Mikaila Emery’s life seems quite ordinary until she encounters a brilliant manifestation of holiness in a dreamlike vision. There, she sees her best friend get in a terrible car accident: With a cavalier attitude toward both her safety and her faith, Mikaila’s friend Chara climbs into an SUV thinking, “I could put my seatbelt on, but we’ll be back soon, and God won’t let anything happen to us.” Mikaila knows better, that testing God rarely ends well, but Chara has never taken spiritual things seriously. And when Mikaila realizes her best friend is headed straight for disaster, she refuses to just watch it happen. Instead, she offers to take Chara’s place, effectively laying down her own life in her friend’s stead. She is given a divine deadline, twenty-two months to make a true believer of Chara. But when you’re a high-school sophomore with no shortage of your own family and personal drama, staying on a focused, righteous path isn’t easy. There will be obstacles, losses, distractions, setbacks, and heartaches along the way. But nothing will challenge these girls more than the unwavering attention of family friend, Asa. When Mikaila spends the summer with her dad’s family, Asa worms his way into every aspect of her life. Will she be able to reconcile with her dad, absorb Asa’s unrelenting attention, grieve her losses, and save Chara?
A well-earned nap shifts into a meet-your-maker moment for a teenage girl in A Second Chance. Perfect for young adults looking for characters who value their Christian faith, this story addresses modern problems with the Bible’s timeless wisdom. The cast includes teens and adults who don’t all strive to be close to God, making the setting feel realistic. Mikaila and Chara are incredibly endearing main characters who are flawed, impetuous, and similar in so many ways. Their parents are no longer happily married, Mikaila’s mom is ravaged by bipolar disorder, and Chara’s mother suffers from selfishness. These factors leave the girls feeling vulnerable and unwanted, emotions that audiences can relate to. Those looking for fiction that can bolster their faith will appreciate Mikaila’s reaction when challenges arise. She is often quoting scriptures or talking through the right thing to do, demonstrating that her faith is a living thing, not just a Sunday habit. While there is expected teenage drama with sports, relationships, and family frustrations, the tension remains relatively flat until a manipulative friend turns dangerous. Even as the supporting cast blends at the edges, Asa stands out as an antagonist so chilling that he bends the entire narrative around his darker intentions. His actions reshape the novel’s trajectory and galvanize the characters around a common enemy, providing a layer of complexity. A faith-forward tale with a twisty and mysterious undercurrent, A Second Chance is a heartfelt story about the lengths we go to for the ones we love the most.
