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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
To be honest, when I saw that Jenny Bayliss had a new book out, I didn’t even read the summary before picking it up. Yes, I loved Bayliss’ previous novel The Twelve Dates of Christmas THAT much. And while her new novel A Season for Second Chances will definitely appeal to a certain crowd, it won’t be those who fell in love with The Twelve Dates. This is a good book if you do not go into it expecting it to have a similar vibe and character set as The Twelve Dates, which I unfortunately did.
A Season for Second Chances is about a 40-something year old woman, Annie, who packs up her life after learning that her husband has cheated on her again for the umpteenth time, and moves to a seaside town where she becomes involved in caring for an elderly woman’s home and business.
I will be the first to admit that I have never read one of the many books that follows this same plot line - a scorned woman moving to the coast to reset her life - but like I previously mentioned, I picked this book up on Jenny Bayliss’ name only. While this plot isn’t my usual cup of tea, I found myself liking it okay.
As always, Bayliss does a wonderful job of bring the town of Willow Bay to life. Much like she did in The Twelve Dates of Christmas, Bayliss’ setting and characters are rich and vibrant. You won’t have trouble picturing this location or its residents in your head. Bayliss invites you into the comfort and coziness of Willow Bay and makes you feel right at home.
While much of this novel is about a middle-aged woman finding and redefining herself after a toxic relationship, and will very much appeal to those going through similar circumstances, there is a plot line about falling in love again. The romance in this novel wasn’t my favorite thing because it felt rather stilted, and I much preferred the storylines involving the town, Annie’s new friends, and her burgeoning seaside business.
Lastly, many readers will go into this novel assuming it is a Christmas story based upon the cover and Bayliss’ debut novel; however, if you are reading this book because you want a festive tale set around the holidays, know that you will not find that here. A Season for Second Chances takes place from September-December, and Christmas only plays a tiny role at the end of the novel.
A Season for Second Chances will most appeal to women who are themselves experiencing a second chance at life. Anyone who has ever dreamed of moving away and starting over will find much to love in this book.
A Season for Second Chances is about a 40-something year old woman, Annie, who packs up her life after learning that her husband has cheated on her again for the umpteenth time, and moves to a seaside town where she becomes involved in caring for an elderly woman’s home and business.
I will be the first to admit that I have never read one of the many books that follows this same plot line - a scorned woman moving to the coast to reset her life - but like I previously mentioned, I picked this book up on Jenny Bayliss’ name only. While this plot isn’t my usual cup of tea, I found myself liking it okay.
As always, Bayliss does a wonderful job of bring the town of Willow Bay to life. Much like she did in The Twelve Dates of Christmas, Bayliss’ setting and characters are rich and vibrant. You won’t have trouble picturing this location or its residents in your head. Bayliss invites you into the comfort and coziness of Willow Bay and makes you feel right at home.
While much of this novel is about a middle-aged woman finding and redefining herself after a toxic relationship, and will very much appeal to those going through similar circumstances, there is a plot line about falling in love again. The romance in this novel wasn’t my favorite thing because it felt rather stilted, and I much preferred the storylines involving the town, Annie’s new friends, and her burgeoning seaside business.
Lastly, many readers will go into this novel assuming it is a Christmas story based upon the cover and Bayliss’ debut novel; however, if you are reading this book because you want a festive tale set around the holidays, know that you will not find that here. A Season for Second Chances takes place from September-December, and Christmas only plays a tiny role at the end of the novel.
A Season for Second Chances will most appeal to women who are themselves experiencing a second chance at life. Anyone who has ever dreamed of moving away and starting over will find much to love in this book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Love the small town feel, especially with it being on the coast. Wish I could curl up in it.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Predictable, but vivid with a fun and diverse cast of characters. Great narration on the audiobook too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A tender story of an older coming-of-age with a romantic subplot to read during Christmastime — I loved the audiobook!
cw: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts
cw: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Unfortunately this book was not as good as her first one for me. I kind of forced myself to finish the book and the last 100-150 pages were much better for me than the first 300. Parts of the story felt really rushed while others seemed to drag on unnecessarily. It overall wasn’t a bad book by any means but definitely not one that will draw me back in unfortunately.
Also this is definitely more of a fall/winter book than a Christmas book. And more of a midlife crisis/ discovery of self than a romance. (The romance was definitely an aspect that felt unnecessarily rushed to me).
Also this is definitely more of a fall/winter book than a Christmas book. And more of a midlife crisis/ discovery of self than a romance. (The romance was definitely an aspect that felt unnecessarily rushed to me).