This was an entertaining book. I enjoyed it and it was cute, though the female main character had some annoying characteristics.

enjoyed this mother-daughter story set on Mackinac Island, Michigan that had some romance, some reconciliation, secrets and more as the two women embark on journeys of self-discovery over the course of one life-changing summer.

This was good on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Sarah Morgan. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital, #gifted physical and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

A big thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I have never been one to gravitate towards women's fiction, but I am so happy that Summer on Lilac Island found its way to me. I knew from the description that I would enjoy it, but I just never expected myself to finish it and want more. The characters' (including the side characters) stories were so interesting that I kept wanting more ( and yelled at a few of them for their decisions).
I look forward to reading more from Lindsay, and for her first jump into women's fiction, I give her an A+.

Summer on Lilac Island by Lindsay MacMillan was a quick and entertaining read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
The characters were all realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

This book is basically the story of the impact of a father’s abandonment on his family and the damaging, rippling effects it had throughout their lives and how they coped or didn’t.

The banter between mother and daughter is very witty and fun, it made me think of Lorelei and Emily Gilmore which, of course, made me smile. The characters are supremely flawed (and could be unlikeable but I just see that as human nature sometimes) and nothing is really glossed over, but I felt like it was handled well and lightly enough that it didn’t get depressing. Still, I couldn’t help but have my heart break a little for the trauma and issues these poor people had because of one man’s selfish choices.

I enjoyed reading the book for the most part and watching everyone grow, though by the end I wished it would wrap up faster. It was a bit slow moving and dragged on with details and flashbacks in parts, without any compelling storyline to push you forward but it ultimately had good character development.

TW:
Language
LBGTQ
Drugs/alchohol

Side note: I’m a huge Mackinac fan and will read any book based on the island but it started off rough. I immediately found a few grammatical errors. The first few chapters were full of location errors; while many seemed like she’d been there before, just as many seemed as if she hadn’t (I’ll add some of those below to clear some things up, though the list is not exhaustive). Seems as if she should have had someone who has a bit more experience with the island beta read this book before it got published.

Location errors:
- The island has no sandy beaches, just rocks. No sand at all.
- You can’t see Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor from Main Street since it’s at the Grand Hotel.
- It says the roads are heavy potholed - I have never seen a pothole on the island and most especially not on Main Street, it’s meticulously cared for. Horse poop, yes, and plenty of it.
- Harrisonville is full of unique cottages not uniform rows of two story homes. Many quaint and unevenly laid out.
- Golf carts are certainly not allowed on the island unless on the golf course.

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read an early release copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Uplitreads, Lindsay MacMillan, and Harper Muse for my #gifted copy of Summer on Lilac Island! #giftedbyuplit #uplitreads SummerOnLilacIsland

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐜 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Lindsay MacMillan does an excellent job in this heartwarming multigenerational novel set in Mackinac Island. Filled with family drama, hope, and second chances, this book is the perfect beach read. As someone who went to Mackinac Island when I was younger, I found this to be a perfect representation of the island and loved how the author so perfectly painted the picture of the Island. I did struggle a bit with Gigi’s character at times, but besides that, I did enjoy this one.

☀️Multigenerational Family Drama
☀️Mother-Daughter Relationships
☀️Small Town Setting
☀️Mackinac Island
☀️Perfect Summer Read
☀️Heartwarming

Posted on Goodreads on June 30, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 1, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 1, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Summer on Lilac Island is the perfect summer read! I have always wanted to visit Mackinac Island and now feel like I have, as well as meeting some very interesting characters. The storyline is such a fun uplifting story with plenty of twists and turns told with humor and wit. I definitely recommend Summer on Lilac Island as a delightful summer read.

Summer on Lilac Island is a good women’s fiction book that aptly describes the highs and lows of the relationship between adult daughters, mothers, grandmothers and friends. No matter how much a person tries to distant herself from her parent(s) and be her own person, the influence from childhood experiences and the need to be loved by your parent always affect the choices made. There are a few love interests/triangles which are sweet and clean with no spicy scenes. There is some language but not much compared to most YA books. Overall, a sweet story of love and family!

I really enjoyed the various storylines throughout this story. Learning about the lives of the various characters: Gigi, Eloise (Gigi’s mother), Rebecca (Gigi’s sister), Annie (Gigi’s grandmother) to name just a few of the people who live or who have lived on Mackinac Island - which is an island with no cars (except for emergency vehicles) although the cops do ride around on horses. I really liked all the characters. This story had romance, humour, happiness and sadness. I guessed who would end up together except for one couple. I’m only just getting back into reading romance stories and this was a really enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it! I will look into the other books from this author now. A big thank you to Harper Muse, NetGalley and Lindsay MacMillan for the complimentary e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The setting of this book could not have been better, BUT the story and the characters could have been better.
I had a hard time following who was who and what was happening the first 40%. From then on it just was blah. The characters were hard to like. The story followed too many people in my opinion. Everyone was just not happy with themselves which made it hard for them to have good relationships with others. Some may love it though
The narrator was so good!
Thank you NetGalley, Lindsay Macmillan and Harper Muse for the ARC of this book!

Summer on Lilac Island by Lindsay MacMillan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Perfect summer beach read with a beautiful setting, a little romance and family drama. Three generations to be exact, Grandma, mother, Gigi and her sister.

Gigi makes some bad choices which makes her have to move back to her home town. A place she couldn't wait to leave. She determined to make the most of it.

Lots of characters to keep track of, but they all play a part in this story.
So read along as Gigi rediscovers herself and repairs her family. It just might help you discover something in yourself. I know I did and was very glad I read it.

Thank you Netgallery for the advanced copy of this book.

I loved how the relationships between the three women developed and grew, especially the drama between Eloise and Gigi - it was fascinating to see them work through their issues.

I loved Lindsay MacMillan's storytelling and how she crafted strong, unique female characters.

🌴 Summer on Lilac Island is the perfect beach read! 🌊 If you love stories about women in family dynamics, small-town settings, romance, and vivid descriptions, with a pinch of family drama, you'll adore this book.

A good summer read about a mother and adult daughter relationship. The setting of Mackinac island was perfect for a summer story. There was a lot of growth by the characters. At times I thought there were too many story lines going at once.

I received a free copy of, Summer on Lilac Island, by Lindsay MacMillan, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Mackinac Island is a beautiful area, there are no cars allowed, horses, and bicycles, are how people get around. Gigi is back home, on Mackinac Island, and not happy about it. This is a lovely story in a beautiful location. I have always wanted to go to Mackinac Island, but have not gone. I really enjoyed Gigi and the other lovely ladies in this book.

This was a good, quick read! There was matchmaking from the mom and the daughter for each other which was a fun storyline to follow. There were a bunch of POV's and I did enjoy the description of Mackinac Island. It had the small town feel and the matchmaking is always fun. I do feel like the best relationship to come out of it was the mom and daughter getting closer. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the connection to Mackinac Island.

SUMMER ON LILAC ISLAND is a multi-generational familial drama set on Mackinac Island, with a flare of magical realism, perfect if you are looking for a beach novel that shows the growth of women, advanced experience women, and a timeless island. Thank you @harpermuse for my early listening and reading copies of Lindsay MacMillan’s new novel, out July 1.

Alice (grandmother), Eloise (mother), Gigi (daughter) and their pasts collide as everyone carries secrets, sadness, and hope. On an island that has banned cars and traverses by way of horses, carriages, bikes and feet, these characters even step into a slower pace of life and a bit of prim-proper behaviors.

Alice has a suitor from her long-ago high school years, Eloise is trying to decide between her absentee “husband” and the lovely Scottish author visiting the island for the summer, and Gigi is trying to not falter under her mother’s judgements, the island people’s judgement (the island loves her!) and James the temporary town doctor.

A thought-provoking (but not overly deep) novel about our pasts and what impact that past carries, secrets and all.

Mentions of child-loss, adoption, loss of a spouse, infidelity, divorce- as always reach out if you have questions!

Gigi Jenkins had to come home to the place she couldn't wait to get away from.

She didn't know how it would work being with her mother since they really didn't get along.

When she arrived, her mother was already getting on her nerves. She had made a blind date for Gigi.

Gigi said she would go on the date if her mother would go on a date with an author she met on the ferry.

Her mother surprisingly agreed.

How did both of these dates turn out and how did Gigi and her mother's relationship turn out?

Find out everything in this heartwarming book with great characters and set in Mackinac Island.

You will want to be on your way to Mackinac Island as you read about its magic and beauty.

A lovely summer read - but just a bit too long and too many characters to keep straight. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is as much about family dynamics, especially between mothers and daughters, as it is a romance, Gigi, home on Mackinac Island, agrees to a date set up by her mother Eloise even as her grandmother offers commentary from the bleachers. Eloise has her own love interest eventually, thanks to a set up by Gigi. Know that you like me might find Gigi immature. The atmospherics of the Island are good as is the storytelling, Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. A classic summer read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Muse Publishing for an early copy of Summer on Lilac Island by Lindsay MacMillan

With a setting as vibrant as Mackinac Island, Michigan, author Lindsay MacMillan had the makings for a generational family story steeped in steeped in tradition and love. Summer on Lilac Island features a family who move too quickly and react too emotionally to really get to the roots of their dysfunction. The grandmother cannot confess to a long-ago affair, her daughter cannot let go of a husband who accepts little to no responsibility for his marriage or the two daughters he has fathered, and the two daughters with nothing in common struggle into adulthood with a father who rarely showed up.

The story begins with a challenge between mother Eloise and her daughter Georgiana who in her late twenties is returning to Mackinaw Island for the summer. Mother and daughter each agree to be set up on a date arranged by the other. What happens next is a whirlwind of change that moves too rapidly for one summer. Coincidences abound and too many secrets are revealed.

Some very heavy issues are pretty much steamrolled such as Eloise's friend Deidre finally telling her husband about a baby she gave up for adoption and planning to find the daughter, and these women decide they are now authors and are going to tell their story of Lilac Island (Mackinaw Island).

An engagement, a broken engagement and a run for mayor of the island also lay claim to the Summer at Lilac Island

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC copy of the book b it was quite enjoyable and a big predictable. I have a friend that recently visited Mackinac Island and was delighted to read the book.