Second Set Chances - by Rachael Wesley (Paperback)

About the Book

Caught between loyalty to her marriage and the magnetic pull of an old flame, Rachael finds herself at a crossroads. A heartfelt exploration of love, identity, and second chances, wrapped in the vibrant chaos of the Phish music scene.

Book Synopsis

"Will pull at your heartstrings... Bonus Phish fandom for all music lovers! I couldn't put it down!" Melisa Peterson Lewis, author of the Lazarus City series

For four tumultuous years, Rachael and her husband, Jason, have seesawed between her small-town life in Pennsylvania and his roots in South Korea. Exhausted by the upheaval and yearning for stability, she pins her hopes on a fresh start in Las Vegas. But weeks before the big move, a Phish concert weekend-her happiest escape-brings her face-to-face with a long-lost college crush. The chance encounter feels like a cosmic nudge, but she's determined to focus on the new life she's painstakingly planned.

Las Vegas, however, proves anything but the clean slate she imagined. Struggling in her marriage and suffocated by the desert heat, Rachael finds herself seeking solace in Phish concerts, where the vibrant chaos of music and her resurfaced connection with her crush offer fleeting glimpses of joy. Torn between loyalty to the life she's built and the magnetic pull of what might have been, Rachael straddles two worlds, making a tangled mess of both.

Heartfelt, honest, and threaded with humor, Second Set Chances challenges us to consider what happens when the life we're living clashes with the one we secretly dream of. Will she settle for the comfort of her desert mirage, or will she risk it all for a shot at true happiness?

Review Quotes

"This story will pull at your heartstrings as Rachael wrestles with the truths within her marriage. Bonus Phish fandom for all music lovers! I couldn't put it down! Very relatable." Melisa Peterson Lewis, Author of the Lazarus City series

"An instantly relatable story that takes the reader through an emotional roller coaster. All of the Phish content is a bonus, but the real win is following Rachael's tale about uncertainty, confusion, adventure, and of course, love." Brian Weinstein, host of Attendance Bias podcast

"Perfectly captures what many of us are confronted with at midlife: questioning who we have been and the choices we have made. Placing that questioning inside the colorful, rich Phish universe helps the story come to life in a way that is engaging and unique. A great read for dedicated phans and those to whom this world remains a mystery." Megan Glionna, Writer, Podcaster, Teacher, Phish Phan