"The Second Chance" by Charlotte Butterfield is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of fate, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Nell's journey from acceptance of her predicted death date to waking up to a second chance at life is both compelling and emotionally resonant.

Butterfield's writing is engaging, drawing readers into Nell's world as she grapples with the unexpected turn of events. Nell's decision to send confessions to her loved ones adds depth to the story, highlighting the importance of honesty and vulnerability in human relationships.

What sets "The Second Chance" apart is its exploration of what it truly means to live life to the fullest. As Nell navigates her newfound lease on life, readers are taken on a journey of self-discovery and redemption. Butterfield's portrayal of Nell's internal struggles and growth is both authentic and moving, making her a relatable and endearing protagonist.

Overall, "The Second Chance" is a compelling and uplifting read that will leave readers reflecting on the choices they make and the moments that truly matter. Butterfield's novel is a reminder that life is precious, and every second chance is an opportunity for growth, love, and new beginnings.

The one where Nell thinks she's going to die and does a lot of stuff in preparation and burns a lot of bridges but....oops, it doesn't happen. What now? Deal with fallout from the goodbye letters sent and figure out how to handle a life that doesn't have a set expiration date. This book asks: what is it worth to us to break long-held habits? If we even want to do that, are we strong enough to succeed? Do we have to let go of our past self in order to become who we want our future self to be? And is it ever really possible to just live fully in the present? Follow along as Nell figures out just who she is when her time left to live isn't determined, and she decides if and how she wants to let others into her suddenly longer life now that she decides to stick around.

I liked it. I admit that I found Nell to be frustrating at times, and I didn't always feel like she deserved to have the people in her life forgive her as much as they did. Nell's impulsivity made me nervous but I think that's the point. Nell has lived half of her life impermanently; why commit to anything if you know your exact death date? But it really feels like an excuse for her to live her life on the surface, without consequence or emotional investment. I did like her character development, although it felt slow in coming. I also wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to root for Tom or Greg, and honestly at one point I felt like she wasn't good enough for either one of them (and I agreed with Tom, she had a lot of work on herself to do, and her decades-long habit of living shallowly was a hard one to break). Great supporting cast, well-written, satisfying ending. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a wonderful story! Nell was so easy to love and her story drew me in from the very beginning. This story made me laugh, cry, and feel every emotion in between. So incredibly good!

As soon as I saw the blurb for this book, I knew it was one I wanted to read, and it did not disappoint.

Nell has known since she was 19 that she was going to die on a specific day when she was 38. She is approaching that day, so she has sold all her belongings, deleted her online presence, got rid of her phone, apartment, bank account, and checked into a hotel so she died somewhere nice.

Except she doesn’t die. She has no money, no contacts, and a large hotel bill to pay. On top of that, she has to deal with the fallout of the brutally honest farewell letters she sent to her loved ones.

Nell has lived the last 19 years seizing the day every day, travelling the world, making the most of it. But the universe is going to show her how to live when you don’t know how long you have.

Nell is a delightful character, and she is so very inspiring. The book is very well written, amusing, and utterly unputdownable. It addresses issues of mortality, whether longevity is a signal of success, of old age, of beauty, of love, of good people. It looks at family relationships, and the joy of the kindness of strangers. ,

It’s a really wonderful book. I predict it will be the hit of 2024.

The writing is exquisite. It feels like you are living in the book. Such a great story.
Recommend you all grab yourselves a copy!
Four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have only read one of Charlotte's books before - You Get That From Me - and I loved it instantly, and so was thrilled when an opportunity came up to read her newest one.

I normally write my review as I read, putting thoughts down that can be made into a full review by the end of it, but I was so engrossed with this that when it came to writing this review, I had hardly anything written down.

There are a lot of characters but there are a few key players I want to talk about.

