An emotional story. This one is great if you are ready to shed a few tears. It's an exploration of humanity in the best way.

Grab it if you are ready for all the feels.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
A warm, comforting story about grief, healing, and the unexpected magic of book clubs. Stephanie Butland writes with empathy and grace, building a world of richly drawn characters and second chances. A quiet joy of a book for anyone who’s ever found solace in fiction—and the people who read it with them.

I picked up this book on NetGalley in the spur of the moment, mostly because of the title, but also because I wanted something lighter to read. I wasn’t familiar with the author or her work, so I had no comparison. It was mostly just a gut feeling that I might like it. Thankfully, I wasn’t wrong.

The Second Chance Book Club tells the story of two women – September’s in the present and Lucia’s in the 1970s/80s. They couldn’t be more different, and yet, blood ties them together. Lucia has a privileged life, and a happy one, although it’s not without losses and heartaches as she has to deal with her family’s prejudices, their selfishness, and the fact they care more about themselves and what people think of them than about each other. But she never gives up looking for her niece and grandniece after she loses touch with September’s mother, April.

September, on the other hand, grows up in a middle-class family who aren’t particularly rich but who give her everything she needs. As an adult, she is an orphan, she is stuck in a relationship that doesn’t make her happy and she struggles to keep up with debts. Until one day everything changes and her life turns upside down.

The Second Chance Book Club brings up interesting questions, such as, what happens when you finally find yourself in a position where you don’t have to worry about anymore? How do you cope with that? How does it change you, as a person? And whether money is what makes you happy, after all. I liked the found family theme of the book (I’m a sucker for that trope) and how September comes to terms with her past and with herself, although I’m not entirely sure I liked her much. I found myself more invested in Lucia’s life, and how she fights against conventions and becomes a pillar in her community through her book clubs. I particularly liked her idea of keeping journals about daily kindnesses given by and to her. We all need a little bit more kindness, and if we look closely enough, we might find it too around us.

This is, well, not particularly a slow-paced book, but not a lot of things happen in it. The focus is more on the interpersonal relationships, and on the main characters, which could be boring to some. Butland’s writing kept me invested, although it has to be said, that she has very simple and very readable prose. The Second Chance Book Club is more of a slice-of-life kind of book if I have to put a label on it. It has a small, diverse cast of characters, of whom I would have liked to learn a bit more if I’m being honest, as they didn’t take up a lot of space, except maybe one of them, but I’m not going to spoil it. And even though I liked reading this book, I don’t think it’s going to leave a lasting memory in my head. It was nice, and it did deal with heavy topics such as racism, adoption, family fall-outs, toxic relationships, but even so, I didn’t connect with it on an emotional level as much as I would have liked.

The Second Chance Book Club could be a good choice if you want a cozy, quiet reading weekend with a book that won’t require much effort. Sometimes, the light, fluffy books are the ones we need, after all.

Oh my goodness, this was the most uplifting, beautiful, heartwarming story and another favourite for 2025! I will definitely have to buy myself a physical copy for my shelves and for many friends as well!

This book was originally called ‘The Book of Kindness’ which is also a perfect title and so fitting. This book felt like a great big hug. I adored it!!

There were so many things I loved about this story. It covers so many real life situations but written in a way that makes you reflect, really feel, and admire what life has to offer.

I don’t want to give away anything, but September’s life really does shift for the better, and in doing so she meets some amazing new friends, finds out more about her family and her past. At times I was deeply sad, when I think about what could have been for her life. But I was also overjoyed in other aspects of her life.

My favourite character was Lucia. What a life she endured and what a wonderful woman. I’ve always said kindness costs you nothing, so reading all about the kind things that happen, really warmed my heart.

This book had all my favourite things in it, books, libraries, kindness, gardening, new friendships, a bookclub and helping people out. I think we should all notice kindness more each day, what we do and what we receive, it’s really quite special and beautiful.

