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A review by kateyoutka
The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
I read this and Sarah Adler's newest, Happy Medium, back-to-back, and now I'm on a magical realism romance high.
Sadie has had the worst year of her life. When she meets a fortune teller at an over-the-top party on New Year's Eve, she wishes to relive it again to make different decisions....right before she drunkenly kisses her brother's best friend Jacob at midnight, which leaves her reeling. When she wakes up on New Year's Day and discovers that fortune teller wasn't a fraud, and she actually *has* been transported back in time a year, she pledges to do everything differently. She won't yell at her boyfriend's coworker for being a sexist jerk, so her boyfriend won't break up with her. She won't tell off her abusive boss, so she won't get fired and lose her beloved apartment. But the fact that she's reliving her last year means that kiss at midnight didn't actually happen, and she's thinking about it more than she's comfortable with.
Throughout Sadie's second chance year, she resists her impulse to be all the things that got her dumped and fired -- loud, opinionated, impulsive -- and slowly realizes that just because the horrible things that happened to her last year aren't happening this year, she somehow doesn't feel any better. Meanwhile, she's lost a bit of herself along the way, and she keeps running into Jacob, who has no idea about the kiss that is haunting Sadie (because for him, it never happened).
Melissa Wiesner's written a book that is both romantic and heartwarming, but is also an extremely insightful read at the beginning of a new year. It gives the reader a lot to think about -- if you could relive a year of your life, would you? And if you did things differently -- would you actually be better off?
Sadie has had the worst year of her life. When she meets a fortune teller at an over-the-top party on New Year's Eve, she wishes to relive it again to make different decisions....right before she drunkenly kisses her brother's best friend Jacob at midnight, which leaves her reeling. When she wakes up on New Year's Day and discovers that fortune teller wasn't a fraud, and she actually *has* been transported back in time a year, she pledges to do everything differently. She won't yell at her boyfriend's coworker for being a sexist jerk, so her boyfriend won't break up with her. She won't tell off her abusive boss, so she won't get fired and lose her beloved apartment. But the fact that she's reliving her last year means that kiss at midnight didn't actually happen, and she's thinking about it more than she's comfortable with.
Throughout Sadie's second chance year, she resists her impulse to be all the things that got her dumped and fired -- loud, opinionated, impulsive -- and slowly realizes that just because the horrible things that happened to her last year aren't happening this year, she somehow doesn't feel any better. Meanwhile, she's lost a bit of herself along the way, and she keeps running into Jacob, who has no idea about the kiss that is haunting Sadie (because for him, it never happened).
Melissa Wiesner's written a book that is both romantic and heartwarming, but is also an extremely insightful read at the beginning of a new year. It gives the reader a lot to think about -- if you could relive a year of your life, would you? And if you did things differently -- would you actually be better off?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual assault