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Second Chance

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On the night of her 35th birthday, Flora Brunelli is full of regrets. The celebrations have turned sour and life hasn't gone according to plan. She wishes she could be 20 again. Then she finds herself zapped back in time, landing in the summer of 1998 when she was 20 years old. The Spice Girls are at the top of the charts and the X-Files is the hit TV show. It's also the week Flora's life unravelled.

For Flora, this is a chance to change her future: win back the love of her life, stay friends with her former best mate and succeed in landing her dream job. It should be easy. But her ex's best friend, Lance Devic, who she never really noticed before, keeps popping up and messing with her head. And after a while Flora begins to wonder if living in the past really will deliver her the happiness she seeks?

 

'I laughed until I couldn't breathe.' – Harlequin Junkie

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 10, 2013

67 people want to read

About the author

Carla Caruso

58 books76 followers
Carla Caruso was born in Adelaide, Australia, and only ‘escaped’ for three years to work as a magazine journalist and fashion stylist in Sydney.
Previously, she was a gossip columnist and fashion editor at Adelaide’s daily newspaper, The Advertiser. She has since freelanced for titles including Woman’s Day, That’s Life and Marie Claire.
These days, she writes fiction in between playing mum to twin sons Alessio and Sebastian, making fashion jewellery, and restoring vintage furniture. Oh, plus checking out her online horoscopes, jogging, and devouring trashy TV shows
Find her at @carlacaruso_creative on Instagram.

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Lee at ReadWriteWish.
863 reviews91 followers
April 7, 2019
I bought this book on a whim, wanting something I didn't really need to think too much about on my ereader and, let's be honest, it was offered at a really good price. A cheap book that doesn't have the usual black and white cover with a piece of jewellery, thus screaming Shades of Grey 'erotica' (using the term loosely) ripoff rubbish, is a rarity in ebook world. I wasn't expecting much but I loved it!

The main character, Flora, is 36 and puts all her problems in life down to breaking up with her boyfriend on her 21st, just after her best friend stopped talking to her as well. She gets a chance to change the past when she is zapped back in time to the 90s, a few days before her 21st party. Sounds rather ho-hum, and it could have been, but for a few really nice touches by Caruso.

Caruso avoids most of the cliched happenings of the time travel genre and instead gives us little Sliding Doors moments which are much more realistic. She avoids the sentimentality of the genre as well, with just one 'seeing grandma again' scene which isn't overly sappy and therefore, works well. She doesn't go deep with us with any of the changes to society in almost 20 years, but what we do get work well -- the references to people smoking, lack of social media/mobiles/emails etc. (What *do* you do when you're waiting for someone/something if you don't have a mobile to look at!? LOL)

Even though I'm more of an 80s girl, the book's constant 90s pop culture references were a lot of fun. The romance was great, the hero a real gentleman, understated and pretty normal (as in, no millionaire tycoon, thankfully!), although he did own a Ford Capri which made me laugh because I always wanted one of those!

I loved the full on Aussieness of this book too; made me want to go to Adelaide! I enjoyed this much more than some other expensive and extensively marketed rom-coms I've read of late.
Profile Image for Desere.
758 reviews78 followers
February 12, 2013

This was a very quick, cute and fun read. It was also the very first time ever that I have read a book where I was expecting just contemporary romance but ended up with time travelling involved.

The read focused on Flora, when she was 21 she not only lost the man of her dreams, but she lost out on the job of her dreams, crashed her car, lost her best friend and made an enemy she never again wants to face.

Aged 36 she has nothing but a plain old job, no boyfriend and instead of celebrating her birthday in style she ends up bumping into her old enemy and sees how the man of her dreams she once lost proposes to another woman.

But with a twist of fate and some cellular magic she is given the opportunity to travel back in time to the week before she lost it all. She reckons she can change her fate by making sure she does not let down her best friend, does not make a lifelong enemy, lands the job of her dreams and still walk away with the love of her life.

Sounds easy enough however, the author very clearly shows that changing the past even with magic time travel falling into your lap is never as easy as it sounds. The character of Flora was very interesting to read about, she is a rather strong and independent woman however, she does not really have the guts to fight for what she wants and because of this she holds back to fight for the life she craves and just goes with the flow, it was interesting to see how the author takes her and bends her into the woman that will have it all.

