Second Chances

Everyday Angel #2

by Victoria Schwab

Meet a guardian angel like no other, from a writer like no other. Bold, rising star Victoria Schwab returns with the second book in this whimsical, inspiring, and clever middle-grade series.

There's more to Aria than meets the eye. She's a guardian angel. And to earn her wings, she'll have to help three different girls. . . .

This time, Aria comes to Caroline Mason. At her all-girls' prep school, Caroline is being bullied. She eats lunch alone and is picked on by her classmates every day. The ringleader of the mean girls is Lily Pierce. But Lily isn't an ordinary bully: she used to be Caroline's best friend.

When Aria arrives, she can see Caroline is suffering. But, to Aria's surprise, so is Lily. What is the story behind Lily's cruel actions? And can Aria help guide Caroline out of the darkness . . . and into better, brighter future?

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Paranormal, Childrens, Young Adult, Novels, School

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2014

About the author

Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."

She also tells stories.

She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.

Reviews

[Lizzie Hutchings · Rating 3 out of 5]

~~edit 11/21/21~~

I pretty much feel the same way about this book now than I did like six months ago. I really liked the first book, and I think the next one is much better. But I did it! I re-read my least favorite V.E. Schwab book.

Have a wonderful morning :-)

~~original~~

3.5 stars

Aaaaalrighty, this book was certainly not as good as the first one, and this is for several reasons.

Characters. Aria, fantastic as always. Caroline, not as fantastic, but relatable in some way, form, and shape. I feel like I was a little salty because this took place at a private school and like all the kids were jerks. Like, come on. That stereotype is getting old, especially for me--who is, in fact, not a jerk (at least I don't think so). I was super super excited when I figured out that Aria had two cases to solve. I was like...yessssssss dOuBlE aGeNt bAbYyYyY! But then she didn't even interact with her other girl, and I was, like, really sad, because how cool would it be for her to discover how insecure Lily actually was by like--you know--trying to be her friend, which is what she needed.

Plot. I feel like I should have related to the plot points in this story more than I was, given that I had a falling-out with a best friend of mine in middle school. But I really loved that the book focused on the importance of separating yourself from a toxic friendship, but it also covered how bad burning bridges is. Honestly, it made me want to call up my old friends and be like: "I just appreciate you and how you made a mark in my life and personality."

Writing. I mean, it's our Queen Victoria Schwab. So, how can she go wrong? This book fell short compared to the first one, but the writing was there and shining brightly. We love V.E. Schwab, you have written something with so much significance and wisdom woven into the text.

Have a fantastic morning 😎.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars? (more well thought out rating to come when I'm less sleep deprived)

This was so much fun! Not quite as good as book one, but enjoyable nonetheless. RTC.

[Slymandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is about school bullying and I think Schwab delt with it in a pretty good way. It was a nice middle-grade read, the plot took an interesting turn everytime it could have been over-expected. I really liked the resolution. And Aria is really starting to grow on me.

[Whitney Hutchings · Rating 4 out of 5]

~3.8~
book 6 of schwab-athon done!

sorry ms schwab. this book was worse than the first one. I LOVE the first one and got super emotionally attached to it. But it wasn't the case for that one.

the preppy school story was kind of annoying, coming from a private school with 60 people per class. People aren't that clicky and mean and I want people to know that! However, this made for a pretty good story.

Those girls were so mean and i was just like "I wIsH i WAs thErE." I would put them in their place haha.

7th graders are mean and I know from first hand. It sucks but luckily Aria was there to help Caroline.

I am excited to finish the final chapter in Aria's adventures and hope she gets her wings!

PEACE

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the first book, that wasn't as light as I had thought and brought me to literal tears, I was a little better prepared this time. But even though I was a little better prepared, I still ended up tearing up near the end of the story, even though I was also very brightly smiling.

What I love about those books, is that Schwab managed to write down those children's and teenage problems in a very simple, but also very relatable way. In this book we meet Caroline, who is bullied by her once best friend Lily and her friends and ignored by the rest of her school. But luckily for Caroline, Aria is sent to help her. But, much to Aria's surprise, she also has to help Lily!

The result is a touching story about bullying, the effect it has on kids and how the smallest of events can lead to being picked on and how even the smallest teasings can become huge when it happens daily and all the time. Schwab really managed to capture the feeling and write it down and she also managed to write a satisfying conclusion to the story, without saying that the bullying will never happen again, which sounded very realistic to me.

It also helps that Caroline is a very likeable character who reminded me a lot of myself when I was her age. Smart, intelligent, but afraid to be herself because she has gotten the feeling that being popular is far more important than being yourself. Caroline's struggles, her emotions, how she has to refind herself, it's all written down beautifully and touchingly.

