Lily Harper has been forced to take a holiday .
She fainted at work and is being trolled online after a disastrous television appearance. She lives and breathes for her work.
She has been booked into a retreat on a remote island on the The Scillies . After two days she is ready to leave but an accident makes her question her life.
Will she stay and will she be able to turn her life around.

I really enjoyed Second Chance Summer, the characters were likeable and the location sounded amazing. An easy to read summer hit.

I really loved this beautiful story set in such a fabulous location. I enjoyed the development of the characters, the themes of grief, loss, secrets and moving forward. A fabulous read for the summer!

I loved this book, it was such an enjoyable read. Workaholic Lily is at the heart of the story, and is forced to step off her treadmill for some rest and relaxation after she faints at work.
Her PA immediately books her into a retreat on the Isles of Scilly, which seems to tick all the required boxes. However when Lily arrives, all is not as expected. She meets the grumpy but attractive owner Sam, and they do not hit it off at first. Lily’s first instinct is to turn tail and fly back to the mainland, but due to appalling weather, it’s not possible.
The lovely story of ‘will they, won’t they’ between Lily and Sam slowly unfurls, hampered at times by Sam’s stroppy teenage niece Morven, who lives with him. Gradually the emotional baggage weighing down both main characters is revealed, to each other and to the reader.
The characterisation is excellent, I feel I got to know all the main players in the narrative, and was sorry to leave them behind.
The star of this story for me is the location. The author’s descriptions of the Isles of Scilly are beautifully drawn, and so atmospheric, her research into the islands and their history has been extensive. The islands hold a fascinating geography and history, and most readers, like me, will not know anything about this group of islands on the very outer edges of Britain’s coastline. Reading this book has made me curious, and wanting to learn more about this part of UK.
My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. I will look out for more of this author’s work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It shows that no matter who you are that we all need to slow down and appreciate life as all too soon it’s over. This book follows the story of Lily who is a CEO and boss lady who is a workaholic but who is also on the verge of burning out when she collapses but she is a very lucky woman who has an amazing PA and brother in law who manage to convince her that she needs to slow down and have a break which leads to her to end up in Stark at half done retreat. She then meets Sam the grumpy but hunky owner of the retreat and here the story begins with quirky characters like Sam’s auntie and his niece. I just found this book so heartwarming and would love to visit Stark and meet all these quirky characters.

I would highly recommend reading this book but be careful as once I started reading I couldn’t put this book down!

I would like to thank Netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book early.

Lily is on burn out, she needs a break from over working herself too hard and trying to decide on a merger with a supermarket for her hand made craft items.
So her assistant books a retreat weekend away on an island called Stark.
When she gets there she is horrified to find it completely unfinished, her host is the handsome yet cool and aloof Sam who tries hard to make her welcome but is struggling to give good service on a soft opening as he works on his holiday cottages.
Finding it hard to unwind at first and desperately wanting to high tail it back to London and work she slowly comes around and sees the natural beauty and charm of the island.
She even finds herself fitting in there and actually helping out a little with the cottages and advice on holiday letting and soft furnishings.
All the time slowly growing to appreciate and admire Sam who is struggling to make ends meet and also look after his niece the same .
Appreciation slowly turns to deeper feelings for both of them.
But as they each have their own lives and jobs elsewhere, could they even begin to think about making their slowly burgeoning holiday romance into something even more meaningful?
I absolutely adored this, such a lovely story, the characters were great, I liked, empathised and cared about them all and you just get swept up in the drama and the beautiful locations.
one of my favourite reads this year so far and perfect for a bit of summer escapism.
absolutely charming.

Great Story Telling with Believable Characters.
Forced to take a break from her work, Lily is dismayed to realise that the retreat into which she has been booked is not precisely as advertised. There is not the promised spa, hers is the only accommodation ready for occupation, she is the only guest and worst of all there is no mobile signal or WiFi for her to keep in touch with her office. It also doesn’t help that the weather is bad, her host late in picking her up and when he does, grumpy, and the locals are bad mouthing her behind her back. All Lily wants to do is to return to civilisation and a ‘proper’ hotel. However a change in the weather and a near death experience has her deciding to stay longer. Will the break change her workaholic ways and will she open herself up to love?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lily Harper is a workaholic who is forced to take a break to a retreat following a health scare.
Landing on the Scilly Isles in foggy, grey weather and greeted by a grumpy, scruffy host, Lily takes an immediate dislike to the Isles.
Gradually her retreat improves and she falls in love with the place.
Beautiful descriptions of the Scilly Isles, really makes me want to visit.
This is a lovely holiday read.

This book is a really great holiday read or even as a read to give you a lift when you're thinking about holidays. It combined my two loves of reading and crafting so I was absolutely hooked throughout! It has romance, intrigue, genuine characters, a beautiful setting, and a great storyline. I'd highly recommend it.

