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The Bookshop of Second Chances
The Bookshop of Second Chances | Jackie Fraser
Set in a charming little Scottish town, The Bookshop of Second Chances is an uplifting story of fresh starts and new beginnings by a hugely talented debut author. Theas having a bad month. Not only has she been made redundant, shes also discovered her husband of nearly twenty years is sleeping with one of her friends. And hes not sorry hes leaving. Bewildered and lost, Thea doesnt know what to do. But, when she learns the great-uncle she barely knew has died and left her his huge collection of second-hand books and a house in the Scottish Lowlands, she seems to have been offered a second chance. Running away to a little town where no one knows her seems like exactly what Thea needs. But when she meets the aristocratic Maltravers brothers grumpy bookshop owner Edward and his estranged brother Charles, Lord Hollinshaw her new life quickly becomes just as complicated as the life she was running from... An enchanting story of Scottish lords, second-hand books, new beginnings and second chances perfect for fans of Cressida McLaughlin, Veronica Henry, Rachel Lucas and Jenny Colgan.
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mcipher
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It‘s been pouring all morning, so it was a pancakes and cute romance sort of day, but now the sky is clearing so I should start thinking about errands (after a few more chapters, it‘s such a sweet book so far!!)

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OriginalCyn620
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Pickpick

Pretty good! Probably could‘ve been shorter, but an enjoyable second chance at love romance.

#bookspinbingo
#readaway2024
#24in2024

DieAReader 🥳Great 4mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4mo
Jas16 Well done and I really like your photo! The lemons are so vibrant. 4mo
37 likes1 stack add3 comments
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OriginalCyn620
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Started this book today and this quote made me giggle! 🤭

dabbe 😂😂😂 4mo
Leftcoastzen 😂👏 4mo
Ruthiella 😂😂😂 4mo
33 likes3 comments
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booklover3258
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Pickpick

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/fBGqxe6z5uE

Enjoy!

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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

Althea separated from her husband when she found out he was cheating with someone she thought was her friend. She isn‘t sure what turn her life might take, when she gets a letter saying her great uncle has left her his house in his will. So she goes to Scotland to check it out, and discovers a fabulous library of collectable books.

This fit my mood well and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Sietje was reluctant as usual to pose with a book. 🙂📚🐕

Aimeesue Aww, what a sweet pup 🧡 1y
dabbe Good tolerance there, Sietje! 🖤🐾🖤 1y
Gissy 🐶🐾🐾🧡🧡🧡 1y
tpixie Hi! Puppy! 🐶 🐾💛 1y
70 likes4 comments
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yourfavouritemixtape
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Panpan

Why do I keep doing this to myself. I start these kind of books because they have something to do with books/bookshops/libraries and then I keep on rolling my eyes and wanting it to be finished. But I still keep reading. This one left me with a lot of unanswered questions.

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Born.A.Reader
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How delightful! Thank you so much, @Jerdencon 😍❤🎄 its been a bit of a rough holiday so this is just what I needed for Christmas Eve. I didn't even realize they made cookies n creme kisses! 🤩 Thank you again!

#jolabokaflodswap
@MaleficentBookDragon

Jerdencon Enjoy! Hoping that your holidays get brighter! ❤️🎄 2y
27 likes1 comment
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booklover3258
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Opened my #jolabokaflod box! Pleasantly surprised! Thank you so much @Nessavamusic ! @MaleficentBookDragon

Nessavamusic You‘re welcome! Merry Christmas! 2y
41 likes1 comment
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CleverGirl
Pickpick

I forgot to take a photo of this one but I enjoyed it so much, I want to make a note so I can remember to read it again. It was nice to read about a woman in her 40s who isn‘t written like she‘s more or less ancient!

tpixie That was the one thing that surprised me about…. It was written like he was a crotchety old man- like he‘s over 80. But he was only in his 50‘s I loved the book though 2y
CleverGirl Only his 50s and really not even that crotchety 😂 2y
4 likes2 comments
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Scochrane26
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Pickpick

I appreciated this book because the MCs are middle-aged, & they have good banter. Not much sexual tension/angst, which was fine with me in this story, they just progress from friends to more. This is my #doublespin for April.

