The story of this book follows Caroline and her daughter Lee who is soon going off to college. Caroline has brought her daughter back to the place where she grew up and when she was child and living with her parents who had passed away when she was young. We follow them as they both learn more about their family and they meet new people and start to form new relationships.

This book was quite a heart warming story and I liked it. It was a bit predictable to guess what would be happening and it's a bit difficult to explain in this review without spoiling it so once you read the book you will understand what I mean. However, despite being predictable it was a nice way to end the book and I was happy with it.

This is a wonderful story of re-connecting with people, unravelling secrets and forging new bonds. Caroline comes back to Lake Summers with her daughter in the hope of saving the garden behind the library. This is the garden which her mother built up rather lovingly and took care of it until she passed away at a rather young age. Caroline was taken in by her mother's best friend Maxine until her great aunt came and took her away. 

Caroline is nursing a slight hatred towards her great aunt for having kept her away from Lake Summers, but as time passes, she starts to find out the truth about what really happened and all the secrets her family has kept. Reconnecting with people from her childhood, especially ones who love her and took care of her gives us a feleing of finally coming home. As Caroline and her daughter explore this place and discover their passion, the reader is taken along on a sweet journey towards a wonderful end.

The characters are well thought out and pleasant. I loved reading about Maxine and her family, the love and connection people had with the Garden and the place, Lake Summers. It is a pleasant setting that made me feel happy to be a part of it through Caroline in the end. The cherry on the top is the chance to find love and move beyond all the secrets and what ifs towards new beginnings. The author addresses these quite well in this book.

This is a pleasant read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a romance and family story.

Caroline is getting ready for a two week vacation with her daughter Lee to go tour colleges. But when she hears that her deceased mother’s much loved Lily Garden is going to be torn down, Caroline and Lee quickly change their plans and return to Lake Summers to save it. After being gone for thirty years, Caroline arrives in town and she receives a warm welcome, and then she meets Aaron, the historian. As the romance develops, between Aaron and Caroline, she learns of a terrible secret that happened the day her mother died, and Caroline soon realizes the truth about the town that she still loves. The characters we so relatable and the vivid description of the lovely town will make you feel like you were in Lake Summers. This uplifting and inspirational story is one that will penetrate your heart and soul. This is a book to be devoured, once you begin you won’t be able to stop until the last page is turned. This feel-good summer romance is a must read. Absolutely do not miss the opportunity to read this book. I promise you will love it too!

Thank you Barbara Josselsohn for such a fantastic story. This story had all the feels of love, family, friendship, and family secrets. I absolutely loved this story. I highly recommend this book.

The Lily Garden
by: Barbara Josselsohn
Publisher: Bookouture
The quaint resort community of Lake Summers, a town across Peek Inlet in the Adirondack Mountains, has captured my heart. The Lily Garden is third in the Lake Summers Series, and Josselsohn's writing is beautiful, soft, and engaging. Mother Caroline and daughter Lee leave Chicago and their jobs at Rantzen Enterprises, the family textile business, for a while to visit Caroline's childhood home of Lake Summers. Although their goals for the trip are quite different, the strong bonds of family will guide their journey.
Caroline needs to start an effort to keep Lily Garden in bloom. The garden that her late artistic mom Lily founded three decades ago, now somewhat neglected, sits behind the Lake Summers Library. Caroline recalls its charming footbridge and blooming lilies, daisies, zinnias and poppies in vibrant shades of yellows, pinks and orange. Lee plans to visit business colleges on the trip, as she wants to be head of Rantzen one day, although her mom feels she should explore her artistic side as she preps for a college choice.
Caroline and Lee search separately yet together for clarity and direction in their lives as they immerse themselves in Lake Summers. Aaron, a smart, visiting history professor with dazzling brown eyes adds some romantic spice to the story for Caroline.
Although the culture of Lake Summers is relaxed, it is also academically and artistically stimulating. Residents and visitors can savor a big grilled cheese at The Lakeshore Grill and a raspberry drink at Smoothie Dudes, and then enjoy a stroll to the local bookstore or a concert on the green. A dance/ballet shop offers lessons, and nearby Gorson College provides art, history, and literary academic endeavors.
This book is third in the wonderful Lake Summers series. It is also a stand-alone book. Having read the first one, The Lilac House, I will finish the series next with the second one, The Bluebell Girls. I need to rent a cottage in Lake Summers for the summer, or better yet consider a permanent move here!
Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for an Advanced Reader's Copy and the opportunity to read and review The Lily Garden. 
#TheLilyGarden #NetGalley

A phone call caused Caroline’s seemingly perfect life to take an unexpected turn. Watching her teenage daughter prepare for college and position herself to take helm of Rantezen, the family successful corporation, Caroline begins to questions her choices.