We first have Nell, our protagonist. I really loved Nell, right from the start. She just felt so real. She wasn't perfect, she had flaws, she had a past that she was sometimes proud of, sometimes not. But for me, she is one of the best created characters in fiction I've read recently. It can be difficult to write an "everyday" person, rather than the superhero or villain. It can be quite dull to read a character who, for all intents and purposes, is like you are. But Charlotte has managed to make her relatable and human and "everyday" but keep her interesting and entertaining.

We also have her mother Jenny and sister Polly, who for reasons I won't spoil her, she has not seen for quite some time, and so when we're first introduced to them, they're a bit aloof, and you're unsure whether there's going to be a happy ending with the three of them or not. We also have Nell's dad Tony and his family, who aren't in it for that long but they're entertaining when they are.

We also get Greg, Nell's teenage boyfriend (by that I mean he was her boyfriend when they were teenagers, not that he's her current boyfriend who happens to be a teenager). He is lovely but has been caught up in the rat race, putting work before everything, he seems very...vanilla, shall we put it. Sticks to the rules, he's neat, he's organised, and it was an interesting contrast to Nell who is the complete opposite.

And finally we have Tom and Juno, both new friends for Nell. Tom comes into her life prior to her death day, and at first we assume he will be a passing character but he does have a bigger role as the book goes on, and he was delightful. But for me, Juno had to be my favourite. Even more so than Nell. She's an old lady, clearly suffering with some health issues, but she lives for the moment. I mean, she wears a tiara to the library! She's very much one for not saving things for special occasions, and she was just a delight.

I have never been one to want a gap year. I like the idea of travelling the world and visiting other countries, but I hate the actual travelling part, and so it's never been something I considered. And I know Nell's trips weren't always positive, she does make it sound absolutely fabulous.

It was funnier than I was expecting. I mean, it is a morbid humour at times, a dark humour event, but it is funny. Even if you're laughing at the awkwardness of it all, you will find yourself laughing.

It is an uplifting, feel-good book, but it does pose some big questions, the biggest being: how would you spend your time if you knew the exact date you would die? Would you spend it panicking, or would you throw caution to the wind and do everything you always wanted to do because you know there'd be no repercussions? Would you fill your live with joy and fun, or would you be more careful?

It does also contain some difficult topics, such as affairs, separation, divorce, single parenthood, death, grief, unemployment, the idea of feeling lost and like you don't belong - but it's never too much.

I hope she doesn't mind me mentioning this, but in her acknowledgements, Charlotte talks about her father who became ill whilst she was writing, and she talks about how he made the most of his time doing the things he loved with the people he loved. I lost my dad 7 years ago and just reading that reminded me of him and the others I've lost, and how we never really know what's coming. I'm not saying I'm about to jump on a plane to the Far East or anything, but it does give food for thought.

It's a fun book. It's funny, loving, carefree, uplifting, optimistic, and joyful, but it's also sad, worrying, angry, nostalgic, scary. But overall it was just a retally lovely book to sit and lose myself in. I read it in less than a day; not wanting to leave without knowing the end of Nell's story.

quite sweet, rather heartwarming, and a little thought provoking. A total comfort read. Just a few more characters than really felt necessary and one or two tangents too many.

I really liked the premise of this book! it was unique and jumps right in at what Nell perceives is the end of her life. it was a fast start, then slowed down a bit in the middle/end which I liked because it allowed me to slow down and take more of what the reality for Nell has been all this time thinking her life was coming to end on a certain date. I wish there had been more a focus on how Nell will use the rest of her life now that she has all this time she wasn't expecting, instead of focusing so much on what she's done in the past. but I understood why Nell needed to go back over the decisions she made with a different outlook, and it was rehabilitating to see her walk through that.
thank you for the arc :)

💌The Second Chance - Charlotte Butterfield💌

⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
🌶️ 1/5

Nell, our FMC, has known her death date for years so she's resigned to a life full of adventure and never setting down roots, but then she wakes up the morning after her death date and is clearly still alive. So what now? Oh and not to mention she also sent out some very blunt and honest letters when she thought she would die and not have to see the outcomes 🫠

