What a cute story with a strong message. I was able to enjoy this story via audiobook in which I thought the narrator did a phenomenal job, I literally started and finished in one day

I was a bit skeptical at first with the time loop story (I've read some very bad executed time loop books) but, I was very impressed with the way the story was told. Sadie’s character was easy to connect to and relate to.

I loved that her personal journey was the main focus and the romantic aspect was sprinkled around until it needed to be the spotlight towards the end. I do wish I got a bit more of JACOB because I just loved him so much but that’s the romantic reader in me.

I am ROMANCE/give me the SMUT girlie but honestly the book was great without it and I don’t say that often.

Overall, I think it is a great book for this holiday season or if you are in search for a good book to round out the end of the year!

After going through a couple of disastrous situations, Sadie wished for a second chance in life. And she gets her wish. As Sadie navigates her second-chance year, she begins to wonder if her only mistake was wishing for a second chance.

I'm going to start with how much I loved and adored the love interest, Jacob. He was one of the softest, kindest, nerdiest, & humorous MCs I've ever come across. I loved how he was pinned after Sadie silently and then...not so silently.

Speaking of Sadie, her journey throughout the book was one hell of a ride. She was brave, courageous, & just like everyone else tried to live. There were some heavy & important topics mentioned in the book that were dealt with care, which I appreciated.

I loved the way Sadie & Jacob got together in the end; it was so satisfying & cute.

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

This was so cute and perfect as the New Year approaches. The story is broken down into months as Sadie has a redo of her previous year. You don’t know many details about her previous year so the redo still felt fresh. Through this storytelling, you get to know the characters even better (I loved them all) and see how she tries to fix things.. But fate has better things in mind.

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner was such a charming story.
This was an unputdownable book for me. I had such a hard time stopping to do adult things.
I loved everything about this book. I loved the character cast, the location, the plot and pacing, the chemistry, the dialogue and banter, the humor, the romance, the progression of the characters, and the wonderful ending. Just perfect.
Wiesner’s writing is something special. And I adored it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Forever for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Awww okay, despite the laughable food similes and metaphors, I really loved this. This book was a sweet treat (haaaa forgive me, I had to)! I must be in my ~time travel rom com~ era because this is at least the third book of a similar premise that I’ve read - but I’m here for it! I thought it was really well done in this case, and Sadie is only mildly annoying in her ability to completely forget that she’s re-living this year and making comments that other people don’t understand because the things she refers to didn’t happen in their reality.

I really liked Sadie as a main character, I liked Jacob as the love interest (wish we could’ve gotten even more insight into his personality/inner thoughts), and I thought the side characters were great (not excellent, but very good) as well - especially the crew at Higher Grounds). I loved how everything tied together at the end and thought it was very satisfying. It was a super cute closed-door romance.

However. My review would not be complete without warning other readers about the hilariously eye-roll inducing figurative language relating to baked goods. I kept highlighting sentences because I just could not handle it. To be clear: these did not work for me. Who in their right mind thinks like this? I know she’s a pastry chef, but come onnnn haha you’re hitting us over the head with a rolling pin (lol lol couldn’t help myself again) with these similes!!

Some favorites (by which I mean, most ridiculous) included:

- Hollow as a cannoli without any filling
- I deflate like an over-proofed bread loaf
- My mom hisses “Really, Sadie?” like I’m a toddler who’s gotten into the sugar and dumped it all over the floor
- My heart bursts open like molten chocolate cake

So as long as you can just laugh your way through some (ok, a lot) of baking comparisons, I think you’ll be okay!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 stars!

The Second Chance Year exceeded my expectations! I thought the author did a wonderful job creating realistic and vulnerable characters. I liked that Sadie's epiphanies about herself/life goals were gradual. I do wish there were more scenes between Sadie and Jacob. I assumed this book was going to be a light-hearted read....so I was surprised by the heavy topics (sexual harassment and parental issues). I thought the author handled these topics carefully and respectfully. Readers looking for a PG-13 romance will enjoy this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

I’m starting to become a real sucker for the brothers best friend trope and this one did not disappoint! It was quite the slow burn too, and if you know me, you know I love to be tortured. The story was super cute, the writing was well done, I really loved the main characters, and enjoyed the HEA🥰. Definitely a book I would watch as a movie and definitely a book I will reread! 5 stars from me, go read this when it comes out this December friends. A perfect New Years Eve read!

Thank you @readforeverpub for a copy of this book. I always love a book with a do-over. Sadie has had a bad year with losing her job and boyfriend and wished for a do-over. She gets a wish and does things differently and enjoyed her journey. Her relationship with Jacob was sweet and their romance almost took a back seat. I enjoyed seeing how Sadie dealt with the misogynistic world of chefs and how she dealt with her parents expectations as well.

I recently read a book that really struck a chord with me. It's about a protagonist who faces some serious challenges, and her journey is both heart-wrenching and uplifting. The author does a fantastic job of drawing you into her world, making you feel every setback and triumph right along with her. Her resilience is the kind that makes you sit back and really think about the strength of the human spirit.

