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favouritepages's review against another edition
3.0
Five First Chances is a Groundhog Day esk story. This was a different take on the Groundhog Day theme though, its starts with a chance encounter and resets every two years when an extremely painful event happens for our main character. This seems to trigger the do over.
In Five First Chances, the main character isn't aware that she is getting a do over at first. Instead, she has this overwhelming sense of deja vu. Not knowing she is getting these do overs means she can't consciously make different choices, but unconsciously, she seems to sense where she needs to do things differently. This actually makes her a stronger person, without even really realizing it's happening to her. She starts out as this really awkward person that just lets life happen to her, to becoming someone who takes charge and makes life happen. But at some point, when she does realize what is happening, she tries to force things, which only makes things worse, but finally helps her to achieve some clarity in order to get out of her loop.
What I really liked about the story - I liked that it was a very different take on the Groundhog Day type theme. I think the ending came together really nicely. It ended the way it should, even if it was incredibly bittersweet.
What I struggled with - I found it could be a bit confusing because we were following over a couple of years each do over. It was hard to keep track of what had been significant to that day in the last do over. A major challenge with a Groundhog Day type theme is the repetitiveness of the story, which affects the pacing. I think if this story had been just a bit shorter, it would have helped it move along at a better pace and could have avoided some of that repetitiveness.
The ending of this story was just so well written that overall, I ended up coming away with a good feeling about the book.
In Five First Chances, the main character isn't aware that she is getting a do over at first. Instead, she has this overwhelming sense of deja vu. Not knowing she is getting these do overs means she can't consciously make different choices, but unconsciously, she seems to sense where she needs to do things differently. This actually makes her a stronger person, without even really realizing it's happening to her. She starts out as this really awkward person that just lets life happen to her, to becoming someone who takes charge and makes life happen. But at some point, when she does realize what is happening, she tries to force things, which only makes things worse, but finally helps her to achieve some clarity in order to get out of her loop.
What I really liked about the story - I liked that it was a very different take on the Groundhog Day type theme. I think the ending came together really nicely. It ended the way it should, even if it was incredibly bittersweet.
What I struggled with - I found it could be a bit confusing because we were following over a couple of years each do over. It was hard to keep track of what had been significant to that day in the last do over. A major challenge with a Groundhog Day type theme is the repetitiveness of the story, which affects the pacing. I think if this story had been just a bit shorter, it would have helped it move along at a better pace and could have avoided some of that repetitiveness.
The ending of this story was just so well written that overall, I ended up coming away with a good feeling about the book.
lizsauce's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ddub99's review against another edition
Didn’t catch my attention. Not drawn to the characters.
timetotalkbeauty's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, and Cancer
kbrimull's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
markdcross5's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
chaosreader88's review against another edition
5.0
If I could give this book a ten stared rating I would.
rachelbrandwin's review against another edition
4.0
I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
With a comparison to In Five Years I should have slightly known what I was in for. But there is a major difference between both of those books in my opinion, I actually enjoyed this one and didn't get mad at the plot. The one thing I got so mad about In Five Years was that it was sold as a romance but was not one in the slightest. This book definitely has a romance in it and they are fantastic together and utterly heartbreaking.
I did happen to like this book a lot but it took me a little while to get into it. I was a very confused at the beginning and felt the need to go back and see if I missed something and felt the need to go back and check to see how much time had passed between chapters. Overall, this book was very good but if reading books involving cancer is something you want to avoid then then skip over this book.
With a comparison to In Five Years I should have slightly known what I was in for. But there is a major difference between both of those books in my opinion, I actually enjoyed this one and didn't get mad at the plot. The one thing I got so mad about In Five Years was that it was sold as a romance but was not one in the slightest. This book definitely has a romance in it and they are fantastic together and utterly heartbreaking.
I did happen to like this book a lot but it took me a little while to get into it. I was a very confused at the beginning and felt the need to go back and see if I missed something and felt the need to go back and check to see how much time had passed between chapters. Overall, this book was very good but if reading books involving cancer is something you want to avoid then then skip over this book.