Review: See It Through by Julia Wolf (The Kelly Ranch #1)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Valentine PR.

My last Julia Wolf read was in January of 2023; it was Where Waves Break, the final book in the Seasons Change series. I do have her Savage U series, penned under her J. Wolf pseudonym, and her Mile High Billionaires series on my to-be-read list (thank goodness for Kindle Unlimited), but when I heard that she had a new series set in a small town, well, I couldn't resist and simply had to read the first novel! See It Through is book one in the Kelly Ranch series, and one of the main characters is the daughter of Elena and Lachlan Kelly, whose own love story plays out in Sweet Like Poison, the third book in the Savage U series. Now, as someone who has yet to read the aforementioned series, I can safely say that I didn't feel the least bit lost, although yes, now I'm curious as to Elena and Lock's history, so guess what's been bumped up to the top of my TBR list? (Side note: I'm also wondering if Connell Kelly and Lily Smyth-Kelly have their own book or if not, if they'll be getting one--in the future...) All that being said, if you're new to Julia Wolf or a long-time reader or skipped Sweet Like Poison like me, you can freely read See It Through.

There was a time when renowned thirty-one-year-old photojournalist Remington Town's life was one of contrasts. His father barely acknowledged his presence, leaving him to fend for himself more often than not, but he also found family with his best friend, Caleb, and the rest of the Kellys who warmly embraced him. But Remington left his hometown at eighteen, turning his back on everything he knew and inadvertently cutting ties with all things Sugar Brush. It isn't until he learns of his estranged father's passing that he returns thirteen years later--a month after the older man actually died. He isn't receiving the warmest of welcomes upon his return either. It shouldn't matter, especially given that all he wants to do is ensure the house he grew up in is ready to be sold. He's in for the shock of his life, however, when he realizes that someone else has been working on the premises and handling his father's farrier business. It's none other than twenty-nine-year-old Hannah Kelly, his childhood best friend's younger sister and the person his father mentored. Oh, she also happens to be co-owner of Remi's former home.

It's been a good, long while since I've cried while reading a book, and all it took was the story of a man who makes his return to a residence that didn't feel like home even while he was still living in it and finds love, peace, and resolution there. Remi was someone who I was honestly unsure about when he first came across the page, but when pieces of his past came to light, I had a far better understanding of him and why he did what he did when he was eighteen and why he wasn't able to come home as soon as his father passed away. Now, Hannah's treatment of him may have seemed harsh, but her relationship with Graham Town, Remi's father, was very different from how Remi's was. She grieved Graham's death because this man was her mentor and friend, but Remi lost him way before the man died. It was interesting to see these main characters reconcile their thoughts and feelings on others--particularly, Hannah with Remi and Remi with Graham--and I loved how their relationship developed and the growth in both Remi and Hannah. See It Through gets five stars, and I cannot wait to get to know the other Kellys.

Release Date: 12 December 2024

Date Read: 28 November 2024

Learn more about Julia Wolf.

Pre-order See It Through on Amazon.