I have been reading Debbie Macomber books for at least ten years. She tells stories about people that could be your friend, neighbors, aunts, or sisters. She make her characters real with real successes and real failures. And she does this without a lot of foul language and sex scenes. This book is no different. I could have been Sunshine's neighbor and through her known Beth. I would have wanted to see Beth and Sam make a go of their new relationship. And I would have wanted Sunshine to find happiness. As with all her books, I was totally vested in this one. I feel like I've been given a present when I have a new Debbie Macomber book to read. I would definitely buy this for my elderly Mother or my teenage granddaughter. And what fun we would have discussing it. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Beth moves away from home to escape her controlling mother and live a life of her own. What I liked the most about this book is the message of hope. Characters aren't evil - many of them have been hurt in the past and have issues to overcome, but they work through their problems. Beth is a sweet heroine, and I liked how she progressed to being able to stand up to her mother. Sunshine, Beth's aunt, is another good character, who was disappointed early in life but did not let that stop her and her artistic career.

This is a very good Debbie Macomber book and I will recommend it to my mother and friends who like a sweet romance.

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 children which is kind of telling. His values are good, although his head is a little mixed up as it turns out.

Beth is an only child with a mother who is a bit of a snob and rather controlling. Beth has to move to Portland to make her point that she is her own person, that she can stand on her own two feet, make choices for her life that will make her happy. Perhaps the choices will not earn her the approval of her mother, but then her mother's values are a little skewed.

I thought the apple does not fall far from the tree because Beth got into a little meddling herself. All done with the best of intentions but was she justified? Or did those people she set out to help heal, need her gentle prod.

This is a rather straight forward romantic story, with interesting enough characters and a plot that moved along well and was all tied up very neatly at the end. A light, pleasant read.

I love Debbie's books and this one didn't disappoint. Sam and Beth are two people who are set up on a blind date by their well-meaning best friends. From the minute they meet, they don't like each other. Sam is only there as a favor and Beth is only there because she is trying to be independent for the first time in her life and her best friend/coworker tells her she needs to start dating.
After dinner, when they are on their way home, fate steps in and Sam saves Beth. Over the course of her recovery, they start realizing that they didn't give each other a fair chance and start falling for each other.
Sam opens up to Beth about a difficult time in his past and Beth tells Sam about her mother. When Beth tries to do something for Sam that she thinks he wants and it backfires, can they move past it or will it be the end?
This book gave me all the feels and I know you will enjoy it also.
I received an ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Beth Prudhomme relocates to Portland, Oregon from Chicago to get away from her extremely controlling mother and to reconnect with her Aunt Sunshine. She is a music teacher at the local high school and gives lessons on the side. She has only dated mother-approved men with acceptable pedigrees. She is a bit uptight and overly structured.

Sam Carney is a muscled, tattooed, bearded, pony tailed, head mechanic for a dealership. He was badly burned in a previous relationship and keeps his dating life superficial.

Mutual friends set them up, inviting them to dinner at their home. Dinner is awkward with no interest from either party. On their way home separately, Beth is in a car accident that Sam witnesses and draws them together.

I had a few problems with the book:

Beth is severely injured in her accident yet she is concerned about make-up when she can barely move? Why does Nichole have to bring her toiletries that are supplied by all hospitals? Every bathroom in a hospital has a mirror. If she’s been getting up to the bathroom, how can she not know how she looks? And if her face is bruised and cut up from the accident, there’s no way she could or should put make-up over it. If Sam was so shallow as to think she needed make-up being so severely injured, why would you want the guy?

When Kier shows up demanding she have dinner with him, why didn’t she just tell Sam and take him with her? What was the big deal if she didn’t care about this guy? The whole situation felt contrived. Also, for someone who hated her interfering mother, she did a lot of interfering in other people’s lives. I was not impressed with her character at all.

Sam came across as wishy-washy. He states he doesn’t do relationships but falls pretty easily and with no resistance into one with Beth. She needs to accept him for who he is, but he cuts his hair and shaves his beard when he meets her parents.

This book seemed to drag on and on. I struggled to get through it. A little bit of Bible reading and a little bit of discussing it. Just some kissing, nothing else, not even any thoughts about it progressing further, which I find hard to believe with a supposedly rough around the edges guy.

There were a few times when something was explained then a few pages or even chapters later the questions that had been answered popped up again as if they hadn’t already been discussed. It was like WTH?

