Good story about mothers and daughters. Moms don't always know what is best for daughters. Some time alone and an adventure bring them together and help make some good decisions. Good Story - Nice read

For some reason, over the past few book reviews, I have turned my attention away from thrillers and decided to read more family saga and literary fiction. The Lily Garden falls into that category. Not only the book cover is pretty and appealing but the plot line sounded interesting too.

Caroline returns back to Lake Summers after she heard the news that her mother's beloved garden, known as Lily's Garden (named after her mother) is set to be destroyed in the town and she flies from Chicago to Lake Summers with her teenage daughter, Lee. While also looking for colleges in the area around Lake Summers, Caroline meets handsome Aaron who is a historian and a professor at the university. Along with the townsfolk, can Caroline save her mother's historic garden before it's too late.

I really enjoyed the story. A warm cozy, and a heartwarming tale with a touch of romance in the book, I really do like the characters as well--many of them are all likable particularly Caroline and Aaron and I was rooting them to be a couple! I also like Caroline's relationship with her daughter, who initially didn't welcome Aaron though in the end she starts accepting him. I do really like the concept of community story line in the book. The author did a good job with the writing, drawing the reader into the story and making the reader walk with Caroline and Aaron into the small scenic town.

Overall, I enjoyed this warm cozy heartwarming tale--a perfect read for summer! Looking forward to read more books from this author! Worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Caroline was orphaned young and left Lake Summers for Chicago, where she lived with her aunt and uncle, married, was widowed, and raised her daughter Lee. When her mother's best friend Maxine advises that her mother's garden is about to be dug up so that the library can expand, she takes Lee home, meets Aaron, finds romance, and the truth about a secret. A quibble- I'd be upset about the garden for sure but it's been a long time and seriously- it's being replaced by a library not a retail outlet or condo etc. Regardless, Josselsohn is a good storyteller, especially wrt to small town life. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a beautiful, gentle story which examines how childhood perceptions can skew our views as adults. As the story develops, it becomes increasingly clear that Caroline is holding an overwhelming weight on her shoulders, created by early heartache and mourning.
Lake Summers is the perfect example of small-town America, and I was immediately drawn to the feeling of community which runs through the heart of the story. The idea of the Lily Garden is rather special, and I can completely understand Caroline’s desire to protect and save this living memory of her parents.
Caroline is fortunate to have had a couple of alternative families, after her parent’s deaths. There’s the familiar and loving support provided by Maxine, her mother’s best friend, and Aunt Risa, her mother’s sister who took her from Lake Summers and moved her to Chicago. Now Caroline has her own daughter, Lee, and her determination to ensure that Lee isn’t influenced by external pressures is a vital force for her.
In particular, I enjoyed Maxine’s character; she is a natural mother hen and loves Caroline and Lee as though they are her own flesh and blood. She never stops and works tirelessly with her long-term boyfriend, Gull, at the local diner.
I enjoyed escaping to Lake Summers and I hope you will too.

I was lucky to receive a copy of The Lily Garden by Barbara Josselsohn from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. This was a great summer read that connects people from present to the past. It was a great break from my typical read of psychological thrillers. This is a great feel good story and will leave you with such a good feeling after you finish reading it. I would definitely recommend taking a glass of wine, heading outside in the sun and enjoying yourself while reading this!

I loved this lovely read about a beautiful garden that connects people from past to present .Caroline has a chance to go back to her childhood roots , save a piece of her family , and to find her true self. The garden itself holds many memories for so many people , I really like books like this ,that has meaning for everyone rather its to find inner strength , beauty , love or finding your self , this garden in a sense has the magic to pull it out of you .

The Lily Garden
By Barbara Josselsohn

Caroline lives in Chicago with her daughter Lee, working for her aunt and uncle in their textile business. Caroline has never gone back to Lake Summers, but has nice memories of living there until her parents untimely death.

When Caroline receives a message saying the town of Lake Summer is going to destroy her mother’s Lily Garden to expand the library, Caroline feels she must return to fight for her mother’s legacy. She and her daughter Lee set out to reunite with her mother’s best friend Maxine and fight for Lily’s Garden and the mother she lost and loved.

