Books like Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Katie is the owner of a thriving restaurant and dreams of expanding to a new location. Her life turns upside down when progress stalls, an ex‑boyfriend reappears, a romantic encounter ends poorly, and her best waitress is seriously injured. Facing these hardships, Katie receives an unexpected opportunity from a mysterious woman who offers a simple but powerful ritual: identify the mistake, ingest a mushroom, sleep, and awaken with a fresh start. Choosing to follow the ritual, Katie finds that her troubled past—and the events that once seemed inevitable—unfold anew. With a drawer full of magical mushrooms and a desire to make everything perfect, she must confront the consequences of tampering with fate, all while navigating the lauded world of fine dining, romance, and the pressures of being a restaurateur. The graphic novel explores the delicate balance between ambition and personal life, the complexities of professional relationships in the culinary world, and the seductive allure and potential pitfalls of magical shortcuts.

First publish date: 2001