Before I get into any personal feelings about this book, allow me to say the following: this book is lovely and sweet and fine. It would be a great read for anyone who has loved Robyn Carr's other books, with their kindness and their gentle storytelling. Villains in Carr's writing are usually natural: health, vindictive families, our self-imposed demons. WHAT WE FIND is no different. It's a sweet story about a woman learning who she is after several seasons of trauma, learning to forgive, and opening herself up to hope and love.
Like I said, it's a lovely story. The internet is full of people who love it. My mother adored it, giving it one of her highest ratings for a contemporary novel, "that was lovely." There is nothing objectionable in this book at all, except that I wanted to take the main character, Maggie, and sit her down over a strong drink and yell a bit. I could not connect with her, thought her journey came too little too late, and while I'm certainly happy she found her true love, I know I will forget about her as soon as I finish this review.
Maggie is a neurosurgeon who we meet crying in a stairwell and whose first act upon arriving at her father's house for vacation is to oversee his care during a massive heart attack. Not so restful. Camping out nearby is a mysterious but helpful fellow named Cal, who Maggie is quickly both attracted to and wary of.
It also doesn't help that I'm in a season where reading about the big city boss lady who burns out and moves to the mountains just is not doing it for me. I'm in a high stress job, in a high stress industry, and moving to the mountains is not an option for me, so I'd be more interested in reading a book about a lady who burns out and finds herself again while still within reasonable distance to a Target.
But I digress.
In a way, the way to sum up my review is "ignore me". If you like Carr, you'll love this book. If you like Susan Mallery or Kristan Higgins, I'd recommend this as well. The dialogue is a little less sassy than Higgins who is the queen of contemporary romance dialogue in my opinion, but the plotting will feel familiar. It's a lovely story with lovely characters and a sweet happily ever after. Ignore the big grumpy curmudgeon behind the keyboard if you're so inclined. This is a "good for you, not for me" book.
Join Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of
the Virgin River and Thunder Point series, as she explores
the healing powers of rural Colorado in a brand-new story of
fresh starts, budding relationships and one woman's journey
to finding the happiness she's long been
missing Between the urban bustle of Denver
and the high-stress environment of a career in neurosurgery,
Maggie Sullivan has hit a wall. When an emergency, high-risk
procedure results in the death of a teenager, Maggie finds
herself in the middle of a malpractice lawsuitβand
experiencing levels of anxiety she's never faced before.
It's in this desperate moment that Maggie's boyfriend
decides he can't handle her emotional baggage, and she's
left alone, exhausted and unsure of what her future holds.
One thing is certain, though: she needs to slow down before
she burns out completely, and the best place she can think
to do that is Sullivan's Crossing.
Named for Maggie's great-grandfather, the land and charming
general store at the crossroads of the Colorado and the
Continental Divide trails have been passed down through the
generations and now belong to Maggie's estranged father,
Sully. Though raised by her mother and stepfather after her
parents divorced, Maggie has always adored Sullyβdespite his
hands-off approach to fatherhood. When she shows up
unannounced in Sullivan's Crossing, he welcomes her with
opens arms, and she relishes the opportunity to rebuild
their relationship.
But when Sully has a sudden heart attack, Maggie's world is
rocked once again. Consumed with his care, she's relieved to
find that Cal Jones, a quiet and serious-looking camper, has
been taking over many of Sully's responsibilities as he
recuperates. Still, Maggie is suspicious of this mysterious
man's eagerness to helpβuntil she finds out the true reason
for his deliberate isolation.
Though Cal and Maggie each struggle with loss and
loneliness, the time they spend together gives Maggie hope
for something brighter just on the horizonβ¦if only they can
learn to find peace and healingβand perhaps loveβwith each
other.
No excerpt available.
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