I received The “What If” Guy by Brooke Moss through Danielle at Entangled Publishing for Brooke’s blog tour. The story follows Autumn Cole, a single mother who has lost her posh job at a Seattle art gallery and is forced to move back to her hometown of Fairfield to help herself recover financially, and to help her ailing father. Billy Cole, also known as the town drunk, as several medical problems thanks to his years of alcoholism, so Autumn moves her and Elliott- her twelve year old son, into her childhood home. Autumn gets the shock of her life after the move- her own son’s history teacher is none other than Henry Tobler- the love of Autumn’s life that she had to leave behind once she found out she was pregnant from a short-lived fling. Now faced with Henry again after all these years, Autumn realizes her deep love from him never faded. How can Autumn carry on with him so close? Could she possibly get a second chance with her “what if” guy?
I absolutely adored The “What If” Guy. The prologue drew me in right away, and the writing was so beautiful throughout. I was enamored with the love story that was full of missteps, bad timing, and assumptions. Autumn and Henry just dance around each other, both so clearly wanting to give their love a second chance, but with so many obstacles now facing them- Autumn’s son, Henry’s still to be finalized divorce, they just never seem to find a chance to really open their hearts to one another. There were plenty of great sub plots as well- the heartbreaking demise of Autumn’s alcoholic father, Autumn’s friend Holly and her expanding family, and the charming town of Fairfield and the characters that fill the streets. The ending completely sold me on giving this five stars. I loved that the epilogue was written in Henry’s point of view, and everything was tied up so neatly that I just felt satisfied when I closed the book. Another favorite in 2011!
[Rating: 5]Please check out Brooke’s guest post for Chick Lit Plus and aspiring writers, and visit her website!
