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.

I was attracted to this book because it is set on Prince Edward Island about a social influencer who falls into the harbor, loses everything she owns, and is forced to stay with the help of the hospitality of the people. I enjoyed all of the characters, the setting, and the accidental meeting trope. It is a clean romance, and I appreciated that both Finn and Cretia learned about themselves and what love means. My only complaint was I was hoping for more about PEI!

I love visiting Prince Edward Island with Liz Johnson. She is easily one of my favorite authors so I was excited to see a new book from her.
The main female character in the book was so interesting. I couldn’t imagine not having a home and living from hotel to hotel room. Cretia is a travel influencer. Her idea was to visit PEI for a short time. But after she falls in the harbor, loses her cell phone and tablet and Finn Chafey rescues her. Well, that’s when things get interesting.
As you can surmise from the title, this is the story of the journey Cretia takes.
I wasn’t real crazy about the dog but he was part of Finn’s job. But I love the mini cow and Joe Jr.’s antics.
I would recommend to anyone wanting a fun, sweet, interesting read.
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

This was a sweet and light-hearted read set in a charming small town with a strong sense of community. Prince Edward Island sounded absolutely cozy, and I liked how welcoming and kind the side characters were, especially Marie and Finn. The found-family aspect really worked for me, and I thought Finn's big heart—especially with all the stray animals—was one of the highlights.

Cretia was an interesting character, and I enjoyed the idea of her being a travel blogger who’s always on the move. Her relationship with her mom was mentioned a lot, and while it added some emotional weight, I do wish we’d gotten a bit more resolution or depth in that area. The romance between her and Finn was cute, but it didn’t fully hook me emotionally. It felt a little safe or expected, and I was more invested in their individual journeys than their relationship at times.

I loved the setting, the puppies, and the overall tone—it was a feel-good kind of book. I just wish a few of the emotional threads had been explored more fully. Still, it was an enjoyable read and perfect for when you’re in the mood for something heartwarming and easy to get through.

In this charming and heartwarming contemporary romance, readers are swept away to the scenic shores of Prince Edward Island, where a chance encounter between two unlikely individuals sparks a journey of self-discovery, healing, and love. Cretia Martin, a globe-trotting digital content creator with no interest in staying grounded, finds her fast-paced lifestyle disrupted after a literal collision with the island’s steadfast dog breeder, Finn Chaffey. What begins as an inconvenience soon unfolds into an unexpected invitation to slow down, connect, and reimagine what home could truly mean.

This novel is a tender exploration of the tug-of-war between freedom and belonging. Through Cretia’s journey, we’re reminded that home isn’t just a place—it’s where your heart feels safest. With vivid writing, lovable characters, and a gentle message about the courage it takes to stay, this story is perfect for anyone who has ever longed for both adventure and a place to call their own. It’s a lovely, comforting read that lingers like a warm memory.

I’m a long time fan of Liz Johnson’s books and her books set on Prince Edward Island are my favorites. I preordered this as soon as it was available but I had to read a digital gallery because I just couldn’t wait until publication date.

As with each of her books, I was drawn into the story from the start. Johnson’s writing is warm and familiar and I enjoyed every minute. The slow burn, sweet romance is what she is known for and Sometimes You Stay is no exception. Oh, and also, the main character is from very close to where I grew up, so that’s always fun!

Rating:
I loved it

What you’ll find:
A couple familiar characters from her previous books
A travel influencer
A lovable dog
The cutest mini cow

I love that author Liz Johnson kept us on Prince Edward Island (PEI) to visit the Red Door Inn once again. Her descriptions of the island put me right there. And I’d love to stay at the Red Door Inn.

This story included my favorite dog, the Newfoundland, raised by dog breeder Finn and loved by everyone in the community. He’s a wonderful hero! Cretia is a confused heroine, who travels a lot as a digital content creator and isn’t sure where she wants to be.

Sometimes You Stay is warm and cozy, full of puppies and children. And of course a sweet, clean romance. I highly recommend it!

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

A wonderful book with depth of characters. A great reminder of God's love and compassion towards me personally.

Sending this ARC to a Kindle causes strange formating errors that make the book difficult to read. Going to push past that to continue reading but I wanted to flag it for other readers.

Quick sweet read about a travel vlogger finding a home when she accidentally falls for a dog breeder in rural Prince Edward Island. What I loved: the sweet spark between Cretia and Finn, the hilarious Joe Jr., the animals Finn kept bringing home.

What I didn't love: The mild Christian themes throughout the book. Though not overt and in-your-face, they were hard to ignore. I didn't realize this was the case from the book description.

Sometimes You Stay by Liz Johnson is a cute Christian romance. Beautiful setting, hot farmer and a nomadic content creator come together to make an lovely light-hearted story. However, there are also lessons on healing from trauma and family issues. An enjoyable read overall.
I got the ARC from Revell via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine

A digital nomad, a charming dog breeder, and an accident that leads to unexpected romance—sounds like the perfect cozy read, right? Almost. This book delivers all the small-town charm, puppy antics, and sweet chemistry you’d expect, but the pacing drags at times, and Cretia’s internal conflict feels a bit repetitive. Finn is a swoony, grounded hero, and the Prince Edward Island setting is pure Hallmark magic. While not a knock-your-socks-off romance, it’s a warm, feel-good read with just enough heart to keep you invested.