I definitely love the premise of this book and I know the whole point is that she has a second chance at life to mend an repair relationships and actually put down roots, but I was not happy with how much time she spent with her ex. It felt very clear to me that she did not like him that much anymore, but only the idea of what they used to be. They're clearly so different now and it just felt like so much of the book was too focused on them for my liking. I would have preferred to see even more of the other love interest, because he was great - I mean he's a comedian and a dad?! 💕

It was interesting to see how the relationship with her family was after they read the letters and how her honesty was actually very freeing for everyone at the end of it all.

This definitely isn't a super happy book, but there are comedic moments along with lots of complex emotions.

Overall I enjoyed this read and would recommend if you want to read a story of self discovery with some romance sprinkled in!

What to expect-

🎤 The one that got away
☮️ Two love interests
🎤 Complex family issues
☮️ Free Spirited FMC
🎤 Second Chances
☮️ "Known" death date

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a great read. I wasn't sure what to expect but I definitely was not disappointed, it felt like a great read and I know my patrons will enjoy the story.

We follow our FMC, Nell, as she prepares for her impending death. As teenagers, Nell and her friends were told by a pyschic the date of their deaths, one turned out to be true... so Nells must also be true. Dressed in a ballgown in a fancy hotel, Nell waits for it to happen, only.. it doesn't, she wakes up very much alive.

Unfortunately for Nell, she has sold all of her belongings, and posted five letters to her family, one night stand, and first love. The race is on to try and intercept the letters, but what can she do when she's sold everything, closed down all of her accounts and has no money.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
This was a really enjoyable read - I loved the first section of the book where we follow Nell into her supposed impending death, her planning and preparation and of course, the untimely meeting of Tom - who bought her bed.

The next sections of the book felt a bit slower to me, but it was great to see Nells growth and realisations of how she treated people over the years. She also had a shot at a second chance romance with her first love, but the realisation that people change over the years - and something you once wanted, isn't what you want now.

I loved the addition of Juno to the story, she was such a light, filled with laughter, love and hilarious insights.

Thank you to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for this copy. This review is voluntary.

I really loved this. Nell was a great character, I liked the fact she had history with Greg and that her whole outlook on life started when they were together. To be told the date you will die really impacted how she lived and made her try to pack as much in as possible. How she planned to leave this world was very thorough, yet not very celebratory and happy in hindsight. Along the way Nell lost touch with her family and any real connection she has with anyone, a self preservation almost as she justified it as a way to make sure no one was left hurt when she was gone. Her encounter with Tom the week before her scheduled death day was interesting. He impacted on her so much she felt she needed to write a letter to him and she impacted on him so much that he made her his stand up comedy routine but also made him reevaluate his life situation and take charge of his future.

A series of incidents later and Nells death day passing by with no death and you have Nell and Greg reunited in a freak coincident and then Tom thrown in with yet another coincident. All very funny and really quite cleverly done.

However Juno has to be the star of the show. I loved her personality and how she enjoyed life how she wanted to. Nell was so great with her and they helped each other. Seeing her forge new relationships with her mum and sister and niece was nice as she’d let them slip in her attempt to not have them miss her after her death.

Watching Nell have to come to terms with living a life she never thought she was going to have was eye opening. She had never thought about a future and had always been more about the short term plans. Now she has to think of her family, her feelings for Greg (who was coming to terms with the fact his predicted long future may not be as solid as he thought) and her growing feelings for Tom. Tom is a great character and really gets Nell and I love how he never pressures her avid lets her make mistakes and learn from them while always being there for her.

From start to finish this was an engaging and interesting read. Such a great concept to write about. How to live the life you never thought you were going to have. Very thought provoking.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC.

Nell believes she knows when at the age of 19 a psychic gives her a death date. She lives her remaining years as a nomad and has strained all of her relationships as a way to decrease the pain her family and friends will go through when she does die. Her day of death comes and goes. She is left alive with no job, no phone/contacts, and no money.

She reconnects and works to repair relationships with her family. And she works on trying to face her fears head on versus running away like she always has done. She has two men to choose between too.

A humorous story with a good message of identifying what is most important in life.

What a different premise and really great story! Nell was told by a psychic the day of her death. In the week leading up to her destiny, she sells and give away everything. For twenty years she has been making decisions based on her anticipated end date. She has traveled the world, met interesting people, and generally lived to have a good time. When her death date passes and she is still around, she has to pick up the pieces of her life and wonder if maybe the things she thought were important were maybe different than what she had imagined.

Definitely read this story for laughs, tears, friendship, mother-daughter/sister-sister feels, and love. I loved Nell and her personality. What a well written character!

Thanks to Charlotte Butterfield, Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with “A Second Chance”. I really enjoyed it!

This started with a bang, got a bit muddled later in the first half, and ended with me in a puddle of tears. P

Our MC Nell will not be for everyone! She is wild, fun and a bit selfish. But, she is so full of heart and love! After she’s granted an unforeseen “second chance” at life she has to rebuild. That rebuilding comes with many hiccups, lovers, tiffs and tiaras.

There is romance here, but ultimately this is a coming of age story about a mid-thirties woman finding herself in a stage of life she did not plan to make it to. She is complex and she’s finding out that so is everyone else.

If there were ~50 less pages in the first half of this book it would be incredible. The last ~150 pages were some of the best stuff I’ve read all year.

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon for the eARC!

My second book by this author, and I've loved both of them! The Second Chance begins twenty years previously when Nell meets a fortune teller and is told the date that she will die. Fast forward and we meet Nell a week before this date. She has lived her life avoiding commitment and plans, and in this last week she sells all her belongings, writes her goodbye letters and basically closes down her life. But when she wakes the next day and it's obvious the fortune teller got it wrong, things get a bit awkward with no money, no clothes, no home and a big hotel bill to settle!

I loved this book, it was so much fun but with some serious issues being dealt with along the way. Nell is a great character, but the last twenty years have been leading up to this date and she's lived her life to the fullest. In between all the fun though, the author certainly gets you thinking as to what you would do if you knew the date you were going to die, and there are lots of emotional moments to run along side that. I loved meeting not only Nell, but also her bed-buying comic Tom, her first love Greg, her sister Polly and of course the old bus lady Juno! The storyline flowed along wonderfully and once started, I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished.

The characters were all very likeable and I really connected with them. I love London as a book setting and walking along by the canal boats brought great images to mind. Filled with lots of humour, family and friendship, the book also teaches us to live and love life! Fabulous!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me to read an ARC of The Second Chance by Charlotte Butterfield, in exchange for my honest review.

"Always say hello to strangers." " Never save anything for best."

I adored this book! It was cleverly written, entertaining, thought-provoking and introspective, with delightfully witty and loveable characters.

I would have loved to crawl right between the pages and spend time with each of them!

How would you live your life if you knew exactly what your expiration date would be? Hmmmmm. For 2o years Nell has known her "expiry" (a lovely British term) date thanks to a visit to a psychic when she was 18. She filled her life with wanderlust and is going out with flare. But guess what....she wakes up the next morning. What? Now what does she do?

This is a clever, funny, book of second chances. You will meet Nell, Polly, Tom, Greg, Jenny and Juno. Oh did I LOVE Juno. Witty banter and fully developed characters made this a page turner. I really enjoyed this novel which teaches us to live life to the fullest and know what truly matters to you.

Great book, brilliant beach read. Every page has something that makes you smile. I love stories where there is a psychic prediction involved and this one (similar to the concept in The Immortalists) had a great hook around knowing the day you'll die.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Light and optimistic novel, a fun and feel good take on second chances and the power of positivity. Interesting premise and well written characters.