After taking a break from reading while I moved, I found Villa of Second chances delightful. I only was sad that I was not a part of these friend’s lives. Although fiction I imagine some parts are realistic fiction. If you are over 50 you can relate to a few things in this story. I thoroughly enjoyed.

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. I have read several novels from this author now and I can’t seem to recreate the excitement of the first couple of reads. Maybe I haven’t connected with the Riviera setting, as the most recent books are part of this location however, I am a bit disappointed that I can’t find that immersive read from the “early days” of my Bohnet reading.

In this story, sisters Rebecca and Delphine are reaching the end of their time running Villa Sesame. Delphine wants to go travelling, leaving Rebecca in a whirlwind of doubt about what the future holds. Their next big event at Villa Sesame is a wedding and we meet all the different characters that are attending. There’s not too many but I did find it overwhelming in the beginning as I tried to identify all the different people and their backgrounds. Readers are mostly on the visitors from England and their past. From a widower to an estranged family guest, the wedding of Freya and Marcus does not promise to be plain sailing, despite the beautiful location.

As the novel progressed, I grew less interested in the characters. For me, the plot development felt too obvious and I did not feel connected to the characters and their dilemmas. I wonder if this is because the book felt a bit similar to previous reads from Bohnet, perhaps explaining why the story fell flat with me. Also, as there were so many characters and they were a bit older than me, I could not relate to this crossroads moment in their lives. Everything was wrapped up neatly at the end, which was quite satisfying, but perhaps lacked a bit of “bite”.

I liked the premise of being taken to a Riviera hotel but I think I was expecting younger characters and a lobby full of character episodes, rather than just focusing on the one wedding. The descriptions of the setting were lovely to feel transported away to sunnier climes. The estranged family member seemed the most interesting of characters but it was a shame they did not feature more and were more troublesome: all the tension seemed to diffuse too quickly for my liking.

Despite hating this word, I cannot help but use it…. this was a “nice” read from Bohnet. It was an easy bit of escapism fiction but I think I need to find a new location if I am reading any future books from this author.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I'm sure I requested this one because it takes place in the French Riviera and sometimes that bites me in the butt because I don't like the book as much as I think I will...but this time I loved it as much as I thought I would. There were quite a few main characters in this book...and most were much older than the characters in the books I usually read...but it allowed me to have more in common with them at the same time. They all have their own stories within the main story and I loved getting to know everything about them. And, of course, there were some twists and turns...but that keeps a reader interested, in my opinion. And I loved getting to spend a little time in this amazing location :) It had me looking many things up to see if they were real places...

I am really enjoying this series of novels by this author - they are always a light and fun read. Perfect holiday material in my opinion.

A happy, enjoyable book set in the beautiful South of France. Just what I needed to read at a time when the weather was horrid. An easy read, and I look forward to reading more of Jennifer's books.

Lovely feel good book to read. Set in an idyllic beautiful location. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming sweet and easy to read. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

An escapist tale set on the French Riviera. I really enjoyed this book, beautiful locations expertly described. A great storyline with many twists and turns. Family drama at its best !
Highly recommend this book, perfect holiday reading
Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Jennifer Bohnet for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

This story did not work for me. I found it to be boring. I never felt a connection with the characters. I did like the idea of having an Aunt in France who owns a beautiful bed and breakfast.

A gorgeous setting and an abundance of secrets. Jennifer Bohnet swept me away to the French Riviera in this stunning tale. Carla has recently lost her mother and now she finds out her husband is cheating on her. Needing a getaway Carla remembers a letter she found in her mother’s belongings addressed to her mom’s estranged twin sister Josette. Josette has always been a bit of a mystery to Carla, she never knew what caused the rift between her mother and her sister. So Carla packs her bags and heads to France to clear her head and get to know her French side of the family. What she finds in France is a lovely aunt, a gorgeous villa, and a lot of secrets. Julia Franklin did a wonderful job of pulling me into the story with her vivid narration of the audiobook. She did a wonderful job with giving the perfect voice and accent to each of these colorful characters. And there were quite a few accents English, French, American. My only teeny tiny complaint is occasionally especially with the male French accent I had a harder time understanding, but that’s probably just my American ear. I loved the warm sunshiny feel of this story. The Villa, the food, the sun, the wine, the romance... and of course the secrets. The overall vibe of the story was quite heartwarming although there were some definite moments of heartbreak. I was pretty impressed with how Carla handled everything being thrown at her. She was a great character, and I love that she along with the majority of the characters in the story were over the age of 50. A Beautifully told French escape.

