Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

**A Relatable and Emotional Reading Experience**

As I reflect on my reading experience with "I Was Here" by Morgan Matson, I am reminded of a conversation I had with my seventh-grade self. In that moment, I was feeling awkward about a past relationship, wondering how others would perceive me. However, as I grew older, I realized that some things are better left in the past. The same can be said for this novel, which tackles a sensitive topic: cancer.

What struck me most about this book is its raw and honest portrayal of life with cancer. Seeing Taylor Blossom's relationship with her dad was particularly poignant. Their bond grew stronger as they navigated the challenges of his illness together. I loved watching their family dynamic unfold, from the daily struggles to the moments of joy and connection.

One aspect that resonated deeply with me was the emotional impact of losing a loved one. The way Matson weaves together the narrative, culminating in a heart-wrenching climax, left me feeling both devastated and hopeful. I must admit, I cried throughout this book – not just from the tail section, but also when Taylor's father passed away. It was as if Matson had tapped into my own emotional wellspring, rendering me speechless.

What I appreciate most about "I Was Here" is its ability to normalize a difficult topic. Cancer affects so many lives, and it's essential to acknowledge that there is no right or wrong way to cope with this situation. The characters in the novel – particularly Taylor, Lucy, and Henry – are relatable and authentic, making it easy for readers to become invested in their stories.

One minor criticism I have is the inclusion of a plot point involving a 12-year-old boy. While I understand that Matson aimed to explore themes of identity and first love, this aspect felt somewhat incongruous with the rest of the narrative. Nevertheless, the author's intention to portray a authentic and vulnerable teenage experience shines through.

Matson's writing is warm and engaging, making it easy to become immersed in the world she creates. I appreciate how she doesn't shy away from exploring complex emotions or difficult topics. Her characters are multidimensional, with flaws and strengths that make them relatable and endearing.

**A Book That Touched My Heart**

Reading "I Was Here" was a powerful experience for me. It's not often that a book makes me cry, but this one did – and I'm grateful for it. The author has done an excellent job of capturing the human side of cancer, making it feel more accessible and less intimidating.

If you're looking for a novel that will challenge your perspectives and emotions, look no further than "I Was Here". This book is not your typical summer read; it's a heartwarming and heartbreaking exploration of love, family, and resilience. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and connect with the characters on a deep level.

**A Final Word**

As I conclude this article, I'm reminded that books have the power to transform us in profound ways. Morgan Matson has given me a sense of comfort and solidarity through her writing, and for that, I'm eternally grateful. If you're considering reading "I Was Here", I encourage you to take the leap. Trust me when I say it's worth it – not just because of its emotional impact but also because it will leave you feeling seen, heard, and connected to others who have walked a similar path.

With that said, I'll wrap up this article by saying thank you to Morgan Matson for sharing her gift with the world. Your writing has made me cry, laughed, and think deeply about the human experience. I look forward to reading more of your work in the future and exploring the world you create with such care and precision.

