Standalone Sunday | December 18th

I’m beginning to realize I haven’t read many standalone novels…I’m quickly running out of ideas and pretty soon, I’m gonna start recommending classics. I really need to expand my horizons haha. But anyways!

Standalone Sunday is a feature created by the lovely Megan over @ bookslayerReads where each Sunday you share a standalone book (a book not part of a series) that you loved or would like to recommend! Please be sure to check out Megan’s wonderful blog to see her original post and recommendations. And be sure to check around the blogosphere for more posts like this!

This week’s recommendation is:

Second Chance Summer | Morgan Matson

Goodreads Synopsis

“Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.”

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I don’t read many YA contemporaries, not because I don’t enjoy them, but because I like to be completely disconnected from reality while reading. Meaning, YA High Fantasy is my boo. But whenever I fall in love with a contemporary, it usually comes from Sarah Dessen or Morgan Matson. I’d even go so far as to call them the queens of YA contemporary! Maybe Meg Cabot fits in there, too. I’m not sure. (If y’all know any other authors or YA contemporaries I should try out, I’d love your recommendations).

Second Chance Summer is my second favorite book from Morgan Matson, just after Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour. I thought the themes of heartbreak, love, family, friends, and hope were expertly crafted. The characters are perfectly relatable and the romance is sweet and realistic. It’s a sad story, but one that doesn’t completely break your heart as a reader. I actually teared up towards the end, even though I knew a certain event was coming, and yet, I didn’t feel defeated because the MC didn’t either. All in all, I think this book reflects the human emotions pretty well. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a feel good book, but it’s definitely a little slice of life everyone should have a piece of!