I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the very beginning. It was beautifully written and the characters were lovely especially Alfred. I loved the way the story flowed and it was so very funny at times and had me laughing out loud. I loved Annie such a strong woman leaving a successful business to strike out on her own somewhere new. I did wonder if it would work out for her at times always hoping it would. I want to join the book club so very funny and a group of supportive women. My only slight gripe was the bad language towards the end. I don't subscribe to children swearing in the presence of their parents. I don't think it was necessary and did nothing for the story. Maybe I am getting old. This was a brilliant read and clearly Jenny has nothing to worry about as far as her writing is concerned. I am looking forward to her future books - of which I am sure there will be many judging by the quality of this one.

I really enjoyed Jenny Bayliss's first book, s jumped at the chance to read The Winter Of Second Chances.
A middle-aged heroine - what's not to like?
Annie Sharpe has it all. A successful restaurant, two lovely children in the forms of her grown-up twin sons and an adoring husband.
Scratch that.
A husband who is too busy adoring others, not her. And she catches him, in the act with his latest flavour of the month.
What's a woman to do?
We follow Annie as she ups sticks, and removes herself from a toxic situation that has been simmering for a long while, and finds herself as the tenant and guardian for a small, glorified beach hut/kiosk/tea room called Saltwater Nook.
Here, Annie finds her feet, making what she expects to be temporary friends, and a little hobby to keep her busy as. she figures out her life.
But nothing is ever that simple.
I loved Annie. She was a straight-talking woman, who found her tongue, regarding her marriage a little later than in other aspects of her life. It tales quite a backbone to leave everything you have worked for, and start afresh.
The locals she encounters are just a joy, including her new book club friends, who become a little raucous, but with hilarious consequences. The owners of the two local pubs welcome her, and she even makes a tentative friend with the local homeless man, Albert.
And who can forget John? John, the nephew of her landlady, who seems hellbent on selling this little nook she is looking after. John, who has different layers. John, who becomes rather fanciable to a newly single woman,
Thoroughly enjoyed reading!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review,

This book brings combines all my favourite things - the beach,  coffee shops, reading and the autumn through to Christmas season.
When Annie, a successful restaurant owner, finds her husband being unfaithful with one of the waitresses at the restaurant she decides to make a new start as a custodian of a beachside house and cafe.
Despite her need to get away from her past life, she soon decides to reopen the cafe and meets the locals.
We are introduced to John, the nephew of the woman whose house Annie is looking after and I enjoyed the relationship between the two characters.
This was one of those "un-put- down able " books that I read in less than 24 hours and wish I could forget so I could enjoy it again.
Highly recommend!

A wonderful story of when life makes you up and leave, for changes anew. Even though it’s hard, Annie realises her hopes, dreams and wishes can come sooo true. She also begins to realise she is good enough to experience love again. A lovely read on a cold winters evening under a blanket with chocolate

I really love the 12 dates of Christmas but unfortunately couldn't get into this one while I appreciated the comedy value of it I didn't get on with the characters and so I DNFd at 25%

I guarantee you will fall in love with main character Annie right from the first page. A beautifully written book in a wonderful coastal setting, sounds just like somewhere any of us would love to live. Can't wait for nmore from this author

Fantastic story full of emotion. Everything in this book can be real life and the emotional show stopper towards the end had my heart in my throat....

When Annie found her husband and the father of her twin boys having sex with another woman the only alternative was to walk away but to where. She needed to take time to decide her future and put things into perspective so she booked into a hotel and slept for a few days then let fate take its course.
This is a better book than Jenny Bayliss' first book the humour , characters and storyline together with a hint of romance keep you turning the pages giving a feel good factor and Christmassy feel. I loved this book it made me feel happy and cheerful a guaranteed tonic.

Fab!
I really loved this book! Well written, very funny and completely 100% relatable!
Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t find it particularly engaging and quite repetitive and the storyline was quite obvious. I didn’t enjoy it and was glad to get to the end. Sadly, not my cup of tea.

