Twenty Something Else

By Stephanie Mack

Book Overview

On the eve of her fortieth birthday, a woman wakes up from a pickleball accident with the unexpected chance to relive her twenties in this sparkling novel from a fresh, new voice.

Sutton Layne is almost-forty and fabulous, with a happy marriage, three beautiful children, and a successful interior design business. But there's plenty of chaos behind the scenes of early midlife. Her preteen son is going off the rails, her husband is bailing on the party he was supposed to throw her, and that thriving business? If she can't land her next big client, it might all come crashing down. Then a surprise DM from someone in her past sends her spiraling into what-ifs. What if she settled down too young? Walked away from her big break? Never had her great adventure?

Despite her simmering mini-crisis, Sutton can't wait for the birthday luncheon and pickleball tournament her friends have planned in her honor. But when an accident on the court knocks her out cold, she wakes up somewhere else . . . and is offered the chance to do it all over again. She can revisit her twenties--out of order and on her own terms. And this time around, anything goes: cities, careers, friendships. Even love.

From star-studded Hollywood nights to the jungles of Nicaragua, from the heat of Coachella to the snowy summit of the Matterhorn, Sutton chases the life she fears she might have missed, with unexpected results.

With a wink to the classic It's a Wonderful Life, Twenty Something Else is a witty, wistful journey through the dreams we outgrow, the life choices that shape us, and the surprising detours that can lead us home.

Clean and wholesome women's fiction with themes of second chances, identity, friendship, and lovePerfect for fans of Katherine Center, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Courtney WalshIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FVTSDPHC
• ISBN13: 9798400514517
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Tyndale Fiction
• Length: 352 Pages

Customer Reviews

great women's fiction with magical realism

"Daily devoted drops are what make love into an ocean." This is my first book by Stephanie Mack and I am completely hooked. Sutton's funny, self-deprecating, self-aware, dramatic first person voice was the perfect vehicle for this poignant time-traveling journey. As a mom, wife, daughter, and a professional, I understood Sutton at her core and deeply appreciated her struggles, hopes, dreams and soul-stirring questions. As Sutton travelled through snippets of her twenties, I wondered with her what I would have done differently. I loved how Sutton was the same loyal, kind, wholesome, resilient, creative, effervescent person throughout the book. Her ability to forgive, improvise, and connect with people astounded me. I also loved the secondary characters I met along the way, especially Parker and Charlie. Her best friend Quinn was a solid rock Sutton needed through these time jumps. The busyness, the monotony, and pressures of every day life can dull us to the blessings and dreams around us and I am incredibly thankful for this book and for Sutton's reminder to keep working at our relationships and speak our gratitude daily while supporting and shooting for those dreams. It's a well-written women's fiction that will have you thinking long after you've put the book down. I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Tyndale House Publishers via Interviews and Reviews and NetGalley. I was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.