In conclusion, if you're looking for a book that will make you feel seen, heard, and understood, "I Was Here" is an excellent choice. It's not just a novel – it's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello everyone today I'm here with the second book review of the month and that book is going to be second chance Summer by Morgan Matt if you do not know who Morgan Matson is she wrote this lovely gem right here all-time favorite contemporary books Amy and Rogers epic detour love it it's a very light funny travel type of read this one on the other hand is quite different not saying that it's like not amazing but it is sad and it is sad and it is sad first the first thing I'm going to do is read you the book jacket and we will talk about it a little bit more sandwich between two exceptional siblings Taylor Edwards never felt like she stood out except for her history of running away when things get too complicated her dad receives unexpected terrible news and the family makes the last minute decision to spend the night to spend the summer together in cramp Quarters at their old lake house Taylor has admit to the summer house since she was 12 and she definitely never planned on going back up at the lake she is confronted with people she thought she left behind like her foral best friend Lucy and Henry and Henry and Henry what the heck and Henry Crosby not being Crosby her first crush who's all grown up and a lot cuter wink that's not in the description by by the way suddenly Taylor surrounded my memory she'd rather leaving the past but she can't run away this time as the day lying on the beach pass and the night's gazing at the stars Taylor realizes that she has a second chance with friends with family with maybe even love but once she knows that the summer ends there is no way to recapture what she's what she stands to lose overall I love this book I thought it was amazing I thought it was very a lot of character development a lot of family stuff that I loved reading about and who recomend I'm not going to spoil too much of it I think the spoilers I will say are going to be quite obvious so I wouldn't say they're like insanely spoilers but you know if you haven't read the book maybe not watch this you know I think if you do watch this you're not going to be spoiled by too much per se but I mean it's like a it's like you know what's going to happen already you can tell by the book jacket that you know things but you know just throwing it out there so if you watch this like say you wrote the book for me I am for warning you right now so yeah let's talk about the characters now my life I get asked the question what character reminds you have you read a book that reminds you the most of you have you read a book that a character reminds you most of yourself and honestly up until now I've never had an answer for that because I've never read a book that has really fully like not embodied me but I haven't read a character that has says that wow that's kind of like me this is the one book that has actually done it for me surprisingly I didn't think it would I didn't think I'm not saying I'm anything like this character I feel like there's a lot of similarities between me and her though and I'll explain more but yeah I feel like me and Taylor Edwards like we get each other like I understand her I understand her when I read her I could I feel her basically this whole book is totally Taylor's perspective she is the middle child between her brother which is a like a huge huge nerd like he is smart he is going to a freaking ivy league like he is he is good to go and then she's in and then her younger sister who's very very talented with Ballerina she can do all this kind of stuff you know I'm not a ballerina Taylor feels like she is sort of the middleman quite literally because she's the middle child but I love Taylor I love seeing through her eyes I love I can understand how some people might like find her annoying might find her like grow up but you know what throughout this whole deal you you learn that Taylor's dad has cancer and cancer is a is a terrible terrible terrible thing and I don't read many cancer books because I I have a very personal experience with cancer I've talked about this once before I shall talk about it again I guess cuz I feel more open to it back a long long time ago when I was the r age of 15 I am 24 now FYI about to turn 25 next month um my younger brother who is who was 11 at the time got liver cancer I'm sure it was some sort of vast super long name that I can't even pronounce and that was a real shell shocker for me and my family and it was was very very tough for me going through it like super tough and that has really been the one moment in my life where I have said that has shaped who I am today and I know what you guys are saying like you may think like you didn't have cancer you didn't go through all this stuff you know what though it's it's I know I didn't get through the cancer I didn't go through my brother did and by the way he's totally fine now he's happy and healthy seeing someone go through cancer when you are that literally close to them like if it's your younger brother if it's your mom mom if you like that is a big deal and not only that but if you're young that is a huge deal I was 15 I was a sophomore in high school and quite literally that was the worst year of my life a lot of things happened I grew up super fast I had to grow up it really fast age all I'm going to say I had to grow up I had to come to terms I think that's it's just a really really tough thing it was a tough thing for me my family and it just has been the woman that's defined my whole life and I hate reading I do not like reading books about cancer off hence why I've not read the fall Our Stars because I know it's sad and I just don't like reliving that when I read cancer books I feel like I'm back at that moment when I was 15 when I literally didn't care about anything at all like I just didn't care and that was because