I didn't expect to love this family drama as much as I did. Instead of rehashing the plot (the book summary on Netgalley and Goodreads does that already), I want to talk about how this story made me feel.

Nostalgia, grief, tears, laughter, closeness, longing, FAMILY. It had it all. I instantly found myself wishing I was a part of this perfectly flawed family.

Don't let my emotions fool you, though. This isn't all rainbows. Truth is, the story is dark most of the time. I think that's what I adored. I felt like these characters were real.

I understand the reviews that mention how unbelievable some of the plot was. It's true that many of the issues were caused by bad communication. I just reminded myself that these were kids.. teenagers who were scared and manipulated.

TW: there is a sexual assault, so be forewarned going into this one. It had me a little over emotional at first, reliving my own trauma. The author did a great job making it feel real without crossing a line.

4 stars!

Loved this book! Found some of the story a bit hard to believe! But didn’t detract from the buildup to the climax if the story!

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

The Gordon family . . . Ann, Poppy, adopted brother Michael, mother Connie, father Ed . . . called Milwaukee, Wisconsin home but spent every summer at their other home in Cape Cod. The house had been in the family for generations and the family loved spending time there. But the year Ann was seventeen, everything changed.

Fifteen years after that disastrous summer, Connie and Ed have died, killed in a horrific automobile accident. The sisters have no idea where Michael is; they’ve decided to sell the house and move on. But when Michael comes back into their lives, can they find a way to right the old wrongs and become be a family once again?

There’s a strong sense of place that firmly anchors this narrative. The unfolding story, told alternately though the points of view of the three siblings, switches between past and present. While well-drawn and believable, the characters are flawed; Ann, in particular, is not particularly empathetic. And readers may find it difficult to accept the family’s wiliness to jump to unsubstantiated conclusions rather than seeking real answers.

The narrative reveals the fragility of family, of home. It reminds readers that love and life can be ephemeral. And, although they will find it easy to predict the ending of this compelling tale of family dynamics, there remains a hefty dose of heartfelt compassion drawing everyone together.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley
#TheSecondHome #NetGalley

THE SECOND HOME is a juicy family drama filled with endearing and relatable characters. Like most family dramas, there are secrets (known to the reader, but not the characters) that push the plot forward. It wwas a thoroughly enjoyable read, although at times I did want to slap some of the characters for their obstinance and poor communication skills

The story started a bit slow but it was so good. I was totally engrossed with this family. Thanks Netgalley and to the publisher for this Arc.

I normally try and wait to review books that have publishing dates that are 6+ months away but after I read the book summary of Christina Clancy's debut novel I knew I had to read it right away. I am a big family of sagas that follow a family over time and The Second Home centers around the Gordon family and spans multiple decades.

Clancy's writing style is incredibly detailed and engrossing and I felt like I could picture each of her main characters so well. They were layered and raw and while I couldn't always relate to them (Poppy) I felt like I could understand them because of Clancy's gifted character development.

The Cape Cod setting was perfect for this family drama that reads like a beach read but has a depth that made it so much more than that. Through the shifting perspectives of Ann, Poppy, and Michael, secrets are revealed and family bonds are tested.

The ending was particularly satisfying and I loved how the charactered connected and reconnected throughout time and the idea that family can sometimes be something you create on your own.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy.

Get on this emotional roller coaster because you'll enjoy the ride and want to take others with you. Three siblings with ties to a family vacation home struggle with life, death, and the things that tear you apart. But then you have to put those torn pieces together. Each sibling represents a distinct personality with characters so realistically crafted that they seem like people you know. There will be times when you won't be able to stop reading and times you'll need to power down and reflect before moving on to an ending that will bring out the smiles.

After a disastrous summer spent at her family summer home on Cape Cod, seventeen-year-old Ann Gordon was left with a secret that changed her life forever, and created a rift between her sister, Poppy, and their adopted brother, Michael.
Now, fifteen years later, her parents have died, leaving Ann and Poppy to decide the fate of the Wellfleet home that's been in the Gordon family for generations. For Ann, the once-beloved house is tainted with bad memories. Poppy loves the old saltbox, but after years spent chasing waves around the world, she isn't sure she knows how to stay in one place.
Just when the sisters decide to sell, Michael re-enters their lives with a legitimate claim to the house. But more than that, he wants to set the record straight about that long ago summer. Reunited after years apart, these very different siblings must decide if they can continue to be a family—and the house just might be the glue that holds them together.
Told through the shifting perspectives of Ann, Poppy, and Michael, this assured and affecting debut captures the ache of nostalgia for summers past and the powerful draw of the places we return to again and again. It is about second homes, second families, and second chances. Tender and compassionate, incisive and heartbreaking, The Second Home is the story of a family you'll quickly fall in love with, and won't soon forget. ****** Thanks to @NetGalley and @Stmartinspress for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a van tastic debut novel from this author. I just absolutely love this book! I knew from the very first few pages I was going to love it. The author did an outstanding job with the in-depth descriptions of the characters and even with the scenery. The book was well written and so engaging. The book is due to be released in June 2020, I perfect beach read!!

