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The Long Road Back To You
Being called THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN LOVE STORY!!!
They say it only takes a moment to fall in love with someone, but a lifetime to forget them!
From the author of Evergreen and Between Your Heart and Mine comes a stirring story that proves it is never too late for love.
This heartrending read tells a once-in-a-lifetime tale about love: In small-town Tennessee, eighteen-year-old Charlie Ross wagers a kiss from Anna Cochran, the prettiest girl in town, and wins. But before their burgeoning romance can take flight, Charlie is drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.
Anna promises she'll wait for him, no matter how long it takes. But when Charlie is taken prisoner, and later presumed dead, Anna is left to pick up the pieces of her shattered world.
Eight years later, Charlie comes home. But his triumphant return is short-lived when he discovers the love of his life has moved on and is married to the man who left him for dead in the jungle.
Unable to let her go, Charlie will stop at nothing to win Anna back. But is this the end of their story, or is there one final chapter yet to be written?
Praise for The Long Road Back To You:
"One of the best books I've ever read!" - Amazon Customer
"An amazing love story...couldn't put it down!" - Barbara Dean
"Captivating from the first sentence to the last..." - Elsie Montgomery
They say it only takes a moment to fall in love with someone, but a lifetime to forget them!
From the author of Evergreen and Between Your Heart and Mine comes a stirring story that proves it is never too late for love.
This heartrending read tells a once-in-a-lifetime tale about love: In small-town Tennessee, eighteen-year-old Charlie Ross wagers a kiss from Anna Cochran, the prettiest girl in town, and wins. But before their burgeoning romance can take flight, Charlie is drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.
Anna promises she'll wait for him, no matter how long it takes. But when Charlie is taken prisoner, and later presumed dead, Anna is left to pick up the pieces of her shattered world.
Eight years later, Charlie comes home. But his triumphant return is short-lived when he discovers the love of his life has moved on and is married to the man who left him for dead in the jungle.
Unable to let her go, Charlie will stop at nothing to win Anna back. But is this the end of their story, or is there one final chapter yet to be written?
Praise for The Long Road Back To You:
"One of the best books I've ever read!" - Amazon Customer
"An amazing love story...couldn't put it down!" - Barbara Dean
"Captivating from the first sentence to the last..." - Elsie Montgomery
172 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2022
3673 people are currently reading
5158 people want to read
About the author
Buck Turner
23 books770 followersBuck is a beloved storyteller, best known for his diverse writing style and subject matter. Author of the bestselling romance novels The Long Road Back To You and I'll Wait, Buck explores both the pleasure and the pain that come with finding that once-in-a-lifetime love, and the lengths we'll go to keep it.
As a graduate of Lincoln Memorial University, Buck holds a Fine Arts degree as well as an MBA. Having spent his childhood in East Tennessee, Buck focuses on what he knows best-the south, including its rich traditions, diverse characters, and religion. When he's not busy writing, Buck enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, fishing, drawing, and painting.
As a graduate of Lincoln Memorial University, Buck holds a Fine Arts degree as well as an MBA. Having spent his childhood in East Tennessee, Buck focuses on what he knows best-the south, including its rich traditions, diverse characters, and religion. When he's not busy writing, Buck enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, fishing, drawing, and painting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 387 reviews
September 25, 2021
The enduring power of love wrapped in a long, difficult and emotional journey. There were times I didn't always agree with Charlie's decisions, but I could understand his actions. Tears of sorrow, happiness and joy are certain to fall.
The editing isn't the best -- but the author leaves a piece of his heart on every page.
The editing isn't the best -- but the author leaves a piece of his heart on every page.
August 28, 2023
Love isn’t always pretty it can be emotionally draining and tough. Add in 10 years of being a POW and Charlie has gone through it all. I could not put this book down and HAD to find out about Anna and Charlie.
November 15, 2022
I don’t consider this “The Next Great Love Story”, since it’s not.
I know many reviewers loved this story but I guess since I am of the Viet Nam era myself (old as dirt) it just was too coincidental and I am a skeptic at heart so it’s hard for me to take this story as more than just another love story and certainly not “The Next Great Love Story.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway.
