This is an emotional, romantic story. Set in an idyllic south coast seaside town, first love, teenage mistakes and lost opportunity all feature, in this second chance story.

Emma considers her life choices when her first love Jake returns to the town ten years later. With flashbacks to their teenage life, the story is full of angst and conflict balanced with may humorous moments.

Emma is flawed but easy to empathise. Affected by past decisions, she needs to move on, but can't until she sees Jake again. Jake is arrogant and world-weary. Eventually, he gains insight, and the chance of a happy-ever-after is feasible.

The cast of characters make the story believable and balance the intensity between Emma and Jake.

The story flows and has an addictive quality that keeps you reading enjoyably until the conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from Headline Accent via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I do hope the author will forgive me if I say that I was a bit worried when I started reading this book. It was that backstage glitz (the smell of the greasepaint, the roar of…) that had made me love her earlier books so much, and I just wasn’t sure that an amateur Shakespeare production, the South Quay location or the focus on a group of young friends would have quite the same appeal. Even the return of Jake – successful actor, a bit up himself, not really my cup of tea – couldn’t get me excited.

But how very wrong can you be? It might not have been quite what I expected at first – but that was only “at first”, because it certainly turned out to have all the showbiz moments I could have possibly asked for. I really enjoyed this book, and should have trusted that the author would delight me every bit as much as she always has.

Emma entirely won my heart – her own acting dreams have been thwarted, she works as an events organiser for a local hotel, lives with her closest friend, enjoys being part of the local amateur dramatic group. She’s an all round lovely person, but her comfy life is rather disrupted by the return of perhaps rather less likeable Jake, the TV star escaping to South Quay for the summer. They have history, he broke her heart – and he might just have had something to do with her failure to follow the stage career she’d originally planned too. Maybe he’s changed, maybe he hasn’t – and the book follows their new relationship, initially a cautious friendship, with a bit of conflict and tension along the way, against a backdrop of the dramas of daily life in South Quay and the preparations for the amateur production of Romeo and Juliet.

It’s not all South Quay – we do get a wonderful trip to London, a glitzy party where we meet again some characters from the earlier books (I do like it when that happens!), and a few days of exploring the sights from a lesser-known perspective that I’ll be more than happy to use as a guidebook when I’m next in London for longer than one night. The story of their earlier relationship and what really happened is slowly revealed, in flashback, with a few real surprises along the way – it’s quite a story, and very well told. And I particularly liked the sparky exchanges between Emma and Jake – the Shakespeare quotes were a particularly nice touch, really well done.

I enjoyed the relationship story, but I also loved the backdrop of the amateur production. The characters are so excellent – they might be “secondary”, but every one of them is so well-drawn. And then there’s the introduction of real drama as the possibility of the show going on becomes increasingly unlikely.

The whole story builds so well to its climax – perhaps not entirely unpredictable, but who cares? – and the whole book really left me with a smile on my face. A lovely summery read, and something a little different – I liked it very much.

I just adore a second chance romance, I love the angst and drama as the MCs overcome their pain, their past and overcome it and reunite and fall in love. It’s perfect escapism because it’s almost fantasy as we know real life isn’t like this and that’s exactly why I love these books, a wonderful happy world -yeah we get angst, but you know everything will work out. What I really loved as an avid reader was Shakespeare weaved throughout the story, I thought it added to the romance and showed Jake and Emma’s connection even more. This is a cute summer read, one that makes you smile and you will read in one go. Gorgeous happy romance


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

'The Summer of Taking Chances' is exactly the kind of escapism I want right now. It's not a challenging or unexpected read - everything happens exactly as you expect it, when you expect it - but the fast pace keeps you interested, the characters are all likeable, and while Jake, the male lead, is slightly too much of an arsehole for my tastes, you never stop rooting for narrator Emma to find happiness and overcome her past mistakes. The ending was maybe a little too perfect for me, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who need a light dose of happiness right now.

