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!

September Blythe is exhausted, both physically and mentally. No matter how many shifts she does at the supermarket she just can't make her money stretch to pay all the bills. When a mysterious letter arrives informing her she's inherited a house and money September can't believe her good fortune.

I discovered author Stephanie Butland a couple of years ago when I read the heartwarming Found In A Bookshop, so I was pleased to see that she had a new novel on the horizon. The Second Chance Book Club grabbed my attention immediately. The main character, September is down-to-earth and her situation fills you with sympathy. Money is short and debt collectors are hovering. September's boyfriend is so laid back about it all, which only seems to add to her worries. Unfortunately, September doesn't have the luxury of family to fall back on as we quickly learn that she was abandoned as a toddler so doesn't know her birth family. A wonderful couple adopted and raised September but they are both dead.

It is easy to understand September's skepticism when she is informed that her aunt has left her a substantial amount of money and a large house in Harrogate. Initial thoughts are to sell the house but when she visits September is enthralled by the calm it provides. Betrayal by her boyfriend helps cement her decision to move to Harrogate and then look at the possibilities her new life offers her.

September's aunt was a firm believer in kindness, resulting in her running a book club for people she felt needed a little help. Through this club, September meets a group of individuals who have all struggled through difficult life experiences. As we slowly learn the background of each character we see September blossom as she realises she has not only the means but also the ability and the courage to change her life around.

I loved getting to know all the different characters, it is impossible to isolate just a couple as favourites, I felt empathy towards them all. It was lovely to see their individual stories wrapped up at the end of this uplifting tale of kindness and possibility. Added to all of this were the numerous references to books, from classics to children's literature, there will be something every reader recognises.

This was such a wonderful heartwarming book, I couldn’t put it down.
Adopted as a baby, September has often wondered about her birth family.
She’s living with her boyfriend and life is one big financial struggle. But all that changes when she inherits a house and a substantial amount of money from her long lost aunt Lucia.
When she goes to visit her newly bequeathed house, she realises Lucia has never forgotten her and always bought her a book on her birthday.
She also finds out that Lucia has founded a book club and the members welcome her into their club and lives.
As the story unfolds, September unwraps and reads each of her birthday books that have been so thoughtfully considered by Lucia. She also discovers her aunt’s books of kindness and through these we learn about her birth family and the heartbreaking events that led to her being adopted.
So beautifully written and I liked the way books were intwined throughout.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

September's life is turned upside down when a letter from a solicitor lands on her doorstep. Discovering an aunt she knew nothing about, life suddenly looks up. After years of financial hardship money gives her freedom. She discovers a group of friends that help her makes sense of life through their book group.

Reading books her aunt left her and books in the book group help her make sense of life and give her a sense of identity.

A comforting uplifting read.

Otherwise titled The Book of Kindness, this is a lovely rich warm read. Stephanie inherits from a great aunt that she didn't know she had, and finds her own story when she moves in to her house. She keeps her aunts book club going, and finds new friends who help her find out more about her history. As usual, the author uses various books along the way to enhance this story, including the book club list, plus the pile of birthday books that September discovers waiting for her in the house. Written by a true book lover!

What a lovely, lovely read. I thoroughly enjoyed this warm and engrossing story of family, love and hard times. The story was well told and kept me interested throughout and the characters all had their own backstory that made them real. Ultimately uplifting and a reminder to us all that a little kindness costs nothing but does good for the giver as well as the person receiving.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netGalley for an early read of this delightful book. I've read and loved all of Stephanie Butland's previous novels and this one is another winner. Her characters and their story's are so well crafted and woven together that you are captivated from the start to the very last page. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this heartwarming and uplifting story that explores family, love, friendship and most of all, kindness.