I felt all the emotions with this one. You could feel the love they had for each other and the heartbreak they felt. It almost made you angry knowing they could be happy together if they could just listen to each other. I would definitely read more from each story line.

This book definitely hooked me in with the drama. The plot line wasn’t my favorite mainly because the elder sister Ann was a very difficult character. Her circumstances and loss of the dreams she wanted made it a bit understandable but from the beginning she claimed to want one thing and went for another that ended up in one of the worst possible scenarios ever.

I did enjoy the character of Michael and though Poppy the third main character was a bit much for me, she did have her redeemable qualities.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and though the characters weren’t all that likable a lot of the story line made up for that.

Very enjoyable summer read set in Cape Cod where a summer there changes the life of the Gordon family. Fifteen years after that summer you see the affects on all three siblings as they gather and each process what the house and that summer meant to them. I enjoyed the insight into the longing for family. She also does a great job of providing insight as to how a young girl can be drawn to someone who is inappropriate for her. I especially enjoyed the character of Michael and his journey. There are a few improbable occurrences in the book but if you're looking for a good family drama set at the beach you'll likely enjoy this one.
I received an advance readers copy from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This book was a very emotional rollercoaster. It was about a family from Wisconsin and their second home on Cape Cod. At first it was the father, mother, and two girls and then one year they adopted a homeless boy that the oldest girl had befriended. The next year, everything came undone and the family was torn apart. The oldest daughter became pregnant, the younger daughter got into drugs and surfing and the adopted son got thrown out. The younger daughter traveled all over the world trying to find peace, the older daughter had her son and went to college, the boy stayed close to the second home and the parents wound up getting killed. Their deaths wind up bringing things to a head again when it comes to the settling of their estate. Each chapter is told from one of the three "siblings" point of view. There are many emotional ups and downs in this story and it was not a "light" read, but it was a good story.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press I was allowed to read an Advanced copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are freely given.

Well that was a refreshing diversion from my regular horror genre. Family drama is not always my favorite but this story was quite good.

All year, every year, the Gordon family looked forward to spending summer at their home on Cape Cod. That changed after a horrible act changed the family's life forever. Years later, the Cape Cod home becomes a point of contention between the siblings, Ann, Poppy and their adopted brother Michael. One house that means very different things to each of them. Can they find a way to resolve their issues?

The author has crafted a poignant story with dynamic characters who have distinctive voices. This is a beautifully told story about the powers and ties that family creates. Memorable and meaningful, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's and NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First of all thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this novel.

Christina Clancy writes with a beautiful voice that really captures the reader's interest from the very first page. The characters are flawed but you still want to root for them and see how their story ends.

The best word I can think of to describe The Second Home is unsettling, but I couldn't put it down!
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There was a lot of side-eyeing on my part, in the same way you can't look away from a car crash. You don't want to keep watching, but you can't help it. Just like the quote above, this book felt oddly intimate, like I shouldn't be watching, which made it all the more difficult not to. ⠀
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A family of troubled adult siblings is torn apart and then sort of masking taped back together as they are reunited at their old family vacation home on Cape Cod after the untimely death of their apparently perfect parents. Secrets and lies from a summer fifteen years prior come to a boiling point and nobody is left untouched. ⠀
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At times I felt so frustrated for the characters because even though they all went through difficult ordeals and even made some bad decisions of their own, most of their problems could have been solved had they just spoken honestly to each other. One character in particular made my blood boil every time he was on the page (you'll know the one). ⠀
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All in all, I love a good adult family drama and this one scratched the itch for me. ⠀

