Lola Gillette needs a second chance. After she is caught shoplifting, her parents bring her to spend the summer with her reclusive uncle, who lives in a crumbling castle on the Connecticut River that has been in the family for generations. It turns out her uncle needs a second chance too, as he has withdrawn from society after the death of his wife.

Lola makes friends with Kya, who lives nearby on the same property, but she doesn’t tell her about the trouble she’s in or that her parents want to send her to boarding school or, worst of all, that she feels responsible for her twin sister’s accidental death.

As the summer progresses and Uncle Milo sinks even lower into depression, a new threat comes from the town. Neighbors want the property condemned to make way for new development. Can Lola save the family home and help her uncle find new purpose in life while also saving herself?

Lola Gillete and the Summer of Second Chances by Kimberly Behre Kenna explores issues around grief and friendship and family bonds. Some areas of the story were not developed enough for me, like how a thirteen-year-old would believe that magic would get her out of boarding school, and the timeline for action seemed too short. But overall I liked the story of a girl who finds courage to take action and set in motion a chain of events that heals not just herself but her loved ones as well.

The author provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.