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.