Caroline soon learns that, she isn’t the only one invested in savings her mother’s legacy, she meets Aaron a handsome historian. As she gets to know him there isn’t any place she rather be. That is until she learns a terrible secret about the day her mother died. And soon she learns the real reason Aaron is at Summer Lake. It’s up to Caroline to decide weather the truth of the people and the town she loved is enough to keep them all in heart.

A very emotional read. About mother’s and daughters and love.

I received this temp e-book from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I found this book a wonderful engrossing read!
Add it to your summer reads you won’t be disappointed!!

Book review of The Lily Garden by Barbara Josselsohn
Published by Bookouture
Published date: 2nd July 2021
When Caroline finds out that the garden her mother created in Lake Summers, where she lived before her parents died is going to be demolished, she heads back there with her teenage daughter Lee, determined to save it. There she confronts both the issues past and present and finds herself drawn towards university lecturer Aaron. Will Caroline be able to save the garden and come to terms with all that has happened to her? Does she have a future with Aaron?
My thoughts:
I loved the sentiment of the garden being a place her mother loved and nurtured and where many people had shared special moments. Caroline came across as a warm and loving character, trying her best as a single mum for her daughter. I felt her grief for losing her parents and thought the novel did well at dealing with this topic. I liked the exploration of how a child deals with such a tragic event and how this had formed Caroline’s way of thinking about the past as an adult. The relationship between Caroline and her daughter Lee was realistic and believable. The romantic element to the novel came across as being based on friendship, which made it more believable for a future between the two, rather than a passionate fling.

I would have liked to learn more about Caroline’s memories of her mother in the garden she made. I didn’t get to know Aunt Risa well in the novel and would have liked it if there had been a reunion/mutual understanding between her and Caroline on the page, especially as she played a pivotal role in Caroline’s upbringing. There seemed to be plenty of room for a sequel where I’d like to see the garden restored back to its former glory.
Overall, would I recommend it?
Overall, it made for a light, enjoyable summer read. Four out of five stars, with thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, which I received for free in exchange for an honest review.

The Lily Garden is billed as a feel-good summer romance–and it certainly is that–but it is so much more. The novel is an insightful meditation on memory, family, loss, and love that will have you thinking about how you view your own past. Do you integrate the significant events of your personal history in a healthy way, a way that informs your values and lets you move forward? Or do you get mired in secrets, wallowing in your disappointments and repressing the pain?

Caroline is a successful woman nearing 40 with a 17 year-old daughter and a prominent position in the family business, living in Chicago. We learn early on in the book that she spent her first 12 years living in an idyllic little town called Lake Summers, first with her parents, and later with her mother’s best friend and her family. When Caroline learns that a garden that had been her mother’s pet project in the town is about to be destroyed, she decides to go back–after 27 years–and fight the town’s decision. She also wants her daughter to meet the people with whom she grew up.

Family relationships can be murky and complicated, and the novel doesn’t shy away from death, loneliness, and even betrayal. But underneath everything is a powerful undercurrent of love which triumphs over all and pulls the characters along toward greater understanding of themselves and others. There are some questions that are left unanswered, but that seem appropriate, because that’s the way life is. There are some things we will never know, we can still come to trust and give ourselves full to others.

So yes, this is an uplifting book and a great summer read, and the romance is lovely, but also expect to be engaged on a deeper level.

ou feel happy, safe and very loved and then a tragedy happens, soon followed by a second one. Your world is turned upside down, but you are welcomed with open arms in a new safe haven. Life is looking good again until that day when everything changes once more. You feel betrayed and keep asking why?

The place you did not want to leave suddenly becomes a place you don't want to go back to, but what if faith forces you? Will you still resist or will you give in?

It's great to be in Lake Summers once again and be reunited with some of the characters from previous books in the series, but the author also introduces us to a whole set of new and very likeable ones too.

This is the perfect way for our main character Caroline to come to terms with the past, to stand up for herself and to let her daughter be who she wants to be. It's time to end some things and to find a new start.  

