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Guarding Lily
Guarding Lily is a heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and the quiet, enduring connection that proves "until death do us part" is not quite enough.
Were you ever in a situation on Earth when you suddenly, and without reason, felt peaceful? There's a better-than-likely chance that was your Guardian Angel.
When Bob wakes up in Heaven, he's given a new to become his wife Lily's Guardian Angel.
Bob quickly learns that Guardian Angels are not all-powerful. He can't protect Lily from everything that lies ahead, but he won't let her face it alone. He will help guide her through a world he can no longer be a part of, as a feeling, a moment of peace, or a gentle tap on the shoulder.
On Earth, Lily is discovering how to live in a world that doesn't make sense. Grief crashes into her life in waves of heartbreak, sacrifice, and changes she never asked for.
As the years pass, their lives unfold in parallel. Bob learning what it means to love someone from afar. Lily learning how to move forward when all she wants is to retreat.
Guarding Lily is a poignant exploration of grief, resilience, and the invisible threads that connect us. Perfect for readers who love emotional, discussion-worthy novels. This is a story that lingers long after the final page.
Because some love stories don't end. They transform.
Were you ever in a situation on Earth when you suddenly, and without reason, felt peaceful? There's a better-than-likely chance that was your Guardian Angel.
When Bob wakes up in Heaven, he's given a new to become his wife Lily's Guardian Angel.
Bob quickly learns that Guardian Angels are not all-powerful. He can't protect Lily from everything that lies ahead, but he won't let her face it alone. He will help guide her through a world he can no longer be a part of, as a feeling, a moment of peace, or a gentle tap on the shoulder.
On Earth, Lily is discovering how to live in a world that doesn't make sense. Grief crashes into her life in waves of heartbreak, sacrifice, and changes she never asked for.
As the years pass, their lives unfold in parallel. Bob learning what it means to love someone from afar. Lily learning how to move forward when all she wants is to retreat.
Guarding Lily is a poignant exploration of grief, resilience, and the invisible threads that connect us. Perfect for readers who love emotional, discussion-worthy novels. This is a story that lingers long after the final page.
Because some love stories don't end. They transform.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
Jackson Kaplan
1 bookJackson Kaplan is a writer living in Southern California with his wife, Emily, and their dog, Lucy. He began writing in 2021 with the simple goal of telling the stories he could no longer keep inside. What started as a hobby quickly became a driving passion, rooted in the belief that stories can make us feel seen, understood, and a little less alone.
Jackson writes about what it means to be human and the forces that shape who we are, who we hope to be, and who we ultimately become. He hopes his stories can help connect people in a fragmented world.
His debut novel, Guarding Lily, is a love story told from both sides of death, inspired by the idea that love does not end when life does.
When he isn't writing, Jackson collects turtle figurines (he currently has around forty) and plays seven musical instruments, though he insists none of them particularly well.
Learn more at JacksonKaplan.com.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 4, 2026
I commend anyone who has self-published a book, but the author does succumb to the self publishing curse of giving himself so much space on the page that he tells on himself over and over again. The sentences do hang together and it clearly was edited – there were few spelling or grammatical errors. I’m writing this review in the hopes that the author will be able to incorporate some feedback into his next work; had a beta reader gotten involved earlier and helped Kaplan form a plot for this book, Guarding Lily might have felt more worthwhile.
Each issue in this book contributes to the hollowness and inauthenticity of Kaplan’s world. The characters are automaton-like, existing only to praise Bob, who is so Good it's boring, and the plot is non-existent.
Everyone Loves Bob: Everyone refers to Bob as a "ray of light," but we are never actually shown this—we just have to take their word for it. Lily calls him and their marriage perfect no less than SEVEN TIMES, but we rarely actually see them interacting. There is nothing less compelling than a character who doesn't change, learn, or make hard decisions because the author considers him perfect from the start.
Administrative Eternity: Heaven is structured like a workplace with conference rooms, databases, questionnaires, and "Heaven Hub" texting. The extent of the author's imagination of Heaven is that the dishes do themselves. The Guardian Angel rules are just as confusing: you can rewind time and spy on people, but if Heaven already knows the future, is free will just an exercise? Additionally, what allows one into heaven? Kaplan seems to only know what he considers Bad people – people who are alcoholics.
Unintentional Misogyny: There is a bizarre lack of concern over women’s privacy. Bob invites Lily’s ex-boyfriend to watch her debate suicide with pain pills and wine. He also uses his angel powers to rewind time and stop Lily from arguing with a friend, bragging, "I felt even more vindicated that I rewound and made Lily behave herself."
An Offensive Misunderstanding of Grief: The book suggests that sitting in sweatpants for three weeks of grief is too much, with Bob and another character agreeing that going back to work will make someone "snap out of it." Even weirder is the constant trauma olympics, where every character defers to Bob and Lily to declare that losing a spouse of 30 years is "The Worst Grief," completely minimizing the loss of parents or friends.
