writerrhiannon 's review for:

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

5.0

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The draw of a lazy lake resort equipped with whimsical (albeit run-down) cabins has been on the decline and Eby Pim decides she is ready to sell, thus setting in motion a magical chain of events. Little girl Devin plays dress up and finds a postcard in her attic addressed to her mourning mother, Kate. This postcard sends the two on an adventure and saves them from a wickedly overbearing mother-in-law. Oh Cricket. Control freak Cricket. You had me hating you by page 20!
Returning to Lost Lake along with Kate and Devin are the elderly spitfires Buhladeen and Selma. These two women's relationship reminds me of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood ladies. Underneath all the bickering and pretended annoyances are two women with tough life stories who are both fiercely independent and interdependent.
The storyline jumps around a bit with Eby's honeymoon, present day, each character's past, and a bit in between. I had an initial problem keeping the lineage straight between Eby and Kate and how the disconnect happened, but the story does come to light. Eby's family, especially her sister Marilee, became another storyline that had me spitting nails. I've known too many Marilees and Crickets in my life, thankyouverymuch! These storylines had a Gilmore Girls feel to them. Entitlements, money, and control outweigh true family connections.

Read my full review here: http://www.ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/lost-lake.html