This was a very interesting read
I was expecting the usual romcom romance but this had so many deeper layers to it and I just adored how it all played out from the cinema what an idea!

Second Chance Cinema by Thea Weiss

📖: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
🥵: 0/5

Second Chance Cinema is a really fascinating magical realism romance. It follows Ellie, an author who writes about different businesses and finds the heart in them, the exposure often saving the stores from closing, but who has failed to find any success in a couple of years, since she met her now fiancé Drake. Ths story is absolutely packed full of emotions, both with regard to Drake and Ellie's sometimes difficult relationship and their individual pasts.

Ellie is struggling to cope with the passing of her older brother, one of her good friends and role model for her need to find excitement in the small things. Her relationships with her parents have broken down almost entirely, and her lacklustre articles haven't given her that feeling since before she met Drake.

Drake is happy with his and Ellie's safe and predictable lot in life. When they find the cinema they begin relive parts of their own lives they perhaps don't want to, or that they want to keep quiet. Drake is strongly against continuing to visit cinema, but is forced to confront things he wished he didn't have to.

There were parts of this story that were definitely a little uncomfortable. I didn't always feel as though Drake and Ellie were right for each other. They had such contrasting instincts, with Ellie desperately searching for excitement and something new, and Drake determined to keep things comfortable. The introduction of Drake's ex certainly made things uncomfortable, and he undoubtedly made some bad decisions, but I think they both did throughout. It took until nearer the end for me to be convinced they should be together, but I honestly think this is a realistic portrayal of a relationship. It takes work, communication, honesty, and, in the end, the desire to still choose the other person even when times are tough.

This was not my usual read, but I really enjoyed it! Even if there were parts that weren't comfortable, and the emotions were high, I'd still recommend this story.

2 ⭐
Thank you to NetGalley UK and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for a review.
I went back and forth on what to rate this. I enjoyed the concept - the magical realism of a secret cinema that plays you your memories open a period of several weeks, a couple that hasn't been entirely open with each other learning each other's pasts.
The problem is that the protagonists are supposed to be in love and they don't like each other. I just didn't believe that they had enough tying them together and enough faith and trust in one another to stay together. There were parts that I enjoyed but ultimately not enough. Ultimately, I didn't find the story to have a satisfying conclusion. But maybe others may get something I didn't from it!

I'm going to be honest - when I got an advance copy of a book with no cover on Netgalley, I didn't have the highest hopes. I expected a three star read, something fun but not fantastic - but man I was wrong. I was completely blown away by The Second Chance Cinema. I'm not going to go into too many details, as going in blind is what made this book so stellar for me (and I recommend you do it too!), but just pleaseeee believe me when I urge you to pick up this book as soon as you can. There's magic, hope, and stacks of romance, in addition to all round whimsy. My only wish is that I could access the cinema myself.

I really enjoyed this book, it was such a fun and quick read that had the ability to make you smile yet still pull on your heartstrings. The characters were put together perfectly and I really found myself rooting for Ellie and Drake from start to finish. I loved them! I found some parts to be frustrating like some of their reasons for arguing or storming out, and their inability to actually talk to each-other for most of the novel. But overall, I was very content with the story.

The premise of this book was very interesting, and when I found this arc, I knew just had to read it! Ellie and Drake, a soon to be married couple, find a magical theatre whilst on a midnight stroll. After deciding to enter, they realise that each Saturday night, a movie of their memories plays on the big screen. Memories that both Ellie and Drake were unsure they wanted to relive, or share with their significant other. As we learn more about both characters and their back stories, we see how they have grown as people and how their past has shaped them.

This novel was great for accentuating how, even though our past is always a part of us, it does not determine who we are now. We grow, we change, we evolve. It also highlights the importance of communication and being open with those you love to prevent serious hardship. I highly recommend reading this novel!

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting premise for a book, Ellie and Drake stumble upon an old cinema down a dark alley. It is a cinema with a difference because the only screening it shows is their own cinematic moments from the past; the highs and the lows. Each week the view pinnacle moments from each others pasts but can their relationship survive this test?

I absolutely loved Second Chance Cinema, it’s a beautifully layered story that dares to do something different, and completely pulls it off. Rather than following the well-trodden path of a budding romance, Thea Weiss refreshingly centers the story around an existing relationship, exploring what happens after the "happily ever after." This fresh angle gave the book so much emotional depth and authenticity, and I found myself incredibly invested in the characters' second shot at love.

One of the standout elements for me was the subtle yet powerful use of magical realism. The paranormal thread gentle, evocative, and never overbearing added a touch of wonder and whimsy that perfectly complemented the emotional heart of the story. It reminded me how love can feel like magic, especially when it's given a second chance to bloom.

Weiss has a gift for capturing complicated feelings like nostalgia, regret, hope and threading them through with humor and charm. The setting (a quirky old cinema) and the supernatural twist provided such a rich backdrop for the story’s emotional journey. If you're looking for a romance that’s not only swoon-worthy but also poignant and a little bit otherworldly, this one’s for you.

beforehand I really liked the concept of this story and did end up enjoying how it was written. However it didn’t pick up until around the 30-40% mark and ultimately I just didn’t like the couple together so it was hard rooting for them. I think they were completely different individuals who wanted different things, and I know through going to the cinema and seeing their past, they eventually opened up with each other, I just couldn’t see them working in the long run?

