Second Chance Summer - Morgan Matson

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Source/Format: Borrowed from the library || Hardcover

Taylor Edwards and her family are headed to the Pocono Mountains to spend one last summer together after her father receives some life-changing news. As they return to a place last visited in her childhood, Taylor discovers that sometimes, there's just enough time to get a second chance... in life and in love.

This book is absolute perfection, at least in my eyes. It features everything I could ever want in a YA novel - a beautiful setting, a tight-knit family unit, a sweet boy-next-door and a story that touched my heart. While I was a fan of Morgan Matson's debut novel Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, I can happily report that it's been topped by the incredible work that is Second Chance Summer.

One of the remarkable capabilities that this author possesses is the ability to write a whole cast of characters that I can fall in love with and care deeply about. Taylor (a name I love, by the way), her family, Henry, Lucy and all the residents of the town added such a charming aspect to the story, and they totally won me over just by being who they were. There were aspects of each character that I could identify with, and I think that was an important factor in making me love them all.

Her setting in this novel - what a place it is! It sounds like a spot I'd love to own a vacation house in myself. With a neighborhood that's safe and accessible, all the amenities anyone could want during a relaxing summer and a sense of security and small-town intimacy, I fell in love. It had me wishing I could go on vacation myself, especially since I've never really been on a vacation in a community like the one in this book.

And oh, the romance did many complicated things to my heart. But the end result was that it made me happy.. as in swoony, smiling like an idiot happy. The relationship between Taylor and Henry is fraught with complications and history, but I loved that. I loved that it started when they were younger. I love that they had to work to put all of these things in their past behind them and take a step forward. And I love that we were reminded of something important about relationships - that choosing to take a chance on one is always going to be a risk, even when you think you know the other person well. It also helps that I practically swooned over all their moments together, since a lot of things that Henry said and did were so, so lovely.

However, only half of what makes this novel special lies in the romance. The other half falls into the relationships Taylor with her family, which were so authentic and made me miss my own family while I was reading. The way Taylor interacts with each member of her family - her older brother, her younger sister, her mother and her father - is different and unique to them, and I like how the author was able to showcase that. I love reading YA with an incredible family dynamic, and Second Chance Summer is certainly one of those novels.

Reading about Taylor's relationship with her father, both her memories and her current experiences with him as his condition worsened, felt like such a gift. The bond between them warmed my heart, and I enjoyed their moments together. This intimate view into their relationship, of course, constitutes most of the reason of why I bawled my eyes out as I got towards the last third of the book. So yes, be warned: this book will most likely make you cry until your eyes have swollen.

Second Chance Summer is a beautifully written story, featuring a look into Taylor's life and her relationships with her family, her friends and the boy. It's a tale that will tug at your heartstrings, while simultaneously making you smile and swoon. Reading this book is definitely worth the time you'll spend with it.