Second First Impressions
- Downloads：1692
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-15 08:31:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sally Thorne
- ISBN：B07WSDRP31
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
rownaeh
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I recommend！This is such a sweet， fluffy book。 As with most Sally Thorne stories， everything is fast-paced， which I thinks is definitely good since we can read through the progress of this strangers to tensiony-friends to lovers story。
Molly
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If you like manic pixie dream boys， this one’s for you！
Sophia
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I eat up Sally’s books
Kissthelibrarian
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3，5/5。
Lizzie Smith
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My favorite of her three！！！！！！！！
Izabella Vasconcelos
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The book we all need in 2021。 What a sweet book。 I love Sally’s writing。 She can do no wrong。 Who would have thought that a story set in a retirement home could be just what I needed？
Katy
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Rating: 5 stars What I Liked: I found this book to be very charming and a pleasure to read from start to finish。 The writing is lovely and evocative， it’s well-paced， the characters are well-drawn， and the plot is simple but still interesting throughout。 Plus it manages to be very funny in parts as well。I really liked both main characters， Ruthie and Teddy。 Ruthie was a wonderful narrator: I empathised a lot with her character， with her anxieties and self-image， but I also found her very funny， Rating: 5 stars What I Liked: I found this book to be very charming and a pleasure to read from start to finish。 The writing is lovely and evocative， it’s well-paced， the characters are well-drawn， and the plot is simple but still interesting throughout。 Plus it manages to be very funny in parts as well。I really liked both main characters， Ruthie and Teddy。 Ruthie was a wonderful narrator: I empathised a lot with her character， with her anxieties and self-image， but I also found her very funny， cute and endearing。 I really liked seeing her come out of her shell over the course of the book and I thought that aspect was particularly well-done。Teddy was a great hero。 He isn’t my usual preference in a romance book， but I liked his chaotic charm and I thought he had a steadiness to him that I quite liked （view spoiler）[I realise that ‘steady’ might not be the right word as a great deal of his character was based on the idea of him not being steady， but there was a reliability to him in his feelings for Ruthie right from their first meeting that I really enjoyed。 He quite clearly was enamoured with her from the start， despite what she thought。 （hide spoiler）]I really enjoyed the dynamic of their relationship。 There was a lot of yearning， some sexy moments and some sweet bits （view spoiler）[I liked that for all her inexperience， Ruthie was flirty with him in her own way; the part where she traced his knuckle tattoos was lovely。 （hide spoiler）]。 I also really liked （view spoiler）[how careful Teddy was with her from the very beginning: he was very gentle in a way I found really endearing。 （hide spoiler）] I also liked how she was （view spoiler）[protective over him and stood up for him。 （hide spoiler）]The plots outside of the romance worked well and， whilst they weren’t the most innovative or exciting， I enjoyed watching them come to a head （view spoiler）[and I thought the ending was particularly strong; I liked that Teddy’s sister Rose realised her mistakes and apologised。 Plus， the concept of his garden of tattoos for his sisters was adorable。 （hide spoiler）] I was also pleased that （view spoiler）[Ruthie found a life outside of Providence。 （hide spoiler）]Also， I liked Melanie and how she was trying to help Ruthie; her protectiveness and care was really sweet。What I Didn’t: If I had one gripe， it was that I wasn’t keen on how a lot of the characters talked about Ruthie as if she wasn’t there。 （view spoiler）[I get that Sally Thorne writes single-POV books and I honestly really like that， but it does create complications when trying to show the other side of the story。 I think Thorne has real skill at showing the love interest’s feelings through the eyes of the narrator， but in this book it did feel like she was relying on Ruthie having bold， loud-spoken friends to get across the danger of her relationship with Teddy。 （hide spoiler）] Overall:I've seen a few reviews comparing this to Sally Thorne's previous books: for my part， I think it's unfair to compare them as Thorne is clearly trying to do something different with every book she produces。 This book is not similar in any way to either of her previous books （except for the hero being 6ft4， which seems to be a recurring theme）。 This doesn't make it bad， and it should be judged on its own merit。 I will say that of the three novels Thorne has published to date， I’ve found this to be the most traditional in terms of its plot。 There was a lot of predictability to the story， but I actually found that very comforting。 Comforting is probably the best word I can think of to describe this book in general: it’s a very easy， nice， gentle read。 There’s a bit of angst but it’s quite low-level and there’s a lot of loveliness in the rest of the story， and it put a smile on my face; I found it hard to put down once I really got into the story。 I could see me rereading this in the future and I think it already could be described as a favourite。Would I Recommend It？: Yes， if you want a gentle， funny， opposites-attract romance with a tight-laced heroine and a charming hero。Would I Read Something By The Author Again？: Yes。Content Warnings: （view spoiler）[Both main characters have complicated relationships with their families:The hero’s mother is suggested to be an alcoholic， his father was distant， and his half-sister does not like him。 His family make generally disparaging comments about him and his personality throughout the book， on-page and repeated back to the reader through dialogue。The heroine comes from a very religious family; her parents were both physically and emotionally distant towards her and she was publicly humiliated by them （particularly her father） when she was a teenager。Also mentions of homophobia， panic attacks， references to sexual abuse and child sexual abuse， animal injury。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Joanna
