Perfect summer get-a-way. This bittersweet story is a must read. It has all the feels. I love the relationship between Jenna and her mom. Loved it.

I really enjoyed this lovely book, which was heartwarming. Jenna and her daughter Sophie go to Lake Summers, which is Jenna's childhood home. While they are there, they help look after Jenna's Mum, who has had an accident. Jenna is surprised to meet an old flame called Troy. Will they still get on as good as they did when they were younger? I loved the characters in this book, the story and the setting. I highly recommend this book, which is a perfect holiday book.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the secco day book in the Lake Summers Series, but there is no need to read the first before enjoying this one. They are both standalone novels set in the same town, but there is very little crossover.

Jenna is returning home to Lake Summers, after ending her marriage and trying to start fresh with her daughter. When she gets to town, she realizes that her mother needs more care than she originally thought, and her daughter is drawn into a tiny bit of a mystery involving her grandmother’s past. Further complicating the summer, the boy next door has returned home, with all of the unresolved feelings of the past between them.

Jenna’s sister is used to taking care of everything, and wants them to move close to her so that she can help out. What path does Jenna take, the easier one of catering to her sister, or the one that is in her heart?

I really liked this one, and there are times when we all question if we are making the best decisions for our family, our children, and ourselves. I appreciated this was a journey for Jenna, and I enjoyed it from start to finish.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 2 in the Lake Summers series and can be read as a stand alone story. Book 1, Lilac House followed the same theme of second chance at love. Jenna returns to her small hometown in the Adirondack mountains when her mother's health starts to decline. She wasn't planning on moving there permanently. With daughter Sophie in tow, Jenna is helping her mother, Sweet adjust to getting older. Meeting old flame Troy is an added bonus. Jenna must decide if quitting her job as a perfume creator and striking out on her own can support her family. A beautiful story with family at the center of the tale. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This story reeled me in from the very first page!.
The characters were wonderful and so detailed and realistic, it makes you feel as though you are part of the story and fully sharing in their emotions.
I found the storyline to be plotted brilliantly, with twists throughout that really keep you feeling engaged with the story, and well and truly invested in the characters and what would become of them.
Engaging, well written with a pace throughout that keeps you wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.

Hi, I lost the eARC of this book so I won't be able to review this book. I hope you understand. I really wanted to read it but unfortunately my phone got formatted and I lost the copy.

This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Jenna is back at Lake Summers after her divorce. She's going through a tough time and needs to rearrange her life. Her plan was to spend some time in Lake Summers with her daughter and sort everything out. But things didn’t go her way. She had to take new responsibilities and story took turn through relationships, bondings and lots of other things.

The thing I loved most was the character execution. Though sometimes I felt like I couldn’t connect to the story. And I lost interest time to time.

It was a new type of story for me. That's probably the main reason I didn't like this book. The characters were a lot of fun though.

Jenna returns to her hometown at Lake Summers to care for her mother who has had a fall and may have mild dementia. She is nursing a sore heart following the end of her marriage and her ex's subsequent engagement which he has not told their daughter Sophie about. Her heart is further confused when she discovers that her neighbour and first love Troy has also returned to the town...
The Bluebell Girls is a book of family, love and second chances. The pace is quite slow but the writing is warm and engaging. There is also a hint of mystery as young Sophie tries to uncover the truth about her grandmother's past.
Talking of the past, Jenna and Troy are both haunted by their teenage years when they almost ran away together which resulted in tragic consequences. I wanted to shout at them both to be brave but author Barbara Josselsohn is much more subtle and gentle than me!
I enjoyed the intergenerational plot and the gradual revealing of the events in Jenna and her mother's pasts. I thought that important issues like caring for the elderly, grief and marriage breakdown were handled sensitively.
The Bluebell Girls is an enjoyable novel and is the second book set in this location. I have not read the first and didn't know until I'd finished! So it works perfectly well as a stand alone story.

This is the second book in the Lake Summers series, but can definitely be read as a standalone story. Jenna is recently divorced and plans to move to Lake Summers with her 11 year old daughter Sophie. The plan is to stay for a few weeks in the summer to get things sorted and find a place to stay, then go home to Rye and sell the house and move. Plans to not work out as Sweet, Jenna's mother has a serious fall and Jenna and Sophie need to stay with her over the summer. Chole, Jenna's older sister, wants them to sell the house in Lake Summer and move to Long Island with Sweet moving into a residence. Jenna knows that is not what Sweet needs or wants. What follows is a summer of reflection, growth and love.

