Good book. Aden is something nearly unheard of in the Amish community - an environmentalist and an activist. He cares deeply about the environment and animal welfare, and his actions frequently get him into trouble - including three arrests. Then a life-threatening accident sends him to his grandparents' home, looking for a fresh start. His grandmother Anna is thrilled to have him there and has just the woman in mind to settle him down.

Lily is the youngest of two daughters and a complete daddy's girl. She lives in fear of disappointing him, constantly worries about everything, and is dating the man her father recommends. When Anna asks Lily to work for her during the summer, Lily is hesitant to step outside her comfort zone. She has no idea how far out of that comfort zone she will be.

The first meeting between Aden and Lily did not go as Anna had hoped. Upon her arrival at Anna's home, Lily, afraid of dogs, was knocked down and thoroughly licked by Aden's undisciplined Goldendoodle, Pilot. After she makes her displeasure known, Aden, who is aware of his grandmother's plan, decides that he's not interested in a woman who clearly hates his dog. Undeterred, Anna takes every opportunity to throw Aden and Lily together. On the other hand, once Lily's dad hears of Aden's reputation, he's adamant that Lily avoid being around him.

Anna's tactics work very well, and I enjoyed seeing Lily and Aden get to know one another. It's a slow process because, quite frankly, Lily is a wimp. She's afraid of the water, getting dirty, children, and living outside her father's narrow view of being a "good girl." There are some sweet scenes of them together as Aden starts to break through Lily's fears. It's not long before Aden is thoroughly smitten and doing his best to live the kind of life Lily's dad would approve of.

Complicating matters, Lily's father pushes the bishop's son, Tyler Yoder, at her every chance he gets. Tyler is a nice guy, and Lily likes him. She understands his appeal as a good, steady man who doesn't make waves. Tyler and Aden become friends as well as rivals for Lily's hand.

When Aden hears about a puppy mill from his friend Jamal and is asked to help get the proof needed to take to the police, he is initially reluctant to risk his improving reputation. However, Jamal convinces him it should be safe, so he agrees. Unfortunately, Lily chooses this time to find her courage and insists on going along. Aden tries to dissuade her, but she won't be denied. Of course, nothing goes as planned, and all three end up arrested. Lily is terrified, furious, and stuck facing her father's anger and disappointment when he picks her up. He blames everything on Aden, convinces Lily she was led astray, and pushes her harder toward Tyler.

I ached for Aden. He is swamped with guilt over what happened to Lily and believes he deserves all of the disapproval heaped on him. I loved how he accepted responsibility and embraced the meted-out discipline. He hoped that when his shunning time was over that he would be able to fix things with Lily. My heart broke for him when he found out she had agreed to marry Tyler.

I was furious at Lily. She took no responsibility for her decision to go with Aden. Instead, she accepted her father's pronouncement that it was due to Aden's bad influence on her. Then agreeing to marry Tyler, who she didn't love, was terribly unfair to Tyler, who loves her. I was also angry at her father. He claims her troubles were caused by Aden manipulating her, but he's a fine one to talk. He keeps her under his thumb by bringing up the two traumatic events from her childhood whenever he feels her slipping away.

I cheered when Lily's sister, Estee, called Lily out on her hypocrisy. She pointed out that Lily was just as guilty, and blaming others doesn't change the truth. Lily was horrified when she realized what she had done and was determined to fix things. I loved seeing her grow a backbone and tell her father the truth about that night and her feelings and intentions. Her dad reacted exactly as she feared, and she had some big decisions to make. I loved watching the events of that evening unfold, from her trip to see Tyler to their visit to Aden. I loved their plan for the next day and couldn't wait to see the reactions - which were everything I could have hoped for. The ending was terrific.

This was my first book by this author, but it won't be the last. I look forward to reading more about Anna's matchmaking attempts.

#netgalley ( )

Lily has to be the most obedient and cautious Amish daughter who ever lived. Though she loves her father dearly, she almost lives in dread of displeasing him, and his strict upbringing has dictated her behavior. A complication to her life arrives in the form of one Aden Helmuth, and neither of their lives will ever be the same. As expected, the road to happiness is quite a rocky one, one they may not be able to traverse. Author Jennifer Beckstrand does a commendable job of creating interesting and unusual characters and placing them in an equally intriguing and unique plot. ( )

In Jennifer Beckstrand's Huckleberry Summer, matchmakers Anna and Felty Helmuth are back and this time they are setting up their bad boy grandson Aden with cautious Lily Eicher. This delightful addition to The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series is another captivating romance with a charming cast of likable characters and a unique storyline.

Lily is a thoughtful and obedient young woman who strives to live up to her dat's high expectations. She is timid and cautious but she is also sweet and kind-hearted. Lily follows rules to the letter and never deviates from doing what is expected of her. While her dat wants her to marry their neighbor Tyler, Aden is the man she desires to wed. Will she find the courage to follow her heart despite his vehement disapproval?

Aden is definitely not the typical Amish young man. He has strong beliefs about protecting the environment and he does not hesitate to jump into the middle of the action. After his latest escapade goes dangerously awry, he is more than ready to accept his grandparents' invitation to move in with them. Of course Aden does not realize until after he moves that Anna is planning a little matchmaking between him and Lily. Aden is pretty smitten with Lily right from their first meeting but Lily is under strict orders to keep her distance from Aden.

While it is not exactly smooth sailing for the young couple, a romance slowly begins to bloom between Lily and Aden. Lily knows convincing her father to change his mind about Aden is going to take time, and she remains hopeful he will eventually approve their match. Lily has her own reservations about Aden, but as they get to know one another, she discovers the truth about his reputation and she agrees with some of his "unorthodox" ideas. However, when she decides to take a more active role in one of his exploits, their relationship takes a turn for the worse when Lily refuses to accept the consequences for her actions.

The conflict between Lily and Aden is mainly internal as they both deal with their individual issues. Aden struggles with his faith and he is does not fully come to embrace all aspects of Amish beliefs until the aftermath of the latest incident that lands him in a trouble. Lily is so afraid of disappointing her dat that she trusts his judgment over her own which leads her to a decision that makes her miserable.

Huckleberry Summer is a sweetly romantic addition to Jennifer Beckstrand's The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series. Valuable life lessons, heartfelt emotions and a gentle undercurrent of faith are expertly interwoven into a warm and lovely story that fans of Amish fictions are sure to enjoy. ( )

Oh my word, I’m not going to be able to do proper justice with this review. It is most certainly going to pale in comparison with Jennifer Beckstrand’s amazing talent.


WOW!

If you loved Huckleberry Hill, do not miss Huckleberry Summer! Because the second book in this delightful new series is JUST AS ENJOYABLE as the first!


I REALLY hope Kensington realizes what a GEM they have found in Jennifer Beckstrand!

Every book she writes is fresh and original.

Each story is wonderfully different and each character is original and individual – which is exactly how it should be! Even in a community where everyone believes, behaves and dresses similar, they are all individuals and Jennifer obviously gets that!

It’s familiar, as it should be with a series, but nothing is the “same old thing” or a repeat of something you’ve read before. And our beloved matchmakers – well, Jennifer just keeps revealing new depths to them with each book that will keep readers guessing for a long time.


It’s a good thing Amish families are so big – Anna and Felty have plenty of grandchildren left for Jennifer to write about!

Or that’s my hope anyway. I know I personally would love to read about each and every grandchild’s perfect match!


Jennifer Beckstrand has lovingly crafted another beautiful story of life, love and laughter. What a gem!

With each book, we get to meet new wonderful characters, while characters we already know and love make appearances and remind us of why we fell in love with them to begin with.

And along with that comes a terrific story that is beautifully in tune with the theme of the series, without feeling like a rerun. And yet somehow Jennifer still finds fun ways to make us laugh and enjoy the crazy adventure our two feisty grandparents have in store for the two young people they’ve set their sights on.

And I think that’s my favorite thing about her writing – just how REAL the stories and the characters are. A lot of people seem to think that a story has to be filled with tragedy and sadness to ring true but Jennifer clearly doesn’t believe that and I am forever grateful for it.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying… Jennifer’s books are filled with strong and intense emotions! And as the reader, it’s impossible not to experience them right along with the characters. We see everything from heartbreak to laugh-out-loud silly-ness. And in this book, Lily is described as cautious. What she is, is scared and timid.


And Jennifer describes the emotions so well, you can almost feel Lily’s worries freezing you in place right along with her.

And along with that emotion comes the added bonus of how well Jennifer weaves ordinary events into the storyline. Most authors only add in things they feel add to the story so we don’t often read about the normal everyday things people do. But Jennifer understands that it’s seeing into a character’s routine that truly gives us insight into who that person is.

Jennifer Beckstrand is the kind of writer who ruthlessly drags you into the story, where you follow along with the characters emotions – no matter what they might be. But you won’t mind because the path they travel is so full of enjoyable adventures and misadventures. You won’t want to miss a single one!

I was provided this book free through Jennifer’s street team in exchange for an HONEST review! ( )

I loved this story! Perfect ending.

Huckleberry Summer takes us back to Huckleberry Hill and the matchmaking of Anna Helmuth. I've learned to love Felty and Anna Helmuth. They are the perfect grandparents.

As Anna goes about trying to get her grandson Aden Helmuth and Lily Eicher together she may have bit off more than what she can chew. Aden seems to be the bad boy and Lily would never go against her father no matter what. Is this relationship doomed before it even gets started? Pick up a copy of Huckleberry Summer and enjoy.

I can't wait to read, Huckleberry Christmas to find out who are the next victims of Anna Helmuth! ( )