Second Chance Summer is a lovely easy read. There are beautiful descriptions of the Scilly Isles giving the perfect backdrop to the blossoming relationship between Lily and Sam. Of course there are difficulties along the way with other interesting characters, a great holiday read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for this ARC

Loved this story! Made me very fed up with living in the city! Every time I read a Phillipa Ashley book I get the envy and it's very real! This story was brilliant - both funny and sad. Romantic and a hint of drama.
I don't think Phillipa ever writes anything I don't manage to read quickly and yet want it to last for ever!

Lily has been building her thriving business, but due to demanding long hours she has become burnt out, and persuaded to take a retreat away from work. Hoping she will be able to keep in contact with her business while away, she is disconcerted to discover that the ‘rural retreat’ is in fact a small island miles from civilisation, with no internet connection. Arriving with the island looking bleak shrouded in mist, she wants to return home.

Sam is the likeable owner of the retreat, going out of his way to welcome Lily, and when the sunshine breaks through, she settles into a slower pace of life. I enjoyed reading about the initial friction between Lily and Sam steadily growing into romance. Characters are well described, with Lily becoming more likeable as she begins to relax as the story unfolds.

Beautiful descriptions of the rugged coastline of Stark island, with its rugged coastline are bought vividly alive by the author, making you feel you are there. The story has a hint of danger, increasing pace and keeping you turning the pages.

I really loved this book from the first page.when I was reading it I felt like I was there.the island I wish I could stay on there.it’s a must read I couldn’t put it down.well done best book I have read fora while.

Following the tragic death of her sister and a bad brush with the press, Lily Harper has worked herself to the point of exhaustion, literally. She arrives in the Scilly Isles believing she is booked in to a luxury spa resort and is horrified to discover that in fact she is staying on a remote island with no WiFi or phone signal. Rugged resort owner Sam Teague finds his first visitor to be very challenging and not at all impressed with his wellness retreat. A very close call in the choppy waters surrounding the island has Lily questioning her life and her priorities and vowing to make changes - but can she do it?
Second Chance Summer is a very enjoyable read with an entertaining supporting cast of characters and a few twists along the way. The Scilly Isles sound amazing and are at the very heart of the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for the review copy.

Just lovely! I enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read it

A thoroughly enjoyable book as expected from Phillipa Ashley. Set in the delightful Scilly Isles with a slower more genuine way of life, Phillipa's descriptions just transport the reader there along with a good set of characters who developed throughout. A little predictable at times (partly as I'd just finished another book where the main female character had a near death drowning experience) but didn't spoil the enjoyment overall. A definite must for all Phillipa Ashley fans as a great holiday read

What a lovely book! I fell in love with the characters straight away, and found myself thinking about them when I wasn’t reading the book. I definitely want to visit the Isles of Scilly now!! This is the sort of book I usually read in the summer, but reading it during a rainy winter has made my days feel much brighter. Read it, you won’t regret it!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about Lily,, a burnt-out entrepreneur who was still mourning the death of her ‘perfect ‘ sister two years earlier. She ends up at a retreat in the Scilly Isles but it’s not quite ready and the owner Sam is not over-impressed with his prickly, miserable guest.

The story of their journey to an emotionally satisfying denouement is executed brilliantly. I will look out for other books from this author. I would have liked a little more of an open-door approach to the love scene - but otherwise, this is an excellent 4 star read.

Light hearted romance at its finest. Second Chance Summer tells the story of Lily Harper who runs her own craft business but is badly run down and overworked and needs a holiday. After she collapses in the office her oh, so efficient, PA book her a holiday on the island of Stark at a new retreat that is having a soft opening. Lily arrives to find the weather appalling, the journey terrible, the resort still a building site and the owner a grumpy so-and-so. In fairness she doesn't come across to well either so there is a lot of ground to make up in this book. Of course, you know the outcome before you start but its the journey that counts here and as Lily and the resort owner both soften, and the island works its magic, romance blooms.
Some excellent descriptions of the island - I particularly like the 'pest house' and don't know if they were really a thing.
I suspect the easy flow of the writing belies the hard work that went into this book. With thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an early copy in return for an honest review.

You can rely on a book from Philippa Ashley being a very good read. This one was particularly interesting, as living in Cornwall ,the Scilly Isles are very much part of our locality. Poor Lily, burnt out from her intensive job, and needing a 5 star experience, arriving at the lovely Sam's 'retreat'. Typical male outlook on things, but a rather sweet character. Some lovely descriptions of the area and islands. A very readable book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for the chance to read this.

Absolutely loved this book from Phillipa, great read from start to finish , and the descriptions of Scilly are breathtaking! Good storytelling, great characters, highly recommended. *****

Set in the gloriously described Isles of Scilly, Second Chance Summer by Phillipa Ashley is a feel-good escape. The story is hardly ground-breaking but it's engaging told and I was reluctant to stop reading. Lily is a businesswoman who has run herself to burnout, collapsing in the office and forced to take a break. Her PA books a retreat on an otherwise uninhabited Scillonian where she arrives tired and disgruntled in dreadful weather. Her host is Sam, who has literally built the retreat from the ground up. They don't hit it off immediately although the sunshine when it arrives does improve everything. As Lily relaxes and recovers, she begins to re-evaluate her life, helped by a near-death experience! Naturally, there is a happy ending, but it is one that doesn't feel contrived and I particularly enjoyed the fact that the denouement owes nothing to lack of communication or a terrible misunderstanding.

I could not put this book down. I always enjoy Ashley’s books but this one was especially captivating. The main characters were wonderful, as were the supporting ones, bringing humour and depth to the plot. The setting was a joy to escape to through the pages and I’m sad I’ve finished it so quickly. Thanks netgalley

I initially thought I was going to struggle with this as I found it hard to like and warm to Lily, but once she settled into her Retreat you got a better understanding of her character and started to invest in her journey, and her emerging relationship.

A pleasant read that has made me want to visit the Isles of Scilly to view for myself the beautifully described landscapes.

Firstly, thank you net gallery for letting me read second chance summer.
In this story we meet lilly who is so busy running her own company that she's burnt out. Her personal assistant forces her to get away.
Sam is busy focusing on making a new holiday home on the island by his house, however he thinks he must do everything his self.

I absolutely adored this beautiful story I wish I could visit a place as beautiful as stark island.

What a fantastic book. The characters are great and the setting is outstanding. Just like in previous books Phillipa Ashley paints an incredible picture of the Scilly Isles which make you desperately want to escape there. A perfect light hearted read.

This is the first book that I have read from this author but it won't be the last. It is a great holiday read and I thoroughly recommend it. It has most certainly made me want to visit the Scilly Isles which are beautifully described.

I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure about this when I started it, it took me a while to get into it. However the lure of the beautiful scilly isles won me over. Such a beautiful setting for Lily and Sam to fall in love and for Lily to reassess her life and priorities. So glad they found a way to make it work for them.

Perfect holiday reading, especially if you love the Scillies. A great sense of place, the challenges both of getting to and living there - but it is definitely worth it.

Lily is a driven entrepreneur refusing to acknowledge her need for R&R. Sam is an islander seemingly unable to move on from a broken relationship. 'Will they, won't they'. Although the ending is as expected, it is not contrived, but very believable.

Highly recommended for your next holiday!

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC.