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Second Time Around
Marcus Barlows life is in turmoil. He wakes up on Easter Monday to find himself responsible for two small children he has only known for a couple of months. Unknown to his family, he has turned his back on a lucrative career in the City. In the immediate aftermath of a tragedy, Marcus, and his wife, Alice, face some tough choices. Can they change their lives and do it all again for a second time in their fifties? Engaging, humorous and emotional, Second Time Around is centred on the everyday lives of the Barlow family and their friends as they face the challenges set by the pandemic in 2020. With each of them struggling to cope with their own situation, a series of lies, deceptions and discoveries results in a roller coaster of events and emotions, bringing the family closer together around a decision that could change all their lives but at what cost? Second Time Around is a sequel to the authors first novel, Maybe Its About Time.
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Published October 27, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy
The long awaited sequel to Maybe Its About Time, my top book of 2023 and something I have continued to think about and has been mentioned more than a couple of times is this story. Picking up where we ended book 1 in April 2020, we see the rest of 2020 through the eyes of posh Marcus, his wife Alice, children Libby and James, close friend Gavin, some old faithfuls like Mr Mahoney, and some new characters such as Barry Skelton.
I spent much of book 1 in tears, book 2 didnt quite rock my emotions in the same way, there were a couple of moments throughout, and then at about 90% the tissues were sought once more. The story ends on a really happy note though, and seeing everyone's stories being resolved was a lovely thing.
I won't lie, I would have loved an epilogue later in life with how the children were as slightly older kids, if Gavin could finally make total peace with his position in life, and to see how Marcus did get on the second time around. I also felt like there was going to be something a little more for Phelan a couple of times, as he played such a significant part in everything, the way the final chapter was gearing up had me a little worried for him, it was lovely seeing him be so important in this tale.
I had a couple of flips on my feelings for Gavin in this story, his ending of book 1 completely broke me, but there were times here I just wanted to shake him, I guess thats one of the outcomes of such an addiction, there were a couple of times though that I wanted to give him a big hug and say you've got this mate! He is a complicated man, I was pleased to see the ending we did see for him though.
The talk of going in and out of restrictions over that first year of the pandemic is something that 6 years on I feel like its a distant memory, this book, and its previous one, do an amazing job of recounting those months and the feelings that bubbled under for most of us while watching the daily updates, going in and out of tiers, getting some normality then shutting it down again, the feelings that this brings up are difficult to identify. It feels wrong to say I enjoyed a bit of reminiscing of what was an awful, awful period, but I also think there is something quite cathartic about revisiting those memories.
Its another whopper of a tale, with very long chapters - this is generally not my preference, but there are a number of natural breaks in each chapter. In all honesty though, much like with book 1, you wouldn't realise how long it was while reading it because it just hooks you in completely.
Did I love this as much as book 1, no, did I love it though, yes, absolutely. I loved getting to know the Barlow family further, seeing how Marcus faced life after The Firm, seeing James and Libby embrace their futures and supporting their family in the care of Kyle and Alexa, and seeing the two young Halfords be loved, claimed and wanted. So many children are not as lucky, and while I appreciate this is fiction, it is tales like this that really make you want to be better, and do better to support children to have a happy life. I hope that seeing this may encourage people, who are able, to look at ways of supporting children who have not had the best start in life, and yes, acknowledge that the process to become a carer in any way can be intrusive, time-consuming and all-emcompassing, but think of the future Kyle and Alexa would have if the Barlows didnt do what they did. Its not something I want to consider, we all need to be more Barlow (even if that means wanting your pants ironed and having a penchant for expensive haircuts and wines!)
There is a real change here in the cover style between this and its predecessor, book 1 had a cartoonised cover, which I loved and thought gave it something really different, this cover is very different and in all honesty, doesnt give me the same feelings as I get when I look at Maybe Its About Time.
The true heart of this story is its humanity, and I think there is something really special about a book that reminds us of that.
I spent much of book 1 in tears, book 2 didnt quite rock my emotions in the same way, there were a couple of moments throughout, and then at about 90% the tissues were sought once more. The story ends on a really happy note though, and seeing everyone's stories being resolved was a lovely thing.
I won't lie, I would have loved an epilogue later in life with how the children were as slightly older kids, if Gavin could finally make total peace with his position in life, and to see how Marcus did get on the second time around. I also felt like there was going to be something a little more for Phelan a couple of times, as he played such a significant part in everything, the way the final chapter was gearing up had me a little worried for him, it was lovely seeing him be so important in this tale.
I had a couple of flips on my feelings for Gavin in this story, his ending of book 1 completely broke me, but there were times here I just wanted to shake him, I guess thats one of the outcomes of such an addiction, there were a couple of times though that I wanted to give him a big hug and say you've got this mate! He is a complicated man, I was pleased to see the ending we did see for him though.
The talk of going in and out of restrictions over that first year of the pandemic is something that 6 years on I feel like its a distant memory, this book, and its previous one, do an amazing job of recounting those months and the feelings that bubbled under for most of us while watching the daily updates, going in and out of tiers, getting some normality then shutting it down again, the feelings that this brings up are difficult to identify. It feels wrong to say I enjoyed a bit of reminiscing of what was an awful, awful period, but I also think there is something quite cathartic about revisiting those memories.
Its another whopper of a tale, with very long chapters - this is generally not my preference, but there are a number of natural breaks in each chapter. In all honesty though, much like with book 1, you wouldn't realise how long it was while reading it because it just hooks you in completely.
Did I love this as much as book 1, no, did I love it though, yes, absolutely. I loved getting to know the Barlow family further, seeing how Marcus faced life after The Firm, seeing James and Libby embrace their futures and supporting their family in the care of Kyle and Alexa, and seeing the two young Halfords be loved, claimed and wanted. So many children are not as lucky, and while I appreciate this is fiction, it is tales like this that really make you want to be better, and do better to support children to have a happy life. I hope that seeing this may encourage people, who are able, to look at ways of supporting children who have not had the best start in life, and yes, acknowledge that the process to become a carer in any way can be intrusive, time-consuming and all-emcompassing, but think of the future Kyle and Alexa would have if the Barlows didnt do what they did. Its not something I want to consider, we all need to be more Barlow (even if that means wanting your pants ironed and having a penchant for expensive haircuts and wines!)
There is a real change here in the cover style between this and its predecessor, book 1 had a cartoonised cover, which I loved and thought gave it something really different, this cover is very different and in all honesty, doesnt give me the same feelings as I get when I look at Maybe Its About Time.
The true heart of this story is its humanity, and I think there is something really special about a book that reminds us of that.
October 31, 2026
Review to follow
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews