Robyn Carr

A Netflix original series Read the book that started it all! 13 Million Copies Sold

Virgin River (A Virgin River Novel, Book 1)

Virgin River

Briar's Reviews

I'm not gonna lie, I gave into the Netflix hype and decided I needed to read this series. And, funnily enough... These books ended up on my doorstep.

No joke or lies! My neighbour came over with a bag full of romance books and plopped them down. She explained her and her friends were sharing books throughout the pandemic and she was the last on the stop. She gave me a whole pile of romance books because she HATES them and figured they would have a good home with me. Oh boy, was I pumped! I really wanted to read this series first so I could jump into the Netflix series, and I was running low on physical copy romances. What a day!

So, the actual review:

This book is one wild ride! We have a Nurse Practitioner whose husband has recently passed away. She decides she needs a break from the insanity and wants to escape. Nothing hurts more than staying in a place where all of your memories are... So she skirts off to Virgin River, a tiny, minuscule town out in the middle of nowhere. She meets a handful of people that at first turn her off (her house was garbage, the town was SO MUCH SMALLER than they said, and almost everything she was told was a lie - except for the contract she signed). Slowly, the town begins to win her over. It definitely helps that there is a sexy, ex-army guy hanging around making good food and sharing beer. As she slowly falls head over heels, she learns that healing isn't always the journey we thought it was... Also, lots of baby drama. So much baby drama.

Melinda and Jack are two fun characters to follow. They are both broken in their own ways, and give each other second chances by the end of the book. It's a nice story, with so much sex and hot scenes you wouldn't believe it! I had no idea this book would have so much sex in it. It didn't seem like it was going that way, but I'm totally okay that it did! Luckily, this book wasn't insta-love and they did take some time developing a friendship before they dove head first into the sparks that were flying.

I think this story has just the right amount of good and bad. There's grief and sadness, but also hope and happiness. There's lots of drama that I could totally see happening (living in a small town and alll...), which also made it nice. It didn't seem totally out there for any of it to be happening. It felt realistic, which is sometimes what I want out of my fiction reads.

Bonus points:
1. Mel was a character who felt both happy and sad. She felt real and understandable. Her grief was reasonable, her growth as a character was understanding, and her seemed like the girl next store. I could relate to her in many ways as she struggled to find her way. I like her. She's great. She's strong but not too strong. 
2. The sex scenes are not crazy erotic and but not totally romantic. It felt like a happy medium where I wasn't reading an erotica book but also gave our characters some happy endings.
3. There definitely are some negatives about this book. I did find it rather slow and I had to put it down a few times - but I did finish it. The book feels like the first in a series and doesn't have an ending. It felt like a "to be continued..." as if it's an episode in a television series. That works if you want to continue reading, but as someone who likes having each book standalone in some way... The cliffhanger annoyed me. What if I didn't want to read on? 


Overall, this is a great read! I hear the Netflix series is very different, so we will see how I will tackle that one... For now, enjoy the book and read on!

Four out of five stars.

"The Virgin River books are so compelling--I connected instantly with the characters and just wanted more and more and more." --#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber Welcome back to Virgin River with the book that inspired the hit Netflix series... Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against a backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included. When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad, she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving--the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she's made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning. But a tiny baby abandoned on a front porch changes her plans...and former marine Jack Sheridan cements them into place. A Virgin River Novel Book 1: Virgin River Book 2: Shelter Mountain Book 3: Whispering Rock Book 4: A Virgin River Christmas Book 5: Second Chance Pass Book 6: Temptation Ridge Book 7: Paradise Valley Book 8: Forbidden Falls Book 9: Angel's Peak Book 10: Moonlight Road Book 11: Promise Canyon Book 12: Wild Man Creek Book 13: Harvest Moon Book 14: Bring Me Home for Christmas Book 15: Hidden Summit Book 16: Redwood Bend Book 17: Sunrise Point Book 18: My Kind of Christmas Book 19: Return to Virgin River

I decided to read this after enjoying the TV series and needing something easy to read while moving house. I can declare that the book is not better than the TV series.

The plot is basic and underdeveloped. The characters are one dimensional and felt very flat and lacked any substance or character development.

The only things I like were being able to picture the characters, not based on their descriptions in the book, but rather seeing them as the actors in the series (which often differed greatly).

It also annoyed me that some of the characters in the series were not as present in the book as I would have hoped.

Overall, it was underwhelming but did give me what I needed, a distraction while moving.

Victoria Justice

I decided to read this after enjoying the TV series and needing something easy to read while moving house. I can declare that the book is not better than the TV series.

The plot is basic and underdeveloped. The characters are one dimensional and felt very flat and lacked any substance or character development.

