First things first - thanks to Melissa Wisener and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review!

If you're looking for....

✨Relatable characters
✨An outspoken and opinionated FMC
✨A redemptive storyline full of second chances
✨A feel good, time loop romance

...you're in the right place! I really enjoyed this book. It's the second book I've been able to read by Melissa Wisener and it did not disappoint. Melissa's writing is easy to follow, enjoyable, and keeps your interest.

Sadie has had a Very Bad Year. She lost her job, and has been blackballed from the industry. Her boyfriend broke up with her, and she lost her apartment. Things are dismal, to say the least. Enter a fortune teller at a New Year's Eve party Sadie apprehensively attended, and a spell she skeptically took part in. What did she have to lose, after all? And then....time rewinds. Sadie wakes up on New Year's Day in bed with her no longer ex boyfriend, in her former apartment, late for work at her former job. This is her second chance and she's ready to do it right this time...but what if what Sadie things is right, is really entirely wrong?

My honest review is being given in exchange for an ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. I read it almost completely in one sitting. Sadie is such a relatable character. She makes some mistakes and feels like her life is crumbling around her and just wants a do-over. She winds up asking a fortune teller for a do-over of the last year. Sadie quickly learns that there are consequences to changing things and the outcome you think you want isn’t always the one you really want.

I really loved the life lessons in this book, I loved the characters she met along the way (even if there were some pretty terrible people along the way, too). I loved the 13 going on 30 vibe of the book. All in all it was a great read with a fantastic ending.

My Second Chance Year

On the New Year’s Eve of Sadie’s Very Bad Year, she meets a fortune teller and wishes for a do over. When she wakes the next morning, she’s stunned to find her wish came true and she’s getting a second chance to live the year over again. Armed with the knowledge of what went wrong the first time around, Sadie is determined to avoid the mistakes and misfires of her first time living this year.

This was a really fun take on the time loop trope and a really enjoyable magical realism read. I empathized deeply with Sadie when she wished for a chance to redo her worst year, and cheered alongside her at the parts that she felt she got right the second time around.

The romance was threaded throughout both the worst year and the second chance year, though I would’ve been happy to have seen even more of Jacob. I’m a total sucker for a long term crush paying off, and Jacob was a sweet, loyal friend to Sadie even when he didn’t think his feelings for her would ever be reciprocated. His high school grand gesture that Sadie brushed off at the time was swoon worthy and I loved seeing it play into their happily ever after.

There is a large plot line throughout centered around the #metoo movement as it relates to Sadie’s life and the fact that she feels that she needs to accept sexual harassment to keep her job and to advance in it. There are also a number of sexist and misogynistic comments made to Sadie. A large element in her personal growth is how she becomes a better advocate for herself throughout the second chance year, but if these topics are triggering for you it may not be a read you would enjoy.

Recommended for readers who enjoy:
🪄Magical realism
2️⃣Second chances
🌲 long term pining
🤩 cosmic intervention
🐱 brother’s best friend love stories
🥰 happily ever after after all

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the e-ARC of THE SECOND CHANCE YEAR by Melissa Wiesner in exchange for my review. This novel will be released on Dec. 5th!

CW: sexism, gaslighting, sexual harassment

THE GOOD: I've loved Melissa's first two women's fiction novels and I was excited when I learned she had written a romance, and even more excited when I was granted an e-ARC of this book. While this book does focus more on the romance than HER FAMILY SECRET and THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE, there is still a strong sense of women's fiction in this book. Melissa weaved both genres together beautifully to create this story with a strong FMC who learns who she is. I also appreciated the important conversations around sexism and sexual harrassment in the workplace and thought Melissa handled those issues with sensitivity. And Jacob is the perfect cinnamon roll!

THE BAD: Sadie's boss and parents are insufferable. But that's not even a negative about the book because they are supposed to be!

Favourite quote: "Anyway, as I was saying," she continues. "If you need to be anything other than exactly who you are--for anyone--then the problem is with them, and not with you."