I could go on and on about this book, but you just need to read it, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Many thanks Headline and NetGalley!

After a few 'heavy' books this quite light novel about the power or books, family secrets and unexpected wealth was a nice read. I can't say that it will stay with me for long but it was a diverting read.
There were a few editing errors in the book (speeches attributed to the wrong person for example) and I hope these were picked up before publication.

I dont know what to say about this book except that I loved it and it is going to stay with me a long time. I felt so much love and hurt radiating through the pages of this one, especially being adopted myself. I would like to see more from some of these characters in the future :)

Inheriting a house is one thing. But inheriting a book club which goes with it??

And it's not the only surprise in store...

So wonderful :)

In this book, we follow September, who is struggling to make ends meet until she inherits a house from a great-aunt she never know. In a series of flashback chapters intertwined with September's story, we find out more about her great-aunt Lucia and the choices she made.

The title of this novel was originally The Book of Kindness (it has now been changed to The Second Chance Book Club), which I actually think was a more fitting title. September discovers her great-aunt's books of kindness (a series of notebooks in which she wrote down the kindnesses she did and the kindnesses she received), and this inspires her to take control of her own life. This is also a book about books, as September hosts the titular book club and also reads through books she discovers in Lucia's house.

This was a lovely read that encouraged me to pay more attention to the kindnesses in my world. I found September to be a compelling character and enjoyed reading about her interactions with the people around her.

A recommended read for fans of Stephanie Butland, Sara Nisha Adam's Reading List, and heart-warming books about second chances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

September Blythe is living a very difficult life money wise. Working all the hours she can in a supermarket with nothing to show for it. September lives with her long time boyfriend Shaun.
September receives a letter from a solicitor. Have they got the correct person?

A very heartfelt book which was a pleasure to read, even though there were some very sensitive issues covered.
I very much enjoyed reading this book which moved in chapters between past and present.
I loved Lucia and William in the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e- book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

I have read all of Stephanie Butland’s books and loved them all, although I confess that Lost For Words is a particular favourite. Having read this new book, The Second Chance Book Club, I think I’d now be hard pushed to choose between the two.

As always, Stephanie Butland has created some wonderful characters who I just took to heart. We first meet September as a babe in arms, the arms of her very loving mother April. We next meet her as an adult struggling to make ends meet and know that she has been adopted. Unexpected contact from a lawyer completely changes September’s life as she finds herself the beneficiary of a substantial amount of money and a rambling house in Harrogate. What a complete change of life for September and one that was hard for her to take in. She didn’t just have to deal with sudden wealth but also with finding out about the family she never knew she had. As she said at one point in the book, she felt rather like the second Mrs de Winter in Rebecca: in a big house, on her own and not really knowing what was going on. My heart really went out to her.

The other main character is Lucia, the great-aunt who left the legacy for September. We find out Lucia’s story – and therefore about September’s younger days – in a strand of the book set in the past. I loved reading her back story and her romance, which didn’t work out as she’d hoped, was so touching. The birthday gifts she bought and kept for September even though she didn’t have contact with her were just perfect. I had a lump in my throat reading the messages she wrote each year for her beloved niece.

This book was originally going to be called The Book of Kindness, named after a kind of journal Lucia kept. She recorded kindnesses shown to her each day and kindnesses she showed to others. It made me smile to spot a mention of a woman who had a greyhound called Harris as I happen to know the author’s dog is called Harris! Through these journals, September got to know a bit more about her aunt and her family and I so wished the two could have met again. September also decides to keep a ‘book of kindness’ to notice the small things which are so important in life. It’s perhaps something we all should do to encourage us to show kindness and to notice when we receive it.

I also adored reading about the various members of Lucia’s book club, a book club for what people perhaps unkindly called Lucia’s waifs and strays. The book club continued to meet in Lucia’s house and September carries on the tradition. Through getting to know them, September found out so much about herself. I have to mention a soft spot for William the gardener – you’ll know why when you read the book. Books are so important in this book whether gifts or the books the book club discuss. Like Lost for Words, I felt that this book is a real love letter to reading and the power of books to teach us about ourselves and the world.

I can’t tell you how much I loved The Second Chance Book Club and I urge everyone to read it. It’s uplifting and touching, beautifully written and quite probably will be my book of the year.

This had the potential to be a good book but firstly the MFC is not really likeable and secondly I enjoy a long chapter but I was 13% in and the chapter was still going! It was far too descriptive and not in the way that helps to build up the plot. I ended up dnfing cause I just cba reading her pages and pages of description.

I think it says it all about how long it took me to get round to reading this arc, as it’s called The Book of Kindness in my kindle app but, this has now been changed to The Second Chance Book Club. And do I regret taking that long to read it, yes, I totally do! Stephanie Butland delivers a total hug in a book that I loved.

If you follow my reviews or look at my read list, you’ll clearly see that my primary reading genre is fantasy and sci fi but, I really enjoy changing this up and even though it took me far too long to get to this book, I feel that I read it at totally the right time for me. My life is going through some serious change right now and it’s hard, I could totally empathise with September Blythe’s exhaustion, physically, financially and mentally, she is totally drained. No matter how many hours she works at the supermarket, she’s constantly juggling bills and has nothing left for life…until one day she receives an official letter that totally changes her life.

September is such a lovely character and I think just about everyone will be able to empathise with her situation, juggling bills, debt collectors and stuck in a relationship with a boyfriend, who is so laid back that he’s practically comatose. And not in a good way! Abandoned and then adopted as a baby, September lives with that constant feeling of abandonment, which is worsened by the loss of her adoptive parents and is now faced with a life altering change then discovers that her boyfriend has also betrayed and deceived her.

This final discovery leads September to make some huge changes in her life, including moving into her late Aunt L’s home in Harrogate and explore the options her new life has opened up for her. Of course this isn’t an easy journey but, told from both September and her late Aunt Lucia’s (current and past,) perspectives this story opens up September’s life in totally unexpected ways. Aunt L lived her life following a mantra of kindness, both given and received and from her journals, and from these and the members of her Aunt’s book club, September discovers so much more about her past and the ghosts that haunt her.

I absolutely loved this book, it was such a great, engaging, kind and sensitive read that I could feel it soothing my battered soul. There’s only one character, I disliked and totally for good reason, and there’s Figgy – absolutely adorable! I was totally divided by the end of the book, why? Because I was so sad that I’d finished this amazing hug of a book but, so happy for September and the book club members. This book totally reinforced my faith in the possibilities that the world can open up to us all and the importance of kindness to others and to yourself.

Thank you so much Headline and NetGalley for the arc of The Second Chance Book Club by Stephanie Butland in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Such a wonderful warm hearted book that I could not put down. A vast array of brilliant characters along with a truly touching storyline. I totally recommend this book for a bit of escapism.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

The Book of Kindness or The Second Chance Book Club is the story of September who is adopted but one day gets a solicitor letter notifying her that her great aunt Lucia has left her a big house and money in her will. September leaves her boyfriend Shaun who had stolen from her and moves into the house. She used to be poor and work in a supermarket so suddenly not having money worries anymore is difficult to get used to, as is that she had a great aunt who she never knew about.

She also learns that Lucia had established a book club every three weeks, and it is still going, hosted by cleaner Erin. It's a very diverse group of people, all with some traumas in the past, including William, Lucia's first love. September decides to keep the book club going and get back into reading herself.

In flashbacks we learn Lucia's story who was in love with a black man, Billy, but her parents and awful sister Mariah didn't approve. Lucia loved Mariah's daughter April, and when April got pregnant by a married man, she supported her when September got born. So what happened that lead to September being left in a hospital waiting room and no family to claim her?

