Another great book for Samantha Chase. Small town romance full of family drama, great characters driven plot, likeable characters, the book has it all. This is part of the Donovan series, so you don't want to miss out on the other books, but it's not necessarily needed to follow along with this one. However, the small town and big family part of the series is so so worth the reads.
The narrator of this audiobook was great. She really brought out the characters and storyline. I don't know that I would've asked for a better narrator.
What I loved:
-the characters. They are all so relatable. I can see myself being close knit with all of them and find myself wanting the friendship and family bonds that they have.
-the independence. Biullie walked away from her career that would earn her a high figured salary to be part of her small town family. Little does her ex know that she's doing better with what she has now, that she would have been even with her career in finance in a big city. Billies bad assery sees all levels and challenges them. She helps her family because she can and because it gives her joy.
-the storyline left me with some unexpected surprises while tying up all loose ends

What I didn't love:
-I never like it when a good book ends. But Samantha leaves little hints and clues for the next one. The next never disappoints.

I always look forward to reading a Chase novel. This one was no different and I look forward to the next one.

I devoured this one in a single day!

This was my first Samantha Chase book and I'm an instant fan! This small town, second change romance was everything I wanted. The audiobook narration was great so I would recommend listening or reading with your eyeballs.

Catch me downloading all of Samantha Chase's other books now.

This one ultimately wasn’t for me. I didnt like the MMc until the very end, and even then it was questionable. He was annoying, condescending, and cared way too much about money. It wasn’t until he was going to lose the FMC that he even thought of ways they could be together without her giving up everything for him. I thought she took him back too easily without him really showing that he’s changed.
The narration itself was good.

I've been fortunate to have been gifted most of this series by NetGalley. This book is about one of the Donovan sisters, Billie, and her second chance romance with Marcus. While in general I have enjoyed the Donovans series, which is why I keep requesting the books on NetGalley, I did NOT like the MMC- Marcus. Billie and Marcus were compatible when they were working in finance in the city, but ever since Billie left Marcus for a change of pace and a different life 10 years ago, their compatibility went down the drain. Marcus can't understand why Billie would choose the small town simple life and throw away everything she worked for in the city. Throughout this whole book, I thought Marcus was an entitled asshole, and the author does a good job of establishing that early on in the book. Unfortunately, I could not see past that as Marcus started to decide what he wanted. They even mentioned that he was having his cake and eating it too, at the expense of Billie. I am glad that Billie took a stand against that. Marcus thought the best way to solve problems was to throw money at it and that theme kept on throughout the ENTIRE book. I just didn't believe his character arc, and I don't think that he is a changed man. I think he will hurt Billie in the future and not even realize it, just like he did 10 years ago. I usually really enjoy second chance romance, but in this case, my dislike for Marcus outweighed my like of the second chance trope. #netgalley #seeingyou

Thanks to Netgally for granting this ARC audiobook. Before I started it, I did not realize this was a fourth book in the series. Thankfully, Seeing You is great as a stand alone. I found the narrators to be great, and I enjoyed hearing the charisma and banter. This was a cute love story.

Originally reviewed: 1/25/25; Edited Update: 2/20/25

Quick Summary: A second chance romance...Donovan style

My Review: Seeing You by Samantha Chase is book #4 in The Donovans: Sweetbriar Ridge series.

About the Book: "She walked away and spent years wondering what could have been. He’s hated her from the moment she walked away from their future. They thought they needed closure. But maybe what they need is a second chance."

In My Own Words: A second chance romance where two lovers reunite after 10 years

Question: Is it possible to heal from a broken heart?

About the Characters:

Marcus - > Stubborn, opinionated, rigid, career-oriented, adversarial, childish, "numb and going through the motions"

Billie - > Family-oriented, focused, hopeful, strong, connected

The Donovan Family - > Loyal, funny, protective, supportive

About the Conflict: The push and pull between the lead couple was ongoing. It served as a heavy weight in the waiting. Choices and decisions, partner expectations, poor communication, and more were a part of their journey. It worked.

About the Narration: This novel was narrated by Carly Robins. Carly is always an exceptional narrator. She knows how to inflect emotion and express character sentiment so well.

