Amy E. Reichert has done it again! This is another fantastic read, every bit as good as The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie. I don't know what anyone else calls this type of novel, but I consider it magical realism and rank this author right up there with Sarah Addison Allen's work.

From her beautifully simple descriptions to her way with dialogue and character development, I was pulled into the story of Sanna Lund and her father's apple farm and lives immediately. Add in Isaac and son Sebastian, and the story got even better.

The "whodunit" aspect was fairly laid back, not really being a large part of the story, but was no less interesting. What absolutely had me on the seat of my chair though, was Sanna's cider making skills. Even though I dislike anything made with apples except applesauce, I wanted to try some of her cider so badly! The descriptions of both color and flavor had me salivating and I so wanted her to be successful.

This is very much a story of a farm and lives, that harken back to simpler times, when neighbor helped neighbor and families did the same for each other. If you're looking to get lost in a story this is definitely the book for you. I just finished reading this and can't wait for the author's next novel!

Thank yous to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC.

The Simplicity of Cider is a sweet and charming read. Being new to the author, I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of how she delivers her stories so I was quite surprised to see that she does, in fact, deliver. I am so glad I was able to read a copy prior to publication! Now, while I did feel like there was a little too much going on within the story, I did appreciate how Reichert was able to make her characters relatable to many people. This is truly an added bonus to a wonderful novel.

If your looking for a heartwarming read to get lost in for a few hours I would definitely recommend this book. After reading it, I am going to have to go back and pick up her other books based on this one.

This book did not disappoint! She writes the nicest romance stories. The women she crates are strong and independent. The guys are also strong, smart and super sweet. Oh and she writes in the underrepresented mid west.

This book is fully worth the price of admission!

Great garden read!! Loved the descriptions of the orchard and Door County...makes me want to visit.

I knew I wanted to read this when I read that it took place in Door county Wisconsin. It did not disappoint in the place descriptions, I could close my eyes and see myself there. I had a little trouble with the characters, they sometimes felt contrived and out of place, but the story moved along well as her stories do. All in all it was an enjoyable read.

I read this book in one day. It was a quick very enjoyable read that drew me in right away and had me thinking about the book during the minutes I had to adult before I finished it. I enjoyed learning about the cider making and the love the family had for the orchard. It brought me back to fond memories of apple picking trips with my family as a child.

There were four characters I loved. Sanna and her father and Isaac and his son. The names were a little hard for me at the beginning but I mostly got over it by the end. These characters had heart and warmth and faults, made mistakes and grew during the course of the story. I cheered for them to succeed and found the ending a satisfying one.

Now for a few nit-picky criticisms!
My biggest criticism with the book was that there were a lot of things going on outside of the main story line to cause conflict. It just felt like too much. To name a few...the drug use, the mom issues, the fall from the ladder, the financial problems, the buyout offer, the vandalism, the ex boyfriend, the brother and his family. I guess what I'm saying is the story was good enough that it didn't need all of those things.

There was a bit of magic involved with the story. I wasn't a fan, but it didn't negatively impact the story for me. It was more of a case where I wasn't sure how the magic fit into this contemporary world.

There was another story line with another pov of a potential buyer of the property. This was probably my least favorite part of the story. I didn't want to get invested with that character and didn't react positively when she turned from villain of sorts to savior.

Overall very enjoyable. I would recommend this to other readers and look for future books from the author

I requested this title because I LOVE Sarah Addison Allen, and I really enjoy magical realism. This one promised both, but sadly, it didn't quite deliver. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, because it wasn't all bad, but it just didn't captivate me as much as 4 stars demands.

The pitfalls were that the relationship between the two main characters felt a bit contrived...there was a lack of foundation and just a general "attraction" that, while it might happen in real life, didn't have enough support for fiction. Also, I found the POV chapters of Eva, a somewhat minor character, a bit distracting overall. The names were a tad hard to wrap my head around, especially the constantly changing nicknames of the child, Sebastian. It was just overdone. The "magical realism" elements were just a tad underdone, and I felt that they didn't carry enough zing to propel the story into the magical realism arena.

On the upside, I did finish the story because I did care enough about the characters, and I also enjoyed learning more about the care of an apple orchard (which is central to the book). So, overall, not bad but not a favorite. May or may not pick up another by this author.

My review can be seen on RT Book Reviews.com

This book was simply charming! It tells the story of Sanna, a cider maker her at her family apple orchard. Sanna likes the solitary life she lives with her father but it is all thrown in to disarray when a widower shows up with his young son to work at the orchard. Her life is further complicated when a conglomerate tries to buy the orchard to turn it in to a waterpark. This book is about family, ambition, and risking your heart for love. It is beautifully written and the characters are complex and realistic. Looking forward to Reichert's next book. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will really like this one

In an orchard with apples, cider, grafting - I traveled.
Sanna's only focus in life is to make cider and run the orchard- no complications- only trees, apples, ciders.
Her father suffers a fall, so now both need help..."two strapping lads ready to do whatever is needed" come, both ready to help them. The brother is eager to sell the land, and make a profit.

I became a part of this family. I want more books with this family. I want to go back to the orchard with the apple trees, apples, and ciders.
I am thrilled that I was able to read an ARC...I highly recommend this book.

