We as readers love second-chance stories. They offer a chance at redemption and restoration, making things the way they’re supposed to be. Sometimes, a second chance can be about wiping the slate clean and starting anew. Second chances can mean rebuilding a broken relationship. They can also be about learning from past mistakes and hoping to try again.
No matter what kind of second chance you’d like to read about, these eleven novels offer different kinds of fresh starts and new beginnings.
If you’re participating in the Crazy4Fiction Reading Challenge, pick a book to fulfill the character looking for a second chance prompt!
South of Somewhere
By T. I. Lowe
When Juniper Wilder’s grief spiraled into addiction, she lost the most important thing in her life: her baby girl. Now, she has one summer to regain custody of her daughter. Junie hopes the eclectic support group she finds on Sullivan’s Island will give her the second chance she needs.
This Promised Land
By Cathy Gohlke
Thinking she was disowned, Ginny is surprised to learn she has inherited her family’s Christmas tree farm. Ginny returns to Virginia hoping to sell and move on from a painful past. But when she meets her angry nephew and his Vietnam vet brother, she realizes she might not be the only one looking for a fresh start in this modern take on the Prodigal Son.
The Masterpiece
By Francine Rivers
A successful LA artist, Roman appears to have everything he could possibly want―money, women, fame. Meanwhile, his assistant Grace is a struggling single mom. But as Grace gets to know the man behind the reputation, it’s as if the jagged pieces of both of their pasts slowly begin to fit together. Until something so unexpected happens that it changes the course of their relationship―and both their lives―forever.
In a Far-Off Land
By Stephanie Landsem
Minera Sinclaire runs away to Hollywood, hoping to save her family farm from the Great Depression. Instead of fame, Mina finds herself in a downward spiral that leads to her being on the run for a murder she didn’t commit. In this retelling of the Prodigal Son, Mina faces the consequences of the choices that brought her to ruin . . . and just might bring her back to where she belongs.
How the Light Gets In
By Jolina Petersheim
When Ruth’s husband is killed, she travels to Wisconsin to bury her husband and grieve in peace. Her husband’s family welcomes her into their Mennonite community. But an unexpected twist threatens to unseat the happy ending Ruth is about to write for herself. On the precipice of a fresh start and a new marriage, Ruth must make an impossible decision.
The Saturday Night Supper Club
By Carla Laureano
When a targeted smear campaign causes Denver chef Rachel to be pushed out of her restaurant, she vows to do whatever it takes to get her life back. Ironically, essayist Alex’s attempt to highlight the pitfalls of online criticism revives his own career by destroying another. Both looking for a second chance, Rachel and Alex join forces to start the Saturday Night Supper Club.
Lulu’s Café
By T. I. Lowe
On the run from a violent past, Leah Allen arrives in tiny Rivertown, South Carolina, battered and broken but ready to reinvent herself. Leah is drawn to the Southern hospitality of a local café, looking for a warm meal but finding so much more. Lulu, the owner, offers her a job, a place to stay, and a new lease on life. Leah quickly finds herself embraced by the quaint community as she tries to put herself back together.
Tying the Knot
By Susan May Warren
EMT Anne Lundstrom is running from her past. But it’s about to catch up. She thought she’d escaped it when she moved out of the city and into the quiet town of Deep Haven. Anne certainly never expected to get roped into helping Noah Standing Bear run his summer camp for inner-city kids. But when the very danger she was trying to escape threatens her peaceful haven, Anne must find the courage to face her fears.
The Sisters of Sugarcreek
By Cathy Liggett
Three women cross paths and form an unlikely friendship in the aftermath of tragedy. Lydia, a young Amish widow, faces an uncertain future. Single mom Jessica is determined to keep her late aunt’s knitting shop open. And Liz would love to keep her anonymous society of helping local troubled folks going despite the passing of her friend. As they walk together through triumph and heartbreak, they begin to discover that with friends by your side, a stitch of hope can be found anywhere.
You Don’t Know Me
By Susan May Warren
Annalise Decker was once Deidre O’Reilly, a troubled young woman whose testimony put a dangerous criminal behind bars. Relocated through the Witness Security Program to the sleepy town of Deep Haven, Deidre got a new identity and a fresh start. But Annalise’s life really began when she fell in love with local real estate agent Nathan Decker. Twenty years later, Annalise couldn’t be more unprepared for her past to catch up with her.
Dry as Rain
By Gina Holmes
Like many marriages, Eric and Kyra Yoshida’s has fallen apart slowly. Until the ultimate betrayal finally pushes them beyond reconciliation. Just when it looks like forgive and forget is no longer an option, a car accident gives Eric the second chance of a lifetime. A concussion causes his wife to forget details of her life, including the chasm between them. No one knows when—or if—Kyra’s memory will return, but Eric seizes the opportunity to win back the woman he’s never stopped loving.
