Sanna's family has lived in Door County, Wisconsin, for generations. Now, she and her father are the only ones left, trying to keep the family's apple orchard afloat. A single father and his young son, passing through the area while trying to escape a tragedy at home in California, become an integral part of the orchard family in a very short time, and Isaac becomes invaluable to Sanna after Einars' accident. While trying to keep the orchard out of the hands of a developer who wants to acquire the land to build a money-making indoor water park, Sanna also finds herself trying to ignore the attraction to Isaac ... and to young Bass as well.

I loved this author's previous two books, and was equally enchanted by this one. While there were several story lines going throughout the book, it wasn't hard to keep track of them, and they all seemed to work together into one overall story by the end of the book. I loved the touch of magic that Sanna used to develop her unique cider blends, and am fascinated by the idea of seeing colors associated with flavors. The characters seemed to fit the setting and the circumstances, and it was fun to watch them grow and change as events progressed. The descriptions almost seemed to come out of a "Visit Wisconsin!" travel brochure, and made me want to book a trip to Door County during the next apple season :) I will most definitely look for the next book by this author.

Sanna Lund lives and breathes apples and cider. Like others in her family, she has the ability to see the juice of her apples in terms of color. Her handcrafted ciders are great, but they've yet to catch on. Her family's apple orchard is losing money, so her brother wants to sell to a developer. Sanna and her father are adamantly against the idea.

Isaac Banks hasn't figured out how to tell his son that his mother died. Isaac is now a single dad and the cross-country trip they're taking together is the only way Isaac can process his ex-wife's death. He knows he needs to tell Bass that his mom died, but he just can't figure out how and hopes inspiration will come to him during their trip.

Isaac and Bass find themselves at Sanna's orchard. The pair will spend the summer helping out. For Isaac, it's money while Bass enjoys a summer being a kid. It grows into more, however, when sparks start to fly between Sanna and Isaac.

The Simplicity of Cider is such a (trying to come up with the best words) gentle, flowing romance. It didn't rush along like so many romances. Instead, it flowed naturally from moment to moment, situation to situation. I loved the pacing and descriptive writing. I felt like the story involved me rather than got tossed out there. I felt like part of the Lund family and could taste the ciders Sanna made. The writing was just that absorbing. Hopefully, that made some sense.

I do love when a book keeps me absorbed and not feeling like I must rush to find out what happens. For that reason, I'm recommending Amy E. Reichart's latest as one of my picks for beach reads not to miss!

Reading this book will leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed.The beautiful smells if the orchard, the colors, the tastes, even the roughness of the bark. It is like going on vacation without leaving the pages. You get that happy after glow just from the words. Pick up a nice glass of cider curl up under a beautiful tree and enjoy this beautiful book. This author has such a talent for spreading simple joy with her words.
The story is about family, one family with a strong history to the land and trees. One family set a drift by a terrible death. Both families have skeletons that are pulled out and dusted off leaving that closest a cleaner happier place. The romance is slow and gentle, patient and just right for the characters. The drama is light, never so tense that you feel uncomfortable or stressed. Strong good people, doing their best, living the best way they know. 
Great relaxing read

From the author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie, Amy E. Reichert brings us another magical story of family, love, and complex relationships. Set in Wisconsin and full of delicious food and characters.
Sanna Lund loves making cider. Her family has been on this land for generations and while her brother has moved away, she has stayed, tending the heirloom apple trees that are just right for cider making. Sanna has a gift for knowing which apples go together to make the best ciders. 

When Isaac and his son show up at the orchard, not quite sure how they got there, Sanna's father hires Isaac and more than the apple trees are blossoming! Love is in the air but is Sanna ready for it?

In between trying to save the farm from being sold, Sanna doesn't have time for relationships, and isn't sure she wants one. But will Isaac and Sebastian change her mind?

This was such a charming and magical story. The characters are well developed and the apple desserts had me drooling!

If you haven't tried one of her luscious stories, you really should.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.

Love, love, love. Amy Reichert's third book is the best yet. She masterfully weaves the developing story with hints of the backstory for all of the characters.

The story is told through alternating view points of Sanna and Issac.

Sanna has grown up living on an apple orchard with her father. Her mother left when she was young and her brother moved away after college. She loves spending her day in the simplicity of the chores of the orchard and developing cider. She has chosen this path as a haven. Isolating and protecting herself from get hurt. Hardening her heart as a means. She lacklusterly "dates" the boy next door.

Issac is from California, and has run away with his son, Sebastian, for the summer. He is running away from the death of his ex-wife, who we find out was addicted to drugs. Issac has not yet told Sebastian and hopes to have one last summer of youth for him before his life is forever changed.

