Published by Atria Books on March 10, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Rating:
Goodreads
The women of the Novak family were each born with a gift: they can, just once, turn back time.
Lauren has known since she was fifteen that her mother Marcella saved Lauren’s father from a deadly car accident. Dave is alive and happy, and out on the Malibu waves. But ever since, Marcella, her power spent, has lived in fear of what she won’t be able to reverse. Her own mother, Sylvia, is her polar opposite: a free-spirited iconoclast with a glamorous past she only hints at. Lauren has spent her life between these two role models—and waiting for her own catastrophe to strike.
Then one summer, Lauren’s husband takes a job in New York and she moves back to Broad Beach Road, back into her childhood home on the shores of Malibu. Lauren looks forward to surfing with her dad again and perhaps repairing an unspoken fracture in her relationship with her mother. What she doesn’t expect is for the boy next to door to return home as well: Stone, Lauren’s first love, who broke her heart nearly a decade before.
As Lauren falls into familiar patterns, with her family and, more dangerously, Stone, she finds herself thinking about all the choices, large and small, that have brought her to this moment. And wondering, finally, if one of them should be undone.
For generations, the women in this family have been gifted a silver ticket which allowed them one opportunity to correct something in their lives. Sylvia, Marcella, and Lauren were all gifted a silver ticket, and this is the story of their struggles and choices and how that do-over affected their lives.
I will start by saying that I am 100% team Rebecca Serle. Her books tend to be quite polarizing with readers because she write flawed characters who sometimes make questionable decision. But for me, her books are always thoughtful and thought-provoking. They assail my heart and never fail to leave me with something deep to ponder.
This time around, the magical element was a do-over. The characters in the book used their do-overs to save a loved one or undo a poor choice, but the big idea wasn't what they did. It was why they made the choices they made. It was about the process by which they came to their decisions. It was about how it affected their lives before and after using the ticket. It's one of those books that made me think and ponder the what-ifs, and I really enjoyed it.
I am not going to lie, I did find myself disappointed and frustrated with some of the decisions made by the characters, but I felt their situations were well explored, and I was able to accept most of their actions. I have seen people say the characters were "unlikable", but look, I cried a few times, and I would not have been able to shed tears for characters I didn't care about. I really enjoyed getting to know these complex and complicated women, and I was glad Serle gave Marcella and Sylvia their own chapters.
Overall, this wasn't a story about magic for me. It was about life, the choices we are faced with, and how these choices shape the rest of our life. It was emotional and compelling, as well as entertaining.
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on March 10, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
It takes two to tango.
Allegra Hart has been working her whole life to achieve one goal: become a principal ballerina. When her director starts holding auditions for the lead role in the company’s latest production, Allegra sees this as her chance—maybe her last chance.
The catch? The director wants someone with sex appeal, and he doesn’t think she’s up to the task. Determined to prove him wrong, Allegra enlists the help of the lead dancer of an all-male revue, Cord Donovan, a classically trained dancer who is also the sexiest man she’s ever met. In exchange for lessons on how to ramp up her sex appeal, she promises to help Cord choreograph a new partner piece for his show.
As they practice their moves on and off the stage, Allegra and Cord find themselves battling a growing attraction, all the more illicit because Cord has sworn to never partner with a ballerina. Allegra is determined not to let a man derail her career, but what if she could have both love and success? Or will her involvement with Cord jeopardize everything she’s worked for?
Allegra's life was ballet, and she had been working towards earning a principal dancer position for years. When the company director tells her she is not sexy enough to pull off the lead character in the next production, Allegra is heartbroken until she sees Cord dance at a male revue. She knows he could help her tap into that side of her dancing. Their partnership succeeds in helping her dance, but also leads to self-discovery for Allegra.
As a former dance-mom, I am very intrigued by the world of dance. Though after reading this, I may have to put professional dancer in the box with academic. Reading about Allegra's experience where she cannot live on her salary and has to fend off unwanted sexual advances makes me wonder why anyone would want to be part of this world. I am glad there were times when I could tell Allegra really did love to dance, but the focus on the toxic aspects of dance culture kind of obscured that at times.
I didn't really love that part of the story, but I did adore Cord and the way he helped Allegra prepare for her audition. She thought it was her need to tap into her sexuality, but in reality, she needed to reclaim her confidence. Cord spent their time together building her up, and it was such a pleasure watching Allegra reclaim some things that had been stolen from her.
I also enjoyed the dance portion of the story. I liked reading about the performances and rehearsals. Seeing how hard both Cord and Allegra worked in order to be professional dancers was very satisfying and inspiring. I admired their drive and dedication and all the emotion they put into it.
Overall, I enjoyed rooting for Cord and Allegra as they danced their way to their HEA. They had many roadblocks and baggage to overcome, but I always had faith that they could do it together.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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