This was a new author for me and I absolutely enjoyed this one! It was a great summer beach read! The story and characters were great and relatable too! Highly recommend this one for a beach or anytime read really:)

A fun beach read. With 3 main characters: Alice, the grandmother; Eloise, the mother; and Gigi the daughter who is forced to return home for the summer because she is broke, unemployed, and has no other options! The book has all the small town feels with enough conflict to keep you reading and happy endings for the main characters.

"Summer on Lilac Island" is a multi-generational story exploring the lives and loves of three generations of the Jenkins family, natives of Mackinac Island.

Gigi Jenkins, the black sheet of the family, is returning home for the summer to regroup after her latest setback. Wired like her father to fly by the seat of her pants, her steady mother Eloise, who prefers routine and stability above all else, doesn't know what to make of her, but recognizes that Gigi needs a break. And Eloise hopes that by bringing Gigi home for the summer, perhaps Gigi will remember how important home and family truly are.

While they initially keep butting heads, they end up in a bit of a competition. When Eloise sets Gigi up on a blind date, Gigi agrees to go, but only on the condition that Eloise goes on a blind date of Gigi's choosing too.

As the summer progresses and they get more involved in each other's lives, they start to understand and appreciate one another more, which frees them both to become more of who they truly are, instead of a tamed version of themselves to seem more acceptable to others.

In the end, we have a heart-warming story of them finding out who they truly are and what they want out of life, and their journey prompts those they love to take similar steps in their own lives.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable story.

Thank you to Lindsay MacMillan, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperMuse for providing an arc and advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't it for me. The pacing was too slow & I couldn’t stay hooked at all.

The story spans three generations of women (Alice, Elouise, Gigi, and Rebecca) set against Mackinac Island, but the constant shifts in perspective and numerous subplots made the narrative feel scattered and hard to follow. At times, there were even POVs from inanimate objects, which pulled focus away from the central theme of family healing.

While the island setting was charming, the matchmaking scheme and traditional backdrop felt restrictive rather than cozy. I also struggled to connect with any of the characters, and the use of the only character of color’s queer coming out as a device to push a straight character’s growth left me unsettled.

Overall, the book had potential, but the fragmented storytelling and lack of character connection made it fall flat for me.

Love that this was set in mackinaw island, the relationships and characters were well done. Good story about people just trying to navigate through life the best they can.

It took me FOREVER to finish this one omg. This month has been so busy and so I’ve only been able to read in 30 minute increments while on the treadmill at the gym three times a week. Considering this is a 400 page book it took me so long.

Anyways, as mentioned before the book is 400 pages and it easily could’ve been half that. I genuinely don’t know why I finished this book. The vibes were so summary coastal beach (a Midwest beach mind you) and every single character was flawed, which I did enjoy. The writing was… bizarre. Sometimes it felt very youthful and fresh, and then the next paragraph it felt like an 80 year-old wrote it. I distinctly remember one sentence being, “she felt a squirt of sadness” WHAT?!? No no no no.

There were several POV’s, family drama from several different angles, Deidre, the actual worst friend in the entire freaking world (JUSTICE FOR CLYDE), and self growth from several characters.

Honestly, I could’ve finished this book in a weekend and if I had read half within a couple of days, I would’ve DNF’d it. I really wanted to stop at the 75% work, but since it had taken me so long to get this far, I figured I would just finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion !

Summer on Lilac Island is a poignant exploration of mother-daughter dynamics. It takes place in Mackinac Island. Gigi returns to her hometown following her job loss. She is reluctant to move back due to tension filled relationship with her mother, Eloise. Gigi uses her time over the summer to try and connect with her mother, Eloise, as they both embark on journeys of self-discovery. The core of the narrative is the relationship between Gigi and Eloise and their romantic pursuits. The supporting characters also enrich the narrative, including Gigi’s grandmother, her sister, and her childhood friend. The development of these supporting characters deepens the novel’s themes of friendship, family, and personal growth. The characters are relatable, and they make mistakes similar to us in real-life. The backdrop of Mackinac Island is vivid, as many places and scenery are described. This is a contemporary romance that provides a heart-warming story of love, family, and self-acceptance.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great summer read. I enjoyed it from start to finish!

Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The setting of this book? The beautiful, wonderful, amazing Mackinac Island? GAH! I'm actually headed back there in a few weeks and can honestly say that the island stole my heart 2 years ago when I first visited and the island, the horses, the amazing views and smells and everything? I cannot wait to return. So finding a book set there? Instantly I want to read it!

Right from the beginning we meet Gigi - she's unemployed with nowhere to go but home. She dreads returning to the island and living with her mom again, but really has no options. She can't stand living on an island where cars aren't allowed (meanwhile I say that is by far the best part!). The writing was so vivid when describing the Island and honestly - I pictured it easily. The pathways clear of cars but full of horses & carts, and bikes - so many beautiful bikes! I could even smell the crisp air as I read, and just truly found myself giddy to return.

The characters - well there are quite a few, but it's fairly easy to keep track which is a good thing. The story centers on Gigi, her mom Eloise, and her grandmother, Alice. There is a minor romance subplot but the real beauty in this story comes from the stories of mothers and daughters. It's a focus on the beauty, and the strength of those relationships and what it's like to return home.

Absolutely beautiful read!

2.5 stars rounded up
Gigi has been drifting from one job to another across the country for a decade but she's broke and needs some time to decide what her next move will be so she takes her mother, Eloise, up on an offer to return home and spend the summer rent-free on Mackinac Island. Gigi and her mother have always had a prickly relationship and not long after Gigi arrives the two of them end up in a battle of wills which leads to them playing matchmaker for each other.

Told from the point-of-view of multiple narrators (Gigi, Eloise, Eloise's mother Alice, Gigi's sister Rebecca, Eloise's best friend Deirdre, the Grand Hotel and even the island itself), this is a sweet story about mothers and daughters (plus some romance for each generation of the women as well) that takes place over the course of a summer on Mackinac Island in in Northern Michigan. I loved the beautiful setting as I have memories of visiting Mackinac as a child and would love to return. Didn't care for the snide "anti-liberal" comments made by several of the characters or the portrayal of permanent residents as being anti-tourist - if it was a true reflection of the islanders' sentiments then it would put me off visiting. A light and breezy summer read where nothing much happens but at 400 pages, it is much longer than it needed to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for providing a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars "A heart-warming escape about mother-daughter relationships, small-town dating, and all that guides us home."

Summer on Lilac Island is a charming, cozy contemporary romance, where the main characters are three generations of the Jenkins family: daughters Gigi and Rebecca who have no desire to remain on an island where cars aren't allowed, Eloise whose husband has been estranged from them for years, and Alice, mother of Eloise.

While Gigi and Eloise play matchmaker for each other despite a strained relationship for years, they still have reservations and bias based on their previous experiences with one another. The men they date are background characters as the main focus of the novel is the mother-daughter relationships and the airing of family secrets, which ultimately change the course of their lives.
This is a light, heartwarming story that is perfect for a summer read or to be transported to a beautiful, idyllic island.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Muse Books and Audiobooks, UpLit Reads, and Lindsay Macmillan for the advance reader's copy, advance listening copy, and finished copy in exchange for my honest review.

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This story was told in multiple points of views. I have to say that I loved the way that the characters grew and developed throughout. You really got to see the connection between Rebecca and Gigi, Gigi and Eloise, and Eloise and Rebecca. You got to see how their personal lives unfolded in relation to one another. This was what interested me most. It reminded me of my upbringing and struggles of finding myself. I truly loved this story and highly recommend. Definitely a 5⭐️ read for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the gifted copy.

For more detail, please see book blurb below:

A witty and heartwarming escape about mothers and daughters, small-town dating, and the surprising ways we find our way home.
When Gigi Jenkins finds herself broke, unemployed, and out of options, she has no choice but to return to Mackinac Island, the horse-and-buggy hometown she swore she'd left behind forever.

Living under the same roof with her meddling, divorced mother, Eloise, feels like a recipe for disaster--especially when Eloise hatches a scheme to set Gigi up with the island's charming new doctor.

