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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
An interesting book with some good character development. There were some twists that helped keep the story moving. Would make a good vacation pick.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A twisty family saga on Cape Cod - great if you're looking for a beach read with emotional heft!
The Gordon family owns a house in Wellfleet on Cape Cod, and one summer changes everything for siblings Ann, Poppy, and Michael. When their parents die in a car accident years later, the siblings must confront old ghosts and work to repair their fractured relationships. Can the Cape still be their second home?
This book is told in multiple perspectives with a time jump after the first summer at the Cape. Both devices worked well for me - the siblings were drawn clearly and distinctly, and I enjoyed hearing each of their perspectives. Setting the main drama of the book years after that fateful summer allowed time for the ramifications of the summer to build up in the characters' lives. I thought Clancy did a great job interweaving the narratives to create tension and suspense. I read a lot of family dramas, but this one brought something new to the table.
I love spending summer weekends at the Cape, and Clancy really understands how to write about this setting. She perfectly describes the ruggedness of the Outer Cape and the complex relationships between the locals and the summer visitors. Wellfleet is like another character in the story, and reading this book made me long for the Cape.
If you love the beach and/or family dramas, I would highly recommend this book. It's a quick read but packs more of an emotional punch than the average beach read.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Gordon family owns a house in Wellfleet on Cape Cod, and one summer changes everything for siblings Ann, Poppy, and Michael. When their parents die in a car accident years later, the siblings must confront old ghosts and work to repair their fractured relationships. Can the Cape still be their second home?
This book is told in multiple perspectives with a time jump after the first summer at the Cape. Both devices worked well for me - the siblings were drawn clearly and distinctly, and I enjoyed hearing each of their perspectives. Setting the main drama of the book years after that fateful summer allowed time for the ramifications of the summer to build up in the characters' lives. I thought Clancy did a great job interweaving the narratives to create tension and suspense. I read a lot of family dramas, but this one brought something new to the table.
I love spending summer weekends at the Cape, and Clancy really understands how to write about this setting. She perfectly describes the ruggedness of the Outer Cape and the complex relationships between the locals and the summer visitors. Wellfleet is like another character in the story, and reading this book made me long for the Cape.
If you love the beach and/or family dramas, I would highly recommend this book. It's a quick read but packs more of an emotional punch than the average beach read.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
The Second Home was an emotional family drama. It's broken into two main parts - the past and then 15 years later. The story focuses on the Gordon family and how one disastrous summer sends all three siblings on different paths. The book played out in my mind like a movie and after a bit of a slow start, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out how it would all end.
I liked Michael, Ann, and Poppy for the most part, but there were also times that I found them very frustrating. I felt the decisions and mistakes made in their youth were understandable and heartbreaking. I actually had to put the book down a few times in part one because of how heavy my heart felt. As adults, however, their inability to speak openly and honestly with each other grew tiresome. The miscommunications and misunderstandings made the story feel too drawn out and then once the air is finally cleared (no thanks to our main characters), the book ends. I would have liked to see a little more about the healing of their friendships and relationships and how things finally came back together. Overall, this was an entertaining read and a solid debut, but I had a hard time fully rooting for these characters.
CW: infidelity, rape, suicide
*I voluntarily read a review copy of this book*
The Second Home was an emotional family drama. It's broken into two main parts - the past and then 15 years later. The story focuses on the Gordon family and how one disastrous summer sends all three siblings on different paths. The book played out in my mind like a movie and after a bit of a slow start, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out how it would all end.
I liked Michael, Ann, and Poppy for the most part, but there were also times that I found them very frustrating. I felt the decisions and mistakes made in their youth were understandable and heartbreaking. I actually had to put the book down a few times in part one because of how heavy my heart felt. As adults, however, their inability to speak openly and honestly with each other grew tiresome. The miscommunications and misunderstandings made the story feel too drawn out and then once the air is finally cleared (no thanks to our main characters), the book ends. I would have liked to see a little more about the healing of their friendships and relationships and how things finally came back together. Overall, this was an entertaining read and a solid debut, but I had a hard time fully rooting for these characters.
CW: infidelity, rape, suicide
*I voluntarily read a review copy of this book*
I knew right from the first few pages that I was going to enjoy [b:The Second Home|43312830|The Second Home|Christina Clancy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586832363l/43312830._SY75_.jpg|67217203] by [a:Christina Clancy|19489861|Christina Clancy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1566740183p2/19489861.jpg], and I think the book just got better and better as it went on. This is a family drama, and I loved the look at the sister's relationships as well as their relationship with their adopted brother Michael. The trauma that Ann experiences that breaks the family apart absolutely broke my heart, and there are some very heavy themes in this novel. Add this in with their parent's death and it made for one emotional ride.
I loved the Cape Cod setting which made me feel like I was on a vacation while I was reading, but I also loved the parts where they are in Wisconsin as well. I am from Minnesota myself and found it so fun to have somewhere I was familiar with along with the beachy setting. Although The Second Home is set in Cape Cod, don't let that fool you into thinking this is a light beach read. It was an emotional roller coaster for me and a bit of a tear-jerker as well, especially when we get to a couple reveals towards the end. I decided to listen to the audiobook and Tavia Gilbert did such a wonderful job voicing the book. The more I hear her narrate, the more I love her, and she made this a great listening experience for me. Highly recommend The Second Home if you are looking for a family drama with lots of heart.
