Debbie Macomber never disappoints! Good story, light beach reading, fun and interesting characters - what's not to enjoy?

This third entry to Debbie Macomber's New Beginnings series is actually a sweet story about forgiveness, healing and moving forward. Only somehow the delivery of it just fell flat for me.

It's a slow-paced story told alternately between the main characters and - later on - a secondary. I like the earlier part of the story where Rocco and his stepson Owen (from A Girl's Guide to Moving On) made some appearance and help liven up the introduction of the characters. The following story development was still fine too, even if I feel the heroine was somewhat meek. It was after two third of the book that everything started to fell apart for me; starting with Sam's weird idea and Beth's even weirder acceptance - both were uncharacteristic, after what I'd seen so far - and all went downhill from that.

While I don't usually begrudge alternate POVs, there are books that just fail to reveal character's thought and engaged readers to their feeling. This is one of those for me. I couldn't really get Sam's decision in encouraging Beth dating others for a taste or saying they weren't dating when previously already admitted they were in a relationship. It felt very immature behaviour for his age.

And then there's Beth being nosy and meddlesome in the name of good intentions that - for me - felt her running amok when given free reign of her life. To me it read that Beth - after fighting to get her mom to back off and let her live her life - felt it's okay to interfere in other's life just because she thought it would be good for them.

What peeved me further was the halfhearted show of regret on both sides of the guilty party; only lukewarm attempt at wining back their love; no grovelling, grand gesture whatsoever. Just more of assumptions and coincidences and just kiss and make up. AGHHH!!! From something with such a potential this story turned into such a let down for me!!

So yes, all casts involved managed to get their happy beginnings in the end. Others might find this satisfactory, but not this reader. If Not for You left me with unfulfilled feelings that there's too many unexplored stuff and missing pieces in the end.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A chore to read

I would like to thank Debbie Macomber, Ballantine Books, Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beth Prudhomme has moved to Portland, Oregon, to live near her Aunt Sunshine, because she got along far better with Sunshine than her parents in Chicago. Out from under her mother’s thumb, Beth is determined to become independent and cultivate a life for herself. Seizing new opportunities, she takes a job as a music teacher at the local high school—and agrees to a blind date.

Sam Carney has been burned by love before and is terrified of being burned again. When his buddy Rocco invites him to dinner, Sam knows there’s a catch, and sure enough, Rocco—or more accurately, Rocco’s wife—wants him to meet one of her friends. After much protest, Sam gives in because he didn’t want to disappoint his closest friends.

The dinner is a disaster, and both Sam and Beth leave as soon as politely possible. Neither had any interest in the other—until Sam witnesses Beth’s horrific car crash on the way home. An inexplicable bond is formed as he holds her hand while they wait for the medics…and Sam finds himself caring about a woman he’d thought he’d never see again.
________

Debbie Macomber’s writing never really suited my tastes, partially because she annoyingly toes the line between mainstream and inspirational (Christian) fiction. A few years ago I tried a few of her Blossom Street books, and though I didn’t hate them, I sure didn’t love them. But I came across If Not for You, and the cover was so pretty, and the synopsis sounded somewhat interesting, so I thought why not give it a shot? I’ve always liked opposites-attracting stories.

I remained optimistic through the beginning, but by a quarter of the way through, I found myself coming up with other things I needed to do instead of reading this book. And that’s saying something for me! Usually once I start a book, few things can stop me until I’m done. But my problems with the book mounted until I wanted nothing more and nothing less than to finish it.

SPOILERS

Beth

I didn’t dislike Beth until she’d been in the hospital for a few days. Understandably, she’s feeling kind of gross. Her friend Nichole realizes that, so she goes out and gets her a hairbrush, a comb, dry shampoo…and makeup and a curling iron. Because everyone’s top priority, in the freaking hospital, is to look fabulous.

