Second Time Around

There's a lot of soul-searching and decision making between five long-time best friends who have made a pact to get together once a year on July 4th ever since college. Their ten year reunion was celebrated at Arden's vacation home...(a successful attorney) where they got caught up in a deep discussion on the subject, "What if?" Arden dies within the following year and leaves each friend a boatload of money to rediscover themselves with and explore that question, "What if?" I love this one, not only because it's an exciting, humorous, meaningful peek into these women's interesting lives but the camaraderie, the heart-felt quests, the chance to start over and follow the DREAM, and the opportunity to realize what is truly important in life.....A wonderful lesson in life that can't be touched on too often!! Another book with a similar lesson and a beautiful, meaningful non-put-downable book that I could read over and over again is EXPLOSION IN PARIS...I LOVE "What if" books!

Second Time Around is female bonding at its best. Five women, friends since college, get together for a mini-reunion once a year. One dies, leaving a million dollars to be split between the rest. The catch? They need to use the money to follow their dreams. Each woman has a job she doesn't love. Each has a seemingly impossible dream. The money gives those dreams a chance. While changing their careers, the women are forces to deal with personal problems ranging from guilt over accepting their dead friend's money, infertility, poor choices in love and one is haunted by a secret she has kept for over a decade. Second Time Around is full of fun and sorrow, potential and regret, hope and fear. It really makes the reader question what they would change in their lives if given $250,000. Imagine the possibilities. The enduring friendship of the four women left mourning their friend is inspirational, a wonderful example of what friendship between women should be. Beth Kendrick has written a book that does what all books should do. She put ideas in my head. She made me consider my life. She gave me something to think about. The message that life is too short to waste time on things you don't love is an important one and it couldn't have been written more beautifully. Second Time Around is chick-lit that focuses on the whole of a woman, not just her romantic life. I would love to see more books of this nature and highly recommend Second Time Around to any woman willing to reexamine where her life is headed. Funny, entertaining and meaningful - Second Time Around hits the trifecta.

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.

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!).