Is she living the life she’s meant to live or assimilating into her aunt’s world? Growing up in Lake Summers, Caroline’s mother, Lily create a secret garden behind the library. Christened Lily’s Garden, it was a beloved fixture in the community. Hearing the shocking news that the garden was to be destroyed sets Caroline into a tailspin. Changing their college itinerary, Caroline knew she had to see the Garden one more time.

Barbara Josselsohn pens a tale of returning home to face the past. While Caroline assumed the Rantezen’s lifestyle, her heart remained in Lake Summer. Getting the opportunity to introduce Lee to her adopted family allows hope to blossom.

As children, we understand truth at face value. As adults, pulling back and revealing layers of our memories, we final realize what was hidden during the past. Reexamining shelved dreams, the library doors swing open to unlock a new future.

Thank you @Bookouture for asking me to me part of Barbara Josselsohn’s blog tour. Welcome to Lily’s Garden where adventures are blooming.

A small-town romance, so fun to read and so easy to fall into. It started slow, but then picked up speed. I was wondering when the romance was going to happen and when it happens, I was so excited to see it build. The romance was sweet and fun.

The small-town setting was perfect. The nosy neighbors, the wonderful friendships, and the great families all make this a wonderful summer beach read. The characters were all realistic. None were perfect but their problems were real world problems. I liked that the characters all came together to help when needed, called each other out when necessary, and stood by everyone in the community.

I felt like the ending was rushed. There was more to tell, and I wanted to be told. The buildup to the end was slow, the ending left me wanting more but I still enjoyed the book a lot. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a slow burn, fun romance, small town story.

Her mother's garden, a small town, and long-held secrets play a part in Caroline's memories and understanding of her childhood. With its lovely story, characters, and plot, The Lily Garden will have you cheering for Caroline as she attempts to find out who she really is. Barbara Josselsohn's The Lily Garden shows us all that one person can indeed make a difference! I have my fingers crossed for a sequel!

Caroline and her teenage daughter, Lee, lived in Chicago, and she hadn't been home for 30 years. She and her daughter was planning a vacation to Boston to look at colleges, but she got an article from a friend that the garden her mother had created was going to be destroyed. Without telling anyone, she decided to change their vacation plans and go home and try to save the garden.
When she got there, some things had changed and some hadn't. Many people had such wonderful memories of the garden, but no one had been taking care of it. As she began to try to save it, she met many people, she learned many things that she didn't know, and she learned a lot about herself.
Caroline and Lee did visit many colleges, and Caroline thought she was steering Lee in the right direction. They both learned a lot about themselves while they were there, and what is important. The day does come where they have to decide if they are going to just keep going along with what someone else wants them to do or take a stand for what they know is right for them.
I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley.

Review posted for Potatoes and Paperbacks
@potatoesandpaperbacks on Instagram
4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Bookouture, Barbara Josselsohn, NetGalley and Chick Lit Central for the ARC of this book, and for including us in your book tour!

Since the death of her parents at a young age, Caroline Rantzen has always chosen the safe and predictable path. Now a mother of her own with a daughter getting ready to head off to college, Caroline learns that a lily garden, started by her mother 30 years ago, is in danger of being torn down in order to expand the library. Caroline rushes back to her childhood town in order to save her mother’s legacy, and along the way she learns about finding her own passions and listening to her heart.

💭 Thoughts 💭

This lovely book really made me think about the influence parents have on their children. Caroline was shaped by her memories, and some misinformation about her past. I loved the passion that the characters shared for keeping the beauty and history of their town alive.

⌛️ Favorite Moment ⌛️

The flashbacks to Caroline’s childhood with her mother in the Lily Garden were beautiful! Her mother had such a vibrant spirit and love of life. At the footbridge in the garden her parents would hide gifts in a bucket underneath, and at the end she finds a special gift that was intended for her 8th birthday!

“A summer she’ll never forget”

Lovely cover art, for a beautiful story, wonderfully told!

An opening which sets the scene; leading to a storyline which is continually blossoming and evolving; and concluding with an ending which holds the promise of renewed hope going forwards, for those who dare to dream!

I read for four main reasons; enjoyment, entertainment, escapism and emotion. The Lily Garden definitely shines brightly in all of my ‘e’ ratings, despite women’s contemporary fiction being a genre I have only relatively recently reacquainted myself with, following a rather lengthy lapse in my engagement.

