Amor a segunda vista

by Annette Christie, Pilar de la Peña Minguell (Translator)

¿Puede una mentirijilla granjearnos una segunda oportunidad? La vida caótica de Layla se transformó cuando conoció a Ian Barnett. Él, ambicioso, comprometido y juicioso, resultó ser el hombre de sus sueños, y ella sabe que el sentimiento es recíproco. Por eso, cuando Ian rompe de pronto con ella, Layla se queda de piedra. ¿Qué ha pasado? Pero entonces Layla recibe una llamada del hospital. Ian ha tenido un accidente con la bici. Está bien, pero necesita que alguien, su alguien, lo lleve a casa. A medida que va quedando claro que Ian no recuerda la ruptura, se pone de manifiesto también que el accidente le ha hecho replantearse la vida... y darle a Layla una oportunidad de arreglar lo suyo. Hasta que llega a la ciudad el hermano pequeño de Ian, claro. Matt es inquieto, impredecible y amenaza con destrozar el equilibrio de pareja que tanto les ha costado reconstruir a Layla e Ian. Todo se va complicando, en casa y en el trabajo, y Layla comprende por fin que quizá pierda la ocasión de vivir el amor de verdad, y ser feliz, si no pone sobre la mesa las mentiras que les ha estado contando a Ian, a Matt, a su familia y, sobre todo, las que se ha estado contando a sí misma.

Genres: Romance, Adult, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Rom Com

400 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2023

About the author

Annette Christie is the author of The Rehearsals, For Twice in My Life, and Love Lessons. She has a BFA in Theatre and a history of very odd jobs. The back of her head is featured prominently in the film Mean Girls. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! When I read the plot I thought I was gonna read some heartfelt second chances romance or something mind bending like Tarryn Fisher’s Opportunist which also has amnesia concept with worst kind of ending!
But the book truly surprised with its focus on self worth, learning to love herself concept that overshadowed the main dysfunctional love story!
Can you imagine the boyfriend you truly loved dumps you without obvious reason and then suffers from memory loss that makes him forget the reason why you broke up! Layla high fives herself secretly because as a girl who is long time suffering from her own insecurities thinks she finally gets her second chance with Ian who may be the love of her life but she shouldn’t rush to ride into the sunset with her Memento lover because Ian’s brother Matt comes back to town and he has every intention to shake the new balance of Ian and Layla’s vulnerable relationship!

Layla’s extra insecurities and Ian’s selfishness gave me hard time to connect with them. I don’t want to give spoiler but I found the romance part that leads us to the ending was a little rushed, unreasonable, forced! I didn’t see the chemistry and mostly I didn’t get the answers I was expecting about Ian and Layla’s relationship dynamics!

I loved the previous book of the author a little more. It still kept my interest but I wish I could enjoy the love story and characters a little more. So I decided to give a solid three stars!

I’m still looking forward to read future works of the author. But unfortunately this book didn’t fit with my high expectations.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

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[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earlier this year I really enjoyed The Rehearsals by Anette Christie. I was so excited to read more from her. Once again, I loved her intricately flawed characters as they navigate messy relationships and situations.

Layla is devastated when Ian breaks up with her. But two weeks later she receives a phone call from the hospital stating he's been in an accident. And that's not all. Ian has limited memory from the last month, meaning he doesn't remember their breakup. Is Layla given a second chance with the one that got away?

As you can tell from the cover, this has a love triangle—but ultimately it's about Layla healing from her past, rediscovering herself in the process. I really loved the contrast of her ideal, comfortable life battling against her acquaintance with Matt, Ian's aloof, judgemental brother who is hired within her theatre company.

I think this story had a great message! But I wanted more from the endgame romance to really solidify their connection. Everything sort of fell into place at the end without consequences, which felt a bit ill-fitted for such a tense storyline. It was still a very fun read, though! I liked it!

