In The Second First Chance by Mona Shroff, Riya Desai and Dhillon Vora were best friends during 
their childhood, until a tragic fire claimed the lives of Riya’s big brother and Dhillon’s father. The two drifted apart. Dhillon became a veterinarian to save animals like his dog was saved after the fire. Riya has chosen to become a firefighter, but has hidden it from both Dhillon and her family.
When the truth comes out, Dhillon is furious. He has loved Riya for most of his life; he can’t imagine her being in a job that could take her life, especially after their losses. All Riya wants is for him to understand is that the job is a calling for her; she wants to prevent people from going through the losses that they had.
Dhillon definitely wasn’t my favorite character of the book. Through most of the book he judges Riya’s profession, and judges her for doing it. I understood that he was worried about Riya, but the way he went about showing it came across as harsh at times.
Riya went through the academy and joined a fire department by herself, as she was afraid to tell her parents what she was doing. She’s also the only woman in the fire department, and as such has to deal with some difficulties regarding that, such as the fact they didn’t have a women’s locker room so she either had to wait for the men to finish showering or go home to shower. That being said, she also endured some harassment from someone and felt like she had to deal with it on her own, but she really should have taken it to her superiors.
As a couple, I had a hard time with them. While I got friends vibes from them, it was hard to buy the romance since Dhillon didn’t seem to respect Riya or her choices. When something happens to his sister, he immediately blames Riya for it without getting the facts. I felt bad for her, because he makes her question herself and her dream job. It wasn’t the behavior of someone who genuinely cares about his partner.
The Second First Chance is a complex story about family, friendship, love, loss, healing, and courage. While I didn’t care for Dhillon and the romance itself, there were enough other things going on to still make it an enjoyable read.
Book Info:
Publication: August 2, 2022 | HQN Books |
Riya Desai and Dhillon Vora grew up together. Sharing secrets, hiding in their tree house, they were playmates, best friends and later—as teenagers—almost something more. Until the devastating house fire that ripped them apart, claiming the life of Dhillon’s father and Riya’s big brother, Samir. Riya and Dhillon have barely spoken since that terrible night, but they both made big decisions based on that fire.
Riya has chosen to fight fire with everything she’s got, but it’s not easy. As the only female firefighter and one of the only people of color at her fire hall, she has to prove herself over and over. Plus, she’s hidden her career from her family.
Dhillon wanted to heal things, so he became a veterinarian. When a chance encounter with a rescue dog throws Riya and Dhillon together again, he’s furious at her career choice. After what happened to them, how can she run into fires on purpose? For Riya, Dhillon’s anger is unacceptable: How can he not see that she’s protecting others from the very losses they both experienced?