The Second Home by Christina Clancy is a story of a family and how one summer’s events tore everything apart. The story opens with Ann Gordon, a young woman at her family’s vacation home in Cape Cod. It is 2016 and Ann’s parents have died in a car accident six months ago and she has decided to sell the house. There were too many bad memories that overshadowed the good times. Part 1 takes the reader to the summer of 2000, the Gordon family: Ed, Connie and their daughters, Ann, 16, and Poppy, 15, and their adopted son, Michael, 16, arrive for their yearly vacation in Cape Cod. The Gordon family took in Michael after his mother died suddenly and left him with nowhere to go. This is the summer which changed everything. Ann began babysitting for the very wealthy Maureen and Anthony Shaw. Poppy fell in with the surfing crowd and Michael begins a landscaping job. After the summer ends and Ann reveals a shocking secret, the family is torn apart as Michael leaves with no clue where he is going. Part 2 brings the reader forward to 2015 as Ann is dealing with the aftermath of her parents’ death, Poppy is traveling the world and there is still no word from Michael. Soon word gets out that the Gordon family house is for sale and Michael comes forward. As they fight over the house, will they confront the events of that summer and its aftermath? Will the truth be revealed? Will they be able to heal from years of secrets and lies?
The Second Home is the debut novel for Ms. Clancy and began strong. The first part was the summer everything changed as Ann, Poopy and Michael grow up beyond their years when confronted with very real world problems. The second part is where things got confusing. New characters are introduced with no real explanation as to their relationship or connection to established characters. The timeline gets wonky as narrators changes with each chapter. It was hard to understand what was the present or the past. The characters were hard to like especially Ann. In the beginning, she was the one who spoke without a filter, often hurting others as a result. Her father gave her the nickname, “Ann with a Plan,” as she acts and gets things done. And usually that would be a good quality, but in part 2 as she is dealing with the house, Michael’s reappearance, she becomes a bitch. As the action and tension builds and builds, the end was anticlimactic. I loved the story. I loved Ms. Clancy’s descriptions of Cape Cod and its residents. However, the characters were hard to get invested in. The ending was just there with an epilogue that quickly wraps it up. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but the characters fell short for me. It’s a strong start for Ms. Clancy and I would look forward to ready her future novels.

The Second Home
is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

Title: The Second Home
Author: Christina Clancy
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"The Second Home" by Christina Clancy

My Speculation:

This is one read where you will find mistakes and miscommunication that have been made by the Gordon family [Ed, Connie, Ann, Poppy & Michael] that will almost shake them all apart. From 'secrets, heartbreaking, emotional read, miscommunication, disaster, lies, and betrayals,' this family will have there share that almost destroyed them as they were estranged from each other for the past fifteen years. And to think most of this was from years of misunderstandings where no one would talk about the situations.

It was interesting seeing how these family relationships and struggles had turned so much against each other. I was left wondering, couldn't this drama be resolved if someone had chosen to talk to each other? All I can say is that only if these characters had made different choices in their solutions, things might have turned out differently.

Will this summer home be filled with so much heartbreak be the place that will mend all of their hearts? Well, to find out, you will have to pick up "The Second Home" to see how each one of these protagonists gives us their perspectives.

Be ready for a compelling and haunting read from 'family dynamics, sisters' complex relationships, and add an adoptee,' and all I can say is get ready for a good read. Also, I will say at this point, and there will be a 'trigger warning' rape.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press, and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

A secret, a family home, and three siblings. A family drama that slowly unfolds and develops into a beautiful story about family, life, and the struggles we face as families, siblings, and life partners. I truly enjoyed this complex story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a powerful story this summer. I loved that it was told from three points of view so you got each of the family members point of views. I enjoyed the complex relationship between Michael and Ann. I would read everything this author writes. Beautifully done. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 out of 5 stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Fifteen years after a disastrous Summer spent at the family's second home on Cape Cod when things are changed forever between Annie, her sister Poppy and their adoptive brother Michael Annie returns with Poppy. The sisters want to move on from what has happened and they feel that the only way they can is to sell the house. Michael, however doesn't want to sell it. He wants what he sees as the truth to come out.

The relationships between the siblings was interesting and I loved that the house felt like a character as well. I love it when a town, a home or school feels like it's own character. I won't say too much more about the family secrets because I fear it would give away too much. This is a perfect Summer read and I would highly recommend it!