It's never too late to start living your life. Just go for it and grab the opportunity with both hands. Maybe you have to take some tough decisions first, but the result will be more than worth it. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes, dive in and see where the flow takes you. After all who can predict the future? Don't give yourself the chance to reflect and wonder what if...?

I really enjoyed this story. Although sad things have happened, it's filled with warmth, and happiness. You don't have to have the same blood running through your veins in order to be part of a family. It's about so much more. 5 stars

Thank you

What a lovely and enjoyable read. It didn’t have that ‘I can’t put it down’ factor but it was an easy, relaxing read which is good to have amongst the gripping page turners. It’s a relaxing read which will make you smile.

The Lily Garden is an uplifting refreshing romance novel that leaves you with a fuzziness after you finish reading it. I like novels where there are no bad people but are people who try to do best in those circumstances. The main character Caroline though has moved on in her life has always the small town Lake Summers in her heart. She gets an opportunity to go there again with her daughter and finds her true path in life. This novel is a story of family, friends, forgiveness and second chances. A refreshing summer read.

I loved this unusual book. It was so refreshing to read something a little different by another new author. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

The Lily Garden was created by Caroline’s mother more than thirty years ago. After her mother’s death, followed by her father’s accident, Caroline leaves Lake Summers and goes to live with her aunt in Chicago.
The story starts with Caroline working in her aunt’s successful business empire. Her daughter Lee is ready to graduate and has her future decided for her as the heiress of the business. Caroline and Lee have a two-week summer break to look at other options and travel to Boston.
A message from Maxine, the woman who cared for Caroline like a mother, forces her to change her plans. The Lily Garden would be demolished, and they need to find a way to stop it somehow.
Then we have Aaron, a historian and a professor who moves to the town for a year. He has his own past to deal with. When paths cross, Caroline has to decide if she wants to play it safe or take a plunge and see where things go. She also has to face her past, and things are not what she thought them to be.
The premise is great, and I love the cover. After reading The Bluebell Girls last year, I had high expectations from this one.
A young widow with a teenage daughter going back to her childhood town to fight for the last memory of her mother was enough to make me pick this book as soon as I could. The writing was easy to read, and the setting was wonderful. The author can create vivid imagery of the landscape and its people. The side characters are well-etched and added a lot to the book.
So what made me give it just 3.5 stars?
I was looking for the ‘terrible secret’ that was supposed to be revealed in the book. The ending of the blurb goes-
“But then Caroline learns a terrible secret about the day her mother died. If she continues fighting to save the garden, she may uncover more painful truths that will affect her whole family. But if she leaves now, she will have to give up a future with Aaron and the beautiful town that has always been in her heart…”
But the secret doesn’t get revealed until almost 82-85% of the book. And when it’s done, it’s underwhelming because the scenes rush by one after another. Things get sorted in the last 15% of the novel, though we still don’t know the answer to some questions. There’s a hint, and guess we’ll have to make do with that.
For someone with so many lovely memories of the place, it seems odd that Caroline didn’t want to go back even once. Yeah, she has created her own version of some of the past incidents. However, it doesn’t really change the story.
Caroline is pretty much a hesitant and tentative character, prone to panics for the slightest of issues. It does make her real, but it also makes her a weak character to carry the weight of the story.
I felt Lee was better etched for her age, and Caroline’s character shadows her in many places. I think it’s the limited third-person narrative that resulted in this.
There are a few chapters from Aaron’s perspective (limited third person), but they leave us with more questions than answers. We get a gist of what would happen soon to tie up the loose ends, but it left me dissatisfied. I wanted more from the book. The relationship between Aaron and Caroline was okay. It wasn’t explored enough for me to root for them.
The side characters are the strength of this book. They bring color and life and make the story more interesting. The relationship between Caroline and Maxine was great. It was one of the positives of the book.
Overall, the story is sweet and heartwarming, but it needed better treatment to shine. The author did a better job with other book(s), and I hope to read that kind of magic from her again.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC.
#TheLilyGarden #NetGalley

Caroline is getting ready to take a two-week vacation with her daughter Lee so that they can tour several colleges. But when she hears that her deceased mother’s beloved garden is going to be torn down, Caroline adjusts their plans and returns with Lee to her childhood home of Lake Summers to save it. As she works to protect the garden her mother cherished, Caroline learns more about her parents, her other loved ones, and her daughter.

