I’m especially excited to feature If We Ever Get There: A Novel Paperback by Laura Barrow thanks to Kate Rock Book Tours. From the author of Call the Canaries Home comes the heartwarming tale of two generations of women struggling to find their way…until the voice of Patsy Cline shines a light.
Laura Barrow
June 18, 2024
Lake Union Publishing
Available on Kindle Unlimited
Fiction, Women’s Fiction
About the Book:
When her nineteen-year marriage ends, stay-at-home mom Effie Baker takes the first step into her new life with an extreme makeover. She assumes she’ll wake up with a renewed sense of confidence, not a vision of country music icon Patsy Cline telling her she needs to “set things right.” But like everything else lately, the last thing Effie expected is exactly what she gets.
Although the message is cryptic, Effie is certain it must have something to do with her grandmother, Lolly, who idolized the singer. While Lolly’s past may hold the key to her granddaughter’s future, it’s up to Effie to figure out what these connections mean on her own.
In the whirlwind of a new job, a mysterious stranger, and the ups and downs of everyday life, Effie will have to decide what relationships are worth saving and summon the courage to find her own voice.
My Review:
In If We Ever Get There: A Novel Paperback by Laura Barrow Effie Baker is getting divorced after 19 years of marriage. She’s devoted herself to her family and her husband over the past two decades, and her husband’s infidelity is painful. She goes in for a little cosmetic surgery in the hopes of boosting her confidence, but she gets something way more than she bargained for when she wakes up to the vision of country star Patsy Cline telling Effie she needs to “set things right.” Has Effie lost her mind? What could this possibly mean? And how in the world can she possibly explain the “incidents” after the surgery?
Alternating with chapters from Effie’s point of view (each titled with one of Patsy’s songs), are journal entries from the 1960s written by Effie’s grandmother. A huge fan of Patsy Cline, Effie’s grandmother addresses each journal entry as though it were a letter to Patsy. Each one of Effie’s is titled by one of Cline’s songs.
I absolutely adored this novel – it’s got a little bit of paranormal elements, a little bit of romance and a whole lot of a woman in her 40s figuring out just who she truly is. This is a funny and sweet story that isn’t afraid to tackle some big topics and I could not stop turning pages. When I wasn’t reading, I listened to some Patsy Cline myself, and I rooted for Effie the entire time. There are excellent side-characters as well and each help to tell this story so beautifully. This is such a great read.
Purchase Links – Amazon
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Publisher Information
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