A lovely easy summer read, beautiful descriptions of the Scilly Isles will make you want to visit.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Lily Harper is a workaholic who thinks she has to do everything herself to ensure her craft company thrives. When she finds herself unable to hide her exhaustion she allows herself to be sent off for complete isolation at a spa resort on a remote island. However, things aren't how she imagined and she soon decides to return home. Phillipa Ashley writing draws you into Lily's world and you can feel the beauty of the Scilly Isles.

Second Chance Summer by Phillipa Ashley is a delightfully entertaining summer read about two people, Lily and Sam, who meet on the Scilly Isles. The Scilly Isles are a wonderful background for a love story and the evocative scenery and engaging characters make this book a superb summer read.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Highly recommended

Uplifting feel good story full of fresh air beautiful views hope and love!!
Loved this latest from Phillipa Ashley, hugely enjoyed!! Another gorgeous destination to get to!!
Lily has become a complete workaholic working her craft business day and night, but when she faints her colleagues and family send her on a holiday far enough away to the Scilly Islands so she can’t continue working, although she is still desperate to get back to her company and London. A scary accident gives her a bit of an awakening or second chance to make some changes for a better life.
The retreat sounds amazing and quite the place for an inspirational and restful break from life!! I loved the characters places and life on the islands, the crafting and arts, all very inspiring and gorgeous!!
Hugely enjoyed and recommended!!
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin books for the early read!

Super charming and sweet slice of life romcom set in the Scilly Isles off the coast of Cornwall in south west England.

I adored the setting and the isle of Stark served as the third main character in this thoughtful romance between Lily and Sam. Sam has built a retreat on his family’s Isle of Stark and is single handedly looking after the first customer, Lily. She’s an overworked career woman who has been sent on holiday by her staff. While on the island there’s an event (no spoilers here) that makes Lily re-evaluate her priorities.

Both Lily and Sam have complicated back stories, and some challenges to face between their very very different lives. This is not a second chance romance as the title implies, but rather, it’s a second chance at life and happiness for both of them. It’s British, so low key and understated, with plenty of family issues, and a fade to black.

They communicate so well, sharing secrets and fears and it’s wonderful to see Lily opening up to Sam. A spot of skinny dipping and some alone time made all the difference 😉

A perfect holiday read - light but not insubstantial. I’m off to read Philippa’s backlist! Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Philippa for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This book is much more than a romantic holiday read, I felt a deep connection with the characters and found the whole story incredibly moving. Phillipa Ashley has a real knack of getting under the skin of her characters, from Lily in her 30s to 17 year old Morven. The Scilly Isles play a key role in this book, they’re on my list of places to go to now. The beautiful descriptions of the islands and travelling between them, and the changing weather, give a real feel for life over there. I highly recommend this book.

A successful workaholic who’s close to burnout. A blissful deserted island. A hot, sexy man - all ripped muscles - with a broken heart. What’s not to love? Second Chance Summer by Phillips Ashley is the perfect Summer read … light and frothy romance.

Fabulous story, loved every page. Great setting, you got the feel of the coastal area and I felt I was on holiday with them. Loved the characters, almost ‘Doc Martin’ feel. Twists and turns of the plot keeping you on your toes. Only issue felt that the romance could have started earlier! But certainly read this one everyone I’m sure will love.

This is a beautiful read. Lily lives for her work, she created the Livy loves website selling other people’s pieces of art and crafts; however she is heard making a rude comment on air about another parson and needs to get away from all the negativity going on. She ends up on the Channel Island of Stark.
When the sun finally comes out, it is the most beautiful place she has ever seen. Lily is the first guest of Sam and his new holiday lets business. After a few days there is a terrible accident and Lily and Sam nearly die. All the events they share bring them closer together.
When she returns to London she needs to look into her work life balance to give her more time to spend on Stark Island which she loves almost as much as Sam.
This is an amazing feel good read; I loved it from the start to the beautiful conclusion.

I so enjoyed this book. The descriptions of the islands are outstanding, and will make you want to take a trip immediately. The characters are very real and very believable, and the storyline is great if a little predictable. The main character, Lily, is a strong independent woman, with her own thriving business. What’s not to like?

Lily isn’t as much driven, as completely immersed in work. Since her sister died, she felt the need to be successful – and she is very successful - almost to the exclusion of everything else. When she collapses on the floor in the office her PA is insistent that she needs a break, and arranges for her to have a break on one of the Scilly Islands in a very new resort which is in the process of being set up by the owner. When Lily arrives after a horrendous journey in the most awful weather, she just wants to turn around and go back to ‘civilisation’ – especially when she realises that the wifi and all communication is practically non-existent on the Island where she is staying. Slowly, with the improvement in the weather, and the handsome owner of the Island, Lily starts to fall in love with the Islands and the resort. It makes her re-evaluate her priorities and realise what is important.

A very well written book, which would make an excellent summer read, and leave you on a high.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6506724800

A lovely summer read. My first read by Philippa but it's not my last. A book that you can read in one or two sittings. Lovely characters, so grab a cuppa and ice cream and set aside your plans because you won't want to put the book down x