I Thought You Said This Would Work: A Novel

“Equal parts hilarious & 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

A road trip can drive anyone over the edge—especially two former best friends—in bestselling author Ann Garvin’s funny & poignant novel about broken bonds, messy histories, & 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 & 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, & 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 & drives the road trip in fresh directions.

Samantha & Holly are following every new turn—toward second chances, unexpected romance, & 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, & especially for the love of Katie.

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Ann Garvin, Ph.D. is the USA Today Bestselling author & finalist for the Thomas Wolf Fiction Prize. She is the author of six funny & sad novels. She writes about people who do too much in a world that asks too much from them. Ann is the founder of the multiple award-winning Tall Poppy Writers, a group of traditionally published authors committed to helping readers find wonderful books.