I really enjoyed this heart-warming story. Caroline is a relatable and well-developed protagonist, as are many of the other people introduced. Each is unique and interesting and adds so much to the plot. Several characters, including Caroline, Aaron, and Lee, go through such an emotional journey throughout the story. Caroline, for example, slowly learns the truths of the past, which are very different from what she has believed all of her life. She is a woman who felt like she had no choices, and she has steeled her heart so it couldn’t be broken again. Caroline has played it safe, emotionally speaking, and has kept people at a distance. It is only when she goes back home that she truly faces her feelings. She also comes to terms with being an almost empty-nester who wants more in her life. She finds this in Lake Summers with old and new friends.

Aaron, Caroline’s potential love interest, has his own journey to get through, and he has major life decisions to make. As he gets to know Caroline and her extended “family,” he starts to put things in perspective and realizes what he wants in life. Lee is a young woman preparing for college who fears disappointing her mother. I found all of these characters realistic and relatable, and I was wholly rooting for their happiness.

I also love the amount of food talk in the story. When Caroline returns to Lake Summers, she and Lee stay with her mother’s best friend Maxine, who runs a local restaurant. The food described sounds mouth-wateringly delicious, and I craved the chicken parmesan, brownies, pie, and other decadently described dishes. I also love the small-town feel of Lake Summers. Local festivities and activities, friendly neighbors, and old friends reinforce the charming and inclusive nature of Lake Summers. One of my favorite locations in Lake Summers is the lily garden.

The garden, which is located behind the public library, has become unkempt and unsafe. Instead of repairing it, the town wants to get rid of it and expand the library, much to Caroline’s dismay. The lily garden has a special place in her heart, as it was her mother’s. The garden, which was the location of many marriage proposals and other special events, is symbolic not just of Caroline’s mother, but of the promises, dreams, and love within the community. There are memories in that garden that are hard to ignore and impossible to erase. I think that’s why Caroline works so hard to protect it. The garden is a treasure and part of her childhood. It is one of the few places where she felt complete happiness and love with her parents, and she’s not ready to let go of it.

The garden comes to symbolize other things throughout the story, including Caroline’s unwillingness to let Lee grow and change. On the cusp of adulthood, Lee is very different from Caroline, and her ambitions clash with Caroline’s hopes. I think returning to Lake Summers and confronting her past allows Caroline to be more aware of what is happening in her present, especially in regard to her relationship with Lee. Caroline has regrets, and she didn’t feel like she had choices, and she never wants Lee to feel that way. However, it takes returning to her childhood home to realize that she is not truly listening to and accepting her daughter.

The importance of family, friendship, honoring the past while living for the present and future, and staying true to yourself are all highlighted in this heart-warming story. I think readers who enjoy contemporary fiction with dynamically developed characters and a bit of romance will adore this book, and I am so thankful to Netgalley, Barbara Josselsohn, Bookouture, and Chick Lit Central for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The Lily Garden by Barbara Josselsohn is a delight for peaceful summer reading. The story is set in Lake Summers, a slow-paced small town with friendly people, a beautiful lake, and an end-of-summer concert, festival, and romance.
Caroline Rantzen lived in Lake Summers as a child. When she was seven her mother unexpectantly died and the evening before her eighth birthday her father is killed in a work accident. The description of little Caroline waiting for her father to come home, and the expectancy of her birthday surprise is heartbreaking! She goes to live with her mother's best friend, Maxine. Her aunt Risa had taken her from Lake Summers when she was twelve to live with her in Chicago.
Now it is thirty years later, and Caroline is preparing to take a two-week vacation with her daughter Lee. It is time to visit colleges even though Lee is adamant she wants to attend Alvindale university. While in her office, Caroline receives a message from Maxine, her mother's best friend from Lake Summers. The town needs to expand the library and the lily garden that Caroline's mother had designed, planted, and loved will be destroyed to make room for the library addition. Caroline has not been back since she was a child. The garden has not been maintained and the scenic bridge is failing. The garden has developed a steep slope that has become a hazard. Caroline decides to change some plans and take Lee to Lake Summers and try to save the lily garden.
I won't post spoilers, but the story is filled with bittersweet emotions dealing with family, friendship, and memories. Caroline's memories of her mother's death and the later move to Chicago with her aunt are the memories of a grieving child and could be an incomplete truth. There are many wonderful characters, and they interact with Caroline and Lee to make them feel like family.
Publication Date: July 2, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The Lily Garden is a small town romance about family and friendship. Caroline, with her daughter Lee, returns to Lake Summers after leaving years ago to live with her aunt in Chicago after the death of her parents. Her mother's best friend called to let her know the town is wanting to destroy the garden her mother Lily grew to enlarge the library. This is an uplifting story about finding the truth about family, because when you're young, things are not always as they seem. Thanks to author Barbara Josselsohn, publisher Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for a honest review.

