Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

[Tianarenee3]

Second Chance Summer comes off as your typical teen romance about a girl who 'finds herself' as she fights the feelings she had buried deep insider her for many years; in a way, it is a typical teen books too girly to comprehend sometimes but surprisingly I didn't mind. The main character is relatable in many ways, and although cliche, it helps the reader understand a little more about what is going on. Unlike the daring heroes we see in action packed books like Divergent, the Hunger Games, even Twilight to an extent, the main character is just a plain teenage girl who is afraid to say what she means and tries to get by life going unnoticed; a characteristic many people understand as fitting.

Five years ago, Taylor left the comfort of her best friends and possible first boyfriend for fear of hurting too much, and now five years later, she returns to the lake house she so omnously avoided due to her father's failing health and desire to pass at a place he loves with his family. There she is confronted by the demons she left of her friends, her love, and her own self, eventually leading to the growth of her soul and her heart. With the help of her ex-best friend and her new found love, Henry, Taylor learns the value of sticking it out until the end.

A friend had had this book tucked away in her bag one day, and i decided to grab it and read it really quickly while we had time. Although it was quick, it didn't make me feel anything less. That's where i was wrong when regarding it as a superfluous teenage novel; this book remind readers of how numb they can become without feeling, or without allowing themselves to be vulnerable. Although it may seem scary, that vulnerability helps the person know what feeling is, whether it is good or bad, feeling is better than being empty, and that is something i dont think ill forget for a while. The book itself may appear insignificant and for the most part it is; i wont praise the author for a great read nor will i commend the characters of bravery or valor or anything extrodinary because it wasnt. however, i will allow credit to go to Matson for being one of few teen reads to have me thinking about the future and the next steps in life and when to stop running. For that, i commend this book as being something of a representation of what is out there for me, and perhaps if you read it, you'd feel the same. enjoy the novel, and revel in the simplicity and natural atmosphere. Second Chance Summer will open your eyes, even for just a small time, to a differnt idea of life.

[kczinn]

This book made me cry so many times. I was not expecting anything like that when I picked it up at Barnes and Noble. It made me really think about the relationships I have with certain people in my life, which is not something I typically do. this book opened my eyes as well. I would definitely recommend it and would read it again and again (no matter how many times I cry...)

[its_hopeeee]

I've read plenty of books, and this one is still my favorite. Mainly I think because of the emotional connection I formed with the character and her insecurities. She planted a deep root inside of me that I don't think I will ever manage to get out, nor do I want to. One thing that drew me in was the way I could relate with it. She doesn't know when to stop running, or when it's time to face her fears. She gets herself into this huge mess when she was younger and never gets around to fixing it because she knows she is at fault and she doesn't know how to fix something like that- so she completely avoids it. By the ending of the book I was so invested into her life. The friendships she had managed to revive and the love. When she goes through the problems with her dad, I cried so hard. People ask me all the time which book made me the most emotional, and this is it.

[ejcogan]

I want this book. It sounds like a good emotional outlet. Thanks for posting this.

[Anastasia_19]

Second Chance Summer appeals to me a lot. There's love, there's misunderstanding, there's heartbreak, there's a loss.. That's so classic and gives food for thought.

[romantics]

From the title itself, you can basically already tell that this novel is a major cliché. This story wasn't "favorite worthy" but also wasn't one that I would burn immediately after the first chapter.

The things I enjoyed about this book were Taylor, the main character, making up with her old best friend, her spending time with her family and her path of self discovery. That's pretty much it. Matson on added the fact that Taylor was going through hard times ever since her father was diagnosed with cancer and had a high chance of dying over, or after, the summer. Again, cliché, but Matson did a nice job making the scenes with her and her father have a warm feeling to it, making the topic seem less overused.

What I disliked, but could tolerate, was the fact that the main plot was SO overused. Basically, boy meets girl. They then fall in love. Girl moves away. They both become heartbroken. Few years down the line, they conveniently end up in the same place. They fall in love and everything is great again. (But in this case, the "great again" was sidetracked by Taylor's father's tragedy.) It does seem like I'm portraying this novel in a really bad light but I just felt like the plot wasn't as unique as I would have liked it to be.

What I majorly disliked about this book was Henry and Taylor's relationship. The whole thing just felt wrong and unsettling. Perhaps it's just because I know a huge jerk with the name Henry or because the ship actually could not sail. All the scenes with the two together just felt super predictable. Like, "oh, I know Taylor is going to kiss him now" or "yup, Henry is going to say this now". Every time they were together, I just felt like there was always awkward or this space that just couldn't be filled between them. I couldn't feel the radiating love between them and just felt like the two had no intense feelings for each other. I just thought that their love was pretty much a given for them and just an accepted fact, not something that they actually felt.

This story, overall, was okay. Didn't feel like it was something special, despite general good ratings it has. I sometimes like to read stories with clichés but this one just didn't seem to work out with me. If you're in for a light, summery read, try this but beware of the super distant relationship.