Return to Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles #9) by Susan Wiggs

Apr 18, 2013 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've read this entire series, from the very first one right through to this one.

This book is just as wonderful and well written as all the others.

It's the tale of Sonnet, one of the well loved characters that's appeared throughout the series. She and Zach have long been best friends, until one night changes everything between them. Months later, Sonnet returns to Willow Lake to help her mother deal with some major changes in her life. While trying to help her mother, she's also trying to gain...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Although I don't generally like books that are divided into Parts like this one, the subject matter was intriguing. Here we have a super-organized girl who sets goals and meets them, divided between wanting to please her father and spend time with her mother and fulfill all her own plans. At first I thought poor Sonnet was an idiot who didn't know her own mind, but as I read, I realized that most of us are like this, searching to find rather than knowing already. It makes me wonder how many wron...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Barb Klein rated it 3 of 5 stars

“Return to Willow Lake” by Susan Wiggs was a quick read for me. I very much enjoyed the premise of the story. Sonnet returns to her childhood home for the marriage of her step-sister. While there she runs into an old friend who has never left willow Lake. He has a reputation as being a “bad boy” from his boyhood days. Sonnet and Zach really have more than a friendship. They are best friends and have fallen in love in their young years. Sonnet is loath to accept Zach’s intentions because she has...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Brie C. marked it as did-not-finish

Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner

This is the newest Willow Lake book, a series I've been reading for years. Even though its quality has been progressively decreasing, I was hopeful this book would be different because it featured two beloved recurrent characters. But that was not the case.

Zach and Willow grew up together and were best friends in school. But then life happened and it brought them apart. They reunite during a wedding, and have a one-night-stand. She goes back to her l...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Cocktails and Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cnb-reviewers

When I started reading Return to Willow Lake I had no idea it was part of a series, I just knew that it pulled me in from page one. The book picks up at Daisy Bellamy’s wedding reception. For those of you who have already been introduced to Susan Wiggs’ you will know that Daisy has a book all to herself. The lead character in this book is her step-sister and best friend Sonnet Romano. Sonnet is back in Willow Lake for Daisy’s wedding and after the festivities reunites with her childhood best fri...more When I started reading Return to Willow Lake I had no idea it was part of a series, I just knew that it pulled me in from page one. The book picks up at Daisy Bellamy’s wedding reception. For those of you who have already been introduced to Susan Wiggs’ you will know that Daisy has a book all to herself. The lead character in this book is her step-sister and best friend Sonnet Romano. Sonnet is back in Willow Lake for Daisy’s wedding and after the festivities reunites with her childhood best friend Zach Alger.

As the book opens, Sonnet and her mother are discussing the wedding when they see Zach from a window. Wiggs starts off letting the reader know that Zach and Sonnet have history, but not a romantic one – they were best friends when they were young and have lost touch with each other. By the end of the wedding Sonnet is drawn to Zach and they appear to be on the way to becoming more than friends. Sonnet and Zach are well matched, she is super organized and trying to reconnect with her inner self while Zach is spontaneous and self-aware. From the moment they are together in a scene, their meeting after the reception, they have great chemistry.

Sonnet is completely unsure of her feelings and it takes a series of tragedies and missteps for her to realize that Zach may be the perfect guy for her. Wiggs does a lot of explaining in this book, filling the reader in on the character’s backgrounds and motivations but it is not annoying. Her explanations add to the story and help to flesh out how these characters are growing. Sonnet's return to her childhood home isn't by choice and she has to give up a lot. Wiggs does an excellent job of painting the relationship between Sonnet and her mother, birth father and those around her. The tertiary characters added to her story and didn't distract.

Although this book is a part of a series it completely stands on its own. I did feel that I needed to read the other Willow Lake books just to catch up with the recurring characters in this installment. I loved the ending and will say that it is worth the rocky ride through Sonnet and Zach’s slice of Willow Lake.
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Sep 10, 2012 Kat ~ Forever Book Lover ♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, netgalley, arc

You can find this review and more at Forever Book Lover.

I think the center stage of this book had more to do with the bond of a family, then the romance between two best friends. This was a great book, but the romance played a secondary part.

Nina and Sonnet have been there for each other, every up and down to life's tragic events. This is no different, Sonnet finds herself in the pinnacle of her life, but at the same time, her mom is about to deal with something that brings her back home.

I rela...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Donna McBroom-Theriot rated it 5 of 5 stars

Susan Wiggs wrote a book that evokes thought and emotion throughout the story. Sonnet thinks her life is almost perfect when she receives a call from her mom, who she is extremely close to. Her mom has surprising news, but the news doesn’t come without risks. She is pregnant and the pregnancy is high risk. To further complicate matters, her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer.

There were many times when I found myself crying while reading this book. It read like a memoir and I found myself i...more Susan Wiggs wrote a book that evokes thought and emotion throughout the story. Sonnet thinks her life is almost perfect when she receives a call from her mom, who she is extremely close to. Her mom has surprising news, but the news doesn’t come without risks. She is pregnant and the pregnancy is high risk. To further complicate matters, her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer.

There were many times when I found myself crying while reading this book. It read like a memoir and I found myself identifying with the characters of the book and the emotions they were feeling. I felt their joy during the good times and I felt their anxiety during their trials – surgery, chemotherapy, and childbirth.

Sonnet and her mother have an extremely close relationship. She made the decision to put her life on hold and travel back home from New York City to help her mom through this trying time in her life. The circumstances in the book led me to think about my own life. I was recently diagnosed with two rare blood disorders. I have two daughters, one of which resides in New York City, the other much closer. It made me wonder if they might make the same decisions that Sonnet did upon learning about her mother’s health.

Return to Willow Lake is also a love story. It is about making decisions; giving up what you think to be “good enough” and instead, embracing what might be.

There are a host of supporting characters who are quite colorful and give the book its true-to-life qualities. There is the pop queen, Jezebel, who after being arrested and put on probation, reveals her softer side. An older couple is the epitome of long-standing love and devotion. Sonnet’s biological father and his family make an appearance, and she learns a few valuable lessons along the way. Then, there is Zach, her childhood, life-long friend, who against all odds captures her heart.

In the end, as things begin to fall into place for Sonnet, you see how blended families can be wonderful and supportive of one another; and that true love may be right where it always was – at home in Willow Lake, “where one woman will rediscover her family and her dreams, and find a surprising new love...”

Technical: I found the book to be an easy read. The plot was engaging and the characters well developed. I think the book could fall into a number of categories: fiction, romance, women’s fiction. Return to Willow Lake has its share of romance, but it is also a story of family, and the lengths that family will go to in being there for one another. This book is part of a series, but it stands alone. If you enjoy a book that will draw you in and make you part of the story, this is a great read. (less)

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Sep 09, 2012 HR readsNstuff rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: did-not-finish, close-family-series, yawn

Yawn and a half...

The story took sooooooooooooooo long to get anywhere.

Sonnett all of a sudden became a really annoying and worst of all spineless character just so that she could get daddy's love. Oh and lets not forget a whiney little Biatch...

What was all that stuff with her mother? Thanks, but i've already read her story. I get that what Nina was going through was an important plot point but way too much time was focused on her.

And how about some development of Sonnett and Zach's relationshi...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

****Possible Spoilers **** I enjoyed this book a lot. Sonnet is torn between her 2 parents,2 men and whether or not she should take a prestigious job that will send her to a foreign country for 2 years. Her over achieving father wants her to take the job as it will reflect well on him as he runs for the Senate. But a few shocks change her mind. She is 28 years old and finds out that her mom is pregnant. Weird but happy news. But then devastating news follows. Nina, besides being pregnant, has br...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, romance-contemporary, interracial-romance

I am giving this book 3-stars. Not because it wasn't really good. It was. Not because it wasn't well written. It was wonderfully written. By all rights based on enjoyment and connection with the story this should be a 4-star or higher book.

But it isn't. And it is because the romance in this book was almost non-existent.

Sonnet Romano, daughter of Nina (heroine of earlier Willow Lake book Dockside), is feeling a bit blue after her best friend Daisy has gotten married. By all rights her life should...more I am giving this book 3-stars. Not because it wasn't really good. It was. Not because it wasn't well written. It was wonderfully written. By all rights based on enjoyment and connection with the story this should be a 4-star or higher book.

But it isn't. And it is because the romance in this book was almost non-existent.

Sonnet Romano, daughter of Nina (heroine of earlier Willow Lake book Dockside), is feeling a bit blue after her best friend Daisy has gotten married. By all rights her life should be perfect. She is connecting with her estranged father, she has a great new boyfriend and she has just learned that she's won a prestigious fellowship. And yet, all that seems bland in light of Daisy's happiness at her wedding. Prodded by her post-wedding glow mood and a bunch of jell-o shots, Sonnet has sex with her best friend Zach, now a hot and handsome videographer.

The next day she realizes it was a colossal mistake and runs back to New York, determined to move on with her life. Except she is dragged back home by some devastating news.

Here's the thing...I have been reading the Willow lake series since forever. It is a romance series. Well, it was a romance series. And therein lies my problem. You start out reading a series that is romance and the somewhere along the way it becomes less about romance and more about the inner struggles of the heroine. You get a serious sense of disconnect. I noticed this first with the preceding book in this series, Marrying Daisy Bellamy which featured Sonnet's best friend and step-sister Daisy. I also gave that book 3-stars for the same reason I am giving this one three stars. To wit, I expected romance but I got women's fiction. I thought it was an anomaly. I guess not.

My affection for the characters and town that I have gotten to know is a large part of the reason why I do continue to read. And frankly SW writes a good story. However, you can't go into a book expecting a romance and not get that. It will have an effect on how you perceive the book.

After Sonnet and Zach's hook up at the wedding, their romance stalls until pretty much the last fourth of the book. The lion's share of the story is taken up with Sonnet helping Nina out with some bad news. And with Sonnet working on a reality show. And with Sonnet's preoccupation with her father's senatorial campaign. Basically with all kinds of things that have nothing to do with Zach. He disappears for whole swaths of the book. As I was reading I kept wondering when he would come back and we'd get some forward action on the romance front.

All in all this is a good book. Romance readers will find it a disappointment in the romance dept. Wiggs fans and fans of the series should still enjoy it with the caveat to expect it to be more about Sonnet and Nina than Sonnet and Zach.(less)

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Aug 31, 2012 Inga rated it 5 of 5 stars

My review:

Return to Willow Lake was a first Susan Wiggs' book I have read and I liked it! It was well written, emotional and heart-warming. Reading Return to Willow Lake was like coming home - it was safe, comforting and created lots of great feelings. The novel is a standalone part of her Lakeshore Chronicles.

Plot:

Sonnet is a young woman whose life is filled with possibilities- her UNESCO career has just rocketed with the opportunity of lifetime of getting a world known fellowship, she has a bo...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Marlene rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-romances-challenge

Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs is a small-town romance that's not really about the romance. And that's a very, very good thing. It's a story about listening to your heart, and finding the path you were meant to be on. Because only when you know who you are and what you want are you ready to love someone else.

Sonnet Romano comes back to Willow Lake, in this ninth book of Susan Wiggs' Lakeshore Chronicles, for her step-sister Daisy's wedding. The setting is idyllic. Camp Kioga is a beautiful...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Annette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Return to Willow Lake is a warm-hearted love story within a beautiful setting. It's part of the Lakeshore Chronicles series. While I've read other books by Susan Wiggs, I haven't read and Lakeshore Chronicles books, but that isn't necessary to enjoy this installment.

Sonnet no longer lives on Willow Lake. She lives and works in New York. She's highly successful, driven, and has a boyfriend that meets up to her father's standards. You see, her father is running for the U. S. Senate. Sonnet wins a...more Return to Willow Lake is a warm-hearted love story within a beautiful setting. It's part of the Lakeshore Chronicles series. While I've read other books by Susan Wiggs, I haven't read and Lakeshore Chronicles books, but that isn't necessary to enjoy this installment.

Sonnet no longer lives on Willow Lake. She lives and works in New York. She's highly successful, driven, and has a boyfriend that meets up to her father's standards. You see, her father is running for the U. S. Senate. Sonnet wins a prestigious fellowship that will require her to move overseas. It seems like everything is going her way. Until...her mother, who lives on Willow Lake, gets pregnant. Not only is she pregnant, but she has be diagnosed with breast cancer. So, Sonnet decides to move back to Willow Lake to be with her mother during this time of crisis.

While she is there, she takes a job as a production assistant for the filming of a reality TV series. The filmmaker is none other than her best childhood friend, Zach. But, can they still be friends after a one night stand that Sonnet very much wants to forget?

From the very first pages, it isn't difficult to figure out how this plot will unfold. But that didn't really matter. What is special about Return to Willow Lake is the setting and characters. The beautiful town of Avalon, and Willow Lake in particular, made me want to visit. I think Wiggs does a great job with the supporting characters. The "pop star on probation," Jezebel, was a priceless addition. Sonnet's stepfather, who was so loving and supportive of her mother, was memorable. Even Sonnet's over-achieving boyfriend, Orlando, was an interesting character.

