This book was so much more emotional than i anticipated. Sophia was so easy to connect with. The explanation of Alzheimer’s through Edith’s story was heartbreaking, yet relatable. I’ve had people close to me go through experiences that are quite similar, and the author really captured the emotional toll that it takes. Highly recommend if you’re up for a tough, yet funny and warming read

I loved the author's debut and I had high expectations for this sophomore novel but wow, it completely blew me away!! This is such a heartfelt story about love lost and found and the lengths some people go to make the ones they love happy (or miserable).

Told from alternating POVs the story follows Blade, the sole caregiver for him mom who has dementia and is obsessed with finding the lost love of a mysterious Swedish man, 'Sven,' who promised to meet her at a bus stop but never showed up.

Unable to say no when his mother asks Blade to travel to Sweden and try to track the man down, he shows up there and meets Sophia, an autistic Swedish florist who makes a deal to help Blade in exchange for him driving her around to various locations for her floral design installations.

Full of heart and amazing autism, OCD and anxiety rep, this strangers to friends to lovers road trip romance was utterly relatable with characters I couldn't help rooting for. I so enjoyed Sophia learning how to set boundaries with her toxic family members and open herself up to the possibility of love with Blade.

Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Chloe Liese. I can't wait to see what Ally Zetterberg writes next. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Second Chance Bus Stop was so much more than I was expecting it to be. The story revolves around Edith, who is suffering with dementia. Her son, Blade has lost so much trying to take care of her, it has been extremely exhausting. Edith fears losing her memories and she wants to find Sven, the man she was going to marry 27 years ago. Sven never showed up and Edith has wondered why. Blade wants her to forget this idea and enter a memory care facility. Through this journey, Blade is able to understand his mom on a deeper level. In his journey of trying to find him, he meets Sophia, a neurodivergent woman running a flower shop.

The relationship between Sophia and Blade was sweet and I enjoyed reading of their time through their road trip. It just came across as such a healing process. This is an extremely emotionally charged novel. I liked how all the characters connected at the end, but be aware that this is a bit on the heavier side. However, the characters are quirky in the best way possible.
Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Edith was losing her memories, so she sent her son, Blade, on a mission to find the love of her life. His trip to Sweden brings Sophia into his life who needs a way to travel from market to market in order to raise the funds to buy her brothers out of the business. What seemed like a bad idea turned into a wonderful adventure which helped all parties involved come to terms with their past and make some decisions about their futures.

This was a lovely and feel-good story about second chances, love, family and friendship. It was about being yourself and finding the people who won't try to change you. It's about building a "village" and seizing the path to happiness.

Edith's storyline was heartbreaking, naturally, but it was handled with so much care. Zetterberg didn't shy away from how difficult Alzheimer’s can be for everyone involved, but she also let Edith shine in her own way. She was a woman, a mother, a friend. She had a bright personality and a big heart, and it was obvious throughout this tale.

Blade had been a full-time caregiver for his mother for the past three years. He lost his job, life, and girlfriend due to this commitment, but only wanted what was best for his mother whom he loved dearly. This mission to find her Sven was eye-opening, showing him things he didn't know about his mother and himself.

It was kismet that he met Sophia, and I loved how they clicked with each other. Sophia was definitely someone you could root for. Being neurodivergent, she was often bullied and misunderstood. She was subjected to therapy that left scars, but Sophia found comfort in flowers and her shop. What was special about her and Blade was the way he accepted her, how he took cues from her, and genuinely liked her as is. Sophia's story arc was one that really touched me, and I suppose the second chance part involved her family.

I was wholly captivated by this tale and terribly invested in the outcome for everyone involved - Edith, Blade, Sophia, and all the people who made up their community. This was simply a sweet and tender story that emphasized community and memories, and it really touched my heart.

Edith is 64 and is living with dementia. A big constant in her life is waiting at a bus stop for her lost love of 30 years to show up. Her son Blade has given up his life to be her carer and can’t understand her need to wait for this man at a bus stop or if he is even a real person. He makes a deal with his mom, if he travels to Sweden to find her Sven and get closure and in return she will finally agree to go to a care home.

Sophia has struggled with being understood by her family her whole life, but her uncle always gave her the space to be herself. When he died and left her and her brothers the floral business with the caveat they can’t sell for 5 years, it was the life line she needed. It is approaching the deadline and she hasn’t been able to come up with the full amount to buy them out. She takes on a large multi city contract to help raise the money. It pushes her beyond her limits and she runs into Blade a few times. They both end up on a road trip across Sweden both finding answers and understanding.

