This is an easy little read if you’re looking for something fun and seasonal, it will keep you on your toes and the writing is just a pleasure to read. I love how the characters were written and they pop off the page. This is a great read for summer or for just a break or escape from every day life.

This is the first book I read by this author and I loved it. The flow of the the story is great, and grabs your attention from the first page to the last

When her husband dies Anna is devastated and comes to the Lilac House, their summer home in Lake Summers, with her two children Zac and Evie intending it to be for the last time as she cannot stand the memories. She is soon back into the community and running the ballet store with her Aunt Hope with the kids enjoying summer camp, is she being too hasty thinking of selling up? Then she meets Aidan but it is far too soon for her to start having feelings for someone else isn't it....... and what is it that Aidan is hiding?

A lovely story with a few secrets to keep your interest and great characters making a real community feeling about the town. Perfect summer beach read.

Anna Harris has been coping with the loss of her husband. Along with her two children, Zac and Evie, she heads to a place that has always offered her comfort. It is the Lilac House in the Adirondack Mountains. However, this will be an extended visit. It is hoped that she and the children can start anew. Not only does Anna feel a sense of ease and comfort when arriving at the house, but working with her Aunt Hope in her aunt's shop brings her joy as well.

Then there is Aidan He is also visiting Lilac House. He is also suffering from great loss, but there is more. Actually Aidan has a secret as to why he is there and it is this very secret that could be to Anna's undoing.

Anna loved her husband, but she soon feels she has a chance to start over. Romance is definitely a strong part of this story, but Anna's love for her children, her aunt Hope and for new life definitely balances everything out. No doubt, she will feel raw when it comes to what Aidan is hiding, but I loved the hope that started to shine through.

I enjoyed this tender story and hope to see much more in this series.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The return to The Lilac House brings mixed feelings for Anna and her two children. Grieving from the loss of Greg, husband and father they approach the summer at Lake Summer with trepidation. Hope awaits Anna's return with joy and guilt she has a secret and hopes Anna will understand. Aidan has secrets too but meeting Anna makes him realise there is more to his life than he thought.

This story is an emotional journey for the three main characters in the small mountain town. The characters are easy to empathise. Their stories are poignant, but their interactions give them the chance of a positive future.

The exploration of grief is insightful, and the absorbing story is an uplifting read.

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

The Lilac House us a bittersweet story of loss, grief, and healing. I really enjoyed this story. It is told with emotion and the characters are so well done that you feel like they are friends. I love the fact that this is book one In the series and I am looking forward to the next installment.

Anna Harris is packing up her two children to head to Summer's Lake. She is going to pack up the house to sell since her husband has died. She meets Aiden who is also vacationing at Summer's lake and has his own set of problems. Anna's Aunt Hope is a rock and helps her and the children come to grips with their new life. A good story of healing and grief. This is book 1 in a new series and I'm looking forward to future installments. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Anna and her two children Zac and Evie are trying to come to terms with the tragic death of Greg, husband, father and Senator. As the family leave the city and head to their summer vacation home, Lilac House at Lake Summers each is remembering all the times they’d done this with Greg. As they settle in Anna begins to make plans to sell Lilac House and once and for all leave Lake Summers and all it’s bittersweet memories behind. However, unbeknownst to Anna, she was half owner of her Aunt Hope’s ballet supplies and dance school, Lilac Pointe. Not willing to let anyone down Anna throws herself into helping her aunt make a go of the business. Along the way Anna meets Aidan and his son Liam, someone else learning to deal with the death of a loved one.
This beautifully written, uplifting tale is a wonderful read and an incredible antidote for living in lockdown under fear of a world pandemic. I look forward to reading more about Lake Summers and the people who live there.

Summer escapes to Lilac House have always been a source of comfort for Anna Harris. Though things will never be the same since her husband’s death, she knows that it is there, nestled in Lake Summers in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, that she and her children Zac and Evie can begin to build a new life.

