I liked the plot of THE SECOND HOME, but the writing and execution just didn't cut it for me. It was soapy in unexpected ways, and some of the dialogue was unrealistic and took me out of the story. It's a great family drama though, with lots of secrets and repressed emotions. It's also extremely sad, and while I"m happy with the ending, be prepared for trigger warnings in regards to death, sexual assault, and suicide. It's bingeable, but not remarkable.

Fifteen years after a summer on Cape Cod where Ann, Poppy, and adopted brother Michael’s family all left the island and each other. Fifteen years later after their parents died, Ann and Poppy return to the Cape Cod to decide what to do with the family home. Then Michael returns. Secrets, family and home.

Looking for a good feel story that will take you away from all the madness around us? This feel good book is what you're looking for. Well told with characters that will linger with you long after you finish the book. Beautifully told pick up this gem of a book. It's a must read. Happy reading!

This was a DNF for me after reading 30% of the book. Maybe it's because of the state of our world and wanting to read other books that seem more relevant, but I wasn't compelled to read this when I had free time. I wasn't invested in any of the characters. One good point about what I read of the book (and what attracted me to the book in the first place) was the setting. I think this was a case of the wrong book at the wrong time.

The Second Home is about family, choices, and bonds that fracture and fray but can be healed with time, space, acceptance, and love. Reading about the Gordon’s life felt like a story I knew. They were ordinary people, living an ordinary life. Or so it seemed. That was when I discovered the sweet spot. Clancy’s writing is effortless, but also very deliberate. The brilliance is in how she crafts the ordinary, into unexpected and extraordinary. The details and timing of the story are impeccable. I loved the flow of past and present. This story and these characters made me feel everything. From new discoveries and firsts, to pain and anger, surprise and delight. I cried, I laughed, I felt bone crushing loss. The Second Home offers a healthy dose of real that we all need in our lives.

This is my first book by Christina Clancy, but it will not be my last. I found the pages turned themselves and kept me completely engrossed from beginning to end. Visit Wellfleet – you won’t be disappointed.

Christina Clancy’s debut novel, The Second Home, is a compelling and emotionally-charged family drama that centers on three siblings, Ann, Poppy, and Michael, and one fateful summer when they were teenagers that turned all of their lives upside down.

Ann is the sibling we encounter first, and we meet her at her family’s beach house in Cape Cod, where the events of that infamous summer took place. Their parents have died in a car accident and their affairs, including what to do about the beach house, must be put into order. We soon learn that Ann and her siblings have had minimal contact over the years and that Ann feels particularly hostile toward her adopted brother, Michael. It’s unclear what Michael has done to hurt Ann, but it’s obvious that the hurt runs deep. Ann not only doesn’t want him to inherit anything from their parents, she also seems determined to cut him out of her life permanently. Relations are only slightly better with Poppy, a free spirit with no fixed address, who is usually only available by email. Considering Ann had to email Poppy to even let her know their parents were dead, Ann isn’t convinced Poppy will actually show up and help with their estate. It’s clear that there is a pretty high level of family dysfunction between the siblings.

I’m always up for a story that focuses on family drama and the author really delivers in that department. She allows the drama of that ill-fated summer to unfold in vivid flashbacks. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that much of what unfolds in those flashbacks is a pretty tragic chain of events, including instances of abuse, deception, manipulation, and more than a few troubling family secrets. In the midst of all of the drama unfolding, the author also paints such sympathetic portraits of Ann, Poppy, and Michael, that the more I got to know them, the more I just really wanted them to reconcile. They’re family and they clearly need each other, especially after suffering the loss of their parents.

The Second Home isn’t a light read by any stretch, but it is a poignant story that moved me to tears more than once. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys books that focus on sibling relationships and family drama.

This was an emotional book for me. The author did an amazing job in describing how easy it was for an older man to seduce a 17 year old girl. The naivety of the girl. Feeling pleased with herself with getting the attention and a bit of flirtation until it all goes wrong. How she keeps the secret from her parents until it can no longer be ignored. The emotions of the younger sister and adopted brother all come to live in this book that it almost makes you feel frustrated that you can't help them out the predicament they are in because it feels that real. The other reason I liked the book is the description of the travel and locations. After having lived near the Cape a for about 30 years and retired to the Midwest afterwards brought back nice memories.

