This was a DNF for me, but it wasn’t anything wrong with the book, author, or writing. The Lilac House is a beautiful story of starting over after grief.

Anna Harris is packing up her two children to head to Summer's Lake. She is going to pack up the house to sell since her husband has died. She meets Aiden who is also vacationing at Summer's lake and has his own set of problems. Anna's Aunt Hope is a rock and helps her and the children come to grips with their new life. A good story of healing and grief. This is book 1 in a new series and I'm looking forward to future installments. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Lilac House is a beautifully written book packed full of emotions.
Anna Harris is a woman grieving with the death of her husband, a state senator. They had two children, teens a boy and a girl. They all are having a hard time with the death.
Anna wants to make life as normal as possible for her children so they go for one last trip to their summer house in beautiful scenic Lake Summers.
Her goal is to pack up the house and sell it by summers end.
Falling in love with the town and getting involved with a man were not on her agenda.
As a former dancer Anna is thrilled to see her Aunt has opened a dance studio and she eagerly helps there for the summer.
The more she gets involved with the town and it's members she doesn't want to leave.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters and my favorite was her teen-aged son who is having such a hard time grieving his father but feeling his mother doesn't fully understand him it's stressful on him.
The story is full of strength through new found courage. I really enjoyed this one and would like to read more by this author.

Pub Date: 14 Dec 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

The Lilac House by author Barbara Josselsohn is a story that packs an emotional punch and if you have the history of losing a spouse this book will likely shred your emotions. 😭 My first impression after reading this story was to go hug my daughter and tell my husband I loved him, and yes I even gave my dog a huge hug. This story is one I would describe as very emotional, heart wrenching, gripping, thought provoking, and one that will stay with you for a while. I read this story in the middle of December and it has taken me over two weeks to be able to write this review; yet I fear I will not do this book justice.

So this book is not a romance per say, I would classify the genre as womens fiction with a sprinkling of romance. I have to say the MCs in this book are multifaceted, imperfect, everyday ordinary people — which is a lot different from my typical highlander, aristocrat, or Royal characters that frequent my favorite romance novels. The setting for this story is about 95% in the Adirondack Mountains at a family cottage nestled in the town of Lake Summers.

The MCs are recently widowed Anna Harris and her two children, Aidan Lawrence a widower and his teenage son, and Anna’s aunt Hope. There are also a lot of memories that Anna relives which brings her deceased husband Gregg into the mix of characters. Immediately with this cast of characters you know there is going to be a wide range of emotional content as each person is dealing with loss and grieving in their own way.

As the story gets going secrets start to be revealed and Anna is forced to start viewing her previous life and her present situation without her rose colored glasses. When Anna meets Aidan she is impressed by him, she feels a connection with him due to their shared circumstances of each losing a spouse, and she starts to find herself drawn to Aidan.

Now they have to figure out what to do with these feelings.

I think the author handles aspects of loss and bereavement very well — there is no “correct way” when dealing with loss be it sudden and unexpected or due to an illness. Each person has to process and deal with the sudden change in their lives, grief is very personal. Additionally with loss comes the thoughts of “is this my life now, forever alone” and again the answer to that question is one that is unique for each person, there is no set timeframe for when it’s okay to enjoy life again or when it’s acceptable to explore feelings with someone new. The author does an excellent job portraying this via this story and I appreciate that she didn’t sugar coat the topics or down play them.

This story explores so many concepts that I fear I will miss one if I try and list them. To summarize it’s a story about being human and all that entails. I encourage you to give this book a try.

4.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a story of courage, awakening, and strength. Anna faces life without the husband she so loved. Will a summer away at their favorite spot be too much or just what the family needs? Really enjoyed this!

Anna and her two children were going back to the Lilac House for the first time since her husband and their father passed away. They were going for the summer like they always had. Anna was going to help her Aunt Hope in the store she just opened, a ballet studio and store for what a ballerina would need.
Anna learned some things that she didn't know that her husband hadn't told her. At first, she was upset but decided the kids might need to be there, and maybe it would help them. Anna is picking herself up and knows she has to move forward, and figure out where she is going from here. When she found finally found her husband's iPad, she found a file, To Anna. As she read what it said, she realized that she knew what she had to do about her husband's memorial, and what she had to do for herself and children.
Her aunt told her that her children were going to be ok because she had shown them she would keep them safe, she would be there, and when something happened they would do what they had to do to make it through. I
I received an ARC from Forever through NetGalley.

Thanks to Forever for an advanced copy of The Lilac House by Barbara Josselsohn.

This is such a sweet book about second chances, family and memories. My only complaint was I should have read this in the summer instead of December!

Anna's always loved summers at Lake Summers in the Adirondacks, especially her cottage, Lilac House. But after her husband passes away she wonders if she can go without him. She decides to go for one last summer, especially because her Aunt Hope has just opened up a ballet shop. Will this summer help her grieve and help her and her children move on?

I loved the ballet storyline and descriptions. The town and characters in this are wonderful and I enjoyed being transported to the summer, even if it was a chilly winter day when I read this. This is more women's fiction then romance as it's more about overcoming grief and moving on.

This is a beautifully written book that is full of emotions. Anna's story is full of heartbreak, loss of her husband and learning how to move on with her life. It's a wonderful read that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Lilac House is a sweet romance, a feel good book to read. A wonderful story about family relationships, handling lose of loved ones, friendships, secrets and finding strength to go forward in life.
This is my first book by author, Barbara Josselsohn, and I look forward to reading more of this series.
Perfect summer, beach read.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and give my honest review about this book.

Anna and her children have lost Greg, husband and father. They are spending one last summer at Lilac House. It’s a summer of discovery for the family: a business, new relationships, and new discoveries. I liked the business aspect of it. I liked the location of the story. I thought all the characters made good advances with their issues and concerns. I was disappointed in the ending because I was hoping for a different turnout for a relationship.

Anna Harris is dealing with the loss of her husband, State Senator Greg Harris, as she is raising two teenagers, she returns to their summer house in Lake Summers, Her goal is to pack up the house and sell it but she gets involved in not only the town, but with a man named Aiden. Her aunt Hope has just opened the dance studio in the town and Anna is helping her out for just the summer.

Aiden his secrets of his own , huge secrets !

Hope also opens up about secrets she’s been caring for years

Anna should just sell the house and go back home, but this is a story of second chances, secrets, and family.

This is the second book by this author I have read and she will forever be on the top of my TBR list. I hope there are More books about this town, it’s people, written as beautifully as this author can write!!! I highly recommend this book!

This was a sweet story about Anna, who’s recently become a widow and is learning how to deal with the fallout now that her deceased husband, Greg, is no longer around. She meets Aidan, who’s also a widower, and the two strike up a relationship they didn’t see coming. The thing is Aidan’s past is hunting him and he needs to make a decision that can make or break his and his son’s future. Then, there’s Hope, Anna’s aunt, who happens to be full of surprises.

Although this is a good story, it was too slow for my liking. At first I thought Anna was weak because she just didn’t seem to know what to do about her kids. Then I thought, her son Zac, was a spoiled brat who needed someone to teach him how to behave. Evie was the sweetest little girl—maybe even the most likable character of all.

I didn’t care much for Aidan, though he was key for Anna to finally come to terms with her life. Then, there was Hope—the aunt. I didn’t like her one bit. For being in her sixties she was way too childish and stubborn. She knew she needed help, yet she refused to take it. I couldn’t get behind her reasoning for disappearing all those years ago, and then the way she reacted to Keon’s business proposal was way over the top and uncalled for. Even when she tried to come around later, I was past the point of caring about whatever happened to her.

Throughout the story there were a lot of flashbacks into Anna and Greg’s life. It really made me care more about Greg than anyone else in the story. Gosh, it made me misty eyed because Greg was such an honest man, that I really wished he hadn’t died. The author did an amazing job in keeping him alive which is the reason I liked this book as much as I did. This wasn’t about Greg, yet it was.

Forever,
Thank You for this eARC!

The Lilac House
By Barbara Josselsohn
A Lake Summers House book one

Anna's character felt real. Her grief was raw, natural and human.
These characters have real issues and that's what drew me closer to this story and characters.
Anna and Aidan were all done beautifully and authentically.
Hope and Aiden, are even the best part of this amazing story. I enjoyed seeing them grow as well!
And the beautiful setting of the small lakeside town.
This is a charming read of healing from grief with family and learning to move on.
A wonderful story about family relationships, losing a loved one, finding the strength to keep going, friendship and secrets.
The author did an excellent job of describing Anna's pain, fear and bravery when life gets complicated. 
A romantic novel that you won’t want to put down, simply because it is a utterly uplifting feel-good romance!

I can't wait to read more of The Lake Summers House series!
I couldn't get enough and wished it was so much longer.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review…the characters are likable…the setting is at a summer house and a dance studio/store…a young widow brings her two children to their summer place to try to heal from losing the father/husband…family…friends…a new business…secrets…love and romance…I enjoyed this book and hope there is a sequel…