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Redy2trvl
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Pickpick

This was a super fast read this weekend. I was expecting a Jenny Colgan style cozy (and it is), but this had more grit and sass to it. I give it a very solid 3.5 ⭐️

BookBabe Sounds pleasant! ☺️ 3y
20 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Lauren_reading
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Pickpick

This was a mix of romance and novel about a woman moving on with her life after divorce. The majority of this book was focused on Thea losing her job, finding her husband cheating on her with her friend and getting an inheritance of a home in a cute Scottish town. She gets a job in a book store with a grumpy, but sexy boss. While it sounds cliché it was pretty wonderful.

Lauren_reading The romance was slow burn and felt a bit rushed and lacking in chemistry. I loved both characters on their own and really liked the book, but wished for more feeling between them. 3y
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Elizabeth2
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Pickpick

Thea‘s husband has cheated on her with a friend, and while she‘s reeling from this she inherits a house in Scotland. So what‘s a 40 something woman to do? She escapes to Scotland. At first glance, this book seems like it will be a light romance, but there is so much heart here. There are so many emotions to unpack, and Thea is refreshingly honest for a protagonist in romance novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 ❤️📚

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Elizabeth2
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I am going to do it….I am going to finish a 7th book this month!!! That‘s a record for me! I‘ve been really enjoying this book, and according to my Bookly app, it will take me about another hour and a half to finish.

I was, unexpectedly, very emotional reading it last night. The MC, a middle aged woman whose husband left her, doesn‘t think she‘s deserving of love. By this point in the book, I adore her, and it just broke my heart. ❤️📚

41 likes3 stack adds
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Elizabeth2
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Going to jump into something light in hopes of finishing one more book in January. It will be a record month for me - I‘ve read 6 books so far this month. Previously, my most completed in a month was 5. 😁❤️📚

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monalyisha
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Pickpick

I don‘t know if I‘ve ever been so conflicted about a romance novel before.

I *loved* the setting (Scotland; a bookstore). I *loved* the tone of Fraser‘s voice. I found her funny & easy to read. Her writing & dialogue just flows.

I loved the MC, who‘s forthright, earnest, & scrappy: a reader herself, & an introvert who still recognizes the value of socializing & of friendship (especially given her recent divorce). Passes the Bechdel Test. 👇🏻

monalyisha 1/5: I even liked the love interest, an incorrigible grump rediscovering his capacity for joy. Tall. Curly-haired. Dramatic eyebrows. Acerbically witty. Bibliophile. But…I DIDN‘T WANT TO. 3y
monalyisha 2/5: Because of an embarrassing event from his adolescence, perpetrated by a crush & his brother, he becomes an adult who sleeps with anyone his brother shows interest in: including his wife! He has a “No Girls” policy in terms of staffing his bookstore (definitely illegal, which Thea gives him shit about). He‘s got lovers scattered about the British Isles but no meaningful, romantic relationships in his past or present. 3y
monalyisha 3/5: Though in his late 40‘s, he‘s emotionally juvenile &, if I‘m being honest with myself, maybe even misogynist.

No matter how many times he calls himself an “arse” & admits that he “needed therapy,” no matter how many cups of tea he brings Thea, the care he displays for her, & his heartbreaking shows of vulnerability & playfulness, I don‘t find any of the aforementioned behavior or opinions easy to excuse.
3y
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monalyisha 4/5: Especially given that there‘s no indication that he ever pursued said therapy? Though Thea has more reason than I do to distrust him (her marriage dissolved due to infidelity), she doesn‘t.

I don‘t hate their relationship. I think they work extremely well together! But, despite his many charms (one of which being his lack of charm, & his rejection of an actual title [lordship]), I don‘t think I could ever fully fall for him.
3y
monalyisha 5/5: And honestly, despite the fact that his brother‘s a bit norm-core, I *would* have felt bad for him (had I thought he were given to treating women any better than Edward).

Weirdly, I‘m giving this an enthusiastic “pick.” I know that seems crazy. But it‘s true. 😅🤷‍♀️🙈
3y
monalyisha *TW: pregnancy loss. 3y
Jas16 I read this one as well and had pretty much the exact same reaction but wouldn‘t have been able to express it nearly as well. Great review. (edited) 3y
BarbaraJean YES. I felt the same conflicts about Edward, about their relationship, about my feelings over all of the above. The romance shouldn‘t have worked for me, but it did. I had to file it under willing suspension of disbelief. 3y
peanutnine Great review! I hate when a book is so good and yet so very flawed like this 3y
shanaqui Interesting! The main character sounds so frustrating... 3y
monalyisha @shanaqui The love interest, you mean? He wasn‘t nearly as frustrating as he should have been! It was all so oddly delightful aside from my (quite major) qualms. 😅 3y
monalyisha @Jas16 @BarbaraJean Very validating to hear that it wasn‘t just me! I actually read it for book club; I‘m eager to hear what they all thought! (edited) 3y
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monalyisha
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After a string of devastating luck, Thea inherits a house from a mysterious great uncle. The will reads,

“and to my great-niece Althea…whom I have only met on four occasions, but who each time was intent on reading rather than talking, which has always been my own preference...”

