While this was a beautiful story, I was not emotionally invested in the characters and genuinely forgot to finish reading it. When I did read it it was incredibly well written and a great storyline. I just didn’t have any connection to the story.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

What moment in your life would you revisit?🌻

If given the chance, I’d go back to long days at the beach, and nights filled with music tempting me to dance until the sun rose to greet the new day.
🌻🌼🌸
Jackie Pierce returns to the hippy commune that she called home for three months in the summer of 1979 when she inherits the estate of her late uncle. It was a summer of free love, free living, and an attitude of live and let live. But there is always a price to be paid as Jackie soon found out.

She was seventeen, exploring and experiencing a life that was foreign to her - a bohemian attitude in a world of freedom she had never known. It is a summer of friendship and heartache. Jackie and her cousin Willa form a bond that is broken by a tragedy that neither could have predicted.

After twenty years, things have changed yet the memories still haunt Jackie who is searching for answers to an unsolved mystery. The results are unexpected, leaving the reader with an “I didn’t see that coming but maybe it was there all along” reaction to the unravelling. As an added bonus, there is a reveal when a person from the past steps into the present.
✨☀️✨
This timeline of the past is interwoven with that of twenty years in the future. The commune has all but disappeared with memories of erstwhile characters replaced but not forgotten. This is the story of a young girl known as Lady Sunshine, her cousin Willa and the summer that changed their lives.

If you liked Daisy Jones and The Six, Malibu Rising, and other books that remind you of the innocence and loss of innocence, then you are in for a good read with Lady Sunshine! https://www.instagram.com/p/CSXVnHqFcuB/
Review I started reading this yesterday morning (early) and couldn't put it down until last night when it was finished. This book is reminiscent of those that come before it; a telling story of life in the '70s when people were establishment or they were out in the field. Lady Sunshine leaves one world, rich and somewhat detached parents, to hippy freedom living with her mother's brother and his crew of love, live, and let live musical artists. It is a summer of discovery, friendship, and heartache. This timeline is interwoven with the timeline twenty years in the future when the commune has all but disappeared with memories of erstwhile characters replaced with new and different yet very similar characters. This is a story of Jackie, her cousin Willa and the summer that changed their lives. If you liked Daisy Jones and The Six, Malibu Rising, and other books that remind you of the innocence and loss of innocence, then you are in for a good read with Lady Sunshine!https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55004512-lady-sunshine

This was an enjoyable story with a mix of family and friends dynamic. The timeline flows between the past and a more current time frame with little confusion.

i really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great plot and kept me interesting in continuing reading. I enjoyed the entire thing.

A quiet, heartwarming story of found family and new beginnings. I guessed one of the two major reveals and the pacing was a little slow. But the audiobook narrator was fantastic and I loved the ending.

This book took me back to 1970s California. Even though I wasn’t born until the early 90s, my dad grew up on the California coast and this novel reminded me of stories he used to tell me.

The mystery was pretty good, although sometimes I felt a little lost. Overall, it was a good, fun read.

Part historical fiction, part coming-of age, part family mystery, this book had a lot going on. Told in dual timelines, the narrative belongs to Jackie in both 1979 (as a teenager) and 1999 (as the inheritor of her uncle’s old estate, The Sandcastle. I guess in a way it could be considered a dual historical timeline, since the contemporary line is set 22 years ago. I thought the author did a fantastic job of recreating a summer full of idyllic memories. She captured the 70s vibe extremely effectively. There weren’t a whole lot of big moments in this book, more like important or pivotal moments that you don’t realize the importance of until you read Jackie’s reactions. The parts capturing the 70s music scene were also described with great detail. An excellent way to spend a few afternoons. For a detailed review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy from Harlequin.

I liked the premise of the book, the two time lines 1997 and 1999, the Northern California setting, and the music vibes but it was a slow drag of a read for me. It is slow paced and I couldn't get a good feel of the characters. It is a family drama and coming of age story with a mystery added. As I said, it does have an interesting premise and it might just have been the wrong time for me to read this novel. I will perhaps revisit it at another time to see if I feel different about the story.

