I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. While I could not get into this book originally when I first received it, I have heard many things from customers who did read it and I tried again. I liked the small-town feel to the story. It is a quick read and a perfect beachy read.

There were so many wonderful characters. Most were very likable some were not so likable. Yet even those who were not likable were interesting. Linnie, Jada, and Cat were working hard to keep Linnie’s family inn open. It seemed that with every good thing that happen something else happen to counter it.

Linnie’s brother, Freddie, comes to town and throws everything in an upheaval. He is selfish, rude, and undeserving of anyone’s forgiveness. I felt like he was never held responsible for his actions and the problems those actions caused. He was not likable but he was Linnie’s brother so she still cared about him. I liked that Linnie did not just give up on him. He forced her to push him to be responsible or at least take some blame for his actions. While Freddie was not a “good guy” he wasn’t all bad and he did make Linnie stand up for herself and push to get what she deserves from her family.

My favorite character was Daniel. The feelings between Linnie and him were a big part to the story. While keeping a big secret, he still kept Linnies best interest in mind. He went beyond what was expected of a friend and lawyer to help Linnie keep the inn open and get what she deserved. The relationship between these two was sweet. It was an easy, no pressure friendship with an undertone of more than that. Daniel knew he couldn’t push too hard but that he had to nudge Linnie in the right direction.

I recommend picking up your own copy of Sweet Lake.

I recommend Sweet Lake and the entire series. Sweet Lake celebrates determination, friendship, and love and Christine Nolfi's talent for depicting setting and character will make you feel like you are right in the story! —Grace Greene, author of The Memory of Butterflies

I enjoyed this book very much.
I liked the friendships that were portrayed, the inn atmosphere, and the small-town setting. The author manages to portray both fun moments and serious moments throughout this novel that makes it a heartwarming story that will leave you feeling close to the characters by the end of it.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. And here it is!

When I opened up Sweet Lake, I found myself plunked down into a lovely small town community, filled with quirky characters and a solid story. Linnie, the owner of the Wayfair Inn, has her hands full with the crumbling inn, her crazy family, and her long suffering love Daniel. And that's just the beginning. There's so much fun stuff going on with the Sirens, a group of older women who drink mojitos, cast spells, and howl at the moon (yes, sometimes in their birthday suits!). Her dastardly brother Freddie threatens her legacy at the inn. Every character is wonderfully done, well defined and memorable. I loved Linnie's sarcasm, her sense of humor, and her frailties as well. She's ambitious, and competent, and a bit insecure. Like most of us :)

The difficulties of family dynamics, the challenges of trust, and love, and the joy of friendship, ....they all come together here in a humorous and compelling story. The small town of Sweet Lake is a place I want to be. And I'm looking forward to my next visit! Highly recommended

This is one of the very best and in places the funniest books I have read in a long time. It had parts that were sad, on a personal level, but all worked out for the most part. I love Christine Nolfi's books and this one is right up there with them all. A big 5 stars for sure.

Since her father's stroke Linnie has been managing the Wayfair Inn and believes that it is her legacy - but that is not always the case and the actions of her brother Freddie escalate the feud between them - can they ever sort things out and work together?

The Sweet Lake Sirens, a group of middle aged women, are determined to sort things out and so come up with a plan to bring them together but can it work - Linnie believes that she should be sole owner of the Inn and it should not be anything to do with Freddie!

A lovely easy reading story - I loved the Sirens what a great group of ladies - my first book by this author but I will be reading more

Sweet Lake sounds like just the perfect place. relaxing, calm and peaceful.
The owner and manager Linnie, has been working and keeping the family Inn from going down and has done a fabulous job through many years . She has given up her own happiness to continue with the family business.
Her brother Freddie also is half of the owner and definitely nothing like his sister. He has not cared about the Inn for years nor has he visited or helped.
Though the two have had many disputes- Linnie remembers the line "A sibling carries your history." that a dear friends has told her. Can they fix their relationship? Will Linnie ever find love and happiness at Sweet Lake?
This is a terrific story and I read it in 2 days .

Loved, loved, loved this book! Great vacation read. It was a feel good book and one that I read in one sitting.

great story, quirky characters and tons of suspense take you to the end and leave you wanting more. Wonderfully written, this is my first by this author but it will not be my last! Bravo!!!!

Sweet Lake is the first book in a new series by Christine Nolfi. Set in Ohio in a small town where everything went downhill in terms of work when Freddy Wayfair took off with most of the money from his family's account, leaving his sister Linnie to struggle on with the family inn. Now she is working on a shoestring, has let many of the staff go, and because numbers are down at the inn, the whole town has lost business. Serious times. Fortunately she has very good friends, a good man who has his eye on her and very loyal employees.

The Wayfair parents have retired and live in Florida. Linnie sends a little money to them as she can. She is the good girl, a hard worker, responsible, thinks of others and basically has been left "holding the baby". Do her parents value her? Do they really love her? Because to me love involves respect and fairness and as the story progresses it seems to me they honestly don't.

Life growing up in the Wayfair family was a little rough around the edges. There were many expectations put on the older brother Freddy, some of them quite tough. We briefly meet the mother, and my impression was of a woman I didn't really like. Her attitude annoyed me!

Freddy is gifted, harbors a few secrets, and acts without thinking at times. Hello! Taking all that money and not thinking of the consequences for all those people relying on the inn. I sort of had a love/hate approach to him. He is redeemable and circumstances surround, as Frances would be keen to point out.

