The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis Series: Wildstone #3
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks on 18 June 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Women's Fiction
Pages: 368
Format: Kindle
The New York Times bestselling author of Rainy Day Friends and Lost and Found Sisters returns to Wildstone, California, where two completely opposite sisters — who are still nursing wounds from the past — realize they need each other more than they think.
When Brooke’s older sister, Mindy, shows up at her door with her three kids in tow, she barely recognizes her sibling who looks like she’s on the verge of a total breakdown. While adventurous, wanderlust Brooke was always the problem child, eager to slip free of Wildstone and its small-town constraints, Mindy was the golden child, who never had a hair out of place or a GPA below 4.0. The Mindy that arrives at Brooke’s apartment however, is a far cry from the ever-perfect doctor’s wife.
Brooke’s further stunned when Mindy asks to trade places with her for a few days so she can pick up her pieces and put herself back together. What Mindy doesn’t realize is that Brooke is just as broken. Her sister needs her though, so Brooke takes the kids and returns to Wildstone.
But how does one go home after seven years away and what feels like a lifetime of secrets? It doesn’t take long for Brooke to come face-to-face with her past, in the form of one tall, dark, sexy mistake. But Garrett’s no longer interested, or so he says. Only his words don’t match his actions, leaving Brooke feeling things she long ago shoved deep.
The sisters begin to wonder if the childhood taunts were true, are they lemons in life? In love? True or not, they know one thing — you can’t run far enough to outpace your demons. And when long-dead secrets surface, they’ll have to overcome their differences and learn that sometimes the one person who can help you the most is the one you never thought to ask.
The Lemon Sisters felt like the perfect behind-the-scenes story of a marriage, but also of the relationship sisters can have.
The Lemon Sisters follow two sisters – and they lead very different lives. They were both hiding part of their frustrations with their lives, to not burden each other. Until one day, when Mindy shows up unannounced at Brooke’s house. Feeling overwhelmed and tired, Mindy needs a break. And in a way, Brooke does, too. Therefore, the two sisters swap houses for a few days, and Brooke takes Mindy’s kids back to Wildstone, the place where she hasn’t been back in ages.
The Lemon Sisters follows Brooke much more closely than Mindy, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get to see Mindy’s story as well. And in many ways, I could relate to Mindy, tired, working, mom of three, doing much more than her fair share of the work everywhere. Mindy was feeling insecure about her husband, and she was also just too tired with her extremely long days working both outside of the home and in it.
Brooke hadn’t really planned on going back to Wildstone again ever. Because of a man she had left behind. However, going back to her roots gave her a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in a long time. Even with Garrett being rather hostile towards Brooke, she manages to start to heal some old wounds – both physical and psychological.
Even with the strong romance and the second chances that are present in The Lemon Sisters, I felt like the sisters and their relationship with each other was central to the story. Seeing them heal apart from each other, but also healing with each other was a strong point for me.
If you’re looking for a book that has all the ingredients for a good romance, but that is also deep on other levels, The Lemon Sisters should be added to your list of books to bring on vacation this summer!
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
I love reading books with strong sibling bonds, so this is right up my alley. Plus, add to that the fact that I’m a huge fan of Jill Shalvis, I know I will like this book as much as you did!
Great review, Lexxie!
I do love that it focuses mostly on the sisters, but surrounds them with other elements like personal growth and romances.
I wonder if my sister would swap houses with me. That sounds like a really fun idea. I’ll have to check out this book. I love novels that strengthen family bonds.
I know the intention for this series was for it to be more women’s fiction, but this is the first book that actually felt more women’s fiction than romance to me. I kind of loved that we got to explored so many relationships, and I adored Mindy’s family so, so much. Those kids were adorable and her husband – I wanted him for myself.
Excellent review – this is the third straight I’ve read and it sounds good! thanks.
I love Jill Shalvis and this sounds like a wonderful story. I’m very close to my sister, and I think there’s something special about sister’s and the bond that they share. I think it’s wonderful that you got romance and the swapping of houses which lead to healing. Wonderful Review Lexxie!