I'm really curious what will happen in the last book in this trilogy!

[John Loyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyday Angel #2 Second Chances (2014) 200 pages by Victoria Schwab

Lily wants to be the most popular girl in school. With the influence of Erica the decision to single out one girl for pranks is made. Caroline doesn't like the plan, interferes and becomes the girl who is bullied. Aria comes to Westgate school for girls is lead to Caroline's aura of blue smoke and sets out to help her. Is then surprised to see a second girl with the same blue smoke.

Extremely fast Middle Grade read. Love Aria, her combination of wisdom, innocent pleasure is simple things like pizza, and cheery attitude is great. 4.5 stars.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book I think it’s better then the first one. Coraline is a girl in school who used to be best friends with lily pierce the popular mean girl. How will Aria help Caroline? How will she help Lily pierce?

[Stanislav Lozanov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this one was actually a bit better than the first one in the series!

[Ana Carolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

sweet, but the first one is soo much better this one is just okay

[Lexi Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme of second chances is help others and it will help you back. Aria is now trying to help out to friends that have separated. At first Aria tries only to help out Caroline but notices Lily is upset about the best friend break up too. Through out the book Lily is only bullying Caroline just because she is upset of not being with her but she finally confesses to Aria and by the end everyone is best friends just like it used to be.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

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[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But Caroline Mason didn’t want a new life. She just wanted her old life back.”

3,5/5!

Aria, a young guardian angel, is tasked with helping Caroline Mason, who is being severely bullied at school. The leader of the bullies is Caroline's former best friend, Lily. Aria has to figure out how to help Caroline move on and find her confidence and happiness again. As the title of the book suggests, this book is all about moving forward, giving people and yourself second chances and learning to embrace what makes you you.

I liked the first book in this series, and I enjoyed this one as well. I actually liked it more than book 1, even though I'm giving them both 3,5/5 stars. The reason I liked Second Chances more is that I connected to it quite a lot since I too have gone through a weird, upsetting and genuinely rather scarring friendship breakup. I related to how Caroline still cared about Lily even though Lily was mean and cruel to her and just over all Caroline's thoughts on the situation and her inability to trust anyone else after Lily hit way too close to home and reminded me of the shit I went through with my friend. I think this book handled those conflicted emotions very well and very realistically.

This book is centred around bullying and the different reasons people bully others. It touches on the shades of gray there, how some bullies are acting out because of their own difficulties and how some are mainly mean cause they just don't care about other people. But no matter what reasons these characters had for their actions, they were never excused. Sometimes you see stories where victims forgive their bullies because it turns out they have tragic backstories, and I say, fuck that. Sure, some people are able to do that and find peace in forgiving those who have wronged them, but I always feel uncomfortable seeing stories that end with the victim forgiving everything just like that.

Aria's character was developed nicely and I still just really like her. She is very adorable. Caroline was an engaging, realistic lead and I connected with her - plus, her friendship with Aria was very cute. I also liked how this book ended with Caroline making peace with Lily, but also knowing things won't go back, that what Lily did to her was cruel and unfair. They are moving forward and putting things behind them, and Lily is trying to do better, but they are no longer what they were because there is no going back.

My only gripe is really that I wish we would've gotten to know Lily a bit more. She is a central character but I think her motivations could've used some further development. I wish we would've gotten more scenes from her and heard/seen more from her about why she does what she does. It's not like it's not explained at all, but I just wanted more from her. Also, even though these books are enjoyable and this one was rather relatable, they are not super memorable and compared to Schwab's other books, they just aren't as impeccable.

I'm so glad I picked this series up. Can't wait to read the third one!

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m making a shorter review for this book, because it’s the second one in the trilogy. I like that Second Chances still follows the same pattern that New Beginnings does, but differently. It’s like the same song in a different tempo. It’s familiar, but new. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, I think the ending was a bit rushed. Still, it was amazing. From this book I learned to keep looking forward even if it’s scary. And that’s something I needed to hear. I think that even though it’s meant for children this is a great read that, like all books written by Victoria, makes you look at life in a different way. I actually read this in an afternoon, I was that invested in the story.

The pacing was okay, if a bit quick at the end. The writing was as marvelous as always and the story really shone through this time. It was so interesting to see these girls find themselves. That’s a constant theme with V. Finding your voice and finding your self. And it shows in this book too.

I had a harder time with these characters, there being bullies all around. But it reminded me that the world isn’t so black and white. Like the book says, you’re not either a bully or a nobody, there’s a whole spectrum of things you can be in between (and outside them too). That being said, I like that Aria’s character gets a bit more fleshed out, and that she genuinely struggled to help the girls this time around. She also lived and learned so much, which was nice to see.