The Summer of Taking Chances by Lynne Shelby has it all: a picturesque and tranquil seaside village of South Quay, the height of hot summer, a handsome heart-throb and an emotionally intelligent heroine, Emma, who relays to us this romantic tale.
It is a tale of two people, Emma and Jake, who were once intimately close and now have a second chance to fall in love. They have plenty in common. Acting is one thing that binds them. Emma plays the part of Juliette in an amateur production of Romeo and Juliette. Jake is a fully-fledged film star. She is single. He has recently broken up with his girlfriend. He doesn’t seem heartbroken or on the rebound. Old school friends, the two of them are relaxed and at ease with each other. Particularly charming are their exchanges where they aptly use Shakespearean quotations to quibble with each other and laugh at their very own, inside jokes. All other young and eligible ladies in South Quay are swooning over Jake, but he seems to only have eyes for Emma.
Yet, not everything is as it seems. While we take a stroll on the beach with Emma and Jake or join them at a party, watching them grow closer and closer, we also learn about their common past. Shelby reveals small bits of their history, one at a time, through Emma’s eyes. We discover height of emotion and depths of pain, and we wonder: will that past be an obstacle to their future?
The Summer of Taking Chances is beautifully written and absorbing. It has depth and many three-dimensional characters not limited to Emma and Jake. It is a poignant and absorbing read. Highly recommended.
Thanking Netgalley and the Publisher for the advance copy of this lovely book!

I love theatre 🎭 and Shakespeare so this was a very enjoyable read. An interesting back story of how Emma and Jake connected in their youth, made the will they wonts they component of the book very intriguing.
Great setting and secondary characters kept the story moving and engaging.
I enjoyed the many Shakespeare quotes between Emma and Jake, it showed their original connection was still there. A lovely summery read.

I absolutely loved this book! The likeable heroine, the hunky hero, the cast of funny, friendly and temperamental amateur actors, and the lovely village by the sea. Emma fell for local boy Jake ten years ago, before he left to become the famous TV star he is today. But they were just teenagers then. Somehow Emma never did leave the village and follow her own acting dreams. Was that Jake's fault? And how will they both feel now he's back for the summer? The am dram production of Romeo and Juliet provides the backdrop for the story. If anything can go wrong it will! As Emma and Jake rediscover the friendship and acting chemistry they once shared, the stage is set for misunderstandings, upsets, and hopefully romance! A big fat five stars from me.

A great summer story, cosy and heartwarming.
I liked the great cast of characters, the plot that flows and the lovely setting.
I can't wait to read another story by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Really cute summer read. All the characters were likeable and I thought the romance were pretty cute. I liked the aspect of Romeo and Juliet being untwined with the plot and the aspect of being inside inside an actors life. Sadly I got bored towards the end which was a shame as I enjoyed the rest of the book, but I do recommend for a quick chick lit read.

Great feel good, summer read. When Emma's first love, a successful actor, appears in her seaside town, she struggles to leave the past behind.
If you love a bit of Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet then this story is for you with lines from various Shakespeare plays keep popping into the dialogue. This is the only bit of the story that was a little annoying, I mean do people really speak to each other in verse?!
Apart from that a perfect girl meets boy, rekindling their romance, in the usual turbulent fashion.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Another great read, great characters and a really good storyline. Would recommend

I sat down with the intention of only reading a chapter or two and 3 hours later I have made my way through the whole book in one sitting! It is such a cosy summery story and exactly what I've been looking for lately. I have now added the author to my must read list

I highly recommend if you are looking for a perfect summery story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

The story of Emma who lives with her friend and boyfriend and performs/acts in plays put on by the South Quay Players at the community centre. As well as work as an Events Assistant.
When she sees that Jake is back in South Quay, she’s not happy.
She goes back in her mind to what happened between the two of them when they were teenagers. It didn’t end well.
Although she loves the job she does, she really wanted to follow her dream of acting.
Her friend Lizzie, thinks she still has feelings for Jake, but Emma doesn’t agree with her.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear what happened between Jake and Emma and why she never followed her dream.
Emma is offered a promotion but chooses not to accept and apply for acting college instead.
As the community centre is destroyed in bad weather the Players are now worried that they won’t be able to put on their play of Romeo and Juliet.
Jake agrees to act in and direct the play and asks Emma if she can ask her employer if they can hold the play at one of their rooms.
Enjoyable reading.

I’ve spent my Sunday morning reading this gorgeous book by the fantastic @lynneshelbywriter
I haven’t been able to put this one down! It’s absolutely gorgeous and I highly recommend this one. It’s a great read with gorgeous characters. It’s been a beautiful escape this morning. Definitely a perfect read! The story is as gorgeous as the cover ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️