THE COTTAGE ON JUNIPER RIDGE by Sheila Roberts is book four in her Life in Icicle Falls series. If you aren't a fan of series, not to worry. You could totally read this book as a stand alone. Jen Heath receives a book from her sister on how to simplify your life. After reading it for a bit, Jen decides to do just that. She puts her condo in Seattle up for sale and relocates to small town USA also known as Icicle Falls. She instantly falls in love with the town and the people there as well.

The cottage she is renting is owned by Garrett Armstrong. He is recently divorced and his ex burned him badly. He is very leery of giving his heart away to someone new and definitely not someone who is flaky like his ex. When he meets Jen his first impression of her is way off, based on a few things that go wrong when she first moves in. Yes she should have told him she wanted to plant a vegetable garden before she got the tiller and started digging. But did he really think she broke the septic lines on purpose? Hahaha it only gets better.

You are also introduced to Stacy Thomas. She is married to Dean who thinks his wife is a pack rat or the very least, beginning to become a hoarder. She can't help herself. She always finds things on sale and compulsively buys them. When they are decorating their house for Christmas Dean of course is complaining about how much stuff he has to move down from the attic and Stacy is having a tough time finding spots to put the decorations on. Maybe she does have a problem. She also read the same book that Jen did about simplifying your life. When her grandmother has a stroke and has to be put in long term care Stacy and her family go to her house to pack it up so they can put it up for sale. Wow, there is so much stuff to go through. Now Stacy is thinking about her own stuff and realizes it's time to downsize. She talks it over with Dean and together they come up with a plan to lighten their load. She is going to open up Timeless Treasures where she can match her things up with people who will take them home and love them as much as she does.

Every time I pick up one of Sheila Roberts' books I lose myself in it and THE COTTAGE ON JUNIPER RIDGE was a perfect way to spend the day. Once I started to read this book I couldn't put it down. It was nice visiting Icicle Falls and visiting with old friends and making some new ones. The book club that Jen and Stacy are in have all read the Simplicity book and they are all trying to better their lives because of it. Do you think your life needs to be simplified? THE COTTAGE ON JUNIPER RIDGE will make you think about it. I really enjoyed watching all of these women try to apply the challenge of making their lives more simple. Sheila Roberts has a real gift of making all of her characters so relatable and real to the reader. The positive female friendships make you want to go out and make some new best friends. I am a huge fan of Sheila Roberts' books and I truly think THE COTTAGE ON JUNIPER RIDGE is my favorite so far.

Book Summary

How to Change Your Life… 

Can a book change your life? Yes, when it's Simplicity, Muriel Sterling's guide to plain living. In fact, it inspires Jen Heath to leave her stressful, overcommitted life in Seattle and move to Icicle Falls, where she rents a lovely little cottage on Juniper Ridge. And where she can enjoy simple pleasures—like joining the local book club—and complicated ones, like falling in love with her sexy landlord, Garrett Armstrong. 

Her sister Toni is ready for a change, too. She has a teenage daughter who's constantly texting her friends, a husband who's more involved with his computer than he is with her, and a son who's consumed by video games. Toni wants her family to grow closer—to return to a simpler way of life. 

Other women in town, like Stacy Thomas, are also inspired to unload their excess stuff and some of the extra responsibilities they've taken on. 

But as they all discover, sometimes life simply happens. It doesn't always happen simply!