You had the best intentions to really savor the new season of Netflix's Virgin River and make it last. I'll watch one episode a week and enjoy for it the rest of the summer, you thought. Ha! We know how that goes. "Are you still watching?" asks Netflix. "Yes, I can't stop!" you shout and throw your remote at the screen. It's okay, we all lie to ourselves sometimes.

So, you've burned through the episode list, considered starting over with season one, thought better of it, and have now decided to read something? Great! We're here for you! See below for some suggestions. 

Robyn Carr's Virgin River Book Series

This may seem obvious, but perhaps you didn't know the streaming series is based on a series of books. Or perhaps you thought you weren't a "romance person." Written by Robyn Carr, there are 21 books in this series about the small, fictional community of Virgin River geographically isolated in the woods of Northern California. If you're not sure of the order of the books, scroll to the bottom of the library catalog record to find a listing of the books in order (it looks like this). (Pssst...Carr says you don't have to read them in order!). How faithful is the show to the books you might wonder? As with most tv adaptations, there are many points of both convergence and deviation between the books and show, but the small town vibe and reliance of neighbors on each other that Carr's books depict so charmingly carries over to the show despite many different plot elements and pacing. 

>> Find the series in NYPL's collection

Try Another Small-Town Romance Series

If the interconnectedness of small-town residents is what draws you to Virgin River, Carr's other romance series—Sullivan's Crossing (first book in the series), Thunder Point (first book in the series), and Grace Valley (first book in the series)—also take place in picturesque towns where everyone knows everyone else (and their business!). 

 

 

You might also like Emily March's Eternity Springs series set in a tight-knit small town in the Rockies which, broadly, begins with a concept similar toVirgin River of someone trying to self-isolate and heal in the wilderness, but can't help be drawn in by a neighbor. 

 

 

The Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis is another contemporary romance series set in the Pacific Northwest. The series is made up of four trilogies centered on the love lives of young residents of this small coastal town which, one could argue, is the most important character.

 

 

 

The Cavanaugh Island series by Rochelle Alers is set in a charming small island community on the coast of South Carolina. A place people come to start over and, inevitably, find love. 

 

 

 

 

Books About Starting Over

Perhaps what drew you to Virgin River is the idea of bouncing back from tragedy or starting over and reinventing yourself in a new place. These books below, romance novels or not, are all about taking second chances at happiness and love.

Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen

Moving to a small country cabin, a once world-famous photographer bonds with a local man and begins to see the world around her in new, deeper dimensions while evaluating second chances at love, career, and self-understanding.

 

 

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Young widow Evvie Drake and major league pitcher Dean Tenney, who has lost his game and needs a chance to reset his life, form an unlikely relationship when Dean moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie's house.

 

 

The Seaside Cafe by Rochelle Alers

On breathtaking Coates Island, off the coast of North Carolina, three book-loving women experience a summer that offers them a chance to rewrite their own stories.

 

 

More to Life by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

An unfulfilled wife and mother enrages her family and stuns her friends when she makes an impulsive decision to change her life from taking care of everyone except herself and focus on her own happiness during a tropical vacation.

 

 

The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg

Following the death of her husband, Betta Nolan fulfills her promise to him to move to a small town and build a new life for herself, as she strives to cope with her grief and find pleasure and solace in the ordinary things of everyday life.

 

The Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman

Memories of better times motivate a woman at a crossroads in her life to renovate a lakeside family cottage where she was most happy and where she discovers a cache of letters from the late nineteenth century.

 

 

Searching for Tina Turner by Jaqueline E. Luckett

Lena Spencer seems to have it all: a wealthy husband, two great kids, and a comfortable life. Too bad she's so unhappy. When her husband gives her an ultimatum, Lena decides to leave. As she struggles to build a new life, she draws strength from the life story of Tina Turner.

 

 

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.