Sylvia’s Second Act by Hillary Yablon – a Review

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Description:
Her husband’s cheating on her. She hates Boca. Sylvia is mad and she isn’t going to take it anymore. She’s moving back north, to the city of her dreams—with her best friend, Evie, in tow. Think a screwball comedy featuring a sophisticated Thelma and Louise with martinis in hand . . .

When sixty-three-year-old Sylvia finds her husband in bed with the floozy of their Boca retirement community, she’s shocked and furious . . . at first. By the time her head stops spinning, Sylvia realizes that actually, this isn’t what she wants anymore anyway.

So she enlists her best friend, the glamorous older widow Evie, to join her in setting up a new life in Manhattan. Sylvia’s ex-husband may have lost her life savings, but Sylvia and Evie are scrappy and determined, unopposed to pawning jewelry and roughing it in tiny apartments. And before long, Sylvia signs on to revive her decades-old wedding planning business with a former professional rival. Sylvia has a lot to prove, and beneath it all, she can’t help but Will she ever be able to get back into the dating game?

Sylvia doesn’t want to be twenty-five or thirty again. Her age gives her wisdom, experience, and perspective. A career, sex, fun, and a new romance—her entire second act is stretched out in front of her, beckoning to her. It’s her time, and watch out, world, Sylvia is coming!

Review:

Sylvia’s Second Act by Hillary Yablon is a standalone humorous novel that was a fun read. The story starts off when meet Sylvia, our heroine, who walks in on her husband having sex with a neighbor.  Sylvia hasn’t been happy for a while, and when her husband tells her they lost her life savings, due to bad investment; Sylvia decides to leave her husband, and start off at a second chance at life.  Sylvia is 63 years old, and convinces her bff, Evie (widow in her 70’s) to move to New York, in hope to work again as a wedding planner.

Sylvia takes all her jewelry and sells it at a pawn shop, to give her money to find a place that she and Evie can live.  It was fun when they did not like the small places they found, until someone tells her about finding nice places with people who go away for a year, and rent.  In a short time, Sylvia manages to get a job as a wedding planning business with her former rival.  She is assigned in helping a young lady planning her wedding, with many issues along the way; her boss is thrilled how well she is doing.  Evie, who used to play the piano, also revives her music at a restaurant.

What follows is a fun heartwarming story, with ups and downs in their new adventure; as both ladies find the courage to follow their dreams.  There was a lot of laughter, and even some weird moments. I did not like Sylvia ex-husband, as he was a jerk.  I also thought her meddling daughter wasn’t likeable, but that changed in the last third of the book. I did get a kick out of when her ex comes, and then the daughter, with her man hiding naked in the other room; pretty hysterical.

Sylvia life changes as her career escalates, a new romance, sex, fun, and together with Evie, their second chance becomes successful.  Even though this story revolves around sixty/seventy set, there is so much fun and laughter throughout the book, as well as some problems. Sylvia’s Second Act was a fun story of second chances.  Sylvia’s Second Act was very well written by Hillary Yablon.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher