Review: Once and Again

Once and Again by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“…happiness is determined not by getting what you want but by determining which things to hold on to and which things to let go.”

🌅 Since discovering Rebecca Serle five years ago, I’ve been hooked on her stories of magical realism. I’ve consistently rated them 5 stars, and this one is no different. Why do I love them? They are part of a group of stories that sneak up on you quietly and then completely undo you. In Once and Again Serle blends magical realism with raw family drama, delivering a tale that is as much about love, memories, and regret as it is about the impossible question of what if.

At its heart, this book follows three generations of Novak women, each of whom carries a silver ticket granting them the chance to rewrite a single moment in their lives. For Lauren, caught between her faltering marriage, her longing for motherhood, and the reappearance of a past love, the weight of this choice becomes unbearable. You also learn about the decisions made by her mother, Marcella, and grandmother, Sylvia, regarding their tickets, which profoundly shaped their lives in often painful ways. Through their interwoven stories, Serle explores how one decision can have a ripple effect on families for generations.

The strongest sections for me were the depictions of family bonds, especially the father–daughter relationship between Lauren and her dad, which carried a tenderness that grounded the story. Serle’s signature prose, deceptively breezy but edged with ache, made the book eminently readable, even as it tackled heavy themes like infertility, grief, fractured family ties, and the quiet desperation of wanting a life that feels just out of reach. Lines like “To long for things to be different is to fundamentally miss the lesson of life” echo long after finishing, daring readers to confront their own choices.

That said, I had mixed feelings about the structure. The shifting perspectives between Lauren, Marcella, and Sylvia often blurred together, especially since transitions weren’t always marked clearly. This sometimes interrupted the flow. Although I loved getting into Sylvia and Marcell’s heads, I’d appreciate knowing whose head I was in before getting halfway into the chapter and having to go back and reread it.

Also, I was incredibly annoyed by Lauren’s decisions at one point and thought it was out of character, which almost made me stop reading. But I kept on, and boy was it worth it. Twists that caught me by surprise made the story 💯worth it. So, if you find Lauren frustrating, self-absorbed, reactive, and not constantly growing in ways that feel earned, realize that it makes her more human; her journey, like the rest of us, is just messier and more complicated.

Overall, Once and Again is not just a story of magical second chances but a meditation on forgiveness, letting go, and the bittersweet truth that even when granted a redo, life never unfolds perfectly. Serle doesn’t give us tidy answers; she provides us with reflection, heartbreak, and just enough hope to carry forward. Watch this one, as it is likely to rise on the charts. It is definitely one that will stay with you long after that last page!

Huge thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review of this story, and Rebecca Serle for continuing to publish such moving and thought-provoking works of fiction. Watch for more reviews and hype in February before the March 2026 release.

#OnceAndAgain #AtriaBooks #NetGalley #MagicalRealism #BookTok @rebecca_serle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(5 Stars)

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