Second Chances by A.E. RadleyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished on April 12, 2021
Favorite Scene/Quote: "You've had a date with the woman and you don't even know her name. Thank goodness you didn't get lucky, that would have been some weird sex talk."
I’ve read a handful of books by Radley and I’ve enjoyed all of them, even with certain plot issues. This book is my favorite of hers so far though.
This book centers around three people: Hannah, her daughter Rosie, and Rosie’s teacher Alice. Alice is beginning her first year of school this year and Hannah is apprehensive. After a rough childhood and bad time at school she’s worried about how her daughter is going to handle going to school. Not that Rosie’s going to be bad at school rather that she’s going to excel. Hannah is terrified of Rosie being marked as “special” or “different” from her peers. Rosie is gifted though and Alice notices. She wants to help Rosie get the most out of school but is met with force by Hannah.
I loved all the characters in this book. The main characters, the supporting characters, even Alice’s students. Rosie was a charming kid even if I do have some difficulties believing that a child like her actually exists (at one point one of the character’s mentioned the 5-year-old helping with taxes or a checkbook or something like that) and I had to stretch my disbelief of her genius. Hannah is intense but ultimately wants the absolute best for her daughter. She’s written very sympathetically which helps when she jumps to conclusions or acts rashly. Alice is a dedicated teacher and, fictional character or not, she’s what I think all teachers should be like. She wants the best for all of her kids even if it means understanding a bully or using her own time and money to make the classroom better.
One of the things I especially loved about this book was how the topic of bullying was discussed. One of Alice’s kids, as well as several people Hannah went to school with, are considered bullies. Alice’s student was regarded with pity and well-deserved anger and annoyance but wasn’t treated poorly. The teacher acknowledged that a 5-year-old isn’t a bully just to be a bully, rather something else is going on. In Hannah’s case it’s mentioned that bullies often forget their actions and victims, but the victims internalize the situation and feel everything that happened to them.
I love how the relationship between the two characters progressed, even if it was a bit rushed. It was sweet and honest. After a misunderstanding something occurred that drew the two back together and they finally had to discuss their problems. The relationship wasn’t perfectly developed (time skips or more chapters might have helped make it feel more long-term and developed) but it was sweet, and I was invested in it.
I really loved this book and I’m very glad that I chose to purchase this book as I see it being a reread.
I’ve read a handful of books by Radley and I’ve enjoyed all of them, even with certain plot issues. This book is my favorite of hers so far though.
This book centers around three people: Hannah, her daughter Rosie, and Rosie’s teacher Alice. Alice is beginning her first year of school this year and Hannah is apprehensive. After a rough childhood and bad time at school she’s worried about how her daughter is going to handle going to school. Not that Rosie’s going to be bad at school rather that she’s going to excel. Hannah is terrified of Rosie being marked as “special” or “different” from her peers. Rosie is gifted though and Alice notices. She wants to help Rosie get the most out of school but is met with force by Hannah.
I loved all the characters in this book. The main characters, the supporting characters, even Alice’s students. Rosie was a charming kid even if I do have some difficulties believing that a child like her actually exists (at one point one of the character’s mentioned the 5-year-old helping with taxes or a checkbook or something like that) and I had to stretch my disbelief of her genius. Hannah is intense but ultimately wants the absolute best for her daughter. She’s written very sympathetically which helps when she jumps to conclusions or acts rashly. Alice is a dedicated teacher and, fictional character or not, she’s what I think all teachers should be like. She wants the best for all of her kids even if it means understanding a bully or using her own time and money to make the classroom better.
One of the things I especially loved about this book was how the topic of bullying was discussed. One of Alice’s kids, as well as several people Hannah went to school with, are considered bullies. Alice’s student was regarded with pity and well-deserved anger and annoyance but wasn’t treated poorly. The teacher acknowledged that a 5-year-old isn’t a bully just to be a bully, rather something else is going on. In Hannah’s case it’s mentioned that bullies often forget their actions and victims, but the victims internalize the situation and feel everything that happened to them.
I love how the relationship between the two characters progressed, even if it was a bit rushed. It was sweet and honest. After a misunderstanding something occurred that drew the two back together and they finally had to discuss their problems. The relationship wasn’t perfectly developed (time skips or more chapters might have helped make it feel more long-term and developed) but it was sweet, and I was invested in it.
I really loved this book and I’m very glad that I chose to purchase this book as I see it being a reread.
Bonus Favorite Scene: The dinner scenes
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