I Thought You Said This Would Work: A Novel

Written by Ann Garvin

Narrated by Tanya Eby

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: May 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713560319

Ann Garvin

Ann Garvin, PhD, is the USA Today bestselling author of I Like You Just Fine When You’re Not Around, The Dog Year, and On Maggie’s Watch. Ann writes about women with a sense of humor who do too much in a world that asks too much from them. She teaches writing at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Continuing Studies and at the Drexel University master of fine arts program, and she has held positions at Miami University and Southern New Hampshire University in their master of fine arts programs. She is the founder of Tall Poppy Writers, where she is committed to helping writers succeed. She is a sought-after speaker on writing, leadership, and health and has taught extensively at conferences and festivals across the country. For more information on Ann and her work, visit www.anngarvin.net and www.tallpoppies.org.

Reviews for I Thought You Said This Would Work

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Is all the feels still a thing? This novel of friendship, too long held misunderstanding and cancer has it all. When Katie's remission is in unsure territory, she enlists her best friends Holly and Samantha to retrieve her dog Peanut from her ex. Trouble is, he is in California and Peanut is a Great Pyrenees that will have to be driven back to Wisconsin. A road trip involving two estranged college friends, a VW camper and D list celebrity ensues. This was a much more emotional packed book than I thought it would be and the characters were so well written, it was as if you were a part of the group. Don't nitpick too much about a couple little things and enjoy the trip.

[gingersnap000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed this book of friendship, second chances, and fighting Cancer. Believe it or not this a buddy road trip to retrieve a dog for a dying friend. The reader will laugh and cry while reading this book

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this novel. The story of friends and how they went from being the closest of close to estranged to reconciled is beautiful - and funny! When Katie (out of cancer remission) sends Holly and Sam on the road to reclaim her dog, all the typical "road trip" vibes are pulled out. There's the hanger-on Sylvia who acts as buffer and pushes both women to face the pain that has never been resolved. And there are shamans and animals and love interests. Great book.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book that I got through Kindle First Reads.Story (3/5): The story starts out pretty slow. You basically have three friends, two that are on the outs and one (whose cancer has come back) who has traditionally kind of held the friendship together. The first 20% of the book is these three sniping at each other in a hospital room. Things pick up a bit when the two that are on the outs (Holly and Sam) head off on a road trip together. It’s basically one of those “road trips help friends work out issues” kind of stories. The resolution and revelations are a bit bland as well.Characters (3/5): I really disliked our main characters in general. The fact that they let so much mis-communication drive such big dynamics in their relationships came off as really immature. I found it really hard to believe I was reading about adults here. Sam is so averse to any type of confrontation that I struggled to relate to her in any way. Holly is so aggressive about everything she was on the opposite end of the spectrum. They are very overly characterized. Some of the side characters were much more intriguing. Summer, who joins them on a whim, was a hoot and I loved her. The Shaman was wonderful as well. I even liked some of Sam’s potential love interests way more than any of the women this book focuses on.Setting (3/5): The setting is kind of generic modern day American. I really did enjoy the time on the animal rescue farm, that was very well done and intriguing. The rest of it is just kind of a blur of American countryside and, while it does portray the feeling you get on a roadtrip nicely, it just doesn’t impact the story that much.Writing Style (4/5): After you get through the first 20% or so of the book, this was engaging and well written. The questions of whether or not they will get Katie’s dog, what Holly is so pissed at Sam about, and what will happen to Katie really drive the story forward. It’s an easy and quick read that is entertaining. Unfortunately, I felt like the big reveal and the wrap-up was a let down. It was just really predictable and the way things wrapped up was unsatisfying, it felt rushed.My Summary (3.5/5): Overall this was okay, it is a quick read and most of the book is easy to stay engaged with. It started a bit slow, I didn’t like the characters, and I thought the way things wrapped up was unsatisfying. This is a book I didn’t mind reading, but will quickly forget. I don’t plan on seeking out any more books by Garvin in the future.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was my April 2021 Amazon First Reads Pick. I find my First Reads hit or miss. This one definitely lands on the hit side.Three college friends, two of whom have become estranged, come together when one comes out of remission. The two estranged friends end up on a trip to rescue the sick friend's beloved dog--who'd been awarded to the ex-husband in the divorce but then taken to a pound by the ex's current girl. There don't seem to be any happy heterosexual marriages in this book. Samantha is a single mom. Katie is divorced. Katie's parents (who are mentioned but not seen) are married but I'm not sure how happily given what she and her friends say about them. The one happy relationship seems to be Holly and Rosie.I liked the long-time friendship aspect. I also liked the friendship that developed between Peanut and Moose (dogs). WARNING SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW: READ REST OF REVIEW AT YOUR OWN DISCRETIONI did think Katie planned to try to get Holly and Sam to renew their friendship long before it was revealed in the book--but at least the author acknowledged it. I didn't suspect that Rosie knew though.I didn't understand why if someone had called the California place about getting the dog, why the California location didn't hold the dog (even if only for a few days) to see if someone arrived to claim him or tell the person that called that the dog was in Utah or going to Utah (if he was already on the way or it was already planned).

[susan0316 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a road trip! Two women who used to be best friends and a free spirited woman that they meet in California -- all headed from Wisconsin to California to rescue a dog. And YES - there are lots of problems on this road trip - both emotional issues and problems that made me laugh out loud. This new book by Ann Garvin will make you laugh and make you realize the importance of female friendship. It has characters that we all know in our personal lives and that make us root for the success of their rescue. I'd love to be on a road trip with these ladies - but probably not in a Prius with two dogs!Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.