I don’t care if Sam was coming to see her every day. Beth was just in a car crash, had just fractured her hip and ribs and had her spleen, or at least part of it, removed. She should not have been worried about eyeshadows matching her skin tone or getting her hair curled. Sure, she wanted to look nice for this guy she had really started to like, but when you’re exhausted and in terrible pain, “looking nice” means a clean face, clean teeth, and maybe clean hair. And if Sam didn’t want to be with her because he hadn’t thought she’d looked pretty in the freaking HOSPITAL, then good riddance. No woman needs that kind of man. BUT Sam didn’t care if she had makeup on or if her hair was curled. He just absently said that she looked different. He was more concerned about how she was feeling, if her pain was under control. So her efforts were wasted anyway.

And fact-check: at one point Beth said she wasn’t sure how unkempt she looked because she didn’t have a mirror. Um, I’m pretty sure most hospital rooms, except those in the psych department, at least have a mirror over the sink in the bathroom. And I know she was mobile and able to get to the bathroom because they had her up and walking around inside two days. Also, the hospital would have provided a comb, among other basic necessities for hygiene, so Nichole didn’t need to buy one. And a curling iron would be a BIG no-no. At the hospitals where my mom and brother work, things like curling irons wouldn’t be allowed unless approved by Maintenance. And my mom’s unit doesn’t allow the patients to wear makeup while they’re getting treated because it can irritate their skin and cause problems. So yeah, the “makeover” bit was just dumb all the way around.

Okay. So Beth had this deal with her parents that they wouldn’t bother her for six months. Specifically, she didn’t want her mother calling ten times a day and flying out twice a week to nag and browbeat her. I get that. But Beth was in a car crash. She was really hurt. There’s a huge, blurry gray area here, dependent upon individual situations, but I think Beth should have suspended that deal, because seriously, wouldn’t all mothers—hell, all loved ones—want to rush to the side of the injured party and provide care and support? It’s only natural. I was horrified that Beth downplayed the severity of her accident so her parents wouldn’t be concerned, especially when Beth got that blood clot in her lung. Sure, the hospital had rushed to treat her right away and she was fine, but I’d still be freaking out a little. Blood clots aren’t trivial. They could kill you like THAT. *snaps fingers* Personally, I'd be seriously shaken. I'd want my mommy.

Next, there’s this guy Kier. He’s a spoiled, arrogant, stereotypical trust fund guy from Chicago that Beth’s mother was trying to match with Beth. He shows up in town, never giving an explanation for why he was there, though it’s not-so-subtly implied that he was sent by Beth’s mom to screw up Beth and Sam’s relationship. Beth despises him—yet she inexplicably agrees to meet him for dinner. She later admits that she shouldn’t have and only did it to please her mother. She makes this huge internal announcement that she was cutting the umbilical cord. … But I don’t understand. I thought she’d already arrived at this point emotionally. I thought moving to Portland to get away from her mother was the grand cutting-the-umbilical-cord gesture. I mean, as gestures go, moving 2,000 miles across the country is about as grand as it gets. So her agreeing to dinner with Kier seemed redundant and backwards and nonsensical. I believe it would have made more sense for her character and her arc if she’d lied and excused her way out of seeing him, or even better, agreed to see him but took Sam with her. But she didn’t, so my next question is, why didn’t she just lay it all out for Sam when she told him? Why was she vague? It seemed blatantly contrived to create tension. His reaction was equally frustrating; I’ll get to that later. Anyway, watching Beth agree to go out with Kier was like watching the dumb girl in a horror film follow the strange noises to the creepy basement. I was like, “Don’t do it, you idiot!”

There were a couple other moments of redundancy that frustrated me. One is when Beth is trying to figure out why her mother and aunt don’t get along. At one point Beth asks Sunshine if it was over a man. Sunshine says yes. Beth asks if his name was Peter. Sunshine confirmed, but wouldn’t tell her the story. Then a couple chapters later Beth again asks why the discord between the sisters, and Sunshine says because she loved a man. And Beth thinks internally, “Peter. It had to be him.” Like she wasn’t sure if it was him or not. And I’m sitting there like— “Well, yeah. Didn’t we already establish that?”

Then, in chapter 31, Beth tells Sam that she isn’t sure what went wrong between Sunshine and Peter, she just knew her mother had something to do with it. Well, as I just explained, she knew the discord between Sunshine and her mother had something to do with a man named Peter. You could kind of put two and two together there. Furthermore, Sunshine told Beth back in chapter 26: “Ellie knew how I felt about him and stole him away from me while I was studying in Europe. He was at fault, too. When I returned, they were together. I moved to California shortly thereafter.” I’d say that explains it. Beth should have been pretty sure of what had gone down by chapter 31.

At first I was disgusted with Beth meddling in other people’s relationships, but she got her what-for, so I’m disregarding it. So lastly, Beth said one of the stupidest things I’ve ever read, and she wasn’t being sarcastic: “Who knew taking care of a baby could be so demanding?” Um, anyone who knows anything about babies. Jesus.

Conclusion: Beth isn’t the brightest bulb in the box.


Sam

Sam was a conundrum. I couldn’t get a bead on his character. In the beginning, he’s described as “not like any other guy you’ve ever dated,” “hard to explain,” “coarse,” and “unconventional." The last was elaborated with “he swore a lot,” which is an irritatingly pretentious line of reasoning. He’s got long hair, tattoos, and a beard, and he’s a mechanic. This all put me in mind of a hero a la Jay Crownover and Kristen Ashley—a bad boy that’s unpolished, unapproachable, gruff, crass, crude—maybe a criminal—but has the biggest heart on the planet, is fiercely protective, and always does what he thinks is right. A take-no-shit badass whose pride must goeth before the fall.

That was not Sam, except perhaps the protectiveness. Kind of. I get the feeling that Macomber wanted him to be all that, but wasn’t capable of writing that kind of man. He seemed like a normal bachelor to me. His physical appearance wasn’t very tidy, but in my perception he wasn’t “unconventional” at all. And he cut his hair and shaved his beard when he met Beth’s parents, so then it’s just down to the tattoos and the occasional curse. Tame.

So I never really knew what to think about him, and there were times when I felt Macomber didn't know what the hell to think about him, either, or perhaps left him vague on purpose so she could use him to propel the plot. For example, in the beginning it’s said that Sam adores baby Matthew and is always eager to hold him. I think the baby is even used a bit as motivation to get Sam to come to dinner (aka the blind date). But when Rocco asks him to babysit, Sam seemed like he would rather jump off a plane without a parachute, and handling a baby was completely foreign to him. He mentions that he only enjoyed holding Matthew when the parents were present, but his reaction still seems off to me. His discomfort with the baby propels the plot because he’s babysitting with Beth, and watching her with the baby and being all motherly makes him uncomfortable, leading to the second example:

From the beginning, it’s made very clear by Sam and others that he avoids relationships like the plague, and it’s not hard to guess why—he’d been hurt in the past. But then he developed a bond with Beth…got to know her and like her…couldn’t wait to see her…and eventually he spent as much time with her as he could. I don’t think he put up much of a fight. At one point he tried to stay away so his growing attachment wouldn’t be obvious, but he didn’t put much effort into resisting her, resisting the budding relationship. Then after they babysat Matthew—and after he’d calmly admitted to Rocco that he’d fallen for Beth—he freaks out, saying he’s not meant to be a family man, he doesn’t want responsibilities or limitations, he doesn’t want to be in a relationship. He thinks they’re going way too fast and getting way too serious—which made me laugh out loud, because at this point they’d known each other for like, two months, and pretty much all they’d done is really low-key hanging out, half the time in the rehab center. Not moving in with each other, not proposing marriage. It seemed like he was a little nervous about falling in love and blew it ridiculously out of proportion. It seemed so staged, just like—

When Beth told him that she had to cancel their undetermined plans one night because a friend (Kier) was in town and wanted to catch up. As soon as she let slip the friend was a he, Sam freaked out, accusing Beth of being embarrassed by him, wanting him to apologize for who he was, and preferring to be in the company of a man who didn’t have grease underneath his fingernails. Beth was being vague and frustrating, sure, but his reaction was unfounded and uncalled for. But it created tension, trying to spice up a pretty boring narrative.

