I have heard so many good things about this novel so when it appeared in this year’s Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide, I decided to finally read it!

Set in a small town in North Carolina, we follow the Waverly sisters, Claire and Sydney, and a cast of loveable side characters. Claire tends to the family’s magical garden and keeps to herself but her world is turned upside down when her younger sister, Sydney, shows up after ten years of no contact with a young daughter in tow. Together, the sisters must face the past in order to move forward, with the help of a magical apple tree, of course!

I really expected to love this book and I’m so sad that I didn’t! The setting and characters have a cozy, charming feel that reminded me very much of Stars Hollow, but I just felt a bit bored by it. There is some good character growth in the sisters and I enjoyed the magical realism, but it just left me disappointed overall.