Fans of Virgin River are split, with a significant number expressing preference for the TV series over the books.

Some fans even go as far as to say they can’t connect with the books at all, due to a recurring theme. The hit Netflix show continues to captivate large audiences, spinning the tumultuous love story of protagonist Mel Monroe and Martin Henderson’s Jack Sheridan.

The show is originally based on American author Robyn Carr’s book series. On Reddit, a popular discussion platform, one fan shared, “I love the show and recently started reading the books. After the 4th book I can’t take reading them anymore. How can every single person get widowed or divorced and find the love of their life without time to grieve in every book?”

They went on to say, “I know that there were a lot of liberties taken on the show but I much prefer to watch the show over reading these books. I don’t know if it is the ‘everyone needs to be with someone’ thing or the fact that the language from a female author is very sexist towards women.”

They concluded, “The way the men talk to the women in the books…I just can’t read any more. Phrases like ‘I put that baby in your belly’….eww. Maybe I’m just too much of a feminist to enjoy these books.”

Other fans quickly joined the conversation, sharing their thoughts, with many echoing the same sentiment. “I agree. The books are super sexist and it’s not just the men, it’s the narrator too,” someone wrote.

They further commented, “The way the author/narrator talked about Lizzie is downright creepy considering she’s a 14 year old child in the first book. They described her as dripping with sex and basically slut shamed her for being a teenager with hormones.

“They talked about her like she was a sex worker, but she was a literal child. It felt vaguely pedo to me. And it was wildly unnecessary to describe her and Ricky having sex. I had to skip those parts. Idk the whole storyline with Lizzie…just no.”