Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: June 2, 2020

Itsy-Bitsy Mini Review

This is a women’s fiction beach book. The kind I like to read sitting in the sun with a glass of chilled wine in my hand. Considering that I am not usually a fan of women’s fiction and because I read “The Second Home” at the beginning of February, I am surprised that the book kept my interest. The story revolves around a couple with two biological daughters and one adopted son. We follow the kids’ life struggles from their teen years until they are in their thirties. There is rich descriptive writing. The author breathes much life into the families’ generational Cape Cod summer home. (I so wanted to be there). There are thought-provoking dark themes in the plot. However, as the years go by, the story became a bit too melodramatic for my taste. Yet, I went past my 50-page rule and finished the novel. Maybe that is because I enjoyed the family, especially the hippie parents. On the other hand, maybe, it is just that, while reading the novel, I was pretending to be on a warm beach.

Anticipation grows through book with myriad of family plots and excursions. Many interesting twists on character development hinted at fun dead end reader conclusions. Although many authors seem to be drawn to families revisiting Cape Cod, Clancy has lines of story weaving and intersecting in ways that make it original.

Christina Clancy has produced, quite possibly the best book I've read in a few years. Her attention to detail made me feel as if I were a part of the story and lead to believable situations that I couldn't wait to hear more about. I laughed, I cried, and I got mad. I loved and I hated. I'd definitely recommend this title and can't wait to see more from Clancy.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.
This is a well-written story of a family. Ed and Connie are the parents. Ed is a schoolteacher in Milwaukee. The family spends their summers on Cape Cod. The featured characters in this story are their children. Ann and Poppy are sisters. Ann is the beautiful, intelligent solid citizen growing up. Younger sister Poppy is the free spirit, experimenting with all kinds of things with all kinds of people, eventually falling in love with her surfboard and being a gypsy. Ed and Connie adopt a third child, Michael, when all three children are in their teenage years.
The characters are very well portrayed. The story sees them grow up happily together, then separate amid all sorts of turmoil, then find the need to come together again to resolve conflicts over ownership of family property.
I loved the first three-quarters of the book, seeing the tensions develop between the characters. I thought that the ending was too fairy tale. Resolution of the issues was too neat, too clean.
Still a very enjoyable book. Very well-researched and intelligently written.

This was a great book. I really enjoyed it! I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

Christina Clancy writes a family drama with some very dark elements, featuring the Gordon family from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with parents Ed and Connie, their teen daughters, Ann and Poppy,and their late adopted son, Michael. They spend their summers at Cape Cod at a family home and 15 years ago, they experienced a troubling and traumatic summer of raging teen hormones that is to have devastating consequences and repercussions on all of them. In the present, the parents have died in a dreadful car accident, and decisions have to be made about that home. Neither Ann or Poppy can afford to keep it on and decide to sell it, only to have a spanner put in the works out of the blue.

Michael, who has not been in touch for so long, comes back into their lives, making a claim on the estate. He wants to keep the house, and more than anything he wants the truth of what actually happened that despairing and distressing summer to come out. There are machinations over the will, and in a narrative that goes back and forth in time, the question that hangs over the siblings is can they come to terms with what happened sufficiently for them to have a future as family? Clancy gives us a gloriously vivid sense of location in her descriptions in this story of teen siblings ill equipped to handle what occurs to them, too naive and trusting. I did find her characters a little difficult to invest in, and Ann herself is not the most likeable of people.

This is a complex, fraught, full of intrigue read of family dynamics, blackmail, abuse, trust, rape, trauma, poor teen decision making and sibling relationships. This will appeal to those who enjoy their twisted family dramas set in a fabulous location. Many thanks to St Martin's Press for an ARC.

3.5 stars

I'm always up for a book that revolves around some long-standing family drama. This story held my interest but I wouldn't say that I loved any of the characters. That's okay though because that's not really a requirement for me to enjoy a book. I do wish that lack of communication which was an ongoing theme wouldn't have been so prevalent in the story. I think that's part of the reason I became frustrated with just about every character in the book.

Ann Gordon is back at the Cape Cod home she spent her summers at while she was growing up. Her parents have recently died and she has been tasked with selling their summer home as neither she nor her sister, Poppy, can afford to keep it. Her adopted brother, Michael, hasn't been in contact with the family in years and when he tries to claim he has rights to the home, it doesn't go over well with Ann. You see something pretty major happened about 15 years ago when they were teenagers that caused a huge rift in the family. It's not a cliche to say things were never the same after that particular summer on the Cape. The story follows Ann, Poppy, and Michael during that fateful summer and the present day when they are reunited. Hmm... family members that aren't on good terms and now you throw in a disagreement about a house. Yes, there is going to be some drama in this story, that's for sure.

