This is the perfect, light, uplifting, summer read that you don't know you need. While it is about saving The Lily Garden, it's also so much more than that. There are many sub-plots that keeps the main storyline going. The stories were all so uniquely interesting that I didn't want to set the book down. I loved the small beach town vibes. Those vibes were so strong and well-written that I was feeling like I wanted to move.

It was lovely to watch Caroline’s character emerge as she travelled back to the place she lived as a child, reconnected with the people she considered family and fought her best to save her mother’s garden. A very diffident woman, she begins to assert herself and go after her own happiness. In doing so, she discovers that her version of her childhood and family may not be what it really was. She also finds a way to let go of her daughter, Lee and give her the freedom to discover her place in the world.

Aaron, a lost soul, trying to come to terms with the past and some new and life changing information, is trying to settle into a new job when he meets Caroline and gets absorbed into her ‘family’.



As both of them fall in love, they also begin to heal from their past and work together with the lovely community to find a way to save the garden.



A sweet summer read – a slow romance, family drama, healing the past and a supportive community is the short summary of The Lily Garden.

The Lily Garden is the perfect feel-good summer novel. A story of family and love- every time I read about a small town, I want to move to one 😆 I enjoyed it and it was the perfect escape. Pick The Lily Garden up this summer!

𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏
𝑩𝒚: Barbara Josselshn ( @barbara_josselsohn_author )
𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Fiction, Romance,
𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 265
𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕: @amazonkindle
𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: @bookouture
𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒆: July 2nd 2021
@goodreads 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆: 4.41
𝑴𝒚 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆: 🌸🌸🌸🌸 / 5 𝑭𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔

This was my first 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝑱𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒐𝒉𝒏 book and it was incredibly sweet. When I agreed to read this book for a blog tour ( @chicklitcentral ) just seeing the title I felt a little spark of a 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑴𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒆 in the making. That is what the sweet town of 𝑳𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 did for me.

Thank you @netgalley, @bookouture and @chicklitcentral for my complimentary copy of "The Lily Garden" for an unbiased review.

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑩𝒊𝒕 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆/𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔

Single mom Caroline, has had a difficult childhood. She lost both parents by the age of eight and thought she'd be living with her mother's best friend Maxine and her two boys forever in the town of Lake Summer. The only town she has ever known as home. But Caroline ends up meeting her aunt, her mother's sister has shown up and takes Caroline away.

Flash forward to decades later Caroline is in her mid-thirties and working at her aunt's company. She has a teenage daughter Lee, who is about to start her High School Senior Year and becoming a self-secure young woman.

One day Caroline gets a text from Maxine to say she is very sorry to share this news but that the garden that Caroline's mother created all those decades ago is about to be demolished.

Caroline who has been planning a two-week trip with daughter to go off and see some colleges decides to switch up the plans so that she can go back to Lake Summer and try to save her mother's beloved "Lily Garden".

Upon arriving however, Caroline did not imagine having to face so many new unexpected decisions and awkward conversations. Meeting a new man, saving the Lily Garden, mothering her daughter, and coming to terms with why it took her so long to come back to Lake Summer. So much rides on Caroline's shoulders, will she be forced to give up or will she become the strong woman she always knew she could be?

This I believe was a sweet family-oriented novel with sweet family banter and a little bit of drama thrown in. The dual chapters of Caroline and Aaron was much refreshing to read and see the man's point of view on his own family drama.

I enjoyed "The Lily Garden" and hope you will as well. The Lily Garden was published July 2nd 2021 and you can get the Kindle Version right now for only 99¢ on the Kindle App. Or free if you have Unlimited Kindle.

This is the first novel I've read by this author and I enjoyed this.

This is the perfect summer read about a daughter saving her mother's lily garden.

This isnwinderfully written and a refreshing read that I was totally hooked fromnthe start.

It has family drama, sprinkle of romance and a splash of mystery which will keep you reading until the very end to see what happens.

The Lily Garden served as my introduction to the work of Barbara Josselsohn. Readers who enjoy heartwarming stories in a small town setting should pick up a copy of this wonderful story. Read on and see why it would make the perfect summer read.

The story introduces Caroline, a widow and single mom, to a seventeen-year-old. Caroline currently works in her Aunt’s textile company. The same aunt who raised her from she was twelve years old. She has accepted the life she had living in Chicago, but she wants more for her daughter. Although she had fond memories of her childhood home prior to and after losing her parents where she lived with her mom’s best friend for four years, she never returned to her roots. 

Amid preparing for a two-week vacation, which included college tours with her daughter Lee, she received a heart breaking message. Her mother’s lily garden faced imminent destruction, causing her to change her plans and make an unplanned trip to the place she once called home. While there she meets Aaron, a history professor, who  recently moved to Lake Summers to take up a professorship at the local university.

Aaron grapples with issues stemming from a recent discovery. However, meeting Caroline proved a welcome distraction.

Caroline exhibited immense growth as the story progressed. I enjoyed watching her leaving her comfort zone and embracing the challenges surrounding the lily garden. Also, I cheered for her when she began making decisions for herself. The secondary characters with their words and actions added to richness of the story.

I loved the relationship Caroline had with her daughter. It reminded so much of the one I shared with my mom. Also, I found the developing romance between Caroline and Aaron to be ok. It received little page time, making it difficult to connect with them as a couple.

The synopsis hinted at a terrible secret, one which I waited eagerly to be revealed. The big reveal occurred almost at the end, which I found sad rather than terrible. I must admit I teared up at the revelation. Also, several misunderstandings in relation to the past were cleared up, which allowed for healing to begin. 

One of my biggest peeves is a story ending without there being closure to the issues and leaving me to make my own conclusions. The story ended in such a fashion, leaving with unanswered questions.

Conclusion/Recommendation

Despite my issue with the ending, I enjoyed this heartwarming and uplifting story of family, friendship and love.

The Lily Garden is a medium paced story that is heart warming, emotional and has more than on layer...
I like how Josselsohn has explored the relationship and bond between mother and daughter at an important life stage...
I did notice some typos and felt that the story left me with more questions than answers in regards to what was going to happen!
The character development of The Lily Garden is ok. The characters were relatable and friendly. I like the fact that Caroline was a strong female character but she really needed to start thinking for herself instead of pandering to others. I also felt that Aaron and Caroline had an ok chemistry but it wasn't really explored enough to gain a connection...
I would recommend reading The Lily Garden to lovers of Women's Fiction, as it is a character driven story based on confronting the past and learning the importance of family and friendship...

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Lily Garden' by Barbara Josselsohn.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Barbara Josselsohn, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 2nd July 2021.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Bluebell Girls' which I highly recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is '.Perfect for fans of Carolyn Brown, Debbie Macomber and Mary Alice Monroe.' I am a huge fan of Debbie so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Barbara and if this is half as good as 'The Bluebell Girls' it is sure to be an epic read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 22 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in the USA 🇺🇸.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Caroline and Aaron. The benefits of third person perspective with are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

Well done Barbara on yet another gorgeous heart warming novel!!

This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions that suck you straight into Lake Summers. The title, cover and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly. A beautiful storyline filled with love, family, hope and romance. I loved visiting Lake Summers again after discovering it in Barbara's 'The Bluebell Girls'. I love the realistic community vibe, the friendships, the whole atmosphere is just so relaxing and friendly. I was devastated when I came to the end and had to leave Lake Summers again. This is an absorbing page turner that will keep you hooked until the ending. I hope your busy writing your next book Barbara as I'm already missing Lake Summers. There was plenty going on between Caroline, Lee and Aaron and I loved seeing what they were all getting up to and following Caroline's fight for her mums Lily Garden.

I loved meeting some of Lake Summer's residents again along with meeting the new characters. I really connected and invested in Caroline, Lee and Aaron's characters and enjoyed meeting them. Caroline and Lee are such strong women which is always a bonus for me on books. I enjoyed watching Caroline and Lee's relationship grow and develop as mother and daughter along with Caroline and Aaron's relationship and I am hoping there will be another book to see where it all leads too. I recognised some of the characters from 'The Bluebell Girls' straight away such as Maxine, Gull and the 'Smoothie Dudes' Stan and Trey. Every character is unique and well developed and I was really invested in each of them. I really hope to meet them all again!!

Congratulations Barbara on another success and here's to your next Lake Summer page turner!!!

Overall an addictive, heartwarming romance that will sweep you away.


Some of my favourite quotes in this book include the following:

📖 "A river flows from Eden to water the garden."

Genres covered in this novel include Romance Novel, Contemporary Fiction and Domestic Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Debbie Macomber, JoJo Moyes and anyone looking for a heart warming romance.

205 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

#TheLilyGarden #Bookouture #BarbaraJosselsohn #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
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Caroline has a whole lot going on all of a sudden. It has barely occurred to her how long she’s been away from the town where she was born, and she may have missed it more than she realized.

Since Caroline moved in with her Aunt Risa when she was 12, she’s known exactly what was expected of her. When she had her daughter Lee, the baby was chosen to be the successor to Aunt Risa’s vast business empire. Now that Caroline is finally revisiting her hometown after almost 30 years, it occurs to her to question her place, and Lee’s place, in the world they never really made a choice to join.

There’s a lot going on in this feel-good summer story. Caroline is remembering how strong the ties can be to one’s chosen family. She’s also used to knowing exactly what her daughter wants, but as Lee gets ready to graduate from high school and embark on her own story, Caroline may not know her as well as she’s always assumed.

While I loved the beginning and middle of this book, the ending felt a bit rushed, so it overall gets 3 out of 5 stars. While I loved the characters, there were a few for which I wanted a little different ending. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy family stories, strong female characters, and contemporary fiction.

Caroline is heartbroken that the lily garden her mother created in Lake Summers has been slated for destruction, so she goes home to do what she can to prevent that from happening. She returns with her daughter Lee, who is currently checking out different colleges, and they receive a very warm welcome. One of the people that Caroline runs into is a historian named Aaron, who is also interested in saving the garden.

Caroline, Lee and Aaron are at different places in their lives. For Caroline, there are missing pieces to her past that she is exploring as well as dealing with the situation with the garden. For Lee, deciding on a college and her future is what she is facing. Aaron finds that this job has so much more meaning to him, more than he expected. What is more is that he finds himself quite drawn to Caroline and it is clear that she feels the same.

I really loved the relationships in this wonderful story. Caroline and Lee were quite close. Also, I enjoyed the developing relationship between Caroline and Aaron, and the slow burn romance was done quite well as other issues played biger roles in this story. This story had quite an emotional edge as Caroline got closer to the secrets of her past and this is where some of the town's members came in. The Lily Garden was a well-crafted, emotive book that would make an excellent beach read. Utterlly hearwarming and memorable, this book comes highly recommended.

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

A feel good beach read about 40 year old Caroline going back home. She explores the idea of finding herself after 27 years of not being very happy with the life she has.
A story about family dynamics, second chances and finding happiness.
There are many engaging and wonderful characters to get to know.
Overall, a nice summer read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Caroline lost both her parents by the time she was 8 years old. She was taken in by her mother's best friend, Maxine and lived with her and her family until she was 12, when her Aunt Rissa, a woman she had never met, came to claim her and take her to Chicago to live with her and her husband. Caroline never felt that she belonged there, but for the sake of her daughter, Lee, she made the best of it. When she finds out that her mother's garden behind the library in her home town is going to be torn out and the library expanded, she changes the plans that she and Lee had made for two weeks of college tours and heads home to Lake Summers.

I really enjoyed this story and getting to know Caroline. She had let her aunt run her life and that of her daughter Lee, and she has finally decided it it time to let Lee make her own choices. She is confused about what she wants out of her life, but she is determined to save her mother's garden. She is a mama bear when it come to Lee. Lee is only seventeen, but she knows what she wants for her future. I really like her as well. She was raised a rich girl but she was not spoiled. She and her mom had a great relationship, most of the time. The people in Lake Summers are those small town folks that are caring and friendly to everyone and I want to go there for a holiday. And then there was Aaron. He was a guest professor at the small college in Lake Summers and he has his own issues to deal with. He and Caroline become friends and open up to each other sharing their stories. This was an enjoyable story with a well-written plot, great characters and enough emotion to have me loving this story, but not bringing me to tears. There are themes of family relationships, grief, secrets, following your dreams, some romance, community, friendship, and finding out what is important to you. I really enjoyed this story and will be looking for more books by Barbara Josselsohn.

Love the characters, the setting, basically everything about this story. Just warmed my heart. Gardens, small beach town, I want to go!

