This was an interesting take on the well-loved second chance romance trope. The premise had great promise, however I feel that the plot missed the mark. I found it difficult to continue with as the romance between Bea and Jack felt lacklustre at best.

Not an amazing story/book but not horrible either. FMC was kind of cringey and never knew what she wanted (ugh). MMC was always there to help her grow and have faith in herself again after her divorce. Not a super memorable story but it did give me Emily Henry vibes at first which kept me going to see what came next, unfortunately it was just okay but I’ll be looking forward to her next books!

3.5 - This was such a cute romance and I really enjoyed the characters!! Beatrice was someone I could really connect to and I loved how the author really created such an expansive and developed lead character. I kind of love the single mother trope right now, and I loved seeing how strong Beatrice was, in juggling being a single mom and all of the responsibilities she had, with also navigating her personal life. Beatrice is getting a divorce and is trying to navigate becoming a single mom while also making a big change of having to travel often to Ireland for her job, while fighting for custody over her son. I thought that the way the author wrote about marriage, divorce, children, family, second loves, and careers was really authentic and gave me similar vibes to the way that Annabel Monaghan writes her single mothers, who is one of my favorite authors!!

I thought the romance between Beatrice and Jack was lacking at times and the pace also lagged in certain parts. I really did like how Beatrice and Jack were brought together after their failed romance in high school, but I wish we had gotten more background and flashbacks to their time spent together before to get a fuller picture. Most of all, I liked how this book was so focused on Beatrice as a character and her growth as a woman, mom, and person. It gave me really similar vibes to Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the free book in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this! I thought it was a little bit slow at times but I loved the message it had about women. I think I would have preferred some more flashbacks but as a whole I thought this was a wonderful romance and is one that I will be recommending.

Beatrice is newly divorced and struggling to juggle her life between her work and her home life as a single mom. Her work takes her back and forth to Ireland, where she reconnects with an old love from high school, Jack. Her life is too hectic for a relationship right now and Jack has his own messy life to deal with. What start out as just a friends with benefits situation turns into so much more as they both realize you can't always control what goes on and life can be a little messy but when a second chance at happiness comes along, you need to grab it with both hands, mess and all.
Although this was a romance, I really enjoyed seeing Bea's growth throughout the story. I also liked that there was good communication between the characters. The characters were interesting and relatable and they had a great connection. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more by this author.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This is such a beautiful and heartbreaking novel. I love the way Bea grows throughout the book and her relationship with herself changes. I love the way she lets Jack get to know Bash, something that is so special. The writing is great and I love reading a second chance romance with high school sweethearts. I also loved the way infertility is discussed and Bea's whole relationship with wanting children. I didn't like Rika.

This book was so refreshing! I was just as invested in the FMCs life outside of her romance. The emphasis on how important communication is to all types of relationships was a nice change from the ever popular miscommunication troupe!

this was an interesting take on the second chance trope and i really appreciated it. i could not out this down and i was actually invested in the storyline after outside the romance. the ending was perfect

I loved that this workplace, second chance romance portrayed a woman good at her job and unapologetic that she loves her work. She also loves her child and is 100% present with him. Bea had heal from her divorce and step back to look at what really happened so she can move forward. Ironically, her relationship with her first love, now coworker, helps open her eyes to look within.

Absolutely loved this book! The story was very well written, evoked all sorts of emotions from me, and the NY/Irish background was everything i could want in a book. A beautiful second chance romance, with characters that evolve and develop together and alone. Could not recommend this book enough. Also, it has some great Irish recipes in the end, which is always a plus!

Bea is a newly single mom who is doing her best balancing a her home life and work life when suddenly her work is taking her to and from Ireland, and away from her son constantly! Besides her ex husband giving her trouble about it… her new co worker is also her high school ex of sorts! Instantly things pick back up and the sweetest second chance romances starts. Their banter, while some might call boring, fits them as characters perfectly. I am very thankful I got to read this in advance thanks to NetGalley!

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🔸ARC REVIEW🔸 Alternate Endings by Ali Rosen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5)

GENRES: Romance, Contemporary

🌶️ HOT TAKE: What if the bimonthly work trips that seemed like the worst lifestyle-sabotage actually end up providing the requisite sandbox to bring about a timely evolution?

