Five First Chances by Sarah Jost missed being a DIK for me only because I don’t think I could ever read it again. Part of this is because one of the joys of this story is how it reveals itself in carefully building layers (a one-time experience impossible to recreate after reading), and the other is because the ending is a tough one.

Louise - Lou - Saudan is devastated when she learns, while attending a funeral no less, that her ex-boyfriend has become engaged. Four years earlier, she had fled her native Switzerland after Romain broke her heart, hoping to find a new start as a French teacher in London. Things hadn’t worked out quite as she’d planned, though. The one good friend she’d made - her flatmate Suki - asked her to move out and they’d lost the closeness they once shared, and teaching a bunch of high schoolers proves to be a real challenge. She’s just so very lonely.

Worst of all, Lou is convinced that she and Romain could have made it work, if only she hadn’t blown off a text he’d sent her a couple of years back. She had been attending Suki’s birthday party at a local pub and hadn’t known how to respond to Romain’s message. “I was thinking of you. Will I have the pleasure of seeing you at my book launch?” Fearful of having her heart broken again, she never answered his text, and, she fears, has blown her chance at real happiness forever. Now, she would give anything to be back with Romain, to do things all over again.

Then something odd happens, and Lou finds herself sent back in time to the night of Suki’s birthday party. Not really knowing what’s happened to her beyond a strong sense of déjà vu, she’s fully aware, however, that she’s been given a second chance to do things right. This time, Lou replies to Romain that she misses him as well, and before long, she’s returned to Switzerland and is back with the man of her dreams. But things aren’t as perfect as she imagines they should be. Her mother is suffering from severe depression after the death of Lou’s grandmother, and her sister, Marion, is resentful that Lou left her behind to deal with things. Romain isn’t quite the charmer she remembers him to be. She’s dismayed to discover that this life is pretty awful and that if only she hadn’t returned to Romain, things might be better. Before she knows it, she finds herself transported back in time to two years prior and the night of Suki’s birthday party…

Over the course of the story, Lou is afforded more chances to go back to the same night to start over and make changes to try to build a happier outcome. With each new cycle, she learns things about herself and grows stronger and more confident in who she is and what she wants.

I can’t speak too much more about the plot without giving away major spoilers. This is truly the case of a story revealing itself slowly, like the layers of an onion peeling away. Each passage through the same two year time period allows Lou to interact with the people in her life in different ways, discovering where she’s made mistakes and how to do it better this time around. With each round the other characters also change as Lou reformulates her relationships with them. Five First Chances does contain a romance, but much of the focus is on Lou’s learning to be her best self and on her relationships with the people in her life.

The time travel element is handled in a unique way, accepted and never really questioned by Lou once she realizes what is happening. We don’t get any explanation for how or why it happens either, in general, or to Lou specifically. You just have to go with it. The first ‘chance’ sets up Lou’s life as it progresses based on her decision to ignore Romain’s text. Each subsequent one she receives covers roughly the same handful of dates and events that unspool in different ways based on the new choices Lou has made each time around. Jost does an amazing job of offering vastly differing scenarios of how things might play out, and I was hooked from the very beginning.

One thing I really loved is how some characters appear in each chance in a different capacity depending on Lou’s choices and what she’s learned over time (lawyer Ben), or how some events become central in one iteration but are only mentioned off-handedly in another. Jost weaves story elements in and out of each scenario organically like special threads in a cloth that you can spot if you look carefully.

A side note: I read this book as a combo audio/e-book (multitasking!), and I really enjoyed the narration by Amy Scanlon. She made the characters come alive, expertly expressing the wide range of emotions portrayed in the story.

As I stated in my opening paragraph, this book does contain a rough ending. If you need a traditional happily-ever-after or even a happy-for-now ending, you will be disappointed. But I cannot recommend this book highly enough as a unique take on time travel and great exploration of a woman’s personal growth. We should all be so lucky as to get the chance to do some things over again.

Lou feels like she’s stuck in a rut personally and professionally. She moves to England from Switzerland for a change and shortly after, her former partner announces his engagement to someone else. She suddenly feels herself slipping back in time to two years ago to try to change the trajectory of her life.

