TW: a dog dies, loss of spouse/ parent, the grief from those losses, alcoholism.

3.75 stars! I thought this was a cute, second-chance-at-romance-and-life kind of story.

Ages played a lot into this story. The main character's ages were mentioned quite frequently. Banks is 50, Claire is 40, Smith is 30, Mona is 21, etc. It was a big aspect of the storyline so I get it. Other themes at the forefront of this story: loss, grief, growth. I enjoyed the character progression of Claire. She went from a closed-off, self-proclaimed spinster to someone that can trust and open herself to being cared for by others.

I definitely went back and forth on who I wanted Claire to choose, as we get deeper into the story we are exposed to more of each character's traits and it becomes clear who Claire should choose, and who just isn't meant to be for her. I feel like the story was wrapped up nicely.

would recommend if you like:
-age gap/ reverse age gap
-characters undergo a LOT of growth in the story
-healing from loss of spouse/ parent
-clean romance, no spice (sad face, lol)

The Second Time Around is a deeply touching story about love, grief and second chances. This romantic story is told from the POV of Claire, Banks and Smith. Claire, a widow and empty-nester, is hired to be a nanny to Tommy, a five-year-old who instantly tugs on Claire's heartstrings. Banks Sexton is Tommy's father. He recently lost his wife and is trying to navigate through his tremendous grief. Banks also has a 30-year-old son named Smith, who is eager to settle down and have a family of his own. Upon meeting Claire, Banks and Smith each develop feelings for her. As the story progresses, Claire becomes close to the Sexton family and begins to wonder if she should give love a second chance.

I became very attached to the characters and really wanted all of them to find their “happily ever after.” Beesley excelled at writing in such a way that lets the reader get to know and empathize with all of the characters. She also creates vivid, artistic descriptions throughout the story. Beesley’s writing evoked so many emotions. I laughed during several scenes, and I cried during several scenes. Here are some possible trigger warnings that I want to mention: infertility, alcoholism, verbal/emotional abuse. If you love the slow-burn, love triangle and age-gap tropes, you will absolutely love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Mary Beesley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Expected Publication: 31 October 2023

I absolutely loved the beauty of this novel. From the moment Claire and Tommy met, my heart just melted. Claire's budding relationships with Smith and Banks were secondary to the caring relationship she had with Tommy. I adored their trips to the beach (but hellooooo Smith dripping wet with no shirt on!), their Halloween outing and even cooking Helen's dishes together.

Even though Claire is supposed to be attracted to both her employer, 10 years ago, and his son, 10 years younger, it's clear who the front runner is. As the chemistry was building, so did my interest. A beautiful story full of love, resilience and moving on from those who have left you behind.

The protagonist, Claire Kehoe, is portrayed with depth and authenticity. At forty years old, Claire carries the weight of her failed marriage and the scars of her husband's abusive alcoholism. With her artistic passion gone and her heart protected, she embarks on a fresh start by becoming a babysister for the wealthy family.With its sweet narrative, this book will resonate with readers who appreciate stories of personal growth. Overall, I liked this readind.
#thesecondtimearound, #MaryBeesley, #netgalley

The Second Time Around by Mary Beesley was such a beautiful book! Claire’s character just had me completely in awe. What a woman! She deserved the second chance at the life she’s always wanted and I enjoyed reading her journey to get there. Mary Beesley has earned a new reader in me with her amazing writing and I can’t wait to see what she will come up with next!


I received this book free from NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.

I received this ARC for my honest review.
A cute 2nd chance romance based around love, healing of oneself. This is a slow burn, that is beautifully done and gives you a deep insight to everything that the characters are feeling and going through. There were moments where I laughed, and smiled.

Claire deserves the world, and more. She's stronger then she realised and she definitely deserves a second chance at love. She was an amazing character and was described wonderfully. I can't fault her or anything she did. Beesley definitely done her character justice and have such a descriptive insight of her mind and feelings.