Frances? One of the Sirens, a group of middle aged and elderly women who appear a little eccentric, and into new age stuff. However secret kindness is their catch cry and they rally to many a good cause and they see Linnie as a very good cause!

So as I read questions abounded. Could Linnie take hold of her reins and stand up and speak up and go after what she really wants from life? Freddy did that to a large extent, but he too his a little tied to his parents wishes so how is he going to deal?

This is a heart warming, humorous story. It is well paced, has a variety of entertaining characters and some important issues to explore. A great start to a new series.

Sweet Lake

Christine Nolfi



SWEET LAKE is the first book in the Sweet Lake series. I am a huge fan of Christine Nolfi's books and have loved every single one of them. Linnie Wayfair is running her family's inn and sadly, she was born a girl. The family inn has always been passed down to the males in the Wayfair line but Linnie feels it should be hers as her brother, Freddie, left the inn years ago after creating a huge debt to not only the inn but also to the towns people of Sweet Lake, Ohio.



Once I started reading SWEET LAKE I was instantly invested in the story and had a hard time putting it down. Why does my family always want to eat when I'm reading such an awesome story? The Sirens, a group of women in Sweet Lake will keep you laughing out loud with their antics and their meddling. They try to get Linnie and Freddie to be a loving sibling to each other, like they were many years ago, but Linnie is fearful that Freddie will break her heart again. She has worked so hard to keep the inn running with no help for years from her brother. Will her parents see all the sacrifices she has made and give her the inn?



SWEET LAKE is going to pull on your heartstrings and never let you go. I'm excited to continue with the Sweet Lake series and all the lovable characters that live there. Will Linnie finally give her old friend Daniel the time of day and her heart? Christine Nolfi sure knows how to write a story that keeps the reader emotionally invested in all the characters, not just the main ones, but all of them. It takes the whole town, coming together, to untangle the mess Freddie made years ago and you will find yourself cheering them all on. If you love small town romance with family drama thrown in, you have to give SWEET LAKE a try. You will not be sorry and I bet you will want to become a Siren just like me.

I enjoyed this start to a new series. The main character, Linnie, has run her family's inn for years. Now her scoundrel of a brother shows back up and threatens her future. She finds that her parents expect her to step aside for her brother to run the inn whenever he desires, and they have made it legally binding. Daniel, an attorney who has been her friend for years, is by her side as she tries to decide which way her future lies. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest review

Nicely written small town romance with good characters (don't we all know someone like one of the Sirens?) and a positive plot line. Linnie has her struggles but she also has her friends. The romance aspect of this was less interesting to me than the interaction between them, although Daniel is definitely interesting. I'd not read Nolfi before (thanks to Netgalley for the introduction) but I'm going to look for the next installment in this series. It made for a very pleasant read.

A very sweet story of starting over, trusting friends and delighting in lifes changes. I enjoyed the well crafted characters who each add this particular brand of wit to the story. This is a enjoyable fun read and very well done. It's a heartwarming story of finding oneself in the joy of community and friends.

Sweet Lake is the first book in a new series set in a charming small town in Ohio. Seeing the lovely picture on the book cover and after reading the book, the author makes you want to move there. The descriptions make you feel as if you are there staying at the Wayfair Inn or walking on the beach.

I loved the story from beginning to end. It was well written and entertaining. There is some romance, humor that will make you laugh out loud, family disagreements, and good friends. All things that readers can connect with.

Now, about characters! Linnie is the main one and you'll get to meet her best friends, love interest, brother, and a good portion of this town. They are caring, interesting, funny, quirky (The Sirens, who you will love), and of course, we have one that will be the bad guy. You will hurt for Linnie as she struggles to keep her dreams alive.

I highly recommend this heart warming novel. I'm looking forward to my next visit to Sweet Water!

* I was provided an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. Reviewing it was my voluntary decision.

I completely enjoyed visiting Sweet Lake, Ohio and all the fun, quirky characters in Christine Nolfi's new series. it is about family and it was just such an enjoyable read. I am looking forward to the second book in this series. I will be recommending this one to friends and family.

A tale of family, relationships, love. At the Wayfair Inn in Ohio, Linnie is the first daughter in Wayfair history. Every previous generation only had a male heir. After her rascal brother takes money from her parents and leaves town, Linnie is forced to take care of the Inn herself with her close friends. But her parents still don't think Linnie should run the Inn, it should fall to her brother, since that's what the Wayfair men are supposed to do.

Will Linnie's brother return to run the Inn? Will Linnie finally get involved with her long friend, Daniel?

I really enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the story line and I enjoyed the colorful cast of characters in the town. It was cute. I'm looking forward to the second book in the series!

I started reading Christine Nolfi's stories four years ago. I always find myself absorbed in her stories as she beautifully writes about true to life characters. She never fails to describe the the settings in such a way that you want to be there yourself. Christine certainly knows how to tell a story.

I'm not going to go into the storyline as the blurb gives you enough and I don't want to spoil the story for you. What I will say is I found this story had a great storyline with lovely likeable characters.

If your looking for a really good well written story then I highly recommend this read. In my opinion it is faultless.

Although my reading taste has changed over the years Christine Nolfi's stories are like a comfort blanket to me. When I'm having a down day or a book hangover I seem to find myself re reading one of her stories.

I'm looking forward to reading more of the Sweet Lake series.