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mehsi's review
5.0
Just a short review, because I totally forgot to write one.
This book was really lovely, and also quite sad.
I loved our main girl, though I hated her for the things she did back in the past, that was just cowardly.
I really was sad about her dad. :(
This book was really lovely, and also quite sad.
I loved our main girl, though I hated her for the things she did back in the past, that was just cowardly.
I really was sad about her dad. :(
agnesgailx's review
5.0
Second Chance Summer is a book I have been trying to avoid. Seeing a lot of great reviews made me want it, but the story just hit a little too close to home. I've been avoiding books that involve cancer (including another book with raving reviews - The Fault in Our Stars), because my mom had been battling cancer for over 2 years. She lost her fight just last month. The doctor had given her 6 months in July, but she never quite made it that long. Despite the fresh wounds, I finally gathered up the courage to pick this up. And I am glad that I did.
Everything about this book was beautiful, albeit painful. I can't quite remember the last time I cried while reading a book. I was able to hold in the tears for a while, but towards the end the tears just kept coming and I had to have a roll of tissue beside me. It almost got too painful in those last few chapters that I wanted to stop. Reading this book definitely reopened old wounds for me, so it is a little difficult to give this a proper review. But I can tell you that this book was completely realistic. The quick decline in health, the family not really knowing what to do, finding that perfect time to finally say 'I love you' - these are all things that I went through. I was there with Taylor all throughout the book, feeling everything that she did. And yes, I may have broken down a bit during that shooting star scene.
Another thing that makes this book beautiful is that the whole story didn't just revolve around the Edwards family. The author made the story that much better by including a little community of friends and lovers. And despite all the other drama going on, the main focus of this story was never lost. In the end, it was still Taylor's dad and his unfortunate sickness that brought everything together.
Maybe it's because I went through a similar thing that I feel like all the emotions in this book were absolutely real. But even if you are not going through a similar situation, I would still recommend this book. It really is heartbreaking, but it is nevertheless such a lovely read.
Everything about this book was beautiful, albeit painful. I can't quite remember the last time I cried while reading a book. I was able to hold in the tears for a while, but towards the end the tears just kept coming and I had to have a roll of tissue beside me. It almost got too painful in those last few chapters that I wanted to stop. Reading this book definitely reopened old wounds for me, so it is a little difficult to give this a proper review. But I can tell you that this book was completely realistic. The quick decline in health, the family not really knowing what to do, finding that perfect time to finally say 'I love you' - these are all things that I went through. I was there with Taylor all throughout the book, feeling everything that she did. And yes, I may have broken down a bit during that shooting star scene.
Another thing that makes this book beautiful is that the whole story didn't just revolve around the Edwards family. The author made the story that much better by including a little community of friends and lovers. And despite all the other drama going on, the main focus of this story was never lost. In the end, it was still Taylor's dad and his unfortunate sickness that brought everything together.
Maybe it's because I went through a similar thing that I feel like all the emotions in this book were absolutely real. But even if you are not going through a similar situation, I would still recommend this book. It really is heartbreaking, but it is nevertheless such a lovely read.
deepower7's review against another edition
3.0
So I don't think anyone stays that mad over anything that happened when you were 12, so that probably lost a star... Apart from that, I don't know if I'd say I enjoyed this, because it was hard to read, but I am very very glad that I read it.
rachelbaddorf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
5.0
iyaa's review against another edition
4.0
I cried so hard... I loved her dad like my own, and hearing Taylor saying I love you to her dad at that last, possible heartbreaking moment was enough to break me down. This book is so heartbreaking but I love it.
chelseatm's review against another edition
4.0
I have really been enjoying Morgan Matson as a writer and Second Chance Summer was no exception. I think she writes with a wonderful ease and ability and it's very easy to be sucked in for an enjoyable read. However, I did have some reservations. I thought her story of a young girl dealing with the pending death of her father was a compelling story with lots of opportunity for emotional growth but I found the romantic story line between Taylor and Henry just made the whole thing seemed stilted or immature. It seemed to crowd out the soberness of the relationship between Taylor and her family. I felt that the love story took away from what I considered to be the more poignant story line of the book.
As well, at times Matson repeated many phrases throughout the book such as a character's face growing hot or people snapping. It got to the point that it was distracting.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book and it was a nice, quick read. I think I'll recommend it but remember, it falls short on its potential of emotional brevity.
As well, at times Matson repeated many phrases throughout the book such as a character's face growing hot or people snapping. It got to the point that it was distracting.
Overall, I still enjoyed the book and it was a nice, quick read. I think I'll recommend it but remember, it falls short on its potential of emotional brevity.
grace_penev's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thrscldrn's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book at 3 AM. It's been a long time since I cried so much because of a book. I think this book just struck a familiar cord with me. And despite the typographical errors (I think this is the most I've encountered in a book) that was somehow an issue in the beginning, I came to love not only the plot but its characters. And I think, it made me see that sometimes deadlines and second chances are exactly what we need to put us where we should be.
swimmer120x's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the theme of the book. It didn't have me bored at any time. The part that I didn't like was the way it was written. Something happened in the beginning, but I didn't know what. Time continued on. I was still confused and was like did I skip 3 chapters (I did not)? You won't fully grasp everything until the ending. Was this book bad? No. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Sure, why not. Like I said, this book has a wonderful plot, but I didn't like how I thought that I skipp a bunch of the book.