After receiving a letter which informed her that her father, whom she has never met, has passed away, Avery is on her way to the little town Magnolia, North Carolina, because apparently, she has inherited something. However, she was not prepared for receiving a building complex with debts and learns that she has two half-sisters, Carrie and Meredith.

The trip, of which Avery thought would only last for a couple days, goes on for much longer when Carrie offers for Avery to live in her house, while she will live in their fathers house until everything has settled. It is there that Avery meets her neighbour and single-father, Grayson Atwell.

The Magnolia Sisters starts with a live changing event which changes the protagonist’s life forever. If facing the dead of a father she never knew and learning of his will wasn't enough, she is left with the responsibility to sort through the mess he has left for her and her sisters. We are taken on an emotional rollercoaster of what she feels – or rather what she does not feel – with being confronted with what the town expects her to do, and deciding if she wants to form a bond with her two newly found sisters, which would bind her even more to a life she never knew she could have. 

Then there is the good-looking firefighter neighbour, Gray, who seems to good to be true, if only he wasn't the father of a little girl. Avery is not fond of children but quickly forms a love-hate-bond with the girl whom she helps with a hairy situation with her kindergarten-nemesis.

Avery did not know that running away from her past would bring her even more complications, especially when it comes to the point to go down a new path and form a future in which she does not know where she will end up. Speaking of, her past could affect her possible relationship with Gray, which seems to build after she drunkenly-kissed him. There are quite a handful of decisions to make and Avery must start making them.

I enjoyed the complexity and the different aspects of the story and the amount of love drama is not over the top. Usually I am not a big fan of “typical” romance stories as often they are too cliché, I guess. However, from time to time, it is nice to pick up something filled with love. While reading, I pictured the little town of Stars Hollow  from Gilmore Girls because not only was it mentioned in the book as well, but that is the picture a European girl as I have about small towns in the USA!

There are only two tiny little things I had a problem with. One, is the time span in relation to what happens in the end of the book. For me, it felt too fast and not realistic because just a short amount of time has passed. The second thing is how, in a way, uncomplicated everything was after the will was read. I cannot imagine it going that smoothly in such a special situation!

Perfect for readers of Nicholas Sparks and Cecelia Ahern, The Magnolia Sisters will give you hope that even at the darkest place, there is always a chance of light.