In the case of the "recommended" Verizon MVNOs, yes, the reception is pretty much identical as they provide the same roaming footprint in addition to the core network. Although I recommended Page Plus in the past, they have since been bought out by America Movil (Tracfone, NET10, etc.), and now recommend Selectel, which also has off-network roaming.
You switch to Selectel or Page Plus, your coverage will be identical to what you're used to on your iPhone 4s.
Where coverage may differ is where the MVNO is network exclusive and has no roaming agreements (most of them are and roaming is rare). Normally, that's not a big deal for most folks, but it can cause problems for more rural areas for people where coverage is spotty. Puppy Wireless is an example of a Verizon MVNO that has no roaming, so the footprint might be smaller than what you're used to. However, if there is roaming (such as with Selectel), then it will be identical.