DNFed a little way into part II (around 30%). Nothing really fun or exciting or even enticing has really happened yet and I'm kind of losing interest.
It was just taking way to long for me to get to the fun, escapism part of the book and that really why I picked up this book in the first place. I think I'm a bit too young for this book and was getting a bit bogged down by the "I've lived life and just need a break" aspect of the story. To me the cover read a lot more fun (or even young and fun) so even though I knew going in the book centered around someone retiring, I thought we would get to the enjoyable part of the book much faster. Additionally the summary gave me the impression this book would focus on taking chances and doing the things you always wanted to do but never had the time for. Maybe it gets there eventually, but I was starting to get pretty board of everything in the way of that.
I think this story could be really enjoyable and feel good, but I wasn't really the right demographic.
Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for an Arc of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Blurb :
Run by sisters Rebecca and Delphine, Villa Sesame is a popular venue for small intimate weddings on the sparkling French Riviera. Beautiful terraces and a horizon pool overlook the Mediterranean, a setting where dreams come true.
When recently widowed Delphine unexpectedly announces her desire to retire and live a different life, Rebecca feels her own life could be slipping into free fall.
How can she possibly carry on with the business without her sister at her side?
Could this be the beginning of the end for Villa Sésame and Rebecca’s life as she knows it?
As the guests gather for the June wedding of Freya and Marcus, Freya’s two childhood friends bring their own problems to the villa and cousin Verity has her own agenda.
But it's the arrival of a certain guest who throws Rebecca’s whole world into turmoil and she finds herself asking the question, where do I go from here?

My Thoughts :
We meet sisters, Delphine and Rebecca. Currently running Villa Sesame, a small wedding venue in the south of France.
When Delphine announces she thinks its time to retire and enjoy whats left of her life and do some travelling, Rebecca is left unsure if what to do and where her life will now be heading, can she run the villa alone or will she also have to think of giving it all up?!.
Marcus and Freya are due to get married at the villa and when family and friends start to turn up at the villa, we soon see that there are some stories to be told. Some of the guests having a connection and its time for some second chances to be had, some some secrets to come out and a few surprises to be thrown in.
I love that this story was based on characters that were of a mature age, there is only a couple of Authors I know that do that and its always refreshing to read.
Another delightful read from Jennifer Bohnet, she always seems to captivate the surroundings and the French Riviera was no different. It sounded like such a beautiful location that the Author just brings it to life. A lovely escapism read about friendship, love, loss and of course second chances.

This isn't the best book I've ever read, it would be a great holiday read but pretty predictable and a little messy with the amount of characters.

This is a slightly different book in this genre. The average age of all the characters is slightly higher than the cover might signify. This does not mean that it changes much of the ‘feel’ of the book.

There are two separate sets of characters in the story; one consists of a pair of sisters who run a villa as a wedding destination on the French Riviera, and the other is a trio of friends who have a long history. The first pair are confronting change of the monumental kind. One of the sisters wants to retire from the business, and having been a team for a long time, the possibility of doing it alone is daunting to the other.

The trio of friends is at a crossroads in life. They each are making a life-altering decision. This book is about how they help or hinder each other and how they come to terms with the things they have to do. This is a very simple, straightforward story, and the ‘twists’ were things I saw coming. I liked the author’s narration. Although the characters’ voices are different enough to sound like individuals, there seem to be too many of them. They all receive an arc and have their story wrapped up by the end of the book. This made it hard for me to be emotionally invested in any one person, and it is a task to appreciate everyone’s tale simultaneously. The emotions run deep, and all the women take some significant decisions. I read this quite quickly and enjoyed it. It is not light and fluffy, which is something readers of this genre should be aware of before going in. I would read another by the author.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This author always writes book that leaves me smiling, nice uplifting stories of love, family and second chances. This book is no exception, I would love to visit Villa Sesame, it sounds like a lovely place. The only downside for me in this book was that there seemed to be too many characters at some points; I had a hard time following along for the first few chapters but really enjoyed the book overall.

I look forward to many more books from this author.

This is an author that I have not read before, however she is now only list as one to watch. Thus is a book to read to escape everyday life and emmerse yourself in the sun!

Jennifer Bohnet is back with a deliciously escapist tale set on the French Riviera that is so addictive readers will not want to put down: The Villa of Second Chances.

Sisters Delphine and Rebecca run the Villa Sesame, a picturesque venue for small intimate weddings overlooking the Mediterranean where every couple’s dream comes true. The two sisters run a tight ship and their track record speaks for itself, but changes are coming to Villa Sesame when Delphine, who has just been widowed, drops a bombshell: she wants to retire. Rebecca is completely blindsided by this and finds herself wondering what her own future will hold without her sister by her side. Is this the end for Villa Sesame? Or could there be further shocks and surprises round the corner?

