Review: The Lemon Orchard by Luanne Rice

The Lemon Orchard by Luanne Rice

Publisher: Penguin 

Pages: 304 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  In the five years since Julia last visited her aunt and uncle’s home in Malibu, her life has been turned upside down by her daughter’s death. She expects to find nothing more than peace and solitude as she house-sits with only her dog, Bonnie, for company. But she finds herself drawn to the handsome man who oversees the lemon orchard. Roberto expertly tends the trees, using the money to support his extended Mexican family. What connection could these two people share? The answer comes as Roberto reveals the heartbreaking story of his own loss—a pain Julia knows all too well, but for one striking difference: Roberto’s daughter was lost but never found. And despite the odds he cannot bear to give up hope.


Kritters Thoughts:   A fantastic tale that weaves in and out of two different character's stories as they both have lost daughters in one way or another and how this similarity can join two polar opposite people.  Julia is one of the main characters and five years ago she lost a daughter in a car accident.  She has go over the country to California for a little break from her daily life to live on her extend family's lemon orchard farm.  Roberto is the caretaker of said lemon orchard and lost a daughter in a very different way five years ago.  

Luanne Rice expertly weaved these two characters together to make it feel as though they met by fate.  The heart of the story was the characters and you could tell that the author spent time crafting their back story because it greatly affected how these two characters would interact throughout the entire book.  From the moment that the reader meets these two characters, I had a feeling that I knew them very well.  

As I haven't read a book before about border crossing and the affects it has on families both the ones that stay in Mexico and those who venture to the US, this was a new topic for me to really dive into and explore - I loved it!  I wouldn't mind an update on these characters, a few years into the future!

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.