I was provided a free ARC of this book by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This one got under my skin! @clancychristi has written a beautiful story about relationships, identity, miscommunication, and what makes a family. I loved getting to know this family and really enjoyed the relationships they shared. And then, when their hurt and misunderstandings changed those relationships I hurt with them! Although I also wanted to yell at then to stop and listen to each other a few times! This story will stick with you! Definitely recommend going out and getting it when it's released on Tuesday (2 June)! #NetGalley #TheSecondHome

This is a story that makes you look at your own family. You realize that every family is not what they appear to be and your own is not any different. For seventeen-year-old Ann, her summer at the family beach house will change her life and her family forever.



The rift that forms between her and her sister Poppy forms that summer will only increase as time goes on. The damage between Ann and her adopted brother Michael is even worse.



The death of her parents forces Ann to reach out to her siblings and face that summer once and for all. Will that summer cost Ann her family forever?

A touching story of innocence, love, and family that tugs at the heartstrings and stays with the reader long after the last page is finished.

“The Second Home” by Christina Clancy
For me this was an okay story. I forced myself to read the first half and curiosity as to where and how the author was going to end the story got me through the second half. Somehow, I never managed to connect with the characters; they never came alive for me which, for me, is a very important part of reading a novel. I am not sure what I was expecting but I was disappointed in this offering. I hope you find this a read that you can love.
note: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley this review reflects my take on this story.

Set on Cape Cod over many years, The Second Home follows a family with two daughters and their adopted son making the best out of their vacation and situation. An incident on the Cape shapes their lives forever, and 15 years later the children are left reconciling with just how far they have grown apart.

I wasn't sure if I would like this book when I started reading it, but was quickly swept into the family drama and the idyllic setting.

The Second Home is Christina Clancy’s debut book the story centers around the Gordon Family of Milwaukee, who summer in a home they own in Wellfleet MA, part of Cape Cod. The book starts out in the cottage, where older sister Ann is preparing the cottage for sale after her parent's tragic death in a car accident. It is the first time she has been back to the cottage in years and it begins a series of flashbacks from her, her younger sister Poppy, and their adoptive brother Michael, the book's chapters tell the story from the three POV’s

The story deals with one certain summer when the children are teenagers, older sister Ann is known as Ann with a plan, she has her life rather planned out, she is the sensible one, and during this summer she makes a decision that will test the families loyalty and bonds, and it changes each of their lives forever.

Poppy is the younger sister, during the summer she feels a bit left out since her parent adopted Michael so she turns to a group of new friends and takes up surfing and drugs. She pretty much drops out of the family and takes off traveling the world seemingly searching for something.

Michael is their adopted brother, the Gordons adopted him while he was a teenager, he has feelings for Ann he knows he should not have, and Ann actually shares these feelings.

Others in the book include their parents, who are minor characters in the story but are two of my favorite characters. I love their quirkiness and their love for each other and their family. With the siblings, I never felt a huge connection, especially when they became older, infant there were times, I rather disliked Ann, but maybe she was written for me not to like.

Clancy does a great job of describing the setting on Cape Cod, she transports you there and you can just almost imagine the sand in your toes. It also pulls the reader in with lots of betrayals, loss, heartbreak, and scandal. Its a book about the ebb and flow of a family the spans a few decades. It is a heartbreaking look at how one day in the life of one person can alter so many lives, but also it teaches the characters to look at the truth with honest eyes.

Second Home is a quick read, and the setting makes it a great beach read, you can then blame the tears in your eyes when it's finished on the bright sun!

This story focuses on the Gordon family and their summer home on Cape Cod. It is narrated by siblings Ann, Poppy, and their adopted brother Michael and spans their teenage years in the 90’s to their adult lives. This is a family drama which touches on a number of difficult topics including rape and death. That being said, it was not too heavy of a read. I felt that the descriptions of Cape Cod and their summer home were so well done it made them feel like characters themselves. I did feel a bit frustrated with this book at times wondering why the characters wouldn’t just talk to each other and solve their problems. However, I think this actually lends to the authenticity of the family drama. The ending felt a bit rushed but otherwise it is a good read. Four stars for this debut novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy of this book.

The story is a good illustration how secrets can destroy a family. Ann, Poppy and Michael are all brought back to the summer that their lives changed when they revisit the family's second home after the death of their parents. The story comes out in small pieces told from each characters perspective. There is a sense of sadness in the entire story. It's fitting and it lifts at the end. The author made each character feel real and made me understand why each character did what they did in the past. Overall, it's a good emotional story that has a good resolution. I received a copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I didn't write a review of this book because I didn't enjoy it. I admit I didn't finish it. I didn't like the path it was heading on.