Although it was a cute and cosy read, one I think people will enjoy. It just didn’t work for me.

thank you NetGalley for the arc.

This is a slow tale, with two couples having their lives woven together, and yet somehow they are all individuals. It is a nostalgic look at the cinema and movies as it centres on Ruby’s inheritance of an independent cinema. The author is clearly a cinema buff as the book is scattered with reference to classic films. Luke is the other owner of the cinema and the book shows him changing and growing through the book and this is a delightful way to follow a character. Ruby is strong although I could have done with more of her background to help me appreciate her more. This book had glimpses of magic to it, mixed amongst the nostalgia and love of storytelling.

“magical theater atop a cobblestone path alters what a couple knows about themselves—and each other. When Ellie and her fiancé, Drake, stumble upon it during a late-night walk, they're shocked to discover what's playing inside the red-velvet their formative memories. Drake fears what the cinema might reveal, but eventually gives in when Ellie insists they return for more viewings. She's haunted by a night from her past that she doesn't fully remember., The Second Chance Cinema is both an enchanting escape and a thought-provoking examination of how our memories shape who we are.”

This book is a memorising mix of fantasy and literary fiction. This book completely drew me in from the start, I loved the two main characters, one free spirit and one creature of habit. Reliving your past can be hard, this definitely made me feel all the emotions

Lovely, moving and really special. The Second Chance Cinema is a hopeful story about love, loss and new beginnings. Elle and Drake are wonderful characters and I adored reading their story. Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Ellie meets Drake in a bar she wrote a article about and saved from closing. That is what she does finds places about to close and writes about them.
When she is out with Drake they find a cinema that plays only their lives at certain important points..
They are given tickets to return so only so many times. But once these are used they can't go back.
Each is worried about certain parts of their life the other will see.
I enjoyed this story a lot and wanted to see where it would lead.
It's an unusual storyline and it kept me readin

The Second Chance Cinema by Thea Weiss, @atriabooks @hqstories & a NetGalley review. Ellie & her Fiancé Drake come across a glamorous old cinema that only plays their past memories. However have Ellie and Drake been honest with each other & what will these memories highlight and can their relationship survive it. I went into reading this book completely blind, a new author I hadn’t heard of but had an email from @hqstories suggesting this might be something I would enjoy. To begin with I was very unsure about the book, it was a bit bland to begin with, hard to get into, maybe because I was a bit cautious as I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going or used to the authors style of writing. To begin with I found Drake especially to be a bit of a tedious and boring character, him and Ellie as people are polite opposites and haven’t obviously been completely honest with each other. Drake likes order and structure, like monster movie nights in the same day every week and eating at the same restaurants. Ellie is a little more spontaneous, finding pleasure in vintage things and at the beginning it seems she loses part of herself in this relationship with Drake. However the discovery of the old cinema showing the story of them both changes everything and even though they fight the discussions and emotions it brings, it changes their whole relationship and brings magic and wonder to an otherwise boring story. Although I struggled with this book at the beginning, it always intrigued me, I love the idea of the old cinema and that Ellie sees the beauty in old things and by the end of the book, Ellie & Drakes relationship turns full circle & they compliment one another. It’s a book that is evocative, that pulls you in, it’s a love story with bumps in the roads and although the cinema brings a bit of magic to the story, the story deals with real emotions such as grief, love and fear. By the end I was hooked to this story & was so pleased that the author tied up all the loose ends of Drake and Ellie’s story yet hinted at more to come from the little unassuming cinema! Highly recommend to all and it’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Look out for more from @writtenbythea 📚📚

Magical, nostalgic, and utterly charming, The Second Chance Cinema is a love story like no other!

When Ellie and her fiancé, Drake, stumble upon a mysterious old cinema hidden at the end of an alley, they’re drawn into something extraordinary. On the screen? Their own memories - some heartwarming, some haunting, and some revealing secrets they’ve kept from each other. As their wedding day looms, they’ve got ten viewings that force them to question their past, their choices, and whether love alone is enough to shape their future.

With a touch of magic and a whole lot of heart, Thea Weiss weaves a spellbinding debut that had me completely hooked. I laughed, I teared up, and I was completely swept away - this is a story that will stay with me, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

A magical story of forgiveness, loss, love and second chances.

This story was so unique to anything I’ve ever read. It was a romance story but started with a couple; Ellie and Drake, who stumbled upon an abandoned cinema that replayed key moments in their lives.

Ellie and Drake were at a point in their relationship where it was struggling. Ellie very much wanted to explore and Drake wanted to please his family but going to this cinema really put a spin on everything.

It was interesting to see what couples keep secret from each other and how that can fester in a relationship. This book definitely isn’t all sunshine and daisies it is very real and emotional.

It had me that invested that when the characters were at a low point I honest felt there with them! Both characters were easily loveable and the ending was so satisfyingly hopeful.

I loved the concept of this story and it had me gripped from the moment they stepped foot in the cinema.