The house is just as beautiful as Anna remembers, and caught up in the rhythm of small town life, helping her Aunt Hope run the little shop on Main Street, Anna begins to feel a sense of herself she hasn’t felt in years. Then she meets Aidan. Handsome, strong and quiet, he also knows what’s it’s like to lose someone. In each other they recognise something they’ve both been missing and they feel a spark.

But Aidan’s past holds a different set of complications. He’s hiding a secret about why he came to Lake Summers. And just as the Lilac House finally starts to feel like home, Anna learns something devastating about Greg’s death that makes her question everything…


The book was very interesting. The plot grabbed your attention and it flowed very well. I love Aiden and Hopes story. Definitely a feel good read with all that’s going on in the world right now.

Anna lost her husband in a traffic accident. When the summer arrives Anna and her two children go back to their summer home "Lilac House". There in the small town Anna's aunt Hope has opened a store that specializes in ballet. Hope had once been in a ballet group in Berlin. Anna finds it hard to imagine why her husband bought into the store. While they struggle for customers Anna meets a gentleman that is over the promotion of stores in the town.
There is romance and heartbreak and lots more.

Recently widowed Anna Harris, along with her two children, moves back into the family's lake house for the summer. The memories of her beloved late husband are everywhere, but she keeps going, knowing that her children need her to be strong. Her Aunt Hope has a newly established ballet supply shop and dance studio in the same town, and this helps Anna tremendously as she navigates her first summer at the lake without her husband. As Anna spends time at her aunt's shop she meets up with the local merchants she's known for years. One of the new people she connects with is Aidan, whose job is to promote the local businesses. Aidan lost his wife two years ago and he and Anna both make some progress on the new road they are traveling in their lives.

This was a bittersweet story that was a true pleasure to read. Anna is a grieving woman who has lots on her plate. Her children both begin exhibiting behavioral issues as a result of their own grief, and (spoiler alert) the newly discovered fact that Anna's husband gave her aunt a portion of their savings to finance her store. The author did an excellent job of describing Anna's pain, fear and bravery when life gets complicated. Strongly recommend. I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in this new series.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Barbara Josselsohn, and the publisher Bookouture for the free ARC I received upon my request to read and review it. This is my completely honest opinion.

This is the first book in the "Lake Summers" series by author Barbara Joselsohn.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own., .

After her husbands death Anna takes her children to their lake house at Lake Summers in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. She is hopeful they can all heal and bond together. As they settle down and become involved in the small mountain town and enjoy their life Anna decides to help her Aunt work in her local store.
Soon she meets a man through her shop with whom she feels a chemistry she has not felt in years. .As much as she likes the mysterious new man in her life he is hiding secrets that may undermine their relationship.

I loved the charcters and the setting of the small lakeside town. This is a charming read of healing from grief with family and learning to move on. I look forward to the remaining books in the series.

This was a lovely book to read. Nice to find a new series you enjoy. Will look forward to the next one. The book was very well written and flowed well. Easy to read in these times when it’s hard to concentrate

Written in a lyrical style that emulates ballet (which plays a pivotal part in the story), this book about second chances both wrenched and warmed my heart. I could relate to both Anna and Hope’s stories concerning their dance backgrounds, which made me sympathetic to their personal struggles. I liked how the author also gave the males in the equation interesting backstories as well, instead of just being characters. And the town itself is one I would love to visit. I highly recommend this book. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

1st book in a new series. A story of second changes and moving on. Set in the small town of Lake Summers, in the Adirondack mountains. A town of quirky character and quaint shops. Love the setting and loved the feel good story! Looking forward to book 2. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Anna and her kids head to their summer home in Lake Summers for some recovery and comfort after losing her husband in a car accident several months prior.

As Anna gets settled and tries to sort through not only her children’s grief coping methods, but also her own, she begins to grow closer with her retired ballerina aunt, Hope, who recently opened a dance store/studio in Lake Summers. And with the new business comes with surprises that Anna never would have perceived and meets the handsome city consult, Aidan who seems to have secrets of his own. When Anna begins to develop unexpected feelings for Aidan, she is unsure if it’s too soon to be explore and questions if she can truly trust this mysterious man who hold secrets of his own.

