Book Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

4/5 stars

(Finished reading: 5/8/17)

Sweet, emotional, heartbreaking.

Second Chance Summer is a YA contemporary novel following Taylor Edwards’ who is told on her birthday that her father, suffering with cancer, has only months left to live. Their family decide to spend the summer altogether in their old summer lake house before Taylor’s dad will no longer be around. But going back to the lake house also means returning to the same problems Taylor faced five years ago, giving her a second chance to make things right.

This is my third Morgan Matson book I’ve read and I think this one is my favourite of them all. The book deals with the very saddening topic of loss and yet it was still an all round enjoyable read. This contrast between uplifting and emotional really captured the motif of Dickens’ ‘it was the best and worst of times’ mentioned in the book. I felt Taylor’s inner conflict between her sorrow for her father but also her need to be happy and young and in love. Fortunately, never having to have gone through the devastating situation of Taylor’s family myself, I felt so immersed in their sorrows—to the point where I could feel tears emerging. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for a family to know they have limited time with a loved one whilst also watching that loved one become more frail with every passing day. And yet, there are families all over the world having to go through this very situation right now. I think Morgan Matson dealt with this extremely well by presenting us with—what felt like—a very genuine and emotional rollercoaster.

The characters in this book made it all the more loveable. I found Taylor to be flawed but also very honest and genuine. I liked watching her recognise and deal with her problems throughout the book. Her relationship with her father was so pure and special and I think provides a well-needed message to remind people to be thankful for what they take it for granted. For example, Taylor realises how little she told her father ‘I love you’ and also how very little sheactually knew about her father. These particular moments provided necessary reflection on our own relationships with our families which I thought was brilliant. I also loved reading about Taylor’s mum, brother and sister. They were so particular and individual which I loved. I think characters in books can often seem very similar when actually, in the real world, no two people are really the same. Morgan Matson did such an amazing job at creating such unique individuals that also worked so well together. I think Taylor’s family also told us a lot about Taylor herself as she doesn’t appear to fit in with the rest of her family. Taylor seems very lost in comparison to her very driven family members and I think this makes her all the more relatable. She teaches us that it’s ok not to fit in and in many ways, this makes her character all the more loveable.

The romance aspect of the book was so sweet. I liked that Taylor and Henry were childhood lovers who meet again five years later and suddenly find themselves looking at strangers. We see them having to get to know each other once again as well as get through their issues from the past. I really liked how lovely and caring Henry was towards Taylor, especially as she deals with the process of losing her father. It did annoy me a little how Taylor treated Henry at times however I also understand this is just part of her character and how she copes with problems. But they share some really sweet moments together which I loved reading about. I also really enjoyed reading about Taylor’s friendship with Lucy as she tries to make up for the mistakes of the past. But again, I also found Lucy overreacted a bit with her initial hatred towards Taylor. Once we find out what Taylor did those five years ago I personally felt that Lucy behaved a little unfairly towards Taylor. However, I thought their friendship was really special once it blossomed.

Overall, I thought this was a very enjoyable read! I loved the main theme of the book but also how this was mixed into the romance of the novel. I’d absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a really sweet summer romance but also a bit of a sob-fest. I’d definitely make sure you have those tissues at the ready as you reach closer to the end. Honestly, you’ll need them. I now really want to get my hands on The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson which I think is the only book of hers left that I haven’t read. I love Morgan Matson’s writing and I definitely recommend all of her books to anyone looking for something great to read this summer!