REVIEW: Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

In Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne, Ruthie Midona has her hands full at the moment. After working in the office at the Providence Retirement Villa for about six years, her vacationing boss has left her in charge of, well, everything. It’s nothing she can’t handle. But Ruthie really didn’t need to deal with an office temp, Melanie, who would prefer to create Ruthie’s online dating profile as opposed to doing actual work. And she sure didn’t need the new owner’s gorgeous son, Teddy Prescott, to be dropped into their tight-knit community to teach him some responsibility. Then again…Ruthie has seen what the Parloni sisters put their “assistants” through. It ain’t easy. And it sounds like just the wake-up call seemingly privileged Teddy could use.

Melanie, the creator of dramatic pauses, can equally be counted on to fill a silence. “Cute twenty-five-year-old professional seeks same… You must know fifteen ways to make her scream.”
Dead serious, Teddy says, “I know thirty ways.”

To Ruthie’s shock and dismay–and delight, if she’s being honest–Teddy passes every test the Parlonis throw at him with flying colors. The tattooed, too-handsome-and-charismatic-for-his-own-good man has managed to charm the toughest of her clients without even trying. Teddy has also forged a friendship with Ruthie. And being that he’s her temporary next-door neighbor, the bits of time they spend together has her wondering if she pegged him wrong from the start. Underneath all that beautiful, silky, inky black hair and interesting array of tattoos lies a guy who’s been hurt before. Something Ruthie understands all too well. They say opposites attract. Could she and Teddy possibly be the perfect balance for each other?

‘I always thought that love would feel like something gentle, but this isn’t. I feel a clawing, desperate need to hold his heart in my hand and to fend off anything that might damage it.’

It’s no surprise that Sally Thorne has charmed me yet again. Second First Impressions had a pleasing, heartfelt storyline and all the chuckle-worthy scenes and offbeat characters that I have come to crave from her wonderfully entertaining writing.

‘He’s given me nothing but kindness, friendship, and the diamond sparkles in his tortoiseshell eyes. In my tiny universe, he’s showered me in riches.’

I was pretty wowed with Sally Thorne’s debut, The Hating Game, so I’ve been (not so) patiently waiting for each new book since. Second First Impressions did not disappoint. I loved that we got to see everything that happened strictly through our heroine Ruthie’s POV, leaving things with our hero, Teddy, up for interpretation. Ruthie was a very capable twenty-five-year-old who had some quirks that were endearing–and a bit sad, when we found out why she was basically hiding herself away from society in the retirement villa. Seeing Ruthie interact with Teddy, office temp Melanie, and the residents at Providence was a riot. What a lovely community! And it made me love Ruthie even more for how kind and considerate she was with everyone. Including the endangered golden bonnet tortoises, which were a nice addition to the community and the story itself.

Then there was Teddy. I’ll be honest that I wasn’t really sure if he was sincere or just a playboy who liked attention. I won’t give away all the deets. But I’ll say that Teddy ended up being a broken bad boy with a golden heart, so have faith that this *does* end in a HEA. There were just some hiccups along the way. I think Thorne did a great job of letting us see Teddy’s true nature little by little, all while making us smile with his antics and the fun back and forth conversations he had with Ruthie and Melanie. His family added some tension to his personal and professional life. And even though I kind of figured out where things were headed with the plot, Teddy still surprised me in a good way toward the end. And believe me, it will make you smile and sigh happily…

Second First Impressions was so sweet it was almost ridiculous how much fun I had reading it. If you’re still on the shelf about reading anything by Sally Thorne, I think this will be the book to nudge you over the edge–and it will have you smitten right away.

Book Info:

Publication: April 13th 2021 | William Morrow Paperbacks |

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine comes the clever, funny, and unforgettable story of a muscular, tattooed man hired as an assistant to two old women—under the watchful eye of a beautiful retirement home manager.

Distraction (n): an extreme agitation of the mind or emotions.

Ruthie Midona has worked the front desk at the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa for six years, dedicating her entire adult life to caring for the Villa’s residents, maintaining the property (with an assist from DIY YouTube tutorials), and guarding the endangered tortoises that live in the Villa’s gardens. Somewhere along the way, she’s forgotten that she’s young and beautiful, and that there’s a world outside of work—until she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement center.

Teddy Prescott has spent the last few years partying, sleeping in late, tattooing himself when bored, and generally not taking life too seriously—something his father, who dreams of grooming Teddy into his successor, can’t understand. When Teddy needs a place to crash, his father seizes the chance to get him to grow up. He’ll let Teddy stay in one of the on-site cottages at the retirement home, but only if he works to earn his keep. Teddy agrees—he can change a few lightbulbs and clip some hedges, no sweat. But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too.

Her two wealthiest and most eccentric residents have just placed an ad (yet another!) seeking a new personal assistant to torment. The women are ninety-year-old, four-foot-tall menaces, and not one of their assistants has lasted a full week. Offering up Teddy seems like a surefire way to get rid of the tall, handsome, unnerving man who won’t stop getting under her skin.

Ruthie doesn’t count on the fact that in Teddy Prescott, the Biddies may have finally met their match. He’ll pick up Chanel gowns from the dry cleaner and cut Big Macs into bite-sized bits. He’ll do repairs around the property, make the residents laugh, and charm the entire villa. He might even remind Ruthie what it’s like to be young and fun again. But when she finds out Teddy’s father’s only fixing up the retirement home to sell it, putting everything she cares about in jeopardy, she’s left wondering if Teddy’s magic was all just a façade.

Hilarious, warm, and romantic, Sally Thorne’s novel delivers an irrepressibly joyous celebration of love and community for fans of 99% Mine and The Hating Game.