Nantucket Second Chances, Pamela M. Kelley (Review by Samantha Tiernan)

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Nantucket Second Chances was a heart-warming story about reinventing oneself after divorce. Claire Shipman is a stay-at-home mom in Manhattan whose life revolves around charity dinners and her husband’s high profile finance parties. After hosting a party, Claire’s husband Ellis blindsides her and tells her that he wants a divorce and that he has been having an affair with the secretary at his work. Claire and Ellis have a teenage daughter (Lily) of their own and have struggled with getting pregnant after having Lily. Claire is shocked by the ask for a divorce as she is now pregnant after years of infertility. Ellis then drops another bomb on her that his mistress is also pregnant at the same time as Claire.

Claire wants a fresh start for herself, Lily, and the soon to be new addition to their family. She moves back to her childhood home in Nantucket and moves back in with her mother to get back on her feet. Since Claires’ life revolved around her husband, she has not had a job in years. She tries to find any openings on the island but it’s the off season so she struggles to come up with any options. She does have an extra room at her mother’s house, filled with designer purses and shoes that she no longer has any use for. After mentioning her designer wardrobe to her book club group, they suggested opening a secondhand consignment shop for designer items. Claire is skeptical since she has not worked in retail for ages but wants to build something of her own. She ends up naming the secondhand store “Nantucket Second Chances”.

This book is a cute read about new friendships, finding yourself after divorce, and being open to opportunities that come your way. I would give this book a 3.5/5.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC.