Member Reviews
Stories that take place in small town are almost always heart warming.
Two old friends who haven't seen each other in a while and who are going through almost similar problems, at least in the area as a single parent.
Rosie raises her twins, runs her bookstore and even writes a column about how to be a single parent. She tries to live her life as best she can.
Evan is recently widowed and has a teenage daughter. Everything is new and it hurts a lot. So he decides to spend some time at Heart Lake to see if the pain subsides and if he can reconnect with his daughter.
The reunion with Rosie might be of help (and he doesn't know he was her crush).
A story that talks about friendships, grief, second chances.
The cover is so pretty!!
4 stars
A sweet story. I enjoyed it and the characters, the set up. Small town romance! I loved Rosie and Evan. Their connections. The kids and how they made them their priority.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.
3,5 stars
A cute single parents love story that maybe other single parents will love? The characters are sweet and the romance will not disappoint :)
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I liked this story, but it wasn't the best written story ever. Parts of the story lagged and everything came together a little too easily.
The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane is the second book in Sarah Robinson’s Heart Lake Small Town Romances. Single mother of twins and struggling bookstore owner Rosie Dean is hanging on by a thread. Without a dynamic boost, she is close to needing to close her business. As luck has it, that marvelous idea comes from her father’s girlfriend, Marvel. Marvel will bake cookies as a lure to bring folks into the shop.
As the story continues to unfold, Rosie butts heads with grumpy single dad Evan over his refusal to allow his daughter, Tess, who is the same age as her twins, to read graphic novels, saying they are fluff. But what 8 year old girl wants to read the classics over the summer? Rosie, however, leads the way in helping both Evan and Tess, in a quest for a better life.
Will and Tess are staying with his parents for the summer. With his father’s health failing and his mother’s inability as she ages to do as much for him, this greatly worries Evan, but he doesn’t feel he can move his small family away from their Chicago home. He is currently working remotely but feels like he is phoning it in. How can a change be made?
This enemies to lovers tale brings out many nuances of family and extended layers within families. Ms. Robinson brings these characters to life. This story is told with heart. I did enjoy this book and do recommend it.
Really enjoyed this heartwarming, emotionally thrilling roller-coaster adventure filled with engaging charters, witty banter, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Highly entertaining reading form beginning to end.
The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane is the second book in the Heart Lake series by author Sarah Robinson, and I look forward to reading more, especially since I missed the first book.
There is enough background information that I could connect with the characters whose stories were previously told. The book has a good flow with a second-chance romance and characters that mesh well together—both adults and children.
I like that the bookstore plays a vital role in the store and town. We get to meet several people in the small town as well as Rosie and Evan’s families. Their respective children, her twins and his daughter, hit it off from the start. The kids also see their attraction to each other even if their parents don’t seem to be aware of the undercurrents.
There is a good flow, even with Rosie and Evan fighting their desires and taking two steps back for every step forward. There are numerous heartwarming moments but also some sadness. I like the kindnesses shown and how interactions between the characters played out. There were lovely depictions of the town, the lake, their homes, and their friendships.
There was also closure and a happily ever after in the offing, but I was hoping for a little more. Ms. Robinson is a new-to-me author, and I look forward to reading more of her small-town romances.
The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane is a lovely women’s fiction replete with small-town charm and kindness. It was fun getting to know all the characters and seeing where their lives would take them.
Included in the book was the bonus novella, Kiss Me in Sweetwater Springs, book 2.5 in the Sweetwater Springs series by Annie Rains, which I had previously read several years ago when it was included in the back of another book. It was an enjoyable read with a lot packed into its eighty-one pages.
I love the characters of Lacey and Paris. They connect well despite being opposites, and we all know how opposites attract!
The author does a nice job portraying the characters through their pasts. I loved how they lovingly responded to each other. The story has closure, and I definitely want to return to Sweetwater Springs. All the books I’ve read in this series have been true romances.
The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane” is a sweet, enjoyable small town romance with 2 single parents at the center of the S is the second in the series, but I haven’t read the first one and didn’t feel like I was missing anything, so it is definitely a standalone book.
I liked that the characters were ‘real’ and had real-life problems. Their children were also a part of their story, and not just little people that happened to be around…in fact, I liked seeing how their relationships with their children depend and evolved.
This is a great read for people that enjoy small town romances, quirky towns, without a lot of graphic bedroom scenes. I enjoyed this so much I am going to pick up the first book in this series.
