The Year of Second Chances

YA author Avery’s adult debut (after The Memory Book) explores grief with humor and warmth as 33-year-old widow Robin Lindstrom does her best to honor her husband by moving on. After a year spent wallowing in horror movies and her Sisters in Grief support group, Robin receives an email from her late husband, Gabe, on the anniversary of his death from cancer, saying he’s signed her up for a dating app. Family and friends convince her to respect Gabe’s “last wish” and so begins the “Widow Humiliation Show,” in which Robin learns she’s far from the only one with emotional baggage. As she endures some disastrous dates with the help of dating app aficionado and Gabe’s best friend, Levi, who also received a posthumous email asking him to help, Robin soon learns that moving on isn’t just dating. She must address the fractures in her own family, experience her grief head-on, and find a way to move forward. Levi’s advice to “say yes” leads to community theater, running, ice fishing, and new relationships as Robin figures out who she is without Gabe. The concept is fresh and the voice full of heart. Fans of Annabel Monaghan should take note. (Aug.)