Oh how I loved this book. it had everything that you would want from a book at this time of year, from Halloween to Christmas!
Annie is a 44 year old successful chef who owns a restaurant with her husband Max, until one day Annie finds Max cheating on her with a member of staff. This is not the first time that this has happened, so this time, Annie leaves and decides to make it on her own. While she is out, she finds an advertisement wanting a guardian for Saltwater Nook and from here, a new love affair begins, in more ways than one.
The characters throughout the story are brilliant, there is not one you don't like. There is comedy, drama and a love story throughout. The community brings so much to this story and you can see why Annie falls in love with the place and realises this is where she needs to be.
I just wish I could join the book club because the conversations are hilarious and I loved their friendships building throughout.
Not going to lie, this story is slightly predictable but what I can tell you is that it doesn't matter at all. The story carries you through out and to be honest, there would be no better alternative ending, so who cares about the predictability, I know I didn't
Thank you to Jenny Bayliss, Netgalley and Pan McMillian for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I loved This book and loved reading it sat under a blanket drinking a cup of tea on the kent coast, I loved this book and loved that it is never too late for second chances in life , I really enjoyed all the characters in this book and loved the authors writing style.

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for this honest review

A cosy read that had me wanting to keep reading on. Perfect reading material on a cold night autumn night, with a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket on the sofa. I loved the characters and was so happy with how the story panned out. I will definitely be looking out to read more from this author in the future.

This was a really enjoyable novel. All the characters were wonderfully written and jumped off the page. The story of Annie and her new life was uplifting and made a wonderful escape. It was the sort of novel that you know is going to have a happy ending but the journey to it made great reading. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy.

Loved it, couldn't put it down !
It made me laugh and the last couple of chapters made me cry, for me, a whole range of other emotions packed into one book
Can't wait for the next book

A lovely wander through Annie’s life after she catches her husband cheating - again. The book show Annie find joy in new friends, new business ventures and new men, and all of this done in a numerous and warm way. The descriptions of the local folk, the weather and the tiny house and cafe are great, real detail and insights into people’s lives. We explore a bit of everyone that Annie comes into contact with as we see with her eyes how she makes this new life entirely hers - be that with the homeless Alfred, her book club friends or the pub landlords.
A warming romance.

This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. It stands head and shoulders above all other seasonal rom coms. It is in turn hilarious, heartwarming and dramatic. I want to be friends with Annie, drink gingerbread lattes in the cafe and join the book club! I’ve now bought Jenny Bayliss’s first novel, and I sincerely hope she’s busy writing the third.

I thought this was a great wintry read. The plot was great (who doesn’t love a woman getting a second chance) Annie was relatable and the story flowed well

Annie is someone you love right from the beginning. To an outsider she seems to have it all. A husband, twin boys and a Michelin star restaurant. Her boys are grown up and have left home and after seeing her husband with someone else she goes off to look after a property in a village in Thanet ,Kent. The owner of the property needs someone to look after the Saltwater Nook over the winter. Will the village on the coast accept Annie into their fold and will she get the second chance that she deserves? The characters in the area around the Saltwater Nook feel very real and you fall in love with them and the area. Living in Thanet myself for more then 50 years it was nice hearing areas I know mentioned. If there was a real Saltwater Nook I would definitely be visiting it regularly. Only thing wrong is there are no shingle beaches in Thanet. Thanet is well known for its Sandy beaches.

This is a story of second chances, new beginnings, belonging and community spirit. I loved this book and it drew me in from the very beginning. I felt Annie’s heartbreak when she discovered Max cheating, as if I was her. It’s very well written and I loved the subtle humour which had me chuckling throughout the book, and laughing out loud at times. The dialogue between Annie and John was so entertaining- starting with sarcasm and ending up in flirtatious exchanges. The innuendos were very amusing and as a Jane Austen fan I found the Mr. Knightley references a delight! The blossoming romance and sexual tension between Annie and John were very well written. I found all the characters very likeable, each one displaying such different characteristics. The character of Max was well developed, portraying his charm, manipulation and dishonesty. I felt real anger towards him at times and I loved Annie’s “mop” revenge, which was very funny and well deserved. My heart was in my mouth during John and Alfred’s sea battle and I had tears in my eyes as I felt Annie’s anguish. The various events in the village created a lovely atmosphere throughout and the ending was just beautiful. This is a book that’s a whirlwind of emotions, sprinkled with lots of humour, and thoroughly entertaining. I loved it and can highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.