REVIEW for Second Time Around

Thank you! thank you! to author Beth Kendrick for sending me an ARC of her new book!

TITLE: Second Time Around

AUTHOR: Beth Kendrick

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction

RATING: 4 stars

Many of you have heard me talk about Beth Kendrick being my favorite chick lit author. I will literally trip over myself trying to get to Kendrick's novels - so this tells you how much I have enjoyed her work.

In my mind, Kendrick has written, in the past, great chick lit - so I had huge culture shock when I started reading Second Time Around - because it is NOT chick lit, at least not in the true way! - this book is a contemporary women's fiction novel and this posed a huge challenge to me - as I always wonder "what is the point of these types of stories as they never seem to have a point to me).

So, with this in mind, I opened the book and found an interesting premise - 5 BFF have been together since college and meet up once a year to talk about their lives. This year, they are once again together, but something is terribly wrong and this will affect the girls for the rest of their lives (don't want to give it away!).

As the novel progresses, we find the main characters confronted with the past and the choices they made - where they the right ones? Lots of discussions, tears and second thoughts as the girls try to figure out the meaning of life and where they fit it. They are simply trying to be happy! and Kendrick has found a clever and entertaining way of showing us the progression (and at times, the backward steps) that each woman goes through.

There is a lot of soul searching here and it is a great novel if you want to sit back and reflect on your own choices in life.

The writing is top notch as always - Kendrick always writes her stories beautifully and her characters are always deliciously fleshed out - buttttttttt I miss the chick lit aspect of her writing. While there is humor in Second Time Around, it is extremely toned down (considering the subject matter) and I miss the corny stuff that usually can happen in chick lit novels.

I am rating this book a 4 star because Kendrick is that good that she can keep me engaged - even in contemporary fiction (no mean feat let me tell you), but I am sad - I see Kendrick going to the "dark side" (in MY opinion) and leaving her "chick lit" roots behind (sigh!).

If you like a good contemporary fiction story, then you need to read Second Time Around. If you are looking for her chick lit stuff, try the NearlyWeds (you will see what I mean!).