Sunday, January 2, 2022

THE LILAC HOUSE by Barbara Josselsohn

Publisher:      ‎ Bookouture
Published:      March 10, 2020
ISBN:
     ‎ 978-1838881580
Genre:     Women’s Fiction
Format:     Print from Publisher
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina
 myreviewbooks@aol.com

 FOUR HEARTS

Not long after their marriage Greg and Anna Harris bought Lilac House in Lake Summers, New York. They fell in love with the house and the town and spent every summer in the quaint, welcoming town. When their children, Zac and Evie came along they too came to love the house. It became a refuge and a place to recharge. And then everything came crashing down—determined to return home in the middle of a horrendous storm Greg died. Anna now has to deal with the aftermath of his death—two children trying to pull their lives together, selling the house and moving on. There is hope for her in the person of her Aunt Hope.

 

Hope had already moved to Lake Summers and has opened a dance studio and store. Anna is thrilled with Lilac Pointe, Hope’s shop and her plans. But there are secrets behind the plans…secrets from Greg and Hope. In an attempt to help Hope increase revenue to the store she goes to the city hall and there she meets Aidan Lawrence. Aidan not only offers some wonderful suggestions, there is an attraction between the two. As they become closer to each other it becomes clear that Aidan too has secrets, secrets that could harm more than one person. Revealing secrets can help or hurt those affected by them. And sometimes revealing them takes great courage. Do Anna, Aidan and Hope have the courage to change their lives?

 

I’m not usually a fan of women’s fiction. Generally I find it depressing to begin with and it goes downhill from there.  Barbara Josselsohn’s THE LILAC HOUSE has its share of sad and depressing moment, but it is an amazing book with the story she tells.  I was entranced by her descriptions of Hope’s dance studio and how she and Anna lived through their dancing. I’ve long enjoyed watching ballet, but after reading THE LILAC HOUSE the movements, the meanings of the steps, take on a new dimension. n for

 

I liked how not only Anna and Aidan consider the needs of those around them as their relationship begins, but also Hope and Koen’s. The characters are fully fleshed out—they have a range of emotions and at times the reader can relate to each one. She also takes on the issues around mental illness…how it can affect the person and those around him. She does it with compassion and understanding and then goes a step further and shows how we can, as a community stand behind someone who is.

 

I missed her debut, The Last Dreamer, but will be catching up with that and continuing with this wonderful series.  THE LILAC HOUSE is a wonderful read – one not only for adults, but perfect for young adults and even pre-teens to enjoy.

 

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

 

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