I'm very torn about what kind of review I want to give this book. I liked the story quite a bit but the way the book was written was so very hard to follow. The chapters were set up in a way that I didn't even realize whose point of view I was reading until several chapters in. It seemed minor characters were thrown in at odd times, leaving me to wonder who these people were. I also wasn't a fan of the quick back-and-forth dialogue, sometimes delineated by colons after the characters' names. I just resigned myself to reading the book and getting some enjoyment out of the story, even if I didn't know what was going on at all times.

The relationship between Madison and Rae was inexplicably negative. It seemed like all discussion between them had to do with if and when they would break each other's hearts. The big problem between them was the fact that Madison was previously married and had a child with her ex. When they reunite, this problem magically clears up. While I like a happy ending, I also like a realistic one.

I was drawn to this book because of the cover and the description of the blurb. It appeared to be a good book that I would be interested in especially since it involved a woman getting on with her life after a dive and trying to manage her daughter at the same time. She meets a woman and they seem to be getting off to a terrific start of a hot and sexy relationship. So what’s not to like? I struggle to get through this book not because of the storyline but because the writing style was so convoluted and confusing I never knew what was going on I need to stop slow down and re-read the section to try to figure out who was saying what. Even though the author constantly wrote “I said“ and “she said“ I still couldn’t figure out who was saying what especially when other characters came into the setting. I’m sure this is just a personal quirk with me that I had trouble with the writing However I think the concept of the book is good.

I don't know if it was because me not being anglophone but I have lost more than half of the meaning in this book and that saddens me since some things might have made more sense than they have had for me once I have finished reading it because, being honest, I've been several times about not to finish reading it. And it will be by my willpower or whatever, but in the end I managed to finish it.

And what happened to me at the end of it was that I felt no desire to review it and now that I start doing it, I don't remember half of what I read in it.

There was a couple breakup, with a child involved. There was a couple that formed amid doubts and secrets between the two women. There were friends of both women who came and went in the course of history. But the dialogues made me dizzy and were not clear at all.

I do not want to value this book very negatively because perhaps its style is excellent from a literary point of view. But it has been such an effort for me to read it, that it exhausted me even physically.

This was my first f/f story that I’ve read and I don’t think I even realized that until I was reading it, and that made me really excited to jump into this one. I’m also a sucker for any story involving a child, so double booyah! That being said, I really liked this storyline but I definitely struggled getting through this one. The writing style was just not what I was used to and I was constantly having to go back and re read to figure out who was saying what and/or how we switched to a new topic. I don’t believe in not finishing a book that I’ve started so I dealt with it. I kept a note card with me and made notes of side characters and who they were and notes about the timeline and that seemed to help. It took me longer than usual but I finished, needing to know how the story ends… and I’m glad that I did because like I said the actual story here was great and I loved the ending of this book.

On Second Thought is well written. I love the dialogue and characters. However, it was a hard read for me in the way the chapters were arranged in the book. I wasn’t always sure who, or where in the story, (past/present) the chapter was focused on. So the review will be a little brief. I want to stress this was my experience, it may not be another readers journey.

So. Going into this one, right from the outset, the blurb caught my attention. Unfortunately, once I got even just a few paragraphs into the actual story, I realized pretty quickly that this one wasn't going to work for me.

Do you ever come across an author who you can tell took all kinds of time and care writing their story, but somehow their writing style just doesn't mesh with you as a reader? That was this book for me. It's not that the story was written poorly, not by any means, but something about Spencer's writing style in this one just felt odd to me and I struggled with this entire story.

It's a completely personal thing for me though and I would hate to tell someone to shy away from this read, but the writing style just didn't work for me and because of that, the book overall just didn't work for me personally. It's completely unfair to Spencer, and I have a feeling that there will be many others who mesh with her writing style much better than I did and truly enjoy this one, but for me... I just couldn't settle into this read and it definitely hurt my overall enjoyment. I suggest looking at some other reviews before making a decision on picking this one up. For me, 2.25 stars.

