Second First Impressions

by Sally Thorne

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine comes the clever, funny, and unforgettable story of a muscular, tattooed man hired as an assistant to two old women--under the watchful eye of a beautiful retirement home manager.

Distraction (n): an extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.

Ruthie Midona has worked the front desk at the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa for six years, dedicating her entire adult life to caring for the Villa's residents, maintaining the property (with an assist from DIY YouTube tutorials), and guarding the endangered tortoises that live in the Villa's gardens. Somewhere along the way, she's forgotten that she's young and beautiful, and that there's a world outside of work--until she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement center.

Teddy Prescott has spent the last few years partying, sleeping in late, tattooing himself when bored, and generally not taking life too seriously--something his father, who dreams of grooming Teddy into his successor, can't understand. When Teddy needs a place to crash, his father seizes the chance to get him to grow up. He'll let Teddy stay in one of the on-site cottages at the retirement home, but only if he works to earn his keep. Teddy agrees--he can change a few lightbulbs and clip some hedges, no sweat. But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too.

Her two wealthiest and most eccentric residents have just placed an ad (yet another!) seeking a new personal assistant to torment. The women are ninety-year-old, four-foot-tall menaces, and not one of their assistants has lasted a full week. Offering up Teddy seems like a surefire way to get rid of the tall, handsome, unnerving man who won't stop getting under her skin.

Ruthie doesn't count on the fact that in Teddy Prescott, the Biddies may have finally met their match. He'll pick up Chanel gowns from the dry cleaner and cut Big Macs into bite-sized bits. He'll do repairs around the property, make the residents laugh, and charm the entire villa. He might even remind Ruthie what it's like to be young and fun again. But when she finds out Teddy's father's only fixing up the retirement home to sell it, putting everything she cares about in jeopardy, she's left wondering if Teddy's magic was all just a facade.

Hilarious, warm, and romantic, Sally Thorne's novel delivers an irrepressibly joyous celebration of love and community for fans of 99% Mine and The Hating Game.

• ISBN10: 0063007134
• ISBN13: 9780063007130
• Publish Date: 13 April 2021 (first published 18 February 2021)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 22 January 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[The Romantic Comedy Book Club]

What would you do if you were given a second chance to make a good first impression? A book sprinkled with re-dos, Second First Impressions follows the story of Ruthie and Teddy, two people whose initial encounter should have all but been forgotten (especially by Ruthie!)

 

Ruthie and Teddy couldn't be any more different if they were born on separate planets. Ruthie is 24 going on 94, to a point that Teddy mistook her as a person going to a costume party because she was a dead ringer for an old lady! See what happens when you try to be a good Samaritan and help someone in need! Having made one heck of a first impression, Ruthie didn't expect to cross paths with the stranger she, now regretfully, bailed out at the gas station until he walked into her office at Providence Retirement Villa, with the owner! Quick to learn Teddy is Jerry's son and taking precaution because the new owner has a tendency to tear down and redo his investments, Ruthie jumps after ever opportunity to make Jerry happy - even providing the empty apartment next to her to his son and giving him a job. Jokes on Teddy though, while Ruthie seems to be accommodating, she knows the truth about the Parloni sisters. They have run off every male assistant they ever had! With the comfort of payback, Ruthie is sure Teddy won't last long and she will finally have him out of her hair and out of her life. Her plan backfires as Teddy turns on the charm and charisma, burrowing deeper into her life than she ever intended.

 

While the story encompassed the personal journal of each character as the interacted with Teddy and Ruthie - the takeaway from Second First Impressions is the importance of giving second chances. Through each story, we find that the characters get a redo.

 

I also felt like the story built a strong foundation on concept of perception. We take our initial encounter with a person or a situation and create our viewpoint without another glance.

 

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was that it was incredibly slow. I do enjoy the build up of a slow burn romance but this one was just too slow for me. There were many times I was bored and just genuinely wanted to know where the story was going. Once I understood that is was a multi-plot effect, following the second chances of each character - whether career, family, love - it made more sense but I did feel like there were moments where the story was forced forward unnaturally. While this book does try to be a little bit steamy, those parts are a little convoluted and disorganized, taking the reader out of the moment because you can’t figure out if she is sharing the experience as a recapped afterthought or during the moment. I will say there are several laugh out loud moments, for that reason - you are compelled to stick with the story to see where it goes.

 

Last but not least, I did enjoy the process of redemption that each character was able to experience through their second chance - it made for a wonderful ending to the story.