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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Catherine is organized, punctual, and follows the rules. Luca is the complete opposite, presenting as more carefree and spontaneous. Catherine finds him frustrating, yet finds herself wishing she could take a break from her own life sometimes. She’s completely stressed starting her new job in just a few weeks, being met with impossible deadlines already, When her identity vanishes into thin air, Luca is the first to jump in and help. Catherine needs all the help she can get to prove she’s a real, registered person in order to keep her new job. Luca’s brainstorming and determination work their own magic to bring Luca and Catherine closer together.
Melissa has done it again! I was so excited to see another magical realism plot, with Second Chance Year being in my top 5 of 2023. I loved the premise of this book, LOVED Luca (and his family), and loved all the lovely tenants in the apartment building. Catherine had her moments I struggled with, but she turned it all around in the end! I appreciate when the conflict with the MCs doesn’t drag out either. I enjoyed all the shenanigans they got into to help her find her identity again. This was a perfect start to my October reading.
Melissa has done it again! I was so excited to see another magical realism plot, with Second Chance Year being in my top 5 of 2023. I loved the premise of this book, LOVED Luca (and his family), and loved all the lovely tenants in the apartment building. Catherine had her moments I struggled with, but she turned it all around in the end! I appreciate when the conflict with the MCs doesn’t drag out either. I enjoyed all the shenanigans they got into to help her find her identity again. This was a perfect start to my October reading.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Actual Rating: 2.75, rounded up.
Read this for book club. Man, being in two book clubs is really forcing me to read out of my comfort zone, and I do really appreciate it. I am so sad I didn't like this one: even as a non-traditional romance reader. Melissa Wiesner seems to sweet, but I just couldn't connect with this book.
I really struggled to connect to the characters in this one. They felt very one dimensional to me: Catherine is a Type A professor, her dad is a literal clown, and Luca is your stereotypical Italians-are-most-likely-in-the-mafia-but-also-a-golden-retriever.
I found a lot of inconsistencies in the reality of the situation. I get that it's fiction, but as someone who wants to be a professor, I found Catherine's whole situation unbelievable. My suspension of disbelief was simply not good enough for this novel. Also, what the heck was up with theghost at the end? We are dealing with literal reality for 98% of the novel and than ooooo grandpa ghost is the one who really did this whole thing .
Read this for book club. Man, being in two book clubs is really forcing me to read out of my comfort zone, and I do really appreciate it. I am so sad I didn't like this one: even as a non-traditional romance reader. Melissa Wiesner seems to sweet, but I just couldn't connect with this book.
I really struggled to connect to the characters in this one. They felt very one dimensional to me: Catherine is a Type A professor, her dad is a literal clown, and Luca is your stereotypical Italians-are-most-likely-in-the-mafia-but-also-a-golden-retriever.
I found a lot of inconsistencies in the reality of the situation. I get that it's fiction, but as someone who wants to be a professor, I found Catherine's whole situation unbelievable. My suspension of disbelief was simply not good enough for this novel. Also, what the heck was up with the
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
An opposites attract contemporary romance and a wish that goes wrong.
When Catherine Lipton gets the math professor job offer of her dreams only to discover her identity has somehow been erased, she teams up with her fun-loving tattooed doorman to try and recover it.
For me, one of the biggest challenges facing a realistic story with a magical element is making that magic feel like it’s woven into the fabric of the story and not put in as a useful plot device. I didn’t feel like there was a great balance here between the magical and the mundane. (I can’t say much more about that without being spoilery!)
While I enjoyed the opposites-attract romantic pairing, I found myself wishing I knew more about Luca earlier on in the novel. Some of the resolution relied too heavily on holding information back about him and that came at the expense of my connection to him as a multi-dimensional character.
When Catherine Lipton gets the math professor job offer of her dreams only to discover her identity has somehow been erased, she teams up with her fun-loving tattooed doorman to try and recover it.
For me, one of the biggest challenges facing a realistic story with a magical element is making that magic feel like it’s woven into the fabric of the story and not put in as a useful plot device. I didn’t feel like there was a great balance here between the magical and the mundane. (I can’t say much more about that without being spoilery!)
While I enjoyed the opposites-attract romantic pairing, I found myself wishing I knew more about Luca earlier on in the novel. Some of the resolution relied too heavily on holding information back about him and that came at the expense of my connection to him as a multi-dimensional character.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was compelling, especially the characters, but riddled with errors about how academic careers work, and I didn’t like the last sentence. Would work best if approached as Pittsburgh based The Godfather fanfic.
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:
No