I loved this sweet romance about a widowed dad, a single mom of twins and the kids and the books that bring them together. This book is packed full of family drama (parents, an absent dad, pre-teen insecurities and parental fears about getting it all wrong, and it makes for a story that tugs at your heart strings, sometimes makes you laugh and reaffirms your faith that if you do your best, families tend to work out exactly the way they're supposed to.
A good summer read.
Sarah Robinson has hit another hit on her hands. I really enjoyed this book. Rosie and Evan crossed paths in their younger years. Now, a decade or so later, Evan returns to his home town to visit his parents, they meet again.
Rosie is a single mom, raising twins and running a bookstore. Evan is a widower and single dad, returning to his home town for the summer. Their kids hit it off right away and want to have play dates a lot. This allows Rosie and Evan time to spend together.
It took a few chapters for me to get into the characters. I was familiar with the basic town setting (from the previous book) but Rosie wasn't clicking with me right away. Somehow, I understood Evan's angst right away and was rooting for his outcome long before he realized it.
I would recommend this book for many romance readers. Especially those who enjoy a HEA and a quick way to love.
Thank you for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I just finished The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane by Sarah Robinson @booksbysarahrobinson and here are my thoughts on it.
Rosie Dean is living the single mama life to twins while running a bookshop. She also secretly writes an advice column for the local paper. Looking for love is low low low on her list.
That is until the day her high school crush, Evan, comes back for a summer vacation with his daughter. A man widowed and wallowing but those eyes.
Neither of them were looking for anything but fate has a funny way of intervening and opening you up to something you didn’t know you needed.
This book is super sonic CUTE!!!! The idea of two single parents clashing but slowly coming around to opening up to each other is adorable in the best kinds of ways. I have a real thing for the grumpy sunshine dynamic and this book has it in spades.
The book is written in both Rosie’s and Evan’s POV and is the second book in the heart lake series but honestly, it is a stand alone with characters that crossed over from book one. So don’t worry if you haven’t read the first book yet, it is enjoyable regardless. I took a while to warm up to Evan so I felt like I was channeling Rosie a little. I fell in love with both of them at the end and I was sad it was over.
The plot was steady and exactly what you would expect from a romance novel. The storyline was clever and entertaining with some really delightful banter between the lead characters. The kids coming together the way they did was magical for me.
I have a soft spot for happily ever afters so the ending was excellent for me.
Definitely cannot wait for the next installment.
4.5 stars. Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for my gift copy! Out NOW!!!!
#foreverpublishing #netgalley #thelittlebookstoreonheartlakelane #sarahrobinson #heartlakeseries #romancereader
A single mom too busy to be dating meets her high school crush and sparks start to fly!!! Rosie is raising two children, running the bookshop and sharing advice in a parenting column. Evan is a widower who is not quite sure how to raise his tween daughter. As in any good romance book, the two will fuss, argue, then decide they are better together. Sigh! If only real life worked out this way too.
Happy Publication Day!!
The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane is a warm and sweet summer cozy romance that’s sure to leave you with a smile on your face.
Rosie Dean and Evan Nowak are both single parents just trying to do the best they can for their kids when fate, or should I say their kids, bring them together. The banter between Rosie and Evan was fun and I really enjoyed watching things play out for for them. I fell in love with Heart Lake and its residents. It’s the kind of town and community I’d want to live in, and I loved the support Rosie received from everyone. So heartwarming.
The second book in Sarah Robinson’s Heart Lake series, this can be read as standalone (a few characters from the first book make cameo appearances). 3.75 fun, fluffy stars from me for this warm and fuzzy happily ever after.
A hearty thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy of this story. This is my honest review and the opinion above is my own.
Quick Summary: A sweet two-become-one romance
My Review: The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane by Sarah Robinson was a lovely love story. It featured a widowed father and a single mother of two. Not only was the story a beautiful reunion between past crushes, but it was also a fascinating coming together of two families who longed for more.
The community of Heart Lake was special. I loved how invested the people were in each other. It will be interesting to see what comes next.
My Final Say: Readers who enjoy stories where an unexpected love comes into being will enjoy this book. It is a quick read that is all about friendship, family, connection, and love.
Other: The author did a fantastic job of presenting modern day families. There were so many issues represented - aging parents, surviving as a widower, dating post a loss, merging families, single parenthood, communication between a parent and his or her child(ren), and co-parenting. It was really a rich reading experience, regarding the aforementioned.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status: M
Level: 🍬💕💗
Trigger: Loss due to cancer
Appreciation is extended to the author and to Forever (Grand Central Publishing). Thank you for making this work available via NetGalley. The words I have shared have been voluntarily submitted.
