Customer Reviews

A Summer in Sonoma

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a fan of the Virgin River series, I thought I would try out a stand alone book by Robyn Carr. I found that I am not just a fan of Virgin River, but I really do like Carr's writing.

A Summer In Sonoma introduces the reader to four high school friends on the verge of turning 30. Each woman looks at the others and feels pangs of envy for one reason or another and thinks the other's life is better than her own. The classic "the grass is always greener" syndrome. What the reader knows is that each has her own issue that makes her life difficult. They are trying to hide it from the others, but sooner or later all their secrets come spilling out.

This book is part-romance and part-chick-lit. Since a couple of the characters are already married, it is what happens after the happily-ever-after. If you are after a classic romance, this one isn't it for you. If you want something a little more real with a lot of interaction between female friends, then this is the perfect book for a Sunday afternoon.

I found myself really liking a couple of the characters, while the other two I kept thinking, "Is she really that dumb?" They all did dumb things, but two of them seemed to be over-the-top dumb. Not that this is unrealistic by any means. I think that all of the stories were realistic and their conclusions were the same. Some parts of the story were a little predictable, but in a very real way, so it worked.

The name A Summer in Sonoma seemed a bit like a misnomer since Sonoma really was barely mentioned as was summer. The story begins in summer and ends into the fall, but really I didn't get much of the Sonoma or the summer part.

Overall, I really liked this book. I found myself not wanting to put it down. It only took me one day to finish and I had a happy-little feeling in my heart when I finally did put the book down.

*I received this book from from the publisher via netgalley to review*

Originally posted at: [...]

A good listener and easy-going, Walt ,the biker, eases into a friendly relationship with Cassie when she comes by the Harley place to thank him for rescuing her from that bad situation. After meeting for coffee and talk and finally a dinner, he takes Cassie on her first of many motorcycle rides into the beautiful Sonoma area. A new, exciting, non-threatening, fun friendship grows between them while Cassie comes to realize that his intimidating physical appearance belies his nurturing, trustworthy nature. The reader gets to share a courtship that touches the heart and soul.

While Cassie and Walt's story is never far from the reader's attention, the stories of Cassie's friends, Julie, Marty, and Beth intertwine to create a story replete with struggles, heartaches, fears, and loves -- loves that withstand lots of hard knocks. The reader is pulled into this circle of friends and the men in their lives as these four young women give each other unfailing support in good and bad times.

Robyn Carr creates vibrant characters that bring to the fore conflicts and issues that plague modern society. The reader is privy to the traumas and the struggles to work through life-changing events that the characters experience as they face their fears and brave the possibilities of rejection as they strive to resolve conflicts, solve problems, and overcome tremendous odds. Trust, patience, and communication bring fantastic results.

Summer in Sonoma is a journey from loneliness to feeling worshipped for Cassie. For Julie, it is a journey from despair and hopelessness to hope, confidence, and reaffirmed love. For Marty, it is a journey from fear of failure to understanding and rekindled love and for Beth, it is a journey from fear of death alone to a joy for life with a man who loves and wants her just like she is. This is a heartwarming story that is beautifully told by Robyn Carr.

Cassie is an emergency room nurse with a penchant for picking the wrong guys. When her latest date turns into a disaster bordering on date rape, an unlikely hero comes to her recue - Walt, a tattooed biker with a taste for the finer things. He soon takes her on an odessey encompassing more than rides on his Harley - causing Cassie to think outside the box. Can she find a future with a bad boy? Julie is so fertile that a single glance from her husband Billy results in a pregnancy. Unfortunately, they are living on such meager means that another mouth to feed might just break them. Beth is a workaholic OB/GYN and cancer survivor who gets some bad news. Marty and Joe have lost the romance in their marriage. Will they be able to rekindle it before Marty gives in to temptation and it is gone forever?

I usually find Carr's books a little too sacharine - but I totally enjoyed this story (though still think that it is over populated). Make no mistake - this story is definitely Walt and Cassie - in fact I found myself getting inpatient when other characters took the center stage. My only gripe is how small minded Cassie tended to be (though I loved the message that heroes can be the most unlikely of characters), and the whole drama at the end (with Walt and Marty's high school boyfriend) was somewhat predictable. But after reading a couple duds, this was a refreshing surprise.

