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chris_is_very_small's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jonetta's review against another edition
4.0
Hannah Russell is a successful sales manager living in Minneapolis. While her career is on track, her love life hasn’t been all that shiny and recently took a major nose dive. As she plans to take some time off and return to Colorado, the lovely site of her last business trip, one of her best friends dies suddenly, leaving 5-year son, Noah, in her care. Hannah decides to keep the planned trip intact so she and Noah can have a chance to bond and grieve. She’d booked the house owned by freelance photographer Owen Abrams who’d planned to be out of town but his plans changed and he’s not traveling but will stay in the attached barn.
I loved returning to Sullivan’s Crossing and it was the perfect place for Hannah and Noah to find respite. With its strong sense of community and natural beauty, it set the stage for both of them to heal and experience the outreach from the residents. Owen also had experienced a tragedy years ago and had never fully recovered from it. The relationship he created with Noah pulled some serious heartstrings, almost eclipsing his romance with Hannah but not really. And then there was his dog, Romeo, an adorable and lovable Great Dane who really was a scene stealer. This story has all of the elements that normally keeps me enthralled...and I was.
I chose to listen to this story because it’s narrated by Thèrése Plummer who is fabulous normally and in her performance here. She masters the young Noah while credibly delivering the male voices along with the others. She provided distinctive qualities for all the major characters, helping to define them beyond the pages. I’m committed to listening to the series here after.
I loved everything about this story. It wasn’t all sweetness and light as Hannah and Noah experience some real threats and challenges. It grabbed me from the start, wouldn’t let go and I finished it in a day. Carr is a master at writing compelling small town romance and she doesn’t miss here.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Recorded Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
I loved returning to Sullivan’s Crossing and it was the perfect place for Hannah and Noah to find respite. With its strong sense of community and natural beauty, it set the stage for both of them to heal and experience the outreach from the residents. Owen also had experienced a tragedy years ago and had never fully recovered from it. The relationship he created with Noah pulled some serious heartstrings, almost eclipsing his romance with Hannah but not really. And then there was his dog, Romeo, an adorable and lovable Great Dane who really was a scene stealer. This story has all of the elements that normally keeps me enthralled...and I was.
I chose to listen to this story because it’s narrated by Thèrése Plummer who is fabulous normally and in her performance here. She masters the young Noah while credibly delivering the male voices along with the others. She provided distinctive qualities for all the major characters, helping to define them beyond the pages. I’m committed to listening to the series here after.
I loved everything about this story. It wasn’t all sweetness and light as Hannah and Noah experience some real threats and challenges. It grabbed me from the start, wouldn’t let go and I finished it in a day. Carr is a master at writing compelling small town romance and she doesn’t miss here.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Recorded Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
klbthorne's review against another edition
1.0
The premise is good. The execution? Not so much.
I couldn’t read more than 5 pages at a time - the dialogue felt forced, the writing was lifeless and dull. I thought after the first bit of repetition, it might pick up (because you have to explain your life story to all the locals???).
I couldn’t force myself to finish the book, and stopped a third of the way through. But by page 111, there should be something making you want to finish reading.
1/10
I couldn’t read more than 5 pages at a time - the dialogue felt forced, the writing was lifeless and dull. I thought after the first bit of repetition, it might pick up (because you have to explain your life story to all the locals???).
I couldn’t force myself to finish the book, and stopped a third of the way through. But by page 111, there should be something making you want to finish reading.
1/10
lynnreads2's review against another edition
3.0
It was a sweet story, but some parts felt rushed. I would have liked more scenes between Hannah and Owen. The last third focused too much on the grandma. I lost the magic I felt between Hannah and Owen with the other drama.
peloise's review against another edition
3.0
This one was a little different than the rest of the series because it wasn’t anyone in the family but it was just as good.
lauriereadsrom1's review against another edition
5.0
I have enjoyed all of the books in Robyn Carr's Sullivan's Crossing series, but I think "The Country Guesthouse" may be my favorite one so far. It is a sweet story populated with well-developed, likeable characters, and despite the amount of tragedy in this book, the overall tone remained upbeat. I especially loved how the individual characters came together to create a family of their own choosing. I have always believed that family is what you make it; the people you love and who love you don't have to be limited to those related by blood. This story serves as an excellent demonstration of that idea.