There should be a genre that singles out east coast vacation home or coastal small town family drama books. Either there are enough for it to be considered a genre of its own, or I just seem to be drawn to them! (And I really don't recall any west coast version.) Now that I have that off my chest.....

I loved the characters in this story! No one, with one exception, is completely good or completely evil. And even that person probably had some redeeming qualities but they were under the shadow of misdeeds. It is in those ambiguous spaces or personality that the momentum for this story lives. The underlying theme of this story is family. They are the ones that can hold us together or tear us apart. I loved the way Ms. Clancy expressed this throughout the timeline of the story and in how the characters changed are reacted to each other. So very enjoyable!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I kept going back and forth with this one. (Between 3 and 4 stars). I really enjoyed the story, the writing and the characters for the most part. There were a few times Ann got on my nerves. Overall though I kept wanting to pick up this book and see what would happen. Just for a warning, it does deal with some serious issues (I don’t want to say what they are and give any spoilers). I think what bothered me was how it took so long for them all to communicate to each other about the “secret” of what happened that summer. But then I really liked the last couple chapters...it all came together in the end and that was my deciding factor in giving it the full 4 stars. I really enjoyed this author’s writing style and how the chapters switched between Ann, Poppy and Michael. I would definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a good family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Other reviews of mine can be found on Goodreads and Instagram:
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*Instagram - bookworm_traveler808

I received a free electronic ARC of this debut novel from Netgalley, Christina Clancy, and St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Ms. Clancy has brought us a tight tale with well-rounded, personable protagonists facing realistic troubles handled in age-appropriate ways, the family who despite their differences cannot help but recognize the love that binds them together.

I enjoyed the way the old family home in Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Massachusetts ties together all of the elements of this tale. The Wisconsin Gordon family, current generation Madison educators, and their children spend every summer in Wellfleet in this the third and fourth generations of the Gordon family.

Ed and Connie with teen daughters Ann and Poppy and their recently adopted orphaned schoolmate Michael hit the road as soon as summer vacations begin, and spend the summer on the cape, lovingly patching up the beloved 200-year-old home they all hold dear and living in the sand and water as much as possible. The area of Wellfleet and Cape Cod are clearly detailed and enjoyably pictured. Our story covers 1999 through 2015, as we watch the children grow up and clearly see the influences of the old family home on their life's decisions. We watch as the Gordon family ushers in the fifth generation and introduces them to sunny Wellfleet summers. The Second Home was an interesting and engrossing read. I am pleased to add new author Christina Clancy to my list of authors to watch for and to recommend her work to friends and family.

Connie and Ed Gordon bring their family to Cape Cod every summer for vacation. It’s a rustic cottage in Wellfleet and it’s been in Ed’s family for generation. He’s a teacher in Milwaukee and loves to share the island’s history with daughters Anne and Poppy, and later Michael, the orphaned teen they adopted. It’s during their second summer with Michael that things go tragically wrong and life for this family is forever altered. It’s now 16-years later and Anne has returned to Wellfleet to prepare the home for sale following the loss of her parents. Thus begins the story of what fractured their family, told in shifiting narratives from Anne, Poppy and Michael’s perspectives.

I’d expected to gain a strong sense of place in Cape Cod and was pleasantly surprised to get that also about the family’s home in Milwaukee. That’s important because it provides much needed context for each of the family members before and after Michael’s adoption and that last visit to Wellfleet. The reaction to that one event permanently shaped the paths that Anne, Michael and Poppy chose as adults. I enjoyed getting the three points of view, especially the contrasts of like events shared by them. It was often maddening how easily conflicts could have been resolved just through open communication but it was also exemplary of how typical families operate, especially when the parents are no longer there to facilitate. However, their ethereal presence on the island was hard to ignore.

