✨Arc Review✨

“𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐚. 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲, 𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐱-𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥?”

😆👏🏼

I loved this read! It was refreshing to have an older FMC. I’m laughing recalling all the humor that is generously sprinkled throughout this story—Oh! And the banter between ALL the characters was chef’s kiss 😚🤌🏼

Rita Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you for this arc opportunity 🫶🏼

This was so sweet. I was skeptical of how i felt about the ex husband at first but he really won me over. A second chance romance will always get me.

3.25/5

I enjoyed reading this book, though mainly for the subplot as the main plot seemed fairly trivial to me. This was probably my second Sports Romance read. This aspect of the book was acceptable, and it didn’t alienate readers (such as myself) who aren’t particularly familiar with American competitive sports.

My main takeaway was that the main protagonists lacked the maturity of their respective ages. Their behaviour was fairly similar to that of Rachel and Matt. The fact that Noah and Gracie solved all of their problems by simply having an honest conversation made their divorce seem really silly. I recognise that this sort of “easy fix” to the relationship could be a common event among books of the same Second Chance Romance genre. I found Gracie somewhat unlikable as these events and her behaviour made her seem immature. I preferred Noah, as despite his mistakes he still came across as level-headed. That being said, I quite enjoyed and related to the Matt-and-Rachel subplot.

I’d recommend this book to fans of clean adult contemporary books containing subtle elements of Christian faith.

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for providing this advanced copy for review via NetGalley!

total süß, schön geschrieben. toll zum wegschmökern. auf jeden fall ein cozy read für alle romance fans

3.5 stars, rounded up!

I am a sucker for second-chance romance. This one checked a lot of boxes for the romance genre: forced-proximity, love/hate relationship, and whispered sweet nothings. The author nailed the banter. I was laughing so hard at the jowl-kissing scene. I loved how both Gracie and Rachel were likeable characters. Not too over-the-top cutesy/quirking. Gracie having a special writing desk that moved around the house was top-tier for me.

This story follows Seatle Mariners baseball pitcher, Noah Parker and his ex-wife, romance writer, Gracie. Gracie gets injured and needs help fulfilling activities of daily living. In swoops in the estranged ex-husband and our story kicks off. In the middle, the pacing seemed off and slowed considerably. However, I enjoyed the parallel love story of Matt, Gracie's nephew, and Rachel. It added another layer of depth to the family dynamics.

Thank you Netgalley and Tyndale House publisher for this eARC!

This is a schmaltzy sweet rom com about a writer and a baseball player, the story is lighthearted and would make a good holiday read.

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The First Love, Second Draft is a heartwarming and funny standalone sports romance that gave me slight Emily Henry vibes. From the start, I was hooked on Gracie and Noah’s story—full of witty banter, sweet moments, and second-chance tension.

Five years after their divorce, Gracie, a struggling writer, finds herself on thin ice with her publisher. An injury leaves her in need of help—just not from her ex-husband, Noah, a famous baseball player who unexpectedly ends up renting her cottage (thanks to her well-meaning but meddling nephew). Determined to win her back, Noah convinces Gracie to write his memoir, giving them plenty of time together. As they navigate old wounds and undeniable chemistry, Noah makes it clear that for him, it’s only ever been Gracie.

This book had me laughing out loud and swooning in equal measure. Noah’s unwavering love for Gracie was endearing, though I did find myself questioning why he wasn’t willing to fight for her five years ago. Still, their journey back to each other was heartfelt, and the ending left me grinning. A charming and delightful read!

The premise of this book was really cute. And I like the idea of a baseball player and romance writer together. Unfortunately I felt like some of the references were a little dated, and the characters weren’t super believable. Grace’s injury seemed unlikely, and Mona was such a selfish sister. I did enjoy Noah’s character and his swagger.

Overall a good read! Here we have a book with a second chance romance between Gracie, a writer, and Noah, her famous babseball athlete ex-husband. Matt and Rachel subplot was great too. I was curious after reading the synopsis and the cover art drew me in. There are TWs though.

Thank you Netgalley and Tyndale House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!

Who doesn't love a good second chance romance that includes sports and a writer. Kinzer's book was a fun read that was serious and light-hearted at times. While the story did drag in some spots the main character's dynamic and relationship made the slower moments worth it. I think that the story encompasses some of what all romance readers hope for- a second chance at first love.

I'm not sure what happened with this one. From the first page, I loved it, I was constantly laughing, smiling and crying and I thought for sure this would be a 5⭐️ read. I was somewhat caught off guard by the view into Matt and Rachel's story, I think I would've preferred to have seen that through Gracie and Noah's eyes and not show us them separately. Somewhere after the halfway point, I got a little frustrated by how Noah and Gracie didn't seem to be making any headway and I thought they both were getting pretty childish, Noah by not talking to Gracie about the memoir and Gracie by not talking to Noah about their relationship. They did get there in the end but I was feeling somewhat confused about the feelings there too. The thing that really did it for me though, was the very sudden appearance of religion and them saying to "remember to hold on to God" and I just couldn't agree with that and it really threw me off the book. I didn't feel at all comfortable reading those thoughts. I'm actually very sad because I was SO into this book in the beginning, I thought it was actually very funny, I was so in love with Noah and I wished everyone well but something happened towards the end 😕 Also, I have to say, I absolutely hated Mona.