I did enjoy this book, and even more so the themes and lessons it left me with. But I did enjoy the first one a bit more.

3.5/5 stars

[Readbygio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conocí esta historia en formato audiolibro, el gato me rompió los auriculares en el proceso, cuando los recuperé y pude seguir, la voz de la narradora cuando hace el diálogo de las niñas es tan dulce que me dormía enseguida escuchando y así pasaron los días, pero, finalmente lo terminé :)

Es el segundo de una trilogía, debo decir que me gustó más el primero, pero este no estuvo nada mal.

En este volumen Arya (niña/ángel guardián de 12 años) debe ayudar a Caroline Mason (pronunciar Carolain Meison 😅) a sobrellevar una pelea con su mejor amiga y soportar un bullying tremendo en la escuela super estricta para niñas a la que asiste.
También debe ayudar a la amiga de Caroline, a Lilly, que enfrenta la presión de ser la "hija de" y a causa de esto se espera de ella que sea la alumna modelo.

Pensé que iba a terminar de cierta forma pero no, toma otro rumbo y me gustó.

Igual que el primero, recomendado para una audiencia de 9-12 años. O de 28 con impulso a leer lo que venga como yo 😊

[Sophie.reads_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book and still love it.
The story was intense and I think very important for young readers to read it. It's about bullying and we all know how it can destroy lives.
I loved to read about and how Aria managed to help Caroline. Aria was a bit lost in this story because she knew there were just mean people and you couldn't do anything about it. You can't fix everybody and sometimes getting better involves standing up for yourselves.
I also loved that it's not always about forgiveness. Yes it's good to forgive people if they apologize but sometimes people go to far and it's okay to move forward and accept that you'll never be able to completely trust someone again.
This one was less emotional but I still enjoyed it very much.
Can't wait to read the third book.

[Lauren Bastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are just so sweet! They are middle grade novels that deal with some tough topics about growing up, friendship, and being yourself. See that sounds really cliched, but I really wish I had read this when I was going through this kind of stuff. I recommend these to anybody. They are easy quick reads that are entirely enjoyable!

[Chloe C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think compared to the first book this book was a little "too common" , as in a lot of other ficton books talk about similar situations, also it doesn't really catch the readers heart/attention. Overall, the story is still quite interesting, but I would still recommend this series to younger readers.

[Jessica (Goldenfurpro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

Short and Simple Review
I loved the first book in this series, New Beginnings. It was such a powerful story, so well-written, and I absolutely loved it. I did not like this book quite as much. I still liked this book, but I think the plot was a lot more like so many other MG books, while the first one felt new. Two girls were best friends and then one decides popularity is better than friendship and starts bullying the other. It is a pretty common storyline in MG and I expected something more when starting this book. It is still done well and it shows both sides of bullying (since Aria must help both the girl being bullied and the bully). I still liked the guardian angel aspect and I liked how this book showed what real friendship can be I also like that Caroline did not go back to Lily. I do plan on continuing the series.

[Sam Serrano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book very much. There were no dull moments, and I felt the struggle of Caroline throughout the book. This book follows the same pattern as its precedent, which is a pattern I like. I like Aria even more, she’s starting to grow on me.

I just wish Aria interacted with Lily more. It would have been nice to know what was going on inside her head.

[Iris Alvino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh high school and all the drama that comes with it lol honestly I had a pretty great high school experience but did deal with bullies my junior year, I was a bully :/ luckily I too changed and got out of that ugly behavior. This was a pretty great and relatable story.

[Emmie Must · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great, very insightful and I wish somebody had this book when I was in middle grade. The characters were very honest and the story entertaining and sad and hopeful at the same time. Really liked It

[Missaatjuhh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this, even though it's a middle grade book. I kept wishing I'd read this when I was in middle school because I think it could've helped me. Needless to say, I loved this, I love Victoria's writing and I can't wait to dive into more of her stuff

[Vika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book shows how to be a friend when they are lonely. I like that Aria has to help three people other wise she wont get her wings and she thinks that fine and it is good to help people

[Mel (ReadUntilTheLastPage) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a great middle-grade that I wished I read when I was a kid or even in middle school!

[Emma Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are all so good!

[Marky Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice and emotion book

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good messages for younger readers in this, takes a good look at bullying and how to deal with it.

[Renel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
Feel pretty much the same about this one as the first one so look at that review if you wanna know my thoughts

[Nola Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Clara Hawk]

THis was sad and emotional, but it had a very good ending.