The Lilac House brings grief, the excitement of new love and the guilt of moving on, to the forefront in a beautiful way. A bit descriptive at times when characters are setting things down or going from one room to the next is the only reason I deducted a star. However, the story was one that makes you have the summer feels and reminds you of the stomach butterflies of new love.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture and Barbara Josselsohn for the ARC of The Lilac House (Lake Summers Book 1) What a lovely feel good light romance story or a Niece and her Aunt and how they reconnect over the summer at Lake Summers. Anna has lost her husband and has to deal with closing up their summer house with the help of her tow teenage children, As they arrive, she stops in the see her Aunt Hope (her deceased husbands sister whom she used to be so close to as they were both ballerina's) Anna learns so much about her herself, her husband, her children and her aunt in these two months at Lilac house.Such a heartwarming story of family, friendship and love. Well written and well developed characters made me want to keep reading to find out what some of the characters secrets were. I would recommend as a light cozy read.

This is a lovely book. It is a sweet tale of second chances.

The author draws the setting beautifully. I'd love to visit Summers Lake with its quaint little shops and quirky residents.

Anna's emotional journey feels so real as we walk with her on her path to the future...it is just lovely.


This review is being shared as part of the blog tour by Bookouture Annonymous!

My sincere thanks to BOOKOUTURE and NETGALLEY for the opportunity to read and review ‘The Lilac House’ by Barbara Josselsohn. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway. All my reviews can be found on my blog momobookdiary.com

This was a sweet small town story of family, second chances, and moving on. I would classify this as women’s fiction with a splash of romance rather than a true romance, but for me that worked just fine. I loved the small town of Summers Lake; The quaint shops and the quirky residence. Anna returns to her summer home in Somers Lake for the first time after the death of her husband Greg. Convinced that this is the last summer the family will spend in this small town and determined to make it as normal as possible for her two children. Anna’s aunt Hope has just opened a dance studio/boutique in the same small town and is hoping she can change Anna’s mind. Just as Anna starts to think she has completely made a mistake by returning to Summers Lake she meets Aiden. Aidan is also suffering from his own loss. Handsome, strong, silent, and hiding a secret of his own. I am certain you know where this is going. But the journey was filled with much more depth and emotion than I was anticipating.

I really liked Anna and felt for her as she tried to navigate this tough situation with her children. I thought the portrayal of grief was very raw and realistic. I loved the inclusion of Aunt Hope to the story. Especially loved the dance shop and all the little ballet tidbits. I’d venture to guess the author danced at some point in her life or had a child who danced (my daughter danced for many years competitively and all this brought back memories of that time). Aidan was a good guy and a good father. I was trying to figure out what he could have possibly done that was so bad that he was pretty much in hiding. That leads me to what I thought was the weakest (for lack of a better word) part of the story. There were a lot of so-called secrets and big reveals and I wasn’t always convinced that they were as big of a deal as they were made to be. I think people were a little underestimated when it came to some of the things in the story. In spite of this I really enjoyed the story. The setting was delightful, the characters were enchanting, it left me smiling and wanting a smoothie.

This book in emojis 🩰 ⛰ 🍔 🥤 🏊🏼‍♂️

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

This is the first book in a new series - Lake Summers, a small community in the Adirondack Mountains. It is here that Anna Harris spent restful summers with her husband and their two children. Now things have changed. He passed away and she's returning planning to clear out their summer home, the Lilac House, ready for sale. However, staying there again, especially as her Aunt Hope now runs a dance shop and studio on the Main Street, rekindles memories and a growing sense of self in Anna. However, the shop isn't doing well but maybe the person organising the SummerFest can help? He's Aidan and when they meet they discover they have much in common. He's a widower with a fifteen year old son, Liam. There's definitely a spark between them but there are still secrets to be revealed and some surprising twists before the summer is over!

Losing a loved one is never easy and this story is about two families who have lost key members. Their reactions to their loss, their fears and how they move on is beautifully portrayed in this delightful read. It isn't just about the adults, it is also about the children and deals with some sensitive issues including those relating to mental health and media pressure. It is about fresh starts, building on the past but not forgetting and a great start to this new series.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.