(heat level: closed door)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this While you were sleeping inspired romance in which a woman who gets dumped suddenly gets a second chance with her ex after he has an accident and wakes up forgetting about their break up. The problem? His estranged brother is back and the two are forced to work together on a project where feelings unexpected develop. While triangles aren't really my thing I thought this one was well done. Good on audio too. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: kissing only

[Mhughessc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annette Christie is a best-selling romance author, so I was excited to see her newest book, "For Twice in My Life." In her newest book, Layla is unceremoniously and suddenly dumped by her long-time boyfriend, Ian. With no warning, all of her life plans have suddenly shattered. However, when Ian is in a traffic accident which causes memory loss, he has no recollection of their break up. This gives Layla yet another chance to regain the relationship they once had. But is she just holding onto that relationship because it's comfortable, or is it really meant to be?

I enjoyed Layla, but she has poor self-esteem. And while she tries to blame that on her family, she has to accept some of that blame as well. Also, sparks seem to fly between Layla and Ian's brother, Matt, but it's never explained what they see in each other or why they're drawn to each other. I would have liked a little more about the relationship between the two of them in order to really explain the book's ending. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned at 50%. I just did not care about any of the characters.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute enough romance but I have issues with 1) relationships built on lies and 2) brothers inevitably sharing a girl; both of those things are just wrong. I did enjoy getting to know the characters and how they were all coming to terms with how their families see them. Good if you’re looking for a second chance romance.

[Leen Falastin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohhhhhhh mannnnn I loved this book.

The story follows Layla, who we meet two-weeks post-break up. She's incredibly upset, doesn't know what went wrong, and still reeling, wishing they could get back together. Then, she gets a call from the hospital. Her ex was in an accident. She's his emergency contact. Can she come immediately? Panicked, Layla races to the hospital only to discover her ex Ian doesn't remember their breakup—the entire last month is fuzzy in his memory. He thinks they're still together. She decides to just go with it for the time being until she can get him home safe—but then she keeps the charade going. It must be fate, right? Ian, for his part, also believes the accident was a sign, and he decides to make some changes in his life, starting with reaching out to his estranged brother Matt and inviting him to come move in. Matt and Layla butt heads, but when the theater she works at has a crisis and Matt's the only person who can save them, Layla has to force herself to work with him. Suddenly, her life is just that much more complicated.

Annette Christie is the queen of writing flawed characters who fuck up but keep going. Reading her books is the literary equivalent of covering your eyes to avoid watching a trainwreck but then peeking through your fingers because you don't actually want to miss a thing. I loved The Rehearsals, so I was excited to read this, and I wasn't disappointed. I thought the characters were well thought out and interesting, and there were many times when I genuinely didn't know what was going to happen in the end. A great read, though if you're in it solely for the romance, I'd warn this skews more toward women's fiction than romance in my opinion.

Solid 4.5 stars.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 2.5 star for one of my most anticipated books of the year just makes me sad…

Anyway, I wanted to love this! It was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 and the premise sounded so cute!

I guess part of my low rating is my own fault, because based on the premise I was expecting this to be a laugh out loud comedy. This wasn’t funny at all which I think was to the book’s detriment. Laughing at Layla would have made her a more sympathetic character. Instead, she came across as catfishing and manipulative. None of the characters were developed very well either, which made it hard to care about any of them. I really didn’t like Matt much, and I felt sorry for Ian since Layla was lying to him constantly. The stakes never felt very high and then the book just sort of…ended?

Sadly, this one was a disappointment for me.

[Rosie Bernard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could give this no stars. The pretentious theatre that does SOOOO well with little to no explanation, the grown adults bonding over root beer, hot chocolate and s’mores, describing over and over how good looking these men are, Ian, the ~perfect~ man that all of a sudden we hear isn’t good for our insufferable main character, and the use of “making out” many times. Gonna be honest, the first quarter was pretty interesting. Then it’s like, ok so the story of Randall, when do we hear about that? The stupid fucking cat…. Matt is a total whiny baby, Ian has no personality, Rena is this perfect angel that is so unrealistic. I hated it.

[Denise Morse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted so bad to love this book but I just did not, I slogged my way through and even considered DNF multiple times (including at 80% complete!). I just did not like any of the characters at all, the whole thing felt a little creepy from a consent perspective and there was 0 chemistry between the two romantic leads. There was not enough character growth for me either, I dont see any of them changing except maybe Ian of all people who learned to work a little less. Just not a story that resonated for me.