This is another uplifting, and heartwarming book about small-town life, families, and friendship. It’s perfect for a light summer read, and you’ll fall in love with the small town of Lake Summers and the townsfolk who inhabit it.

Caroline is content with the life she carved out for herself and her seventeen-year-old daughter, Lee, in Chicago, working for Caroline’s aunt and uncle in their textile business. Caroline had never gone back to Lake Summers, but has fond memories of living there with her parents, until their untimely deaths when she was a child. Her memories include living with her mother’s best friend, Maxine, and her two boys Jackie and Ben until her Aunt took her back to Chicago to live with her and her Uncle.

When Caroline receives a message saying the town of Lake Summers is going to destroy her mother’s Lily Garden in order to expand the library, Caroline knows she must return to fight for her Mother’s legacy. So, instead of the two-week college tour, she planned with her daughter, she takes Lee to Lake Summers to reunite with Maxine, and fight for the Lily Garden her mother loved.

This book is set in a delightful small town, full of quirky, but realistic characters. I like the way the author explores the mother-daughter relationship between Caroline and Lee, and uses Caroline’s surrogate mothers, Maxine, and Aunt Risa, as examples of motherhood. She explores the complex relationships of parent and child both by birth and parents by circumstance.

The story was well-paced, and the romance was sweet and realistic. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet summer romance with a mother-daughter relationship.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Lily Garden by Barbara Josselsohn is a sweet summer romance.

Caroline Rantzen lived in Chicago with her teenage daughter Lee and worked at Rantzen Enterprises which belonged to her aunt. Caroline had scheduled a late summer vacation with her daughter. They were going to Boston and visit colleges. That plan changed when a person from her past sent her an article about the demolition of her mother's garden. Lake Summers was the place she was born but she hadn't gone
back there since she was twelve. It was going to be difficult to face the people she left behind but she had to try and save the Lily Garden. Everyone welcomed her there and tried to help her with her cause. She only had two weeks to create a plan. She made research and found ways to be heard from the right people. She had almost given up but Aaron Weldon, the man who captured her heart and showed her how it was to be loved in the same way her parents did, helped her understand what truly mattered in life...

It's such a heartwarming story. It's about family, forgiveness, second chances, and new beginnings. It's well written with good descriptions that gave the words life and created beautiful sceneries you wish you could visit. The plot has an easy flow, it's understandable and gives you food for thought. It covers subjects every person faces at least once in their lives and dilemmas that we all struggle with. The romantic part was sweet and the characters amazing. They didn't seem like fictional characters but as the people, you see in your
home town. After reading a story like this one there is always something that stays with me. This time it's the thought that there is no right or wrong way to live your life, as long as you are healthy and happy you can do whatever you like...

The Lily Garden is a book that will fill you with happiness.

When Caroline left Lake Summers thirty years ago, she thought she’d never go back to the place where she lost her parents. But when she finds out that the town’s lily garden lovingly built by her mother is going to be destroyed, she knows she must return from Chicago to save it!

Ok this is going to be a favorite of mine! I devoured this beauty in a day! Talk about being hooked to a book! This one did it to me! Had me from the first page and didn't let go!
I loved these characters they were realistic and raw! The story also had me wrapped.
Looking for a light hearted read that will tug at the heart? Read this book!