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A bittersweet novel about work-life balance that readers of any age can appreciate, by Echavarre (who writes romance under the name Sarah Smith, including Faker and Simmer Down). Smart, career-focused Chloe is grieving and full of regrets after the sudden death of her 50-year-old Filipina American mother. But when Chloe is inexplicably given a chance to live the last three months over again—and possibly change their outcome—she redirects her energy into renewing bonds with her mother, younger brother, and best friend and tries to reconnect with the estranged members of her extended family. Though Chloe and her mother butt heads over diet, exercise, and Chloe's lack of a boyfriend, the love between the two strong-willed women never wavers. Heavy themes of grief and love, in a family that shares the author's own Filipina American heritage, are lightened by humor and Chloe's growing attraction to the young man her mother has been trying to fix her up with all along. VERDICT Readers will laugh and cry at Echavarre's first foray into multicultural women's fiction with a YOLO ("you only live once") message.—Laurie Cavanaugh, Thayer P.L., Braintree, MA

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Career-driven Chloe is finally financially stable and busier than ever, but her job has cost her time with her mother. After weeks of not checking in, Chloe finally calls her mom, but she is completely distracted and they end their call by fighting. Julienne, Chloe's best friend, offers to cover her shifts so she can take some time to see her mother and mend their rift. A few days before her trip, though, Chloe receives a call from her brother Andy with the news that their mother has had a heart attack. Her job wants her back to work soon after her mother's death, so a grief-stricken Chloe uncharacteristically quits, and, after her meltdown, she finally sleeps. However, when Chloe awakens, it is three months earlier and her mother is still very much alive. While she can't explain it, she decides to make the most of her time with her mother and her family, heals her own heart, and finds a new outlook on life. This is a heart-wrenching novel about family and love, with a wide range of well-developed characters. Readers who enjoy novels by Jessica Strawser or Barbara O'Neal will need a box of tissues for this one.