[Sonia Hartl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preemptively giving this five stars because it’s an Annette book, and that’s literally all I need to know

[Emily | emilyisoverbooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the copy of this book!

Layla's boyfriend dumps her out of the blue. But when he gets in an accident, the hospital calls her as his next of kin... and he doesn't seem to remember that they broke up. Is this their second chance at love?

I'd categorize For Twice In My Life mostly as contemporary fiction with romance as a heavy subplot. Layla needs to figure out who she is, what she wants in life, and who she wants to spend that life with. She's incredibly insecure with her family and with her boyfriend - to the point of keeping some pretty major things from them. I enjoyed her character growth and seeing how the romance would play out, and really flew through this book!

Read if you like:
- Theater
- Characters with memory loss
- Messy, dramatic storylines

[Rachael Cavinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book but also one I may not remember in a few weeks. I was entertained but not super engaged. Maybe it was just me, I am sure someone will like this one.

[Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book while at jury duty and I was more interested in the jury duty

[Franka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich fand’s voll schön, nur das Ende war mir ein bisschen zu offen

[Karen Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Served its purpose of a light read between classics, but not much more. Completely predictable. Layla gave me a cramp. And I don't like the whole flowery footloose and fancy free Bohemian non conformist persona-good; hard working conscientious organized and likely polo and khaki wearing guy-bad.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, amusing, and delightfully entertaining!

For Twice In My Life is an uplifting, charming tale that takes you into the life of the kind, heartbroken Layla Rockford who, after having her heart shattered a few months ago by the man she thought was forever, finds herself in a dilemma when her ex has an unfortunate accident on his bike and loses all his memories giving them an opportunity at a somewhat devious second chance until his brother she’s never met finally arrives and throws a little curve ball into the mix.

The writing is light and warm. The characters are multilayered, hesitant, and endearing. And the plot is a push-pull tale of relationship dynamics, introspection, chemistry, friendship, family, secrets, deception, tender moments, spirited mishaps, second-chance love, and new beginnings.

Overall, For Twice In My Life is a big-hearted, engaging, cosy tale by Christie with characters you surprisingly can’t help but root for and a happy-ever-after ending that leaves you smiling, satisfied, and wishing for more.

Thank you to HBG Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[brazenandbookish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Annette Christie, & Little, Brown and Company for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So when I read the blurb for this book I was really excited! It sounded like such a classic romcom trope and I am always down for a second chance romance with a twist. However, this book just didn’t click for me. First, I am a really character driven reader, so if I do not connect with the characters it is hard for me to connect with the story overall. I found both Layla and Ian to be selfish and unlikeable throughout a majority of the story. I feel like Layla’s self-esteem issues were used as a crutch throughout the story and over-emphasized and I didn’t like that fact that Ian’s reasoning for the initial break-up wasn’t really ever explained (especially with what the “twist” ended up being at the end, because it made the initial break up almost seem pointless to me). This just really made me not invested in either of them as characters, and therefore not invested in the story. I also felt that Layla could be quite immature at times, which just rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed, and seemed to be resolved with no real consequences (after all of that Ian is really just like “Yep, I’m good with this.”? It just was hard for me to buy). And it felt like an abrupt end to the book. Also, the pacing throughout the story wasn’t my favorite. Some parts flowed really easily while other parts seemed to drag. However, I did enjoy certain parts of the book. Christie has a knack for humor in her writing. She effortlessly weaves dialogue and scenarios that had me cracking up out loud. I also loved the theatre references and the family healing moments.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off liking it, interesting premise that your boyfriend forgot that he broke up with you. But it was just sort of blah, no real drama. Then suddenly but very smoothly Layla breaks up with Ian and gets together with Matt. It was like watching a tv series where you missed all the middle episodes.

[Alliy Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

yikes, this did not work for me. boring & bad 🫣

[Trey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This is my first book by Annette Christie, and I will definitely be checking out her previous book and any future ones.