What irritated me was that September never finds out Lucia's story that we get to know in the second timeline. All Lucia has written down in her notebooks are acts of kindness, both by her and given to her. When September tries to replicate this, it comes across as self-congratulatory nonsense, like "I tipped the waiter £10".

But through the book club September finds a community and a purpose to her life. She realises that while money is nice, the human connections are what make her life rich. There are so many classic books mentioned that either Lucia has bought for September or that the book club discusses, that the author put them together in a list at the end. I'm not into the classics myself, but it's a good list for people who want to delve into certain topics of racism homophobia , classism etc.

I loved most characters (except hateful Mariah and neighbour Cassie) including dog Figgy, and I found the story interesting, though Lucia's family secrets part was more compelling to me. It's a heartwarming and uplifting story of found family, self-discovery and second chances. Recommended.

4.5 stars

Loved this book, full of books and new beginnings. A lovely cast of characters, an adopted dog and a reminder about the importance of kindness.

I loved Stephanie's first book, so I was really pleased to get an ARC of her new one.

September is living with her deadbeat boyfriend on the poverty line when she finds out about an inheritance. What follows is a sweet story about her quest to find out more about her real family and also her developing friendship with a book club.

Like her first book, Stephanie uses literature and her love of books to drive the narrative forward. It's a dual timeline, the story told from the perspective of September and her aunt, Lucila.

It's a sweet story but not cloying, a lovely bit of escapism and an easy read. I look forward to the next one already.

I read this in one sitting - emotional, hopeful and characters you really learn to care for, I adored it.

Oh how I love Stephanie's books; they're so uplifting, and having read quite a sad book beforehand, I really needed that.

This is like a hug in a book, in every way. And all the love for books and the importance of reading and stories in a community, and building a family and friendship group was really lovely too.

September is a really lovely protagonist. She's had a rough start to life, and her journey in adulthood hasn't been all sunshine and roses either. But she was such a lovely person that I immediately fell in love with her. Her boyfriend Shaun, on the other hand, was just a bit icky.

There are lots of other characters - friends, strangers, neighbours - good and bad, too many to get into here, but let me just say that there wasn't a dud among them. They are all fabulous in their own way but do wonders to help support September on her journey.

It is mainly set in the present - well, 2024 - but we go get chapters set in Lucia (September's great aunt) younger and older years, which was a nice touch. It was really interesting reading the two time periods side by side and I really liked Lucia. There were definitely similarities in the personalities of the two. I think I preferred the September segments a smidgen more but that was because I felt I could relate to her move, but both segments were equally interesting.

What I love about books like this is that it's full of book recommendations, and I was soon adding to my always-growing wishlist of books.

Whilst at its heart it is an uplifting happy story, there are difficult topics, such as poverty, abandonment, adoption, relationship breakups, homelessness, loss, grief etc.

I read half of it before I went to bed and the rest as soon as I woke up; I just didn't want to part frrom it for too long.

This was an amazing book. I found I could identify with September a lot, you could almost touch her weariness in the beginning. The life line she is given by her great aunt whom she didn’t even know about really gave her a chance to reevaluate her life and move forward.

However there was so much more than just September inheriting a fortune, we learn about her great aunt and with a dual POV we see how September came to have the life she grew up with. The issues raised throughout the entire time line were very respectfully written about and thought provoking. The issues of racism, feminism and the class system, all still resonate with todays society and the way the author had everything unfold was amazing and I found myself eager to know what was going to happen next and I just had to know about Septembers history and her family.

Amazing from start to finish, I will certainly be looking this author up for more of her books.

The Book Of Kindness
A beautiful, moving and compassionately written story about second chances and kindness. There are some difficult topics which the author handles so well, from racism to adoption to living in poverty.
This was a really hopeful and positive book, and it was a ray of sunshine in a grey world. If you want a feel good read, then I definitely recommend.
The key takeaway is to be kind, to others and to yourself!