Morgan Matson

Indiebound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Junior Library Guild Selection

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, 2012

An AtlanticWire Best MG/YA Book of the Year 2012

A San Francisco Book Review Best Book of 2012

"A wonderfully readable story."

— School Library Journal Starred Review

Second Chance Summer

Taylor Edwards never felt like she stood out-except for her history of running away when things get too complicated. Then her dad receives unexpected, terrible news, and the family makes the last-minute decision to spend the summer together in the cramped quarters at their old lake house.

Taylor hasn't been to the summerhouse since she was twelve, and she definitely never planned on going back. Up at the lake she is confronted with people she thought she left behind, like her former best friend Lucy, and Henry Crosby, her first crush, who's all grown up…and a lot cuter. Suddenly Taylor is surrounded by memories she'd rather leave in the past-but she can't run away this time.

As the days lying on the beach pass into nights gazing at the stars, Taylor realizes she has a second chance-with friends, with family, maybe even with love. But she knows that once the summer ends, there is no way to recapture what she stands to lose.

"Matson writes subtly about complex family dynamics, grief, and the impending loss of a parent in a way that is both beautiful and true...Readers who love the work of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han will feel intensely for this cast of vulnerable characters who demonstrate integrity, personality, and perseverance as they work to bridge the distances between them."

— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Matson has blended romance, humor, teen angst, boring summer jobs, and a truly tragic event into a wonderfully readable story."

— School Library Journal, Starred Review

"This is a bittersweet, powerful tale of family devotion, the sustainability of true friendship, and the silent courage of loving someone enough to stay and watch them die."

— Booklist, Starred Review

"Tissues recommended."

— Boston Globe

"Matson authentically captures the overwhelming nature of grief and attempting to make the best of one final season as a complete family...there's humor and romance and so much heart."

- The AtlanticWire

"[Second Chance Summer] is a sweet, well written coming-of-age book that pulls at the reader’s heartstrings…This is a compelling story that reads fast and grips readers until the very end."

--VOYA

“The exploration of the father-daughter relationship is warm, sensitive, and heartbreaking, with Taylor realizing how much she counts on the man she’s going to lose. Between the dreamy romance and the four-hankie family story, this is a satisfyingly emotional summer tale.”

--Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books