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Loved it！ I loved The Hating Game and 99% mine， and now this！ Sally Thorne just has a way of creating characters you instantly bond with and genuinely care about。 This is a lovely story。。。one I’ll read again， like her other books。 Ruthie and Teddy are too cute。 There is one thread of this story that I do with had had a slightly longer and more satisfying conclusion， but it didn’t stop me loving this book！ Also loved the Parlonis！
Christina Price
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OMG I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book forever！ It did not disappoint。 It has all the classic Hallmarks you’ve come to expect from a Sally Thorne book！ Her characters are always relatable and quirky！ These tales of a retirement community will have you laughing and wishing you could be their friends too！ Ruthie and Teddy’s chemistry is through the roof。 And the turtles may just be the cutest thing of all！ Absolute must read！
Tanishq Sharma
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5 stars！Teddy。 Teddy。 Teddy。 This kind bad boy。I loved him。I loved our Tidy Girl as Teddy calls her， Ruthie。I loved them together and every cast of characters， even the tortoises。No one writes like Sally Thorne。 I'm sold。 I'm going to have sweet dreams after reading this book because it was so sweet。 （And obviously， I loved the mild steam there！） 5 stars！Teddy。 Teddy。 Teddy。 This kind bad boy。I loved him。I loved our Tidy Girl as Teddy calls her， Ruthie。I loved them together and every cast of characters， even the tortoises。No one writes like Sally Thorne。 I'm sold。 I'm going to have sweet dreams after reading this book because it was so sweet。 （And obviously， I loved the mild steam there！） 。。。more
CapriGoat 78
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I guess the hating game was a tough act to follow。 Really really was hoping to love this。。。。but it simply fell flat
ᴀsᴛᴇʀɪᴀ
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This was such an easy read。 It was fun and quirky and I looooove Renata and Melanie。
H。
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There is no doubt that Sally Thorne knows how to write a story。 But I found this one lacking。 It was boring。 I found the h mean and rude at times。 I felt like she was playing a part of a saint and caring virgin and then her true personality came out when she treated Melanie and Teddy like shit。 Her hang-ups didn't make sense to me even with the religious and demeaning background。 With everyone speaking badly of the H， even himself and Ruthie， it made it very hard to like him， even though he did There is no doubt that Sally Thorne knows how to write a story。 But I found this one lacking。 It was boring。 I found the h mean and rude at times。 I felt like she was playing a part of a saint and caring virgin and then her true personality came out when she treated Melanie and Teddy like shit。 Her hang-ups didn't make sense to me even with the religious and demeaning background。 With everyone speaking badly of the H， even himself and Ruthie， it made it very hard to like him， even though he did nothing wrong the whole book。I hope her next book is better because I loved the "The Hating Game" and "99 percent mine"。 。。。more
Jess Reads2Much
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I love Sally Thorne and I hate to be the one that compares new books to an author's previous work but there were a lot of little issues that made the book hard to love and was so unexpected from her。 This book is about a 25 year old women who works in a retirement community， with limited dating experience due to her religious upbringing， but beyond her dating inexperience she has a general high school personality and mentality about people， dating and the world in general。 Her quirky best friend I love Sally Thorne and I hate to be the one that compares new books to an author's previous work but there were a lot of little issues that made the book hard to love and was so unexpected from her。 This book is about a 25 year old women who works in a retirement community， with limited dating experience due to her religious upbringing， but beyond her dating inexperience she has a general high school personality and mentality about people， dating and the world in general。 Her quirky best friend character is devising a scheme to get this wall flower a boyfriend。 Is she ugly？ Naw， this is essentially a "She's All That" situation of a "plain girl" who just needs to fluff her hair and remove her cardigan。 It's somewhat dated of a concept， librarian type falls for tattooed "bad-boy"， feels very much like the premise of a Disney movie but with supposed adults。 Ruthie was hard to relate to， she was such a wet blanket who was so judgmental and I love a well done slow burn but the pacing was so off， plot strings were left unfinished and almost everything happened in the last 10% of the book。 I did not agree with a lot of the negativity surrounding 99 Percent Mine， but after this I probably won't add Sally to my automatic pre-order list again。 Not bad， not good， just a book。 。。。more
Christa Forget
