The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie

By: Rachel Linden

Narrated by: Katie Koster

NOW THE HALLMARK CHANNEL FILM THE MAGIC OF LEMON DROPS STARRING LYNDSY FONESCA AND IAN HARDING!

“Heartfelt, heartwarming, joyful, and uplifting. You can't go wrong with a Rachel Linden book.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

An uplifting novel about a heartbroken young pie maker who is granted a magical second chance to live the life she didn’t choose. . . . from the bestselling author of The Enlightenment of Bees.

Lolly Blanchard's life only seems to give her lemons. Ten years ago, after her mother’s tragic death, she broke up with her first love and abandoned her dream of opening a restaurant in order to keep her family’s struggling Seattle diner afloat and care for her younger sister and grieving father. Now, a decade later, she dutifully whips up the diner’s famous lemon meringue pies each morning while still pining for all she's lost.

As Lolly’s thirty-third birthday approaches, her quirky great-aunt gives her a mysterious gift—three lemon drops, each of which allows her to live a single day in a life that might have been hers. What if her mom hadn’t passed away? What if she had opened her own restaurant in England? What if she hadn’t broken up with the only man she's ever loved? Surprising and empowering, each experience helps Lolly let go of her regrets and realize the key to transforming her life lies not in redoing her past but in having the courage to embrace her present.

©2022 Rachel Linden (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A triumphant story about chasing down a destiny, cleverly told and beautifully delivered. Rachel Linden reminds us on every page how wonderful and essential it is to believe in the magic of second chances.” (Susan Meissner, USA Today best-selling author of The Nature of Fragile Things)

“Lolly Blanchard’s life changed from lemonade to lemons in an instant, and she has spent years wondering what might have been. When her great-aunt gifts her the opportunity to find out, Lolly jumps at the opportunity, each of her forays into a different life leading her to surprising places. Ultimately, Lolly realizes that, no matter how dire the situation, the choices we make can change our fate in ways better than our wildest dreams. The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie is a poignant, hopeful must read for anyone who has ever wondered about a different path. Rachel Linden creates unforgettable characters that will work their way into your heart and a compulsively readable story that will keep the pages turning late into the night. Five huge stars!” (Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times best-selling author of The Wedding Veil)

“The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie is an enchanting tale about the one thing we’ve all imagined: a magical second chance. Rachel Linden expertly mixes romance, mystery and family-drama into a delicious recipe of a story. When Lolly is given three lemon drops, each a chance to do one day in her life over again, she sets off on an adventure that is as charming as it is exciting. With her trademark warmth, Linden delivers a captivating story with a magical heartbeat at its center.” (Patti Callahan, New York Times best-selling author of Surviving Savannah)

Wonderful Storytelling

Rachel Linden weaves a storyline that will enthrall the reader at every turn. “Follow your bliss.” But how does one go about that. Life takes so many turns. Linden celebrates her characters’ struggles as well as their successes. In the end, faith leads the way.

Sweet story

I enjoyed this coming of age story of Lolly and the growing pains she endured. A sweet read.

A bit bumpy at first but ended well!

I had the ending figured out around Chapter 38 (47 total chapters) but I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t take away from the charm of the ending. This was an audio book which made some of the timeline shifts a bit tricky to keep ahold of so I very well may put this on my physical reread TBR. Super cute story… charming just keeps coming to mind when I think of it. Would definitely recommend!

Sweet whimsy with lasting wisdom.

A wonderful summer audible book to listen to. I didn't want to have end. I see the limited series coming to APPLE TV.

Cute!

A nice simple read. Definitely glad I read this. Takes your mind away a little bit to the more simple days that we had in the past…

Perfect for Finding Joy!

I'd loved everything about this book! the author knows exactly how to describe a moment, a touch, and a taste. she weaves magical realism into a contemporary world flawlessly. I loved every character of this book. I related to Lolly the most because there have been many times in life where I've felt lost and unsure of what my next move should be. I also have had to step in a motherly role for my younger siblings. I loved the second chance romance trope. I loved Aunt Gert as an amazing side character. I cannot think of one negative thing to say. the narrator Katie Koster was phenomenal and I will be happy to listen to any other book by her. Rachel Linden is an autobuy author for me now I suppose I'll have to reread this and her others while I wait for the next!

Nice Light Reading

This book has so many twists, turns and ups and downs……. But as a reader you feel that Lolly will stand strong….. really enjoyed every minute!

Best book of the year!!!!!

The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachael Lindon was by far my best read of the year, and a book that tugs at all the heart strings.

A story that follows the life of Lolly Blanchard, starting from her pre teen years working at the small family owned diner as a awkward, introspective girl working for her parents as a waitress. There she would meet the one true love of her life Rory Shaw, a popular star high school soccer player who dated all the pretty high school cheerleaders. Rory had big plans for his future laid out in front of him, and seemed destined for great things and success in life.

Their story together always seemed an unlikely to succeed love, that had crashed and burned for Lolly, and a love she would always wonder......what if.

Years later after life tragedies and many many unfulfilled years she realizes she hasn't accomplished any of the goals she had set for herself as an energetic teen full of big dreams and great ambitions for herself.

Then through her Aunt after a complete emotional crash, Lolly is given a strange second chance at happiness, a way to go back to possibly change 3 of her biggest regrets in life, and to live a 24 hour day in each of these alternate lives to see how her life might have changed.

And in these relived regrets our story is masterfully woven, that of how lost love is regained, dreams actually do come true, and tragedies averted, but at what cost to her present life as she knows it now? And how does she use the knowledge of how things COULD have been when she is forced back to her real life after each 24 hour regret relived?

The author does an outstanding job of bringing her characters in this book to life, and really makes you connect with them, and truly empathize with their situations and invest you in their lives in a meaningful way is all I can say without giving away too much of this story. I enjoyed how this story was told so much I now want to read more from this author.

A 5 out of 5 star read, and as I said my favorite book of the year for 2022. I highly recommend this book!!!!!

Sweet Read & fun story!

Easy listening and good narration:) Some nice twists throughout too, I would read this again.

Cute story but extremely predictable.

I thought this was a cute story with characters that were easy to like, but the premise of the magic lemon drops… I could never really buy into that. And it was pretty obvious to me that when she took the third lemon drop and saw what she saw, you knew how the book would end. The rest after that was just filler. I would say this is an average read, but would be unlikely to recommend it to friends.