Ann Gordon can’t believe her parents are really dead. They’ve been her dependable lifeline for all these years, and now they’re just…gone. After everything that happened that one awful summer, she hasn’t been back to the family’s Cape Cod home, but now that she has to dissolve the estate, she has no choice. When she shows up to the small, decrepit house, she has every intention of selling it. Even her sentimental, free-spirited sister, Poppy, seems okay with letting the past go and moving on. But when their estranged brother shows up with a claim to the estate, all hell breaks loose. Family secrets resurface…and new secrets emerge. Can these three siblings find a way to dissolve their parents estate and maybe find a little peace and healing in the process?

MY THOUGHTS
Gosh, I loved this book. I’m a sucker for family dramas, and this one did not disappoint. I loved the layers of mystery and the broad development of each sibling’s character. I felt like I knew this family. They didn’t always make the most mature decisions, but I empathized with their struggles, and I had no problem feeling connected to them.

My only minor gripe is with the main event that sets allllll the drama in motion. Let’s just say that two siblings who knew and loved each other allowed themselves to be manipulated by an outside force that I’m not sure would actually have the power to accomplish what he did. It was hard for me to believe that these characters would behave the way they did at such a crucial moment in the story. So I’m taking a full star off for that. But that doesn’t change the fact that I DEVOURED The Second Home in less than two days. It’s a bingeable read for sure, and I still highly recommend it.

This is a deeply emotional novel. Three siblings are torn in different directions by things that they are manipulated into at a young age. Years later, when their parents die, they are left to try and heal the break. The author uses multi point of view narrative to tell the story from each of the characters perspective. This allows the reader to see how each of the character views the events that happened and how it impacted their life. The story spans three generations and varies in perspective as the main characters grow and mature. It is about growth and forgiveness. It is a great debut novel and shows great promise for for future works.

The Second Home by Christina Clancy is a recommended family drama.

After an incident at their summer home on Cape Cod, the Gordon family was tore apart. Seventeen-year-old Ann Gordon had her life changed forever. The incident led to a schism between her and her sister Poppy and a complete estrangement of their adopted brother Michael from the whole family. Now it is fifteen years later and their parents have suddenly died. Ann is determined to sell the vacation home that leaves her with nothing but bad memories now. She's leaving Poppy out of her decision because she is always traveling and hasn't been back to the States for years. Michael is not looked for or even considered. When Poppy returns and they decide to sell, Michael re-enters their lives. Not only does he have a claim to the house, he also wants to set the record straight and has additional, correct information about what happened years ago.

The narrative is told through the alternating points-of-view of Ann, Poppy, and Michael. The beginning focuses on the summer that changed everything and their actions and reactions. The devastating event that sets into motion a change of events that change everyone's lives, but at its core it isn't entirely credible. The event happened in 1999 and something could have been said; it wouldn't have been unbelievable. Then, I just couldn't accept the premise of what happened to Michael. No spoilers, but you have to believe all of that is credible for the rest of the novel to be believable - and there are additional parts of the plot that are implausible. You have to firmly set your disbelief and misgivings aside, in a dark, dim corner, to finish the novel. Adding to the problem is that you are likely not going to relate to or like any of the characters.

What is believable are the descriptions of the Cape and their summer home. Since The Second Home is clearly written as a summer beach read (if that can happen) many readers will be able to overlook the gasping problems in the plot.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Macmillan.
After publication the review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Christina Clancy for the opportunity to read her debut novel - 5 glowing stars for a wonderfully-written family saga!

The Gordon family are from Wisconsin but spend every summer at their family cottage on Cape Cod. The family adopts teenage Michael and welcomes him into their happy family after he suffered a tragic loss.. Parents Ed and Connie and daughters Ann and Poppy love introducing Michael to the Cape and all the happy memories they've made in the small cottage. Then comes the summer that tears everything apart - suddenly everything is different, everyone has secrets, and they all go their separate ways.

Sixteen years later, Ann and Poppy come together after their parents' death to try and sell their homes. Ann wants to be rid of all the bad memories, Poppy doesn't know how to put down roots, and suddenly Michael is back in the picture claiming rights to the cottage.

Written in each of the siblings different perspectives, this is a novel to lose yourself into. I felt like I was transported to Cape Cod and was so invested in this story - I wanted everyone to just sit down and talk it all out!

Highly recommended and I can't wait to read more from this author!

It took me several attempts to finish this book. It was well written but the storyline is not something I preferred. I am a mom to three adopted children, so the plot involving Michael was hard for me.