Twenty Something Else | A Second-Chance at Life
I’ll be honest, pickleball, hot neon pink, and bubbles are not my thing! But after reading Stephanie Mack’s author Q&A and hearing her heart behind her latest novel, I found myself really enjoying this thoughtful parody of It’s a Wonderful Life.
Main Themes
Sutton is about to turn 40 and is having a bit of an identity crisis. With a struggling company, stale marriage, and pre-teen kids, middle-aged life is certainly not what she expected it to be. The day before her birthday party, she finds herself wishing more than anything that she could be back in her 20s.
After a freak accident on the pickleball court, she finds that her wish has been granted; she can go back and relive her twenties, exploring what life would have been like if she never met her husband, never got married, and never had kids. The catch it, she can never go back to her old life unless she’s absolutely sure that’s what she wants, which requires some deep conversations and serious examination of her heart and motives. She has to completely change her perspective on life, which she doubts is possible when she’s plagued with so many insecurities.
Twenty Something Else is a delightful reminder for all women that they are create for a purpose and with a purpose, despite the challenges of life that make them question their worth. It’s an encouragement to love your life the way it because God’s plan is always best, even when we don’t understand it right away.
Faith Elements
I’m not sure how I felt about some of the theological overtures, but this is magical realism, after all; it doesn’t have to be perfect. There were a few times Mack refers to each woman as being a multitude, and while I understand why she wrote it that way, all I could think of was Mark 5:9. That verse is not at all related to what Mack was trying to portray, but it was still distracting and made it hard to fully invest in the book.
Other than that, the scenes of faith were beautiful reminders that God made us with intentionality and purpose, even when we don’t love our lives or our bodies.
Family Friendly Considerations
There’s a bedroom scene in the beginning of the book, and a few discussions about sex and marriage that are definitely written for middle-age women who are going through similar struggles with identity, body-image, and workplace stress. While it’s a very clean novel, it’s not written for teenagers or even young adults. This a novel is intentionally written for middle-aged or older women to remind them that their life is still beautiful and worth living, even when the realities of life are disappointing.
Interested in Similar Reads?
If you enjoy deep, thought-provoking women’s fiction, you might want to check out these novels as well!
- Handle with Care by Marybeth Mayhew Whalens
- The Lumber Baron’s Wife by Lynn Austin
- These Empty Places by Sarah Loudin Thomas
- A Deeper Well by Jill Eileen Smith
