I Thought You Said This Would Work - by Ann Garvin (Paperback)

About the Book

"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."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"Despite dealing with some heavy topics--cancer, widowhood, and the impending birth of a first child--Garvin's (I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around) book is laugh-out-loud funny." --Library Journal

"Both humorous and incredibly heartfelt, [I Thought You Said This Would Work is] a feel-good story that will stay with you long after the final page." --BookTrib

"A charming exploration of female friendship and cancer's uncanny ability to put perceived slights into perspective...[I Thought You Said This Would Work is] a testament to the power of one's own voice and the mistruths in the stories we tell ourselves, and an introspective, heartwarming, and witty farce." --Booklist

"It's a hoot!" --BookTrib

"Garvin does excellent work in balancing the heartbreaking realities of illness and the unfair hands we are often dealt with goofy, laugh-out-loud moments that leave readers wanting more." --Erie Reader

"Ann Garvin writes brilliantly about women." --Good Morning America

"Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, I Thought You Said This Would Work kept me reaching for tissues--from laughing so hard. This book is a pure delight." --Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author of You Were There Too

"Ann Garvin navigates the twists and turns of female friendship like few writers working today. I Thought You Said This Would Work is at once profound, hilarious, and ridiculously entertaining. Her best novel yet, I didn't want it to end!" --Karen Karbo, New York Times bestselling author of Yeah, No. Not Happening.

"Laughter, tears, and an unforgettable cast of characters: I Thought You Said This Would Work has everything I love, so it's no surprise that I adored this novel. Ann Garvin's latest, about three unlikely allies on the road trip to end all road trips, is the sort of life-affirming story we all need right now. I can't recommend it highly enough." --Camille Pagán, bestselling author of This Won't End Well

"Ann Garvin knows how to find the ooey-gooey center of your emotions to make you laugh, cry, and hoot in appreciation. I Thought You Said This Would Work celebrates female friendship in all its complicated glory. Read immediately, curled up with a furry friend and hot cup of coffee." --Amy E. Reichert, author of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club

"Anyone who has ever known the healing power of love--from friends both two-footed and four--will fall hard for Garvin's latest book. Like the road trip at the heart of its story, I Thought You Said This Would Work surprises [and] thrills at every turn." --Gretchen Anthony, bestselling author of Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners and The Kids Are Gonna Ask

"I Thought You Said This Would Work is a heart-breaking and hilarious story of how we rescue each other. It's a great, big, generous, warm-hearted page-turner about best friends and love and loss and forgiveness and dogs, told with absolute honesty and humor. You couldn't ask for more from a novel." --Lauren Fox, author of Send for Me

"Road trip! Three women embark on a breakneck, cross-country adventure in this wholly original story of friendship and old misunderstandings, love and devastating loss. Filled with Garvin's signature humor and heart, this book takes the reader on a wild ride with rescued pets, romantic possibilities, and one highly-charged secret." --Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs

"No one captures the human condition in all its complexity, humor, and magnificence quite like Ann Garvin. I Thought You Said This Would Work is a relatable story about the complexity of female friendship, its evolution through the years and the people who are always there no matter what. In the pages of her approachable and inspirational new novel, Garvin is at the height of her distinctive, transportive storytelling powers. You will laugh, cry, and find yourself rushing back to the page whenever you have to walk away." --Kristy Woodson Harvey, USA Today bestselling author of Feels Like Falling

"Nobody captures the nuances of friendship like Ann Garvin. I Thought You Said This Would Work features incredibly relatable characters who rely on old friends to help them muddle through the challenges of midlife with humor and grace. Despite long-held grudges and jealousy, this is a tale of sacrifice and devotion (and dogs!), and the importance of feeling truly known." --Christina Clancy, author of Shoulder Season