Thank you to NetGalley and the Author and publisher for a copy of this ARC.The opinions expressed are my own.

Due to a extended illness I've gotten way behind on my reviews, so these are going to be short and sweet!

Loved this book. Read in one day. Excellent plot, held my interest from first word. The characters were well liked and complex.
4 stars

DNF @40%

I was drawn to reading this book because I really liked the concept and the setting. It sounds like a perfect summer read. Unfortunately, I have come to a point in the story where it has become unrealistic. Teenagers are not this gullible, especially ones that are deemed intelligent.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC of The Second Home by Christina Clancy. This story follows a Milwaukee family made up of two sisters, their parents, and an adopted brother, and their summer home on Cape Cod. Told from alternating perspectives in the present and the past, we come to learn the source of the family’s rupture, and then finally what puts it back together again after the patents tragic death. I love familial dramas like this one and many book bloggers I admire and follow love this book, so I was very excited to read The Second Home, however for me, it was not as well done as books in a similar vein like The Nest (also a story about sibling relationships in the aftermath of the parents’ deaths). Unfortunately I found the characters in this book to be uncomfortably one-dimensional. The teenage siblings can be forgiven for this kind of short-sighted immaturity, but they do not evolve when the story jumps forward to the present. And such outrageously unbelievable events occur in the past - a scheme by another character to tear this family apart - that are then still believed when the teens are adults...it didn’t feel plausible to me and I found it difficult to like or relate to most of the characters with the exception of Poppy the younger sister. While this book wasn’t my personal favorite, I know many will truly love this juicy family story and I am very happy to have read and reviewed it.

I received the digital arc of this book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Anne Gordon returns to Wellfleet after the death of her parents in a tragic car accident to sell the summer home her family has owned for years. Of course, Anne is overwhelmed with ambivalence once the memories starting flooding back to her. Anne is a 35 year old practical woman looking to tie up the loose ends of her family’s complicated history.

The Gordon family lived in Wisconsin and drove to Cape Cod every summer which worked out well given her parents were born teachers. The story is a tale about what constitutes a family and the loyalties that might bind people. The story is told through the POV of Anne, Poppy and Michael. They are “siblings” each with their own unique perspective yet deep firm commitment to their parents.

It’s an emotional story which addresses sensitive topics such as sexual, physical and drug abuse as well as homelessness and poverty. Sometimes families may look “perfect” from the outside which makes looks deceiving. The Gordon family adopt Michael, a student who lost his family and was friends with Anne. Although unconventional, her parents were admired for their relaxed acceptance of people’s differences.

The strong family values instilled by the parents are what ultimately brings the estranged siblings together after their death. Poppy has always been free-spirited never setting roots anywhere for too long. Meanwhile, it seemed Michael was never as “lost” to them as they believed. The summers on the Cape changed all of them in ways they could never expect.

Once they work together they discover the truths of the past and that no matter how far away you go your family ties will lead you back home.

Two sisters, Ann and Poppy, along with a brother who was adopted at age 16 are torn apart because of a secret. They are forced to examine their crumbling relationship after their parents have passed away and it’s time to manage the summer house in Cape Cod. This book was a sad, reflective, and ultimately hopeful study of the role of family and home. I’m looking forward to reading Christina’s next book!
Trigger warnings: rape, death, dementia.

The novel centers on three adult siblings (two biological sisters and their adopted brother) and the impact of events that occurred during one summer at the family's summer home on Cape Cod. The details of Michael's adoption seemed a bit unrealistic to me, but once I put that aside, I found the story engaging and worthwhile. Each of the three has his/her own recollections and issues regarding the summer in question, and it continued to impact them as adults, especially after the deaths of their parents force them to make decisions about the future of the "second home". My three-star rating means I liked this novel enough to consider future offerings from this author, even if I didn't love this debut.

I was offered this book on NetGalley and it sounded like something I would enjoy so I agreed to read it. And I am glad I did. Living in land locked Colorado we don't do summer houses at the beach, but I sure am enchanted by the idea of that! In this book, Ann Gordon's family spends the summers at their family's beach home. It is a much loved tradition by Ann and her sister, but the summer of her 17th year is different because Michael, her newly adopted brother who is her age, is with them for the first time. After some terrible event, her family is ripped apart and the summer cottages is not quite the same. Now, 15 years later, Ann's parents have passed away and she and her sister are left to try to deal with the summer house. And with the possibility of Michael coming back into their lives.

Overall, this was a great story with some twists and it kept me reading to see what would happen and how it would all shake out.

What a beautifully written book about siblings who return home together after many years. They discover the challenges and changes that occur when people return to their roots. What a great story of the messiness of life and family drama. This is the type of book that draws you in and embraces the difficult relationships people have as they grow up and apart, told in a lovely way.
Thank you #Netgalley #StMartinsPress and #TheSecondHome for the early copy to review.
Definitely recommend.

Received from Net Gallery! The Second Home by Christina Clancy is a very well written emotional fiction story of a family that must be back together after so long gone. Will a house bring them home? Characters in this story leaves you with a believable impression that they are right down the street from you,so real! Lost,love,forgiveness,adventures, and coming home is what you go through as you read. Grab some tissues as you go through the different things you experience as you read! A very, very great read!

I love family drama type stories, but the last few I've read disappointed me.

I picked up The Second Home with lower expectations, thinking maybe I was "over" the family drama storyline, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised.

The story is told from the perspectives of three siblings, two sisters and their adopted brother, and begins during a fateful summer at the family's summer home on Cape Cod when they're all teenagers.

As a Massachusetts native, I loved Clancy's depiction of the Cape and it's unique charms.

The story was unique and I felt invested in the characters. A solid read with a little more depth than I was expecting! This is one I'd easily recommend to friends and family.