Time loop romances are my favourite underrated romance trope! We need more of these books! THE SECOND CHANCE YEAR was a great addition to the limited list of time loop romances and I had such a blast reading it. The book had strong vibes of a British rom-com; think Mhairi McFarlane, Sophie Kinsella, Lindsey Kelk, Lucy Vine - aka all the best in Brit romance. And I've not yet found that in an American author!

-brother’s best friend, strong fmc, time loop, closed door romance 🎇
-the last year has been rough on Sadie, she’s lost her job, her boyfriend and basically at wits end
-a fortune teller offers her a wish and Sadie wants a redo of the last year 🔮 she makes the wish and nothing happens, but she does ends up kissing her brother’s best friend
-Jacob melts my heart, the way the story unfolds and shows everything he’s done for Sadie, what a cutie!! ☕️
-swoon worthy romance and what a way to unravel to Sadie what’s really been in front of her this whole time
-thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this fun ARC! 💫

4.3⭐️

This has to be the cutest romance novel. It features a girl who is not happy with the way her life is going so needs a do over year but not all goes as planned. The characters are very loveable. The book is funny, uplifting, and so sweet:

This is a favorite of mine so far this month! I loved this one and the concept was so fresh and exciting. Wiesner did a wonderful job creating a main character who you related to and wanted to root for. I loved it!

If you could get one wish, what would it be? Would you use it to travel to your past so you could change some things that happened?

Sadie loses her job and her apartment. Her boyfriend also breaks up while she’s constantly struggling to get noticed by her parents who have eyes only for her younger brother who’s thriving in his career. Sadie’s dream is to open a bakery of her own which seems like a dream to her. Her friend Kasumi brings her joy and her brother’s best friend, Jacob helps her out by letting her stay at his place. Kasumi persuades Sadie to come to a party with her and little did Sadie know that this will change her life, maybe forever! She meets a fortune teller at the party with a 🔮 who grants Sadie one wish, a wish that will take her one year back. Will Sadie be able to change her life for the better? Will she be able to keep her job and boyfriend in her second chance year? Or will she realize that what she wants has been there in front of her all the time?

I really enjoyed this book! And omg I was salivating all the way through the book reading the various delicacies Sadie is making and I don’t even have a sweet tooth. Maybe I need to recheck my taste preferences but seriously the selection of pastries and deserts mentioned will keep you craving them. Also, I LOVED Sadie as a badass FMC standing up for harassment and gender discrimination. The book touches upon sexual harassment so please make sure to read the author's note beforehand. And Jacob, oh what a sweet guy! I loved how sweet the romance was and how the love built up. I loved how Sadie ultimately learned how staying true to yourself is more important than getting approval from others. She’s also a “crazy cat lady” with a cat like me.

You’d love this book if you enjoy,
~badass FMC
~brother’s best friend trope
~shy but handsome, sweet, and musical MMC
~delicious delicacies
~second chances
~a bit of charm and magic
~no spice

Thank you Netgalley and Readforeverpub for this ARC in return for an honest review.

I loved reading this book. Sometimes a second chance is all you need to see what was really in front of you the whole time.

I received an ARC through Netgalley and the publisher.

I loved this book! The story follows Sadie, a pastry chef who just had a Very Bad Year where she loses her job and her long-term boyfriend, and sees her life spiral. At a New Year’s Eve party, she encounters a fortune teller who gives her a way to redo her last year. The next morning she wakes up to it being January 1st of the year before and the story follows her throughout her “second chance year”.

I liked Sadie a lot as the main character and I really liked her story arc as well. It was great to see her really come into her own as the story progressed. I personally thought the storyline was really relatable - I mean who hasn’t thought everything would change if they got the chance to do something over? I also enjoyed Jacob as the love interest. He was kind and thoughtful and I loved how he interacted with all of the characters, but especially Owen. The story kept me captivated and I enjoyed the magical realism aspect. Sadie’s friends were awesome and the side characters really added to the story without taking away from the main storyline. It tackled some heavy issues, such as sexual harassment in the workplace, and I thought it was done really well. This was overall a great read for me, and I would definitely recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and the author for this ARC!