Bonus - The end of the audiobook has an interview with Clancy which made me love the book even more. This was a fantastic debut and that coupled with the interview I got to hear, made her an instant autobuy author for me. So excited to see she has another book coming out soon - [b:Shoulder Season|54860172|Shoulder Season|Christina Clancy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598248009l/54860172._SY75_.jpg|85599792]!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I loved the Cape Cod setting which made me feel like I was on a vacation while I was reading, but I also loved the parts where they are in Wisconsin as well. I am from Minnesota myself and found it so fun to have somewhere I was familiar with along with the beachy setting. Although The Second Home is set in Cape Cod, don't let that fool you into thinking this is a light beach read. It was an emotional roller coaster for me and a bit of a tear-jerker as well, especially when we get to a couple reveals towards the end. I decided to listen to the audiobook and Tavia Gilbert did such a wonderful job voicing the book. The more I hear her narrate, the more I love her, and she made this a great listening experience for me. Highly recommend The Second Home if you are looking for a family drama with lots of heart.
Bonus - The end of the audiobook has an interview with Clancy which made me love the book even more. This was a fantastic debut and that coupled with the interview I got to hear, made her an instant autobuy author for me. So excited to see she has another book coming out soon - [b:Shoulder Season|54860172|Shoulder Season|Christina Clancy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598248009l/54860172._SY75_.jpg|85599792]!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A family drama that makes the reader lap it up with relish. Told from varying POVs, this book manages to keep the interest piqued. However the beginning was a bit slow, do not let it keep you from enjoying the book.
I think that my favorite thing about this book was the writing style. Christina Clancy has a gift with her words. This novel deals with a wide spectrum of topics, but it did not ever really feel overdone. I would not have guessed that this was a debut novel, and I am glad I had the fortune to read it. All of the characters felt so real and distinctive, and even when it deals with complicated subjects, it feels as though it is done so with care.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this book!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this book!
Ed and Connie Gordon vacation in Cape Cod every summer with their two daughters, Ann and Poppy. When they girls are teenagers, Ed and Connie decide to adopt a son, Michael, who is Ann’s age and she found out he was homeless. Michael’s second summer in the Cape with them something happens to Ann that causes the family to be torn apart. 15 years later, Ed and Connie Gordon die in a tragic car accident which forces the kids to come back together to figure out how to deal with losing their parents and to figure out what to do with their Cape home.
This book sounded like it would be great, but I really struggled getting into it. The first half of the book just moved so slowly. There is a strange relationship that I cannot explain due to spoilers, but it made me rather uncomfortable and turned me off from the story. I did stick with it though, and the book did pick up in the second half. I really enjoyed the children reuniting as adults and dealing with the tragedy of losing their parents. I just wish the author would have gotten to that part sooner.
I do want to give the author credit for her description of Cape Cod. She really did transport the readers and make them feel they were there. I live in Massachusetts, and she did a beautiful job with these descriptions. The Cape feels like a character in the book.
There are trigger warnings you should be aware of before reading this book: rape and suicide.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
This book sounded like it would be great, but I really struggled getting into it. The first half of the book just moved so slowly. There is a strange relationship that I cannot explain due to spoilers, but it made me rather uncomfortable and turned me off from the story. I did stick with it though, and the book did pick up in the second half. I really enjoyed the children reuniting as adults and dealing with the tragedy of losing their parents. I just wish the author would have gotten to that part sooner.
I do want to give the author credit for her description of Cape Cod. She really did transport the readers and make them feel they were there. I live in Massachusetts, and she did a beautiful job with these descriptions. The Cape feels like a character in the book.
There are trigger warnings you should be aware of before reading this book: rape and suicide.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
The Second Home centres around a family's summer home on Cape Cod and a particular summer that changed the lives of teenage siblings Ann, Poppy and their adopted brother Michael forever. We go back to the past and that fateful summer and then meet the siblings again 15 years later, when they must decide the fate of the home following their parents' death. Told from each siblings' perspective, I struggled with this book (although I seem to be in the minority here).
Firstly, I found none of the characters to be very likeable or relatable. Secondly, the author seemed to skate over/make light of important plot points and conversations like they weren't tragic circumstances. Then there were times I was so frustrated with the book that I didn't want to keep reading. However, I did finish The Second Home, only to find the ending to be too neat and perfect after so much turmoil. For me personally, The Second Home was just too inconsistent and unrealistic.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the review copy.
Firstly, I found none of the characters to be very likeable or relatable. Secondly, the author seemed to skate over/make light of important plot points and conversations like they weren't tragic circumstances. Then there were times I was so frustrated with the book that I didn't want to keep reading. However, I did finish The Second Home, only to find the ending to be too neat and perfect after so much turmoil. For me personally, The Second Home was just too inconsistent and unrealistic.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the review copy.