[Poll Book Tally] The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert 3.5 stars rounded up

[Karin]

I liked this tale of Sanna and Isaac at the orchard better than The Coincidence of Coconut Cake, although not being a fan of magical realism, it lost a bit for that in my rating. I am not a fan of hard apple cider and I come from a top level cider producing province, but then I hate beer even more and Canada is big on beer, so there's that.

This is more than just a romance set in an apple orchard not that far from Green Bay. It's a tale of loss, grieving (old and new) and the hurt that can come from losing a mother or a wife; it's a tale of finding yourself, of family relationships and of taking next steps even when you don't want to. I enjoyed Reichert's writing in this book and am going to chalk up my liking the Coconut Cake one less to it being her first novel, and I have added The Optimist's Club to my want to read shelf.