Summary review (without spoilers): It’s clean, it’s sweet and adults will probably enjoy it more than teenagers – though it would make a good mother-daughter book club book.
IMPORTANT BACKGROUND INFO:
I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. :-)
Chapter One Again by Keelia Clarkson is a cute romcom that follows Jane Caldwell, a successful New York City ghostwriter with dreams of publishing her own novel. Discontented with her ‘dream life’ and unsuccessful dating history, she decides to visit her parents in her small hometown of Avila Falls. There she runs into Noah Elliot – the town’s new worship pastor and her old crush from high school. After reconnecting with him and spending more time in And Then There Were Books, Avila Falls’ bookstore, she starts to reconsider what a successful life truly is.
My thoughts:
At about 200 pages, it’s a quick and easy read. I don’t typically read romcoms so I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy Chapter One Again. Fortunately, I enjoyed the story’s gentle ride. It took me a couple of pages to get into the story, mostly because I struggled with the occasionally clunky prose. This might be personal preference – I spent the last couple of years learning to strip adjectives out of writing in journalism school – but the long lists of description with “and” in between were somewhat difficult to follow.
I also had a difficult time with the description of New York City. Granted, I’ve only been there once, for a period of about 24ish hours (we rushed a broadway show – it was a story), but still. It was mostly how Jane drove everywhere in New York. I think I always assumed people walked or took the Subway (maybe I learned something!).
Once I got into the story, however, I enjoyed the bookish autumnal atmosphere. It was a very cozy story with dozens of references to classics, and that was delightful. The main character felt like a believable bookworm who’s sometimes a little too caught up in her head.
The small town atmosphere was fun. You could tell the author really wanted to be there. It reminded me a bit of Stars Hollow (from the approximately two and a half) episodes I’ve seen of Gilmore Girls. And I think it was supposed to? there’s a gazebo in the center of the town and a diner called Jack’s diner. I haven’t seen enough of Gilmore Girls or Hallmark films to know whether or not that’s a trope for small towns in stories.
The story was fairly lighthearted. There were a couple of deeper themes like rediscovering God’s faithfulness and realizing that success isn’t what we usually define it as. Some of the themes were relatable for me, as a just-graduated college student trying to discern what’s next.
I enjoyed the story. It was sweet, not stressful, and had a satisfying conclusion.
CONTENT CONCERNS/THINGS TO KNOW:
Please note that I read laser focused on looking for content concerns so that I can write this review. It’s going to seem like there are a lot, but often they’re incredibly easy to gloss over or miss, and they’re not as concerning within the context of the story.
Christian/other beliefs:
I believe this book is classified as Christian fiction. The main character has fallen away from her faith when the story starts and slowly rediscovers the importance of faith throughout the story. There are some deeper elements (like a short conversation on how you can trust God in grief), but for the most part it’s kept light – the relationship with God is more about going to church and praying than personal faith in Christ. The small town is named after St. Teresa of Avila.
Romance:
The main plot is romance, though it’s a clean romance. The worse it gets is a guy asks Jane to go to his house after a date and she steadfastly refuses, though thinks to herself she’s hasn’t always had that self control. There’s a kiss. The story ends in dating, instead of marriage.
Violence:
Really, nothing. There are a few medical emergencies that happen off screen or before the story starts.
Language:
Nothing.
Other Things to Know:
Characters drink alcohol. Not extensively, but in a “going out for drinks is normal” way. The only other thing to note is one of the book’s themes seems to be that finding a boyfriend will make life complete and fix all of the despondency. I think it’s an accident, but it does seem to make a minor argument that romance fiction is realistic and woman should expect a man who acts like the heros of romance novels. I don’t think that was a purposeful theme – I think it may have flown out of the author’s love for the stories she emulated in this novel. But it was there.
Jane also has a bad attitude towards her parents and their treatment of her, especially when she thinks it’s related to their small town ways. It annoyed me as I read, though I believe Jane grew out of that eventually.
CONCLUSION:
Chapter One Again was a clean, sweet romance novel. It exudes a fallish, bookish, hallmarkish atmosphere, and fans of those three things will probably really enjoy it. People who want a light-hearted, non-stress-filled read will probably really enjoy it as well.
I think adults will enjoy Chapter One Again more than teenagers. The romance was sweet, but our 28-year-old main character has already firmly established her career and spends time musing on what actual success is. Many of the main themes relate more to adults than to teenagers, and I don’t think most teenagers will relate to where the main characters are in life.
Although, I’m a just-graduated young adult in my early twenties and I did relate to her concerns about a fulfilling career and wondering whether the successful life she dreamed of was truly a success. So maybe older teens will relate.
The book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but it does leave a few loose ends (on purpose). They don’t feel unsatisfactory, and a sequel (called Page Two for You) is already planned.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
While stuck in a bookstore, Noah tells Jane the popular crowd wasn’t as fun as she’d imagined. Have you ever wished you were in a different crowd? How might that have turned out differently from your imagination?
Jane makes a lot of assumptions about life, people, and success. As the story progresses, she realizes many of her assumptions were wrong. What do you find yourself making assumptions about? How can you discern if your assumptions are correct?
What makes life satisfying or successful? Is satisfaction and success synonymous, or can you have a satisfying life without being successful?
Jane feels worthless because everyone around her is in a relationship and she’s not. Why do those circumstances leave us feeling so low? Where does our worth truly come from? Do you think a relationship will really fix those feelings?
What does the Bible say about the role of romantic relationships?
Jane thinks faith in God doesn’t really matter. She doesn’t think He’s answered her prayers and she worries she’s disappointed Him too much to receive His grace. What is a good response to someone who worries about these things? What does the Bible say? How have you seen this play out in real life?
The pastor of Avila Fall’s church tells his congregation that people use money, success, or relationships to experience fulfillment without turning to God. What are other things we use to avoid turning to God? How can we get out of these patterns?
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BOOK SUMMARY:
Taken from the publisher’s website, which you can find here.
“Escape to Avila Falls in this Cozy Second-Chance Romance
Jane is a successful ghostwriter living her dream in New York City, collaborating with movie stars and musicians while quietly longing to publish her own novel.
But just as her career comes to a crossroads, she’s called back to her hometown of Avila Falls, a charming mountain town with a colorful cast of characters, where a chance encounter with her high school crush stirs unexpected questions about her NYC life. These doubts deepen as Jane tries to find her place back in Avila Falls; begins a new project with Liv, a pop star grappling with her own identity; and reconnects with a friend and mentor who runs the local bookstore, And Then There Were Books.
Jane begins to see her hometown differently and sparks begin to fly. She questions whether the version of herself she’s created is truly who she wants to be. Could the answers she’s searching for lie in the very place she once ran from?”
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