The only things I like were being able to picture the characters, not based on their descriptions in the book, but rather seeing them as the actors in the series (which often differed greatly).

It also annoyed me that some of the characters in the series were not as present in the book as I would have hoped.

Overall, it was underwhelming but did give me what I needed, a distraction while moving.

Sarah

This book was amazing. If you love the show you will enjoy this book. Also if you have not seen the show I suggest reading these books and watching the show.

Vicki Grever

3.5 - 4 stars. I enjoyed it, easy listening audio book. I watched the Netflix series. It seems this is part of what was covered in the show and the next book will have more emphasis on other characters. I'll check it out, but not right away.

Moon of Pages

“He reached out and lightly touched her hair. There’s no way, he thought. I’m sunk. And my heart hasn’t beat the same since she walked into town.”

This was my first ever real romance book and I picked this up because I watched the Netflix series and I really enjoyed that. I also enjoyed my time reading this book, but I do think I prefer the Netflix adaptation more and I do feel like this book has it flaws. I'm not sure yet if I will continue on reading these books, but overall, I did enjoy it. 

“Well, you’re just going to have to take a leap of faith,” he said.
“I think I can do that,” she said. “If you’re there to catch me.”
“I’m here,” he said. “I haven’t let you down yet, have I?”
She put her hand against his face. “No, Jack. You sure haven’t.”

3/5 stars

Venessa Johnstone

LOVE this series.. Got all the feels .. very Hallmark movie-esk :)

Welcome back to Virgin River with the book that started it all... Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against a backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included. When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad, she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving--the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she's made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning. But a tiny baby abandoned on a front porch changes her plans...and former marine Jack Sheridan cements them into place.

Kaylee Z

I’m finally starting to find out what Contemporary books work for me! Hint: this is one of them.

I have been putting off reading this book and watching the Netflix series for ages because the trailer was too reminiscent of Hart of Dixie for me (with the same actor seemingly playing the exact same role) but upon finally reading Virgin River, I realized I had it wrong. Virgin River is definitely it’s own story and I really enjoyed it.

The story is not epic in scale and it’s not something totally new but I had a lot of fun reading it and cannot wait to continue this series which is… 21 books long? Wait, what?! *ahem* OK, guess I’m in this for the long haul. Who would have thought that a small town story could have so much stuff going on!

One of my favourite parts about this book is how honest and relateable the characters are and I know that they are going to be flushed out more and more as the series progresses but this was a perfect introduction. I will admit though that I would be totally happy if every book focused on Mel and Jack lol but I am very intrigued by everyone else in Virgin River. Carr was able to introduce a whole slew of characters in this first installment in a way that peaks your interest just enough for you to feel connected to each person. There were a few moments where I felt like she was just listing off people’s names but when you realize how big this series is, it’s important to be given names early on that will pay off as time goes on.

I think that the biggest flaw in this book is simply the time in which it was written. You wouldn’t think that 2007 was that long ago but sometimes it’s painfully obvious how far we have come in terms of what is and isn’t totally acceptable in literature these days. That’s not to say that some people may be very into some of the dynamics but I’m personally not a huge fan of some of the ‘alpha-male’ moments that Jack has (for example saying he wants Mel to be ‘his’). And I don’t like how she includes sex scenes between two minors in an adult contemporary/romance book… but not every part of a story needs to be a winner. I just hope that as the series progresses that the content also evolves. 

The better parts of the story really do revolve around the characters. I loved each back story and want to learn more about everyone. We see a lot of growth in Mel in terms of how she deals with grief and starting over which I would personally find very hard to write but Carr made it seem effortless. Each moment made sense and I found myself agreeing with Mel in her reactions and choices - which I can’t always say is the case with some books. I liked that Jack was the type of male character that I don’t see written often - he is very realistic. He isn’t some man who is sitting around waiting for a woman to come to his town. He has a life, a relationship (kinda), a history and is a true mainstay of the town. As I also said before, there are a ton of characters that get introduced and so many of them are great but I can’t go in depth with all of them so a couple of other honourable mentions go to Preacher, Doc Mullins and Joey.

This is the type of book that is very much character-driven but Carr is also able to weave in some conflict with some illegal activities happening just outside of town that affect Virgin River to add a little bit more action into the narrative and I appreciated that. I love good character stories but external conflict always adds more to me.

I do already have book 2, Shelter Mountain, and expect to be reading it soon!

Mariana Foster

Shantel

Kylie

Kelli

morgan tracy

Recently widowed Melinda Monroe may have come to Virgin River looking for escape from her heartache, but instead she finds her home. Reissue.