The side stories and details make this somewhat predictable romance one that I really enjoyed. I've not been disappointed by a Susan Wiggs novel yet, and they've all been different. I've read How I Planned Your Wedding and The Goodbye Quilt. Both are books about life events that I've experienced, so I could very easily relate. Return to Willow Lake is my first Susan Wiggs romance, and I plan to seek out more of those in the future.

I think teen girls would really enjoy Return to Willow Lake. I know several at my school who like adult romance stories, and this one is really charming (and very clean.)
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Aug 15, 2012 Leigh rated it 2 of 5 stars

Even with superb writing, several irritating plot devices can derail a book for me, and that is what happened in Ms. Wiggs’ latest release. If you can go with the flow, then you might enjoy this book more than I did.
Sonnet Romano almost has the world on a string. She has a fabulous career in NYC employed by a non-profit organization that works to save children’s lives all over the world. She finally has a relationship with her success-driven, goal-oriented father General Lawrence Jeffries, and s...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 STARS Sonnet Romano came back to her small town Willow Lake for a wedding of her step sister. She saw her best friend Zach Alger since kindergarden and was surprised at how much he had changed. They had drunk champaign and ended up hooking up that night. Zach had the video camera on and it got filmed he threw the memory chip in the lake. As they were leaving that next morning at the lake they were caught by one of her mom's old boyfriend who was also supporting the guy running for Senator oppo...more 4 STARS Sonnet Romano came back to her small town Willow Lake for a wedding of her step sister. She saw her best friend Zach Alger since kindergarden and was surprised at how much he had changed. They had drunk champaign and ended up hooking up that night. Zach had the video camera on and it got filmed he threw the memory chip in the lake. As they were leaving that next morning at the lake they were caught by one of her mom's old boyfriend who was also supporting the guy running for Senator opposite against her father the General. While she was in collage she was starting to have a relationship with her father General Laurence Jeffries he was at West Point when he got her mom pregnant as a teenager. He did not find out about Sonnet till after he graduated and he always sent support but was never really thier for her. Now he was running for Senator, introduced her to her new boyfriend that is running his campaign. Sonnet has just won a fellowship and probably get a 2 year overseas assignment. Everything is going great for her. Then she finds out her mom is pregnant and has cancer. Sonnet refuses the fellowship and returns home to help her mom. Zach is excited his big break in his career has come up working on a realaty show he can't wait to hear were he will be going. Finally he can leave town and see different places. He is also videoing Sonnet's mom pregnacy and her talking in case she does not survive her cancer and won't be thier for her sons life. Zach finds out the place he gets to go work on the realty show is Willow Lake and Sonnet is working on it too. Zach tried to reach her after that night but Sonnet was not wanting anything more to do with him. They have always been each others support. The person they called to share the good news with. This was cute and sappy. Emotional surprises. Somethings you could predict and others I had no idea about. Though it is hard to belive that a guy working with video cameras made the mistakes he made with it. I liked the kids at the summer camp. Jezebel was a character I would love to see her get her own story one day. I will read more books by Susan Wiggs in the future. I want to read more in her Willow Lake series. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. 08/28/2012 PUB Harlequin Imprint HarlequinMIRA(less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-s

2.5 Stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for this ARC.

This was my first book by Susan Wiggs and even though it's #9 in the series, I didn't feel it was necessary to have to go back and read the other books first because there was enough explanation to catch a new reader up.

This isn't my usual genre but I thought the summary sounded interesting and so I gave it a try. As an MC, I found Sonnet to be frustrating and wishy-washy (for lack of a better term) when it came to Zach, Orlando and even he...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Julie Barrett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
ISBN: 9780778313847
Daisy Bellamy's wedding at Camp Kioga, finally.
Love how Susan brings you up to date on who the person was and what they did in younger years-that's what made the bell ring for me :}
Sonnet Romano is her best friend and everything went off without a hitch. She doesn't want to get married anytime soon and works at UNESCO.
Zachery Alger is there also, a videographer but just a guest at this party. Their renew their friendship after many swigs o...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Here's the Amazon posted book description: "Sonnet Romano has the ideal career, the ideal boyfriend, and has just been offered a prestigious fellowship. But when she learns her mother is unexpectedly expecting in a high-risk pregnancy, she puts everything on hold and heads home to Avalon. Once her mom is out of danger, Sonnet intends to pick up her life where she left off. But when her mother receives a devastating diagnosis, Sonnet must decide what really matters in life, even if that means sta...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Mer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-cr, a-f

4 stars

It's my first by Susan Wiggs and... it's Book 9. This book might actually a romance story. It is a romance, just mild but from my reading, I viewed the story is more about Sonnet and her complicated life.