The author did also offer up interesting secondary characters however she does not really get to their POV and mostly I only got the POV of Flora, so I was left with a bit of a " I want to know what he is thinking" feeling, as I really would have liked to know what Flora's enemy Lance was thinking during moments of him seeing her with her boyfriend Ruben, I think that would have given me as reader a better understanding then just being able to pick up on the element of he wants her.

The setting of the 90's was however stunning, the author incorporated names, songs, movies and other features of those years and I as reader was reminded of so many fun and crazy things for the period. The dialogue was kind of teenager-ish as slang words from the 90's were incorporated but not to the extent that a reader not familiar with it would be lost or not understanding it at all, so yes that was done very nicely.

The sexual heat in this one was of the non x-rated kind after all the characters were only 21 years of age when this all happened, so if you like the hot and passionate kind this read is not for you, it would however be suitable for the younger generation of our time and for those looking for a low in sensual heat level.

A very easy and fun read, very well written and a reminder that if you could change your past there are some things that are better left as is for you never know what awaits you on the other side of romance, life and destiny.

4/5 star review
"Second chances hold the key to unlocking your enemies heart"
Profile Image for Maria.
Author 2 books32 followers
February 27, 2013
A very reader friendly novel which pulls you right in. This author's style is immensely pleasing.

Flora Brunelli is a thirtysomething single woman who has an enjoyable life, a career, a home and loving parents and a sister, but something is definitely missing. Love has eluded her and she regrets a couple of mistakes she made in her early twenties. It's a textbook 'if I could turn back time' situation. After her thirty sixth birthday celebrations fall flat and she's wallowing in the mire, so to speak, the unbelievable happens. She's a young, carefree student again with a boyfriend who she loves and wants to be with forever. And of course, she'll do it all right this time,won't she?

She's living with her parents again, chafing at the restrictions of home life, but her beloved gran is still alive. And gran wisely tells her to never regret anything she's done..... When will Flora learn to let the past go and move on?

Written in a breezy style with a huge dollop of humour, this romantic comedy of a novel will leave you smiling. Well, that's what it did to me.
Profile Image for TashNz.
729 reviews21 followers
March 12, 2013
Carla Caruso, you had me at Hello!

I loved the light, fun and humorous read that Second Chance offers. It could in fact totally be a movie, I know I'd watch it!

Flora is literally given a second chance at the week that she considers ruined her life 15 years ago. The second chance happens pretty quickly and before I knew it i was giggling away to the many references of the 90's and Flora's reactions to things that happened so many years ago. Even tho she was transported back to the past she still has her memory of the future which makes her observations hilarious. Flora's trip back in time has surprises for all!

I loved the trip down memory lane Second Chances personally took me, for instance TLC's Waterfalls was released during the time I had my first full time job and I can remember the days without cellphones and if only we knew what excitement Ereaders would bring us in the future. I recently read an interview by Carla Caruso where she shares how she researched this book, I think she's done an ace job!

The two main men in Flora's life are portrayed so well that you know who you want her to be with but you're left with enough mystery to wonder how it will all turn out like. Flora is quite Bridget Jones-esque in the way that you know she's just normal and could be any one of us and she has her ups and downs and she's just so lovable you want her to have her happy ever after.

Second Chance is such an enjoyable laugh a minute read which I read in one sitting because it's fast paced, quirky and easy to read. The ending pages were just perfect. I would totally recommend for anyone who loves the 90's, Seinfeld, comedies or wants to sit down with a cuppa and have a really good giggle.
Profile Image for CeCe.
3,621 reviews109 followers
April 7, 2014
I felt a lot of what Flora was experiencing. If only, I could go back in time, I would change this and that. If only I had a second chance.

Half of the book was highlighted in my Kindle. The author did an amazing job going back in time and bringing us to the mid-90s. Spice Girls, Vanilla Ice, the slang “NOT”, saying “bodacious” or “eat my shorts”, P. Diddy (previously known as Puffy Daddy), seeing Titanic for the first time” I loved all of them.

But that is not the only thing I appreciated in the story. I loved how the Flora thought if she could go back in time and change certain things that her life would be better. However, when she did, there were only so many things she could change. Maybe what happened, happened for the best. I think the saying “all things happen for a reason” is the perfect theme for this book.

