Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis Narrator: Erin Mallon
Series: Wildstone #3
Published by HarperAudio on June 18, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Length: 9 hours, 3 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
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.
Every book in this Wildstone series, has some seriously funny parts (which I always love) and some honestly real, personal issues for the characters to assimilate. There doesn’t seem to be a strong connection between the books other than the town.
The Lemon Sisters are Mindy and Brooke. Mindy is married with 3 young children and works in a family business. Her husband is a doctor and works lots of hours. I completely understand Mindy but it’s almost like she needs to grow up. She’s exhausted, partly because she tries to control everything. But she does a horrible job of considering anyone other than herself. On the other hand, she needs to be clear about her needs / wants and hold her ground. Although, it’s not surprising she is too tired to know what she wants. I get her wanting for things to be better for Brooke but she was not really very understanding or helpful.
Brooke left home to see the world and have adventures. She was injured and that has given her a few issues and fears. She chose to take those injuries all on herself by shutting off her feelings which included her friends and family. She’s surprised when Mindy shows up but it gives her a chance to reconnect with Mindy, her family and Wildstone. The growth of the characters is always a good thing. The mess ups and confused emotions and anxiety they have is totally realistic.
Garrett was awesome. He has done well for himself and built a good life. He has also shut himself off emotionally so he can’t ever be hurt by being left again. All the leavers from his past come back so he’s having an emotional struggle.
I loved the realistic issues that came up within Mindy’s marriage, Garrett’s emotional background and Brooke’s PTSD and chosen isolation. They all had a bit of the not talking openly or being honest with themselves problem. When Garrett finally decided to get what he wanted, I cried. In the end, it was all about trust for all of them.
Narration:
I have listened to the narrator before and enjoyed her. I’ve not heard her enough to recognize her work blindly yet though. I did listen at my usual 1.5x speed. The performance certainly brought out my emotions. I love the husky quality of the male voices.
Listen to a clip:
About Erin Mallon
Erin Mallon is an actor, writer and voice artist in NYC. Her naturally warm personality and youthful sound have proven excellent tools for the many young adult and romance titles she narrates. She has originated roles in the theater with Ensemble Studio Theater’s Youngblood Company, The Drilling Company, Mabou Mines, Incubator Arts Project and many more. Erin is a devoted volunteer at The 52nd Street Project, the voice of many TV and radio commercials, and was one of BACKSTAGE’s “Career Dispatch” columnists for 2012.
About Jill Shalvis
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
| Rating Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Plot |
|
| Writing |
|
| Characters |
|
| Narration (Audio) |
|
| Overall: | |
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
- 🎧 Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jónasson @ragnarjo#SamWoolf @MinotaurBooks @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooks - September 12, 2024
- 🎧The Swimmer by Loreth Anne White @Loreth @rebabuhr #BrillianceAudio #LoveAudiobooks #KindleUnlimited - September 10, 2024
- 🎧The Brothers Kenney by Adam Mitzner @adam_mitzner #StacyCarolan @librofm @BlackstoneAudio #LoveAudiobooks - September 8, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Audiobooks
- 2019 Releases
- COYER Hunt
I have enjoyed many of her books. This sounds like another fun summer read:)
It’s classic Jill as far as it being heartwarming and funny. It also tackles a few current topics with realistic emotions.
I do like Erin Mallon though I’ve only listened to her work twice.
Neat that the sister dynamic is strong and that they both have to grow in their own ways. The humor sprinkled with the heavier stuff sounds nice.
Yes I’ve only listen to Mallon a couple times but she did well. Humor improves it all.
I usually love her books but I haven’t tried this series yet
It tackles a few more current topics so it has a slight women’s fiction feel to it. But it is a romance.