I love and am obsessed with time loop novels. However, this one didn’t really work for me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about it didn’t gel right.

Louise as a character was just ok. I really liked Nick though and the supporting characters like Yuki and Marion.

I got bored about halfway through, but kept going and was not disappointed by the end. I really did like the ending.

If you liked In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, you’ll probably like this book too.

This is one of those books that stays with you long after you read it. Very interesting concept and excellent execution.

Short synopsis: Lou is given the five chances to live the life of her dreams.

My thoughts: I almost quit this one a number of times. I didn’t connect with the story until about halfway through. All-in-all I’m glad I stuck with it. There were some great character growth and depth that ultimately came with this poignant story.

I thought it was fun that the more times she went back, the more she remembered what she’d done before. I loved the way it ended, and the learning experiences Lou and Nick had together.

Read if you love:
- Time loops
- Tragic storylines
- Sad romances
- Character growth
- Great friendships

Thank you to Sourcebooks for an early copy of this book!

I love a good time loop novel/Groundhog Day concept, and this was no exception. I really enjoyed this one even though I thought that it had a bittersweet vibe to the ending. I think you’d enjoy it if you were a fan of The Midnight Library or Maybe In Another Life.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me access.

Firstly, this had a good premise.
Secondly, this was not for me.

With time loops and multiple chances to change something, I guess I was hoping for a different outcome. I found myself bored at times and the time loops were inconsistent. Some were fast and some took ages. While some can appreciate the repetitiveness, I find that one time-loop was enough with the amount of heartbreaks involved.

This book hurt me. I cannot even tell you how hard I cried towards the end and I can honestly still say it was worth it. If you're a fan of a Groundhog's Day-type time loop and an imperfect MC just trying to get her shit together one chance at a time, this could very well possibly be for you. We get to see Louise make both big and little changes five different times around and have a connection with a second character, Nick, in each one of them. These kinds of books always just make me sit and contemplate life. Like I'm not sure I would EVER want to be stuck in a time loop like that, even "just" five times but being able to fix mistakes and find out more about yourself and the people around you each time would really be interesting. Overall, this book will hurt you, but it will also heal you, too.

Wow! I wasn't sure about this book at the beginning, but I wanted to see where it was going and I am so glad I did. In this story, Lou continues to move back in time to the same night as she tries to figure out how to make her life work out as it should. As she does, she learns about family and love.

I don't want to give any spoilers, so I will just say that each "chance" reveals a little more about Lou, her family and friends, and the man she feels is the one, Nick. She keeps going back in order to fix her mistakes and notices more and more about herself and things that she didn't before.

This book will make you laugh and cry. Kudos to Jost for a moving story that keeps you coming back chance after chance!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for my advanced copy of Five First Chances by Sarah Jost.

I either love or hate time loop books and unfortunately this one was more on the meh side for me. I struggled to connect with the main character and ultimately this book was just too long for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this!

I love a time loop story, it’s one of my favorite tropes, and overall I enjoyed this too. The beginning was very strong, and I liked seeing how the different loops played out. That said, the ending veered off from the “typical” time loop, and I was so so disappointed. I just finished and sat there in shock that that was how it had ended. The focus on relationships : friendships, family ties, and romantic, was really great, but I just couldn’t get past my feelings about the endings.

Such a fun and cute read! Not one of my all time favs but a great read! Thank you Sourcebooks for letting me read this ahead of time!

In Five First Chances, we meet Lou, who finds out she missed out on reconciling with her ex. As she reminisces about the relationship, she gets stuck in a well-written time loop and is given four more first chances with him. In each chance, we see Lou develop a little more into a stronger woman. I really enjoyed this book and watching Lou grow. Just make sure you're alone and with a box of Kleenex when you read this beautiful story!

Even though I just read a time travelling book, I really do love them. So I was happy to read another almost back to back.

What would you do if you had one more chance to have the life of your dreams?

This was almost a DNF for me. It took every ounce in me to keep reading…I’m not sure if it was because I was having a hard time trying to keep track of what exactly was happening, or the storyline just wasn’t grabbing me. But it felt like a chore for me to read this.

