Summer on Lilac Island by Lindsay MacMillan is a story about three generations of women who find forgiveness, hope, and love over one summer.
Summer in Lilac Island is a book I listened to, and I really enjoyed it. Set in a small island with a no-car rule, three generations of women must confront their pasts and find ways to forgiveness. Throughout one summer, each woman finds romance and finds ways to understand each other. This book is perfect for when you want a summer book with family drama.
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Summer on Lilac Island Overview
Title: Summer on Lilac Island
Author: Lindsay MacMillan
Pages: 400 Pages
Publish Date: July 1st, 2025
Genre: Women’s Fiction
My Star Rating: 4/5 stars! (I loved this book and would recommend it to most people.)
Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/4k76LMI
Synopsis from Amazon
When Gigi Jenkins finds herself broke, unemployed, and out of options, she has no choice but to return to Mackinac Island, the horse-and-buggy hometown she swore she’d left behind forever.
Living under the same roof with her meddling, divorced mother, Eloise, feels like a recipe for disaster–especially when Eloise hatches a scheme to set Gigi up with the island’s charming new doctor.
Determined to call her mother’s bluff, Gigi agrees to the date on one condition: she gets to play matchmaker for Eloise in return.
What begins as a battle of wills spirals into a summer of small-town antics, unexpected sparks, and plot twists neither woman saw coming.
But the greatest love story of the summer isn’t about romance–it’s about the bond between mother and daughter. Through late-night date debriefs, outfit consultations, and learning to laugh (and forgive), Gigi and Eloise begin to bridge years of misunderstanding, moving from adversaries to confidantes.
My Review of Summer on Lilac Island
First off, thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Muse Audiobooks, and Lindsay MacMillan for this Advanced Listening Copy of Summer on Lilac Island. This is such a great book to listen to this summer!
This book is a multigenerational family drama with strong female main characters. Alice, the grandmother, Eloise, the mother, and Gigi, the granddaughter, must all find ways towards forgiveness and healing from their pasts. They spend a summer together on Mackinac Island, where time stands still, as the only forms of transportation are horses, carriages, bicycles, and feet.
Each woman has a potential new relationship this summer, and they all must decide if starting anew is right for them. Alice has her high school sweetheart who returns, Eloise must forget her absentee husband for a new romance with a Scottish author, and Gigi finds romance in the town’s temporary doctor.
I enjoyed listening to the relationships of these three women develop and grow as they begin to find ways to understand one another. I loved Eloise and Gigi’s relationship drama. I’m just a huge fan of family dramas.
I loved Lindsay MacMillan’s storytelling and the way she wrote these strong female characters who were strong in different ways. These characters may be related, but they had their differences.
I enjoyed Kira Fixx’s narration of this book and felt like she added depth to the characters. I would like to hear more books from her.
Summer on Lilac Island is the perfect book to listen to while enjoying some summer sun. This book is breezy and fun. It’s filled with drama, hope, forgiveness, and love.
Who Would Enjoy This Book
If you enjoy women’s fiction that gives off summer vibes, then you will enjoy this book. Summer on Lilac Island is perfect for anyone who loves books set in small towns, multigenerational characters, multiple points of view, family drama, and deep issues handled lightly. This book will give you a much-needed escape this summer.
Trigger warning: there is mention of child loss, adoption, loss of spouse, and infidelity.
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- NetGalley Book Review: The Tanglewood Bookshop by Lilac Mills
- Everything’s Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh Book Review
- It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan NetGalley Book Review
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed my honest review of Summer on Lilac Island. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from all of you! This book screams summer vibes and I hope you love it.
If you enjoyed this review, please share it on your social media. I appreciate all the love and support.
Thanks for reading,
Kel
This book is my kinda book! Thanks for sharing!
Even though this is not the kind of books I would normally read, the plot line sounds interesting. Appreciate your detailed review. I never listened to an audio book before. Your blog has inspired me to give it a try.