First Love, Second Draft is a story about a second chance at love for Gracie and Noah. I really loved the dynamic between the two characters and how their banter towards each other were. At first, I was confused about the plot, but as you progress through the book it'll all come together. I also loved the story line between Matt and Rachel.

I would say that it was bit of a slow burn and some parts of the book I was thinking to myself, can we just get to the point? Gracie is put on a task to finish writing her book since she hasn't been able to put out a best seller since her divorce from Noah; however, due to an injury she ends up having to deal with Noah while she recovers. During this time readers will see the cute dynamic between the two, how it makes you wonder why they got divorced and what caused it. I really loved the character Noah and you see how much love he has for Gracie and what he would do to rekindle that love they had.

I do like the twist that was put in the book and how with that plot twist, you'll see how Gracie and Noah really come together as one. Overall, it's a cute second chance romance book that readers will love.

I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and bonus when sports are involved.
The story was entertaining overall, but not .my favourite and definitely nothing that will be super memorable. I enjoyed the characters but the story felt rushed at some points and then slow at others for me

First Love, Second Draft is a sweet, heartfelt, second-chance sports romance novel. It follows a struggling romance writer named Gracie, who needs a bit of help after an injury. When her ex-husband Noah shows up with his baseball career in tatters, he's steps in to help (and hopes to give it another go with Gracie).

The real strength of this book is the Kinzer's ability to combine laugh-out-loud humour with tender, emotional moments. I found myself laughing at Kinzer's comedic timing, while empathizing for Gracie's (relatable) pain. Rooting for Noah and Gracie was easy with their chemistry leaping off the page.

Gracie is independent with a great sense of humor and she's scared of being hurt again. Noah is likeable, earnest, and vulnerable. And the supporting cast only added to the story and community. I loved Matt, Rachel, and Gracie's dad; they're not perfect, but likeable.

This is a sweet, uplifting story with humour and heart. While it's not perfect, it's a great read I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Tyndale for sharing a digital review copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I. Loved. It. the character dynamic between Gracie and Noah were great. You could tell they had history from the start; from their witty bantering towards one another to their heartthrob conversations, it was such a beautiful story about redemption, grace and 2nd chances, At first, I didn’t like Matt’s Pov I thought it was irrelevant to the story but then I realized, it had a connection with Gracie and Noah’s relationship, and I thought that was so cool how Becca Kinzer connected the two totally different relationships, but both having the same theme. And Matt's relationship story was cute I was getting invested with it too, because I mean who doesn’t love a good best friend to lover's trope? And can we talk about the overall message of the book it was just beautiful! No matter how difficult and challenging life is. Always keep your focus on Christ and He will make your way and give you peace amongst the storms. It truly was a blessing to read this novel. As always thank you so much to Netgalley and Becca Kinzer for an ARC of this book. Stay blessed everyone 😊🙏

My favorite part of this book was the humor in it! I normally like books that have multiple story lines in them but in this book in particular I didn't feel that the multiple storylines worked well together. I don't think that the storyline of the secondary characters added anything to the storyline of the main characters.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A fun second chance romance from Becca Kinzer! I was really looking forward to this book and excited for the ARC! As always it contained her unique voice and quirky sense of humor that is all her own. I loved reading about exes Becca and Noah coming together to figure out what went wrong in their marriage, and how to rebuild trust and a new way forward. The side plot about her nephew’s romance was also very sweet. It was a little hard to follow at times because of how often the multiple POVs switched, but overall it was still an enjoyable read. Can’t wait to see what she writes next!


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this novel. I was not required to give a review and all opinions expressed above are my own.

I was attracted to the cover of this book. The story was entertaining, but not the best ever. I enjoyed the characters, but it felt rushed at some points and then slow at others for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

First Love, Second Draft is the third book by Becca Kinzer that I have read. It holds to the other books with humor with a deeper story interwoven.
Gracie Parker is a rom-com author with a threat of missing a deadline due to writer's block and having fallen off a horse-a plastic one! Her nephew asks her ex-husband to come and take care of her while she mends. Her ex, Noah, is a professional baseball player who in the past put his games before her needs. Noah sees this as a chance to win Gracie back, but it may take more than he can give.
I enjoyed Gracie and Noah's story but enjoyed her nephew's side story of his own first love even more! The story shows strength of a family as Gracie's father is dying and Noah is there to try and patch them all up. Rom-com lovers will like the humor, and everyone will love the reconciling story that includes forgiveness.
I received a complimentary copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and Tyndale Publishing, but all opinions are my own.

This was a fun, cozy read! I enjoyed how the story focused on two couples with three alternating narrators (although I would have loved to heard more from Rachel). This book was also very funny and I found myself laughing often. It was very sweet with a great, exciting ending and is perfect for romance readers who prefer closed door.