🧶 THE SUMMARY:
Work has always been the part of Bea’s life where she feels in control and confident. Especially now that she’s getting divorced and adjusting to life as a single mom. So when her boss breaks the news that she’s moving back to Ireland and will require the company’s leadership team to travel overseas twice a month for in-person retreats, Bea is stressed. To top it off, the company’s new CTO is a blast from the past, her old fling from high school, Jack. They haven’t spoken since he broke her heart years ago, but their chemistry feels undeniable.

💁🏻‍♀️ MY THOUGHTS:
🔸 This was adorable! I loved Bea’s high power career and her relationship with her boss. It was great seeing a romance where the career woman gets to have it all, without needing to change who she is in order to find love. The conversation was cute and the romantic scenes felt just right in terms of intimacy.

🔸 I liked how the author used the Ireland trips to physically divide Bea’s work and life spheres, although I could have used a little more ~exploration~ of the setting, instead of just keeping them locked up in a castle the whole time.

🔸 If I had to critique anything about this one, it was that I found Jack’s backstory and family to be a little outlandish and over-exaggerated. I don’t care how obnoxious your family is, I’m pretty sure anyone would understand that being a CTO is an undeniable achievement. Their scene did detract from the overall experience for me and I don’t think it was needed to substantiate his insecurities and motivations.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for the arc, provided in exchange for an honest review.

Ali Rosen is officially an auto-buy author for me. I loooove anything she writes and this book was no different. ◡̈

Second chance romance is by far my favorite trope. I seek out books with this trope and eat them up!

This was a case of "Right book, wrong time." There isn't anything specific that I struggled with -- I was just struggling with reading in general when I picked this one up. I read it at a time when it was hard to focus on anything, and I found myself just wanting to finish this book and move onto something else.

I will need to give this another try when I'm in the right headspace because I appreciated the unique plot and the reviews are wonderful.

4.5- I missed Ali Rosen’s debut novel because I was trying to make a dent in my very long TBR by focusing on the books that have been on it for the longest, but I’ve since given up on that endeavor and have gone to the opposite end of the spectrum by solely reading advanced copies. Clearly I have no balance. Anyway, this one jumped out at me and I was ecstatic when I was approved for it.
Beatrice Leal is the VP of a New York based tech company and the single Mom of 6 year old, Sebastian (Bash). She’s never had a problem juggling being single mom with a tough career until the CEO moves to Ireland and requires the team to meet at her castle twice a month. Bea finds herself having to negotiate with her moody ex-husband while battling jet lag and crazy work outings. The real kicker is when she realizes the new Chief Technology Officer is none other than Jack Sander, her high school crush who crushed her heart and then ghosted her for 20 years. She thought she was over Jack until she saw him and all of her feelings from the age of 16 come rushing back. Now 20 years older and filled with more wisdom and insight, Bea and Jack decide to make the most of their regular time in Ireland while keeping their lives separate in New York. It’s messy, but Bea is beginning to discover that sometimes messiness leads to a life of happiness.
Ms. Rosen has written a book filled with characters with whom I want to be friends. Everyone from quirky Brigid to caring Rika and calm Clem offer something amazing to Bea’s life. I especially love how Bea came to look at her life differently and in doing so she made changes towards a happier life.
I am definitely going to check out Recipe for Second Chances sooner rather than later! Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an advanced copy of this. Alternate Endings hit the shelves on May 7th.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was plenty fun and light hearted even through the more serious bits and kept me hooked from start to finish.

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

Alternate Endings is a cute, second chance romance read. I enjoyed the visits to Ireland and the trips back in time to see how the main characters first met and knew each other. I also enjoy how the story handled the divorce storyline and the honest and sensitive way it also deal with struggling to have children. Lastly, I adored the friend squad- i feel like everyone deserve a squad like this one.

What a stunning book! This is a second-chance romance that teeters on the edge of women's fiction, in the best way possible. It's a story about Bea, who post-divorce, is fighting for the ability to be a bad-ass career woman, a present single mom, and to find her second chance at love.

Women can, should, and deserve to have it all and that's exactly the message that this book delivered. It was empowering, romantic, and perfectly heart-warming.

I can't wait to see what else Ali has up her sleeve!

i loved rosen's first book so much that i gave it 5 stars. that's a hard rating to get from me, and i was looking forward to her next book and the ones after that. this book is so different and is about nothing. i don't want to read about custody arrangements from an ex-husband that was probably a dick back then, too. i don't want the FMC, referring to her high school boyfriend by his full name 85% of the time she mentions him. it's also just a story about bea traveling back and forth, surface friendships and inner thoughts.