What's cool about this story is that it steers clear of the typical time-travel gimmicks you often see. Instead, it delves into a more realistic take on overcoming tough times. I found myself really rooting for the main character and feeling a sense of joy at her eventual victories. It's a story that really showcases the power of not giving up, no matter how tough things get.

The book touches on some darker moments from the protagonist's past, which adds a lot of depth to the story. I did feel like a bit more romance could have spiced things up, though. The romantic bits that are there are well done, but I think a deeper dive into that aspect would have made the story even more engaging.

All in all, this book is a standout piece of writing. The main character's story is one that a lot of people can relate to, especially the theme of getting a second shot at things. A little more love story would have been the icing on the cake, but even without it, the book is a compelling and thought-provoking read.

Thank you Forever for the eARC!

**thank you to netgalley for the ARC. These thoughts are my own***



“Sadie Thatcher’s life has fallen apart in spectacular fashion. In one fell swoop, she managed to lose her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend—all thanks to her big mouth. So when a fortune teller offers her one wish, Sadie jumps at the chance to redo her awful year. Deep down, she doesn’t believe magic will fix her life, but taking a leap of faith, Sadie makes her wish, opens her eyes, and . . . nothing has changed. And then, in perhaps her dumbest move yet, she kisses her brother’s best friend, Jacob.

When Sadie wakes up the next morning, she’s in her former apartment with her former boyfriend, and her former boss is expecting her at work. Checking the date, she realizes it's January 1 . . . of last year. As Sadie navigates her second-chance year, she begins to see the red flags she missed in her relationship and in her career. Plus, she keeps running into Jacob, and she can’t stop thinking about their kiss . . . the one he has no idea ever happened. Suddenly, Sadie begins to wonder if her only mistake was wishing for a second chance.”



What a ride, this book made me feel all the emotions. I loved the character growth throughout the story. I especially love the overall message that you should never have to water yourself down for anyone. This is definitely a book I’ll continue to think about.

I seem to be going down a magical realism hole this fall and this time loop book just adds to it.

We open with Sadie, who is coming off a Very Bad Year. She's lost her job and her boyfriend and is couch surfing at her brothers best friends house. Then a chance encounter with a fortune teller, at a carnival themed NYE party, gives her a second chance to make things right. But she quickly starts to realize, as we all do, that the grass isn't always greener. And fate has a way of working the way it wants, regardless of people's choices.

What I love about how this is written, is that it starts after the original year is over with just a bit of back story on the important points. We then get the repeat year broken up by each month. So as opposed to a ground hog day style retelling of what we've already read once the time loop happens, we get a completely new story. I really enjoyed watching Sadie's growth through the story and how she realizes that, despite her toxic parents, how valued her outspoken personality is by others. The world needs more Sadie's. So while there is romance in the book, its not the main focus. The growth and the message are. But don't be dismayed, we still get an adorable love interest in Jacob. He was the perfect shy, quiet, nerdy and pining guy. I loved all his acts of service as a way of showing subtle affection. As well we get some great found family aspects in her team at Higher Grounds

This was a great addition to my holiday reading and a new author discovery for me. Huge thanks to Forever Pub for my advanced copy in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I loved The Second Chance Year. I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. TSCY is a well-crafted story about Sadie - a very accomplished pastry chef in one of NYC’s best restaurants, with a killer apartment and a successful boyfriend - getting a wish granted on NYE to re-do the past year. Why would she want a re-do? Well, all of those things she had, they’re all gone.

With no job, no apartment and no boyfriend Sadie thinks that if she just has a chance to go back and fix what went wrong she’ll get all of those things back. As Sadie relives the previous year she does things differently and soon realizes that there will always be consequences to your choices and your choices don’t always just affect you. And what you think you want isn’t always what you really need.

I literally couldn’t put The Second Chance Year down and read it in a few hours. I recommend TSCY if you like a well-written time loop story with a nice cast of secondary characters, a brother’s best friend for a love interest, and also tackles some tough topics such as misogyny, sexual harassment and unsupportive parents. By the way, if you have a sweet tooth you may want to have your favorite treat on hand as you read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the digital ARC of The Second Chance Year.

This book just made my heart happy. I’ve recently realized that I really enjoy stories that involve time travel. I enjoyed watching Sadie’s character evolve during her second chance year. Things happen for a reason and Sadie comes to that realization more and more as the months pass.

The romance between Sadie and Jacob was really sweet, but it took a back seat to heavier topics throughout the book. Topics that included family pressures and sexual harassment. The book felt more like women’s lit, than a romance. But, I was still very happy for the HEA I knew would come at the end.

I want a Higher Grounds Coffee Shop in my neighborhood. I loved all of the quirky side characters we got to meet there. It really added a fun, endearing aspect to the story.

Overall, a sweet story with wonderful side characters. Definitely a book I’d recommend.

Oh my heart almost didn't make it through this one! After a disastrous year, Sadie just wants a redo, so when she goes to a carnival and meets a fortune teller, she gets her wish. Only, after meeting with the fortune teller and putting her plan into motion, she realizes that she might not actually want the same things she did just hours before. You see, at midnight, she kisses the boy she's known forever and that's when feelings start to change. When she wakes up the next morning, only to be transported to the year before, the one she wished she could redo, Jacob doesn't know about the kiss and she has to try to navigate her life again, without making the same mistakes she made before.
This book hit home because it really shows you, you are on the path for you even if you don't feel like it. Even if you feel like you should be something different than who you are, love yourself. The ones that stick around and that love you no matter what, those are the people that are meant for you. If someone wants to change you or make you into something other than what you are, they aren't for you. Jacob was just the sweetest and I knew one of the twists before it happened and when it did, my heart just got a bit crushed for Sadie. Everything will work out as it should in the end. Don't wish for a redo. Be you, unapologetically.
Thank you to Forever, Netgalley and Melissa Wiesner for an early copy.

This was a very cute time loop romance. It was a slight too predictable and a tiny bit cheesy but overall an easy fast read for a romance lover.

Read this book if you like:
•second chance romance
•brothers best friend
•different timelines
•a chance to redo a year of your life

This book was so dang cute. Sadie had a terrible year and she jumps at the chance to redo it. The author touches on some deeper topics too - sexism in the workplace being a big one. This book comes out in December and you won’t want to miss it! Thank you Forever for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I want to thank NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give an honest review. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
What if you had a chance to do it all over again? Sadie has had the worst year of her life, but a chance encounter with a fortune teller gives her a chance to set things straight. But what if setting things straight didn't turn out how you thought it would and changed things for the worse?
I love the idea of a second chance. Of trying to redo things and make them right. But I also know that things happen for a reason. So right away, Sadie's choice for a redo had me feeling like things could only go wrong for her. And that's exactly what happened. She set herself on a path that wasn't made for her and in the process changed herself into someone she never wanted to be.
I enjoyed watching Sadie try to blaze a new path and correct the things she thought were wrong her first time around. But the best part was watching as things devolved for her and she started to learn the real lesson: life dishes out what you can take and puts you on a path so you can find your true self.
Overall, I liked the characters in the book enough but I didn't feel drawn to any of them. Their development was ok for me but I didn't necessarily feel the connections the author was trying to make.
And while the pacing was fairly fast, I didn't feel as invested in the plot as I would have liked.
I did love Sadie's break into something new in the form of the cafe rather than the high stakes of the restaurant business. It was nice to see she was able to figure out a path for herself she really felt comfortable with.
The romance was cute but again I just didn't feel a true connection between her and Ethan,.
The story does touch on the topic of sexual harassment. I think the author did a good job showing how women often feel they cannot speak up for fear they will never be able to get ahead. And the author showed how Sadie tried to mold herself to be something she wasn't and then finally realized she needed to break out of that shell.
The writing is on the lighter side and it's not as much of a romance as I thought it would have been. Overall, I thought the theme was fun but the execution left something to be desired.

I love books that have a what if aspect to them? What if you could have one wish to redo the worst year of your life? How would you change things or would you keep them the same? That's what happens to Sadie- she get a second chance to redo a year where she loses her job, her place to live, and her boyfriend! She gets another chance to make different choices and see what happens!

Sadie keeps running into Jacob, who is her brother's best friend. In the first timeline, she made a choice to kiss him. In this do-over year, she can't get the kiss out of her mind, but he doesn't remember it ever happening! What will she do to see how things could be?

I love time loop or groundhog day scenarios, and this story delivered!

Sadie has had a Very Bad Year - getting dumped, fired, and becoming essentially homeless and living out of her brother's best friend's bedroom was not where she thought she would be on New Years but it's where she finds herself. During a particularly chaotic carnival themed New Year's party, she approaches a fortune teller who gives her the option of reliving the entire last year. Sadie doesn't necessarily believe it will work but when she wakes up the next morning and it's January 1st of the year before and her ex-boyfriend is in her bed...she is suddenly offered the opportunity to redo everything she regretted from the year before.

I really enjoyed this! Sadie has some major character growth to do throughout the book but the payoff really works - to get to see her finally stand up to her awful boss, to see her choose to breakup with her boyfriend who wants a very different life than she does was really nice.

The romance was also super sweet though I wouldn't call this a romance as it focuses much more on Sadie's life. I loved how much it focused on Sadie's relationships with everyone in her life and how she gained a different perspective during her "second chance year".

Thank you to Forever for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Yes the plot is familiar but don't pass this by because it's a disarmingly charming look at a woman who rethinks her choices in a bad year that she's able to do over. Sadie is a baker and she has a good gig at a hot restaurant except that the chef is a pig and she's not willing to compromise her principals any more. Her boyfriend has changed since taking a job on Wall Street. And so now she's living in Jacob's spare room. And then she's granted a wish and does the year over. Will she keep silent about the abuse and bad behavior at the restaurant? What will happen this time when the chef throws a fit about a spoiled pan of pate? And what about her love life? Some of her choices the second time around will haunt her but will she make them right? There's a sweetness to this (besides the fact that she's a baker)- to the older woman at the coffee shop, to her relationship with her brother and with Jacob, and so on. There are a few surprises - no spoilers. One quibble- this would have benefited from another edit to eliminate a bit of the repetition about Sadie's parents. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.