Three Sides to Every Story: an emotional, unputdownable story of friendship and second chances

by Kendra Smith

Three women. One life-changing secret. Will honesty bind them together or tear them apart?

Single mother Charlie can barely pay the rent, never mind give her son the chances he deserves. Desperate to escape mounting debt, she enters into a surrogacy deal with a stranger. It will solve all her problems, won't it?



High-flying Suzie is used to getting what she wants. Yet her biggest dream of being a mother is beyond her grasp. So when a chance for happiness comes her way in the shape of Charlie, why shouldn't she take it?



Meanwhile, Dawn, Suzie's steadfast university friend, is discovering that finding her mojo is about as hard as finding a good-fitting bra. What has happened to her sex life? Is finding the missing lid of a Tupperware box the biggest thrill she can expect? She thinks not.

As Charlie's pregnancy progresses, the women's lives grow increasingly intertwined, revealing old betrayals and hidden connections. At a pivotal celebration, long-held secrets threaten their fragile unity—but also offer the possibility of forgiveness and fresh starts.

Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Marian Keyes, this is a powerful story of friendship, motherhood, and second chances.

Please this title was originally published as 'A Year of Second Chances.'

433 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

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Reviews

[Julie Nelson]

Mostly enjoyable. Toward the end, every character was assuming their spouse/boyfriend was cheating and the characters would never confront the spouse. They over analyzed and it got to be annoying. The reader can see this is not going to turn out to meet your worst fears, so get over it lady - confront you man an move on!

[Telina]

Charlie is an emotional indecisive character. She was very difficult to empathize with or relate to. I think the author really wanted us to feel for her, but that was very difficult. As a surrogate, it was pretty shocking that Charlie would keep a baby that is not hers. The fact that she was a surrogate previously and did not tell the new parents to be was highly disturbing. What kind of woman would keep a baby that is not hers. It was also disturbing that now she’s dating the father of the child Tyler that she kept. Yes the author made it so she did not know right away however, once she found out, they should have never gotten together. Charlie should never have been allowed to be a surrogate twice.

The other characters were pretty bland.

[Lori DY]

It was an enjoyable summer read. There were a couple of unexpected developments that kept me interested enough to finish the book, but the last 25% of the story felt a bit like watching a made-for-tv movie of the week, where despite all the relationship drama, every character's story line ends with their happily-ever-after.

[Little Miss Fab 1]

A cauldron of issues: infertility, menopause, money problems, eating disorder, homosexuality, neglect, cancer, fraud. 3 women, 4 men, a meddling mother in law, long buried secrets. Story lines get close door resolution. Too much.

[Brenda Lobbezoo]

No one's life is ever what it seems at face value, not even our own. This poignant story follows three women drawn to each other for different reasons, but stronger for the bond that has braided their lives together.

I highly recommend the audio version with narration by Sophie Roberts.

[Ashley]

Light hearted story, nothing big or over the top.

[Emily Joesting]

Audiobook at night - not my favorite as story dragged on…