If Not for You, Debbie Macomber
If Not for You, Debbie Macomber
24 Rating(s)
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

If Not for You

Bestseller

Author: Debbie Macomber

Narrator: Khristine Hvam

Unabridged: 10 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/21/2017


Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.

Praise for If Not for You

“[An] uplifting and deliciously romantic tale with vibrant characters and a wide range of emotions.”—RT Book Reviews
 
“A heartwarming story of forgiveness and unexpected love.”—Harlequin Junkie
 
“A fun, sweet read.”—Publishers Weekly

About Debbie Macomber

How many people follow the dream they had as a child growing up? American Women's Fiction and Romance novelist, Debbie Macomber did just that. She realized that it was her dream to become a writer from the time she was in fourth grade. She did not act upon that dream (for fear of rejection) until she was 30 years old, and the mother of four children. She submitted many manuscripts, but all were rejected. She attended a romance writers conference, where one of her manuscripts, Heartsong, was selected to be critiqued by an editor from Harlequin Enterprises, Inc. Of course, that editor ripped her work to shreds with his criticism, and recommended she throw it away! Instead, she gathered the $10 fee and submitted the same manuscript to Harlequin's competitor, Silhouette Books. They published the manuscript, and Macomber's illustrious writing career began in earnest.

Debbie Macomber overcame her dyslexia to become one of the most prolific authors of romance novels. She sat in her kitchen, with four children, tapping out her work on an ordinary typewriter. At her peak writing, she was releasing two or three titles per year, with her first hardcover novel being released in 2001.

Most women today are very familiar with Macomber's current works, especially those that have been made into Hallmark Channel movies and series. The Christmas movies.......Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle, Call Me Mrs. Miracle, and Trading Christmas.....have become iconic Christmas features. The Cedar Cove series was also a hit with not only Debbie Macomber fans, but Hallmark fans in general.

Macomber and her husband raised their four children, and now have grandchildren. They still live in Port Orchard, Washington, but now winter in Florida.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe) on April 17, 2017

Beth escapes her mother and moves to Portland, Oregon, where her aunt lives in order to live her own life. She gets a job as a teacher and is very excited to be independent without her mother hovering everyday. Her friend Nichole, a fellow teacher one day decides that Beth should meet up for a blind......more

Goodreads review by Chris on March 22, 2017

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......more

Goodreads review by Kathryn on March 21, 2017

I loved the prologue which whet my interest, and made me want to read on. A little drama goes a long way! The contrast of characters in Sam and Beth was interesting but not really surprising. Sam might seem a little rough with his tattoo, long hair and strong language. But he is loved by a couple of......more

Goodreads review by Dale on October 28, 2022

Beth is twenty five but still struggling to break free from her parents, especially her controlling mother who is always trying to set up up with men she considers suitable for her only child. Beth has moved to Portland near her Aunt Sunshine, a point of aggravation for Beth’s mother Ellie. The sist......more

Goodreads review by Judy on March 23, 2017

Debbie Macomber returns following A Girl's Guide to Moving On (New Beginnings, #2) with her third in the New Beginning Series IF NOT FOR YOU a charming fun contemporary tale of unexpected romantic connections with Macomber’s own Hallmark signature style. Second Chances. Fresh Beginnings. Self-dis......more


Quotes

“[An] uplifting and deliciously romantic tale with vibrant characters and a wide range of emotions.”—RT Book Reviews
 
“A heartwarming story of forgiveness and unexpected love.”—Harlequin Junkie
 
“A fun, sweet read.”—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Debbie Macomber
 
“No one tugs at readers’ heartstrings quite as effectively as Macomber.”Chicago Tribune
 
“The reigning queen of women’s fiction.”The Sacramento Bee
 
“It’s impossible not to cheer for Macomber’s characters. . . . When it comes to creating a special place and memorable, honorable characters, nobody does it better than Macomber.”BookPage