Title: The Lily Garden
Author(s): Barbara Josselsohn
Published by Bookouture on July 2, 2021
Pages: 265
Genre(s): Women's Fiction
Source: Netgalley
Format: eArc
Purchase: Amazon
Rating:
She held the letter that she had found in the garden, and noticed the distinctive curls of her father’s handwriting etched on the worn paper. Her life had already been turned upside down by one family secret, would his last words force her to leave her childhood home forever?
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.
Caroline and her daughter Lee are welcomed home by the warm smile of her mother’s best friend Maxine, and piles of pancakes at her cozy little restaurant in town. And Caroline soon learns that she isn’t the only person invested in saving her mother’s legacy, when she meets handsome historian Aaron. As she gets to know him, strolling along the sparkling lakeshore, she can’t imagine anywhere else she’d rather be.
But then Caroline learns a terrible secret about the day her mother died. And soon the real reason Aaron is in Lake Summers comes to light. Will the truth about the people she loves force her to give up a future with Aaron, and the beautiful town that has always been in her heart?
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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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 commence.
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.
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The Lilly Garden by Barbara Josselsohn is an inspiring tale about Caroline, a widow and single mom, who found the courage to fight for her family legacy. @bookouture #newrelease #womensfiction #romance #summerread Click To Tweet
About Barbara Josselsohn
Barbara Solomon Josselsohn is the author of two novels, The Lilac House (Bookouture, 2020) and The Last Dreamer (Lake Union, 2015). Her articles and essays appear in a range of publications, including New York Magazine, Parents Magazine, the New York Times, Westchester Magazine, WorkingMother.com, and NextAvenue.com. Barbara also teaches writing at the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute and other venues, and is the founder and coordinator of the Scarsdale Library Writers Center, which supports and promotes local writers. She and her husband have three adult children and an indefatigable shih-poo named Mosley, and she is currently at work on her third novel, which is scheduled for release this fall.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Oh yeah, not a fan of open endings, either, but the small town setting, the mom and daughter relationship and the romance sound good.
It was going great. until the end. I need closure.
Oh I want this one Nadene it looks super for my next summer read and i LOVE the cover. Thanks for your super review
You are welcome, Debbie. Enjoy.
I’m not sure if this one would be a good fit for me, but I’m happy you enjoyed it! I really struggle with books that end without enough closure. I don’t want there to be loose ends when I turn the last page. That’s what epilogues are for!!
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? ?
I agree. It would have been great if an epilogue had been included.
That type of ending has me fuming and stamping my little foot. You are much kinder than I would have been.
The story was enjoyable up until the end. I rated it based on my experience prior to the end.
No conclusion is a no-no for me too. WHY!!!! Unless it is a cliff hanger for a sequel. Great review.
I was bummed by the ending. I need closure in my books.
I don’t like unanswered questions once the book ends but it sounds like it was an interesting story to read.
I enjoyed the story, but I need closure and I did not get that.
Great review of The Lily Garden! I love a book with solid character development.
Thanks. Same here.