This absorbing debut novel set on Cape Cod centers on a beloved family home and a summer that changed the lives of three siblings forever. The Gordon’s 17 year old daughter Ann found a job baby sitting for a wealthy family and spending much of her time away at the Shaw’s home. It is basically Ann’s story that set the theme for the disastrous ending that nearly destroyed the Gordon family. It sent younger sister Poppy running to find herself and sent their adopted brother Michael simply running away from the best home he had ever been in.

Fifteen years later, her parents have died, and Ann and her sister Poppy are left to decide the fate of the old Wellfleet home that's been in the Gordon family for generations. Since Ann hadn’t heard a word from Michael since that long-ago summer, Ann appointed herself guardian/executor and decided to leave Michael out. However, Michael re-enters their lives with a legitimate claim to a third of the estate. He wants the house. But more than that, he wants to set the record straight about that long-ago summer.

Living in Massachusetts and being quite familiar with the Cape I was totally delighted with the story and the dilemma that Ann faced - how she dealt with it, and equally enthralled with Poppy’s wandering life as well. I thought the characters were all fleshed out pretty well and the secondary characters were definitely required and so necessary in the telling of the tale. Pace was quick and the reading was easy.

Loved the twists and turns in these peoples lives and was so totally invested in the story that I found this rated a high on the can’t-put-it-downness. I would definitely recommend this book as a great summer read especially if you’re visiting Cape Cod.

Marilyn Rondeau

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Christina Clancy for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

The Second Home is a story about family, about their summer house, Ann, Poppy, and Michael, and about secrets and miscommunication. One fateful summer tore them all apart simply because they all decided to live through tragedy alone.

I really enjoyed The Second House. Characters came alive with every chapter. I particularly liked how Christina Clancy managed to tell the story from three different perspectives and show all characters through each other eyes. This approach gave them volume and dimension. I also liked how the summer house on Cape Cod came alive as a character too. The property probably played major role in reconciliation of all the parties involved. Plot wise is was fine with major event, unforeseen circumstances and great miscommunication. The flow was smooth and build up was good too.

Overall, solid good enjoyable read with some family drama and pretty much happy ending.

I’m an only child and I find myself drawn to dramatic family sagas. The Second Home provided just that. Whoa. It’s a great reminder that being honest saves a lot of turmoil down the road. It’s also a reminder that love conquers all. Great read!

Actual Star Rating - 4.5

I loved this book. It was bursting with family drama and kept me completely interested from start to finish. I actually won a physical copy of this book in a giveaway after reading this through Netgalley (thank you for my advanced ARC) and have passed it onto multiple friends as a must read.

There was so much complexity to both the characters and story line that I really appreciated. This did NOT feel like a debut novel and I am desperate to get my hands on another book of hers because I really appreciated her writing style. It was super atmospheric and full of some many good elements that make me love reading.

What a great read! The first third of the story was a lot of character development and background. Each chapter corresponds to a different character with their voice and story. After a horrible event happens in Ann's life the family seems to just fall apart. It hits close to home in that if people just spoke their truth in the first place things would go so much better in the long run. Instead of being fearful of other's reactions be brave and true to yourself. Once I got 55% through the book I just couldn't put it down. Unexpected surprises intertwining with the truth finally coming out left me with a sense of fulfillment and a happy ending. Loved this book and would highly recommend!

The Second Home was a beautiful, heartfelt, compelling story of wonderful broken characters, gradually mending. A sweet family, with a big heart, broken down with unexpected circumstances. Story full of secrets, lies, misunderstandings, and love. Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the e-reader for review. All opinions are my own.

The Second Home is a well written story about love, family, friendship, and strength. Within the first few pages, I was hooked. Christi Clancy is a gifted storyteller. The Gordon family longed for their family summers in Cape Cod. I fell in love with the family, including faults. I want to be their friend! Great relatable character development by Clancy!

I can not wait to read Christi Clancy's next novel!!!

I was instantly drawn into this wonderful book from the very beginning. The story flowed so well that I could not find a good place to take breaks, it was very hard to put it down. The main characters of Ann, Poppy, and Michael and the supporting characters are complex and very well-conceived. I loved how they each have distinct characteristics were flawed and believable. The story is told with alternating point of views that give the it depth and written so well that it feels like you are experiencing the situations with the characters. The only disappointing point of this book was when it ended, I wanted to continue reading about the complexities of the Gordon family.
I highly recommend this book to fans of family drama. I am grateful to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this excellent book in exchange for a honest review.

This was a great beach read. Highly recommend for fans of the genre. Will be purchasing for library.

This dark family drama was one that I didn't want to put down. I had to find out how things played out. It didn't feel extremely fast paced, it felt more like a slow burn, but it was still highly enjoyable!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Second Home in exchange for my honest review.

The Second Home was a book that kept me turning page after page absorbing the story without putting it down. I enjoyed the story and will recommend to friends.

Thanks to St.Martin's Press and to NetGalley for the preview copy.

I wasn't sure about this novel, at first it seemed like a very typical family drama, chick-lit type of book. After the first half of the book, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

Being from Massachusetts, the setting was familiar. The family dynamics of a hippie style set of parents and 3 very different children worked well. The problems that arose were somewhat predictable, but the outcomes were done in a very different manner than expected. You ended up rooting for almost every character.

Recommended for a relaxing, enjoyable read.

This book! Can those two words be my review? I didn't go into The Second Home with any expectations, and really didn't know anything about the book. I fell in love. It's a character driven family drama about a family coming together after a tragic breakup. It was so well written. I adored all of the characters. It was easy to see little pieces of myself in all of them. This was the perfect summer (or anytime) read and I highly recommend it to fans of literary fiction and family drama.

This one was tough for me to get into, I’ve got it tabled to try to read it again. It was dark, somewhat depressing. Family drama and scattered. Hard for me to sink my teeth into.

While I mostly liked the book there was a lot of casual use of drugs and I'm tired of reading books centering around family secrets.

This was such an amazing read! I was hooked from the start. I received it as an ARC and finally picked it up and wish I would have sooner! This is a story of Ann, Poppy and Michael. Living in Wisconsin and traveling to Cape Cod every summer as a family. This is a story that had so many dynamics and I enjoyed every single page! I felt like I was right in this story and this author is definitely one I would totally read again! Full of sadness, hope and love! Pick this one up friends, you won’t be disappointed! Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this book, wish I would have picked it up sooner!!

The Second Home was a 3.5 for me. The character depth was fantastic, but at the same time, I felt it didn't go deep enough with all characters and too deep with others. The bones of a great story were there, and I really did enjoy it, but the book was a little drawn out. The writing and story definitely had potential.

I enjoy family dramas that come to a boil, but it just didn't feel like enough of a build, with an epic climax. I didn't particularly care for the character's storylines, however, I do like when books go back and forth between time periods. Overall, it was just okay. The cover and the synopsis made me want to read this book even though it's not what I usually read. I just like to read new things in hopes I'll find new love.

A 3.5, rounded up. This was a slow-starter for me. For the first third of the book I couldn’t quite engage with the characters. Despite all the claims that they were a wonderful close family, they didn’t seem that way at all. Each character was pretty oblivious to all the other’s struggles. The setting seemed idyllic - an old family beach cottage on the East coast full of memories and love. Then there was a very dark section which might be a trigger for some. And then the book just dropped us into disjointed future times, making it a little hard to follow. All the pieces of the story finally came together, and I did enjoy the last third of the book, but I just couldn’t relate to these people. It obviously kept me reading, as I really wanted to put all the pieces together at the end, but that seemed a little too neat.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

What a cute refreshing book #christinaclancy has given us in #the second home thanks to #netgalley ive got another #netgalleyreview for us 😍 a mom and dad with two teenage daughters, Ann & Poppy. They live in WI but vacation on the Cape. Ann befriends a boy, Michael, who has lost his mother and is in need of a family. The path and the turns that this story takes .... you will swell with love. Cry tears of anger, rage, and sadness. It is such a great #read to get lost in while #raining or #beachdaysarethebestdays☀️ seriously pick this one up and enjoy. I give it 5 ⭐️ #bookstagram #bookaholic #booklover #booknerd #bookrecommendation