The fact you actually feel yourself routing for Claire and hoping she finds all the happiness she deserves is truly a credit to Beesley. It was such a beautiful, lighthearted and amazing read.

An interesting yet soapy love story about a widow in a change of life seasons who gets caught between father and son. Who can own her heart or does her heart need to beat on its own?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

The book is about a older middle age woman that lost her husband and their kids grow up and move out. She becomes lonely. A friend sets her up with a babysitting job because other than being lonely, she also needs money. She babysits a little boy, but the father and older brother fall in love with her. She only falls in love with one . I would recommend this book to people who enjoys romance. I also love how the characters are split up into it's own chapters, it's very easy to keep track of each character. All and all loved the book :)

Thought I found this book a little predictable I did enjoy the love triangle and found it to be a rather fun, fast paced read.

I had a tough time with this age-gap story. Writing was done very well, and the author was very appropriate and respectful with the deaths of the significant others. I cannot pinpoint what I didn't love about it, which is not remarkably helpful.

A premise like this one sounded risky but Beesley doesn’t treat it like a Lifetime movie and delves into the emotions of those involved in the complicated love triangle. I appreciated the way Claire’s former marriage was handled and how she is still emotionally recovering. Banks was a bit less sympathetic of a character but as a man newly grieving he is allowed some grace. None of the emotions were rushed and no decision was made to seem easy. I would have liked emotional impact in the ending. Claire’s kids, especially Mona, must have had feelings and I thought it was all hastily resolved. All in all a book up I really enjoyed and an author I would like to read more from
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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Second Time Around is a beautiful story about a second chance at love. Claire is a 40 year-old widow, a mom of 3 and a grandma to 1 cute little baby. A friend pushes her to accept a nannying job to help occupy her time now that she's a young empty nester. When she arrives at the interview, she's met with two handsome men - Banks, a 50 year-old widower and father of the young boy she'll nanny, and Smith, his 30 year-old son.

The reader is led to believe this will be a love triangle. Both Banks and Smith are instantly smitten with her, and there are chapters from each of their points of view discussing how they're falling for Claire. It was great seeing into the minds of these men and watching them each struggle with their own insecurities and problems. Banks is worried he's moving on too soon since his wife has only bee gone 4 months. Smith is worried Claire will see him as too young even though he's a successful man in his own right.

Claire, however, has an obvious preference of the men. She really only gives one of them a chance, and this initially irked me. Both men were presented as viable options in the beginning, but one slowly declined. He was described less favorably physically and mentally after being described as the opposite initially. It was a little jarring, but the second man and his love for Claire made up for it.

By the end of the book, I was truly happy for Claire and who she ended up with. You could FEEL the love and mutual attraction for each other!

Thank you, Mary Beesley and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked this book! Though there was never any doubt who Claire would end up with, I enjoyed the journey. It’s not long, so there isn’t time for a super deep relationship to form between Claire and her chosen one, but it was still sweet. I found myself eager to resume the book throughout the day, reading a chapter here and a chapter there until I finished. This is a well written book with several wonderful characters and a lovely closed door romance.

Ooof. What a great book about grief and growth. I fell in love with the characters and loved the dynamic between them. Some of the writing felt a bit slow at some points, but I would definitely recommend this one for my drama and romance lovers. I finished this one feeling lots of hope for Claire!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I thought this book was ok. I did like some of the characters and it had a cute plot. I liked that it was a women in her 40s. I can relate to that much better. Thought the ending was decent.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC. This is my first read from this author. I thought the plot of this book was very scandalous and I was very eager to read it. I gravitate towards gut-wrenching romance stories and though this did not give me that, I most definitely enjoyed this. I found myself smiling at times. It's hard for me to find romance comedies funny but this one made me laugh out loud without trying. My favorite part about this book are the "inner thoughts" of the characters. They were hilarious and very relatable. I think this is a very solid read! I would definitely recommend!

Thank you for giving me the chance to preview your book. I appreciate it and it was a very good story and hope to read more in the future.

Before anything, I would like to thank you for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this was a beautiful book with a lot to reflect on. It had its flaws and could use some improvement, but was pleasant and interesting to read.

The romance was healthy and nice. I started the book wanting Claire to choose the other male love interest because to me that would've been perfect but after her opinion was settled I accepted her choice and the book ended up teaching me a lesson.

The fact that she chose the not "ideal" relationship only made for a more interesting dynamic and made room for more drama. The drama itself didn't really happen the way I expected but it still made for some funny moments that had me almost screaming. Turns out the other love interest was at a different point in his life and didn't really want Claire or worked well with her, he liked the idea of being with her instead. The actual couple was a great fit for each other, with personalities that worked well together and similar interests in life.

**Positives**
This book had me seeing abstract painting in a whole new light. I'm not too into it and was never able to understand how someone could make a living off of it, since it is just paint randomly sitting on a canvas. But I guess that's the whole point of it, you have to be talented enough to make it stand out and captivate the viewer without screaming the truth with clear pictures. It's difficult to convey emotions through colors and shapes. Or maybe it's not that deep and I just enjoyed seeing it through a different perspective. Either way, it was fun.

I like that the female main character is a 40 year old widow, mother of three, and grandmother. I also love how appropriate the romance ages are, even with the gaps. It's a breath of fresh air. It was quite interesting as well to see in practice how society tends to think it's natural a relationship between a woman 10 years younger than a male love interest but has a way harder time picturing the possibility of a 10 years younger man instead.

Claire and Tommy's relationship was adorable and really helped shine her nurturing, fun, and kind personality.

Banks grief for Helen and his journey towards accepting and dealing with it was great to read about. I wish it had been even more flashed out if possible because it had me almost crying at some points.

**Negatives**
In the beginning of the book, I didn't like the "everything's different now" vibes. Claire wants to be better for this kid she just met than she was for her own kids. Also the two men want her from the get-go as if she was this special precious thing unlike any other. But it does get better as the book goes on.

I had access to an uncorrected proof, so it might be changed for the final published version, but I wish the layout for text messages was more defined, making it easier to read and understand where the narration ended and started again. It was a little messy.

I didn't like that the younger man is described as sexy and beautiful while the older man is described as someone who let go of himself a little bit and doesn't look as fresh. It wouldn't hurt to make him fit and just as attractive.

I wish both of the love interests had had their chance with the girl. To me, love triangles like this are a thousand times more satisfying when the person in the center has a small crush on both people and slowly discovers who they truly want.

As much as the trip to Hawaii helped pushing the plot forward, I don't like abrupt changes of scenery in a book unless it has a direct explanation by the plot, is cohesive, and has more meaning to the story.

I think the ending could have been a little longer, to make time for a little family drama. Everyone seemed to be to understanding of the romance way too quickly, when I feel like there would've realistic been some reluctance by the other male love interest and by Claire's oldest daughter Mona. However, I have to admit that the short confrontations worked well with the time that they were given.

It is safe to say that this book was entirely different than I expected after reading the blurb. This is a solid story about a woman learning to open herself back up after finding herself single and now also empty nesting. While I enjoyed the story (and especially Smith), it is an understatement that Banks got on my nerves for almost the entire book. I am not sure if this was the intent, as the blurb led me to believe we would possibly be torn between both leading men, but that was very much not the case for me. Banks in particular was impossible to root for and I found myself not even wanting to read the chapters in his POV. His portion aside, I really enjoyed reading Claire and Smith’s journeys and enjoyed that we were given insight behind multiple perspectives and not just that of the main character.

This was an interesting book where at the start I genuinely wondered which way it would go. It did become clearer as the book progressed so the ending wasn’t a total shock but that’s the way it should be. It was almost as if we shared Claire’s journey, it it was done in a way you didn’t feel it was laboured, an enjoyable summer read,