For much of the book I thought Poppy was an unnecessary character to include but by the end I did think she brought something to the table. As I mentioned before it was easy to feel frustration when some characters make certain decisions. It's like I wanted to reach thru the pages, grab them by the shoulders, shake them, and yell, "what are you doing?'. However, despite my varying levels of annoyance with some of the characters, I still felt invested enough to want to see how everything would play out in the end.

There are two random things I really loved that the author included in the story. I was happy to see a couple Polish references, and my guess is if she can name drop Polish Falcons, she must have some Polish blood in her like I do. The other thing I liked was at the end of Part One there was a good joke about the parents. I gotta tell you it was 100% necessary as it really had been driving me nuts how naive and oblivious the parents were when it came to the kids. The joke at least acknowledged this fact which helped ease my frustration.

There were a few times the author kinda glossed over something I thought could have been covered more thoroughly. While I liked the story, it could have used some polishing up a bit in order to really take it to a higher level. I still consider it a good read though. If you are interested in reading this one, be prepared, there are some dark moments in the story. If you are strictly looking for a lighthearted read, I would look elsewhere.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I started reading this yesterday, full of enthusiasm and excited for a new journey with this family, The notion of the Second House, the vacation home really had me curious so I dove in and I read this book in a day and a half... Um, I’m kind of taken back by how irked this entire book made me.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book, liked looking back at their midwestern childhood, the idea of a vacation home that’s been in the family. I enjoyed getting to know this family at first. I even got pulled into the feeling that you know some drama was going to start building in the story. The it slowly starts taking a turn to the awkward side. And more awkward. Then cringeworthy, Then uncomfortable. Just didn’t love this story at all, I do not watch a lot of Lifetime movies, but I enjoy a fun read. This was just a no for me.

I have read 60 women’s fiction books in a year. This will be my first negative review. With that said, a positive note I can add... As an illustrator, I loved the cover and the cover was what drew me to the book.

Thanks Net Galley!

Ann and her sister Poppy had a very bad experience at their home in Cape Cod one summer that caused really bad feelings between them and their adopted brother Michael.
Years later after their parents died, they decided to sell both of their parents homes, including the one at the Cape.
But things aren’t that simple when their adopted brother lays claim to the house that he owns it and they can’t sell it. He wants to make amends among them but will he get the chance to do so?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. I really did. After tragedy strikes a family, they start to slowly unravel during the summer in their vacation home in Cape Cod. Each and every character is dealing with this differently. and each of them are flawed in their own way which again, make me love the book even more. Such a story about healing, family, even though some of it made me angry, there was still come love there.

3.5 stars for a story that kept my interest right through the entire book. The Gordon family consists of the cool mom & dad teachers and their two daughters Ann and Polly, until Ann brings home Michael who has been orphaned and is all alone. The adoption creates mixed feelings, but all are happy he is a part of the family.

Until.... bad babysitter father decides to alter it all. Without giving the plot away, suffice it to say happy is not the description of the family any longer. Unity is not a word they use anymore, either. All deal with the situation differently and the story is told through the eyes of the three children as they age.

Central location is the summer home on Cape Cod, where all have put down roots of one sort or another. What is home? Is it where your memories are from the past or the setting of future ones to come?

The only thing that put me off was the phrase that they looked forward to going back every summer to the Cod. No one who knows anything about Cape Cod calls it anything other than the Cape.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is no secret that I love books with different POV's. This book did not disappoint. The book is told through, Ann, Poppy and Michael. This reverts tp past summer vacations; This truly is about second chances.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable read! Took some time to get used to the back and forth between current and past, but it was definitely necessary to tell the whole story from so many different points of view.

Looking forward to reading more books by this author :)

I really enjoyed this book! It was a super fast easy read for me! Super cozy and homey feel! 5 stars from me!

This novel will grab a hold of you and keep you until the very end. The stories of three siblings are threaded through the events of their parents dying and of what to do with a vacation home that they all love and cherish.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What an adventure reading The Second Home by Christina Clancy is! There is the separation between the past and the present... and three people who haven't quite lived in the present. The truth from the past is bound to come out once Ann lists the family home on Cape Cod for sale.

