Sleepy Valley

by Tim Callahan

With nine years of marriage down the drain, Chicago native Nick Stewart leaves the city behind in search of solitude. He heads for his most cherished place in the world to heal and live the rest of his life alone. Little did Nick know that God’s plans were different from his own.Sleepy Valley is a small mountain village in the heart of the Tennessee Smoky Mountains that Nick loves. But instead of peace and quiet, he can’t seem to avoid meeting everyone in the little mountain village. Within a week, he’s got two beautiful women chasing him, a new best friend, and a little puppy to boot. It seems Nick didn’t pick Sleepy Valley, but God picked the town for him, and what God has in store, Nick never could have imagined.Author Tim Callahan takes readers on a journey through heartache, laughter, and everything in between as Nick finds God’s healing through true love and true friendship in Sleepy Valley. A break from his successful Kentucky Summers series, Tim Callahan gives readers this new novel of romance and comedy.

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 2008

Reviews

[Cathy A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sleepy Valley is the kind of book that quietly settles into your heart and stays there. What begins as a gentle, small-town story gradually unfolds into something much deeper—about love, healing, second chances, and the slow, steady way lives intertwine over time.

The characters feel real and thoughtfully drawn, each carrying their own struggles, hopes, and growth. Watching their relationships develop—romantic and otherwise—was deeply satisfying, especially because nothing felt rushed or forced. The town itself feels like a character, too: comforting, familiar, and full of quiet wisdom.

One of the greatest strengths of this book is its emotional pacing. It allows space for reflection, for change, and for the passage of time to do its work. The epilogue was especially rewarding, offering a beautiful glimpse into the future and leaving me with a sense of closure and warmth.

If you enjoy character-driven stories, meaningful relationships, and hopeful endings that feel earned, Sleepy Valley is a wonderful read. I closed the book feeling content, reflective, and grateful for the journey.

Highly recommend.

[John Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Own on Audible
This is a novel set within the christian faith though not strongly central it is still very much of the fabric. Nick Stewart is divorced from his now ex wife after nine years of marriage due to her drug addiction and leaving Nick for another man. Nick is a Chicago native and he leaves the city behind in search of solitude in Sleepy Valley Tennessee. His most cherished place in the world to heal and live the rest of his life alone. Little did Nick know that God's plans were different from his own. Sleepy Valley is a small mountain village in the heart of the Tennessee Smoky Mountains that Nick loves. But instead of peace and quiet, he can't seem to avoid meeting everyone in the little mountain village. Within a week, he's got two beautiful women chasing him, a new best friend, and a little puppy to boot, names Chester. It seems Nick didn't pick Sleepy Valley, but God picked the town for him, and what God has in store, Nick never could have imagined. He falls for the artist Abby and Tudy the other eligible lady eventually meets her guy Wade. Tudy can not have children duet to an operation to remove cancer. But the adopt all in the epilodge. Nick is a teacher and basketball coach so eventually is offered a job at the high school. He becomes a de facto father to boy who has no father and takes him fishing. The story is quite quaint and peasant. The women are noted as beautiful. The country side as great and al seem to get work etc. So no real great hardships. One small challenge Nick's ex wife tries to get him back and he goes to help her in rehab.Story quite refreshing and show an idyllic life that one would wish for all. Vincent lost his wife in the tower at 9/11 so some sadness but even then he and his Maria had had a long happy life together.

[Dan Darragh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment compared to the other two Callahan books I've read (Dark Days in Morgan County and Kentucky Sunmer). The others were clearly geared to "young adults" (a poor descriptive term in itself), but this one I figured was probably intended for a bit more mature audience. It just seemed like Callahan got some sort of kick out of writing the word "boobs" as there are more than plenty of boob references in regard to one of the characters. So, if it's for young adults, that probably not appropriate. If it's for adults, it must be for the ones just learning to read. It certainly clashed with Christian tone of the book.
Additionally, I have noting against simple sentences but if you don't have an occasional compound or complex sentence, things get pretty mind-numbing.
On top of that, there's no significant conflict at all -- just a bunch of "happy endings" -- one about ever five pages it seems.
I almost feel guilty about giving a Christian feel-good book a 2-star, but that was actually pretty generous.

[Eldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It made me laugh out loud more than once so I guess I will give it a "really liked it" otherwise I'd have stuck with "liked it." (It is hard to get more than that out of me.)

For a book shelved as "Christian Fiction" I had a little trouble with some of the diner banter and the obsession with certain anatomical features and with how far is too far but overall I enjoyed it. (The book cover, quite accurately, classifies itself as "Southern Fiction, Romance, Comedy.")

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An old fashioned love story set in the Smokies. Seems like it took place in 1947 instead of 2007. I prefer Callahan's "Timmy" series for kids. A lot of the characters from the series surfaced in this book with different names. Seems like a good candidate for a Hallmark Hall of Fame tv movie or a Lifetime movie special.