Family drama + a touch of romance + a dreamy Northern Michigan setting? Say no more.

Gigi Jenkins returns to Mackinac Island—broke, reluctant, and determined to make it through just one summer. But this charming lakeside town, full of fudge shops, ferry rides, and unspoken history, has other plans. What I loved most about this book is that it’s so much more than a love story. It’s a rich family saga about broken relationships, the weight of the past, and the power of coming home. Gigi’s journey is layered with old wounds, awkward reunions, and unexpected self-discovery. The characters felt incredibly real—flawed, funny, and ultimately lovable. As a proud Michigander, I loved the setting. Lindsay Macmillan captures the magic of Mackinac Island perfectly—the slower pace, the tight-knit community, the feeling of being stuck in time in the best way. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book inspires a surge in summer getaways to the island. If you’re looking for a heartfelt beach read with emotional depth and a strong sense of place, Summer on Lilac Island is one to pack in your tote bag. Add it to your TBR for a little sunshine and a lot of heart.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the audiobook ARC to read and review so I could share my honest review!

*Summer on Lilac Island* is the perfect feel-good listen for anyone craving heartfelt laughs, mother-daughter mischief, and a dash of romance. Lindsay MacMillan’s witty storytelling shines, and narrator Kira Fixx brings Gigi and Eloise to life with warmth and charm. Full of quirky small-town antics, surprising twists, and emotional depth, this audiobook is as comforting as a summer breeze and as satisfying as a second chance. At its heart, it’s a beautiful reminder that sometimes the most important love story is the one we rewrite with family.

Sweet story about several generations of women on Mackinac Island. Perfect beach read!

I both read and then listened to the audiobook. My preference is the book as I didn’t love the narration.

Cute, entertaining story- perfect to read while relaxing by the beach or pool! The characters and scenery were really well-developed so I got a good sense of what it would actually be like to summer on Mackinac Island.

I received an audiobook ARC of this story.

Of the story itself, it’s a woman’s fiction story following three generations of women, Alice, the grandmother, Eloise, the mother, and Gigi and Rebecca, the adult daughters spending a summer on Mackinac Island. It was a sweet story where all the women had significant growth over the summer. Although, while sweet, I didn’t completely connect with the characters. 3.5 stars for the story.

For the audiobook narrator, she did a good job, especially when she was simply telling the story. But when she did the voices of the characters, the voices were nasally and sometimes whiny. Not my favorite narrator but 3 stars for the audio.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Gigi returns to her hometown, Mackinac Island, to live with her Mom, Eloise, when she finds herself unemployed and out of money. Gigi has always been something of a free spirit. Living with her mother brings up feelings from the past- specifically that she has never been enough and a chronic underachiever. Adding to this feeling is that Gigi's younger sister Rebecca is seemingly in the perfect marriage.

Gigi doesn’t want to stay on the island long, but agrees to go on a date with the town doctor, whom Eloise has chosen in return for setting up her long divorced Mom. As the summer drags on, Gigi and Eloise work on repairing their relationship as well as finding their true authentic selves.

I enjoyed this book. It very much had Elin Hilderbrand vibes. I did feel like sometimes the author would go off on tangents about secondary characters, that I found I did not care much about. I did enjoy the inter-generational trauma and drama shared between Eloise and Gigi. Overall, this was a quick and fun beach read that I would recommend!

I love Mackinac Island. It is a beautiful place and one that most Michiganders are very proud of. This book did not show this love. It presented the Fudgies only as people that wreaked havoc on the island. The citizens of the island were only fanatics of the island or hated it. No one seemed to just love living there, even if it issues with the island during winer. Every emotion was big.
I also had trouble with the narrator, I know this is a personal taste, but I felt that every character had a bit of a whine to their voice.
I am sad I had so much trouble with this book. I really really wanted to like it.

This book was a sweet summer read, with an emphasis on mother daughter relationships instead of romantic ones. I love that some of the story was told from the island's point of view.
I did think the story was about 50 pages too long.

I thoroughly enjoyed this summertime read about Gigi Jenkins' return to her hometown on Macinac Island after leaving it for dust years earlier. With POVs from many of the characters, including the Grand Hotel and the island itself, all the storylines interweaved nicely, and I never felt like I was losing track of what was happening.
This was a great read!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Muse and Netgalley.

A fun Summer read. Yes, you can always return home. Family struggles and secrets come to light throughout the story but how they handle them is refreshing. Learning all about the nuances of Mackinac Island make it truly a delightful quick read. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

Sweet tale about family, forgiveness, love. Gigi Jenkins returns home to Macinack Island, the hometown she grew an away from ten years before. She plans to just be there for the summer but finds her mother setting her up with the town’s summer doctor. In exchange, she sets her mother, Eloise, up with the Scottish author she meets on the ferry. As the summer unfolds, Gigi, her sister Rebecca, Eloise, and Grandmother Alice learn about life and love, acceptance and grace. Beautifully narrated from multiple points of view. Can’t wait to hear what’s next from both the author and narrator.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperMuse for an advance listening copy of SummeronLilacIsland. A nice cozy romance featuring many intertwined characters. 3 stars.

Being from Michigan this review feels a bit biased, but I just loved this story. The writing created a beautiful picture of the magic that is Mackinac island. The plot was cute and I appreciated the development of the various characters. This is a perfect spring/summer read that I definitely will recommend to my friends!

As a kid my husband spent his summers in the UP of Michigan, so I was so excited thee first time he took me to Mackinac Island. I was a Southerner, and honestly the only thing I knew about the Island was the Grand Hotel from the movie Somewhere In Time, but once there I fell in love with the area, especially the fact that their was no cars traveling about the streets, it gave everything the most quaint feel I had probably ever experienced.

Summer On Lilac Island takes place on Mackinac, so it became a sure read for me. ( Lilac Island is Mackinac's nickname due to the amount of Lilac bushes that are on the island, they also have a Lilac Festival there every June )

The story is about Gigi, who moves back home to live with her mom, as you can imagine, it is an emotional time for her, no one wants to have to go home to their parents once living on their own.. Right off the bat, her mother tries to fix her up with the towns single doctor ( makes me, a Jewish woman, wonder if Gigi has a Jewish mother hahaha ) but Gigi will not agree until her mother also agrees to a date with a man Gigi met on the Ferry on the way to the island. Throughout the book you will see each to the two women grow from the place they started at the beginning of the book.

The book does have several perspectives of the story, five to be exact. This is usually a sore spot with me because I sometimes get confused on who is who, but Macmillan's writing was smooth and coherent and I had no trouble keeping up with the amount, The entire book is light and charming and the Island even felt like an additional character.

Publishing in July, this is a perfect summer read. Everything about the book is summery and you feel the warmth as you read. There is light romance, it doesn't rule the story, the story is the woman and their lives.

Pick up Summer on Lilac Island this July, and escape to Mackinac, no matter where you are, it is so easy to do with Macmillan's vivid descriptions and imaginative world building!

Summer on Lilac Island by Lindsay Macmillan, narrated by Kira Fixx. Great beach read. Gigi returns to Mackinac Island to live with her mother Eloise. Matchmaking, healing old hurts, coming to terms with family issues, get ready to read layers in this book. Thank you to #NetGalley and # Harper Muse Auto books for this arc. This is my honest review.

Lindsay MacMillan knows how to take the reader to another place, and create the most fun, summer story! I was caught into this book from the first page. Loved the characters and this beautiful place!

Cute little story about a mother daughter relationship and how we always end up being our mothers, listening to our mothers and finding ourselves on the way.

A wonderful beach read with so many layers and brings the reader closer to a fanastic place. After years of leaving Mackinac Island, Gigi Jenkins is back to her hometown and is going to spend her summer in Eloise's--her mother--house there. Their relationship isn't exactly mom-daughter duo, but somehow they start a competition to match make the other. Gigi would agree to go on a date with a man Eloise chooses, and vice versa. They know it's going to be unpredictable, but what they don't know is how the date could ignite something the islanders (and the fudgies) never expect to happen that would affect not only the Jenkins, but the whole community. Pealing beneath the layers of the story it unfolds with the improtance of family, healing wounds as well as dealing with the truth of the past in order to move forward. It is a lovely story of family stepping back and seeing one another for who they are other than who you expect or what them to be, reconnecting and loving the people in your life and meeting them where they are at on their journey. Really recommend this novel for a great beach read especially if you are interested the gem of Mackinaw Island (Lilac festival is usually starts the Second Friday in June) Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for this opportunity.

Gigi Jenkins returns to Lilac Island after escaping it right before graduation high school. Gigi has been chasing a wanderlust lifestyle for years and has come back home to reset and figure out what is next. Her relationship with her mom and sister are strained and her father is in out of their lives at his convenience. Her plans are to stay for a short period and relaunch as soon as possible.

It is a lovely story of family stepping back and seeing one another for who they are other than who you expect or what them to be - reconnecting and loving the people in your life and meeting them where they are at.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early review audiobook.

I just finished listening to the best audiobook. Summer on Lilac Island by Lindsay MacMillan was such a great story.