Christina Clancy’s The Second Home is an emotional read focused on family. I love the characters and felt like I could really connect with all 3 siblings. The story started off a bit slow, but I kept with it and am so glad I did.

This book is the story about Ann, Poppy, and Michael and their unconventional way of becoming a family and developing strong bonds. The family from Wisconsin loves spending time at their Cape Cod house during the summers, and they all get to know each other, and explore their own lives a little bit more.
Decisions and consequences eventually cause a divide within the family and eventually the 3 children need to determine what to do with the Cape Cod home. This story follows that rediscovery, and growth in relationships.

It took me a little while to get into The Second Home, but once I did, I could not put it down. This will be the perfect summer beach read as you dive into the lives of Ann, Poppy and Michael. With the story evolving over several years, I do wish there was more dedicated to the in-between years of the characters in their 20s, since I think it would've made the story flow a little bit better when you get to the second part. The Second Home is a great debut novel with for Christina Clancy.

I was completely captivated by this fantastic novel! Centering around the Gordon family and spanning decades, The Second Home is a novel that will quickly have you forgetting the real world and have you glued to your kindle until the very last page. I found the characters relatable and endearing which is the exact reason I found this novel unputdownable! I connected with Christina Clancy’s writing style and I am completely blown away that this is her debut novel because she’s THAT good! If your looking for the absolute perfect beach read than The Second Home is the 5 star book you are looking for!

Beautiful book that I throughly enjoyed. The characters have such depth that I’ll be thinking of for awhile. Loved the setting and details of this book. Couldn’t put it down but didn’t want it to end.

The Second House
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The house in Wellfleet on Cape Cod was in the Gordon’s family for generations. Now parents, Ed and Connie died and the house is left for the siblings, Ann and Poppy to deal with along with their adopted brother Michael, who they have lost touch with years ago.
I loved the first half of the book, the story of the family when Ann and Poppy were teenagers and their summers on the Cape. The second half of the book was a disappointment for me, I felt it took a very long time to come to the conclusion, which was predicable all along. The secrets held all around should have come out much sooner. Overall three stars for me.
Thanks NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and the author Christina Clancy for the advanced copy.

“For three very different siblings, a summer house on Cape Cod holds their childhood memories, their tangled family history, and their most closely guarded secrets. In this assured and affecting debut, Christina Clancy evokes the enduring nostalgia of summers past as she introduces you to a family you'll quickly fall in love with and won't soon forget.”

This book really fit the bill for me from several perspectives. The family drama, Cape Cod setting, secrets, love, forgiveness, dysfunction and hope fill this story. Siblings are a topic that can go so many directions. And Christina Clancy took us down several. From childhood into adulthood, the lives of Ann, Poppy and Michael are woven and shredded. The push and pull that binds us, also rips us apart. Often taken our heart with it. This story was well told and endeared me to the charters in many ways.

This book centers on siblings Ann and Poppy and their adoptive brother Michael, who spent summers at their house in Cape Cod. Upon the death of their parents, they have to decide what to do with the house, which holds so many good and bad memories. The book goes back and forth between when they were kids and the current time, when they are adults.

I liked the book and thought it was a quick read. I also felt that the ending was satisfying, leaving me with some questions that I knew I'd think about once I moved on to the next book. My issue with the story, though, was that I didn't believe the characters behaved in a way that was realistic in some cases. Without giving spoilers away, I'll just say that the big situation in the book that caused the rift between family members could have been easily resolved by communication between family members, or at the very least, some trust between them that would cause them to ask some more questions rather than just reacting. I had trouble getting past this because it felt like they did talk about things until this happened I couldn't understand how they would have thought they things they ended up thinking about each other.

Beyond that, though, it was an interesting story and I wanted to see how it all ended up.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars pumped up.

This is a story about the kind of places that we come to inhabit only to find out that it inhabits us and not the other way around. I'm always tentative when it comes to contemporary stories because, let's face it, there's a lot of cliches out there. But this story is not one of those cliches.

Clancy builds her characters layer by layer in a very convincing way. Although there was a lot of telling, I let it slide because of the author's intimate way of handling the telling. The house was the eminent character of all; the author brought it to life and made it familiar. It seemed to resemble the lives of her characters: downtrodden but still standing. Hence, I must commend the title and the beautiful cover that encompassed the essence of the book.

My only problem was the time gaps that seemed to separate the chapters. Sometimes the narrative was simultaneous and sometimes weeks, months, or even years separated where one chapter ended and another started. There were no indications as to how much time had passed and I had to go back and figure it out on my own. Regardless, this is the kind of books I'd recommend to someone who's into family dramas.

Thank you, NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Decent read, A bit wordy, I did skim through parts of it. It felt more like a Y.A.book. The plot was really not believable to me, the characters seemed a bit shallow.

This was a book I couldn't put down. Loved the family dynamics. Didn't want this book to end!!

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

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!