I loved the relationship between the three generations. Sophie is an unhappy girl at the beginning, but blossoms while developing a relationship with her grandmother. Even Chloe comes around to giving her mother a chance with Jenna and Sophie staying for the summer. The romance between Jenna and Troy was sweet. They knew each other as children and became reacquainted as the story progressed. Troy carries a lot of baggage from his time in Lake Summer and needs to work through that to find happiness again. Watching Jenna grow from a self-doubting mother and woman to someone with confidence in her abilities and choices was wonderful. This was a beautiful, heartwarming, thought-provoking novel with a great setting, wonderful characters and a feel-good storyline. If you enjoy a family story with some love and a bit of romance, then you will enjoy this one.

Jenna has had a bad year with her divorce and she is worried about her mother Sweet's health and the fact that she is living alone in Lake Summers, so she takes her daughter Sophie to stay and tries to decide whether she thinks she could live there permanently again. Sophie soon settles in and is enjoying spending time with her grandmother, especially her stories of film star lovers! Jenna has a shock though when she finds that her own first love is back and living next door....... will they be able to forget the past and start again?

Lovely to be back in Lake Summers and I enjoyed the story of Jenna, Sophie and Sweet. A light easy reading book with the feelgood factor

Jenna is back at Lake Summers, after a horrible year. Her divorce was final and she decided to bring Sophie to spend some quality time with her grandmother, Sweet. Not only it resulted in a good idea because they definitely bonded, but because everyone found the visit very enjoyable and it helped to rediscover some of the old bonds that were important way back in time.
It was a nice reading. The characters are solid and the pace is good. My only complaint, the epilogue resolution was a bit sudden. I would have loved for it to be a little more developed.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love working with different publishers because I get a cross section of genres, and I never know what my next read will be. After a string of psych thrillers, crime procedurals, and historical fiction, I was thrilled to read this pleasant story about family ties and romance.

After being introduced in The Lilac House, I was so excited to visit Lake Summers again. The author has a knack for creating a place that makes the reader feel like they’re “coming home” just like the characters (in this case, Jenna). There is something about the way the author describes towns and houses that is just…comfortable.

Once again, small town life and politics is captured perfectly, warts and all. It is heartwarming to read about people who still care about their hometown, and who support each other when the chips are down. That kind of love and pride for a way of life means something, especially these days.

I particularly liked the generational aspect of this story. The set-up is simplistic but effective. Sweet still lives in Lake Summers. Jenna (her daughter) moved away and started a family of her own…until her husband decided he wanted a different family.

Jenna is considering a permanent move back to Lake Summers to lick her wounds and figure out the next chapter in her life, brining her teenage daughter, Sophie, with her. That plan accelerates when Sweet has an unexpected fall down the stairs and exhibits signs of memory loss (early Alzheimers?)

It’s effective plotting that bring three generations of women together at a time when each is at a turning point in their lives. At any given time, I could relate to each of the characters: Sweet, for what she is no longer able to achieve; Jenna, for not knowing which way to turn; and Sophie for having her world upended.

If The Lilac House had me at “ballet,” The Bluebell Girls had me at “theater.”

I especially related to Sweet and her love for facilitating theater productions for the town. That’s exactly what I used to do. The descriptions of how Sweet seemed more alive and was able to get everything done was familiar and felt personal. Her “two words” especially struck a chord in me.

As to the romance, I liked how the author hinted at something that happened between Jenna and T.J. when they were younger, gradually letting the story build (and it’s not what you expect it to be).

However, you know that they’re destined to be together. But it isn’t easy, and the journey to get there is heartfelt and realistic. I also like how the author uses flowers to explore aspects of humanity (as in Jenna realizing why her mother planted bluebells). The covers are just gorgeous!

I’ve fallen in love with this town and the characters. I hope I get to visit it and explore with the author a few more times!

A loving story of three generations where the secrets of the grandmother was a revelation for the daughter and granddaughter. Author Barbara Josselsohn made the sweetness of the summer come alive in Lake Summers.

Jena was back home with Sophie post her divorce. When grandmother Sweet’s health deteriorates, they both stay over and they come to know of the secret letters. A hint of a next door romance adds to the spice.

Writing was soft and warm hearted, there was a great uplift of spirits on reading the prose. Though not completely a love story – praise the skies for that – this was more about the women and their personal growth.

I liked how the three adapt to the new dynamics finding their peace and joy. It was nice to see a loving bond firm slowly. This was Jenna’s story and how she found her way back to life and discovered her confidence post her separation.

Emotions mark the prose with their fragrance, a secret and a second chance at love makes it all the more soothing. A perfect read over a lazy afternoon.

Escapist, romantic and heart-warming, Barbara Josselsohn’s The Bluebell Girls is a lyrical and comforting read about going back home, unexpected blessings and falling madly in love with the boy next door that sparkles with charm, heart and appeal.

