Review: Return to Virgin River by Robyn Carr

 

Title: Return to Virgin River

Author: Robyn Carr

Series: Virgin Carr, #19

Published: October 2020, MIRA

Format: Hardcover, 320 pages

Source: Publisher via Little Bird Publicity

Summary: 

#1
New York Times
bestselling author Robyn Carr returns to the beloved
town of Virgin River with a brand-new story about fresh starts, new
friends and the magic of Christmas.

Kaylee Sloan’s home
in Southern California is full of wonderful memories of the woman who
raised her. But the memories are prolonging her grief over her mother’s
recent death. A successful author, Kaylee hoped she could pour herself
into her work. Instead she has terrible writer’s block and a looming
deadline.

Determined to escape distractions and avoid the holiday
season, Kaylee borrows a cabin in Virgin River. She knows the isolation
will help her writing, and as she drives north through the mountains
and the majestic redwoods, she immediately feels inspired. Until she
arrives at a building that has just gone up in flames. Devastated, she
heads to Jack’s Bar to plan her next steps. The local watering hole is
the heart of the town, and once she crosses the threshold, she’s
surprised to be embraced by people who are more than willing to help a
friend—or a stranger—in need.

Kaylee’s world is expanding in ways
she never dreamed possible. And when she rescues a kitten followed by a
dog with a litter of puppies, she finds her heart opening up to the
animals who need her. And then there’s the dog trainer who knows exactly
how to help her. As the holidays approach, Kaylee’s dread
turns to wonder. Because there’s no better place to spend Christmas than
Virgin River.

My thoughts:  I have long been a fan of Robyn Carr’s book, especially her Virgin River series, having devoured the book years ago. I was devastated when I got to the last book and found out that was it…or was it? Luckily at the time, she had gone on to write another series and I was taken with that one, but I always wanted more of my beloved Virgin River. And I finally got my wish!

What I love about this series is that it doesn’t seem to matter how long it’s been since the last book, and for me that has been eight years, picking this one up was like reuniting with old friends. And even with the addition of new characters, it still felt like coming home. And maybe that’s because of the fact that this has now been made into a Netflix original series and I totally binge-watched it, but I loved seeing all the old familiar friends and meeting new ones, too.

Robyn Carr is so gifted at giving us such multidimensional characters with real, relatable issues. I immediately fell in love with both Kaylee and Landry and loved their story. I felt their journey was so authentic and heartfelt – the obstacles felt real and lifelike and not contrived in any way. And with each book that Robyn Carr has written, she continues to give us new and unique situations to put her characters in. Nothing is ever repeated and situations are always fresh and individual the new couple.

I laughed and teared up so many times throughout this book because that’s how much I felt during it. It’s a true testament to how this author handles the relationships she gives us – with just the right amount of humor and reality that you can’t help but be pulled all the way in. It’s such a feel-good story and I love that about this series.

I am so glad Robyn Carr gave us another book in this series. I don’t know if that’s an indication there will be more or if this is the final one, but all I know is if she writes it, I will read it. And now I’ll be counting the days until the second season of Virgin River is released on Netflix!