Isn't It Romantic?

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Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner
Published by Forever on December 5, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction

Goodreads

In this unforgettable story full of charm, wit—and just a bit of magic—a woman down on her luck is given a second chance at fixing her life and trying one year all over again. Perfect for readers of Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle.

Sadie Thatcher’s life has fallen apart in spectacular fashion. In one fell swoop, she managed to lose her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend—all thanks to her big mouth. So when a fortune teller offers her one wish, Sadie jumps at the chance to redo her awful year. Deep down, she doesn’t believe magic will fix her life, but taking a leap of faith, Sadie makes her wish, opens her eyes, and . . . nothing has changed . And then, in perhaps her dumbest move yet, she kisses her brother’s best friend, Jacob.

When Sadie wakes up the next morning, she’s in her former apartment with her former boyfriend, and her former boss is expecting her at work. Checking the date, she realizes it's January 1 . . . of last year . As Sadie navigates her second-chance year, she begins to see the red flags she missed in her relationship and in her career. Plus, she keeps running into Jacob, and she can’t stop thinking about their kiss . . . the one he has no idea ever happened. Suddenly, Sadie begins to wonder if her only mistake was wishing for a second chance.

Sadie was having a very-bad-horrible-terrible year. She lost her job, her boyfriend, her home - she was utterly adrift. Wallowing away on her brother's best friend's couch, she believed she had no one but her and her big mouth to blame. If only she had a second chance, she would do things differently.

I am sure you have already predicted that Sadie did get her second chance to relive that terrible year. With a wish and touch of magic, she found herself back at the beginning of where she believed it all went wrong.

There were lots of wonderful and fun moments to enjoy in this book, and also some that had my heart hurting for Sadie as she sucked it up and lost a lot of herself in the process. The beauty of this spin on a time-loop was the way Sadie saw things from her past with a new perspective. I liked how she realized that things were not that perfect and her actions weren't always wrong.

She was often admonished for having a sense of justice and acting on it by those close to her (boyfriend, parents). This time around she was going to hold her tongue, but this caused Sadie to lose some important parts of herself and some important people, too. Wiesner tackled sexism in a way that did not weigh down this delightful rom-com as well. It was thoughtful, but never too heavy.

Overall, this was a great use of a time-loop which allowed Sadie to grow tremendously. Her personal journey was made even better with a wonderful found family and a sweet romance that I was wholly onboard with. Though things seemed tough for Sadie, I never lost hope that the universe would make sure all went as it should.

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Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
Published by Berkley on November 14, 2023
Age/Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Goodreads

Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she's pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival—until he tries to get her fired.

Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark Edgeware can’t allow a self-proclaimed “curse breaker” to threaten his last chance for redemption. After he fails to get Riley kicked off his survey site, he vows to avoid her. Unfortunately for him, she vows to get even.

Riley expects the curse to do her dirty work by driving Clark away, but instead, they keep finding themselves in close proximity. Too close. Turns out, the only thing they do better than fight is fool around. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins.

I knew from the beginning of this book that it was going to be a hit for me. There were so many things so "right" about this enemies-to-lovers story, and below are the top reasons I enjoyed this book.

• I adored this couple, together and individually. Both Riley and Clark popped off the page for me. They had great personalities, and I instantly wanted to know them better. I also felt the need to root for them as they tried to prove/redeem themselves. It warmed my heart to see their flirty-banter take a softer turn as they bonded over their personal quests. These two were red hot together, but they also got into some situations that were hilarious and over the top. I loved it!
• The setting was such a great perk too. Being in the Scottish highlands was a treat. Danan gave me a taste of Scotland, and it was a perfect place for the curse breaking to take place with its rich history and legends to leverage.
• The curse breaking was really interesting. I was intrigued by Riley's family history and the methodology of curse breaking. It was like watching a mystery unfold, as Riley and Clark uncovered artifacts, hidden messages, and history in their quest to break the curse. I really found this to be a special part of the story.

Overall, I had the best time working with Riley and Clark as they attempted to break the curse on Arden Castle. Danan brought the heat, humor, and heart with this tale, and I found myself delighted as I devoured it.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

Have you ever wanted a second chance year?
Let us know in the comments!