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Man do I love Sally Thornes writing！ This third book is just as good as her other two。 They are all different In their own ways。 This book was so cute and funny。 I loved how different both the main characters were。 I love how everyone plays a role in the love story as well。 While this book is a bit more light hearted then her other two it was still so good！
Sarah B
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This might sit more comfortably at 4。5 but considering her entire scope of work， I’m happy to round up。 For me， Thorne really hit on a new writer’s voice with Second First Impressions and I found it very entertaining。 This book was full of sly humor and an unexpected marriage of wholesomeness and sizzle。
Beachesnbooks
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I've loved all of Sally Thorne's books so far， and Second First Impressions was no exception。 She writes with a lot of humor and quirkiness， and is adept at capturing the little weirdnesses in all of our minds。 In Second First Impressions， we meet buttoned-up retirement community administrator Ruthie， who's dealing with a lot of anxieties from her past and finding refuge by living on-site and helping the residents with everything they need。 Her world is rocked by a rapid series of events: her bo I've loved all of Sally Thorne's books so far， and Second First Impressions was no exception。 She writes with a lot of humor and quirkiness， and is adept at capturing the little weirdnesses in all of our minds。 In Second First Impressions， we meet buttoned-up retirement community administrator Ruthie， who's dealing with a lot of anxieties from her past and finding refuge by living on-site and helping the residents with everything they need。 Her world is rocked by a rapid series of events: her boss goes away on a cruise， leaving Ruthie in charge; the temp in her office wants to help her start dating; and the parent company begins a site review of the retirement community that threatens Ruthie's job and way of life。 And most disruptive is the arrival of Teddy， tattoo artist and son of the parent company's owner， who moves in on site for a temporary job and quickly develops an interest in Ruthie。 I thought that Thorne developed great chemistry between Ruthie and Teddy， and I also loved the friendships that Ruthie developed with Melanie the office temp and the retirement community residents。 It's a really sweet， feel-good story， and I'd be surprised if this one doesn't end up among my favorite romances of the year。 I received a gifted copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Danielle Marks
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So so so good。 I might cry over it。 No wait， I am crying over it。 Full thoughts later， when I’m not crying。
Heyaan
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I Like it so much
Sarahcophagus
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Sally Thorne writes such wholesome books that feel like a warm blanket when I read them。 💕 I could just eat up her charming bantery characters with a spoon。 This one has a lot to say about religion and how the Christian community and culture can be strangling。 I wasn’t expecting that and it did a good job of being just heavy enough to have an impact， but still maintain the humorous light tone of the book。 Like her other offerings， this one gets wrapped in a neat TIDY bow。 But I didn’t mind。 It a Sally Thorne writes such wholesome books that feel like a warm blanket when I read them。 💕 I could just eat up her charming bantery characters with a spoon。 This one has a lot to say about religion and how the Christian community and culture can be strangling。 I wasn’t expecting that and it did a good job of being just heavy enough to have an impact， but still maintain the humorous light tone of the book。 Like her other offerings， this one gets wrapped in a neat TIDY bow。 But I didn’t mind。 It absolutely succeeds at what it’s going for and my immediate reaction is that I wouldn’t want to change anything （like the way I would rewrite about a third of 99% if I could）。 。。。more
S
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Cute but filled with cliches and kind of boring。 Like obviously this is going to happen and then the next thing but there was nothing interesting about their relationship too。 It felt like it kind of just happened and Sally Thorne was like yeah it happened what about it。
Ruth
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3，5 Sterne
BER
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I really wished this book had been better than it was。 In no way was a it a bad book， it was very good。 It had Thorne's usual charm and quirky moments。 I just felt the buildup was better than the actual climax。 I also would've hoped for a little more steam （especially with how Thorne's past books have been and with how much of a slow burn it was）。 Teddy also didn't really do it for me。 He seemed too damaged， which usually isn't a complaint for me。 I couldn't really get past his issues。Overall， s I really wished this book had been better than it was。 In no way was a it a bad book， it was very good。 It had Thorne's usual charm and quirky moments。 I just felt the buildup was better than the actual climax。 I also would've hoped for a little more steam （especially with how Thorne's past books have been and with how much of a slow burn it was）。 Teddy also didn't really do it for me。 He seemed too damaged， which usually isn't a complaint for me。 I couldn't really get past his issues。Overall， still a good book and good to recommend。 However， I just don't think it's the best for me。 I still am very much looking forward to whatever Sally Thorne we writes next and she is still a favorite author of mine！ 。。。more
Kelly
