Review : Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Second Chance Summer
Author : Morgan Matson
Publication Date : May 8th 2012
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
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From the Flying Start author of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, a powerful novel about hope in the face of heartbreak.

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

Personal Thoughts 

Well, it's official. I've been converted into a Morgan Matson fan girl! Second Chance Summer is the second book I read by this lovely author and I'm already completely enamored by her writing abilities. Reading Second Chance Summer for me was like riding a roller-coaster ride. There were moments of high, when I laughed and swooned, and there were the lows, when I sobbed like a baby. At the end though, I felt exhilarated and I just want everyone who has yet to read this book to read it right away.

Taylor and her family decide to move to their lake house in the mountains for one last summer together because her father has been diagnosed with cancer and only has a few months left. Taylor is reluctant to go because something happened to her few summers ago that led to her running away from the boy she liked and because she's not ready to let her dad go. I'm impressed by Matson's abilities to write realistic and flawed characters who should frustrate you because of their actions, but instead end up getting under your skin. Taylor was that kind of character. In retrospect, I should have disliked her because she's the person who runs away when things don't go well, but something about the way the author crafted her made me feel for her.  Maybe, it's because Morgan Matson makes sure that her main characters are completely fleshed out or maybe she just has some kind of magical ability that makes you care for the characters who you normally dislike in books. Whatever it is, I hope she continues doing it. The best part about Second Chance Summer was watching Taylor's growth. With the help of her family, especially her father, she learns to face her problems and not run away from them. It was a slow growth, but it was also a realistic one. Then she's also dealing with the imminent death of her father. You see how that affects every action of hers and how she tries not to think too much about it, but it's undoubtedly breaking her from the inside. I felt so much for Taylor. It was a sad and heartbreaking situation that she was in.

Thankfully, the secondary characters were there to lighten up the heaviness of Taylor's grief. Like I said in my review of Since You've Been Gone, Morgan Matson is wonderful at characterizations. Even her secondary characters are as fleshed out as her main characters and the characters in Second Chance Summer were no exception. I loved everyone in this book, from Henry, Taylor's childhood boyfriend to Murphy, the cute abandoned dog who clings on to Taylor. There is a sweet romance between Henry and Taylor that rekindles and it made me feel giddy with happiness. I loved that they didn't jump into a relationship because they needed to talk things out first. Then, there's Lucy who Taylor also abandoned. Their friendship was strained for the most part in this book, but they do begin to work their way through the issues. One of the things that I truly appreciate in Matson's books is how the family plays a monumental role in the lives of the characters. Every member in Taylor's family is going through a rough time due to her father's diagnosis, but they stand by each other and they stick together as a family should. They have vastly contrasting personalities, but that's what made them such a beautiful family. Morgan Matson's writing is also just so remarkable. I love how she manages to draw out all kinds of feelings and emotions from me. I knew that the ending was coming, but I still ended up drowning in my tears at 2 in the morning when I finally finished the book.

I don't know why I waited so long to give this author a shot. She's the perfect author for me with her moving writing and the depth that she gives to her stories. If you haven't read Second Chance Summer yet, do yourself a favor and do it soon. 

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5