With the guests gathering for the June wedding of Freya and Marcus, Rebecca needs to put all her fear and trepidation about her future behind her and focus on the happy couple. However, these nuptials will not be without their problems with two of the bride’s childhood friends bringing their own baggage and problems and cousin Verity arriving intent on wreaking maximum havoc. Rebecca has got enough to cope with, but when a guest arrives and throws her life into further turmoil, she wonders where she will go next? Is Rebecca’s future at Villa Sesame? Or will she end up finding happiness further afield?

Jennifer Bohnet’s Villa of Second Chances is an engaging and emotional sun-soaked family drama that explores sisterhood, the ties that bind, life’s unexpected surprises and the complexities of relationship. With characters that jump off the pages and packed with romance, pathos, wit and warmth, Jennifer Bohnet’s enchanting Villa of Second Chances is a fabulous page-turner perfect for curling up with on a cold and dreary afternoon.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This is the first book I have read by this author although I enjoy the contemporary womens' fiction genre that Jennifer's stories fall into. The setting is lovely and the descriptions of the area are appealing. The stories were set around women in their fifties (befitting the 'second chance description) and it was good to read about people approaching retirement with plans to make the most of their time. The plot was mostly realistic, if predictable in parts, and it was good to read a few pages at the end tying up everyone's stories.
This is a pleasant read, very suitable for holiday / beach reading.

The setting....the culture....the plot and love for the characters....my goodness, this is an absolutely escapist and transporting reading experience at its finest. I expect nothing less from Jennifer Bohnet, because her stories always seem to be just what I need when I am lucky enough to get to read them. Thank you, Netgalley, by the way! The life experiences everyone is going through, the challenges they face...everything in this story feels so familiar and so relatable that I believe it will be something that many who are in all different places and walks of life can relate to and will find endearing. I know this will be a hit in my Library and I cannot wait to share it! Highly recommend!

I'm always thrilled when I see Jennifer Bohnet has published a new book. She's one of my favorite authors! I love the way she weaves international locations and different cultures and cuisines in her romance stories. Handsome men with swoon-worthy accents in exotic locations? What's not to love?

She doesn't disappoint with this newest book, which takes place us to the sunny French Riviera, where we meet Rebecca and Delphine, two sisters who run Villa Sesame, a small luxury hotel and wedding/event destination. (Her description of this hotel, with its terraces overlooking the Mediterranean, makes me want to hop on a plane and see is such a villa really does exist!)

The business is going well, but Delphine, who is grieving over the loss of her husband, yearns to get out and explore the world because she realizes life is too short. This worries Rebecca -- how will she handle the hotel alone, without her gourmet chef sister and best friend?

That's one storyline. But there is a second storyline, revolving around Marcus and Freya, a couple who will hold their wedding at the Villa during the summer.. They have their own challenges and problems to overcome. One of those problems is Verity, Freya's cousin, and her childhood fight with Freya's best friend. Since both will be attending the wedding, Freya is worried that her special day will be ruined if Verity doesn't behave.

This is a slow building story, but I think it's necessary so the reader sees and understand the complex relationships between some of the characters in the book. It's also a bit complicated, keeping multiple storylines straight. I remember thinking "did Bohnet really need to include all these backstories on less important characters?" But hang in there, because it's worth it as you near the 75% point, when you are surprised to see some delightful coincidences between the guests and the Villa owners. I don't think those coincidences would have been as surprising if you didn't know the separate backstories.

If you've dreamed of spending time in a beautiful hotel overlooking the Mediterranean, and perhaps meeting the love of your life there, I recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for a fair review.

I loved the opportunity to visit this lovely selection of characters, with the story set against the gorgeous backdrop of the French Riviera. We meet Rebecca & Delphine head towards a change in their paths after Delphine was suddenly widowed, whilst they are also preparing for the second wedding for Freya and Marcus.

I am a massive fan of books by this wonderful author as they are always set in a warm and sunny location and always contain that wonderful feel good factor to make you smile even on the most miserable days. The villa that they have hired for the wedding sounds amazing and as soon as the words swimming pool were uttered, I could just imagine cocktails around the pool.

This story is about second chance for everyone whether that be in love or just reconnecting family ties, I love the insight we gain into each personal story as we spend time with everyone. A truly gorgeous story based around the wonderful love story of Freya and Marcus, another highly recommended read.