The Second Home by Christina Clancy refers to a Cape Cod house where the Gordon family spends every summer. One summer changes their lives forever. Fast forward to 15 years later from the life-altering summer, when sisters Ann and Poppy are trying to settle their parents’ estate, including the second home.

The situation gets complicated when their long-lost adopted brother Michael wants to keep the home as that is where he lived his best life ever. Secrets from the disastrous summer are revealed, and the challenge will be how each sibling deals with them.

This is the debut novel for Christina Clancy who spent her summers as a youth on Cape Cod in her grandparents’ house. Clancy taught English at Beloit College for almost a decade. She has written short stories and essays that have appeared in The New York Times "Modern Love" column, The Washington Post, and The Chicago Tribune. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and has two children. I enjoyed this novel and recommend it to other lovers of women’s fiction.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 16, 2020.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

A family drama that makes the reader lap it up with relish. Told from varying POVs, this book manages to keep the interest piqued. However the beginning was a bit slow, do not let it keep you from enjoying the book.

The Second Home is a widespread family drama. It focuses on one family, both the parents and kids, as the teenagers grow and make their way through adulthood. You meet the children in high school over the span of two summers. But then one event changes everything. You skip quite a few years and get to see how their lives have changed and how they try to reconnect, after all this time.

I liked the contrast of seeing who everyone was versus how they are now. Especially because as the reader you know some stuff the characters don't, which isn't common in many books. Usually the author hides some details from the reader.

Christina Clancy does an amazing job building the world her characters live in. The contrast she builds for the Cape setting and the Milwaukee setting helps build the drama of the book. Her characters are realistic and relatable and I was quickly sucked into the book and invested in what was happening.

I think there's a huge plot whole in the middle: I don't know if two siblings who were as close as Ann and Michael were supposed to be would let this event rip them apart so easily. I think they would have put up more of a fight, but I have never found myself in the position they were. I was able to suspend some disbelief and still enjoy the rest of the story.

Just because it starts slow doesn't mean it is not worth reading. I might have not given it a chance, but I am ever so glad I did. The characters are glaring examples of the diverse personalities we have all met at some time or another. Just these pronounced characteristics could lead to an active book club discussion. At the same time, the reader will be continually surprised at the upcoming events. Since this is a debut novel by Christina Clancy, I am unable to read other works, but I can look forward to future publications.
I thank Net Galley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. To me, the characters weren't relatable and the plot was inconsistent in places, which really threw me off. I finished it but it took me a long time.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this debut novel by Christina Clancy. The Gordon family traveled every summer from Milwaukee to the Cape for the summer, a trip that was usually always enjoyed by everyone, except for one summer that left Ann pregnant, Poppy mad, and their adopted brother, Michael, disappearing. Fast forward fifteen years and the parents are tragically killed in a car accident coming home from the Cape. Ann lives in Boston, Poppy is a wanderer that cannot sit still, and Michael is still gone. There is no will to be found which Ann knows that is totally out of her dad's character - he was a planner. There is a renter in the Milwaukee house that wants to buy the home so that is covered. Ann has finally told Poppy and she is on her way home. Coming back to the Cape is bringing back lots of memories for Ann. Some good and some bad. Poppy has her own resentments and Ann has hers. As they both deal with the house and their emotions, Michael steps back into their lives. Can they all put their pasts behind them or will they forever be harboring their secrets?

I throughly enjoyed this emotional book. It takes you on a ride you will not soon forget.

Three siblings, three different memories of childhood events. This book takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride with a few twists and turns along the way. Lots of tears, some laughter and a few mysteries are thrown in. This is a book you won’t soon forget.

The characters are likable and the plot exciting. The setting pulls you in and surrounds you. You will feel like you are right there in the midst of all the things going on.

Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress, #ChristinaClancy for this ARC. This is my own honest review.

A 4 star read that makes you feel lots of raw emotion. Highly recommend.

3.5 stars

The Second Home was an emotional family drama. It's broken into two main parts - the past and then 15 years later. The story focuses on the Gordon family and how one disastrous summer sends all three siblings on different paths. The book played out in my mind like a movie and after a bit of a slow start, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out how it would all end.

I liked Michael, Ann, and Poppy for the most part, but there were also times that I found them very frustrating. I felt the decisions and mistakes made in their youth were understandable and heartbreaking. I actually had to put the book down a few times in part one because of how heavy my heart felt. As adults, however, their inability to speak openly and honestly with each other grew tiresome. The miscommunications and misunderstandings made the story feel too drawn out and then once the air is finally cleared (no thanks to our main characters), the book ends. I would have liked to see a little more about the healing of their friendships and relationships and how things finally came back together. Overall, this was an entertaining read and a solid debut, but I had a hard time fully rooting for these characters.

CW: infidelity, rape, suicide

*I voluntarily read a review copy of this book*

Ann Gordon has a singular focus after the death of her parents: Sell the family’s history-laden home on Cape Cod. With no will, the single mom plans to split the money with her free-spirited sister Poppy. However, there’s another heir, their adopted brother Michael, who disappeared 15 years ago, following the summer that shattered their family. Warm and wise, Clancy’s debut transports.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Second Home is the tale of Ann, Poppy, and their adopted brother, Michael. During Ann's 17th year, while at their Cape Cod summer home, a life changing event occurs, which tears her family apart. Michael disappears and no one hears from him again...

...that is until 15 years later, when their parents die tragically in an auto accident, and the kids have to come together to discuss who gets the Cape Cod summer home.

Michael returns and wants to set the record straight as to what happened all those years ago. but is it too late? Will Ann and Poppy listen?

This was a good book with redemption at the end. Would recommend!