If Not for You: A Novel

Front Cover
Random House Publishing Group, Aug 22, 2017 - Fiction - 432 pages
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
 

Selected pages

Contents

Section 1
5
Section 2
18
Section 3
29
Section 4
38
Section 5
48
Section 6
60
Section 7
71
Section 8
85
Section 22
232
Section 23
244
Section 24
254
Section 25
262
Section 26
269
Section 27
277
Section 28
286
Section 29
296

Section 9
97
Section 10
107
Section 11
118
Section 12
134
Section 13
143
Section 14
156
Section 15
165
Section 16
175
Section 17
180
Section 18
186
Section 19
200
Section 20
210
Section 21
221
Section 30
307
Section 31
318
Section 32
329
Section 33
339
Section 34
351
Section 35
362
Section 36
373
Section 37
382
Section 38
386
Section 39
393
Section 40
405
Section 41
415
Copyright

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About the author (2017)

Debbie Macomber, the author of It's Better This Way, A Walk Along the Beach, Window on the Bay, Cottage by the Sea, Any Dream Will Do, If Not for You, and the Rose Harbor Inn series, is a leading voice in women's fiction. Thirteen of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber’s Cedar Cove books. She is, as well, the author of the cookbook Debbie Macomber’s Table. There are more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

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