Matson’s characters are superb, and I love the way they develop through the course of the novel. In case the plot summary hasn’t given it away, this is a massive tearjerker – to the point where I was struggling to see for most of the last few chapters! It wasn’t quite as immediately gripping as Morgan Matson’s first novel, the wonderful Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, but by the time I was a quarter of the way through or so I was just as hooked as I had been when reading that book. Will she take the second chance to rebuild her relationships with the people around her? This summer, she’s finally going back – because her dad is dying of cancer and wants to spend his last few months in a place he loves, surrounded by his family. Then she had a falling-out with best friend Lucy and an awkward moment with the boy she liked, Henry… and she hasn’t been back there in five years. It was an idyllic setting, she had close friends there, and there was lots of fun to be had. Years ago, Taylor Edwards and her family would visit their old lake house by the beach for the summer. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books

It firmly establishes Morgan Matson as one of the best teen authors around today. Summary: One of the best tearjerkers in recent memory, this story of a girl struggling to come to terms with her father's illness and a return to the holiday home she last visited five years ago and the people she knew there is outstanding.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson