Just like I enjoy a good mystery or thriller in the summer, I also love romances that take place during the summer. K.L. Walther has written a few books that I’ve read and loved, so I knew I needed to read The Summer of Second Chances. Today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought.
A big thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
Olivia Lupo feels stuck. All her friends have gone on to their first year of college while she’s still at home with her family. There’s a good reason though, her beloved grandmother, Annie, has dementia, and Olivia can’t bear the thought of being so far from home when Annie needs her the most.
So when her stepmother asks the family to spend three weeks of the summer on Martha’s Vineyard, Olivia plans to say no…until she discovers an old box Annie filled with photos and memories from her own time there. Olivia decides to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and spend some time on the island that Annie describes as magical.
When she arrives, she meets Connor, a boy from her past who really wants to be a part of her present… and future. Olivia’s never thought about forever with someone until meeting Connor…and it scares her. How can she make plans when all she wants to do is keep close to her grandmother before she’s gone forever? As she recreates the memories Annie made a lifetime ago, she has to decide if she’s finally willing to give someone her heart, just when she needs it the most.
Review
K.L. Walther has become an author I love to read during the summer. I don’t know what it is, but her books always feel like summer. Even when the season isn’t in the title of the book. K.L. Walther always hits me in all the feels and The Summer of Second Chances wasn’t an exception at all.
Our main character Olivia is one you just want to hug from the start. She took a gap year after high school to take care of her grandmother who has dementia. Her grandmother is having more and more days where she doesn’t remember her. Those scenes were very heart-breaking. As someone who was very close to her grandmother, I completely understood how she was feeling.
Her family dynamics are also a bit complicated. After losing her mother, her father eventually remarried and had twins. She loves her siblings, but isn’t exactly behind the idea that she has to go to Martha’s Vineyard for three weeks for her stepmother’s family vacation. Until she finds out her grandmother visited there and also may have had another love in her life than her grandfather.
I loved the weeks while she was there and all of the places and things she was discovering about herself and her grandmother. We also can’t forget the family dynamics. She learns more about her stepmother and they actually have a really good conversation. Also, we can’t forget Connor. The last thing Olivia is looking for is her own romance, but she can’t help but open her heart. There’s also more to him than she realizes. The Summer of Second Chances really just hit me in all the feels and I could talk about this for hours.
K.L. Walther proved to me once again why I love reading her books. Have you recently added any authors to your list of favorites? Which authors? And what is your favorite book by them? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
