Book Review: The Second Chance | Charlotte Butterfield

A charming and funny novel about letting go of fear and making the most opportunities life gives us. Charlotte Butterfield’s novel, The Second Chance will give you the warm and fuzzies. Follow along as a woman named Nell discovers that the date she thought she was going to die ended with her very much alive and very much in hot water…

What is The Second Chance about?

After a psychic predicted her death date twenty years ago, she’s lived life accepting she would never see forty – embracing adventure and travelling the world, choosing fun over commitment and laying down roots.

So, when the fateful date comes, Nell feels ready. She posts five excruciatingly honest confessions to her sister, parents and past loves, knowing she won’t be around to face the consequences. With her heart laid bare, all that’s left to do is check into a glamorous hotel and wait for the inevitable… And wait…

But when Nell unexpectedly wakes up the next morning broke, single and very much alive, she questions exactly how to seize this second chance at life. And then it also hits. What on earth happens now that everyone knows exactly how she really feels?

Hilarious, poignant and emotional, The Second Chance is the perfect book club read for fans of Holly Smale, David Nicholls and Beth O’Leary, asking what it is that makes for a life well lived.

What did I think?

This is the type of book that will have a smile on your face until the very final page. It’s a well-constructed book, and despite some woefully misguided actions on behalf of leading lady Nell at the beginning, this is a heartwarming story about it never being too late to create a life you want.

The book starts off with a woman named Nell selling her bed to a stranger named Tom. He asks why and she tells him that she’s going to die in six days. This is only one of the many things Nell sells off—she sells her couch, gives away her clothes, closes all of her social media and emails, and gets rid of her phone. She rents a ball gown and goes to an expensive hotel to wait for death.

Why exactly does Nell believe she is going to die? It traces back to a psychic she and her friends saw 18 years earlier. The psychic predicted the day each of them would die. Nell’s boyfriend told them to shake it off, but that’s easy for him to say when he’s projected to live to 100. When one of the four dies on the very day predicted, Nell feels her fate is set in stone, and she spends the rest of her time on earth not truly committing to anything.

Unfortunately, the day of Nell’s death doesn’t go as planned. The gown she rented to die in is quite itchy. She didn’t have many options for her last meal and she ordered vegetarian quesadillas and instantly regretted it. And then of course, she doesn’t die. When she wakes up the day after her death day, she’s very much alive and very much unable to pay her $6,000 bill. Fortunately she runs into her ex Greg in the hallways and he helps her out and lets her stay at his place. And that’s when Nell realizes something else she did… She wrote a letter to several people in her life spilling her deepest secrets to them. Now she must rush to correct what she put in those letters!

The characters and their relationships make the book. I won’t go into every single one, but you won’t be able to resist them getting into your heart. Nell herself is kind of a mess. She’s so convinced of her death that she ruins her own life, and now is scrambling to correct everything. One thing I loved about Nell was that rather than shutting herself in an getting depressed over her pending death or on how she wrecked her life, she immediately realizes that this may be a mess to clean up, but it’s also her second chance to build a life she actually loves.

Nell’s mother, father, and sister Polly all received letters. I won’t spoil what their letters contained, but Nell definitely had some explaining and groveling to do. It turns out she hasn’t been the best daughter or sister for some time. Nell always pulled away so they wouldn’t be too hurt when she dies before her time. Nell’s family is imperfect and lovely. This was actually my favorite aspect to the book.

Nell also gets herself into a bit of a love triangle as both Tom (the comedian who bought her bed and had sex with her in it) and Greg (her ex-boyfriend) receive letters and also have a potential role in her life. The love triangle wasn’t overengineered. It almost didn’t feel like a love triangle because it was more about Nell’s individual relationship with each, and nothing to do with how Tom or Greg felt about the other.

There’s another delightful character that makes her way into Nell’s life named Juno. I won’t spoil who Juno is or what role she plays, but I’ll say she’s a delight. She’s Nell’s counterpart in many ways, and the only person who can outmatch Nell’s quirky and humorous approach to life.

Unexpectedly funny, heartfelt, and captivating. This is a lovely book that is full of characters who will charm you!

Thank you to Avon Books and Random Things Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own.