of my brother and I just didn't even want to deal with high school didn't even want to deal with anything like I just did not care and yeah it's just it was a tough tough tough time in my life I'm super glad me and my family were through it now glad my is healthy but it's just you know I understand that's how I understand Taylor no no there is no right way to go through this experience there's no right way when someone dies you can't say grieve this way you can't see act this way during this time every person has to mold it and shape it in themselves and I did not mean for this to get a super serious talk and I apologize but I just want you guys to see where I'm coming from through all this like why I'm going into this liking Taylor and I think a lot of people will like Taylor honestly but I like Taylor I like seeing through her eyes there were a couple things I was like not so happy about you learned about Taylor you learned that she has come back to um this place I forgot the name summer and she was once there when she was 12 this has been quite a gap I think she's now 17 or about to turn 17 and you know she meets Henry and she's already she's been in relationship with Henry before and that kind of fell off and her best friend kind of fell off what the one thing I didn't like about this book cuz I felt like they were making a huge deal out of this when they were only 12 years old like the first boyfriend thing the first friend thing I was like you were 12 I literally cannot remember anything from when I was 12 ask me what my high ask what my teachers were no clue ask me I don't even know what grade what grade was I in I was in seventh grade I don't remember anything like that was kind of like a big I was like they're making this out to a huge awkward deal honestly right now if something happened like that like my first boyfriend happened to me when he was 12 be like hey we good that was like a long time ago we were 12 I'm pretty sure they'll say yeah it's all good that's the only thing I was just like uh other than that I really like seeing Taylor Blossom seeing Taylor's relationship with her dad was amazing I loved her dad oh my gosh the way he would say what's the newest kids and what's the newest kid and he would and just he would take her out to breakfast and they would talk about his life and just it was just phenomenal and seeing the family through this is just they come they came closer together and it was just a beautiful beautiful book and I will I'm sure I'm happy to say this not so happy but all these questions I get about whether does a book make you cry what book has made you cry well guys this book right here is the first book ever that has made me cry now I didn't do sobbing sobbing tears but I I definitely cried through this book and I cried from the tail and of course when the father dies I'm sure you guys will know that I mean that's not giving too much away and why he died oh oh just thinking about it makes me want to cry it's just it was very very touching it was very very sad and I was just like oh my God gosh and it was just it was it was it was very sad it was a very sad book and this made me come to realize that a ton of people go through this cancer thing this sucky cancer thing I'm sure viewers right there right now you may have cancer you may have someone that someone that you know have cancer you may have someone in your family that's had cancer or have it right now just know that fe's no right way to get through it and I hope anything what I say I've given you words of advice encouragement that you know it's going to be a tough part of your life no matter what and you know what you're strong for going through it no matter how you get through it you are a strong person really love Taylor and Edward's you know second chance at love I thought that was a very cute storyline I didn't feel like it dominated over the story I felt like it was a good you know mixture between I loved Henry as a character I thought he was good he was just your typical American Bo honestly and I love reading about those and I also loved reading about Lucy I love that Lucy came back into the picture and things were Rocky at first I understand that you know the whole 12 thing but then I don't understand it but I loved reading about that and I loved to read about Taylor Rec connecting with her family and then her mom and then her eventually dad and her dad was just so like overall I've really enjoyed this book honestly you know I'm going to have fond memories when I think of it because ultimately it's the first book that's ever made me cry and because you know it's refreshing to read books with cancer overall I'm going to give this book a four out of five I would give it a five out of five but that whole 12 thing kind of like and I did feel like there was a little little tiny bit too much love but overall I really love the whole family scape of it like the whole being family Dynamic and Taylor's dad like oh phenomenal so I'm say if you want a little bit closer look into what it's like to be with dealing with a family member that has cancer I would definitely say pick up this book it I think it you know it hits nail on the head I think ending the ending all the ending I adored the ending with the envelopes and just that made me cry right there itself honestly I just this is I definitely recommend it Morgan Matson you have not disappointed me but you have made me cry congratulations to the first first author that's done it and yeah after reading this I feel more comfortable going into F Our Stars but quite honestly I'm probably going to read that on the snake snake because I don't want to feel pressured into it honestly but yeah I'd say definitely recommend this book you know but be prepared to C it's not your typical summer book it's your sad family drama book but a really good one that's all for me guys sorry for this insanely long book review and I hope you learned a little bit more about me and why am the way I am and hopefully you'll