This was so heartwarming and it really got me in my feelings. This is a story about being understood, closure, and a little sprinkle of fate. I loved reading each individual’s story and although some parts are sad overall this was a story about hope.

dnf @20%

okay my biggest issue with this book is the over explanation of the most mundane thing. “it’s laundry day. I can tell because I’m out of clean sweatpants. I pull open the curtains in the sitting room so I can see the world and it can see me” like why so many words for the most simple thing?? I felt like this book is trying to be deep but can’t quite reach the emotional depth for it. I just think this personally isn’t the book for me but I would recommend it to other!

I loved The Second Chance Bus Stop even more than I thought I would going in. I expected a cozy, uplifting read, but what I got was so much more emotional and meaningful. Ally Zetterberg’s characters really hit home for me. Sophia’s portrayal as a neurodivergent woman was beautifully done: authentic, thoughtful, and so easy to connect with. It’s rare to see that kind of representation handled with such care, and it meant a lot to me. And Edith… wow. The depiction of Alzheimer’s through her story was powerful and honestly heartbreaking. I’ve had loved ones go through similar experiences, and Zetterberg captured that decline and the emotional toll in a way that felt incredibly real. This book was warm, funny, moving, and quietly profound. Definitely one that’ll stay with me for a long time. Highly recommend if you like heartfelt character-driven stories that don’t shy away from tough topics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Second Chance Bus Stop  
Author: Ally Zetterberg      
Genre: Fiction   
Rating: 4 out of 5

They say life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.

Edith has Alzheimer’s. The idea that she will someday forget her son, her life, even her self, plagues her constantly. So there is something important she must do before the disease robs her of her she has to find Sven, the love of her life she was supposed to meet on a bus bench twenty-seven years ago and run off with, but he never showed.

Her son, Blade, is struggling to keep an eye on her. His mother’s full-time caregiver, he resents the fact, if he’s being honest, that he gave up his career and most of his life to look after her. But what wouldn’t he do for his mother? Track down her decades-old flame so that she has a chance to finally understand why he never showed all those years ago, before her mind fails her? Sure, he can do that.

Sophia is fiercely working to keep her business afloat. Her uncle left his flower shop to her and her brothers after he died, but she seems to be the only one interested in keeping it running. She needs to land a big enough client to show her family that not only is the business worth saving but she’s the one to do it. So when an opportunity comes along that takes her all over Sweden, she can’t say no.

While Edith is desperately trying to hold on to her memories, she discovers friendship with a young woman who sits with her daily at the bus stop. While Blade is out looking for Sven, he learns to embrace his relationship with his mother more fully. While Sophia is fighting to keep her dream alive, she comes to terms with the way her parents treated her as a child and the therapies that were forced upon her in response to her autism diagnosis. Life is happening all around them, and much like with life, there’s so much good to be found in these pages.   

At first, I wasn’t sure I’d like this, but I ended up enjoying it a lot. Sophia’s family was…really difficult to like. In her memories, they were pretty horrible to her, but I liked how eventually she was able to explain herself to them and they started trying to understand her behavior, even if they weren’t good at understanding. Sophie herself was a little hard to connect to, but I liked her sheer determination and courage.

Blade was a bit of a wet blanket to me. He seemed exceedingly passive and content to just drift along, buffeted by events and people around him without putting much actual effort out himself.

I have a family history of Alzheimer’s, so reading Edith’s point-of-view was really heartbreaking to me. That she knew she was losing bits of herself was just so sad to me, but I think the author captured it beautifully.

Ally Zetterberg is British/Swedish. The Second Chance Bust Stop is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 8/19).

impressive and interesting novel about second chances and about alzheimer's and connection. it has a strong sense of feel to itself. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

The Second Chance Bus Stop was an ok read. I tried to get into it but it moved a bit slowly for my taste. I liked the characters; Edith, Blade and Sophie were enjoyable people. But at the end of the day this book wasn't for me.

A beautiful love story that also makes one appreciate family.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

This book was ok. I couldn't get into it though. I really tried. I still think others should read this even though it's not the book for me. I did like how it talked about two different characters. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful love story told through multiple POVs and across decades. At times it was slow but the character buildup was needed for the story to come full circle.

I was truly impressed by the author’s writing of an autistic character and I just KNEW she had to be neurodivergent herself to have written with such depth - and yep she is. It was unsettling and eye-opening to read how damaging ABA can be to a person. I have an autistic child and it brought comfort reading from Sophia’s POV and her character growth in recognizing her differences and that she can exist in the world as herself rather than hiding herself away to make other people more comfortable. Sophia’s story is that of hope.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC!

Ally Zetterberg has created loveable,sympathetic characters in The Second Chance Bus Stop. Telling this story from the point of view of both an adult with autism and a single mother with early onset Alzheimer’s, is uniquely human.

How these characters come to connect is both plausible and unconventional. Edith and Sophia both have challenges which are often approached in writings with a distress that leaves little room for hope or humor. But this novel is full of love and strength.

For a full review see Novelsalive.com on after 8/18/2025

We meet two women and many quirky characters in this emotional read.

We meet Edith who has Alzheimer's and whose son is her caregiver. Edith wants to find the love of her life who left her at the bus stop.

Yes, she is at the bus stop every day looking for Sven. She has been waiting a long time and talks to other people as she sits on the bus stop bench. Many people think she’s homeless and do things for her.

We also meet Sophia who owns a flower shop and who is trying to find someone to spend time and her life with, but she has a lot of quirky things. She doesn't like to kiss and doesn’t trust anyone.

She actually meets Edith’s son Blade as he is in Sweden looking for Sven.

These three characters will pull at your heartstrings as you hope for the best for what each is looking for.

Those readers who enjoy Fredrik Backman will enjoy this book.

I do have to say it was a bit confusing, but a good read. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The whole trope of a "different' sort of person who struggles with socialization is one of my favorites. Add in a mystery love fr0m the past of a woman with rapidly developing Alzheimer's and we've got a bit of a mystery. Blade is trying so hard to find Sven, who he finds is the reason his mom waits, daily, at a bus stop. Sven seems to be the "one that got away" so Blade leaves his mother with a trusted friend and heads to Sweden, where he meets Sophia, who is fighting to prove her competence in a family that has judged her to be too damaged to be independent. I could have read 500 more pages. Definitely 5 stars!

This novel was a very deep, emotional read for me. I have an Uncle who suffers with dementia and it is very difficult for me to see him with this condition. This book is hopeful, sad, mysterious, romantic and comes with a dash of sense of humor! It is beautifully written and hard to put down. I loved the diverse characters in the story and how it was written in alternative perspectives. It has multigenerational characters, which kept me engaged. I found that all the characters in the story were lovable and it would be hard for me to pick a favorite one. The author did an excellent job with these characters and the depth that they all came with! This book is about second chances, memory, family, self worth, love and healing. Overall, I give this novel a 4.5, bumping it up to a 5 out of 5 stars rating!

“The Second Chance Bus Stop” centers around a woman named Edith, who is aging and has the early stage of Alzheimer’s. Edith is scared of losing all of her memories and wants closure before her memory completely fades away. She wants to track down Sven, someone that she was going to elope with twenty-seven years ago, but this person never showed up at the bus bench stop with her. Then we have her son, whose name is Blade. Blade is the caretaker of his Mom, Edith. Blade searches for Sven, for many reasons. He wants to help his mother out and wants to connect with his mother on a deeper level. We also have a woman named Sophia, who is a neurodivergent and works at a flower shop. Paths come together and this story takes turns you don’t see coming! This book is emotionally powerful and multi layered! It all came together nicely and it left me feeling satisfied.

I think fans of the author Fredrik Backman would really enjoy reading this book! Content warnings include dementia, emotional grief, neurodivergence and identity issues.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Ally Zetterberg and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on August 19, 2025!

Book review: The Second Chance Bus Stop by Ally Zetterberg.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA and NetGalley for my ARC.

This novel is the kind that sneaks up on you—quietly at first, then all at once. The Second Chance Bus Stop unfolds like memory itself: fragmented, deeply emotional, sometimes funny, sometimes unbearably tender. It’s a story about love lost, love found, and the in-between places where people try to make sense of themselves and each other. Ally Zetterberg has written something quietly extraordinary here, a novel that doesn’t just ask for your attention—it earns it, slowly and deliberately, with characters who feel alive from the first page.

The heart of the story is Edith, a woman in the early stages of Alzheimer’s who knows her mind is slipping but refuses to let go of one final hope: to reconnect with Sven, the man she never stopped loving and the person she was supposed to run away with decades ago. There’s something both devastating and empowering about Edith’s clarity in the face of confusion—she knows what she wants before she forgets what she’s already lost. Sitting each day at a London bus stop, she’s not just waiting for a man—she’s waiting for memory, for time to give her just a little more space.