Rosie Dean is a single mother to 8-year-old twins, Becca and Zander, and owner of the Fact and Fiction bookstore in Heart Lake, Michigan. She works hard to keep the bookstore running and take care of the twins. An additional job she has is a parenting advice column.
Evan Nowak is a widower and father to Tess, age 9. He has decided to spend the summer working remotely from his job in Chicago and staying in his parents’ summer cottage. His wife died several years ago and he needs to be closer to his father who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
People in this close-knit town have lived here all their lives. When Evan sees Rosie at her bookstore, he recognizes her as his former high school crush. Can there be a renewal of their relationship from years before?
This small town romance is so sweet and true to life. I loved the characters and how they all help one another, There are some romances going on and lots of humor to make you chuckle. A terrific read. Enjoy!
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book! The characters are wonderful. Their story is so sweet and it's such a heartstring tugger. I am a big fan of this author. She writes what I like to read. I always look forward to her books.
This is a sweet heartwarming story that you don't want to miss. It's well written with wonderful characters and it holds your attention from the first page until the last. This book was a joy to read and I highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I enjoyed The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane much more than I did the first book in the series, Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas. Where the heroine in the first book wasn't my favorite, I didn't hate the story. Here I enjoyed all the characters but just felt at times the story dragged a bit. The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane is a sweet story that you won't have issues getting into. I did enjoy the characters and liked them enough that I wanted to know more about them.
You do feel very bad for Evan. You can feel his pain in losing his wife. I felt for him on how he worried about raising his daughter and doing everything right. At times he was trying so hard to do it all the right way that he forgot to stop and live life. Maybe share some moments with his daughter. When he finally did that, you saw the love between them. He deserved to live a little.
I did like how the baggage that we carry from our childhoods can surprise us when our parents flip the script when it comes to their grandchildren. It just shows that being a parent is hard and we all grow.
I was a bit surprised that Evan wanted to go back to his were it's only himself and his daughter. Taking her away from his parents. With is father being ill you'd think he'd really want to spend as much time with them and help his mother out. The author seems to send a bit of time with the characters always trying to get away from their hometown.
I really enjoyed Rosie. She's a hard-working mom who does all she can for her kids. She tries to not count on anyone even when she really should. I love her as a parent, but I think that at times her need to stand on her own two feet keep her from really enjoying all that life can offer you.
As a whole this is a good story that I didn't mind reading and I will read the next one in the series because I need to know what happens next. All you really want in a series. I think the standout stars in this story is the kids. Both their daughters viewed life with very mature eyes.
Single mom of twins, Rosie, enjoys her life taking care of her kids and running the town bookshop. One day in the shop she runs into Evan, Rosie’s high school crush who is now a widower with a young daughter. The two connect over their children and with the hope of second chances they begin a new relationship.
I struggle with romances involving children. It’s a me problem because I just don’t connect with the parents or the children and because of it I found myself skimming much of this book. I liked both Rosie and Evan just fine, but I thought their relationship moved way too fast especially because there were kids involved. I was surprised at how short his book was because I was not expecting the novella to start at 70%. Overall this was a short read, but I was not the target audience.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It's back to Heart Lake in the newest installment of The Heart Lake series, Where we meet grumpy Evan. He is a widowed father visisting his parents for the summer.
We're also reintroduced to Rosie, Single mother of twins, owner of a bookstore on the rocks, and secret advice columnist.
Rosie and Evan haven't seen eachother or kept in contact since highschool, but as fate would have it, the twins and Evans daughter become fast friends. When Rosie and evan reconnect sparks fly. But Both have their own inner turmoil to over come before accepting their lives are now forever changed by the friendships of their children...
This book was exactly the magical small town romance my heart needed. Usually im not one for the single parent trope, but Sarah hit this out of the park.
The banter between the characters is always so comical.
there was a depth in the characters, especially the children that gets missed a lot by authors and this was beautifully written.
The love story was absolutely on fire, You could feel the tension and heat from the moment the characters are reaquinted.
This book is about navigating parenting, careers, relationships, and most importantly love.
Both Rosie and Evan have a lot to learn about all of those things, but their biggest lesson is, 'It Takes a Village.'
Thank you Forever Publishing and Sarah Robinson for this ARC.