Her response? “Oh bless. Well there you go, Mother, so much for saying no good will come of it.”

Pictured: Tiny little bookworm, Alyisha (with giant hair; thanks, Mom).

monalyisha For someone whose parents were always encouraging her to be more social & “put down the book” at family functions, this feels like such a perfect daydream. 😅 3y
Amiable That is some epic ‘80s hair right there. 😀 3y
monalyisha @Amiable Right?! My mom was a hairdresser & had one of those dome dryers that you pull down like a giant bowl over your head — *at our house.* I think she used it on me daily, before curling…And you should see the BOWS! 😆🎀 3y
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Amiable @monalyisha I wish I had enough hair to floof into a giant do. Mine is so straight and fine that my mother just gave up and insisted on a short pixie cut for most of my childhood. I was mistaken for a boy until I was about 14. Which is when I moved into my perm period, otherwise known as The Decade of Hair Horrors That Shall Not Be Discussed. 😖 3y
monalyisha @Amiable LOVE that decade name (but sorry/empathetic about your fashion faux pas 😂)! 3y
EvieBee Those wings are gorgeous! 3y
marleed So cute! 3y
5feet.of.fury 🤣🤣🤣 3y
62 likes8 comments
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BarbaraJean
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Pickpick

This was delightful and thoroughly enjoyable. Thea, recently separated from her husband, inherits a house in Scotland (along with an impressive book collection). This checks so many boxes for me. Thea is a refreshingly honest heroine, funny and self-deprecating, understandably sad over the breakup of her marriage, but forging ahead into life in a small town. She takes a job in a bookshop (✔️) with a curmudgeonly but handsome proprietor. ⤵️

BarbaraJean ⬆️A slow-burn romance ensues (naturally). There was one big cringe-inducing piece of backstory with the love interest, but it was handled forthrightly (if resolved a bit too simplistically). Total library clickbait checked out on a whim from the New Arrivals shelf, and I don‘t regret it. 3y
54 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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BarbaraJean
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Now that my library has reopened, I‘ve once again succumbed to the “can‘t check out just one” lure. I went in to pick up one book on hold & saw this one on the “New Arrivals” shelf. It has the word bookshop in the title, and the blurb describes a woman who inherits a home in Scotland along with a “hefty antique book collection” —that‘s the library equivalent of clickbait for me. I couldn‘t resist! (Also excited about the Abhorsen short stories...)

51 likes1 stack add
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CindiB
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Pickpick

This was terrific. Without a job, her husband now living with her friend, Thea is at their former house packing when she is given a letter advising of a Scottish inheritance. What evolves is a lovely village and newfound home, a job in a bookstore, and a new love. Thea is a hilarious warm-hearted person. Not only do I want to be her when I grow up, I want to be her now! Entertaining, lovely and easy summer read I thoroughly enjoyed. 5/5

mcctrish I INHALED this book!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ 4y
CindiB @mcctrish I know. Thea is a great character. I looked for more of Jackie Fraser‘s book and was surprised to learn this is her debut novel. 4y
mcctrish Me too!!! I was prepared to do a massive book order 4y
55 likes6 stack adds3 comments
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BookishMarginalia
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#CurrentlyListening

UPDATE: This was very enjoyable! Bookstore setting, witty banter, happy ending. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 A great #beachread!