His saying he’s not meant to be a family man is made doubly ludicrous when one considers he’s constantly thinking about how much he regretted giving in to Trish and never meeting his daughter, that he’d give anything to have had her in his life. And at one point he said he loves kids.

I was tempted to rant about his secret daughter, but it was such a gray area that I wasn’t really sure what to think about it myself.

Conclusion: Sam made no sense and his reactions were pure plot-propulsion.

A couple other tiny issues: first—Beth’s students Noah and Bailey. I have no idea why they were mentioned at all. Maybe I missed something, but it seemed to me they were completely, 100 percent unnecessary to this story. Second—Beth’s fear of water seemed fake and only an excuse to see Sam’s tattoo and get his secret-daughter conflict rolling. There had to be a more organic way to bring it up.

Style-wise the writing was okay. Nothing impressive; pretty simple sentences. One thing I noticed a few times was that the verb tense was wrong. The narrative is written in past tense, which most novels are, but it remained past tense when it should have been past perfect in spots. Which isn’t a huge deal, but personally, if I’m reading along and someone mentions a past event but it’s made to sound like it’s happening at present, it’s confusing and throws me off as I backtrack and try to figure out what the author was trying to say. (I don’t always get my grammar and spelling right, either, but reviews that nobody reads are very different from finished products that cost $27.00 a pop. Do your job, editor.)

And finally, this book was sooo cheesy, and not in an endearing way.

Overall, I feel like Macomber had a cute idea of a couple meeting/getting together through a car crash and rehab, then didn’t know how to make it an entire story and started tossing in random tension-builders. There were good bits, but it’s not what I would expect from a writer as seasoned as Macomber.

Oh, if you’re wondering about the extent of the “inspirational” theme, most of it’s isolated to a scene where Sam reads to Beth from the Bible while she’s in the hospital and a scene where Sam compares himself to David, as in David and Goliath. And there is a complete lack of sex. Like, it was never mentioned. I don’t think the word was ever even used. Which was kind of weird. Not that they needed to have sex, even off-stage, but come on—they would have thought about it.

Also, this book stands alone. I never felt the need to read the first two books in the series.

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I had a hard time getting into this book. I did not read the previous books, so maybe that made a difference. I couldn't pull for either of the main characters.

I completely enjoyed this book. Another great from Debbie Macomber! The shifts in the characters feelings kept me wanting to read more. A great mix of romance and drama.

I am on the fence about this book. Beth is trying to get away from her controlling mom so she moves to another state to begin living her life her way. She is involved in a horrific car accident which alters her plans but brings Sam into her life. Their relationship progresses rather quickly. I find it hard to like Beth because she is a meddler. Too much like her mom and she cannot see it. I did like that characters from her previous books in this series was in this one.

When opposites attract...

It was nice, for the first time in a long time, reading a CLEAN romance - which really did make this romance-driven rather than guided by sex.

Beth and Sam are about as opposite as two people can be.

Beth is a music teacher, loves classical music, and plays the piano. She is 25 years old and has just moved to Portland, Oregon to try living life away from her controlling mother.

Sam is a mechanic, 36 years old, plays the guitar and likes country western music.

So it's a total shock when mutual friends set them up on a blind date. And it definitely isn't love at first sight. That might have been the end of it but there is an accident and Sam ends up being there and comforting Beth...and things progress from there.

I always enjoy author Macomber's characters. I can easily visualize them and can usually put myself in their shoes. There were a few different storylines underlying the main romance and I thought the author handled each without straining my sense of belief too far.

I enjoyed the characters and the story and recommend it to anyone looking for a romance with touches of angst scattered here and there.