Part love story, part journey of self-actualization, and part unlocking and re-building of complex family dynamics; this multi-layered storyline is one which is immersive, indulgent and pure escapism. A lovely blended mix of storyline and characters make this the complete package.

When, in an effort to repair fractured relations with her daughter Lee, who she secretly wishes would re-consider her future education plans, Caroline decides to change their upcoming holiday itinerary and after what seems like a lifetimes lapse, to return to the small mountain town of her own early youth, in the hope that Lee can connect with her true roots, the consequences and reverberations are many, with the real potential to inflict more harm than healing.

Caroline hasn’t taken into account that the events and conversations she remembers from so long ago, would have been seen and heard through the rather rose-tinted perspective of a small child, complete with all the fairy-tale embellishments of a young and fertile imagination. Despite the warm welcome from those in the community who remember Caroline and had helped to raise her as one of their own, following the premature deaths of both her parents, long nurtured and deeply entrenched grudges against those she thought had betrayed her, inexorably bubble to the surface and threaten the long awaited reunion. Home truths however, will generally out, one way or another and once the emotional turmoil inflicted is overcome and the reality checks of the situation kick in, Caroline can at last begin to repair her shattered memories and to begin making new and much stronger connections for the future.

As well as opening the floodgates of emotion, the realization that much of what she had assumed about her family history hadn’t quite been as black and white as she had thought, also completely changes the perspective of Caroline’s relationship with her own daughter, as she soon realizes that Lee is a very well adjusted and mature young lady, who despite having felt the need to somewhat humour her mother, already has her future mapped out and a plan in place, without the coercion from her great-aunt, which Caroline had assumed was happening. When the honesty of their individual situations are brought to the surface, aired and dusted off, mother and daughter re-connect with an entirely new and much stronger bond than before, although Caroline realises that she has a very large portion of humble pie to eat, in front of her aunt Risa and uncle Rich, who it transpires, now she has had her heart and mind opened, have only ever had her best interests at heart and love both she and Lee equally, although they may not always be the best at outward displays of affection.

Talking about affection and exploring relationships – It seems as though Caroline herself might well be contemplating a permanent change in her personal emotional status, pace of life and choice of career, after meeting Aaron, a visiting college lecturer who is new to the area of Lake Summers. Their new and tentative beginnings as a couple, almost stall at the first hurdle though, when it transpires that Aaron has been keeping as many secrets and carrying around as much excess emotional baggage, as Caroline herself. However, when they both decide to face the future with a new found sense of purpose and maturity – well who knows what might happen in the fullness of time!

Written with total authority, consummate ease and complete confidence, by a born storyteller, this well structured, multi-genre, multi-layered story, is beautifully textured, at times desperately intense, yet has genuine heart and compassion, balanced with some real moments of ‘made me smile’ humour. Rich in detail, with some assured, observational and descriptive narrative, together with excellent conversational dialogue, the writing offers a tangible sense of time and place, making the dual location settings very much a part of the action.

An authentic and well developed cast of wonderfully defined and drawn characters, beautifully filled the pages with some larger than life actions, amusing anecdotes and complex dynamics. I found myself relating and investing in each and every one of them, despite, or maybe because of, their many raw and passionate vulnerabilities, which only added to their genuine and believable interactions, as they each explore the ever-evolving power, intimacy and responsibility of family, in all its many guises!

What a wonderful gift Barbara Josselsohn has and it shows in her new novel The Lily Garden. I was completely enthralled in this well paced heartwarming story. Josselsohn takes you on an inspiring ride to a small town that will make you feel that you are part of the families and friends that live and or lived there. The characters and storyline are realistic and very believable! This beautifully written novel deals with mother-daughter relationships, family, loss, betrayal and secrets that have been kept intentionally and unintentionally! I totally loved this charming novel that will show you to follow your heart no matter the risks involved. I highly recommend this excellently written novel and let yourself be swept away to this wonderful place!

Thank you NetGalley, Barbara Josselsohn and Bookouture for a copy of this inspiring novel in exchange for my honest review.
#thelilygarden #barbarajosselsohn #bookouture #arc

The Lily Garden is a heart-warming story of love, loss and family.  It is a feel good book, with plenty of emotion and a little romance on the side.
 
I really liked Caroline and felt an instant connection to her.  She really tries to please everyone and puts everyone else and their feelings before her own, it was quite sad to read at times when it felt as though this was being thrown back in her face.
 
Lake Summers sounds absolutely divine.  I love the sound of the Grill and the parties they have, this would be the ideal town with the ideal neighbours!

This was a heartwarming small town romance with a touch of mystery.