pick up the book have a great rest of your week I will talk to you guys later bye cuz I needs always behello everyone today I'm here with the second book review of the month and that book is going to be second chance Summer by Morgan Matt if you do not know who Morgan Matson is she wrote this lovely gem right here all-time favorite contemporary books Amy and Rogers epic detour love it it's a very light funny travel type of read this one on the other hand is quite different not saying that it's like not amazing but it is sad and it is sad and it is sad first the first thing I'm going to do is read you the book jacket and we will talk about it a little bit more sandwich between two exceptional siblings Taylor Edwards never felt like she stood out except for her history of running away when things get too complicated her dad receives unexpected terrible news and the family makes the last minute decision to spend the night to spend the summer together in cramp Quarters at their old lake house Taylor has admit to the summer house since she was 12 and she definitely never planned on going back up at the lake she is confronted with people she thought she left behind like her foral best friend Lucy and Henry and Henry and Henry what the heck and Henry Crosby not being Crosby her first crush who's all grown up and a lot cuter wink that's not in the description by by the way suddenly Taylor surrounded my memory she'd rather leaving the past but she can't run away this time as the day lying on the beach pass and the night's gazing at the stars Taylor realizes that she has a second chance with friends with family with maybe even love but once she knows that the summer ends there is no way to recapture what she's what she stands to lose overall I love this book I thought it was amazing I thought it was very a lot of character development a lot of family stuff that I loved reading about and who recomend I'm not going to spoil too much of it I think the spoilers I will say are going to be quite obvious so I wouldn't say they're like insanely spoilers but you know if you haven't read the book maybe not watch this you know I think if you do watch this you're not going to be spoiled by too much per se but I mean it's like a it's like you know what's going to happen already you can tell by the book jacket that you know things but you know just throwing it out there so if you watch this like say you wrote the book for me I am for warning you right now so yeah let's talk about the characters now my life I get asked the question what character reminds you have you read a book that reminds you the most of you have you read a book that a character reminds you most of yourself and honestly up until now I've never had an answer for that because I've never read a book that has really fully like not embodied me but I haven't read a character that has says that wow that's kind of like me this is the one book that has actually done it for me surprisingly I didn't think it would I didn't think I'm not saying I'm anything like this character I feel like there's a lot of similarities between me and her though and I'll explain more but yeah I feel like me and Taylor Edwards like we get each other like I understand her I understand her when I read her I could I feel her basically this whole book is totally Taylor's perspective she is the middle child between her brother which is a like a huge huge nerd like he is smart he is going to a freaking ivy league like he is he is good to go and then she's in and then her younger sister who's very very talented with Ballerina she can do all this kind of stuff you know I'm not a ballerina Taylor feels like she is sort of the middleman quite literally because she's the middle child but I love Taylor I love seeing through her eyes I love I can understand how some people might like find her annoying might find her like grow up but you know what throughout this whole deal you you learn that Taylor's dad has cancer and cancer is a is a terrible terrible terrible thing and I don't read many cancer books because I I have a very personal experience with cancer I've talked about this once before I shall talk about it again I guess cuz I feel more open to it back a long long time ago when I was the r age of 15 I am 24 now FYI about to turn 25 next month um my younger brother who is who was 11 at the time got liver cancer I'm sure it was some sort of vast super long name that I can't even pronounce and that was a real shell shocker for me and my family and it was was very very tough for me going through it like super tough and that has really been the one moment in my life where I have said that has shaped who I am today and I know what you guys are saying like you may think like you didn't have cancer you didn't go through all this stuff you know what though it's it's I know I didn't get through the cancer I didn't go through my brother did and by the way he's totally fine now he's happy and healthy seeing someone go through cancer when you are that literally close to them like if it's your younger brother if it's your mom mom if you like that is a big deal and not only that but if you're young that is a huge deal I was 15 I was a sophomore in high school and quite literally that was the worst year of my life a lot of things happened I grew up super fast I had to grow up it really fast age all I'm going to say I had to grow up I had to come to terms I think that's it's just a really really tough thing it was a tough thing for me my family and it just has been the woman that's defined my whole life and I hate reading I do not like reading books about cancer off hence why I've not read the fall Our Stars because I know it's sad and I just don't like reliving that when I read cancer books I feel like I'm back at that moment when I was 15 when I literally didn't care about anything at all like I just didn't care and that was because of my brother and I just didn't even want to deal with high school didn't even want to deal with anything