To be fully transparent, at first I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this. Here is some background. Layla thinks things are finally going well for her. She has a job she loves and the perfect boyfriend, Ian. When he abruptly breaks up with her because they “don’t spend a lot of time together,” she’s left devastated. Imagine her surprise when she gets a call from the hospital saying that he’s been in an accident and she’s his emergency contact. When she arrives, the nurses tell her how he’s been raving about his girlfriend. It seems as though Ian has completely forgotten that he dumped her. She goes along with it and eventually starts to think that it’s the universe giving them a second chance.

This whole situation really gave me the ick. The way he broke up with her seemed so silly and really did a number on her, but she was willing to just pretend it never happened, never mind the fact that their “second chance” was starting off on a lie. It kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, but it turned out to be much more complex than that and as the entire story unfolded, I really found myself invested. The character development in this was *chef’s kiss* and I legit didn’t find any of the characters unlikable. On top of that, the grumpy/sunshine was perfect! That’s a solid win for me.

Thank you to Little Brown and Company for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own. This was such a great read!

[Shelby Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was marketed as a Romance. However what it mostly felt like was a boring, drawn-out, non-dramatic book focused on detailing the eclectic vibe of Seattle and going in-depth on the world of theatre, which took a front seat while the "romantic" aspects of the book took a back seat. The only bit of true "romance" came in the final few pages of the book; before that there was hardly even any real flirting between characters for 300 pages.
Layla's life was a mess, and I couldn't believe how long she could keep lying by omission to Ian about their breakup, her past, and her true feelings, especially when there seemed to be plenty of genuine opportunities to open up. Also, the plot line of "he has a concussion so he forgot he broke up with her" that lasted for about 80% of the book just made NO sense, like how is that even feasible, that he forgot that and nothing else. And at the very end when Ian admits he did remember but didn't say so cause he'd cheated on her, that's enough to make him just OK with breaking up again even though he loves her, and her dating his brother and them all being friends?! Idk the way Ian acts was just unrealistic.
The plot line regarding Layla's mother's band was SO predictable, and drawn out. It was so obvious she wasn't having an affair, and the way Layla treated her was appalling.
Overall this book was also just pretty boring, like it felt like there wasn't any real *drama*.

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5 stars! The premise of this book read similar to the movie "While You Were Sleeping," which is one of my favorite movies, so my expectations were high for this one. It was cute and I thought the self-love/growth angle was great, but it was missing that 'something special' that makes a great book. I also didn't really buy the chemistry in this romance. I enjoyed it and read it quickly, but I don't think I would re-read it or search for this author in the bookstore.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Brittany S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Completed 5/8/23 |
More detailed review to come

This was cute and reminded me a ton of the movie While You Were Sleeping (I think it was maybe supposed to be inspired by it?) but the movie is such a favorite of mine and this one fell short. It was a nice book but A) I felt like there wasn't enough to drive Layla and Ian apart and B) the romance with the brother, Matt, took way too long to develop that I didn't really have any feelings towards him.

Loved the concept, fairly poor execution, didn't care at all about the theater and the play.

[Jonelle Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stayed up so late to finish this, it was just a smooth ride and I didn't want to stop. This light romance offers a little more than love though: finding your self-worth and figuring out your own path, but in a subtle way. And letting go of the demons from your past and appreciating the journey your life has taken. Aside from the self-actualization, the men are great and our FMC is quirky in a way that reminds me After You (retro fashion vibes). Despite a relationship being built on a lie, I was still rooting for Layla to figure her shit out and get a happy ending.

[Emily Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give this book 0 stars, it’s just not an option. Upon reading this, I know now that I could write a book and have it published. The writing is rough and it feels emotionless.
This book would have been easier to get through if it were based on high schoolers. The overall emotional immaturity of every single character is unmatched. For a brief moment, I was jealous of Ian’s amnesia.

[Diane]

This would make such a great movie!

[Cortney Schimke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Came for the librarian recommendation. Stayed for the absolutely unhinged story plot.

3.5 ⭐️!!

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I’m just grouchy but this was a miss for me!!! I typically do not like deception