The female lead character, Hannah, was carrying a fair amount of emotional baggage due to two failed engagements, but I admired how she stepped up to care for her best friend's young son, Noah, when he needed her the most. The relationship Hannah and Noah developed was adorable, and I really appreciated that she tried to keep memories of his birth mother alive for him while still establishing her own place in his life. Noah was a great kid, and surprisingly adaptable given the circumstances. He seemed to thrive under Hannah's care.
Owen, the male lead character, had suffered more than his fair share of tragedy years earlier, but I loved that he managed to find comfort in his photography career and heal enough to make a place in his heart for Hannah and Noah. I also thought it was really sweet that Owen and his ex-wife were still in touch and managed to maintain such a cordial, caring relationship. It seemed like they still loved each other, just in a different way from when they were married. In a way, they acted like siblings and really seemed to want what was best for each other.
In addition, I enjoyed the mystery of what was going on with Noah's grandmother and her motivation for trying to establish a relationship with him. It was great to spend time with some of the characters from earlier books in the series too, particularly Sully and Helen. They were so kind and welcoming when Hannah and Noah came to stay in Timberlake, eventually becoming something like surrogate grandparents.
Hopefully this is not the last we will see of these characters! I can't wait to see what happens next in Sullivan's Crossing.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
The female lead character, Hannah, was carrying a fair amount of emotional baggage due to two failed engagements, but I admired how she stepped up to care for her best friend's young son, Noah, when he needed her the most. The relationship Hannah and Noah developed was adorable, and I really appreciated that she tried to keep memories of his birth mother alive for him while still establishing her own place in his life. Noah was a great kid, and surprisingly adaptable given the circumstances. He seemed to thrive under Hannah's care.
Owen, the male lead character, had suffered more than his fair share of tragedy years earlier, but I loved that he managed to find comfort in his photography career and heal enough to make a place in his heart for Hannah and Noah. I also thought it was really sweet that Owen and his ex-wife were still in touch and managed to maintain such a cordial, caring relationship. It seemed like they still loved each other, just in a different way from when they were married. In a way, they acted like siblings and really seemed to want what was best for each other.
In addition, I enjoyed the mystery of what was going on with Noah's grandmother and her motivation for trying to establish a relationship with him. It was great to spend time with some of the characters from earlier books in the series too, particularly Sully and Helen. They were so kind and welcoming when Hannah and Noah came to stay in Timberlake, eventually becoming something like surrogate grandparents.
Hopefully this is not the last we will see of these characters! I can't wait to see what happens next in Sullivan's Crossing.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
bibliojojo's review
5.0
As usual with Robyn Carrs stories, The Country Guesthouse sucked me right in from the first chapter, and I love small town romance stories. I haven't read this series by her, but it worked as a stand alone novel, and I will definitely be going back to read the others. If they are anything like the Virgin River series I will have my summer reading planned out.
I loved the characters more and more including Noah, Hannah and Owen along with the big clumsy but loveable Romeo. They are all so full of heart and Carr knows how to introduce and include characters into a community that you wish was real so you could move there! Who doesn't love a quaint town?!
The romance and love of family and friends in this book creates another outstanding book from Carr. I'm coming for you Sullivan's Crossing, after I find Virgin River!
I loved the characters more and more including Noah, Hannah and Owen along with the big clumsy but loveable Romeo. They are all so full of heart and Carr knows how to introduce and include characters into a community that you wish was real so you could move there! Who doesn't love a quaint town?!
The romance and love of family and friends in this book creates another outstanding book from Carr. I'm coming for you Sullivan's Crossing, after I find Virgin River!
carm_caught_reading's review against another edition
4.0
I desperately want to go and fall in love with a man in a place like Sullivan’s Crossing, just sayin’!