TW: sexual harassment, misogyny
Publication Date: 5 December 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I ate this story up! Have you ever questioned choices you made and wish you could go back and have a redo? Sadie is having a horrible year and meets a fortune teller during a New Year’s Eve party. She asks for a redo- and wakes up on New Years Eve the year before. She wants her boyfriend back, as well as her job, and makes all the ‘right’ choices to get them back this second time around. But are they really what they want?

I loved everything about this book. The characters, the romance between Jacob and Sadie. Very cute romance and highly recommend.

Absolutely loved it and I can see my patrons loving it as well. This book really got me excited thinking about the new year and I wish this book was a movie so I could watch it over and over again.

I enjoyed this so much, I basically devoured it in a day. It was a perfect New Year’s Eve book. I not only became attached to Sadie and Jacob but also all of the additional characters as well. Owen, Kasumi, Jose Luis, Zoe & my favorite Mrs Kaminski! The setting was beautifully described and while I’ve never been to New York City I definitely felt like I was picturing everything in detail.
*TW: workplace sexual harassment*

Huge thank you to Melissa Weisner & Netgalley for the ARC- I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

This book was so sweet and swoon worthy! It reminded me a lot of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez in a lot of way honestly. The cover was the first thing, and a lot of the writing had similarities though the plot line was completely different of course. This is one of the highest compliments I could possibly give being that Yours Truly is one of my all time favorite reads! I highly highly recommend reading The Second Chance Year if you want a swoony, rom com feel and an easy read 💕

I went into this one a little skeptical. Magical realism, again? Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Going a little deeper than the average novel, the author tackles some more mature topics.

Sadie Thatcher’s life is in shambles. She's lost everything. Her boyfriend dumped her, her pastry chef job is gone, and she's living in the spare room of her brother's best friend's apartment. How much worse can it be? After downing pint after pint on Ben & Jerry's, her best. friend finally convinces her to get off the couch and to give life another chance.

Not really in the mood to party, when Sadie has a chance to visit a fortune teller, she's skeptical. One wish sounds awesome but, how much faith can she put into this dog and pony show? More than she could ever, possibly, imagine.

The next morning Sadie realizes her wish has come true. She's back with her boyfriend, she has her job, and has traveled one year back- she's been given the chance to not make the same mistakes again. Will the chance to do it all over be the fresh start she's looking for? Or will getting another change put her life in another tailspin?

I thought the author did a great job at describing the timeline & Sadie’s journey to find herself. I loved how the focus wasn’t just on the romance parts of the story and we were able to meet a whole cast of characters throughout. I laughed and I felt the feels. Melissa also did a great job at dealing with some of the tougher themes of the book! I loved this book and can’t wait for everyone else to as well🥰🫶🏼

Read this if you’re a fan of magical realism & time loop romances like FIVE FIRST CHANCES and THIS TIME NEXT YEAR

This was so good! Super fast-paced. I think I finished it in 2 sittings. I cannot wait til it comes out so I can start recommending it to customers! :)

While this was an enjoyable enough read, I feel like the going-back-in-time-and-getting-a-do-over plot has been done already, and this didn’t necessarily offer anything new. It was well written, and again it was enjoyable. I think it had a bit of slow start, and it took me a while to get into it, but overall pretty good!

Sadie gets to re-live and hopefully improve her “Very Bad Year” with a Second Chance Year.

Since she knows what is going to happen, can she change her reactions? Will she continue to be outspoken and reactive or will she change and still be true to herself?

The premise is thought provoking for the characters as well as the reader. The characters are well developed, some are likeable, some are lovable and some are despicable! They combine to make it a very enjoyable story. I would definitely recommend reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pub Date 05 Dec 2023