like I just did not care and yeah it's just it was a tough tough tough time in my life I'm super glad me and my family were through it now glad my is healthy but it's just you know I understand that's how I understand Taylor no no there is no right way to go through this experience there's no right way when someone dies you can't say grieve this way you can't see act this way during this time every person has to mold it and shape it in themselves and I did not mean for this to get a super serious talk and I apologize but I just want you guys to see where I'm coming from through all this like why I'm going into this liking Taylor and I think a lot of people will like Taylor honestly but I like Taylor I like seeing through her eyes there were a couple things I was like not so happy about you learned about Taylor you learned that she has come back to um this place I forgot the name summer and she was once there when she was 12 this has been quite a gap I think she's now 17 or about to turn 17 and you know she meets Henry and she's already she's been in relationship with Henry before and that kind of fell off and her best friend kind of fell off what the one thing I didn't like about this book cuz I felt like they were making a huge deal out of this when they were only 12 years old like the first boyfriend thing the first friend thing I was like you were 12 I literally cannot remember anything from when I was 12 ask me what my high ask what my teachers were no clue ask me I don't even know what grade what grade was I in I was in seventh grade I don't remember anything like that was kind of like a big I was like they're making this out to a huge awkward deal honestly right now if something happened like that like my first boyfriend happened to me when he was 12 be like hey we good that was like a long time ago we were 12 I'm pretty sure they'll say yeah it's all good that's the only thing I was just like uh other than that I really like seeing Taylor Blossom seeing Taylor's relationship with her dad was amazing I loved her dad oh my gosh the way he would say what's the newest kids and what's the newest kid and he would and just he would take her out to breakfast and they would talk about his life and just it was just phenomenal and seeing the family through this is just they come they came closer together and it was just a beautiful beautiful book and I will I'm sure I'm happy to say this not so happy but all these questions I get about whether does a book make you cry what book has made you cry well guys this book right here is the first book ever that has made me cry now I didn't do sobbing sobbing tears but I I definitely cried through this book and I cried from the tail and of course when the father dies I'm sure you guys will know that I mean that's not giving too much away and why he died oh oh just thinking about it makes me want to cry it's just it was very very touching it was very very sad and I was just like oh my God gosh and it was just it was it was it was very sad it was a very sad book and this made me come to realize that a ton of people go through this cancer thing this sucky cancer thing I'm sure viewers right there right now you may have cancer you may have someone that someone that you know have cancer you may have someone in your family that's had cancer or have it right now just know that fe's no right way to get through it and I hope anything what I say I've given you words of advice encouragement that you know it's going to be a tough part of your life no matter what and you know what you're strong for going through it no matter how you get through it you are a strong person really love Taylor and Edward's you know second chance at love I thought that was a very cute storyline I didn't feel like it dominated over the story I felt like it was a good you know mixture between I loved Henry as a character I thought he was good he was just your typical American Bo honestly and I love reading about those and I also loved reading about Lucy I love that Lucy came back into the picture and things were Rocky at first I understand that you know the whole 12 thing but then I don't understand it but I loved reading about that and I loved to read about Taylor Rec connecting with her family and then her mom and then her eventually dad and her dad was just so like overall I've really enjoyed this book honestly you know I'm going to have fond memories when I think of it because ultimately it's the first book that's ever made me cry and because you know it's refreshing to read books with cancer overall I'm going to give this book a four out of five I would give it a five out of five but that whole 12 thing kind of like and I did feel like there was a little little tiny bit too much love but overall I really love the whole family scape of it like the whole being family Dynamic and Taylor's dad like oh phenomenal so I'm say if you want a little bit closer look into what it's like to be with dealing with a family member that has cancer I would definitely say pick up this book it I think it you know it hits nail on the head I think ending the ending all the ending I adored the ending with the envelopes and just that made me cry right there itself honestly I just this is I definitely recommend it Morgan Matson you have not disappointed me but you have made me cry congratulations to the first first author that's done it and yeah after reading this I feel more comfortable going into F Our Stars but quite honestly I'm probably going to read that on the snake snake because I don't want to feel pressured into it honestly but yeah I'd say definitely recommend this book you know but be prepared to C it's not your typical summer book it's your sad family drama book but a really good one that's all for me guys sorry for this insanely long book review and I hope you learned a little bit more about me and why am the way I am and hopefully you'll pick up the book have a great rest of your week I will talk to you guys later bye cuz I needs always be\n"