I do not want to discuss the plot too much, mostly because I think it is better to dive in and get to know the characters through the narration and points of view. (See Trigger below).

My favorite parts: I found this book to contain intriguing, realistic (flawed like we all are) characters and complex feelings and emotions regarding what happened that summer so long ago. The setting is described vividly so I felt I was there, pulled into this deep story about love, family and forgiveness. The writing is great- I seriously will be following Christina Clancy and looking for more of her books to read!


Triggers: Sexual Assault

Thank you to NetGalley, author Christina Clancy, and St. Martin's Press for the temporary digital advance review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are my own!

I started this book with no idea of what I would find inside....You see..this book is not really about a second home....its about family, love, desperation, deceit...but more than anything else its about the every lasting love between family members... Ann and Poppy live a idyllic life ..but as life can do..things change one summer at the family house... This causes many years of heart ache and secrets. I found myself turning pages and hoping for the best. I recommend you do the same...

First, the reader should be aware that this book includes a description of sexual assault. If reading about a sexual assault will be too discomforting or traumatic for you, this might not be the book for you. However, it is pretty obvious when the sexual assault is going to occur and that segment of the story can be quickly skimmed if necessary without the reader losing anything essential. Yet it is the ramifications of the sexual assault that reverberate through the story.

The second home referenced in the title is the Gordon family's summer house in Wellfleet, MA, on Cape Cod. It is that house and the summer adventures that bind together Ed and Connie Gordon and their teenage daughters Ann and Poppy. In the summer of 1999, the family invites along Michael, a classmate of Ann's who has lost his mother and father and has been taken in by the Gordons. It is during the trip that Michael learns the Gordons want to officially adopt him. The summer is magical for all of them. However, summer 2000 was not magical, but rather would see the family start to fracture, with the ramifications of events that summer, especially the sexual assault, tearing apart the family later in the year, upending Ann's carefully scripted life plan, seeing Michael run away, and later seeing Poppy run away.

In 2015, Ed and Connie Gordon die in a traffic accident and it is up to Ann to settle the estate, including dealing with the summer home in Wellfleet, a decision made harder by the absence of a will. The second half of the book revolves around the possible sale of the home, which is complicated by past events, the strained relationship between Ann and Poppy, and the reappearance of Michael, who has a strong attachment to the house.

Overall, this was a very good book. I thought the main characters were well developed and I liked the storylines the author created for Poppy and Michael during the years they were away from the family. I also liked Noah (Ann's son) and Avery (Michael's daughter) and the way they met and developed their friendship. The author did a good job of expressing the meaning of the Wellfleet home to each of the main characters and of the importance of home and family (even if the family is somewhat unconventional). There were some clever surprises/twists in the story. There was a uniqueness/quirkiness to the Wellfleet house that made it particularly charming.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Christina Clancy’s ‘The Second Home’ is, in many ways, a treatise on growth amid adversity. (Or, in some cases, the lack thereof.) It’s a story about the power of familial bonds, and of the ways that life can be achingly imperfect.

When Ann Gordon meets Michael Davis, their connection is instant. Recently orphaned, Michael is welcomed into the Gordon household, and is eventually adopted. He is embraced as a brother by Ann’s little sister, Poppy, though Ann’s feelings for Michael (and his for Ann) are far more complicated. After an eventful, traumatic summer spent at the Gordon’s summer home on Cape Cod, Ann, Michael, and Poppy become estranged. Fifteen years later, their parents have died, and the three of them must come face-to-face with the ghosts of the past.

Personally, I think this novel packs quite a punch. The use of close third person narration style, with each chapter alternating between Ann, Michael, and Poppy’s perspectives, was highly effective. The manner in which the story unfolds creates a sense of nostalgia as well as a sense of irritation. Without providing any spoilers, there is a significant miscommunication that transpires between two of the protagonists that festers, and it’s difficult to read about. I also had a difficult time empathizing with Ann's anger and unwillingness to communicate, but perhaps that is kind of the point. Clancy’s characters are all flawed in their own ways and are written in an achingly human way.

This would be the perfect novel for those who enjoy a female-centric, introspective read, and who appreciate compelling, imperfect characters.

**An ARC was generously provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review.**

Somewhat predictable story of a family’s misdeeds, lies and misunderstandings set in Cape Cod. The plot seemed a little unrealistic, the personalities of the characters did not quite match their behavior.