The inner dialogue was needed since the reader had to understand what Flora was reflecting on when she went back in time. I thought about the book after I was finished it. I questioned “what I would do in Flora’s situation?” I will recommend this book to my followers.


Did I skim? No
Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes. Flora is a very likeable character.
Pace of the story: Good
Positives: Great character development.
Negatives: I was getting a little annoyed by how she was just “not getting” certain things until it was almost closer to the end. It was a little frustrating.
Do I recommend? Yes

Book/Format: ARC courtesy of the publisher for an honest review.
Profile Image for Jemi Fraser.
Author 36 books77 followers
Read
February 18, 2013
Fun, fun, FUN! Terrific story - loved the time travel and the plot. Flora is a fantastic character. The 90s theme brought back lots of smiles too :)
Profile Image for Roz ~ My Written Romance.
412 reviews25 followers
March 14, 2013
This review and others can be found at my blog, My Written Romance. Just click here.

I just realised when I was writing this review that the last two books I have read have had Second Chance in the title. Well, in the case of Carla Caruso's book, I would definitely give this another go.

Reading this was like one giant flashback to my first year of university, which ironically was 1998, the year Flora revisits in the story. The music, the clothes, friends with dodgy boyfriends....it was as if I was back in Albury.

I really enjoyed this book. Yes, because it brought back some interesting memories, but also because I liked the characters. Flora is like many people, looking back on their life and wondering why things aren't different and whether things would be better if they could just go back in time and re-live it.

Unlike the rest of us, Flora gets that chance. It could have been a very saccharine and slowly meandering journey down memory lane. However, in this case, it isn't. Second Chance is a smart, funny story where you find yourself cheering for Flora, and you always want her to get her happy ending (which, being a romance, she does).

My rating: 4 out of 5.

Note: I was provided with an advanced reader copy of this book by Destiny Romance, an imprint of Penguin Australia via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Michela Walters.
529 reviews31 followers
March 6, 2013
Second Chance is a quick and fun read that examines the question, What if?

What if you could go back in time and fix some of the mistakes you made? What would happen? How could one simple change affect your entire life?

When Flora stumbles home after a disastrous 35th birthday, she is transported back to when she was 20. The year she was first starting out after university, trying to find her way into the crazy and adult world of responsibility and careers. She thinks this is her big chance to fix all the mistakes she made. Land the big interview she bombed, stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her and righting all the things she thinks she did wrong on the first go round.

Her trip back to the 90s is filled with nostalgia that made me smile and while her trip back in time left her making what appears like more mistakes than when she started, it was a fun and cute read. Flora could have come across as whiney and mopey, instead she picked herself up and even through her disappintment, she tried again, and again, and again. The funny thing is when she finally makes it back to her current life, it appears like she didn't change anything at all.

I won't spoil anything, but it was a cute and fun story. I wish the ending gave me a bit more, but all in all it was a satisfying, simple read.
Profile Image for Adeselna.
Author 2 books94 followers
January 1, 2014
Full review: http://madwomaninattic.wordpress.com/...

The first chapter of Second Chance is a true delight for an editor and the reader. It presents the main character Flora, a graphic designer whose life is basically a mess. Her best friend does not talk to her, she lost the love of her life and her dream job. She finds Lance, her ex-boyfriend best friend, the one who was responsible for the mess and goes back home wishing she could turn back time and re-do things. This is the first chapter, it really gives us the glimpse of what is coming next and what we are going to get: Flora trying to get her life back. The story is well structured and is really good to go back to the 90’s and our childhood. There are plenty of references to music, tv shows and fashion. When we travel back in time, we travel with Flora and it gives a certain sense of nostalgia to us, children from the 90’s, which is nice to read something that relates to our childhood.

Overall, it is a really nice book, a pleasant and quick reading (it took me 1h to read it) and above all a fantastic way to relax from all the alpha-males and sex scenes. This is only about fixing your past, learn from your mistakes and fix them. It is never too late to take your life back on your hand and do the right thing and this book proves it.
Profile Image for Renee.
Author 109 books153 followers
June 12, 2015
I've read a lot of Carla's recent books and I like her style, so I decided to go back and read some of the older ones. I was drawn to this one because I had just read another book where the main character went back in time to relive a week where she had made some bad decisions. This book was exactly what I felt like reading and I loved it.