Emergency room nurse Cassie goes on a date with Ken that turns ugly until Walt the mechanic rescues her. They become friends although he would like their relationship to be intimate; she prefers her man to be more than someone who dirties their hands.

Firefighter Billy and his wife Julie are in dire financial straits while she carries their fourth child. Firefighter Joe ignores his wife Marty, who is looking closely at her former boyfriend for attention. Doctor Beth struggles with the return of breast cancer while her oncologist Dr. Jerod wants to be with her during and after she receives treatment as he wants a non-medical relationship with her too.

Though the theme of an ensemble friends struggling with different relationship issues has been done many times before ion TV, movies and novels, the four fully developed BFFs and the hunks in their lives make for a warm engaging contemporary tale. Readers will enjoy spending A Summer in Sonoma with Robyn Carr's charming cast.

Harriet Klausner

I really loved this story... but for me, I wish there was some sort of epilogue. I was left feeling that is was somewhat left undone. I would have loved to see where they all were 2-5 yrs down the line.

Is there a sequel in the works?

This was my first time reading a book by Robyn Carr - I really liked it! This book tells the story of four good girl friends all around age 30. Two of the women are married, and their stories are about their individual marriage struggles. The other two women are single, one is searching for love and the other is struggling with a health crisis. They each have different lives and have their own very different sets of conflicts in the story. Each of the four storylines were compelling but I especially liked the lead story about Cassie and her biker guy. I really loved that he was not the typical cookie cutter hero. I got totally caught up in their romance. I liked that these stories seemed so authentic, the emotions were what people really go through in a marriage or when trying to find love, etc. For example when Cassie is musing about wanting to find that special someone and struggles with feeling alone, I really remember feeling like that when I was single. It came across so real. And when the married couple was having struggles and the woman felt like her hubby was taking her for granted, I really have felt like that in my marriage. This author is very in tune with real situations and real feelings. Not once did I roll my eyes or feel a peice of dialogue was cheesy. Very well done. I will definitely read more by this author.

I think we see a start to a new series here!! The Sonoma Series!!?? Please Please Miss Robyn!!
This was a wonderful story of a group of friends who are caught up in their daily lives and somehow have lost their grip on love and romance - how it works - how to keep it and value it. The storyline explores the dynamics of the dating game and the "keeping" game through the eyes of each character. The story has it all....humor, drama, and California wine country. Ms Carr pulls no punches here...she reveals faults both sexes often have but brings solutions and hope to the table. If you are in the dating game or long time married you will fall in love with these people as they learn the deep meaning of love and comittment.

Too often romance novels tell stories that is just too good to be true. Everyone finds the perfect partner with whom they have super sex happily after ever. Problems float away as if on clouds, if there are any problems at all. Robyn Carr tells this tale of four friends who approach the issues of real life. There are money problems, marital disharmony, disease and mistrust in relationships. Although the discord does get resolved, it is with work and difficulty. It is truly romantic to see that communication and trust, that are intrinsic to all good relationships, pays off. this is an absolutely enjoyable read!

As a romance/chick lit novel, I liked it. Robyn Carr does a nice job of creating real characters with real world problems - kids, money, family, etc and gives them mostly reasonable, real world solutions. The main romance, between Walt and Cassie, is well done and satisfying.

I found the title a bit misleading. A couple of motorcycle trips by one pair to wine country do not, for me, a summer make. (The story mostly takes place in the Sacramento area.) While Carr uses a lot of localized place names, there's not really any localization in the story. The bike trip to Napa/Sonoma could have been given place names from nearly anywhere in the US and read the same.

I'll look out for the next book in the series.

I have read all of Robyn Carr's books. Her series are filled with amazingly strong woman and incredible stories of places you wish you could live in forever. She paints pictures in your mind of these towns and the people.The stories are exciting and warm and you can't put them down.

That being said this book was just okay. If this was the first one I had ever picked up, I would not have read her other works.