Second Time Around: A Novel [Paperback]

Beth Kendrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2010

Every summer, four college friends hold a mini-reunion. They laugh, reminisce, and commiserate about their soul-sucking jobs. Maybe they should have listened to everyone who warned them to study something “practical.”

Then an unexpected windfall arrives—one million dollars, to be exact—with the stipulation that they use it to jump-start their new careers. Almost overnight, a professor, a bartender, a copywriter, and an administrative assistant reinvent themselves as a novelist, an event planner, a pastry chef, and a bed-and-breakfast owner. But the changes in their professional roles create unexpected turbulence in their personal lives, and soon the secrets and scandals from their past start to resurface.

For anyone who has ever wondered “What if?,” this engaging novel provides a sweet, funny look at friendship, romance, and second chances. 
 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kendrick (The Pre-Nup) revisits the notion of doing it all over again in her buoyant if uneven sixth novel. Best friends since college, Jamie, Arden, Brooke, Caitlin, and Anna get together for their 10th annual Fourth of July girls' weekend at Arden's vacation home to discuss what they should have done differently—except Arden, who is a successful lawyer. Two months later, Arden dies and leaves $1 million for her friends to divide amongst themselves, with the stipulation that they use the money to pursue their dreams. Brooke buys the ramshackle ex-dormitory they shared as college students, intent on turning it into a bed-and-breakfast, and the ladies move in to assist with the renovation and assess their own desires. As the women embark on their new enterprises, each discovers that Arden's gift has led them into situations they hadn't expected. Although some situations feel tacked-on or phoned-in, Kendrick is an undeniably practiced hand at depicting female bonds, and her insight eases this tale of wish-fulfillment to a gratifying and not entirely predictable conclusion. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Five women formed lifelong friendships as lit majors at a small university in upstate New York. Now ten years after graduation, one of the quintet has died and left her friends an inheritance to pursue their true dreams. Brooke buys Henley House, the quaint off-campus dorm where they lived, to convert it to a bed and breakfast. Soon she’s joined by Jamie, who leaves L.A. to try her hand as a small-town event planner; Anna, who escapes marital and fertility issues to bake; and Cait, on hiatus from a dead-end professorship to write her novel. Even as each woman faces challenges from faulty wiring to encounters with ex-lovers to sabotaging townies, this homecoming helps put in perspective what matters most. Kendrick, author of The Pre-Nup (2008), detours from the chick-lit formula to present a touching and humorous look at love, loss, and literature. --Aleksandra Walker

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Original edition (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385342241
• ISBN-13: 978-0385342247
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write fun, lively women's fiction as Beth Kendrick and a series for teens under the name Beth Killian.

To find out more about me and the books, please visit my websites:
www.bethkendrick.com
www.bethkillian.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, April 1, 2010

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Second Time Around: A Novel (Paperback)

Many of you have heard me talk about Beth Kendrick being my favorite chick lit author. I will literally trip over myself trying to get to Kendrick's novels - so this tells you how much I have enjoyed her work.
In my mind, Kendrick has written, in the past, great chick lit - so I had huge culture shock when I started reading Second Time Around - because it is NOT chick lit, at least not in the true way! - this book is a contemporary women's fiction novel and this posed a huge challenge to me - as I always wonder "what is the point of these types of stories as they never seem to have a point to me).
So, with this in mind, I opened the book and found an interesting premise - 5 BFF have been together since college and meet up once a year to talk about their lives. This year, they are once again together, but something is terribly wrong and this will affect the girls for the rest of their lives (don't want to give it away!).
As the novel progresses, we find the main characters confronted with the past and the choices they made - where they the right ones? Lots of discussions, tears and second thoughts as the girls try to figure out the meaning of life and where they fit it. They are simply trying to be happy! and Kendrick has found a clever and entertaining way of showing us the progression (and at times, the backward steps) that each woman goes through.
There is a lot of soul searching here and it is a great novel if you want to sit back and reflect on your own choices in life.

The writing is top notch as always - Kendrick always writes her stories beautifully and her characters are always deliciously fleshed out - buttttttttt I miss the chick lit aspect of her writing. While there is humor in Second Time Around, it is extremely toned down (considering the subject matter) and I miss the corny stuff that usually can happen in chick lit novels.
I am rating this book a 4 star because Kendrick is that good that she can keep me engaged - even in contemporary fiction (no mean feat let me tell you), but I am sad - I see Kendrick going to the "dark side" (in MY opinion) and leaving her "chick lit" roots behind (sigh!).
If you like a good contemporary fiction story, then you need to read Second Time Around. If you are looking for her chick lit stuff, try the NearlyWeds (you will see what I mean!).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging read about female friends, March 31, 2010

By 

Bearette24 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Second Time Around: A Novel (Paperback)

This is a feel-good novel about a group of friends from college who are stuck in the wrong careers. One of them dies (though her death is not dwelt upon), and leaves an inheritance for each remaining friend to pursue her dreams. Although it may sound hokey, Kendrick keeps things light with humor and minor catastrophes. I liked seeing where the girls' new paths took them.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second Time Around, April 3, 2010

By 

Samantha J "Chick Lit Plus" (Des Moines, IA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Second Time Around: A Novel (Paperback)

Ten years after graduating from Leighton College in New York, five friends hold a reunion, where they reminisce on old times. All former English majors, the women wonder what would have become of their lives if they had chosen a different major and profession. A professor, a bartender, a copyright, and an administrative assistant all get that second chance when the fifth member of the group passes away, leaving her four friends $1,000,000 to reinvent themselves.

Now, a novelist, an event planner, a pastry chef, and a bed and breakfast owner are finding the answers to their "what if" questions. They are finally following their dreams and desires, and are doing it together back in the town of their college. Finding their true callings amidst career struggles and love battles, the four friends grow closer to one another while honoring their friend's spirit and life along the way.

Second Time Around by Beth Kendrick is a heart-felt story on the value of friendship and finding a way to follow your heart. Each woman's story was interesting and colorful, and the way each character could tie in with one another was excellent. A unique subplot involving the deceased friend kept the mystery up throughout the novel, and the ending will make all readers satisfied.