I received this book from Random House through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I've never read a Debbie Macomber novel before, so seeing this ARC and noticing it wasn't part of a series, I thought it a perfect place to jump in. (Actually a note at the front indicates it does follow some others in a short series, but I couldn't guess at what comes before.)

I am extremely disappointed. If an author's works round to the nearest hundred, I would expect a certain level of quality to the writing. This book leaves quite a bit to be desired. It isn't bad, it's just not very good. The romance is predictable, the characters lack depth and their "growth" is staid and anticipated, and there isn't much to help the reader attach to them, no real reason to care. This definitely qualifies as a romance, as in, the romantic relationship itself is the main character in the book and the thing readers are supposed to attach to. If this is how all her books are, I can't really see why she has such a following.

Great book about overcoming the past, stepping out of the shadow of your parents and two people learning to navigate their struggles together.

If Not for You is the third book in prolific author Debbie Macomber's New Beginnings series. Beth Prudhomme has moved from her parents' home in Chicago to take a teaching position in Portland where her free spirited Aunt Sunshine lives. It was her way to escape her controlling mother, Ellie, and finally, at twenty-five, begin to live her own life and make her own choices. If not for her mother's controlling personality, Beth may never have left Chicago.

Beth is settling in well and loving her new home and her new career. She is making friends and enjoying getting to know her aunt better. If not for her new friend Nichole, Beth would not have been invited to dinner and set up on a blind date with Nichole's husband's good friend, Sam.

If not for the fact that Beth and Sam were complete opposites, finding little in common to make the evening last, they would not have left Nichole's when they did. And if they had not been at the light going different directions, Sam would not have witnessed the devastating accident and the sound of crunching metal as the speeding car ran the red light, plowing right into Beth. If not for that moment, Beth and Sam would have gone their separate ways, never finding their heart's content.

Can this serendipitous chain of events weather Ellie's scorn, Beth's lack of interpersonal experience and rash actions, and the secrets buried from Sam's past? Come along with them on this journey to see if these things and more can be overcome. I do recommend this book.

There is nothing more fun than to read a story and get this feeling that you know the characters. You connect with them on more than one level. You realize that you have read about some of them before. That little touch of awareness creeps up.

Then it dawns on you. Some of these people we met in the author’s last book! And everything just blends together.

But that does not mean that you have to read the first book in order to enjoy this one. Not at all. This great story is a standalone. But it is enhanced by knowing the other characters.

Learning to deal with life is tough and Beth is doing it the hard way. By moving across country to stand on her own, she finds that it can be down right difficult too! But with a good friend and her Aunt by her side, she is figuring it all out. Until an accident almost derails her plans and an unexpected man becomes an important fixture in her life.

If Not For You by Debbie Macomber is a delightful story about an unsuspecting love that can sneak up on us when least expected. Written with the same flair and flavor in her touching style we have come to love, this story is one that is full of innocent love with a few mistakes to learn from too.

A touching and clean romance that speaks to sweet love, good friends, and living life as it should be. Includes a feel good ending that makes it all worth while as we learn opposites do attract, even in matters of the heart.

I liked it. Didn't love it. There were just a few elements to the plot that I found to be a little cliched and that detracted from an otherwise compelling story.

I have been in love with the worlds of Debbie Macomber for decades now (have read every single title), and her forthcoming novel does not disappoint. This is the third book in the New Beginnings series and I always like when there are continuing characters but with a completely new storyline. These stories are my book equivalent to savoring a chai latte while curled up on the couch under a quilt with my dog's head in my lap ~ sweet and safe and warm and happy. This book is out March 21st, so you definitely have time to read the others in the series before then, but if you don't, it will stand alone just fine! And yes, there is a happy ending ~ that's what I rely on and need with a Macomber book ~ love and happiness.

This is a romance novel. It is one that you know the ending once the character that is "wrong, but with a heart of gold" is introduced. Enjoyable read.

Great story. I like Sam's character. A good book.

Debbie Macomber has always been such an inspiration to me as an inspiring writer a and a favorite author. I get lost in her books and I love them! This one did not disappoint. There were two great storiylines to follow - the main story and a subplot. So sweet and delicious! Read it, you won't be disappointed.

I was given an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion, which I wrote above. Enjoy!

This is the newest book in her New Beginnings series. You may even recognize a few of the names.... Nichole, Rocco, Leanne and NIkolai, all from A Girl's Guide to Moving On. This book is about Nichole's best friend , Beth, and Sam who is Rocco's best friend. Nichole tries to set them up on a blind date which ends quickly as it seems the two have nothing at all in common. On the way home Beth is in a bad car accident and Sam witnesses the whole thing. He calls the paramedics and stays by her side until they arrive. What starts out as compassion turns to much more and their relationship gets tested. The ultimate question is asked....are there some things love just can't overcome?

If Not For You by Debbie Macomber is a stand alone novel that I really enjoyed reading. I found it to be a relaxing and wonderful story. 4.5 Stars!

The beauty of Ms. Macomber's writing is her unique ability to spin an engaging romance story that soars off the pages of the book and comes to life for the reader. Her characters are realistic, slightly flawed but lovable. She also has a unique ability to bring her characters to life; to build realistic relationships between them while adding in romance and life challenges. Ms. Macomber has done this superbly with this book.

I highly recommend If Not For You and in case you are already starting to plan your summer reading ... add this one to your list. It's definitely Summer Romance Reading Worthy (or any time of the year)!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ballentine Books, Ms. Macomber and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Debbie Macomber is back with the latest installment in her New Beginnings series. If
Not for You opened with a bang (literally) and had this reader eagerly turning the pages to find out what happened next.

Beth Prudhomme recently moved from Chicago to Portland, Oregon, in an effort to get away from her very controlling mother. Through her job as a high school music teacher she meets Nichole (if you’ve read the first two books in the series you’ll remember Nichole). Nichole and her husband Rocco decide to set up a blind date for two of their friends. Beth would never have met Sam Carney otherwise. However, the dinner does not go well and neither can get away fast enough. But soon after leaving Nichole and Rocco’s, Beth is involved in a car accident (remember that bang I mentioned earlier?). After the accident Sam feels compelled to check on Beth at the hospital. One visit leads to another and soon friendship becomes an intense attraction that surprises them both.

I think I read this entire book with a sappy grin on my face. I really, really loved Beth and Sam together. They were real and I could identify with them. They were sweet without being sickeningly so. I watched them slowly get to know each other … learning about the things they have in common, like music. Sam is a guitar player and in an effort to lift Beth’s spirits one night at the hospital, plays her a Rascal Flatts song. I love Rascal Flatts and I fell in love with Sam right then. Any man who can play/sing Rascal Flatts is fantastic in my book ;) However, their love story is not without trouble. Beth’s mother, Ellie, does not approve of Sam and does her best to drive them apart. Here is where I really fell in love with Sam. He stood up for himself and for his relationship with Beth without being ugly to Beth’s mother. Poor Ellie! I just wanted to smack her and it’s a wonder Sam didn’t.

Why did Beth choose to move to Portland? It’s where her Aunt Sunshine (Ellie’s sister) lives. The two sisters have not gotten along for years, but despite this Beth and Sunshine are very close. The relationships between Beth and Sunshine, and Ellie and Sunshine were nice side stories that I really enjoyed.

Haven’t read the first two books? Don’t let that stop you from enjoying If Not for You. Readers can definitely enjoy this book without having read the previous books. But do go back and read Last One Home and A Girl’s Guide to Moving On so you’ll know all about the characters, like Nichole and Rocco, mentioned here.

What’s next for Sam and Beth? While the stories here are brought to a satisfying close, I look forward to more books in the series to see what’s next in their lives.

Wonderful novel. A continuing saga with familiar characters by Debbie Macomber which I could not put down. The characters are engrossing and the 'reader cheers for Beth and Sam.