Second Chance Summer by Jill Shalvis - Book Review

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Second Chance Summer is the first book from the Cedar Ridge Series, and it came out in 2015.  The title mentions what this romance novel is about - second chances. 

At the start, we are with the love interest, Aidan Kincaid, who is at work as a fireman and learns, from a colleague, that Lily Danville, someone he had a crush on, is coming back to Cedar Ridge after leaving ten years ago. We learn quickly that Lily left for California due to the death of her sister, who fell off Dead Man’s Cliff, and her dad’s heart attack at the sister’s funeral that ended up with him dying. But she’s back, working at the resort’s salon that is owned by the Kincaid family. And on her way to the resort, Lily looks a mess, yet she goes into the petrol shop to only bump into Aidan.  The summer is filled with flirting between the both. However, due to the tragedy that happened to Lily, her heart is closed because her late sister used to have a crush on Aidan, and Lily can’t bear to take something from her sister again.

This novel was sweet, and it’s the perfect novel to read when you are losing hope over your own love life. Second Chance Summer keeps everyone believing in love, and just because something finishes don’t necessarily mean it’s the end - anything can happen.  I did enjoy the personality of Lily, who is a strong and adventurous woman but not in a stereotypical way. Some people thought it wasn’t good character development, as Lily didn’t really show this side, but I would degree. Lily had gone back to her hometown, where the tragedy to her family happened. Even though she used to rock climb, it makes sense why she would be weary to do this due to her sister’s death. Yet, we still see this adventurous side through her hiking and exploring nature herself.  Yes, perhaps this personality is not portrayed how people thought it would be, but when understanding the background of the character, it makes sense why she would act like this.

Although the love that grew between the main characters was fun, sweet and sexy, in my eyes, all could have been solved with just one simple conversation. Both characters adored each other and wanted to be with one another. I noticed that every time something happened between each other, such as kissing, they would end up pushing each other away rather than talking about their feelings.  When it comes to writing, if the plot can be solved by one conversation, then the storyline needs to be edited.

Overall, this romance novel is still one to love, and if I also see the second book of the Cedar Ridge series in a charity shop (like I did with this book), I would pay for it. In my eyes, I would give this book a 3.5/5. 

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