The Year of Second Chances is a story about Robin, a 33-yar-old widow grieving the loss of her husband. A year after his death, she gets an email from her late husband who signed her up for a year long online dating subscription to encourage her to move on after him. Reluctantly, Robin starts going on dates, dealing with her family issues, and generally trying to live again. I was nervous to read this book as I am generally not one for stories of intense grief, but I do like stories of people not in their 20s trying to find love or change their lives in a big way. I was hopeful that this book would hit a balance of pulling at my heart while having a generally light tone.

And now that I have read it, AHHH!!! I LOVED THIS BOOK! It really hit the balance I was hoping for and more. For several days after I read it, I found myself not wanting to start another book and going back to read my favorite passages. The mix of emotions with trying to move on, redefine yourself, and to continue living while keeping your previous responsibilities while honoring the memory of your previous partner really did it for me. That being said, it wasn't a sad book. There was a light tone and many funny moments, a lot of which through dating and with Levi, Robin's late husband's best friend. Robin gets really into special effects makeup and loves horror movies. I also think that it helped that the book started a year after her husband's death, so there had already been time for all of the characters to grieve.

I thought grief was depicted really in this book. I haven't lost a very close friend or family member, but I am a psychologist and have seen that grief ebbs and flows. The book takes place over a year and Robin goes through a lot of ups and downs throughout that time. Grief is not a linear process, and this book featured this point. Robin is in a support group of other widowed women and they also move on at different times and in different ways. Grief didn't look the same for everyone throughout this book.

Also, this book is NOT a general romance novel. It doesn't hit the same beats of the romance genre. I really liked this about book, but if you are expecting it to fall neatly into the romance category, you may have more issues with the way that the plot goes. In general, I would also check-in with yourself to make sure that you are in a place to read this book before you start. Robin does a lot of self-reflection after losing her husband, her mother's alcoholism, and her brother's self-identity in being one of the only gay people in their small Minnesota town. I thought that these themes were handled well, but it might be a lot for some people.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and am so glad that I read it. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks that the description sounds interesting. A full 5 stars from me. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book; my thoughts are my own!

CW: Alcoholism, death, grief, physical injury

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although the theme explored in this book is heavy (dealing with grief), I particularly found the author's narrative storytelling to be engaging - this really made even mundane situations as well as the cast of characters come alive! This reads more like a women's fiction than romance & I enjoyed it!

At first I thought it was creepy that Robin’s deceased husband had created a dating profile for her. Then I could see how it was kind of sweet.
Turns out she needed the nudge. Robin does try out a lot of new things and people. I knew something important in the plot by the third chapter.
I thought her mom and Theo were major mooches and the scene where she delivers verbal bombs was way over due.
I didn’t like the ending, too much was up in the air. I wanted something more concrete.

I've been excited for this women's fiction debut since the moment I spied its GORGEOUS cover and I'm happy to report it did not disappoint!!

Perfect for fans of books like P.S. I love you, this story features small town accountant Robin, a young widow who is still hesitant to move on a year after her husband died of cancer. When she gets an email from him out of the blue saying that he's signed her up for online dating and wants her to try to love again, it's the reluctant nudge she needs.

What follows is a series of dating disasters (some funny, some sad) and a reunion with her husband's former best friend. I really enjoyed seeing Robin try to put herself out there and deal with her grief. It was a little obvious who she was meant to be with from very early on but I still had fun watching her get there.

Good on audio narrated by Helen Laser, this was a solid debut and marks Lara Avery as an author I'm excited to read again. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Steam level: kissing only ; CW: alcoholic parent

This wasn’t a cutesy romance like I feel the cover suggested it would be. Obviously there’s a lot of grief tied in with everything, which was expected, but it still struck a different tone than I was anticipating. We’re introduced early on to the man I think Robin will ultimately end up with (the ending is a bit ambiguous) but I feel the author never really convinced me that I wanted her to be with him. Besides that, I liked her journey with the makeup artistry. Her family dynamic was honestly a bit uncomfortable to me at times, but there wasn’t too much of that. Overall, I thought this book was fine. I didn’t love it, but also didn’t have any major issues.

Note: I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of The Year of Second Chances by Lara Avery. Overall I thought this was a really sweet story of a woman grieving the loss of her husband and everything else that entails. I did have some trouble staying interested at certain parts but overall I love the message of the book. Everyone grieves and moves through life in general in their own ways and I thought this book did a great job portraying that.

Lara Avery's THE YEAR OF SECOND CHANCES is a love story after a woman's love-of-her-life love story is supposedly over. A widow given the gift of on-line dating by her late husband on the one-year anniversary of his death ventures into the world of dating and forming new relationships, hopeful and also wary. It was a fun read, entertaining, creative, and very enjoyable. I cheered on this brave character with happy enthusiasm. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Big Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC of Lara Avery's debut, The Year of Second Chances which hits shelves TOMORROW!

It's the story of Robbie Lindstrom, who we meet on the one-year anniversary of the passing of her late husband. Robbie is still grieving and processing. And then she gets an email - from her late husband,

What follows is a beautiful story of a woman processing her grief and learning to both honor her past and find a way forward. She learns that it isn't easy or linear - grief is hard and messy. She dips her toe in the online dating world, and as someone who has been there for a while, she learns what a mess it can be ;) She also struggles to make sense of her relationships and what she wants for her future.

Processing grief is so difficult, and I thought it was handled so well here. Y'all know how much I love complex and complicated characters - and while there were times I wanted to shake Robbie, her story felt so real and authentic. Highly recommend!

I'll post this review on goodreads, my bookstagram @scottonreads and retail sites

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for this digital ARC. Okay this one was really cute! I enjoyed the slow burn and the character development throughout the novel. I was definitely picking up my kindle more than my physical reads because I wanted to find out how Robin will find her chance at love again. Super cute and will recommend to other romance lovers!

THE YEAR OF SECOND CHANCES – Lara Avery
William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0063273757
August 22, 2023
Contemporary Fiction

Brokenridge, Minnesota – Present Day

It’s been a year since Robin Lindstrom’s husband Gabe died from cancer. The past year has been rough, but she is managing to get through it, mostly through the help of a widow’s support group. The night of the death anniversary, she receives an email out of the blue from her late husband. Apparently, he set it to be received at this time. Inside the email is a link to an online dating service that he signed her up for, and he encourages her to use it. Robin doesn’t think that she needs to use it, but with the encouragement of Gabe’s best friend, Levi, she finishes the setup. Almost immediately her profile is hit with offers. Should she take the next step and actually meet these men?

Thus begins months of dates for Robin in THE YEAR OF SECOND CHANCES. They range from men who only want to have sex with her to guys that maybe are good for her but she isn’t looking for commitment. Ted is a single father, and while they realize that a second date between them is not happening, they become good friends. In fact, Robin is soon involved in a play as a makeup artist with the encouragement of Ted. She soon meets Jake. While they didn’t hit it off at first, an unexpected encounter later has them trying again. She likes Jake but is she ready to take the next step? Along the way, Levi is by her side helping to guide her through the dating world. He is such a good friend.

It is clear to readers that Robin still grieves Gabe, but the pain slowly goes away the more she is around other people. Before, she had a small circle of friends, plus her mother and younger brother Theo. However, Robin begins to have issues with her mother. It appears her mother has a drinking problem, and it might be affecting her ability to run the restaurant she owns. Robin is afraid to step in because she has no proof, and she isn’t sure her mother would accept that she has a problem. Then there is Theo. Robin has been financially supporting him in college, but her brother doesn’t seem to take responsibility. Much like their mother, Theo would rather be the life of a party than put their foot down. As always, it is Robin who has to be the “bad guy.” Will things change in this tale?

There is a ton of emotion in THE YEAR OF SECOND CHANCES. Readers will feel the pain Robin still endures after losing Gabe. There is her uncertainty about dating and how committed she can be. This tale turns into a thoughtful journey for Robin as she gets back up on her feet after being down. As things change around her, we see a growth in her personality. Whereas before she was the peacemaker, now she is the one forging ahead. Will she find happiness after so much darkness in her life? Readers will enjoy the path Robin embarks on. Don’t miss THE YEAR OF SECOND CHANCES.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

2.5* rounded up to 3

I struggled to finish this story of a young widow, Robbie, navigating her grief, perhaps because she’s a typical Swedish-American Minnesotan who mostly keeps her feelings hidden or because Avery doesn’t do a good job of fleshing out the other characters. Either way, I made it to the end thanks to the last quarter of the book when the author picked up the pace. Being a romantic at heart, I wasn’t happy with the focus being on the relationship Robbie had with Jake, suspecting that it wouldn’t go the distance since she kept the important things in her life from him. The story ended before the romance I was rooting for had any chance of getting started. I was cautiously optimistic it would happen, but not invested enough to care there wasn’t an epilogue. Forgettable story!

Robin is still struggling after her husband’s death when she gets an email and an online dating profile he set up for her. Now, she embarks on a year of messy dates, family drama, and trying to find out who she is without her husband.

This book was so good! It had a low key humor to it, like an Emily Henry or Abby Jimenez book, but still packed a huge emotional punch. You feel for Robin, not only in her love life but I’m her family situations as well.

The dates she goes on each help her see things in her life more clearly. But it’s her relationship with her husband’s best friend that this book really shines. Her and Levi are so different from each other but share this past with Gabe that really connects them.

Overall, this was a funny and heart-wrenching book that I can’t recommend enough!

This is such a great and enjoyable story! A young widow starts dating again, learning what she wants for her future, and begins falling in love again. Great humor and a few tears.

📖 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦: chick lit
⭐️ 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 3/5 ⭐️
🗓️ 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦: 8/22/23

This book drew me in immediately, fell off a little, and then picked up toward the end. I thought it addressed grief and family issues well, especially being the oldest daughter in the family dynamic. I loved how all the dates popped up throughout the story at different times. It made the story more interesting. It left me rooting for and wondering what happens next for Robin.

Thank you to Lara and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I was gifted this book to read prior to the author's debut release on Aug 22, 2023.

As the title suggests, this book is about a second chance at love and life after a spousal loss. I found the book, from cover to cover, was so centric on the loss, that it lost the magic of moving on and finding who you indeed are. This reads like the first half of a longer story. The author either has experience with grief or loss or absolutely can channel that energy. I was sad for most of this book due to the connection the author made me feel to the lost spouse. Perhaps my own fears of losing a spouse played heavily as I read, but I felt more woe than uplift. Since I cannot speak from my own experience, I cannot decide if a trigger warning is necessary here.

There is a second storyline that I did appreciate, one where our leading lady has to stop enabling her broken family. Mom also suffered a spousal loss, and her little brother never really grew up. This storyline revived the book because I think many eldest children can identify with the innate response to help those around them, focusing on other's needs, above their own. Then, ultimately having an epiphany that this is likely fruitless work.

This is a debut for this author, and I look forward to reading more, as I think she has the ability to evoke emotion in her readers through her writing.

Robin's second chance was to live outside of the people she loved and the obligation she carried because of them. Yes, Gabe was her true love and her best friend, but her love for him was so all consuming that I feel she lost herself as to who she was. When he died, a very large part of her died because of the lack of association of whom she was supposed to be. She and Jake may have not been the best fit in the end but he truly opened her up to.a different style of living that was not constantly affiliated with memories. He encouraged her to pursuit her talents as a make-up artist. Unlike her relationships with her Mom and Theo, she didn't always have to be the glue player. Levi was certainly a key player but I am glad she struck out on her own and took the train. Those who love you will.always be your biggest supporters.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for a positive review.

Robin lost her husband one year ago, and although she has tried to move on she can’t seem to move through her grief. She decides to join the world of online dating online dating and she meets alot people who become friends..

I liked to read how Robin deals with her grief and tries to overcome and move on.,

her late husband signing her up for a dating app that will help her find happiness again. Along the way, she’s surprised to find herself meeting new people, trying new things…and even getting to know a new version of herself. Because everyone deserves a second chance at love—and loving life.

This was such a warm read. Definitely having a resemblance to PS I Love You, this touches your heart in the most unexpected ways.

I loved Robin's journey throughout. Her character growth, her relationship with her family & the dates she went on.

Also, the dating app q/a before each chapter was quirky & interesting. Along the way, I adored how she found peace & happiness with the right person again.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A little to heave for me. She's a widower just widowed a year ago when she finds out her husband had scheduled her to start dating on ana app. She keeps running into people who knew her husband and it triggers her emotions sadness and anger. DNF


**********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.******************************

I truly enjoyed reading this book! It was a different type of romance which was a nice change of pace. I have recommended it to several friends.