Twenty Something Else
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jun 9, 2026
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
On the eve of her fortieth birthday, a woman wakes up from a pickleball accident with the unexpected chance to relive her twenties in this sparkling novel from a fresh, new voice.
Sutton Layne is almost-forty and fabulous, with a happy marriage, three beautiful children, and a successful interior design business. But there's plenty of chaos behind the scenes of early midlife. Her preteen son is going off the rails, her husband is bailing on the party he was supposed to throw her, and that thriving business? If she can't land her next big client, it might all come crashing down. Then a surprise DM from someone in her past sends her spiraling into what-ifs. What if she settled down too young? Walked away from her big break? Never had her great adventure?
Despite her simmering mini-crisis, Sutton can't wait for the birthday luncheon and pickleball tournament her friends have planned in her honor. But when an accident on the court knocks her out cold, she wakes up somewhere else . . . and is offered the chance to do it all over again. She can revisit her twenties—out of order and on her own terms. And this time around, anything goes: cities, careers, friendships. Even love.
From star-studded Hollywood nights to the jungles of Nicaragua, from the heat of Coachella to the snowy summit of the Matterhorn, Sutton chases the life she fears she might have missed, with unexpected results.
With a wink to the classic It's a Wonderful Life, Twenty Something Else is a witty, wistful journey through the dreams we outgrow, the life choices that shape us, and the surprising detours that can lead us home.
• Clean and wholesome women's fiction with themes of second chances, identity, friendship, and love
• Perfect for fans of Katherine Center, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Courtney Walsh
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This underwhelming contemporary from Mack (Suing Cinderella) finds a dissatisfied woman traveling back in time to rethink her choices. On the brink of turning 40, Sutton Layne is less than happy with her life: her 17-year marriage is on the rocks, her interior design business risks folding if she doesn't win over a high-profile client, and her teenage son is giving her the cold shoulder. When an old college flame DMs her, she can't help but wonder about the road not taken, and gets the chance to wander down it when a freak pickleball accident lands her in a purgatory where she's given another go at her twenties. The normally practical Sutton delights at first in chasing her acting dreams in L.A. and seeing what might have been with her dreamy ex. But when challenges arise with returning to her old life, Sutton must reckon with how God's plan has guided her and what she's willing to give up to start anew. While Mack's fun plot ticks along apace, readers will struggle to identify with Sutton, whose problems frequently come across as contrived and whose character arc feels forced. This flimsy take on the second chance trope offers few surprises.