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Admittedly， the back cover text and interview I read about this didn’t do much to grab my interest—set at a retirement home？ No thanks。 And the fact that the phrase “cuddle-bug soul mate” was used twice in the first chapter （plus “livin’ dat temp life” and “getting peeps all loved up”） was nearly vomit-inducing and probably would have made me quit reading if it hadn’t been Sally Thorne。 I didn’t like Ruthie all that much initially。 Ultimately， this was very sweet and funny。 And the author’s note Admittedly， the back cover text and interview I read about this didn’t do much to grab my interest—set at a retirement home？ No thanks。 And the fact that the phrase “cuddle-bug soul mate” was used twice in the first chapter （plus “livin’ dat temp life” and “getting peeps all loved up”） was nearly vomit-inducing and probably would have made me quit reading if it hadn’t been Sally Thorne。 I didn’t like Ruthie all that much initially。 Ultimately， this was very sweet and funny。 And the author’s note at the end made me cry。 I just love Sally Thorne’s writing so much。 。。。more
Carla Atalla
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the pacing of this was super weird。 they spent a lot of time building up these huge plot points but then it all got resolved within the last chapter。 honestly i wasn't even sure what the huge conflict would be until the last chapter。 the characters were definitely likable but the pacing really threw me off。 also， a common criticism i've heard for sally thorne is that sometimes its hard to follow what's happening and I think that's totally true。 She'll shift from dialogue to inner thought really the pacing of this was super weird。 they spent a lot of time building up these huge plot points but then it all got resolved within the last chapter。 honestly i wasn't even sure what the huge conflict would be until the last chapter。 the characters were definitely likable but the pacing really threw me off。 also， a common criticism i've heard for sally thorne is that sometimes its hard to follow what's happening and I think that's totally true。 She'll shift from dialogue to inner thought really quickly， but sometimes it seems like characters are responding to another one's inner dialogue which doesn't make any sense。 there were a lot of times where i had to re-read a couple of paragraphs because i was confused about the conversation the characters were having。 。。。more
N。W。 Moors
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I recently reread The Hating Game as I impatiently waited for this book to come out。 I really love the sweet humor in that story， so I devoured this book once it appeared on my reader。 While Teddy and Ruthie are very different from Joshua and Lucy， this book has all the feels and more of the first book。 Providence is a different setting and the Parloni sisters are a hoot！ Oh， and the turtles。Anyway， both Ruthie and Teddy are wonderful， unique characters， and it's a fun ride to see their growth。 I recently reread The Hating Game as I impatiently waited for this book to come out。 I really love the sweet humor in that story， so I devoured this book once it appeared on my reader。 While Teddy and Ruthie are very different from Joshua and Lucy， this book has all the feels and more of the first book。 Providence is a different setting and the Parloni sisters are a hoot！ Oh， and the turtles。Anyway， both Ruthie and Teddy are wonderful， unique characters， and it's a fun ride to see their growth。 Teddy is such a mess and Ruthie is so uptight， it's delicious to watch them adapt to the other's needs。The ending is expected， but the writing is both sweet and funny。 #GreatBanter， if you know what that means， but then that's Ms。 Thorne's stock in trade。 It's a great story and I expect I'll be reading it again in future。 。。。more
Erin Farmer
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Book 96 towards my goal of 290！ 5/5 stars for this adult contemporary romance！ Sally Thorne has done it again！ Who would've thought a romance set at a retirement villa was exactly what I needed？！ （The MC is 26， she just works there 😉 ） Loved all of the side characters！ Not my fav cover。 Narration was great！ Save the turtles！ Book 96 towards my goal of 290！ 5/5 stars for this adult contemporary romance！ Sally Thorne has done it again！ Who would've thought a romance set at a retirement villa was exactly what I needed？！ （The MC is 26， she just works there 😉 ） Loved all of the side characters！ Not my fav cover。 Narration was great！ Save the turtles！ 。。。more
Nicole Wuthering Vines
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After being on a bit of a thrillers bender recently， this is just what I needed！ The Hating Game is one of my all time favourite RomComs so I was extremely excited to read this one and Sally Thorne did not disappoint！I absolutely devoured this book！ I adore when love stories are full of laughter and this read was such a great balance of laugh out loud and tender moments。 And don’t worthy， there was also a tonne of fun sexual tension！ I easily fell in love with all of the well developed character After being on a bit of a thrillers bender recently， this is just what I needed！ The Hating Game is one of my all time favourite RomComs so I was extremely excited to read this one and Sally Thorne did not disappoint！I absolutely devoured this book！ I adore when love stories are full of laughter and this read was such a great balance of laugh out loud and tender moments。 And don’t worthy， there was also a tonne of fun sexual tension！ I easily fell in love with all of the well developed characters of a lovable and quirky Ruthie， a swoon worthy Teddy and a hilarious supporting cast of coworkers and residents！ Josh Templeton （Hating Game） is still my #1 fictional crush but Teddy gave him a run for his money！ New auto-buy author alert！ 💕 Out now！ Make sure you don’t miss out on this one！ 🐢 。。。more
Nono
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Great book！ Loving the Sally Thorne wrinting。 。。。。 to bad she only writes 1 book per year ☹️
Morgan
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