It is indeed complicated where she tried her best and hardest to impress her father, she wanted to spread her wings and gained new, exciting experiences, she's worried about her sick mother, and she denied her feelings towards Zach which she thought two of them being a thing is impossibl...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I was so excited to read Sonnet's story in Return to Willow Lake. I have read all the other books in this series by Susan Wiggs and enjoyed them. I enjoyed this one as well. There was not as much romance in this one as one might expect but it is still a really great read.

This books starts at the night of Daisy's wedding. Sonnet & her best friend Zack find they have an attraction that they didn't know was there.
Sonnet is determined to forget it ever happened.

Sonnet thinks she has her life a...more I was so excited to read Sonnet's story in Return to Willow Lake. I have read all the other books in this series by Susan Wiggs and enjoyed them. I enjoyed this one as well. There was not as much romance in this one as one might expect but it is still a really great read.

This books starts at the night of Daisy's wedding. Sonnet & her best friend Zack find they have an attraction that they didn't know was there.
Sonnet is determined to forget it ever happened.

Sonnet thinks she has her life all worked out, she has the perfect job, the perfect boyfriend, and is heading on to the perfect life. Then everything turns crazy. She receives a phone call from her mom, Nina. She has some exciting news she's pregnant. Sonnet rushes home to celebrate her mom's good news. When she arrives home she finds out there is more, her Mom also has a terrible illness that she is going to have to fight while she is pregnant.

Sonnet then knows she has to do the right thing. She's coming home to help her Mom deal with everything. She takes a job that by chance puts her in direct contact with Zach all everyday. Zach who has been her best friend all these years and also Zach the man whom she spent an amazing night that she is trying to forget.

I loved watching Sonnet help her Mom deal. They have such a wonder, amazing relationship. This book shows you a deep family relationship between a mother & daughter with a bond so deep they would do anything for each other. It also shows you how a small town can pull together in a difficult situation. Whic is one of the things that I love about small town series books.

Sonnet is torn between helping her mother and pleasing her father that has been absent most of her life. She has a lot of choices to make about her life & what her heart wants not what her mind thinks she wants.

Zach is the hometown boy that has always been a part of Sonnets life, however their feeling for each other are changing and Sonnet doesn't know what to do about it.

This book is not only about about the romance of Sonnet & Zach but the deep family foots of a small town girl.

I really enjoyed reading Sonnet & Zach's story. Fair warning there is a lot of emotion in this book and you very well may need some kleenex. (less)

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Nov 18, 2012 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: at-library, e-book, kindle

I first read Marrying Daisy Bellamy and LOVED it so I was excited to read this book as well. I really liked Sonnet as Daisy's best friend and stepsister so it was nice to get to know her as a main character in this book. She is an amazing and truly likeable character with much depth. We watch her struggle with finding her place in the world, learning to live for herself and not her formerly absentee father's expectations for her life. She also struggles with accepting her mother's illness and he...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-and-reviewed-from-author-or-pu

May have slight spoilers.

Return to Willow Lake is author Susan Wiggs ninth novel of the Lakeshore Chronicles.

I have never read a book by this author before so I did not really know what to expect going in but I found that I liked Return to Willow Lake. It is very much the love story, the kind you see in romance movies and novels all the time and it is very contemporary in setting.

In Return to Willow Lake we meet Sonnet Romano, her life is perfect. She has a great job and t might be getting bette...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Jaime Atkins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

Wow...what did I just read? This is a tough one for me to review for several reasons....here goes:

I love Susan Wiggs and I love the Willow Lake series, but this one had some issues. Perhaps they were just personal issues, but they were issues for me. First of all, if I consider the book completely on it's own, it was really good. It had drama, heartbreak, healing, and love. There were so many things to like about it. However, it is not a book all on it's own....it is part of the Willow Lake seri...more Wow...what did I just read? This is a tough one for me to review for several reasons....here goes:

I love Susan Wiggs and I love the Willow Lake series, but this one had some issues. Perhaps they were just personal issues, but they were issues for me. First of all, if I consider the book completely on it's own, it was really good. It had drama, heartbreak, healing, and love. There were so many things to like about it. However, it is not a book all on it's own....it is part of the Willow Lake series.