Her son, Blade, is her reluctant but loyal caregiver, a man whose own life has been hijacked by duty. He resents it, even as he knows he’d do it all again. The depiction of caregiving here is raw and authentic—Zetterberg doesn’t sugarcoat the exhaustion or the emotional toll. Blade isn’t a martyr, and that makes him feel real. When Edith asks him to go to Sweden to find Sven, he doesn’t want to. But he goes anyway, and in that reluctant journey begins a quiet unraveling of his own pain, and ultimately, a rebuilding.

Then there’s Sophia, the autistic florist in Sweden who’s trying to save her late uncle’s shop—and her sense of purpose along with it. Sophia is unlike any character I’ve seen in contemporary fiction. She’s sharp, funny, guarded, and beautifully complex. Zetterberg gives her the space to be whole, not defined solely by her diagnosis. Sophia’s struggles with social cues, sensory overload, and trust are portrayed with unflinching honesty, but so are her strengths—her creativity, her intelligence, and her resilience. She doesn’t need fixing; she needs to be seen. That Zetterberg understands this and writes it so naturally makes the novel feel like a quiet act of defiance against a world that too often demands conformity.

When Blade and Sophia’s lives intersect, the novel shifts into a road trip of sorts—two wounded people navigating the Swedish countryside in a camper van, both searching for something: a person, a future, a place where they might feel whole again. Their relationship unfolds slowly, marked by awkwardness, tension, small kindnesses, and a growing trust that feels earned. There’s romance here, but it’s never rushed, never cliché. It grows the way real connection does—in shared silences, in seeing and being seen, in the willingness to sit beside another person’s pain without trying to erase it.

Meanwhile, back in London, Edith finds unexpected community at the bus stop, where strangers become friends and moments of clarity come as gifts. Her chapters are laced with both humor and grief—one moment she’s witty and sharp, the next confused and scared. It’s heartbreaking and honest. Zetterberg handles Edith’s decline with immense care, allowing her dignity and agency even as the illness encroaches. These scenes never feel manipulative; instead, they’re achingly human.

The structure of the novel—told in alternating perspectives—allows each character’s story to breathe. There’s no rushing here, no artificial drama. The emotional impact comes from the accumulation of small, truthful moments. Zetterberg trusts her readers to sit in the quiet with her characters, and that trust pays off.

What surprised me most about this book was how hopeful it is. Yes, it deals with illness, lost time, and regret, but it also insists on the possibility of joy. Blade learns to forgive himself. Sophia learns to believe that she deserves love exactly as she is. Edith, even in her fading memory, finds peace in connection. There’s grief here, but it’s not the end of the story. There’s always another chapter, another chance.

Ally Zetterberg’s writing has been compared to Fredrik Backman, and the comparison holds. There’s the same emotional intelligence, the same careful pacing, the same ability to make you laugh on one page and cry on the next. But Zetterberg has her own voice—gentle but unflinching, warm but never sentimental. She writes like someone who knows people are complicated and beautiful in equal measure.

The Second Chance Bus Stop is a novel about timing, about the way life never moves exactly as we hope it will, but still offers us unexpected paths forward. It’s about caregiving and neurodivergence, about the power of community, about how even in decline there can be grace. I closed the book feeling not just satisfied, but changed. This one’s going to stay with me.

Tender and wise, Zetterberg's sophomore novel is a triumph, gently peeling apart the layers of grief and joy that make up our lived human experience. With a multigenerational cast, past and present collide in a beautiful and surprising twist that will bring tears even to the most tear-resistant eyes. Perfect for fans of Fredrik Backman.

This novel, for me, is one that I will remember for a very long time. The writing is beautifully created to keep carrying me forward, turning the pages. I fell in love with Edith and her son Blade and also with Sophia right away. They each have a story to tell and the way their stories come together is surprisingly unique and also totally believable.

There is a well-spun mystery here- of Blade trying to find his mother's long-lost love, Sven. But there is also the most touching love story unfolding between Blade and Sophia, a highly functioning autistic woman who owns a flower shop. You have to read this to see what I mean. It is always a beautiful moment for me in a novel when a woman who has always felt wounded and unseen suddenly finds people to understand and really see and listen to her.

I loved reading how this whole story came together from their own points of view. I also enjoyed understanding more about what goes on in the mind and heart of someone struggling with beginning stages of Alzheimer's, and the mind and heart of a woman who is on the autism spectrum.

This is the first book I've read by this author but it won't be my last!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.