The Someday Garden

Poston (Sounds Like Love) takes readers on an atmospheric summer vacation in this uneven magical realist romance. Horticulturist Sophie “Sunny” Drear and her best friend Harriett “Harrie” Fisher promise to meet at Lilymoor House and Gardens on the cliffs of Odette, Maine, for the historic mansion’s 200th anniversary, 10 years after their first visit. But Harrie dies before they can make that happen, and Sunny returns alone for a job as Lilymoor’s head gardener. Sunny feels stuck, as does Lilymoor’s owner Eula Beck, who’s grieving her husband’s death. One of Eula’s great-nephews, cheery architect Oliver, fears similarly getting stuck at Lilymoor if he inherits it. Meanwhile, Eula’s other great-nephew, stormy-eyed lawyer Cyrus, gets literally trapped in a magical secret garden on the estate. Sunny’s the only one who can find the garden and as she works to help Cyrus escape, Oliver helps Eula prepare for retirement. Sunny feels torn both between the two cousins and between her twin desires to cling to the past and to move forward, even if it means imagining a future without Harrie. Poston is at her best when describing Lilymoor (which looks “right out of a storybook”), but struggles to balance the love triangle, abruptly shoving one potential love interest aside and pairing him off with a side character in a frustrating subplot that swaps bickering banter for real chemistry or relationship growth. The premise fascinates, but the execution falters. (June)