This was sooo good! Loved it every page.
The characters were all so different with enough of their own backstory each to feed into the plot but not take over the story.
Perfect summer read!

Lily Harper is CEO of Lily Loves and is a workaholic. Following a dizzy spell her PA and friend Richie demand she takes a break and books this for her.
The retreat happens to be on the Isles Of Scilly and is owned by Sam who hasn’t yet quite finished building the retreat but has been talked into allowing his first guest prior to completing it.
Sam seems to be rugged but as great looking as the landscape and following a near death incident Sam and Lily become closer. Lily starts to relax and realise what is important to her but Sam has had his heart broken before and therefore is wondering can he give his heart again, especially to Lily who probably wouldn’t ever want to stay on the Island that is his home and livelihood on.
I thought this was a wonderful story of how work can take over and the importance of relaxation, friendships and relationships.
Wonderful characters and great descriptive writing of the landscape and location, pure escapism which I would highly recommend.
Thank you to Random House UK and Netgalley for a review copy of this book however the opinions are all my own.

Lily Harper is a bit of a workaholic.
She's built up her business to a successful level and acquired a rather formidable reputation, thanks to some past unsavoury editing from the media.
But she has her reasons.
Then, one day, it all comes to a head, and she finds herself railroaded into taking a much-needed, relaxing break for her physical as well as mental health.
Where she ends up is a bit more rustic than relaxing, shall we say.
Clashes with the weather, the locals, and her 'host', Sam, create a rocky start to the holiday, and then a near catastrophic incident leaves her questioning many decisions in her life.
Lily feels like a female Alan Sugar: no qualifications, but she's built a business with sheer grit and determination, just not to the multi-millionaire of the aforementioned Sugar! She has succumbed to loss and hurt but has hidden it as she strives to prove herself to all those who weren't sure she would make it.
Sam has also experienced his own form of loss. And this retreat he's built is meant to channel his attention into something else. It's just that he didn't expect to find himself falling for the first guest.
I've never considered visiting the Scilly Isles, but the breathtaking landscapes described made me put it on my list.
Though the situation may be a bit far-fetched, why not indulge in a second chance romance, where rugged is not just the romantic interest but the landscape, too?
I enjoyed this story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, for an ARC.

This was a great story. I loved all the characters, especially Morven and Etiene. The setting on the Scilly Isles had stunning descriptions and makers you want to go there. The characters developed nicely and it is a lovely heartwarming story of healing, reconnecting with family and love.

Brilliant novel and ideal for a summer read. Phillipa Ashley is one of my top authors to go to. She takes me away to all her locations and characters. This book is based in a lovely location and has a lovely story line.

Entrepreneur Lily Harper has a successful business but is working herself in to the ground. Still in delayed grief over the death of her sister Cara, 2 years previously Lily has put all her passion and energy into her business Lily Loves. When the stresses start to take a tole on her health she is forced to take a short break away from it all. Her assistant Richie takes care of the details and promises Lily a secluded retreat where she can relax and unwind.

The start of Lily's journey to Scilly is anything but peaceful and she is beginning to think she made a terrible error of judgement coming away to take a break from the business. However as Lily spends more time on the Island and becomes acquainted with its residents she realises it might just be what she needs after all.

Every time I pick up a book by Philip Ashley I know I am in for a treat and this book was no exception. The characters are warm, funny and such a caring community. Lily is able to relax, unwind and reconnect with herself and her passions that got her started on building her creative business. She is able to come to terms with the loss of her sister and reconnect with her twin nieces and her brother in law.

For anyone who likes a happy ending, a book about friendship, family times and a bit of mystery this book is for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Really liked it. Will read more by the author and other books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Phillipa Ashley has done it again, she's produced a novel whose pages you want to keep turning, as much for the spectacular descriptions of the Scilly Isles as for the will they won't they relationship between Sam and Lily, alongside a little mystery and numerous colourful charcters. Sheer escapism!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy of this glorious read.

Such a lovely sunny chilled read.
The characters were very lovely and I particularly liked Ritchie and Etiene.
Sam was a great character and I liked the friendship Lily and him notched up.
Great book and very enjoyable
This is a perfect beach read.
Scilly and it’s surround islands with its azure blue seas sound perfect.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Views are my own.

Lily is a workaholic who gets forced into a 2 week holiday by her PA when she collapses on the boardroom floor. She isn't happy about landing on the Isles of Scilly and being taken to a half finished retreat as its first and only guest by its grumpy but gorgeous owner, Sam. We all know how this is going to unfold - forced to stay, Lily makes the best of it and slowly but surely falls in love with the island, its community, and Sam. When she has a near-death experience and an obituary of hers falsely gets printed in the press, she decides to stay and help Sam finish his holiday cottages. She also helps Morven, Sam's niece who has artistic talent. Lily owns a craft business and of course, totally coincidentally, there will be a craft festival on the island soon. I bet if she had a cupcake business it would have been a cupcake festival, LOL.

I thought this was very well-written and reads easily and quickly. It's pure heart-warming escapism, and the description of the isles makes your mouth water and plan your next holiday there. I really don't know why authors don't get more tourism awards! Lily, Sam, Morven, Elspeth and Etienne etc were all great characters and I enjoyed their company and stories.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and Phillipa Ashley for letting me read this ARC for an honest review in return.