Caroline was a sympathetic character who is trying to uncover a family secret. The secret itself wasn’t as big as I thought it would be, but it did add a little mystery element to the story.

The romance between Caroline and Aaron, the handsome historian, was a pleasure to read. I wanted more chapters of Caroline and Aaron.

All in all a pleasant book that makes for some easy, breezy summer reading.

Thanks NetGalley, Bookouture and Barbara Josselsohn for a copy to review.
A soft light family romance, feel good book.
I liked it especially the setting.

This was a great little feel-good book. I enjoyed the bit of romance and family drama. I love this little Adirondack town and it makes me want to find one to visit.

The Lily Garden by Barbara Josselsohn is a heartwarming reminder of all that’s important in life.

The theme of family – how it’s carried on through generations, how the new generation wants to know where they came from, and who makes up a family – dominates the story from beginning to end. When the story opens, Maxine notifies Caroline that the town she was born and lived until she was twelve had decided to destroy her mother’s legacy of a town garden to expand the local library. She is devastated and returns, with her teenage daughter in tow, for the first time in many years to stop the town from destroying what her mother created.

Discovering the truth about her mother’s death, her father’s death, and the subsequent chain of events changes Caroline’s perception of what happened and broadens her concept of family. Can it change her life in more fulfilling ways? My eyes stayed glued to the page as she unearthed secret after secret until she finally knew the truth and could look back on her early years in a whole new light of complete understanding.

I felt inspired by the theme of following your heart and taking risks to find and experience those things in life that complete you and that you are passionate about – not just following the safe and secure path if that’s not where your heart lies. It’s so easy to do what others want you to do. There’s no fight, no conflict, but what if none of it stirs your passions and your heart. What kind of life will you live if you do not stay true to who you are?

Technically, this story is sublime. Full of well-developed characters that will take you back to your hometown with their relatability and a lake setting that is as beautiful as it is relatively cool temperature-wise. This story just gave me that feeling of a warm hug you get upon seeing family members for the first time in a long while.

If you are looking for an inspiring, heartwarming story for your summer reading, The Lily Garden is just what you are looking for in a novel.

This is the perfect light summer romance about family, second chances and forgiveness. You will fall in love with Lake Summers and the people who live there.

Caroline left Lake Summers thirty years ago, after the death of her parents, but when she learns that the Lily Garden lovingly built by her mother is going to be destroyed, she knows she has to go back home.

There she meet Aaron a historian, who wants to save the garden as much as she does, They enjoy spending time together until the day Caroline, learns a terrible secret about the day her mother died.

Soon, the real reason Aaron is in Lake Summers comes to light. Will the truth about the people she loves for her to give up the small town she came back to?

Caroline works in Chicago for her aunt Risa at a world-renowned textile company and her teenage daughter Lee is on the path to earn a business degree and eventually take over the family business. All that changes when Caroline learns her deceased mother’s beloved Lily Garden, located in the small New England town of Lake Summers, is set to be destroyed in the next few weeks to make room for an expansion to the community’s library. Caroline impulsively decides to save her mother’s legacy and proceeds to turn her planned mother-daughter summer trip to tour colleges into a longer sojourn in the quaint idyllic spot she left at age twelve after her parents died.

This sets the stage for a touching reunion with her mother’s best friend and her own surrogate mother figure Maxine and her boys Jackie and Ben, and also with a potential love interest, Aaron, a new history professor at the nearby college who is carrying secrets of his own and looking for a fresh start.

As in her two previous books, Josselsohn weaves a seamless tale of family drama with just a hint of romance, placing her squarely in the women’s fiction genre with its themes of second chances, new beginnings, character growth, and family secrets. She weaves it all together in an uplifting, heartfelt way, leaving the reader longing to find a Lake Summers of their own with its concerts on the square, ice cream parlors, and historical sites. This is an idyllic summer story sure to melt the heart of the most cynical urban dweller.

If you’re looking for a summer read that not only delivers a well-paced story but also deeper reflections on what constitutes a good life, the forks in the road we all encounter, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters, this is the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lily Garden is a great book about a woman who goes back to her hometown to try and save a garden that her mom created. She has not been back since she was 12, and she was nervous about what things would be like. She brings her daughter along and that strains their relationship somewhat. I enjoyed it and could really relate to how our memories as children are not very accurate. The characters are very well written and I loved the town.

This is the first book I've read by Barbara Josselsohn and I loved it. The Lily Garden has some family drama, a bit of romance and a sprinkle of mystery. I enjoyed reading Caroline's story as she learns about her past in order to move on to the future. If you are looking for a sweet summer read, pick up The Lily Garden!