I easily read this as a standalone. Not interested in going back for the others or moving forward.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.

This book started as a really sweet and almost clean romance in between Sam and Beth. After meeting on a reluctant blind date by their friends, they both detest each other on first sight and never want to see each other again. But a tragic event leads to Sam helping Beth out and they start getting to know each other. The romance between the two characters is well written until the end of the book when it felt as if the author was rushing towards a deadline and just rushed through the end. The conflict between the hero and heroine seems almost unnecessary and took away the initial sweet romance of the book. I liked the hero a lot more as he is funny, sweet, kind and really hard working but I found Beth's character is a little meddlesome and even though she is thinking that she is doing things for the best, she seemed a little insensitive to the hurt that was causing the individuals involved. The author has also just brushed off the hurt that she causes as something Beth did for everyone's good and portrayed it as if that was alright. I really wished I could say I liked the book, as I loved Sam but unfortunately it was a little underwhelming.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

I'm very much a fan of Debbie Macomber's writing, and that book just made it even bigger. With a light, fluent writing and with events placed in the plot at the right time generating many emotions and suspense about how everything would be conducted until the end of the book. This is in such a way that I read the right way as all normal human being: beginning - middle-end. ..A miracle !!!!! I always start a book by the end ... hahahahaha

Although when i read the synopsis i think the book is about the couple Beth and Sam and their overcoming, for me who magnanimously shine brilliant as a big sun was Beth's aunt, Sunshine, a fundamental piece in the whole plot. With her sweetness, wisdom, tranquility and a heart of the Size of the world, Sunshine in my opinion stole the scene and made me want to give 6 stars to the book.

It is a book about how betrayal hurts and marks the lives of both men and women and how each person reacts to the same problem differently and that it is never too late for forgiveness and love.
It is a book of couples who had everything to be happy but were not, couples who looked happy but one side was dissatisfied, perfect couples and couples who could be perfect ....

So I'll tell you a bit about the main couple, Beth and Sam. She's recently arrived in Portland, almost running away from her mother for realizing how much was created in a vial and had her life controlled with iron hands. In looking for Aunt Sunshine, she realizes how different things can be in her life, it's enough for her to knows how to fight for her freedom.

Beth is a girl created to be perfect and marry the perfect guy, so she's afraid to accept her friend Nichole's invitation (from A Girl's Guide to Moving On) to a blind date with the rough mechanic Sam.
Sam is a friend of Nichole's husband and only for this reason does he accept to participate in the blind date. He avoids in every way perfect girls and who make the superior type. He is the exact opposite of what Beth's mom dreams for her sweet daughter.

At first, both realize that they do not match in anything but thanks to a tragic event the couple is approaching and realizing that they have more things in common than they imagined. Their romance is very cute and gives Beth strength to face her family and show how not she is as fragile as she seems.
Of course, nothing comes that easy, and events from the past with unthinking attitudes will provoke a revolution in the lives of everyone around Beth.

I loved the plot very much with all parallel stories and well interlaced and as I had said was thinking to give 6 stars but a reaction of one of the protagonists made me a little sad and made me give 5 stars .... Which proves that anyway The book is more than recommended.

Kisses, Myl

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Beth and Sam are unlikely companions... she is an only child who has been pampered and protected and he is a down to earth, tattooed mechanic who speaks his mind (note in a not always appropriate way!) They meet on a blind date but are thrown together by a terrible accident in which Beth is seriously injured.

Sam witnesses the accident and becomes Beth's life-line in the aftermath and during her recovery. A friendship blooms which begins to evolve in stronger feelings on both sides. Their mutual love for music bridges the gap in their seemingly incongruous lifestyles and love is in the air.

Their relationship is put to the test when Beth's mother comes to town and expresses her distaste for their relationship, and when a secret that Sam has been holding inside comes to light. Beth is caught in a family drama between her mother and her aunt and she heart is aching over the hurts Sam is dealing with in his life. Her attempts to fix both do not have the outcomes she was hoping for and as a result, she may lose all that means the most to her.

I enjoyed this book and could easily see it being made into a movie. Great story line and full of emotion and healing..... both physically and emotionally.

This book is all about new loves and loves lost.

After dealing with controlling parents. Beth makes a huge move to have a life.
Beth is set up on a blind date of sorts by her friend Nicole. Sam is Nicole' husband friend, and he is a rough looking guy with tattoos and all.