I know many reviewers loved this story but I guess since I am of the Viet Nam era myself (old as dirt) it just was too coincidental and I am a skeptic at heart so it’s hard for me to take this story as more than just another love story and certainly not “The Next Great Love Story.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway.
August 31, 2023
This book grabbed me by the neck and wouldn't let me go. I could've finished this in one setting if I didn't have to do chores and run errands. As soon as I was done with everything, I came back to finish. This is the type of story you want to keep reading to figure out what happens next. Now that this one is complete, I'm on to the next one. I believe Mr. Turner is going to be one of my favorites.
August 8, 2025
Best book
I have read many books in my lifetime now going on 90+ years and I can state truthfully , it .is the best one by far. I love Keeps of the Stars and the other two in the series. Mr Turner has such a gift of writing! I would wholeheartedly recommend this book and all his other ones. Thank you Mr Turner !
I have read many books in my lifetime now going on 90+ years and I can state truthfully , it .is the best one by far. I love Keeps of the Stars and the other two in the series. Mr Turner has such a gift of writing! I would wholeheartedly recommend this book and all his other ones. Thank you Mr Turner !
September 20, 2025
Sometimes, you just need to read a book like this one...
June 2, 2025
This was a good story packed into a few pages. It is a great love story and human life story. The story is about the resilience of the human heart. Sometimes you need to spend some time reading a book that makes you feel good in the end. This one does.
November 17, 2024
Great Book
It was a great book but the numerous “god damn’s” were unnecessary. The constant use of those words took away from the book
It was a great book but the numerous “god damn’s” were unnecessary. The constant use of those words took away from the book
January 13, 2023
The Long Road Back to You
Wow such a great story.
Charlie loves Anna and she loves Charlie but when he returned from Vietnam 10 years later, most spent as a POW, she had married the man who left him to die and be captured.
Charlie’s story is haunting and beautiful with some very hard times in between.
This story will stay with you long after you finish it. A literary masterpiece!
Wow such a great story.
Charlie loves Anna and she loves Charlie but when he returned from Vietnam 10 years later, most spent as a POW, she had married the man who left him to die and be captured.
Charlie’s story is haunting and beautiful with some very hard times in between.
This story will stay with you long after you finish it. A literary masterpiece!
August 31, 2023
Such an amazing story!
I cried with Charlie and I laughed with him too. For such a short story, I felt like I lived all those years with Charlie and Anna. Went through all their ups and downs with them from the war to life after to cancer. Ugh I can’t even explain my love for them.
I cried with Charlie and I laughed with him too. For such a short story, I felt like I lived all those years with Charlie and Anna. Went through all their ups and downs with them from the war to life after to cancer. Ugh I can’t even explain my love for them.
March 8, 2025
This is the first book by Buck Turner that I have read and I loved it! If you like Nicholas Sparks you will love this author. He writes a lot like him. This story is so good with a lot of twists and turns. I compare it to The Notebook. I will now read all of Mr. Turner’s books!💕💕💕
December 24, 2024
a fantasy
This was a little too maudlin for me. I didn’t cry. It was kind of stupid, really. The most moving part was the depiction of the Vietnam War.
This was a little too maudlin for me. I didn’t cry. It was kind of stupid, really. The most moving part was the depiction of the Vietnam War.
January 3, 2025
Oh my heart ❤️❤️ what a sweet story of a rough life to a happy ending!
January 26, 2025
Buck Turner is one of my new favorite Authors, this book made me teary eyed and happy at the same time
May 17, 2025
I don’t typically like books regarding historical events, but I enjoyed this read a lot.
July 5, 2025
Grabbed my heart. Love isn’t always easy, but true love is enduring. Easy read. Couldn’t put it down.
October 28, 2025
This was a very short read and interesting but not super great.
June 14, 2022
Heartbreaking
This was great book, Not only the story itself but the way it was written. It is heartbreaking to know the majority of the men that fought in Vietnam are still going through years of nightmares.
This was great book, Not only the story itself but the way it was written. It is heartbreaking to know the majority of the men that fought in Vietnam are still going through years of nightmares.
April 19, 2025
Loved the story!
March 3, 2026
This was a really beautifully written love story. I loved the way the author wrote; it was easy for me to picture and read with tone and Inflection. The bounce back and forth to read the same story from two point of views provided so much insight and… yeah. It was a good one. I would recommend it!
