I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Olive has had rough year. Her mother has remarried and Olive feels that it is too soon and that her mother is trying to forget her father. Not only that, but Olive made an unforgivable error in judgment where her long term relationship was concerned, now she has an entire year to redo in her life. Will she fix the relationship of her lifetime? Will she repair the damaged relationship with her mother and accept her new husband?

I’ve always loved the movie Groundhogs Day, and dream of having a “do over” button to change the outcome of certain situations. I can’t even fathom having an entire year! This was a fun read, as you see how Olive grasps what has happened and realizes what a great opportunity it is. Being an ICU nurse, however, reliving patients’ deaths had to be disturbing. The characters are so realistic that you can relate to them on many levels. For a debut novel, this author surpassed my expectations! There is so much depth in her writing that she made repeating an entire year plausible. Although this book isn’t slated to be part of a series, it could easily become one because of this unique concept. I look forward to reading more from this author.
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I received a copy of The Repeat Year: A Novel by Andrea Lochen in exchange for an honest review.

Olive woke up on New Year’s Day of 2011 – but it should really be 2012… What a concept, don’t we sometimes wish that we could do that, get a chance to do over a really bad year, I bet most of us have had at least one of those!

The concept of this book was really wonderful and I liked that there were some twists that I could not have predicted, but I found it hard to understand Olive’s behavior and actually I found she was quite selfish sometimes, but at least she had the opportunity to put it right somewhat. Olive’s boyfriend Phil was one of the more likeable characters in the book, as well as Olive’s mom Kathy, who was trying to keep her children happy while trying to move on after the death of her husband.

The characters were well developed and I would totally recommend this book to anyone, it puts a lot of life into perspective.
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I received a copy of The Repeat Year: A Novel by Andrea Lochen in exchange for an honest review.

Olive woke up on New Year’s Day of 2011 – but it should really be 2012… What a concept, don’t we sometimes wish that we could do that, get a chance to do over a really bad year, I bet most of us have had at least one of those!

The concept of this book was really wonderful and I liked that there were some twists that I could not have predicted, but I found it hard to understand Olive’s behavior and actually I found she was quite selfish sometimes, but at least she had the opportunity to put it right somewhat. Olive’s boyfriend Phil was one of the more likeable characters in the book, as well as Olive’s mom Kathy, who was trying to keep her children happy while trying to move on after the death of her husband.

The characters were well developed and I would totally recommend this book to anyone, it puts a lot of life into perspective.
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Life normally doesn't come with "do-overs" or second chances, but Olive Watson and Sherry Witan are given the opportunity to relive one year, 2011. Will they be able to make the most of this second chance or will they make the same mistakes all over again in The Repeat Year by Andrea Lochen.

Olive Watson is a young twenty-something. She's relatively debt-free, has a well-paying job as a nurse in the intensive care unit at a local hospital. She has close friends, a loving boyfriend, and is close to her mother and brother. Olive has been dating Phil for almost four years, but a series of incidents led to a separation then breakup. This was followed by her mother's engagement announcement and remarriage, which Olive doesn't take very well since it's only been a few short years after her father's death. Olive goes to bed on New Year's Eve 2011 in what was admittedly the worst year of her life after the year her father died. She expects to awaken on January 1, 2012 but awakens to January 1, 2011. At first she thinks she's crazy and just experiencing a weird deja vu moment, but she quickly learns that she is repeating 2011 . . . her nightmare year. Fortunately, there's someone to provide her with a little guidance, her mother's friend - Sherry Witan. Sherry tells Olive that she isn't quite sure why these repeat years or second chances are offered, but she's being given an opportunity to change the mistakes of the past and hopefully move forward to a better year.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading The Repeat Year. At first I thought it was going to be like the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, but this isn't repeating the same day over-and-over to get it right. Olive is forced to relive an entire year and hopefully make better choices. After I overcame my preconceived notions of what to expect, I actually enjoyed The Repeat Year. Olive and Sherry aren’t perfect women. They are simply people that have made mistakes, some large, some small, and some life-changing. But unlike most of us, they've been allowed the opportunity to correct those mistakes, stop being judgmental (of themselves more so than anyone else) and to accept life and love with all of the inherent flaws. I found The Repeat Year to be a fast-paced read about self-discovery, acceptance, and tolerance. The characters were well developed and quite realistic. If you want a great read for a lazy afternoon, then I suggest The Repeat Year. Ms. Lochen has provided a story that offers a little bit of romance, a little bit of humor, some soul searching, and some family drama in an entertaining package. ( )

A unique story of second chances in another dimension.

What would you do if you awoke one day and realized you were given a chance to repeat your previous year, without having a choice in the matter? Meet Olive Watson in The Repeat Year, a single just out of college ICU nurse who wakes up New Year's Day in what is supposed to be 2012, only to learn after much confusion and distress that she is repeating the previous year. The year when she cheated on her boyfriend Phil, a school teacher who never forgave her for destroying their relationship. The year when her mother a widow, who has been grieving for a few years marries Harry, a man who just doesn't live up to Olive's expectations or her dead father. But will Olive actually repeat this year exactly as her last?

In this novel Lochen gives the reader a thought-provoking story which leaves the reader wondering what Olive might do differently throughout her repeat year. Will she be tempted with the same fate? Will her relationships remain the same? Because Olive has full memory of her previous year it strains her relationship with her boyfriend, as well as the relationship of her best friend Kerrigan.

I really like this story and its uniqueness is what drew me in from the start. I found the characters being well-developed by Lochen and she gives the reader plenty of time with each character throughout the story to form a connection. What we are left with is a sense that even during a repeat year, life can be just as difficult as the previous. That truly the most important aspects of life are our relationships with others and that how we treat others during our lifetime is what matters most in the end. ( )