My Final Say: This is another wonderful installment from the Sweetbriar Ridge series. All of the Donovan stories are charming. The family connection is real. Marcus and Billie's story dealt with very realistic issues. As a bonus, I loved seeing and hearing about all of the other family members updates.

Other: I love this series!

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audiobook: Yes
Narration: +

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media), and to NetGalley. Thank you so very much for granting access to an audio ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. I am grateful for the opportunity to review this work.

I really wanted to love this book. The female main character was great and well developed. However the male man character was insufferable and ruined the whole thing for me

Billie Donovan walked away from her fiance, Marcus Calloway, giving up a lucrative financial career and their relationship to live in their hometown and be closer to her family. Now, years later, Marcus is back in Sweetbriar Ridge after swearing he would never come back, to help care for his ailing father. When Marcus walks into the bakery/cafe/bookshop that Billie co-owns and bakes for, it sparks a new beginning for the two of them. But will that mean that one of them has to give up on their own personal dreams to have a happy ending?

OK, this was a seriously cute story for the most part, very Hallmark movie vibes and I loved Billie and her family. I haven't read/listened to any of the other books in the series so this was my first introduction to everyone. I also thought Marcus' dad and brother were really sweet and charming. However, I did not love Marcus and spent most of this book being annoyed at the way he kept stringing Billie along and not taking her seriously. He redeemed himself in the end, but the seeming sudden change of heart gave me whiplash.

The audiobook narration was good although I thought the way the narrator read Marcus' dad sounded a little...constipated?

I'd like to read more of the books in this series if I have a chance. Fun setting and characters.

This small town romance was an easy audiobook to listen to although the characters were quite frustrating to me. I especially didn't like Marcus. I feel like that was how it was supposed to feel at first but I never truly warmed up to him. He just seemed like too much of a jerk to like. I also felt like a 10 year gap was pretty big to have no communication after you up and leave him right before a wedding especially with her loving in their hometown. I did really enjoy a Billies characters though and the family dynamics in the book.

This book took me by surprise!! Second chance can be hit or miss for me but this one was REALLY good. I love our FMC and how she stood her ground when it came to what she wanted. I can't wait to go back and ready the other books in this series before the next one comes out.

Seeing You is the fourth book in Samantha Chase’s Sweetbriar Ridge series. This story focuses on eldest Donovan sibling Billie. Before returning to Sweetbriar Ridge, Billie had a very promising career as an investment broker, working and living with her then fiancé Marcus Calloway, also originally from Sweetbriar Ridge. But ten years ago Billie had given it all up, breaking the engagement, to return home to help her family.

Marcus, on the other hand, wants little to do with his father who he blames for his mother’s death. Although he does have a decent relationship with his brother, since his brother doesn’t live in Sweetbriar Ridge, there is little to draw him back, that is until his brother contacts him needing help with their ailing father. Relenting, Marcus plans to return for a week or so to direct getting his dad’s house sold and his dad into assisted living, much against his father’s wishes. Perhaps the changes that are afoot have more to do with Marcus than his dad. And the changes that are actually made have little to do with his dad.

This is a very interesting story about choices, second chances, and unexpected futures. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

Seeing you Honest ARC Review:

⭐️enemies to lovers
⭐️small town romance
⭐️contemporary romance
⭐️second chance romance


This is the fourth book in a series and is Marcus and Billie’s story. The two were childhood sweethearts. Billie broke Marcus heart ten years ago when she left him to move back home to help her family. Billie was also left heartbroken due to misunderstanding. The two never had closure.

This romantic story is full of redemption, reconciliation and clarity. Characters are complex and have growth throughout the novel. Seeing you is definitely one to add to your TBR list! I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you for sharing this ARC with me.

Spoilers included:

Overall, 3 stars. This is the first book I've read of this series, Samantha Chase did a good job of setting up the book, so I didn't feel lost learning about the side characters. I really like Billie as the FMC and how she was brave enough to leave a relationship and a job that wasn't fulfilling her anymore. Billie's priorities were to her family and her passion of baking rather than status or material things. I didn't care much for Marcus, he was just so shallow and narrowminded throughout the whole book. It was very hard for me to believe that he had such a strong change of heart that he convinced her whole family to help him craft a plan. Hmmm, color me skeptical.

Format: audiobook

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance audiobook.

3⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ The Donovans: Sweetbriar Ridge #4
Others in the series ~ the whole series
Setting ~ Virginia
Publication date ~ January 28, 2025
Publisher ~ Dreamscape Media
Est Page Count ~ 300 (16 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 7 hours 51 minutes
Narrator ~ Carly Robins
POV ~ dual 3rd
Featuring ~ small town, enemies to lovers, second chance, no steamage

Billie & Marcus broke up 10 years ago, but now he's back in town to deal with a family issue. He can't believe it when he sees Billie working at Books & Beans. He seems quite appalled by it since he still can't believe she walked away from her high paying job in finance...and him.

Wow, Marcus was a real douche and it takes him practically the whole book to get his douchiness in check. I'm not just talking with Billie, he wasn't great with his family either. He just goes about things in the wrong way IMO. I never warmed up to him one bit, not even with the grand gesture, and was hoping she would never give him a chance.

We're quite familiar with Billie from the previous installments and know she's a real sweetheart that just wants to help take care of her family. But when will it be time for her to settle down and fall in love?

Overall, I wasn't a super big fan because of Marcus mostly, and somewhat of Billie's part in what went down back in the day. I would, however, be super interested in tasting some of Billie's delectable baked goods since everyone raves about them.

Narration notes:
I am a broken record, but I really wish there was a male narrator even though she does a really good job with male tones.

Series notes:
Best to read in order as all siblings are heavily involved in each installment.

Headed back to Sweetbriar Ridge!

I was excited to finally get Billie's story. The eldest sister was ready for her HEA after watching all of her siblings find it. Just as she opens herself up to trying to find her person, Marcus comes back to town. Marcus and Billie were together when they were younger and they both thought that they had their forever, but people change and Billie found out that they weren't headed on similar paths.

When Marcus shows back up, there is a lot of resentment on his part. Billie left him and he never knew why. Watching these two reconnect was frustrating at times because as much as I was rooting for them, I wanted to slap Marcus sometimes. There were times that I thought he finally got it and then nope, still wasn't there. The ending though had me swooning and Marcus FINALLY grew up.

This series has been such a great series and a lot of sweet romances. They are shorter stories with low heat and great small town romance.

Carly's narration was great. She was spot on as she is with all of Samantha's books. I love listening to her.

I adored the FMC and the banter between her siblings. This book was well written. It was definitely not as spicy as majority of books I read but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I enjoy the Donovan family but Billie and Marcus are the most aggravating couple. Marcus is arrogant, condescending and disrespectful. Billie was right to leave him. She deserved better but at the same time she's not completely innocent. Billie used her family as an excuse to run and her stubbornness kept her from having the conversation she needed to move forward. The back and forth between them was exhausting. After a while I just wanted them to go there separate ways.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Seeing you by Samantha Chase

Small town, big romance. This was the 4th installment to The Donovans: Sweetbriar Ridge series featuring Billie and Marcus.

Billie and Marcus were set to be married but the night before the big day, Billie moved out without an explanation. All Marcus was left with was the engagement ring. 10 yrs later, Marcus returns home to care for his ailing father and runs into Billie who works at the local bakery shot. All the feelings rush back to both, love, lust and loss for everything they never had. Can they make it work?

Another installment of The Donovans. YES!
Carly Robins did a phenomenal job narrating this second chance romance.
Billie moved on with her life not looking back as she left Marcus and city life behind to return to her roots. The entire Donovan clan is involved with Billie as their support person.
Samantha Chase could do a prequel on this book and give us the FULL TEA on this couple.
Marcus wanted to be a power couple. Somewhere in his plan what Billie wanted wasn’t considered. Until Marcus returned to their hometown to help his ailing Father.
Visiting the local bakery Books and Beans he walked into Billies new life. Sending Billie into a tailspin.
Can This previously engaged couple turned Friends With Benefits find love again?
Samantha Chase is a must read Author of Romance.

3 ⭐️ This small town, low angst, hallmark movie of a book was super sweet and the narrator's voice was soothing and enjoyable! I did feel like there was a lot of repetition of certain things. For example, I think Marcus explained how great Billie was at finances at least 3 times. Unfortunately, I never got super invested in the characters. It took the MMC way too long to figure his life out, and the FMC really didn't have any growth of her own. Overall though, I flew through this story and if sweet small town romances are your thing, I think you would like this.