72 likes5 stack adds
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mcctrish
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Pickpick

I inhaled this book! A rainy Saturday and vaccine fatigue = reading this book basically in one go. Delightful sweary banter set in Scotland in a bookshop! All my favourite things ❤️ please make it a movie 🙏🏻

Soubhiville @Eyelit I think you probably have the same symptoms 🤣 4y
mcctrish @Soubhiville @Eyelit this is the pandemic we need 4y
52 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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mcctrish
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Started this yesterday ( raining Saturday seems made for reading all day) and I read half of it. Love it. Makes me think of Jenny Colgan

49 likes3 stack adds
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Well-ReadNeck
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Mehso-so

Eh. Woman/ man romance. The man has some Darcy-like qualities. Cute but not amazing. Good narration on #audiobook

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ReadingEnvy
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Mehso-so

A few years ago, I read Shaun Bythell‘s THE DIARY OF A BOOKSELLER , and it's impossible not to think of that while reading this book, because Edward, the cranky bookseller from a posh family, seems to be pretty close to Shaun's self depiction. Add on the protagonist Thea who has been left a home (and a lot of used books) by her great-uncle ...↘️

ReadingEnvy ...and her own recently ended marriage of 20 years, and you have a slow burn story about two people who slowly rotate around each other. I felt it was overly long, and had to laugh when in the acknowledgments, the author thanks one of her writing group friends for telling her to "get to the point." Still it will be catnip for many readers - small Scottish towns, booksellers, older narrator (mid 40s) etc. 4y
ReadingEnvy But I can highly recommend 4y
37 likes2 comments
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Bookish_Gal
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Pickpick

This book had me in the first part, lost me for the middle, but brought me back in the end. It is nice to read a book about a middle aged woman being an adult. Even after her horrible first few weeks. Language can be crude, but in a nice direct way. It‘s refreshing to read adults being adults. Actually TALKING to each other. Although I wish the romance was drawn out longer, thou the chapters said how the year went by

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Bookish_Gal
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I‘m pretty sure I know where this is going, and I‘m not really there for it. Like, Thea is not even divorced yet and here she is getting over that affair to feeling conflicted about Edward. He‘s so brash and harsh. I do love the premise a “grumpy exterior but soft interior” kind of person. But this seems so pushed and rushed here in the middle of the book

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NaomiR
Pickpick

I really appreciated a really fun romance about a woman in her mid 40s - gives me a bit of hope! I loved how Thea, the main character had just given up on censoring herself and became her true self

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Bookish_Gal
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The Random House Book Club is having a virtual happy hour with the book author next Tuesday, May 25 6pm, so I got a load of reading to do
I like the premise of this book being that Thea is having everything bad happening to her when she finds out she‘s inherited a bookshop from a distant uncle. One that she goes to to relax, whereas she confronts someone about buying her uncles collection. So does she stick with this seemingly good second chance?

Erinsuereads Also check out this one. It's got a similar plot. A great book! 4y
7 likes1 stack add1 comment
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TorieStorieS
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Pickpick

Though a bit drawn out, this is a pleasant and rather sweetly predictable romance. After twenty years of marriage, Thea learns of her husband‘s infidelity and a timely unexplained inheritance allows her to make a fresh start in Scotland. Soon, she is working in the town bookshop for the town grump- but it‘s not long before she manages to soften his gruff exterior. With older protagonists, this is a refreshing read and a nice lighthearted escape!

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robinb
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Pickpick

Thea, at 40+, married for two decades, finds her world upended by a separation from her husband. She moves to Scotland to take possession of a lodge bequeathed to her by a great-uncle. She begins a job in a local bookshop with a grumpy boss named Edward, and the two gradually become friends.
This is a story about learning to trust again and not just in love. There‘s also an estranged sibling arc, a look at betrayal from two different viewpoints 🔻

robinb and a good supporting cast.
I had a couple of issues that bothered me: Thea was a bit of a doormat at times; and right in the middle of the story as things were going along nicely, one of the characters reveals a disturbing and out-of-the-blue flaw.
Still, overall a good story with the ends tied up happily. 4/5⭐️
4y
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Pageturner1
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Pickpick

#TheBookshopofSecondChances #NetGalley

Has anyone read anything else from this author?

monalyisha A little late to respond & you probably know this by now but…it was her debut novel! 3y
31 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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bluestocking.book.nerd
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Just signed up for #GroupL of the #LMPBC to read LGBTQ+ titles! Woot!! Who's with me? @suvata @Shakespearience

bibliobard 😁 4y
EliNeedsMoreShelves Just signed up - excited about #GroupL 4y
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Preciouz29
Pickpick

Just lovely. I adored that the protagonist was in her 40s and they were all middle aged and that was normal. It‘s seems so dark to read something where everyone is my age and normal things are happening and they‘re getting on with life. Just a lovely, gentle read.