The Vintage Shop of Second Chances is a really touching story and testament to the transformational power of kindness, community and friendship. These three women, across the generations form a friendship and they come into each others lives at just the right time. Lou learns more about the yellow dress, Donna learns more about her past and Maggy learns more about herself. Newly divorced, 70-ish Maggie is now the sole-owner of her large family home but without anyone living there, she's horribly lonely. Would a shopping trip to the new vintage shop in town to reminisce about her past cheer her up a bit?

Our story is told from the POV of three women; Lou, Donna and Maggy. All three of these women are facing some sort of crossroads in their lives and through unusual circumstances, they find themselves navigating those paths together. This was an absolute joy to read. I did have to stop a number of times as I couldn’t read through the tears, both sad and happy, as I was completely absorbed in the lives of Lou, Donna and Maggy. Enter Maggy, who has lost her way after her recent divorce and Donna, who is struggling to come to terms with the news that she was adopted. Lou's yellow dress, sparks a journey of self-discovery and second chances when it connects the three women in the most unexpected way. Bringing a little bit of sunshine into their lives, just when they needed it the most! Among the cobbled streets of the Somerset town of Frome, Louis embarking on the start of something new. After the death of her beloved mother, she takes a deep breath into the unknown and is opening her own vintage clothes shop.

'Hot buttered-toast-and-tea feelgood fiction' The Times

I really enjoyed this, it was such a beautiful embodiment of female friendships, second chances at life, and reconnection. Will combining their efforts help Lou, Donna, and Maggie find the answers they're searching for and offer a second chance at a new life for each of them? Meanwhile in New York, Donna has found out the woman she believed to be her mother actually adopted her as a baby. This makes Donna question everything she thought she knew about family and she is keen to find out more about her birth mother.

What could these three women possibly have in common? Well, I’m afraid you’re going to have to read it to find out as I will be revealing nothing. What I will say is this book is full of so much heart. I defy anyone not to shed a tear or two as the story reaches its peak. I found myself thinking of my own memories with some of my loved ones in the more emotional scenes and couldn’t help but sob away. All three of our leading ladies embark on their own journies and face different challenges along the way. I loved seeing how they all changed, particularly Maggy. With its key themes of female friendship; loss; second chances in life; making the most of opportunities that come your way; families (those you are born into and those you create with people you choose); community; home (its where the heart is) – and a love of Vintage clothing! – it is the loveliest of reads, with a hugely satisfying ending. A delightful, heart-warming read. I’d like to thank NetGalley and Orion for approving me for an ARC of this book. I buddy-read this with a few of my Tsundoku Squad friends and I think it’s safe to say that we all enjoyed it. Maggy is in her 70s and facing life as a new divorcee. Her children now have children of their own and while she loves being a grandmother, she is starting to wonder what happened to the woman she used to be. This was such a lovely little read, which explores friendship and found family in the most colourful and comforting way.

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Libby has been a leading campaigner for fairer internships and has spoken on TV and in parliament in support of fair pay for interns. Libby has been writing from an early age and when she was 16 she wrote an illustrated book called Love Pink to raise money for Breast Cancer Care. The stories of the three women ✿ all of whom were likeable, vulnerable and filled with inner strength ✿ are carefully interwoven and bound to the legend of a handmade yellow dress. Among the cobbled streets of Frome in Somerset, Lou is about to start something new. After losing her mother, she knows it's time to take a chance and open her own vintage clothes shop. Meanwhile, in upstate New York, Donna has just found out some news about her family which has called into question her whole upbringing. Maggy, newly divorced, over seventy and treated as a commodity by her children, mainly when it comes to looking after the grandchildren, needs some colour in her life. Having been left the house in the divorce she is simply rattling around in a grey world. Drawn into the new vintage clothes shop by a bright yellow dress which reminds her of some boots from a time gone by, Maggy discovers colour in her world again.

Hometown girl, 30-ish Lou, deciding to remain in Frome after the death of her mother, opens a vintage clothing store. She loves everything vintage, wears 1950's style make-up, and dresses in the colors and patterns of vintage fashion. Can she make this risky venture a success? Told from multiple third person POVs there were also undiscovered letters threaded into this story of sisterhood friendship and love.

I happily immersed myself in this joyous read which has plenty of emotional and touching moments. It’s a story of friendship, family, womanhood and sisterhood, and giving yourself a second chance at living a colourful and wholesome life. I loved the imagery of clothing to tell a story about someone and how wearing something bright and cheerful can change one’s mood. I love Lou’s sense of fashion and style!

I’d finished Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver before this one so it was certainly a change in pace! But sometimes you just want to read something uplifting and inspiring.S uch a warm and wise story about female friendship and vintage fashion. A joy to read!' ALEX BROWN Although this won't be a memorable or stand-out read for me, I do recommend The Vintage Shop of Second Chances as a delightful little respite for those who enjoy Women’s Fiction, giving your mind a nice little break from the constant 'flow' of unwanted information that goes in one ear and out the other. "Choose the flow", I say, just like I did and I hope, if you decide to partake in this easy-to-read-story, you enjoy meeting Lou, Donna, and Maggie as much as I did! After the death of her beloved mother, Lou sinks her savings into opening her own vintage clothes shop in Frome, Somerset, the same town where 70-something newly divorced Maggy realises how empty her house feels now she’s on her own. I really like the premise of this one especially the vintage shop element which gives opportunities for trips down memory lane with the likes of Mary Quant and Biba! The characters are all so easy to like and very relatable. Who couldn’t love Lou in all her colourful glory and also Maggie who resets her life. Donna seems spiky but a good heart beats underneath that armour!