Sanna had always appreciated the sanctuary of the orchard, and this revelation bonded Sanna like another root digging into the soil, finding nourishment. She’d never leave.



An apple orchard has been in Sanna Lund’s family for five generations. Much like the apple trees, she is rooted, nourished by the family land. There is a magic in her blood and there is no way she can give up and let her brother force her father’s hand in selling it. Time is against her, they are losing money and try as she might, she can’t get the cider just right. Cider that could be their salvation. This is her refuge, but when her father hires help her life is filled with more complications, especially her heart. A single father Isaac and his son Bass seem to worm their way into the core of her being. Sara has so much to focus on in order to save the orchard, the last thing she needs is a kid getting in the way. All she wants out of life is the orchard, hard work, the ‘simplicity of cider’ and certainly not a single dad no matter how much she is attracted to him. So what if his son’s goofy side is growing on her! Anyone can see Isaac is an attractive man, but so what? Who needs a man stealing time from her failing orchard?

Isaac and Bass have left their own painful lives behind in California, this is meant to be a reprieve from their own problems, certainly not meant to be a permanent stay. Against her better judgement and desires to keep her life contained, Sanna is losing pieces of herself to the two. Sanna keeps her distance from people for a reason, but hiding won’t fix the land nor heal her heart. She may have a special gift but sometimes what you need is to open yourself to others, even those you’ve spent time denying, because that is the true magic. It may take love to nourish the land. Bass has his own difficulties with his mother, in this he and Sanna are the same. Long ago, her own mother left, and she hasn’t dealt with the rupture in her life.

It’s a love story at heart, but not just romantic love. It’s about family, traditions and the running of an apple orchard. It’s fighting to keep a family business alive and how sometimes you have to learn to accept that you can’t do everything on your own and that maybe the changes fate brings are a new way of seeing. Sometimes change can be a gift. This novel was a nice break from heavy reading, a sweet love story. This is an advanced arc, and the novel will not be released until May.

Publication Date: May 16 2017

Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books

The Simplicity of Cider is another fantastic book by Amy Reichert. I have read her previous books and enjoyed them all but this is my favorite. The characters are so well done that you feel like you know them and the descriptions of Wisconsin (on Lake Michigan) are so beautiful that you want to visit.

Sanna Lund and her father run an apple orchard that has been in their family for five generations. Along with growing apples, Sanna is trying to make cider that can help boost the profits of the orchard. She is happy with her uncomplicated life and her love of the land. Then along come the complications - her brother wants to sell the orchard to a company that wants to build a water park on it. Her brother is justified in wanting to sell because the orchard is losing money. Along with that, her father hires a single father Isaac who has a young son Bass and they are fleeing family issues in California. Once her father falls and breaks several bones, things really become complicated for Sanna. The reader doesn't know if she'll be able to save her beloved orchard until the end of the book but readers are in for a fantastic story to find out. This is the perfect book - a little suspense, a little romance and a lot of family love in a charming community. Read it - you'll love it!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I am currently reading The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichart and I have a sudden longing to visit a small town in the midwest and sit under the trees of an apple orchard, thanks Amy!

I loved her other two novels but this one is really pulling me in. It’s the story of Sanna, a woman who has grown up with her father tending to their apple orchard. She is a cider specialist whose world is disrupted by a seasonal worker named Isaac and his precocious son Sebastian.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Focused and unassuming fifth generation cider-maker Sanna Lund has one desire: to live a simple, quiet life on her family’s apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Although her business is struggling, Sanna remains fiercely devoted to the orchard, despite her brother’s attempts to convince their aging father to sell the land.

Single dad Isaac Banks has spent years trying to shield his son Sebastian from his troubled mother. Fleeing heartbreak at home, Isaac packed up their lives and the two headed out on an adventure, driving across the country. Chance—or fate—led them straight to Sanna’s orchard.

Isaac’s helping hands are much appreciated at the apple farm, even more when Sanna’s father is injured in an accident. As Sanna’s formerly simple life becomes increasingly complicated, she finds solace in unexpected places—friendship with young Sebastian and something more deliciously complex with Isaac—until an outside threat infiltrates the farm.

This book is due out in May but you can read Amy’s other novels right now.

The Simplicity of Cider was my first book from author Amy E. Reichert- but WOW her writing is incredible!

This book is about a family-owned apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. It is full of rich, complex characters and you can't help but fall in love with them. Not to mention the setting of this story... it made me want to take a trip to Wisconsin as soon as possible!

I would definitely recommend this book to our followers and look forward to reading more from this author!

What a fantastic read!! Throughout The Simplicity of Cider, I was completely wrapped up in the beautiful storyline and the fascinating characters! I found all of the characters endearing and so well developed, I felt as if I knew them personally! Amy E. Reichert has the amazing ability to write novels that I can totally envision being made into movies (I've mentally already picked the entire cast)! I found the premise of this book to be very unique and original-- loved that!! In saying that, prior to reading The Simplicity of Cider, I knew next to nothing about apple orchards and how complicated and difficult they are to maintain. I truly have a new respect for orchard farmers and all they put into their produce!! The Simplicity of Cider is a 5 star read that you do not want to miss! Whether you're in the mood for a laugh, a sweet romance or a book to pull at your heartstrings, this is the novel for you!! Go 1-click it!!