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stevienotnicks's review
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Deadnaming, and Death of parent
atreegrowsinbooks's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Another hit by TJ Alexander! This was such a cute queer second chance romance. Exactly what my heart needed right now. I loved the queerness of it, the characters. Again with the funny humor that made me actually laugh and smile so wide. Lately, most of Alexanders books are able to make me laugh, they are great at their humor filled books.
As someone living in a red state, the mention of the flags/etc in Florida made me laugh/cry because its relatable in my state as well.
I wish that Nick's queerness was talked about more. Initially it was mentioned that he was demi, and this is probably the first time I've read a book with a character that thinks they are demi (I need to find more books). And while I know that not everyone has/wants labels, but I still wanted more exploration or inner thoughts about it from Nick.
Overall loved the representation of a trans relationship, enby, queer, and allyship. I loved how cute Eli's parents were to retake photos from when Eli was a kid. The miscommunication was a little annoying, and I would have liked a little more in the book of them being together but otherwise I LOVED THIS.
As someone living in a red state, the mention of the flags/etc in Florida made me laugh/cry because its relatable in my state as well.
I wish that Nick's queerness was talked about more. Initially it was mentioned that he was demi, and this is probably the first time I've read a book with a character that thinks they are demi (I need to find more books). And while I know that not everyone has/wants labels, but I still wanted more exploration or inner thoughts about it from Nick.
Overall loved the representation of a trans relationship, enby, queer, and allyship. I loved how cute Eli's parents were to retake photos from when Eli was a kid. The miscommunication was a little annoying, and I would have liked a little more in the book of them being together but otherwise I LOVED THIS.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, and Death of parent
ghostmomxoxo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Alcohol
thealmightykatt's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Death of parent
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: Second Chances in New Port Stephen
Author: T.J. Alexander
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: December 5, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Funny • Nostalgic • Warm
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare.
Just when he thinks this trip couldn’t get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who’s somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick’s world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can’t keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Second Chances in New Port Stephen is the third book I've read from T.J. Alexander and they are an author I will continue to read for simple pleasure. Each of their books offers me something different and contain underrepresented characters. This one with a holiday twist.
Told from the POVs of Nick and Eli, this middle-aged, interracial, second-chance romance was an absolute delight. The character development is fantastic and the moments with Zoe were so sweet and wholesome. It was also encouraging to see the evolution of Eli's family from start to end.
Despite touching on the current anti-trans legislation and growing anti-trans sentiment in Florida, the author manages to keep the narrative lighthearted, even while tackling some serious topics. I greatly appreciated the honest exploration of sobriety as an ongoing process. There are also some hard (and necessary) conversations throughout the book.
Although it is set during the holiday period, it could easily be read at any point of the year. The festive season doesn't play a crucial role in the plot and its easy to forget it is even set during that timeframe.
Second Chances in New Port Stephen was such a refreshing way to kick of Pride month. The conversations in T.J. Alexander's books are relevant and informative, I always come away having learned something. I am looking forward to reading their latest release Triple Sec and whatever else they write in the future.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• second-chance romance
• queer romance
• mid-life romance
⚠️ CW: sexual content, transphobia, alcoholism, death, death of parent, car accident, anti-Asian racism, divorce, cursing, xenophobia, outing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I've concluded that I need to stop worrying so much about what the future holds. I want to be happy when I can be."
Author: T.J. Alexander
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: December 5, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Funny • Nostalgic • Warm
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare.
Just when he thinks this trip couldn’t get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who’s somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick’s world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can’t keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Second Chances in New Port Stephen is the third book I've read from T.J. Alexander and they are an author I will continue to read for simple pleasure. Each of their books offers me something different and contain underrepresented characters. This one with a holiday twist.
Told from the POVs of Nick and Eli, this middle-aged, interracial, second-chance romance was an absolute delight. The character development is fantastic and the moments with Zoe were so sweet and wholesome. It was also encouraging to see the evolution of Eli's family from start to end.
Despite touching on the current anti-trans legislation and growing anti-trans sentiment in Florida, the author manages to keep the narrative lighthearted, even while tackling some serious topics. I greatly appreciated the honest exploration of sobriety as an ongoing process. There are also some hard (and necessary) conversations throughout the book.
Although it is set during the holiday period, it could easily be read at any point of the year. The festive season doesn't play a crucial role in the plot and its easy to forget it is even set during that timeframe.
Second Chances in New Port Stephen was such a refreshing way to kick of Pride month. The conversations in T.J. Alexander's books are relevant and informative, I always come away having learned something. I am looking forward to reading their latest release Triple Sec and whatever else they write in the future.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• second-chance romance
• queer romance
• mid-life romance
⚠️ CW: sexual content, transphobia, alcoholism, death, death of parent, car accident, anti-Asian racism, divorce, cursing, xenophobia, outing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I've concluded that I need to stop worrying so much about what the future holds. I want to be happy when I can be."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Racism, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Car accident, and Outing
anti-Asian racism, divorcejoensign's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Death of parent
callidoralblack's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Alcoholism, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
sarahmcg's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Loved this second chance romance with a twist; running into your ex-boyfriend post-transition? Let the fun begin!
There was so much tenderness, humor, wit, and pining in this book. Though there were nods to current politics in Florida (mostly surrounding the attacks on trans rights but other concerns as well), they did not add too much heaviness to the story, and were often part of Eli’s one-liners that brought some levity. Nick’s sincerity and politeness to a fault was so endearing.
Rep: trans and sober MMC, queer and Taiwanese MMC; the main characters are older (closer to 40), and one is a divorced dad to a 4 y/o
My only critique - I wish the communication issues that caused the 3rd act drama could have wrapped up a little quicker, because after all of that was resolved, the ending felt a bit rushed. But overall, I really enjoyed this read!
Luckily enough, I got to join in on a live q&a with the author as part of a book club and it added to my enjoyment of the story overall, and excited to read their other books too.
CW/TW: racism, transphobia, homophobia, loss of a parent (in past), alcoholism (mentioned); sexual content.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review!
There was so much tenderness, humor, wit, and pining in this book. Though there were nods to current politics in Florida (mostly surrounding the attacks on trans rights but other concerns as well), they did not add too much heaviness to the story, and were often part of Eli’s one-liners that brought some levity. Nick’s sincerity and politeness to a fault was so endearing.
Rep: trans and sober MMC, queer and Taiwanese MMC; the main characters are older (closer to 40), and one is a divorced dad to a 4 y/o
My only critique - I wish the communication issues that caused the 3rd act drama could have wrapped up a little quicker, because after all of that was resolved, the ending felt a bit rushed. But overall, I really enjoyed this read!
Luckily enough, I got to join in on a live q&a with the author as part of a book club and it added to my enjoyment of the story overall, and excited to read their other books too.
CW/TW: racism, transphobia, homophobia, loss of a parent (in past), alcoholism (mentioned); sexual content.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism
arlaubscher's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia