I hadn’t read the first in the series before reading this for an arc and I can say that I did not feel I had missed out anything as all the details about the main characters and the gorgeous town are included within the book.

My favourite part of this book was the dogs! And I can honestly understand how Cretia fell in love with them too, I wanted all of them.

Forced proximity is one of my favourite tropes and this book does it well. The relationship between the characters is deep and meaningful and blossoms throughout the story. Finn and Cretia’s relationship feels real as they both have to work through their own issues.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc.

From a disastrous meet-cute to one of my favorite epilogues this year, Sometimes You Stay is a welcome return to Prince Edward Island and Liz Johnson’s beloved Red Door Inn series. Complete with the quirky disaster known as a Newfoundland named Joe Jr., I quickly fell in love with Finn and his motley menagerie and adorable puppies. It’s no wonder that globe-trotting Cretia with her deep-seated fears of attachment and belongings is tempted for the first time to think about the possibility of staying somewhere longer than a week.

As Cretia deals with her fears of turning into her mother, Finn also struggles with wanting to succeed on his own, never asking for help. But the character growth in this story gives it such depth because both of them are able to realize all they’ve been missing out on due to their misconceptions and fear. And the romance is adorable too! Nice to see some old friends from the original series, but if you haven’t read them you won’t feel lost in any way.

I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. I was not asked to leave a positive review and my opinions are my own.

This was an entertaining read with a dog breeder and a digital content creator set in PEI. These two couldn't be more different, one is tech savvy while the other still uses a flip phone. Cretia, the content creator, is in PEI for a few days, but all her tech and stuff if ruined when she literally runs in Finn, a dog breeder. She has to stay for longer than originally planned while she waits for new items to be delivered. She ends up spending time at Finn's farm while she uses his computer to order and track her items. During this time she gets to know him and all the various animals he is caring for. I enjoyed the interactions with the animals more than I thought I would. The characters deal with the issues from their pasts that have shaped their ideals and expectations for life and how to move forward when dreams change. I thought the explanation of the content creator role was very well done. This book made me laugh and the setting is so well described that I crave returning to PEI myself one day.

ARC REVIEW:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cretia Martin rose to fame as a digital content creator. As an expert in adventure, she has made her bread and butter educating the inexperienced traveler with tips and tricks she has picked along the way. To the untrained eye, Cretia’s life appears picture perfect, but she is hiding a dark secret from her followers.

Finn Chaffey has recently taken over his family business, breeding dogs on Prince Edward Island (PEI). He assumed the transition would go smoothly with all of his experience. Unfortunately, money is proving to be his biggest hurdle. Unwilling to ask for help, he is desperate to keep the business afloat.

An accidental run-in between Cretia, Finn, and one of his dogs results in her getting stranded on PEI. After forming an unlikely bond, their friendship quickly escalates into something deeper. Will the prospect of a romantic relationship keep Cretia in one place, or will she run the first chance she gets?

Liz Johnson’s Sometimes You Stay is the second novel in her Red Door Inn Romance Series. This book has connections to her previous title, Meddling with Mistletoe. While both books are set on Prince Edward Island and contain many of the same side characters, readers can choose to read them as standalone novels.

As a fan of contemporary Christian romances, I am no stranger to Liz Johnson’s work. I can always count on her to deliver a compelling story with overarching themes of faith. This book drove home the need to surrender fear.

Both Cretia and Finn were sidelined by fear. In fact, their character arcs revolved entirely around their debilitating fear of the future. It wasn’t until they relinquished their future to the Lord that they were able to break free of the bonds that imprisoned them.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Revell, and Liz Johnson for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest reviews.

This was a great story about a traveling blogger who gets stuck in a small town in Canada only to find that handsome stranger who is her complete opposite in almost every way is captivated her attention. The attraction between Cretia and Finn is undeniable as the two spend more time together, at first to help her regain her footing after losing so many of her items and then as the two spend time side-by-side together on his property, tending to his many animals. These two begin to see a side of each other that neither has shared with others and they quickly realize the bond and similarities between them is growing into something more than friendship. But with the threat of her, moving on and traveling to other places on the horizon, these two have to decide if fighting for a happily ever after is more important than the other goals that they have set for themselves and challenge their idea of what they thought their future would always look like.

This was a great and entertaining story. I did feel like it was slow in the middle, but I felt like the ending was a satisfying conclusion and a super sweet way to bring the romance together. The setting of the story was sweet and thoroughly enjoyable to read about, and I loved the cast of characters in this small town who supported Finn and Cretia and helped them along their journey.

Many thanks to Revell and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this story, all opinions are my own.

Read if you enjoy:
🐾 forced proximity
🐾 memorable meet cute
🐾 dogs and rescue animals
🐾 Prince Edward Island setting
🐾 slow burn romance

Content: mention of past parental neglect and hoarding

Digital nomad Cretia Martin is used to packing light and moving fast—until a mishap lands her on Prince Edward Island without her gear. Stranded but not alone, she finds unexpected comfort in local dog breeder Finn Chaffey…and the charming Red Door Inn. As she helps him rebuild, she wonders if home might be a heart thing after all.

Oh hi there, Farmer Finn 😏 Do you plow fields with that jawline, or… Liz Johnson has a way of making sweet romances get your heart pumping. I’m still swooning over his toe-curling obsession with kissing Cretia.

This is a feel-good comfort read with a little inner-conflict angst as Cretia tries to reconcile that it’s okay to find a place to call home. While I love that that home is Farmer Finn, there’s no better place for him to reside than Prince Edward Island.

I grew up in the Canadian Maritimes, but there’s still something deeply nostalgic about PEI for everyone—salty breezes, red dirt roads, and that warm, small-town familiarity that wraps around you like a favorite book.
If you're looking for a cozy, wholesome feel of romance, you’ll love sinking your toes PEI’s red dirt along with Cretia.

Thank you @revellfiction for book

Perfect for you if you like:
Dogs and petting animals
Finding home in a person
Unpacking family baggage

Similar to:
The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson
Some Like it Scot by Pepper Basham
So Into You by Kathleen Fuller

⛔️closed door romance (kisses only)
⚠️hoarding parent, fear of parental disappointment

Sometimes You Stay is a super adorable and light-hearted read in my opinion. I dove right into this one and it ended up being a really leisurely and enjoyable read for me. I really admired our main female character being a content creator - I myself love creating content for fun - so I thought this was a fun aspect in general! I also enjoyed the character relationship dynamics, and the way that this story felt character-driven. The small town setting was also right up my alley! Plus, did I mention…cute dogs?!
Overall, this was a sweet and clean Christian romance with an admirable story line packed full of goodness.

Thank you Netgalley and Revell Fiction for an eArc!

Cretia Martin, a travel content creator, and Finn Chaffey, a dog breeder, meet and fall in love in this charming romantic story set on Prince Edward Island.

I enjoyed the small town charm, the cozy setting of the Red Door Inn, the sweet townspeople (especially Julia Mae!), and the vivid descriptions of PEI's scenery.

However, I thought the romance moved too fast, and I didn't connect with either of our main characters. Maybe there was too little showing of how they built their relationship to justify the ending. I didn't get to know Cretia or Finn well, and didn't believe the story trajectory.

I quite liked the message the story tried to tell though, about finding a home, and a place to put down roots.

The Red Door Inn series is a special one. It is similar to Irene Hannon's Hope Harbor series style with a new focus and people each time while having some mainstays through the whole series. I love that.

Finn and Cretia are both very likeable and relatable. It was so fun seeing Finn's animals through Cretia's eyes. I liked that they enjoyed working together and didn't have a ton of angst about it all. I learned more about animal rescues and content creation. It was a lovely book that made me want to go visit Prince Edward Island.

Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’m not sure I read the same book that everyone else did. I found the MMC undesirable, irritating and in the beginning, just flat out rude. I wanted to be invested in the story but there was never a point that I even cared a little bit. I didn’t make a connection to either character. Also the repeating of the word “electronics” was enough to make me dock a star. Two stars though because it is closed door and I like the dog.

This was a sweet story! Loved the context, the animals and the simple vibes of it.

I did think it moved a bit quick when it came to the romance, but it seems like that was the point. I liked that the fmc was open and honest when the mmc had questions. I think the development of the characters was good with it being short and quick.

I think the whole animal vibes MADE the book.

Overall I think it was a good book, but I can see that there could be so much more growth with the writing!

To Cretia, home has always been a word with negative connotations, one she escapes by never staying anywhere for more than a few days - made not only possible but desirable by her career as a travel content creator. But when her first day on Prince Edward Island results in an unplanned bath in the sea, she finds herself for once unable to leave, since all - all! - her electronics are drowned and her cards at the bottom of the sea. Finn is horrified to have been the cause of Cretia's unwanted bath and does his best to help her get straightened out, starting with finding her a room at the Red Door Inn and providing a way to get online to order new equipment. But somehow this time staying longer in one place isn't making her itchy to leave, it's making her want to stay - possibly helped by Finn's adorable Newfoundland puppies, not to mention the rest of his menagerie. But can she overcome the fear that's always kept her moving on? This time there's more than one heart at stake...

A delightfully heart-warming and inspiring story, full of animal antics and human feelings, not to mention beautiful scenery. Finn and Cretia are such opposites in their ways of life, and yet clearly so compatible, so that it was wonderful seeing them work their way towards each other - though of course the final plunge was never going to be easy. I also loved the support they got from his (and soon her) friends. But of course, in their own way, the animals vied for the role of star of the show, even one-eyed Roberta! They're a great addition to the story for any animal-lover, and yet not such a focus as to put off anyone who may be less of a fan. And watching Finn and Cretia each face and battle their own demons to work towards better lives for themselves but also a best life together was inspiring. I've never been disappointed with this author's books, so the bar is pretty high - and each time she clears it easily. All in all, a great read with so much to love but also things to learn from. Highly recommended.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

I enjoyed reading Sometimes You Stay, set on the beautiful Prince Edward Island in Canada. Cretia is a nomadic digital content creator and influencer who grew up in Arizona. She’s financially comfortable and fiercely independent as she travels the globe year round, sharing her travel adventures with her three million plus followers, and living out of her suitcase and backpack. When an accident sends her flying off the boardwalk in North Rustico on the PEI north shore and into the harbor, her anticipated two day stay on the island is extended by circumstances that are outside her control.

Finn feels terrible about his role in Cretia’s accidental dip in the harbor. He’s determined to make amends and help Cretia. He breeds Newfoundland puppies and trains them for search and rescue work, and he has a menagerie of adorable animals who live in his barn.

Finn has zero interest in new technology and international travel. He lives on the family farm that was established by his great grandfather and runs the family dog breeding business that was built up by his father and grandfather.

Cretia is welcomed by Marie at the charming Red Door Inn and she spends her time helping Finn with his animals. Cretia is challenged to think about why her dysfunctional childhood has driven her to travel and not put down roots.

A delightful romance unfolds as Finn and Cretia are drawn together and consider if they could become more than friends. Finn falls hard for Cretia, despite knowing she will leave him. Cretia has never wanted to stay anywhere until she meets Finn and the friendly island community who embrace her as one of their own.

The side characters and animals added many LOL moments and I loved seeing characters from Liz Johnson’s previous Prince Edward Island books in the story. I recommend Sometimes You Stay to contemporary romance readers who like opposites attract vacation romances with forced proximity, adorable animals, found family themes and relevant faith elements in the story.

Many thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy..

Sometimes You Stay by Liz Johnson
4.5 Stars

Return to Prince Edward Island with another heartfelt Christian romance read! I really enjoyed this book! I connected with our characters and loved the tie in with the previous "Red Door Inn" books by Liz.

🌊Prince Edward Island
✝️Christian Romance
🐕Dog Breeder MMC
🎥Travel Vlogger FMC
😂Funny Meet Cute
🏡 The Red Door Inn
🏘️Small Town Setting
📚Character Driven Stories
🌅Scenic Island Life

Cretia is a digital content creator who does travel vlogs. She's been traveling for a long time and avoids attachment at all costs. She literally bumps into local dog breeder Finn on PEI and everything she's carrying goes into the harbor....technology included! So she can't really continue her travels until she get everything sorted out there. Finn feels terrible for causing this accident and offers to help her, putting her up at the local Red Door Inn. What Cretia doesn't expect to find is a place to settle, physically and emotionally. Her and Finn get to know each other and she really discovers what she has been missing - along with processing why she's been running for so long.

Loved seeing the animals, the sweet romance, the family elements, scenic island and I really connected with Cretia most of all. Her backstory had me tearing up at the end, because I found what she had been through with her Mother and home relatable in some ways. She found her outlet as travel vlogging and I have that with my own YouTube channel, so I can relate to that too.

Overall, a book I highly recommend! I recently read The Red Door Inn too, which was fun to get the backstory of how it got started and seeing characters show back up here, like Marie and Aretha, were awesome. Looking forward to going back to reading books 2 & 3 in that series.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a fun experience to be on Prince Edward Island. It seemed like such a great community with a family vibe.



I loved how Marie and Finn opened up their hearts and homes to a complete stranger in Cretia. Cretia's job seems like so much fun despite not having a real home. Cretia's history with her mom was mentioned quite a bit throughout the story. Farmer Finn was a great guy who took in all of the strays whether they were animal or human. His heart to help others was truly remarkable.



Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Well hello, Farmer Finn… where have you been all my life? Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiich is what CRETIA is saying. Not me. Because it would be silly and foolish for me to say such a thing about a fictional character. (But just between us, Finn is super swoony and made me grin like a silly fool. So there’s that.)

From the moment travel influencer Cretia Martin literally bumped into dog breeder Finn Chaffey (and subsequently went falling into the harbor) I knew this love story would become one of my faves. He’s deeply rooted in his home and the family business, and his idea of technology is dial-up and a flip phone. She’s intentionally rootless and makes her living traveling around the world creating digital content for all her followers. How can you not delight in watching a relationship blossom between these two opposites, especially when Cretia’s phone and laptop don’t survive her unexpected dip in the harbor and she’s dependent on his computer to order new ones. The time they spend together, working with his animals and getting to know one another … and falling in love… is just so tender and joy-filled and lots of fun. And that’s even before the well-worth-the-wait, delicious kisses that had me swooning and reaching for a fan and grinning like a silly fool again.

I loved Cretia so much – her friendly nature & witty personality sparkled more with every minute she spent on Prince Edward Island (and with Finn), despite her resistance to putting down roots. And I’ve already mentioned how much I adored Finn and his general swooniness, but I also loved his steady heart and infinite kindness too. When you add in Finn’s endearing menagerie, including the sweet & goofy Newfoundland dog Joe Jr. (whom I loved nearly as much as I did Finn himself), well just consider my heart happily & completely claimed for the foreseeable future. The healing that both Finn and Cretia need to do – separately and together – is another highlight of this novel for me, and Johnson excels at weaving personal & spiritual growth into their story in ways that feel perfectly organic to their characters. Gosh, I just fell in love with these two (and Joe, Jr.) and I am still smiling just thinking about them now.

Bottom Line: In case you can’t already tell, I loved everything about Sometimes You Stay by Liz Johnson! This author writes with such heart and creates vibrant characters that you wish you could be friends with (or swoon over) in real life. And this time, she also introduced me to a bunch of four-legged characters that captured my affection too, Joe Jr. being the endearing king of them all. Finn and Cretia are really fun to watch fall in love, and the swoonlicious chemistry between them had me forgetting to breathe and unable to tear my attention away from their story. But amid the fanning and the grinning and my sheer delight in getting to know these characters, I also appreciated the sweet notes of grace and the beauty of community. I can’t say enough good things about Sometimes You Stay, and if you love truly entertaining and uplifting stories that include witty humor, layered characters, yummy kisses, and picturesque settings, you must add this one to the top of your TBR pile!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Sometimes You Stay is highly enjoyable. Liz Johnson is at the top of the contemporary romance world, able to create compelling characters and put them into situations that make readers like me fully invest in the outcome.

In this story we meet digital content creator Cretia who makes her living skipping around the world making travelogs. She’s got no interest in settling down in any corner of the world, terrified she’d fill any home with junk, like her mom, a hoarder. Dog breeder Finn loves the family business he took over with his roots entrenched in the very fabric of Prince Edward Island. How could these two ever build a future?

I really liked how firmly the author made it impossible for these two to be together. But how thick the chemistry and compelling their sweet romance. I cheered for these two. Their happy ever after meant healing old hurts. I love when that happens. I didn’t see how the solution would be found, but the ending was clever, well written, and made me very happy. Definitely recommended for anyone who loves a sweet contemporary romance.

I received a copy of Sometimes You Stay from the publisher via NetGalley. The views are all my own.

Sometimes You Stay
Liz Johnson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We enjoy returning to Prince Edward Island to see what new resident Red Door Inn will unveil. This book did not disappoint with a hardworking, kindly dog breeder. Add in some other orphaned farm animals and you have a heart-warming story. Johnson wrote of confronting fear and showed how true love is always sacrificial.
We received an advance copy from NetGalley. This is our honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC eBook copy in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book because the text could not go bigger on my phone or computer and the words were too small or blurry to see. The little I did get to read was alright but I wish I would have been able to read a bunch more to give a better review.

Sometimes You Stay is a heartwarming love story set on Prince Edward Island with a visit back to the Red Door Inn. Cretia and Finn met accidentally at the harbor that required a rescue of Cretia by Joe, Jr, Finn's Newfoundland dog. She is there to check out the sights for her travel vlog. When her electronics are lost to the water, she has to stay longer than planned. Cretia falls in love with Finn's Newfoundland dogs that he breeds and other animals as she visits his home while staying at the inn. The humans' relationship is really sweet to watch as they get to know each other. Both have issues. He wants to make it on his own to prove he can to his dad. She travels so that she doesn't become her mom. Light, funny and inspirational love story. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my thoughts.