The evening sucks no matter what her friend Nicole tries to do, and well things go downhill from there.

We get an accident and things just spiral from there for Beth and Sam.
And when her mother their worst nightmare rolls into town things really go down hill for this couple. Can they find each other after everything? Will they get a happily ever after? Well grab your copy and find out.

I enjoyed this book, and it was very well written. I have read many of this author's books, and I always enjoy them. They are just pure and wholesome romance.

If Not For You is a journey of one young woman’s quest to separate herself from her overbearing, stifling mother… a journey that doesn’t exactly end up where she expected. Beth has discovered her place as a music teacher, doing what she enjoys with friends and some family around her to complete her life. If she doesn’t have that special someone in her life just yet – well, one day that will happen. When she gives in to the meddling of a friend and endures an awkward evening with comfortable friends and one very uncomfortable stranger, Beth’s life will take on a few turns that were totally unexpected. Perhaps love is at the end of that journey but first Beth has to learn a few lessons, and recognize that she has the same tendencies as her mother for stepping in where she shouldn’t have, and the consequences that brings.

I enjoyed If Not For You. It is classic Debbie Macomber, and that’s always an enjoyable experience for me. I did feel though that Beth got off far too lightly for her meddling. What she did should have taken a bit longer to bring about the forgiveness that she seeks. One cannot just step in to someone’s life and stir up the pot without consequences, and in my opinion, she was forgiven without really learning that lesson. Every reader has their own interpretation of a story and although I loved the story, I didn’t see Beth grow as much as she might have if she’d had to fight for that forgiveness a bit harder. It’s always a treat to run into characters from previous stories. That to me is part of the fun of series, no one is totally gone from the picture until the very last story.

In all, If Not For You was an enjoyable story that I’m sure I’ll re-read. I’d recommend this one for Romance lovers, those that enjoy a strong story with believable characters and real life experiences.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

One of the best things about Macomber's romances is that they are not steamy. That may sound odd but it's really a plus to find people having discussions about music (I actually you=tubed a piece Beth listened to) and art and being real sweethearts rather than just hooking up. You'll like this group of people (reserve judgment on Ellie) and root for all of them, not just Sam and Beth but also Sunshine. This is a nicely plotted novel, with some believable twists and good characters. I read this in a morning- it flows easily and is compelling. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC- if you've read Macomber before you know what you're getting. If you haven't, try this one for a good, heartwarming read.

This is more of a sweet romance, definitely not erotic so if you are hoping for that, close the book and move on. But if you want a great read and a refreshing look at love and life and all the obstacles that can be thrown in, open to the first page and plan to spend time with two real people. The author has a way with words that puts you right on the shoulder of the characters, making you want to give them a nudge or tell them to get with it and do something!

The mother in the story is a minor character with a major part in developing her daughter’s psyche. The terms helicopter mom, empty nest syndrome and a few other phrases come to mind. Beth Prudhomme picked up and moved away from her parents in Chicago and went to live near her Aunt Sunshine in Portland, Oregon. Along with the stipulation that her mother stay away for six months and let her build her a new life. After getting a job as a music teacher at the local school, she has begun to settle in and find new friends among the staff. Her friend, Nicole, invites her to dinner one evening with plans for her to meet her husband’s best friend, Sam, as an informal blind date. To put it mildly, they don’t hit it off – at all.

They both leave shortly after eating, but Beth gets into a bad car accident that Sam witnesses. He gets her help and then proceeds to visit her in the hospital. He doesn’t do relationships but it becomes one that could be destined to fail if it is up to Beth’s mother. She wouldn’t approve of him because he is a mechanic and not a wealthy trust fund baby.

Beth and Sam both have backbone so the two of them have to figure out how or if they can overcome the many obstacles thrown into their path. This has a HEA of course but it is a fun read on how that happens!

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was promised or received in exchange for this review.

Another great story by Debbie Macomber in her New Beginnings Series. To get away from her strong willed mother Beth moves to Oregon where her free spirited aunt lives and takes a job as a music teacher. Her new friend Nichole convinced her to meet their friend Sam. Neither is what the other is expecting. But after a car accident Sam and Beth becomes drawn to each other. The relationship is going smoothly until Beth's controlling mother gets involved.

They soon encounter some more bumps in the road when well meaning Beth decides to surprise Sam. They both will need to decide if they can or want to have a relationship.