A famed musicians’ retreat on the California coast during the iconic era of the 1970s - it is the stuff of music legend and the setting of Amy Mason Doan’s new absorbing novel, Lady Sunshine.

Traveling back in forth in time between the 70s and 90s, Lady Sunshine tells the story of teenage Jackie Pierce’s coming of age at her famous folk singer uncle’s communal estate, The Sandcastle. Jackie, who has lived a banal life of privilege in San Francisco, has her eyes opened to a whole new world during this life-changing summer in which she forms a friendship with her cousin Willa, gets in touch with her inner soul and bonds with some of the Sandcastle’s vagrants, and even finds love. However, nothing gold can stay, and things change forever when Jackie’s wonderful summer ends in tragedy.

Twenty years later, Jackie finds herself inheriting The Sandcastle and returning to the place that helped shape and form the woman she is today. When a group of musicians converge at the estate to record a tribute album to Jackie’s uncle in his iconic music studio, Jackie is transported back to the summer of 79 and the dark secrets she has kept all of this time.

At its heart, Lady Sunshine is a coming of age story set amongst a memorable backdrop of music and an era gone by. The atmospheric setting and vibes that Doan creates within her book really shine, as well as the relationship between Jackie and Willa. Readers who enjoy books about musicians and artists, unconventional living situations, and times of the past, will find much to love about this heady piece of work. On the other hand, the book does move slowly, and it may lose readers who are looking for something more attention-grabbing and fast-paced.

This was such a perfect summer listen, there’s family drama, a mysterious element, a free spirited beachy setting and lots of drama. There’s a dazzling and magical quality here that was conveyed perfectly by the narrator

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I wanted to love this because of the amazing music and history elements but I was just bored.

When I began reading Lady Sunshine, I have to admit I was confused about what was happening with the plot. I couldn't tell if the book was going to be a thriller or just a story of reminiscence. A few chapters in, though, I was hooked and found myself reading the story in just a few days. It is well-crafted, and though the few surprises the author concocted weren't really that surprising in the end, I was curious enough to keep reading to see if my suspicions were correct. Many of us can look back on a particular summer or even year that shaped our lives and made us into the people we are, and in that respect, whether you remember the 1970's or not, you'll be able to connect with Jackie. This is definitely an adult book, especially with the casual sex and drug use that is mentioned throughout, but once again, it's a snapshot of a decade in which music intertwined with those elements in such a way that no one will be too surprised that they are a part of this story. Jackie and Willa's spirits give the story a surreal feel and add depth to the inevitable tragic end to their summer, and the musical timeline presented in this story will cause readers to either nod their heads in remembrance or create a new playlist to explore. I definitely will be recommending this one to my book club! Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read a copy of this book and review it!

This is such a good book to bring to the beach! It's got such great themes in it. Themes I always enjoy reading about. One of the major ones: secrets. However at its heart, Lady Sunshine is a coming of age tale. Jackie Pierce, the protagonist, is very relatable which makes the book a fast and quick read.

Great for a beach read. 4/5 stars.

Lady Sunshine is the first time I have read by Amy Mason Doan and my first thought is, beautiful! The novel takes place during two different time periods, 1979 and 1999. It begins in 1999 when Jackie returns to her uncle’s compound/estate to pack everything up and put it on the market. The reader soon travels back and forth between the time Jackie first visited as 17-18 years old, meeting her cousin Willa, and now that Jackie is an adult and everything has been left solely to her. During both time periods, various artists and musicians show up, relationships are built, and mysteries are solved.

Jackie’s character was so interesting because she seemed to grow and change more in the summer of 1979 with Willa than she did between 1979 and 1999. Her character blossomed and matured while at The Sandcastle all while discovering simple (and at times child-like) pleasures like finding sea glass or staring at the stars. The beauty and innocence of Jackie and Willa’s friendship were that they were acutely aware of the differences in their lives and interests, yet they embraced it and used those differences to discover new things about themselves. Their bond was so strong and so natural, it made me stop and reflect how long it’s been since I had such a friendship, I have some wonderful friendships, but I think that wild and free connection that Jackie and Willa formed is something that is born out of youth.

During the 1999 time period, Jackie is struggling with packing up everyone’s belongings, getting to know new people, constantly putting off returning to her old life, and a little bit busy developing a crush on someone new. But the major driving force of this novel is the mystery that builds and builds. What was her aunt and uncle’s relationship really like? What happened to her uncle that final night? What happened to Willa? Where is Jackie’s diary and what is in it that is so bad?

You will certainly encounter as many questions as I did while reading, and this brings me to my only criticism of the novel – the pacing. I am someone that reads very quickly, usually only taking a few hours to read a book of this length. I have been at this one for days. I truly enjoyed the novel but I do feel that things could have been wrapped up in a tighter package. The author does such an amazing job with her imagery and scene development, but after finishing, I was left wondering if every single detail thrown into this novel was completely necessary.

Last but not least, I have to mention something that truly pulled me into this story, and that was the mention of legendary music promoter Bill Graham, who died in a helicopter crash in October of 1991. About a week after his death, a huge concert was thrown together in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, when I just happened to be visiting with family. That day is one of my favorite memories of my life. I saw The Grateful Dead, Santana, John Fogerty, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and so many more. Needless to say, the entire time I was reading Lady Sunshine, I was thinking back to that carefree day in Golden Gate Park and was so easily able to relate to the characters of this novel.

Anyone that’s up for some nostalgia and a novel full of friendship and love of music, this is your next read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought that this book was amazing. I think that it was the perfect balance of light and dark, friendships and conflict, and past and present. I loved the musical aspects and thought that it added a nice touch to the story. I think that this was an easy and compelling read, that was very easy to get into. I thought Jackie was a super interesting character, and the plot overall was unique and fun. There were parts that I did predict towards the end, but I was also surprised by other parts which I loved. I also think that the cover is so pretty. Overall I think that this is a fun read for music or mystery lovers, and I will be buying my own copy.

I loved this lyrical, emotional story of an epic friendship set in the 70s. The story goes all the way to nearly the 2000s-- almost like a modern Gatsby vibe. It was a really beautiful coming-of-age story about how fame can destroy even the best of relationships if its not handled well.

This book was a great coming of age ride through the music scene in the late 70's. The characters were great - reminded me of a lot of Northern California musicians and the story felt authentic. I can see this as a movie!

This story has two different timelines, one in the summer of 1979 when Jackie Pierce is seventeen years old and goes to spend the summer with her folk-singer Uncle, his family and friends. That is a summer that is a roller coaster of experiences for Jackie, most of which centre around her close relationship with her cousin, Willa. It is a time with many highs but a summer which ended in tragedy.

Twenty years later, Jackie unexpectedly inherits his vast estate and returns there for the first time, planning to pay a short visit and clear everything up ready to sell, not expecting to meet a record producer with plans to produce a tribute album using unreleased songs written by her uncle. It is an engaging story, sharing memories of her teenage experiences skilfully interwoven with events twenty years later.

Filled with family drama, unexpected revelations and a mystery to be solved, this is a moving story with great characters and plenty of surprises. It is a page turner that had me enthralled, wanting to discover what happened and its impact on her later decisions. With music, campfires, friendships and romance, the twin timelines paint a picture of all the similarities and differences in what happens.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Lady Sunshine is a captivating story that takes me back to the 70's. Loved it! Amy Mason Doan's best yet!

Everything about this book is addicting. From the sun-soaked days at the beach, to the disappearance that unfolds, to the complete 70's free-vibe... I found myself not wanting to put it down. I might have closed my eyes at one point and just envisioned being there. I think this book would make a fabulous movie if I'm being honest!