Determined to call her mother's bluff, Gigi agrees to the date on one condition: she gets to play matchmaker for Eloise in return.

What begins as a battle of wills spirals into a summer of small-town antics, unexpected sparks, and plot twists neither woman saw coming.

But the greatest love story of the summer isn't about romance--it's about the bond between mother and daughter. Through late-night date debriefs, outfit consultations, and learning to laugh (and forgive), Gigi and Eloise begin to bridge years of misunderstanding, moving from adversaries to confidantes.

A quaint story about family dynamics, self-discovery, finding love and relationships. Giving is a quirky but lovable character who is unapologetically herself.

Mackinac Island seems idyllic. A horse and buggy town with scooters for the very few elders, archaic rules no one wants changed but a place Gigi Jenkins wanted to run away from. Her few visits back home to see her mother have only been during winter. Now she is returning in summer when the island is on full display because she is broke, not in a relationship and without a place to stay. Her relationship with her mother is cool, the one with her younger sister warmer and her absent and disinterested father holds her warmest feelings.

Setting her mother on a date because her mother engineered one with the town doctor was a tit for tat response but her mother’s date went from strength to strength, gathering momentum that no one foresaw. Gini’s date fizzled out. Much to her chagrin because Gigi was used to calling the shots.

The story was charming, full of historical detail, typical of small town life where every movement was scrutinized and analyzed but surprisingly still full of secrets.

Gigi Jenkins travels home to Mackinac Island to spend the summer with her mother, Eloise. Despite the tense relationship between them already, the two agree to play matchmaker for each other. As they each navigate dating, they feel sparks with their match-up, but more than anything grow their relationship as mother and daughter.

This gorgeous cover screams summer, and I was excited to dive into the story. While I was intrigued by the premise and picturesque setting of the book, I struggled to connect with the story. The characters did not resonate with me, and I found them to be quite unlikable, which made it difficult to feel invested in their stories. Overall, I feel that I was not the right audience for this book, so unfortunately it was a miss for me.

Thank you to UpLit Reads, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for my gifted physical + digital copies!

The love between a mother and daughter is very complicated. But first these two forge a pact to date and find their second act in love. A sweet family story you’ll enjoy this summer.

No, I just could not get into this one.

Typical storyline lately is the unemployed daughter comes home to live with the mother they don't get along with. In this case it is for the summer and mom lives on Mackinac island so the setting is a little different, but the storyline is pretty much the same. They don't get along, personalities clash constantly and they are annoying to read about.

Biggest peeve of the book was the constant use, and I mean on almost every page, tourists are referred to as fudgies. ok, once was enough, more than that was annoying and made me never want to go there if this is how residents feel about visitors.

Gigi's abrasive, in your face attitude was obnoxious. I did not finish more than about a third of the book and that was too much.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

The setting of The Summer on Lilac Island was well-developed and personal. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew Mackinac Island and had spent the summer there. This was only emphasized by the multiple points of view this story was told through–including from the island itself. At times, it felt like there were too many storylines to follow (which led to a fairly long wrap-up at the end), but the character development was worth the wait! This is a romance, a multigenerational story of four strong women, and overall, a great summer read.

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

Summer On Lilac Island is what a summer book is all about. I loved the escape to a small town island, it was so quaint and I felt fully transported. I can't believe I've never been to Mackinac Island, living relatively close in Chicagoland. I really have FOMO after reading this book.

I loved the message of starting over along with second chances. This book is full of great characters, the story made even better with doses of love sprinkled in, but the best relationship of all was that between Gigi and her mother!

This book has a really creative premise. Gigi is having career problems and needs to move back to her childhood home out of necessity. She does so very reluctantly, even though her childhood home is the spectacularly beautiful and unique Mackinac Island in Michigan. Her mother, Eloise, wants to fix her up with a handsome local doctor. Gigi consents to the setup, but only under one condition: Gigi is allowed to play matchmaker to Eloise in return. So, lots of fun things going on in this plot, which added to the incredible island setting, makes this an absolutely perfect, romantic, beach read.