From the moment Lily Harper arrives at a remote retreat on the breath-taking Scilly Isles, she is itching to get back to civilisation - and her thriving business.

Slowing down simply isn't in her vocabulary, and so she quickly clashes with the gorgeous but dour Sam who runs the retreat.

Just as Lily is about to give up and leave, disaster strikes, and she is involved in an incident that changes her perspective on everything.

Lily is no longer sure she wants to return to the life she thought she loved. But will she have the courage to give the retreat, and Sam, a second chance?

This was my first read of Philippa Ashley’s and one thing that I enjoyed the most was how she described the idyllic descriptions of Scilly. The location plays a big part in this story and the author’s writing definitely did this justice!

In some ways, I think that Lily is a character that a lot of us could relate to… overworked, non stop workaholic and unable to slow down. Sometimes we find it hard to take a break, but when we do, we learn how beneficial it can be to slow down every now and again.

Lily and Sam are very similar in their ways when it comes to not having any time for anything other than work… they clashed a lot but I think it was these similarities that made it difficult for them to ignore what was between them.

Overall I think that this book does have a lot of potential, however, for me it could have been a lot shorter. Some parts of the story felt a little drawn out and it almost felt as though parts had been added in for the sake of it.

I received a free copy of, Second Chance Summer, by Phillipa Ashley, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Lily Harper needs a break, so she goes to a remote island, to regroup. Sam works at the island retreat Lily is staying at. What a great beach read, I really enjoyed this book. The location, the characters, so great.

After reading this book I want to visit Scilly. The descriptions in this story sound idyllic. I found the characters well written and realistic especially the teenager Morven! Phillipa Ashley is one of my favourite authors and this book doesn’t disappoint. I hope there are many more stories to come

I love a book where the landscape is almost one of the characters and this was very much the case in Second Chance Summer - a gentle, heartwarming tale of life, loss and love.
Phillipa Ashley's characters Lilly and Sam were likeable and believable and I was totally invested from the get-go. The supporting characters and storylines added depth and made the book so much more than girl meets boy with just enough complexity to keep you hooked.
I genuinely loved ever minute of this book and was sad to say goodbye to the characters.
Fabulous story, beautifully written, great characters and all-round lovely read.

A really great story where you follow the journey of Lily and Sam, feeling all of their respective emotions along the way

When I was offered the chance by Netgalley to review this book, I jumped at the chance. I finished the book over a week ago but wanted time to ruminate before posting a review.

Lily never stops a driven businesswoman, she has non stop drive and is always stretching to the next big thing.

When she has a turn in her office her assistant arranges a trip for her to a new spa on the remote island of Stark, but can she cope with a week of no phones, no WiFi, no pressure.

Sam is working night and day to try and get the island of Stark ready as en executive retreat, he also has the care of his neice a feisty teenager who is really rebelling without her dad.

When Lily's assistant calls and convinces them ti allow Lily to come as a soft opening, Sam knows this is going to be a disaster and when Lily is determined to leave as soon as possible, it looks like this is doomed to failure but after a year death experience and a major misunderstanding maybe Stark is the safest place for Lily just now.

This was a fantastic story, I have missed a few plot lines, this could have been a very cluttered book with the various storyline but it all weaved its way through seamlessly.

A wonderful book, guaranteed to stay with you for weeks afterwards. Definitely worth a read.

Second Chance Summer is a perfect title for a relaxing vacation read. I loved the setting that made me want to visit all of the locations (both fictional and non) that were described in these pages. I enjoyed the story (and backstory) of the two main characters, one a woman desperately needing a break and the other a man who is trying to open a mindful resort space.

One thing that I enjoyed about this story was that it was not completely predictable, as some books in the genre can be. No spoilers but one example has to do with an incoming tide.

Anyone who enjoys women’s fiction/romance cannot go wrong with this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for this title. All opinions are my own.

I always enjoy a Phillipa Ashley book and this is another great tale from her. The main character Lily Harper is in desperate need of a rest when she finds herself on the beautiful island of Sicily, what better place to recover, however the story is not without the obvious twists and turns.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this, very much enjoyed it.

I’m so sorry but I could not even finish the book. The writing was clunky and I did not enjoy it. Maybe it’s because it is incomplete but unfortunately I could not finish it

Second Chance Summer a heartwarming story of self-discovery and love. it’s an easy read that follows Lily Harper, a workaholic who reluctantly heads to Stark Retreat in Scilly where she finds herself to be the sole guest at a still-under-construction retreat. Here she meets Sam, the rugged owner of the retreat.
As expected in a romcom book, there’s chemistry and emotional baggage, that’s what I sign up for when I open the cover though! A perfect summer read 😎

What a lovely read. Lily Harper is in dire need of a total rest after suffering from what I can only call burnout. Her assistant much to her horror books her onto a new retreat on one of the remote islands of Scilly. No internet or mobile phone service. How will Lily cope not being in control of her business? Well, from discovering this she makes immediate plans to make her escape back to the mainland, but weather conditions and a near life incident starts to make her rethink her life. The retreat is also not really ready for customers, so she offers her help to Sam the owner, who begrudgingly accepts. As the pair start to talk, they both open up about past grief and begin to move on. The slow transformation of Lily back to her creative being is lovely to see and I think we can all take something from the idea of a digital detox in our busy lives and embrace the beauty that surrounds us. Throw in a teenager with angst and the story is more than a will they won't they. Thank you Netgalley.