This was such a great read! I absolutely fell in love with Ann Garvin’s I Thought You Said This Would Work.
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A road trip can drive anyone over the edge—especially two former best friends—in bestselling author Ann Garvin’s funny and poignant novel about broken bonds, messy histories, and the power of forgiveness.
Widowed Samantha Arias hasn’t spoken to Holly Dunfee in forever. It’s for the best. Samantha prefers to avoid conflict. The blisteringly honest Holly craves it. What they still have in common puts them both back on speed dial: a mutual love for Katie, their best friend of twenty-five years, now hospitalized with cancer and needing one little errand from her old college roomies.
It’s simple: travel cross-country together, steal her loathsome ex-husband’s VW camper, find Katie’s diabetic Great Pyrenees at a Utah rescue, and drive him back home to Wisconsin. If it’ll make Katie happy, no favor is too big (one hundred pounds), too daunting (two thousand miles), or too illegal (ish), even when a boho D-list celebrity hitches a ride and drives the road trip in fresh directions.
Samantha and Holly are following every new turn—toward second chances, unexpected romance, and self-discovery—and finally blowing the dust off the secret that broke their friendship. On the open road, they’ll try to put it back together—for themselves, and especially for the love of Katie.
Guys, this book was so funny, and so sweet, and so fun. If you read the synopsis, you’re probably thinking “oh my, that’s a lot going on” and it totally is, and at times, it’s a little absurd. I mean, a diabetic dog and a D-list celebrity? Just trust me on this, though…it’s a great read!
The characters were super lovable. Even Holly, who seems angry for no reason, is likable because you can tell there’s something more going on and you just really want to find out what it is. It really kept me guessing throughout the story, and I was rooting so hard for Sam to just speak up and ask Holly what the heck was bothering her.
Really, I was rooting for Sam the whole time. She’s such an endearing character, and I wanted to be her friend. She has that classic “I’m a mom and that’s my identity but now my kid is moving out so who am I?” kind of thing going on. I enjoy stories that deal with empty nesting, as it’s such a big change in lifestyle.
I Thought You Said This Would Work was just the right amount of funny and fluffy, while also carrying an undercurrent of seriousness and real life that was very…well, real. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that I absolutely loved the ending. It was beautiful.
I highly suggest picking this one up! I gave it a full 5 stars.