This book is set in Lake Summers - a fictional town in Central New York, on the Western edge of the Adirondacks. Caroline grew up in Lake Summers and enjoyed an idyllic childhood until her parents were both tragically killed, and then she was raised by her mother's best friend Maxine until her aunt came for her when she was a teenger. From that time, she was raised by her wealthy aunt in accordance with family tradition, she went to the "right" school, married the "right" man, and pursued a career in the family textile business. However, her heart really wasn't in any of it...

Caroline gets a message from Maxine that the Lily Garden her mother created is going to be demolished to make room forna library expansion. Caroline feels like this is finally the time to go home, and she may finally get some answers, and also give her daughter Lee some space to explore other paths than the pre-determined family path her Aunt has set her on...

I love the small town setting, the quirky characters, and also the sense of family and quest for belonging that runs through this story from beginning to end. I liked the characters a lot, and found I had a hard time putting this book down.

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

A beautiful small town story that centres around family. I loved the synopsis of this book and reading it didnt disappoint either.

I was drawn in by the cover and I've fallen in love with Lake Summers and the characters within the book. It's a gorgeous summer read that I read in an afternoon.

Beautifully descriptive and high recommendation from me.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another beautiful and lyrical story by Barbara Josselsohn, The Lily Garden explores issues of family, secrets, and the truth about loved ones. When reading a story by Josselsohn, you always know you are in good hands, and you always have hope for the characters' outcomes.

I loved this book. It was heartwarming and a page turner. It was a generational story that revolved around a garden in a small town of Lake Summers. It had a real Hallmark movie/Gilmore Girls feel to it. I loved the author's turn of phrase and her writing and storytelling gift that keep my interest in how the story was going to turn out. If you're looking for a cheesy romance when the man and woman latch eyes and it's love at first sight, though, this isn't the book for you. If you're looking for something with more depth and that will allow you to peer into the hearts and backgrounds of the characters, what makes them tick, then you'll enjoy. It was quite interesting to see that just beause we remember something in our lives one way, that doesn't mean that's the way everything played out. We take our own perspective and experiences to every relationship and situation we encounter. It's the spice of life.

I'd definitely recommend this read. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Bookouture for an advanced reading copy.

I absolutely loved the cover for this book, bright and eye catching. I enjoyed the story of Caroline and her daughter going back to her home town and dealing with some childhood issues. This is a perfect story of family, friendship, old and new loves and finding where you belong.
A perfect uplifting summer read.

This is an uplifting and heartwarming story, a perfect summer read that makes you travel to a lovely place and meet interesting characters.
But it’s also full of food for thought as the characters are faced with choices and how to move on and accepting that the reality can be different from the narrative you choose.
My impression is that at the heart of the story there are some important themes: learning to communicate and understand what the other are telling and why they made some choices, learning to live and accepting risks, the need to belong somewhere and that’s the most important place.
The author did a good job in developing the characters and they are realistic, relatable and likable.
But somehow they seem unable to communicate or understand the others. There’s plenty of emotional baggage and unhappiness till they are able to talk to each other and tell what’s really going on.
Caroline is the main example, as she’s suffering from things that happened in the past and she’s playing safe as she doesn’t want to be hurt again. But she’s also stuck in a situation which is not making her happy and risking hurting her relationship with Lee, her daughter, because of her assumptions.
The moment she talks about her baggage and what she really wants, the moment she really listens to her daughter is the also the moment when she finds a way to a better future.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I’m thinking of reading the other Lake Summer stories as I want to learn more about the characters.
The author is an excellent storyteller and the plot flows keeping you turning pages.
I was happy to travel to Lake Summer and meet these characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Lily Garden.
By Barbara .


Caroline
Was only 12 when she lost her parents. Then The family she knew soon gets ripped out of her life.
But Many years Have Gone by.
Before she Returns to Lake Summers..
Were nothing has changed. Except her.

Carolina
believes, she never had a chance at Making her own choices. Living with Her Aunt.
Wants different things for her daughter.


But Things Aren't always as they seem. Finding out what Really happened..can change a lot.

Aaron a college professor,
now he's a nice guy.
Caroline seems to like .
But he's got a few things to get worked out..wating on the house he rented to be done. But there's more to his story.


A story that brings people Together. 💜❤

This is a wonderful Story about Family. Some Romance. ❤
I truly enjoyed this Book..
Thank you. Barbara Josselsohn.