Happy Release Day!
Congrats Christine
on the release today of
The Museum of Lost Dreams!
The Museum of Lost Dreams by Christine Nolfi
Fiction, Family, 315 pages
Published June 23, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing
Returning to her fractured past, a woman is determined to end a cycle of heartbreaks in a moving novel about family, sacrifice, and redemption by the bestselling author of The Secret Library of Hanna Reeves.
When Bess Rollins’s parents die in a tragic accident, she is forced to abandon her dream job overseas. After three years away, she returns to her family’s estate in the Finger Lakes, a veritable monument to her brilliant late grandmother, and a reminder of the wreckage Bess left behind.
There’s the guilt over leaving her younger twin siblings, Casey and Caleb, and she struggles to rebuild a bond that may be irrevocably broken. Amid the grief, resentment still looms toward her reckless and self-indulgent mother and father. And then there’s Luke Monticelli, the devoted man Bess walked out on but never stopped loving.
Haunted by her regrets at every turn, Bess soon realizes that the past is far more complicated than she ever knew. With each secret that she uncovers about her family, Bess comes closer to healing their wounds, seizing a second chance at love, and fulfilling dreams that can lift them all—right here at home, where she belongs.
My thoughts about The Museum of Lost Dreams ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First line—"October 1962. The museum was a place of dreams. Twice now he'd uttered the strange remark."
The Museum of Lost Dreams is another wonderful story from Christine Nolfi. I've loved everything I've read by her and this one goes to the top. A generational story filled with family drama was exactly what I needed when I started this one.
Bess returns home after her parents sudden deaths where she is slammed back into the family dynamics that she tried to leave behind three year ago. So much has changed, while also staying the same. As each family member tries to fit into their changed roles as siblings, redemption and forgiveness are a must.
The dual timeline, which I loved, helped fill in the gaps in the family history and explained a lot. Seeing things from different perspectives clarified so, so much. And not everyone should be up on the pedestal where they have been placed.
I loved everything about The Museum of Lost Dreams and highly recommend it!
I received a copy of The Museum of Lost Dreams from the author and this is my honest opinion of the book.
About the author
Christine Nolfi is the award-winning and bestselling author of eighteen novels. Look for her 2026 release, The Museum of Lost Dreams.
Other works include her 2025 bestseller, The Secret Library of Hanna Reeves (sequel coming in 2027); the reader favorite A Heart Like Home; A Brighter Flame, selected by She Reads as a best book club pick and The Passing Storm, cited by Publishers Weekly as “Tautly plotted, expertly characterized, and genuinely riveting” and gold medal winner in general fiction, International Book Awards.
Earlier works include The Road She Left Behind, a top book club pick by Working Mother and Parade magazines; the award-winning Sweet Lake Series; Second Chance Grill, highly recommended by The Midwest Book Review and Treasure Me, recognized by the Next Generation Indie Awards. The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge was cited by The Midwest Book Review as “Poignant and powerful, as much a saga of learning to survive, heal, and forgive as it is a chilling crime story, unforgettable to the very end.”
A native of Ohio, Christine now resides in South Carolina with her husband. Visit Christine Nolfi at the website of the same name.
Connect with Christine
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