Issac finds himself in Door County and taking a job at the orchard. From there the attraction between him and Sanna grows, with both of them trying to deny it.

When an outside firm comes in and tries to purchase the orchard to build a waterpark/hotel (YUCK--seriously I would hate to see this in Door County). The layered storylines of Sanna and her family are slowly revealed to us. Sanna starts to open her eyes to the truth of life around her.

And we see a small cameo of Lou and Al from "The Coincidence of Coconut Cake" The book that started my love affair for Amy Reichert's writing.

I loved the way Amy Reichert slowly revealed the past, while creating the tension and suspense of the present day story. No too sugary sweet.

For Sanna and her father Einars, Idun's Orchard is not only their home, but their source of income and biggest source of joy. Set in a Sarah Addison Allen - esque charming town where everyone knows everyone and has a history with one another, that is until newcomers Isaac and his son Bass arrive in Door County, Wisconsin. Not only does this book have a lot of depictions of love, it also takes readers on a journey of family strife and the welcome surprises that can come out of new circumstances. Readers who enjoy the way Nicholas Sparks explains the attraction between his protagonists shines through in Reichart's The Simplicity of Cider. If you binge Hallmark movies on Netflix in the middle of the night and have ever enjoyed a trip to a local apple orchard, grab this book immediately!

What a delightful book! It's a slice-of-life story that takes place at an apple orchard in Wisconsin, where two unhappy people end up finding each other. The characters are likable and believable, and in this world, where every day we are bombarded with bad or upsetting news, it's nice sometimes to just read a sweet story. I enjoyed this author's previous book, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake, and I liked this one just as much.

This book was a bit slow to start but, once I got into it, I remembered by I love Ms. Reicherts' writing. This story is about Sanna and her father, who are trying to desperately keep the family apple orchard. Sanna's brother wants to sell the land but,, Sanna and her dad refuse. Along comes Banks and his son Bass,. Banks is looking for a short-time job to get he and his son away from the painful reality of what happened in LA before they left.This book is about family, responsibility, forgiveness and, ultimately, opening your heart back up to love.

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.

Fans of Reichert's The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love, & Lemon Pie will enjoy this charming novel.  The main character, Sanna, is very set in her ways, and very content to be living a quiet life on the family apple orchard.  Her world is turned topsy turvy when single dad Isaac and his young son enter the picture.  A very enjoyable read about deep devotion to one's dreams and taking chances on new possibilities and love.

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 am new to Amy Reichert’s work and she has been described as very similar to Sarah Addison Allen and Gayle Foreman. I absolutely agree with the former, not so much the latter. Reichert has the same passion for food with a slight magical twist in this book that I have seen in all of Sarah Addison Allen’s work. I absolutely love it and I’m happy to have found another author with that same ability to whisk me away in a beautifully told story.
I also adored the glimpse into orchard life again. I grew up immersed in the apple trees of Western New York and it brought back some pretty great memories. So much so that while reading, I could close my eyes and it was almost like I could smell the orchard. I love when a book is able to completely transport it’s reader. I appreciated the realness of the character relationships, specially that of Sanna and Bass and I love seeing the relationship develop from start to finish.
Well written and I’ll be looking into more of Reichert’s work in the very near future.

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

The Simplicity Of Cider
By
Amy E. Reichert




What it's all about...

Sanna and her father Einers...I still have no clue how to pronounce these names...are the only members of their family who still live and work on their family's apple farm.  Anders...the brother...only wants to sell it and Susanna...the mother...left this family years ago.  Sanna is scarred by this abandonment which has left her a bit removed, icy, cold.  Her love is for her trees, her apples and her ciders.  Isaac and his son Bass are supposed to be traveling and having a fun summer but somehow they end up working at this orchard.  Isaac's ex wife...a drug addict...has just died and for some unknown reason he doesn't want to tell his son...this seems ridiculous and ends up biting him you know where.  

Why I wanted to read it...

I loved this author's first book...loved it!  

What made me truly enjoy this book...

This author knows how to pull in "stuff" that makes a reader...this reader anyway...unable to put a book down.  The irritating casserole making neighbor, the villain who wants to turn the orchard into a water park and the irritating ex of Sanna's who is sabotaging the orchard all make this book yummy!  Of course it's up to Isaac to save everyone...if he can...and...of course there are sparks between surly Sanna and ever patient Isaac.  There are tremendous food descriptions, too,  so much so that I need apple pie now!  And lasagna...and PB and J!   

Why you should read it, too...

I loved this book even though at times I was irritated by everyone in it!  Readers who love this kind of "good" irritation and Door County and fish boils and tense relationships and apples...will love this book!

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