Review: Return to Paradise

Return to Paradise by Laina Villeneuve
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finished on August 26, 2021

Favorite Scene/Quote: Madison and Lacey visiting where Lacey was raised

4.5/5

An impulse purchase because I was intrigued by the summary. I don’t recall ever reading another book by this author, so I had no real clue what to expect from Villeneuve’s writing.
    
Madison finds herself a bit lost when her plans don’t pan out. She decides to go to Quincy to see about opening a new guest ranch there. While there she meets Lacey. Sparks fly between the two, but Madison has shadows in her past and issues with abandonment. Lacey wants to get to know her and break down her walls, but she might need some help from destiny.

I was actually really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. At first it felt a bit slow, but that didn’t hinder my engagement too much. The book itself was very well-written and the characters felt well-developed. No one felt flat or one-dimensional.

The characters were amazing. Madison goes to Quincy when she finds herself lost without knowing what she wants to do, and Lacey happens to be the mechanic who helps her with her car. Both characters were very nice and fit together very well. Lacey helped Madison open out and realize things that she had been keeping hidden. Even the side characters seemed nice enough. Apparently, a couple of them are from another book that Villeneuve wrote. Even Charlie seemed nice enough if a bit awkward. There were only a couple of characters that I didn’t enjoy but I think that was on purpose.

One of the things I enjoyed most was that this book does have a lot of Fate related plots, but I really loved it. It was fun without being taken too seriously or being too comical. The situations that were considered fateful were a bit of a stretch but realistic enough where it worked. I was a bit put off by it at the very beginning, but I got over it quickly and I loved it.

Also, I loved the emotions and development in this book. Madison’s emotions felt honest and true and made a lot of sense with her current character. It felt well-developed and was given room to grow. None of the emotions were rushed or pushed to the side, rather they were allowed to blossom and grow. Madison was allowed to confront her problems and find her truth.

There were a bunch of little details in this book that helped flesh it out. There were the instances of fate to Lacey’s horn and even Madison’s president. These details helped develop the characters and their relationship. Everything felt deeper and more truthful because of these little details that made each character who they were.