Book Blurb:
"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."
My Review:
Another great YA Contemporary read from author K.L. Walther! It's a perfect beach read, and it's full of summer vibes to get readers through the months until it's beach season. 'The Summer of Second Chances' is narrated by Olivia Lupo, first love of Connor from 'A First Time for Everything.' Readers follow Olivia for a summer as she reluctantly joins her family on Martha's Vineyard for a few weeks for her stepmother's parents' wedding anniversary. Feeling like an outsider in her own family, her focus for the trip is to re-trace her grandmother's steps, in hopes to learn more about her grandmother's time spent on the island.
Since this book is in the K.L. Walther-verse, we know there is so much in store for Olivia once she gets there - kayaking and boat rides, cliff diving and exploring. And of course, an all-star cast of familiar faces. Readers *do not* need to read the 3 companion YA novels prior to this one, but it's truly lovely to see the main characters from the early Walther books here, a bit more grown up and hanging out together. (Especially for Nana and Grandad Carmichael's wedding anniversary.)
#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.