Escaping a Domineering Mother to Find Love

At twenty-five, Beth is on her own. She moved from Chicago to Portland to escape the smothering presence of her mother. Finally, she’s able to make her own life, have friends of her choosing, and enjoy her job as a music teacher.

One of Beth’s teacher friends invites her to dinner with her family and a family friend, Sam. Sam is a mechanic, a tough guy that her mother would not have approved of. Sam isn’t too excited about Beth either, a well-brought-up girl who likes classical music. A serious car accident changes everything. Sam and Beth talk while she recovers and find common ground.

This is a warm romance. The characters are people you can empathize with. Beth and Sam don’t seem suited on the surface, but each brings something to the relationship the other needs. Beth’s other friends, and particularly Nicole’s son Owen, add a very human element to the story. They’re the kind of people you’d like to know.

If you enjoy romance with an outcome that makes you feel good, no outrageous sex, or kinky living arrangements, this is a good book. The outcome is predictable, but the fun is in getting to know the characters and see how they arrive at a good resolution.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

Blind dates seldom work. Ones created by mothers are especially disasters in the making. Some parts seemed unrealistic or too mild or too extreme, but I went with it and enjoyed shedding tears in many places. A pleasant romantic tale for several hours of light diversion. Wondering if I should have read the first two in the series, but from other reviews and from the development of the characters, it doesn't seem to be necessary. I am sure I will enjoy going back and catching up with them and any future ones.

If Not for You

Did your mother tell you not to jump to conclusions? Well, this is the ultimate novel about why not! Our hero and heroine are a most unlikely pairing, introduced by friends, politely demurring. However, fate intervenes in the form of a serious auto accident... Debbie Macomber's thought-provoking novel is filled with complex family relationships and on again/off again romances. Her characters will make you sit up and notice, cry a bit, and perhaps make you want to have a stiff talking-to! I really appreciate the skill and sensitivity in Debbie Macomber's books, especially the more recent ones. Not just a formula romantic potboiler, not at all! Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for lending me a time-limited e-copy of this book.

NOte: review will be put on Amazon.com soon after publication. (done March 21, 2017, thanks for email alerting me to publication)

I have been reading Debbie Macomber for many years and have always enjoyed her books. She has written many series books, but I believe this is a standalone. It is a heartwarming, character driven contemporary romance. Beth is a young woman who has been ruled by her mother and finally breaks free to move away from her home and work as a music teacher. Sam is a mechanic and they are forced together on a blind date by their well meaning friends. It is dislike at first site as they believe they have nothing in common. An interesting event happens and they end up getting to know each other. But this story has many levels. Beth always wants to see the best in others and tries to fix other people's issues. Sam willingly goes,along with her schemes as long as it doesn't involve him. When it does, there is trouble in the relationship. That is the basic relationship in this story, but there are so many levels. One of the things Debbie Macomber does so well in her books is give us multiple characters and multiple relationships, that while each is entwined, are all layers for the book. An enjoyable journey for these characters. This is a sweet and yet at times melancholy book. For fans of Debbie Macomber's books, this is a winner. If you have never read her before, this is a good standalone to see how she structures her stories. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks as always to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Another book by Debbie Macomber and another quickly devoured story, which will linger with you. This is a stand-alone book but there are characters in here that we have met before, and quickly I was remembering another story and happy to get caught up with them.
Our girl Beth is trying to move on, she had taken a large step and moved miles from her over bearing mother, can you imagine a girl of twenty-five and her mother telling her how to dress? I sure cannot even phantom being that much under my parents control at that age. Then the man she is fixed up with is nothing that her mother would approve of, but fate does intercede and with a horrible mishap these two may find each other.
Through the book I began to wonder if Beth’s good deeds were reminiscent of her mother, I sure hoped not but they sure seem to backfire on her, and I wondered if she was about to ruin her chances with Sam. A tale that is about to keep you page turning to the end, and it does take to the end to get all of the answers.

I received this book through Net Galley and Ballantine Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

I just loved this book! I loved Beth and Sam and the feelings they envoked for me as a reader. Neither of them has had an easy life, not had they planned on each other. Set up on a blind date by mutual friends, they couldn't be more opposite. But when he witnesses her being involved in a car accident on their way home from their friends' house, Sam knows he can't leave her. For some reason he can't fathom, he visits almost every day and starts to realize he really does like her and it could be much more. Beth looks forward to his visits and she too realizes it is so much more. But when pasts rear their ugly heads can these two figure out they are stronger together?
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.