**Many thanks to Bold Strokes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The cover is good and the plot sounded interesting. Sadly I couldn’t get into it. The writing style bothered me and I was confused over what happened when. Was reading about Rae picking her up for a date and suddenly i was reading something else. I tried reading this but I just couldn’t finish it.

I pretty much always read the blurb on all the books I decide to read. I thought this one would be interesting and it was interesting. Just not in the way I wanted it to be. Let me explain. I honestly didn't really know what was going on most of the time in this one. The writing style was different and kept me guessing on who was talking and what they were talking about. This was for most of the book. It was sort of like reading poetry in book form. That is the best that I can explain it. I almost stopped a few times, but kept at it. I would say that at around 50 or 60%, it became clearer to me, but that didn't last long. I got the overall story line, but just could not get into it because of how it was written.

I really wish I could rate this one higher, but 2.75 stars is all I can give.

The book description caught my attention. The read though atypical due the first person chapter by chapter perspective rotating between the two main characters, provided a steady stream of self-reflection and processing of what is being said, what is going on, and why characters are behaving the way they do. The read kept my attention because if I lost focus, I would forget who was talking and which group of friends go with either Madisen or Rae. I enjoy reads with children and although Jordan was not mentioned much (the kid) when she was spoken about it was with love and putting her care first. Different is the word I would use to describe this read and in my opinion, that is a good thing.

I really wanted to like this book and thought that I would based on the description provided. I read the book to just past the 20% point, but I could not continue which is rare for me. The stream of consciousness writing style must not be to my liking because I had trouble following what was happening scene-to-scene. Sometimes I had to read a transition section over two or three times to simply understand that one scene had finished and another had started. This was not my idea of a relaxing read. I hope others can find the book enjoyable.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Ok this book was good.

Madisen is realizing love is never easy. When she meets Rae she finally thinks she couldn't be more happy.

Things get complicated when her ex wife Aline want another chance. Then you have Rae best friend Avery who it seems have feelings for her.

The story was good but the internal dialogue was confusing when in the middle of conversation it was taking me out of the story and I actually like internal dialogue because it gives insight into the charcters thoughts but I don't know it felt out of place sometimes.. Don't get me wrong I like this author and can't wait for the next book.

I’m torn about this book. The writing style was definitely unique. Almost disjointed at times, but it worked for the book. I loved how real the characters were. The actions were very authentic. There was nothing contrived. I feel like Rae’s friend Avery might have been in love with her, a lot. I would have liked to have seen that be explored. It could have provided another dimension for the story. While I was glad there was a satisfactory ending, I wasn’t as invested in it as I would have liked. Not a bad book at all, just could have been better, and I will totally try the author again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Stroke Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

C. Spencer is a new name to me, and I was absolutely blown away by ‘On Second Thought’. With her wonderfully realised main protagonists in Rae and Madisen, Spencer has created a wonderful romance that is better than anything I have read recently. Pitch-perfect plotting and flowing, crisp prose, ensures this is a standout, must-read for fans of lesfic. Sexy, romantic and intriguingly unpredictable, I was swept away by this wonderful story of star-crossed lovers. Oozing sensuality and dripping with sexual tension, I will definitely be rereading this book again... soon!

The intriguing blurb of this novel drew me in and it didn’t take long to devour this uniquely written book. What sets this book apart from most is first, the flipping of first person POV between Rae and Madisen and second, the sparkling tête-à-tête dialogue between them. Moreover, there was an interesting dichotomy to this story where their romance races at Mach speeds yet at the same time there is abrupt stagnancy from cautious introspection of their predicaments. This contrasting approach to the writing kept me on my toes and glued to the pages for a unique experience I won’t soon forget. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have to be honest, I only got about 20% into this book and I had to stop. Other readers may love this book, so their reviews should be taken into account, but I didn't like the writing style.

It was written too freeform for me. There was internal dialogue mixed with conversations that then segued into tangents...so it was all over the place. I couldn't follow along, but again, it could be more of a reader problem than a book issue. I leave it to the majority to decide...