This was a tough story with immense family themes that had an underlying loveliness despite some of the meanness. The effect of tradition and parental influence was skillfully managed in the crafting of Anne, Michael and Poppy. They had strong personalities and natures that permeated the story, which was compelling, especially in a debut novel. It’s atmospheric in both settings, leaving me with a sense of the cultures that defined them, though sometimes it could be overly descriptive, slowing the pace. However, it is an interesting story that I had a hard time letting go and loved the unexpected ending. 3.5 stars

The Second Home is Christina Clancy’s debut novel. It is a family drama that takes place in Milwaukee and Cape Cod.. The Gordon parents are teachers with two daughters, Ann and Poppy. They adopt a son, Michael who has lost both of his parents. The Gordon’s spend summers on Cape Cod. I got caught up in Ann’s story but felt that the book dragged on for about 50 pages too long and then the ending was just there. I would have liked Clancy to spend more time on the ending. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

“The Second Home” is a solid book that focuses on the relationships of a Midwestern family who maintains a house on the Cape. While objectively, the writing was good and very descriptive, at times I found the story to stall and I had to push through certain parts. The importance of the summer home seemed to overshadow the complex relationships of the characters, particularly Ann, Michael, & Poppy, which I would have liked to have explored a bit more given the drama between everyone. While this was well-written, I felt underwhelmed by the story as a whole. This is a 3.5 stars ⭐️ for me.

After tragically losing his father, a boxer, after an injury, and his heroine-addicted mother to AIDS, teenager Michael Davis resigns himself to a depressing future. He’s both surprised and elated when the Gordons—liberal Ed and Connie, along with teens Ann and Poppy—announce they want to adopt him.

The family spends an idyllic summer together at the Gordon family beach house on Cape Cod, but by the following year, the ties between them are fraying. With her parents busy with lawyer’s meetings and court appearances related to the adoption, Poppy feels overlooked, and Ann and Michael try to ignore their burgeoning attraction to each other.

Ann busies herself babysitting for the Shaws, a wealthy family living in an ostentatious mansion, Poppy starts surfing with a group of locals, and Michael begins a landscaping job while Ed and Connie are unaware of the simmering tensions beneath the surface. Unaware, that is, until a tragic evening and subsequent misunderstandings lead to an abrupt departure from the Cape and point everyone’s life in a new direction. Soon, Michael leaves the family that adopted him while Poppy begins an itinerant lifestyle chasing waves and seeking spiritual solace.

Fifteen years later, Ed and Connie die in a car accident, leaving Ann to deal with the aftermath. Unable to find a will, she names herself executor and decides to sell her parents’ two houses so she and Poppy can split the proceeds. Before they can list the Cape house, though, Michael reappears in their lives, pressing his claim to the house as a legitimate heir of Ed and Connie. The unresolved tensions and betrayals of the long-ago summer return to the fore—and the beach house might be the very thing that can hold them together, for force them apart forever.

The Second Home powerfully evoked Cape Cod in a way that made me want to travel there immediately. I was lucky to spend a week there a long time ago, but it was so long, I don’t remember it well. I wish I had taken advantage of all the beauty Clancy describes!

The characters were generally well-sketched, and although Poppy had her issues, I really enjoyed her. Ann was more of a conundrum to me, and it was hard for me to understand Michael’s attraction to her. Others, such as Brad and Carol, and even Ed and Connie to some extent, seemed a little too flawless, and I might have liked to see a bit more range.

The book was emotional, at times difficult: I found it particularly hard to see how teenagers can be their own worst enemies. At one point, I just cried and cried. Though the book describes loss in many forms, it also shows the strength of the bonds of the families we are born with and that we make and the connections to place and how nourishing that can be.

I did not enjoy this book like I had hoped to. There is much in the story that is implausible that I cannot see the heart of the point the author was trying to make. By the halfway point I was bothered by where the story had gone. I was disturbed and uncomfortable. I pushed through and finished the book to see how the author would fix things within the story, how she would bring things together in the end. And the ending left me dissatisfied, as all of the characters growth had reversed except for Poppy.