Let me say this...I actually like a dose of reality in my books. It makes them more interesting and engaging. It gives them emotion. However, I didn't like tragic events affecting the main characters from a previous book. I did not have a problem reading about the cancer...I had a problem accepting it in Nina. If it had been a side character or even Sonnet's Dad, it wouldn't have upset me as much. There's just something about tainting a character's happy ending that I didn't like.

The thing is, even I recognize that this sounds awful because things like cancer really happen and perhaps it shouldn't make a difference to me. But aren't these wonderful romance books supposed to be the place we get our happy ending? Aren't they the place we can find perfect love and peace? Aren't they our escape from reality? They are for me! I have enough reality when I'm not reading! Sometimes I want a book that gets deep and serious, but I don't go to Willow Lake for that.

Another thing...how can you spend the whole book dishing out reality with Nina's cancer and then end the book with some pretty little happy bow? After the birth of the baby, the focus noticeably changed to Zach and Sonnet, leaving Nina's struggle in the background. Then we finally got to see a bit of a love story. It didn't work for me. I'm glad everyone was happy, but something about it didn't feel right.

If this book had been a stand alone and I had never met the characters, I think I would have reviewed it differently. But since it wasn't, I can only go on how I truly felt reading it. Am I the only one who felt this way?(less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Hsiau Wei rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, for-review

This book tell the story of Sonnet who given up her career to take care of her mother who is pregnant at an advanced age and has been diagnosed with cancer. Being the only child and the lack of involvement from her father,Sonnet wanted to be there for her mother just as what her mother did for her. Being back home means the renewal
of friendship between her and her best friend, Zach and also the remainder of that one night that they spend togetherduring her sister's Daisy wedding. She is trying...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Bree T rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, kindle-version, netgalley, romance, series, women-s-fiction

Sonnet Romano has always been an achiever. The best way to get her father’s attention was to work hard, get good marks in high school and college, to make something of herself. Sonnet was conceived when her mother was just a teenager and her father, then a promising young army recruit wasn’t around much as the two of them didn’t stay together. It wasn’t until Sonnet was an adult, making her own way in the world that they really connected. And Sonnet craves his approval so now she lives in New Yo...more Sonnet Romano has always been an achiever. The best way to get her father’s attention was to work hard, get good marks in high school and college, to make something of herself. Sonnet was conceived when her mother was just a teenager and her father, then a promising young army recruit wasn’t around much as the two of them didn’t stay together. It wasn’t until Sonnet was an adult, making her own way in the world that they really connected. And Sonnet craves his approval so now she lives in New York, working for UNESCO and she’s just met Orlando, a young man who is going to managing her father’s (now a General) campaign to run for Senator. Orlando is perfect for her – he’s driven, successful and he’s from a good family.

However Sonnet’s carefully organised life is about to change when she receives some very unexpected news from her mother. Now married again, Sonnet’s mother is still young and the news is equal parts joy and sorrow. Sonnet knows she must do the right thing and be there for the woman who sacrificed so much to give her what she needed so she takes leave from her job and moves back to the small town of Avalon, where she grew up, to help her mother. Unfortunately for Sonnet, that move has some consequences – she has to face Zach Alger, who has been her best friend since primary school although they have drifted apart a little since Sonnet’s college days. When Sonnet was last in Avalon she had an impulsive one night stand with Zach and hasn’t spoken to him since – now they’re going to be in close proximity every day.

Once her mother is out of danger, Sonnet intends to return to the city and take up her old life – her job, her cordial relationship with her father, her relationship with Orlando. However the summer she spends in that small town by the lake with her family, working a different job, supporting her mother and in seeing Zach has the potential to change everything, if only she will let it.

Return To Willow Lake is the 9th installment in Susan Wigg’s Lakeshore Chronicles series but it’s the first one that I have read. I was assured that you can read them as stand alone novels and this does mostly work – there are recurring characters and links, but each book seems to be a new story about a new couple and it is possible to read them and lose relatively little in terms of story. The novel opens with the wedding of the couple from the previous book, after which Sonnet has a rather surprising one night stand with Zach, her childhood best friend and the wedding photographer. Then she goes back to New York and it seems that they don’t speak for a while until Sonnet is urgently recalled to her hometown after some equally joyous and distressing news from her mother.