I’ll definitely be looking for more books from this author because the writing was so magical and real.

Ellie and Drake seem an ideally matched couple - she a cataloguer of vanishing places, always on the lookout for the quirky, the picturesque, the vintage, he a construction expert, safe and reliable, always fixing things.

As the two plan their marriage, however, both worry about secrets they are keeping.

And then one night, as Ellie leads them off the beaten track, they stumble across a hidden cinema with its own, special, midnight show - The Story of You. Those secrets will be revealed, and the two will have to face some uncomfortable truths.

I adored Second Chance Cinema. I always think there's something magical about cinema, something liminal as one steps out of one's normal life for a while. The darkness. The anticipation. It's especially magical when you have the whole place to yourself - as though the world has, just for a brief while, bent itself around you. For Ellie and Drake, that's literally true as they attend showing after showing, taking each of them deeper and deeper into their backstories - and revealing their pasts to each other.

This is a brilliant way to tell how two people came to be who they are, and to expose the dilemmas and tensions they now face. Across the screen flit parents, siblings, childhood insecurities, teenage angst, lovers, breakups, and betrayals. "To know all is to forgive all" runs the old saying, but will that be true for Ellie and Drake? Rather, it seems likely that with more perfect knowledges comes judgement, misunderstanding and pain. Yes, you may see what happened to your lover on a certain night ten years before, but will you understand? And are they the same person now as they were then? Is it fair to judge them on that past?

As the showings continue, the revelations affect Ellie and Drake, with things done, or left undone, in the past reaching out and putting their lives and relationship in question. Ellie's fears that she can't recapture her best work, and Drake's frustration that instead of building lovely, bespoke homes he's working on cookie-cutter residential boxes, tangle with family tensions and past relationships to make this a complex but rich account of a relationship. At the same time there's a good sprinkling of magical Christmas sparkle and vein of humour to lighten the more intense moments.

All in all I found Second Chance Cinema a compelling read - Weiss takes her fantastical premise and grounds it sufficiently enough that it seems real, with the authentic consequences for Ellie and Drake. It is in some ways an unsettling story, with real challenges for the couple, but it's one I had to keep reading - a "what if" that I had to follow to the last page.

Such a fresh take on a romance novel! I've honestly never read another book quite like it. Full of magic, hope and learning to live with grief, but also a reminder not to dwell on the past and to live for the future.

An amazing read!

🎥🍿 The Second Chance Cinema 🍿🎥

- Thea Weiss

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so lucky to be given the opportunity to read and review this debut. In the vein of Ashley Poston, with magical realism mingling with romance, the titular Second Chance Cinema is a vintage movie theatre that appears to couples mysteriously and at random. What shows on the big screen is the story of their lives.

We follow Ellie, a writer who blogs about vintage places fallen on hard times, and Drake, a construction worker. But when they stumble upon a vintage cinema one night, and decide to attend the showing, they quickly realise that the movie that plays is no normal feature film. In The Story of You, Ellie and Drake watch their own memories, from birth to childhood to adulthood to, eventually, their own meetcute.

It probes a really intriguing question of ‘can we ever fundamentally know each other?’ Weiss explores reconciling with the fact that you can never know the ins and outs of another persons life before it intersected with your own, and how past experiences shape the people we become. Whether that’s something to be grateful for or to be mourned, and whether a persons past actions can determine how we love them.

Weiss skilfully conducts a post-mortem of a relationship that isn’t quite dead, but isn’t wholly alive either. Nostalgic, personal and painfully realistic, Weiss doesn’t shy away from writing her characters with flaws, which challenge the reader’s ability to like the characters at times. These unsavoury moments are essential to the story and to the progression of Drake and Ellie’s relationship, both with each other and themselves. Weiss helps us understand why the characters are the way that they are through their memories playing out on a film roll.

It was a really interesting look at what happens after The End of most traditional romances. I’d hesitate to call this book a romance, certainly not in the typical way. It’s more of a genre-blending tale of marriage, relationships, family and a love letter to the Golden Age of cinema.

Thanks to HQ Stories and HarperCollins for the ARC - all thoughts are my own!

Cinephiles meet bibliophiles in this magical novel.

Such a fresh take on the second chance romance trope. We usually don’t see where the couple are already established and dealing with trials and tribulations that come with a long relationship. Weiss did a great job of creating the magic and cosy vibes. A heartwarming read.

A raw, relatable, and magical tribute to making peace with the past.

This was a very different take on both romance books and magical realism romance. As fantastical as the premise was, the characters themselves were very real, flaws and all. Ellie and Drake have all the thoughts and worries that everyone has when approaching their wedding date: as much as you love someone, is this life altering commitment the right path for you? Would your partner still love you if they knew every bad decision and dirty secret from your past? Would you still love them if you knew theirs? Can you merge your life with someone else without losing yourself? But most importantly- can you move forward without coming to terms with the past?

The pace of the story lagged sometimes, but once it picked up, it really got going. I enjoyed seeing things unfold from both Ellie and Drakes different perspectives, and how they both held onto their love for one another despite frustrations and anger and jealousy.

Very sweet read!