Growing up in Lake Summers had been absolutely idyllic for Jenna. Running barefoot and having all manner of adventures had made Jenna appreciate Lake Summers whilst simultaneously making her realise that there was a big world out there she was desperate to explore. Jenna had moved to New York and made a life for herself and her daughter Sophie, but family always comes first for her. When she hears the news that her mother Sweet is ill, Jenna and Sophie head off back to Lake Summers where they might just find the happiness they didn’t know they were looking for.

Newly divorced Jenna had forgotten just how soothing and comforting life in Lake Summers could be. While her daughter bonds with her grandmother, Jenna is enjoying getting reacquainted and falling in love with Lake Summers anew. Lazy afternoons spent by the water and being in the warmth of her old home has made Jenna feel whole again for the first time in a long while and things continue to look up for her as she meets Sweet’s new next-door neighbour who is a face from the past: Troy, the boy with whom she had shared her first kiss.

Troy remembers Jenna who, alongside her mother, had been known as the Bluebell Girls. Seeing her again after all this time reawakens old feelings neither one of them had been expecting, but it is not just good memories which their reacquainting has brought forth. As they remember old demons and past tragedies, Jenna finds herself forced to choose between a future spent with the man she has fallen in love with anew or a lonely life far away from Lake Summers and all the devastating memories it evokes.

Is happiness going to slip through Jenna’s fingers yet again? Or will she somehow find a way to make things work with Troy and give her daughter and her mother the second chance they have been waiting for?

The Bluebell Girls is a wonderful tale of renewal, redemption and healing that is wonderfully nuanced, highly emotional and beautifully told. Full of characters readers will relate to, delicious humour and dramatic intensity guaranteed to keep them glued to the pages, The Bluebell Girls is a beguiling tale that makes for the perfect romantic escape – especially at the moment with all the horrible things going on in the world among us.

I’ve never read Barbara Josselsohn before, but after racing through The Bluebell Girls, I’ll make sure to remedy this situation immediately and have added her to my must-read list!

This is a delightful story takes place in Lake Summers and essentially tells of three generations of women of a family and their interactions with each other. While this is also a romance, and a rediscovering of an old love, the family dynamics is also a large part of the story.

Jenna’s recent divorce has changed her view of life and of herself, and she journeys back ‘home’ hoping to eventually settle there. But in addition to taking care of her daughter and an ill dog, she finds that she needs to take on the care of her mother too. Despite her sister’s doubts about her ability to manage it all, Jenna rediscovers her bold and adventurous self and thrives!

The interactions between all the characters in this small town, where everyone knows everyone else are vividly told and enjoyable to read.

Love, hope, second chances and the importance of community are the threads that bind this book together beautifully.

I enjoyed the language, the conversations and the very real feel of this story.

A sweet, small town, second chance romance. Barbara Josselsohn has written a delightful heartwarming story. This is the second book in the Lake Summers series, but it can absolutely be red as a standalone. The books contain A complete story with the only constant in the series being location and the smoothie guys. Jenna has returned home to Lake Summers with her daughter Sophie to care for her aging mother, Sweet. It always feels good to come back home, but it is also complicated. Jenna is concerned with her mothers health, doesn’t know if it’s better thooo have her stay home or move to a home. And then there’s Troy, the boy next-door who Jenna really never had closure with. To top it all off Suite has Sophie on a wild goose chase searching down an old love who may or may not exist.

Loved the small town feel of the story. The relationships between Jenna her mother Sweet and her daughter Sophie were so authentic and heartwarming. I thought the story was the perfect balance of family drama and second chance romance. Troy was a great love interest, such a good guy you really wanted him to find his happily ever after, even if it wasn’t with Jenna. The mysterious movie star love interest added a whimsical layer to the story. This was just an uplifting feel-good story filled with heart, hope, and nostalgia.

This book in emojis 🐶 ☔️ 🛠 🖼

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

An entertaining and well written romance. Great plot and character development. Romance fans will enjoy this second chance romance. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Barbara Josselsohn the author of The Bluebell Girls has written a heartwarming and enjoyable novel.

Lake Summers in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains is the family home town of Jenna and her mother, Sweet. Jenna had made a life for herself and her daughter, Sophie, in New York but returns to Lake Summers due to Sweet's ill health. Recently divorced, Jenna is content with her new relaxed life and then she meets and recognises next-door neighbour Troy...

Barbara Josselsohn examined issues of family and relationship dynamics, love, hope and loss with a fresh approach. The characters she created had depth and intelligence and were very interesting to read about, all with fascinating backgrounds. There were proportionate romantic aspects to the dual timeline story, and I look forward to more novels in this lovely series. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Escape to Lake Summers. I connected with the characters from the first page and could not put the book down. Jenna is in the center of all the emotions swirling throughout the story. She is dealing with a recent divorce, potential move, sisterly angst, the one who got away, and her mother Sweet. Add in her daughter and a mystery to solve. I really did not want this book to end. I have found a new author; love her writing.