challenged to be one of the pianists, she isn't sure she still has the talent. The attention dredges up her ex-husband who is ready to blackmail her for a million dollars. What follows is a hilarious and heartwarming trip to the dueling piano finals.

A child prodigy grown into a bored empty nester realizes all kinds of excitement with a televised piano competition, a scheming ex and a bid to keep her reputation intact. Not a bad story, but a bit boring in the writing and the characters weren’t the most likable. It was just okay for me.

I thought this was a fun read! It is a story about second chances and standing up for yourself. It had some funny parts to it which I also enjoyed.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book!

This was a fun read that had me laughing out loud a lot. It's about music, dreams, hopes, and not giving up. It was a little bit slow but overall an enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

This book is laugh out loud funny and made me cackle more than once with Prudence and her crazy antics. It gave me a Desperate Housewives feel with the multiple storylines intertwined and the humor. Definitely a fun read that has some more serious themes underneath.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I went into this sort of hoping for a romcom/contemporary romance type of feel, but this was definitely not that! It’s a story about hope, second chances, and standing up for yourself. There are multiple perspectives written in third person, and I really enjoyed seeing the different character plot lines developing separately. Normally I love first person POV for this, but it was a unique writing style and felt unique and new.

I struggled to connect with the characters. It was a fun and enjoyable story, but I just didn’t feel like I connected with any of the characters so I did feel like that took away from the story a little bit. I also thought some aspects weren’t the most believable (the blackmail and revenge, the HOA, the competition), but it was a quirky story with quirky characters, so I tried to just go along with it. Overall this was an okay read for me, with some funny moments and some emotional moments that I really enjoyed.

This book was incredibly slow and hard to read. I was initially pulled in by the description but couldn’t get more than halfway through it.