Riverbend Reunion is a story about four high school friends who reconnect in their hometown of Riverbend, Texas. Jessica has returned to see the property her uncle left her. It was a former church that had been abandoned for many years. Risa, a mother of twin 16 year old girls, returned after being kicked out of her husband's family's compound. Haley returned to go through her childhood home after her mother died and Mary Nell returned after ending her relationship with a wannabe country music star. They also rekindle a friendship with Wade who returned to the area after his younger brother was killed in service to our country. After giving the former church much though, the group decided to turn it into a bar and grill.

I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship between the friends. They supported each other and worked well as a team. The twins, Daisy and Lily, were two of my favorite characters. They had some of the best takes on how solve issues. The slow romance between Jessica and Wade was sweet. They connected through their recent military service and well as being partners in the bar and grill. I would love to read more about how the group fares in additional books. Carolyn Brown did a great job of writing an interesting and compelling story. I look forward to reading additional books by her.

I want to thank Carolyn Brown, Montlake Publishing, and NetGalley for the e-ARC and the opportunity to read and review this novel.

I have posted the review to my Goodreads account and also on my Instagram account @cherrypurlsmerry.

The story
Jessica has retired from the Army and is visiting Riverbend where she has inherited a former church from her uncle. She has no idea what to do with the building but when Wade, a fellow Army retiree and her three best friends from school arrive, they hatch a plan to convert the church building into a bar and grill.

My thoughts
Carolyn Brown’s books have a very distinctive voice. Very small town Texan, family oriented and found family is important. I enjoyed this easy read of the reunion of the four friends, each with their own life stories and problems. I loved how the friends support one another and find joy in what turns out to be a good fresh start for all of them.

If you are into Southern Women’s Fiction about friends coming together through hard times, then this book is for you.
Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get into the storyline, and had trouble relating to the characters. All of the country music references were also confusing to me, because I am not a fan of that sort of music.
There was also a lot of internal dialogue that was the voices of people that have passed in the characters’ lives, which I just couldn’t get on with.
The plot of the story was good but more based on religion than I personally like, so all in all it just wasn’t the book for me!

Four high school friends at a cross roads in their lives reunite after twenty years. They come together to support each other. I liked the characters in this book and their relationships with each other. This is a story about friendship and love. DNA isn’t the only way to form a family, sometimes friends who support each other is all that is needed. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I am a fan of any book by Carolyn Brown, and this was another good one. Four female high school friends have reunited after the end of Jessica’s tenure in the service, and she has inherited an abandoned church. Along with another classmate from high school they decide to transform the church into a bar. All 5 of the main characters have lost relationships or family members, either through deaths or loss of a relationship. They join together to help each other and become “family”. All of the characters are described very realistically, and their challenges are real. The story kept me engrossed from almost the first page to the end, wondering what would happen next. Anyone who likes women’s fiction and romance should read this book. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

The best friends from Riverbend are characters that will become more like family to you as their stories unfold. You'll not want to put it down until the end. They find their lifes growning stronger as they bond on rebuilding their dreams and living their lifes to the fullest.

Easy read! Great book about friendship, love and perseverance. Character development throughout. A good Texas story with a back home feel. Finished within a few days!

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
Wade and Jessica both out of the military now are searching for a place to call home. They meet by chance on Jessica’s new inherited property and begin to form a friendship with each other and Jessica’s group of friends.
As they all try to find their way and purpose, they become a family and Jessica and Wade become closer than ever.
Some of the town does not like the groups new plans and will do anything to stop them but they stick together through thick and thin.

Loved it. High school reunion leads to many life changes in this group. Family and friends. Some relationships are good and some are toxic. It was a delight to follow along with these people during their summer. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

I love all of Carolyn Brown books! The books about women always draw me in from the first chapter. These women are all edging close to 40 and are back together again.

I liked this book well enough but it never really pulled me in. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read.

Risa, Mary Nell, Haley, and Jessica reunite in Riverbend, Texas, after Jessica inherits and run-down former church. They’re each going through hard times and a get together was just what they needed. They gather to determine what Jessica should do with the church. Enter Wade, the older brother of one of their former classmates. They decide to open a bar, and that’s when the trouble starts.

This is a great story about loss, friendships, family dynamics, hope, new beginnings, and more, with a little humor thrown in for good measure.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book had a lot of potential, but it never really hooked me. I’m usually a binge reader, but this took me numerous days to finish because I just didn’t feel it calling to me. It seemed like a lot of the same interactions over and over. I liked the general idea and the main characters but felt like this could have been a novella without missing any plot points.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.)

A story of friendships and starting over…. It’s a wonderful tale of a group of friends who reunite as they are approaching their 40s and how their lives pick right up as if they had never spent any time apart. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone! This book will stay with you long after you've finished it, and in the most delicious way! Fabulous author!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this newest story by Mrs. Brown. I snap up all of her books as they are released. Her stories let you become part of the family and never disappoint. This tells the story of a group of friends who reunite as they are approaching 40 and how their lives pick right up as if they had never spent any time apart. A very enjoyable read, as I fully expected it to be. Didn't disappoint!

This author's book never disappoint, and this one is no exception. I could not put it down! I loved the characters close-knit friendships and felt like I knew them personally (I wish I did)!
When Jessica moves back to the small town of Riverbend, she reunites with her 3 best friends she graduated with 20 years ago. Her uncle left her a rundown vacant church building when he passed away, and now, Jessica is deciding with her friends what to do with the building. I laughed out loud at the sassy attitude during many parts of the book, especially when dealing the two cantankerous grandmas, especially Stella. That woman was a piece of work. I loved this book so much! Another great read from Carolyn Brown!
I was grateful to Netgalley for an advanced copy to read and review.

Riverbend Reunion by C. Brown, published by Montlake, is a full-length, stand-alone, contemporary romance. It tells the story of Jessica and her three best friends.
It took me a minute to get into the story, there are lots of characters and names I had to get acquainted with.
The story is told in a multiple pov. It's a slow burn, heart-wrenching, soul-searching story that gave me all the feels, 4,5 stars.

The characters made this story entertaining, with laugh aloud moments as well as a few tears along the way. This is a story of friendship and discovering who your real family is. Four former cheerleaders reunite in the small Texas town of Riverbend and decide to use Jessica’s inheritance to create a new business. The problem is that the inheritance is a church and the business that they plan to open is a bar. With the author’s signature sassy style, this book kept me engaged and captured by the stories of the friends and their pasts as well as their look towards a brighter future. Jessica and Wade are both army veterans with PTSD and losses that haunt them. Mary Nell and Risa have escaped controlling husbands whose soul aim was to use them and make them feel worthless. Haley is a teacher who doesn’t know what she wants for her future, but she knows that there is change coming. Added to the mix is Mary Nell’s father Oscar, a gruff and wise older man who was my favorite character because I never knew what he would come up with next. Of course, there is conflict since Risa’s mother is a self-righteous busybody who is determined to stop their new business venture in its tracks. The addition of Risa’s twin teen daughters added so much to the story because their humor and positive attitudes in the face of all kinds of opposition was admirable and kept the story moving along at a humorous and fun-loving pace. I enjoyed the story which was an irreverent look at judgmental people and how their arguments are flawed and self-serving. The humor and the romance made this story so entertaining that I had a movie of the action playing in my mind as I read it. Fans of the author and those who enjoy being entertained and engaged with realistic characters will enjoy this book. It is women’s fiction at its best!

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was well written with well developed characters and an engaging storyline.
I was gripped right from the start and I really liked the characters.

I have been so excited for Riverbend Reunion and the second Montlake sent me my early copy I was all over it!
Brown is a major favorite of mine, so getting this eARC really excited me.
Carolyn Brown is the Queen of a perfect small town romance.
And this story has an array of amazing characters and I LOVED the way she brings these characters to life on the pages and makes them so easy to relate to shows the magnitude of her writing skills. She is a master with words.
It felt like I was among Risa, Mary Nell, Haley, Jessica and Wade in Riverbend, Texas.
If you enjoy a good small town romance, friends and secrets.... Read this!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Montlake,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.