I admired Sonnet’s decision to give up her job, something important to her and her life in New York and move herself back to a place that she seemed to never really have intentions of returning to for anything other than a visit. Her and her mother have a lovely relationship, they’re very close (I think there’s only about 16 years between them) and that is really lovingly established by Wiggs. Also equally well established is the somewhat distant relationship she has with her father that seems to rely on her being what he wants her to be, what suits his image. In running for Senator, it is stressed that the opposition will search out any skeletons in the General’s closet, the implied thing being that Sonnet herself is such a skeleton. I feel as though Wiggs did quite well in building Sonnet as a character who strives to be something in order to please a person who doesn’t play a huge role in her life, seemingly ignoring that the job she did, while worthwhile, was not the one she loved passionately, or she was not working for that organisation in the capacity that she she wished to be and it was the same with her “relationship” (and I use the term loosely) with Orlando. She didn’t even see that she wasn’t really in a relationship, it was just an arrangement. Orlando had zero personality and there was nothing even remotely resembling any sort of feeling ever between the two of them at any stage throughout the book.

Unfortunately for me, I feel as though this book dragged at the beginning – I feel as though the book really began at the point where Sonnet’s mother confessed her bittersweet news and Sonnet made the decision to move back ‘home’ to help her and be there for her and support her. I feel as though there were some big moments during this time that weren’t explored as well as they could have been and I’d liked to have read more about the treatment and that experience, although I know that may have ended up being too dark for a book of this type.

Likewise the romance between Zach and Sonnet was disappointing to me. Their interactions were few and far between and after the seemingly out of no where one night stand, it seemed as though there was little else in the way of physical affection or ‘moments’ between the pair, and this is where my lack of reading the earlier books may come into play here, because although I felt their childhood relationship was well mapped out through the book, the adult one did not seem to receive the same treatment. I wanted to feel their attraction, their connection and ultimately, I just didn’t.(less)

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Sep 02, 2012 Connie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, romance, library-bookgroups, src-fall-2012, family

Sonnet Romano had everything going for her--a new, sophisticated boyfriend, and a fellowship to work with disadvantaged children abroad. Then, she finds herself very attracted to Zach, a hometown friend. She also receives the news that her mother is pregnant and has risky complications. She left her job in New York City and moved north to the Catskills to offer emotional support to her mother. Back in her hometown, Sonnet had to decide what was important to her in life.

Susan Wiggs created charac...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was drawn to this book because it's a series ... it also included a hand-drawn map of the town to help you visualize the setting. Even though it was #9 in the series, I was able to engage in the story and the people who live there.
Sonnet Romano has the ideal career, the ideal boyfriend, and has just been offered a prestigious fellowship. But when she learns her mother is unexpectedly expecting in a high-risk pregnancy, she puts everything on hold and heads home to Avalon. Once her mom is out o...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Leya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book

Susan Wiggs is one of those authors that I know I will enjoy her novels, regardless of it being a historical or a contemporary setting. You can say she is one of my feel good authors. Reading her books will always put a smile on my face.

And this one did not disappoint. It had the ups and downs of real relationships, and I loved the way that Sonnet, Nina, and Zach handled their ups and downs. I found Nina's story to be poignant and beautiful, and it had me in tears several times. Sonnet and Zach'...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved this story of family tragedy,love found,and a small town coming together to take care of their own.
Sonnet has been in New York working since college and figured this is the way she wanted to live her life. But a chance sexual encounter with a childhood friend and her Mom's illness has her rethinking her priorities. Sonnet's Mom Nina has been diagnosed with Cancer as well as being pregnant so the good daughter leaves her big city job and goes home to Willow Lake to help her Mom. The things...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Paula Mitchell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: virtual-book-tour, read-in-2012

I loved this story. Sonnet Romano’s been living a life that she thought she wanted with the ideal boyfriend having a great fellowship and a relationship with her father. What she doesn’t know is that sometimes the best things are those right in front of you.

Sonnet goes home to Avalon to help her mother who’s dealing with a high risk pregnancy and illness and Sonnet finds her place back with her mom. Her mother who’s loved her regardless of who she is or isn’t. She also learns alot about her fath...more

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Return to Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles #9)

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