Although halfway through I was a little more inclined to read, but I just was waiting for the fifth chance to happen already. It felt almost too repetitive.

This book does tug on your heartstrings. I was expecting a different ending though.


Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a DRC. Five First Chances is available now.

This was wonderfully done with the perfect mix of angst and romance, which is a sweet spot for me. I love the way Jost built the characters and kept me guessing what was going to happen. Five First Chances is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Lou is caught in a time loop - as she goes through each one and makes different choices, her relationships with family and friends are all impacted. With each chance, Lou learns more about herself and those around her. Will she finally make the choice that pulls her out of the loop and allow life to carry on?
#FiveFirstChances #NetGalley

Welcome to a tragic story with a time loop. Lou feels like she’s stuck on an endless path in life and when the man she loves announces his engagement to another, she starts to question the “what-if’s” in life. What would you do to start over?

Lou gets that chance to go back and start over and fix the mistakes that lead her to where she is. And it was refreshing. I’ve seen many a “do-overs” thanks to good old Hallmark, but I liked Sarah Host’s take. Watching Lou rebuild herself up and take the chances was heartwarming.

Grab some Kleenex and pounder the “what-If’s” in your life. I know I have days I dwell… if only I could time travel back.

Five First Chances was a intriguing time-loop novel with an original premise.

What if you had the chance of a do-over of what you thought was the worst mistake of your life. What if it was not the worst mistake of your life. This is the dilema for Louise (Lou) as she navigates her somewhat sad life as a foreigner and teacher in England. She is originally from Switzerland, socially awkward and has a hard time making friends, oh and forget a love life. Lou is at the funeral of an acquaintance, when she receives a devastating text from her ex and inexplicably is given five chances for a do-over. Will she use those chances to reconnect with the one that got away, or will she find other chances more fulfilling? As she lives her chances over she finds her life going in directions she could never imagine, people that were on the peripheral of her life become important. Her relationships with friends and loved ones changes and Lou may just find the life she was always meant to live.

This was a bittersweet novel, with an ending that is not quite what I expected, but I feel if could not have been any other way. I really enjoyed the journey Lou took and now I wonder, what would I do with Five First Chances?

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

Five First Chances is a time loop story where we first meet Louise (Lou) at her friend Yuki's birthday party. After learning that she has lost her chance with an ex who she still misses, Lou is plagued with what ifs. And then she slides back in time. The book is divided into 5 main sections, one for each chance. As Louise works through the same time period in her life over and over, she learns a lot about herself. More importantly perhaps, she learns about her family and friends, She learns about love, loss, and the importance of other people in her life. I really routed for Louise. At first as a socially awkward and insecure young woman, her inner dialog was relatable and realistic. Her journey is very powerful and the story is about gratitude and relationships.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted copy. This is my honest review.

If you were a fan of Holly Miller’s Sight of You or any Groundhog Day type books, definitely check this one out. The story is well written and will capture your attention if you give it a chance. One or two of the Chance versions moved a little slow but the end is well worth it. This is not your typical HEA romance, so if you are in the mood for a romance with a different story that is also a little sad, check this one out.

4 1/2 stars

What would you do if you had multiple chances to "get it right?"

I will start off by saying I'm usually not a fan of time loop stories but I took a chance with this one and it really paid off. The author did something beautiful here - - she didn't regurgitate the same day over and over. Each time the main character "went back," she learned and saw different things. Nothing stayed the same so it never felt redundant. And of course, there was the gradually evolving story line leading you to realize who the real love of Louise's life really was and it was beautiful.

I'm not going to share too much in my review for fear of giving things away. I'll just say this was an emotional read where all the heartstrings were tugged over and over. You want to see Louise figure it out and in the end she does. It all works out the way it's supposed to. This really was a lovely way to write this story. Some good points were made along the way. I won't deny that I might have shed a tear or two but I've been on a roll with emotionally draining reads lately so I think this one hit me at just the right time to put me over the proverbial edge. That said, I loved every word of it. Simply lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.