((There were a lot of typos and I don’t know if that’s the fault of the author, the editor, the publisher, or whatever they use to prepare for digital production but it’s a huge pet peeve of mine.))
((There were a lot of typos and I don’t know if that’s the fault of the author, the editor, the publisher, or whatever they use to prepare for digital production but it’s a huge pet peeve of mine.))
February 27, 2026
One of the best books I have read in a while! Go read this book now if you haven't already!!!
September 10, 2025
Buck Turner may have just wrote the most remarkable timeless love story that I have ever read!
When I first read the blurb, the first thing that stood out to me was the location: Greeneville, TN! This is where my roots are from, and I can absolutely say that Buck Turner's details had me feeling like I was back standing on a hill in Greeneville, TN!
Not only did Buck do an exceptional job with the details but the love story that unfolded was so powerful that my heart and soul will never be the same after reading this one!
This story unravels a tale of love,grief,heartbreak,and second chances. And most importantly the journey back to the one you love!
We follow along with Charlie Ross who goes from a young boy enjoying a summer of love and joy when his earth shatters and he is called to war. But when fate turns its ugly head things don’t plan out the way he thought they would. Now years later Charlie returns back to Greeneville, TN. But when he finds out the woman he left is now married Charlie will have to endure yet another war inside. Will the fates bring Charlie back to the woman he loves or will it yet again tear them apart?
This book honestly made me smile, laugh and cry like a baby. And I will forever recommend this one! If you’re looking for a love story that will forever change your soul then this one is it!
When I first read the blurb, the first thing that stood out to me was the location: Greeneville, TN! This is where my roots are from, and I can absolutely say that Buck Turner's details had me feeling like I was back standing on a hill in Greeneville, TN!
Not only did Buck do an exceptional job with the details but the love story that unfolded was so powerful that my heart and soul will never be the same after reading this one!
This story unravels a tale of love,grief,heartbreak,and second chances. And most importantly the journey back to the one you love!
We follow along with Charlie Ross who goes from a young boy enjoying a summer of love and joy when his earth shatters and he is called to war. But when fate turns its ugly head things don’t plan out the way he thought they would. Now years later Charlie returns back to Greeneville, TN. But when he finds out the woman he left is now married Charlie will have to endure yet another war inside. Will the fates bring Charlie back to the woman he loves or will it yet again tear them apart?
This book honestly made me smile, laugh and cry like a baby. And I will forever recommend this one! If you’re looking for a love story that will forever change your soul then this one is it!
September 27, 2025
great story, but didn’t always add up
The story was excellent, but there were many things that just didn’t make sense to me, like the 18 year old son of a poor farmer having the freedom to just fish and draw all summer, or why Charlie would just come back after being released as a POW without anyone in his small town knowing. Also, there were many misspellings, incorrect grammar, and other mistakes that detracted from the reading.
The story was excellent, but there were many things that just didn’t make sense to me, like the 18 year old son of a poor farmer having the freedom to just fish and draw all summer, or why Charlie would just come back after being released as a POW without anyone in his small town knowing. Also, there were many misspellings, incorrect grammar, and other mistakes that detracted from the reading.
June 8, 2023
Good in so many ways
I loved this book overall and would have given it five stars except that the author kept using God' s Name in vain. I am a Christian and I hate this! Not only did I find that offensive but kept was so unnecessary to the Story. I would have stopped reading but the book was so good except for that. I just tried not to notice it as best as I could.
I loved this book overall and would have given it five stars except that the author kept using God' s Name in vain. I am a Christian and I hate this! Not only did I find that offensive but kept was so unnecessary to the Story. I would have stopped reading but the book was so good except for that. I just tried not to notice it as best as I could.
June 22, 2025
I loved this book! It's not my usual genre to read, but I was quickly hooked by the idea of this story and how the characters lives turned out. I would highly recommend for its beautiful writing and its emotional storyline.
September 14, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+
The Long Road Back To You by Buck Turner is hands down the best book I’ve ever read. It’s powerful, moving, and beautifully written. I couldn’t put it down. A story that will stay with me forever.
The Long Road Back To You by Buck Turner is hands down the best book I’ve ever read. It’s powerful, moving, and beautifully written. I couldn’t put it down. A story that will stay with me forever.
October 11, 2025
The Long Road Back to You. Is a beautifully written book. A wonderful story of 2 people in love
May 4, 2025
Buck Turner has quickly become one of my
absolute favorite authors. His writing is so vivid and colorful that I am immediately transported into the story. The Long Road Back to You is no exception. Charlie’s references to his dad and speaking of the war brought back so many memories of hearing the old timers speak about it
when I was a child. Add on references to spending the summers playing in the creek or river to keep from dying of a heatstroke, and I was that carefree teenager living her best life again. Living in Kentucky my whole life and being in the bible belt, those Sunday morning church services were a given, I could feel the wooden pews after setting there for hours listening to the sermon…it’s funny how a mere mention of something brings back a flood of memories…
Charlie’s vivid depiction of being in the midst of the Vietnam war and the struggles the soldiers endured makes it easy to imagine exactly how much they suffered. The worry they felt about whether they would make it out alive and home to their loved ones. The betrayal by Troy, which resulted in Charlie becoming a POW for years and the physical/emotional trauma that he endured for eight years as a result, is unfathomable. We truly don’t know what war is like, and I pray that we never experience it on our home front.
I love that there is also a secondary story involving Lincoln and Madeline. Charlie makes Lincoln understand that his marriage is more important than work. He encourages him to value his wife above all else and nurture that relationship to make it work. He teaches him that sometimes forgiveness is necessary in order to move forward and repair what’s broken. If more people in
this day and time understood this simple concept, there would be far fewer divorces.
Unfortunately, people have different values now.
This story is one that will definitely bring a tear to your eye. It’s a story of love and loss, of pulling yourself out of darkness and reigniting fires where they are nothing more than ember from years of neglect. I found myself crying during the very first chapter because Charlie’s love for Anna leaps off the pages and grabs you by the heart. You can actually feel it, it’s palpable. I feel honored that Buck has taken me into his tribe and shares his books with me so freely. If you haven’t read this one, you are missing out, and I highly recommend that you run to add it to your TBR.
absolute favorite authors. His writing is so vivid and colorful that I am immediately transported into the story. The Long Road Back to You is no exception. Charlie’s references to his dad and speaking of the war brought back so many memories of hearing the old timers speak about it
when I was a child. Add on references to spending the summers playing in the creek or river to keep from dying of a heatstroke, and I was that carefree teenager living her best life again. Living in Kentucky my whole life and being in the bible belt, those Sunday morning church services were a given, I could feel the wooden pews after setting there for hours listening to the sermon…it’s funny how a mere mention of something brings back a flood of memories…
Charlie’s vivid depiction of being in the midst of the Vietnam war and the struggles the soldiers endured makes it easy to imagine exactly how much they suffered. The worry they felt about whether they would make it out alive and home to their loved ones. The betrayal by Troy, which resulted in Charlie becoming a POW for years and the physical/emotional trauma that he endured for eight years as a result, is unfathomable. We truly don’t know what war is like, and I pray that we never experience it on our home front.
I love that there is also a secondary story involving Lincoln and Madeline. Charlie makes Lincoln understand that his marriage is more important than work. He encourages him to value his wife above all else and nurture that relationship to make it work. He teaches him that sometimes forgiveness is necessary in order to move forward and repair what’s broken. If more people in
this day and time understood this simple concept, there would be far fewer divorces.
Unfortunately, people have different values now.
This story is one that will definitely bring a tear to your eye. It’s a story of love and loss, of pulling yourself out of darkness and reigniting fires where they are nothing more than ember from years of neglect. I found myself crying during the very first chapter because Charlie’s love for Anna leaps off the pages and grabs you by the heart. You can actually feel it, it’s palpable. I feel honored that Buck has taken me into his tribe and shares his books with me so freely. If you haven’t read this one, you are missing out, and I highly recommend that you run to add it to your TBR.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 11, 2024I don't know, I have mix feelings about this. I didn't like the cheating they did, even with all the reasons of this would, what Troy did and they thought they were meant to be, I am extremely opposed to cheating, you have to make a choice, and the right choice is to leave the person you don't want to stay with and go on with your life, so that part was not the best. So, what Anna did, cheating on Troy, was not right, even if he definitely deserved it.
I think Anna was a little bit to selfish, because she went to Charlie, and than went back home. I understand in the 70s was a difficult time to leave your husband and a little boy, but it was possible, she had the choice of doing it, but she didn't, so I am not so fond of her.
Charlie was a different story, he went through so much and despite all the hardships he didn't let all the cruelty of the people and bitterness change him. He remained the same, kind and gentle soul. He was a true miracle, he survived the impossible and came back a changed man, but not so changed after all. He made the right choice to leave an go on with this life, he made the choice Anna was not courage enough and ready to make.
So yeah, the end was sweet and fateful and just like a circle closing.
Then on the side, there is Lincoln's story with the marriage in crisis trope, and through Charlie's story, he was able to understand his mistakes in his own marriage.
In the end, I don't know how to rate this 🤣. I liked the story because it was real and not romanticised. I also liked the writing style and the rewiring of Charlie's story through Lincoln's pen, but I didn't like the cheating part so...
I think Anna was a little bit to selfish, because she went to Charlie, and than went back home. I understand in the 70s was a difficult time to leave your husband and a little boy, but it was possible, she had the choice of doing it, but she didn't, so I am not so fond of her.
Charlie was a different story, he went through so much and despite all the hardships he didn't let all the cruelty of the people and bitterness change him. He remained the same, kind and gentle soul. He was a true miracle, he survived the impossible and came back a changed man, but not so changed after all. He made the right choice to leave an go on with this life, he made the choice Anna was not courage enough and ready to make.
So yeah, the end was sweet and fateful and just like a circle closing.
Then on the side, there is Lincoln's story with the marriage in crisis trope, and through Charlie's story, he was able to understand his mistakes in his own marriage.
In the end, I don't know how to rate this 🤣. I liked the story because it was real and not romanticised. I also liked the writing style and the rewiring of Charlie's story through Lincoln's pen, but I didn't like the cheating part so...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2025
💙𝒯𝒽𝑒 ℒ𝑜𝓃𝑔 ℛ𝑜𝒶𝒹 ℬ𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒯𝑜 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒷𝓎 @buckturner_official 💙
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
📖 161 pages
“𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙮.”
“𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜.“
✨ℳ𝓎 ℛ𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:
Buck Turner never disappoints and I swear I will recommend his books all day/every day! He has such a special gift of writing that not every author has. If you haven’t read his books you’re seriously missing out!
This book is about Lincoln, who is an author interviewing Charlie Ross who was drafted in 1965 to go fight in the Vietnam War! Before being drafted he falls in love with Anna Cochran and they both swear to love each other and wait until Charlie gets back, the only problem is Charlie becomes a POW and is presumed dead until he gets rescued and taken back to America 8 years later….Did Anna wait?
I absolutely loved this book! While it is on the shorter side, it certainly pulls at your heartstrings. Hearing what happened to Charlie when he was taken prisoner and what he dealt with when he returned from war was so tragic. This story is a lot about life, no matter what circumstances or events happen in your life, everything happens for a reason and you can’t give up or keep fighting! You got to continue writing your story and turn the page until your book is done!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
📖 161 pages
“𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙮.”
“𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜.“
✨ℳ𝓎 ℛ𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:
Buck Turner never disappoints and I swear I will recommend his books all day/every day! He has such a special gift of writing that not every author has. If you haven’t read his books you’re seriously missing out!
This book is about Lincoln, who is an author interviewing Charlie Ross who was drafted in 1965 to go fight in the Vietnam War! Before being drafted he falls in love with Anna Cochran and they both swear to love each other and wait until Charlie gets back, the only problem is Charlie becomes a POW and is presumed dead until he gets rescued and taken back to America 8 years later….Did Anna wait?
I absolutely loved this book! While it is on the shorter side, it certainly pulls at your heartstrings. Hearing what happened to Charlie when he was taken prisoner and what he dealt with when he returned from war was so tragic. This story is a lot about life, no matter what circumstances or events happen in your life, everything happens for a reason and you can’t give up or keep fighting! You got to continue writing your story and turn the page until your book is done!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 387 reviews