I was also a 20 year old Aussie girl in the summer of 1998, so I really related to Flora. She is the kind of girl I could imagine being friends with. She was a bit self centred the first time she was 20, but I think we all were. I enjoyed journeying with her as she grew throughout the book. I loved the 90's references and I think I started singing all the songs that were mentioned! Now where is my denim jacket.....

Profile Image for Nas Dean.
835 reviews38 followers
February 13, 2013
SECOND CHANCE by author Carla Caruso is a February 2013 release from Destiny Romance.


Flora is getting tired of her life in early thirties. Then she zaps back to her teens. Hilarious events follow after that.


A very fun, entertaining story. It is time-travel in romance!


SECOND CHANCE brings us to the question, if we could change the past what would we change?


Author Carla Caruso has created characters which leap off the page and speak to you.



Highly entertaining and well recommended!
Profile Image for Emmeline Lock.
Author 2 books17 followers
June 4, 2013
Ya know, I read CITYGLITTER, Carla Caruso's other Destiny title, and I thought it was great. Interesting, cute, fun, sexy, all that. A really good book.

Well, I've just finished SECOND CHANCE, and I bloody loved it! The nineties pop culture references, the irreverent heroine, the character arcs, the fabulous city, the simply-done time travel. Went nuts for the cool retro-ness of it all.

Such much awesome.

It also helped that the hero was completely gorgeous. If I ever meet him in real life, I want to lick him then take him home to meet my parents.

Read it!
Profile Image for Sue.
79 reviews4 followers
March 23, 2013

I loved this book from start to finish. The main character, Flora, was pretty likeable, although I did want to shake her a few times when she was swooning after Ruben. There were plenty of comparisons to life now and life in the mid nineties, and I couldn't help but marvel at how far we have come in terms of technology. It would be pretty cool if we could all go back and right a wrong turning we took in life!!!

Rated 4 stars ****
Profile Image for Marian.
74 reviews7 followers
June 18, 2013
A fun, feel good read! Anyone who has ever wished they could have a do-over to get the one that got away, this book's totally for you!

Synopsis:
On the night of her 35th birthday, Flora Brunelli is full of regrets. The celebrations have turned sour and life hasn't gone according to plan. She wishes she could be 20 again. Then she finds herself zapped back in time, landing in the summer of 1998 when she was 20 years old. The Spice Girls are at the top of the charts and the X-Files is the hit TV show. It's also the week Flora's life unravelled.

For Flora, this is a chance to change her future: win back the love of her life, stay friends with her former best mate and succeed in landing her dream job. It should be easy. But her ex's best friend, Lance Devic, who she never really noticed before, keeps popping up and messing with her head. And after a while Flora begins to wonder if living in the past really will deliver her the happiness she seeks?


Such a fun story! And for us 90's folks, a real trip down memory lane! All those Backstreet Boys references, Jerry McGuire, Waterfalls, Titanic...

I couldn't help but love Flora, and was sooo hoping she'd get her happily ever after! What with a trip back in time, that's the least you could hope for, right?

But this story is written in such a way that you feel like you know Flora, or maybe even are Flora. And you don't really know up until the end how it's going to work out.

Really liked this story and recommend giving it a go!
Profile Image for Jennifer Zorko.
202 reviews2 followers
April 17, 2013
What if you could go back in time and undo a mistake that caused you to lose the love of your life? That exactly what happened to Flora. On the eve of her 36th birthday after watching her ex-boyfriend Ruben propose to another women, bumping into her ex-best friend and running into Lance, the man that helped blow her world apart, she wishes she could have a do-over.

She suddenly finds herself back in 1998, pre-boyfriend breakup and realizes this is her chance to undo the mistakes of the past. But the boyfriend that she has had on a pedistal for so long is not as wonderful as she remembers. And why does she feel things around Lance when he destroyed her happiness. Could a trip "Back to the Future" be just what Flora needs to remover her rose colored glasses and see what has been right in front of her for so long?

Wonderful story. I laughed until I couldn't breath. The characters are so well written and Flora is hysterical. Loved this book and would recommend it to all of my friends.
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