Before the ending, I thought the only acceptable twist would be that this was actually Bob's personal Heaven—a world where everyone adores him, his eulogy is perfectly received, and his wife exists only to worship his memory. Unfortunately, Kaplan is not an incisive enough author to pull that off, and many of the issues I believe Kaplan’s own beliefs, especially as Bob seems to be a bit of a self-insert character on behalf of the author.
Ultimately, this was a schmaltzy, soulless read with clunky dialogue where no one changed, no one learned, and every potential issue was resolved within four pages.
Each issue in this book contributes to the hollowness and inauthenticity of Kaplan’s world. The characters are automaton-like, existing only to praise Bob, who is so Good it's boring, and the plot is non-existent.
Everyone Loves Bob: Everyone refers to Bob as a "ray of light," but we are never actually shown this—we just have to take their word for it. Lily calls him and their marriage perfect no less than SEVEN TIMES, but we rarely actually see them interacting. There is nothing less compelling than a character who doesn't change, learn, or make hard decisions because the author considers him perfect from the start.
Administrative Eternity: Heaven is structured like a workplace with conference rooms, databases, questionnaires, and "Heaven Hub" texting. The extent of the author's imagination of Heaven is that the dishes do themselves. The Guardian Angel rules are just as confusing: you can rewind time and spy on people, but if Heaven already knows the future, is free will just an exercise? Additionally, what allows one into heaven? Kaplan seems to only know what he considers Bad people – people who are alcoholics.
Unintentional Misogyny: There is a bizarre lack of concern over women’s privacy. Bob invites Lily’s ex-boyfriend to watch her debate suicide with pain pills and wine. He also uses his angel powers to rewind time and stop Lily from arguing with a friend, bragging, "I felt even more vindicated that I rewound and made Lily behave herself."
An Offensive Misunderstanding of Grief: The book suggests that sitting in sweatpants for three weeks of grief is too much, with Bob and another character agreeing that going back to work will make someone "snap out of it." Even weirder is the constant trauma olympics, where every character defers to Bob and Lily to declare that losing a spouse of 30 years is "The Worst Grief," completely minimizing the loss of parents or friends.
Before the ending, I thought the only acceptable twist would be that this was actually Bob's personal Heaven—a world where everyone adores him, his eulogy is perfectly received, and his wife exists only to worship his memory. Unfortunately, Kaplan is not an incisive enough author to pull that off, and many of the issues I believe Kaplan’s own beliefs, especially as Bob seems to be a bit of a self-insert character on behalf of the author.
Ultimately, this was a schmaltzy, soulless read with clunky dialogue where no one changed, no one learned, and every potential issue was resolved within four pages.
September 26, 2026
I got through this, but at what cost. The premise about heaven sounded interesting, but the execution falls completely flat. The narrative feels like an excuse for the author to air out his own white male heterosexual cisgender wife guy philosophy 101 thoughts rather than tell an actual story. No memorable characters, uncomfortable privacy-invading scenes, and zero mention of hell to give the setting any contrast. Needs a lot of work and some more diverse beta readers.
September 4, 2026
Guarding Lily was an interesting and thought provoking read. Lots to discuss with my book group. You don’t have to believe in heaven or guardian angels to enjoy this book.
The theme personally resonated with my philosophy, i.e. the value of listening to that little voice inside your head that leads you to make the right choices. When confronted with a confusing issue,
I usually wait for a signal from my “gut” to tell me which way to proceed. It has served me well in my 94 years…. be it a guardian angel or my gut feeling.
The theme personally resonated with my philosophy, i.e. the value of listening to that little voice inside your head that leads you to make the right choices. When confronted with a confusing issue,
I usually wait for a signal from my “gut” to tell me which way to proceed. It has served me well in my 94 years…. be it a guardian angel or my gut feeling.
September 20, 2026
I just finished reading Guarding Lily and decided to write a review since I thoroughly enjoyed it. Before I started, I decided to look and see what others thought and came across a two star review by someone named J. OMG, not exactly sure what the motive was behind this review other than SELF promotion or possibly looking for a job as a critical book critic. The dissection and criticisms were so unwarranted and nasty. I had not known this was the author‘s first book, and now knowing it, I never would’ve known from his writing. This was a love story unlike most, easy to read, and I would recommend to anyone looking for their next book.
October 5, 2026
This was a beautifully sad and uplifting story about love, loss, and a new perspective when moving forward after losing one of your people. I appreciated that the story didn’t focus solely on grief and instead explored possibilities of what could happen afterward and how you begin to rebuild a life when your person is gone. I related to the community of friends and neighbors I’m also blessed to have in my life. The relationships in the book provided humor and comfort, and gave voice to the importance of community after a loss. Sad, hopeful and full of heart.
October 3, 2026
I think that the heart of this book is a deep celebration of love, in all its forms: romantic partners, family, friendships, and the once strangers that cross our paths at pivotal moments and help us carry on.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews