"Lovely story about finding your own path."
Reviewed by Sandra Wurman
Posted July 15, 2017
Women's Fiction | Romance
Everyone would like to believe they are in control of their
destiny. Not
day by day but in the grand scheme of things. Life just has
a way of
getting in the way of plans and that's not necessarily
always with a
bad outcome. Some might call these just hiccups in life but
for others
their path is forever altered. IF NOT FOR YOU is part of Debbie
Macomber's New Beginnings series. This is actually book
number
three. IF NOT FOR YOU is about people having a wakeup call of
sorts. Life
has been predictable, unexciting, and candidly disappointing.
Macomber pairs the most unlikely people in order to clearly
illustrate
her point of view on love. And in IF NOT FOR YOU she
lovingly does
that more than once. Kind of to prove her point I guess. Or
to drive
home her firm beliefs about the nature of love, healing,
kindness and
candor. Beth is the epitome of that belief. There are times you
would like to
shake Beth to get her to face reality but then you quickly
realize that
then she wouldn't be Beth. Sam is what he is at least to those
superfluous in his life. Only the important people know Sam
and he is
okay with that. At least until he meets Beth. Ms. Macomber
doesn't want you to believe in love at first sight at least
not for Beth
and Sam. In fact the only thing they have in common is their
mutual
desire to end this blind date disaster. Life is going to have other plans for these two folk. Lovely
young
people whose paths were very different. And yet somehow
there is
much that they share. In IF NOT FOR YOU, Ms. Macomber is
insightful in peeling away the layers of their pasts and
revealing much
about their hopes and dreams. Sam isn't even aware that he
has any
hopes or dreams. His life at this juncture is about today.
Beth on the
other hand is seeking out her future, away from controlling
parents
looking to protect their daughter from life's rough spots. But we quickly realize that for Sam and Beth it is those
rough spots
that has shaped them into the two people they are. In IF NOT
FOR
YOU Ms. Macomber tells us a lot about each character in their
own tongue so to speak. And there is a wonderful supporting
cast. Beth has an unfortunate habit of getting involved with other
people's
lives. It's as if this sweet rather unassuming woman thinks
the world
should be filled with love. And somehow this is her mission.
Sticking
your nose into other people's business is a risky
proposition. You'd
think after a few bungles Beth would learn her lesson but
romantics
can't seem to turn a blind eye. This is what could
ultimately be the
greatest challenge Beth and Sam face. Debbie Macomber likes to work with characters that have
flaws so
don't expect to agree with everything the folks in IF NOT
FOR YOU
do or say. Macomber makes her characters practically jump
off the
page and there are times you are genuinely annoyed by something
they do or say. But that's exactly the point. The folk in
IF NOT FOR
YOU fall into the way Debbie Macomber fashions characters.
Fans of
this engaging author know that ultimately her characters
will grab at
your heart and conscience. You just might find some of their
antics
counterproductive but that's okay. In life you don't
always have to like
what someone does, but compromise is imperative.
SUMMARY
#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie
Macomber has written an emotionally stirring novel that
shows how sometimes a choice can seem wrong even though it’s
absolutely right. If not for her loving but controlling parents, Beth
Prudhomme might never have taken charge of her life and
moved from her native Chicago to Portland, Oregon, where
she’s reconnected with her spirited Aunt Sunshine and found
a job as a high school music teacher. If not for her friend
Nichole, Beth would never have met Sam Carney, although
first impressions have left Beth with serious doubts. Sam is
everything Beth is not—and her parents’ worst nightmare: a
tattooed auto mechanic who’s rough around the edges.
Reserved and smart as a whip, Beth isn’t exactly Sam’s usual
beer-drinking, pool-playing type of woman, either. But if not for an awkward setup one evening, Beth might
never have left early and been involved in a car crash. And
if not for Sam—who witnessed the terrifying ordeal, rushed
to her aid, and stayed with her until help arrived—Beth
might have been all alone, or worse. Yet as events play out,
Sam feels compelled to check on Beth almost daily at the
hospital—even bringing his guitar to play songs to lift her
spirits. Soon their unlikely friendship evolves into an
intense attraction that surprises them both. Before long, Beth’s strong-willed mother, Ellie, blows into
town spouting harsh opinions, especially about Sam, and
reopening old wounds with Sunshine. When shocking secrets
from Sam’s past are revealed, Beth struggles to reconcile
her feelings. But when Beth goes a step too far, she risks
losing the man and the life she’s come to love.
What do you think about this review?
Comments
1 comment posted.
Re: Lovely story about finding your own path.
Great review and Debbie never fails! Thanks!
(Kathleen Bylsma 3:27pm July 16, 2017)
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