Book Review: You Take It From Here

You Take It From Here by Pamela Ribon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

On the heels of a divorce, all Danielle Meyers wants is her annual vacation with sassy, life-long best friend, Smidge—complete with umbrella cocktails by an infinity pool—but instead she’s hit with the curveball of a lifetime. Smidge takes Danielle to the middle of nowhere to reveal a diagnosis of terminal cancer, followed by an unusual request: “After I’m gone, I want you to finish the job. Marry my husband. Raise my daughter. I’m gonna teach you to how to be Smidge 2.0.”

As Danielle wrestles with this major life decision, she finds herself torn between being true to her best friend’s wishes and being honest with herself. Parenting issues aside, Smidge’s small-town Louisiana world is exactly the one Danielle made sure to escape. Danielle isn’t one for playing the social butterfly, or being the center of attention. And when your best friend tries to set you up on a date night with her husband, it might be time to become the bossy one for a change.

When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued by the premise. Would Danielle want to or be able to step into Smidge’s shoes? I had to find out. (Don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for you.)

Smidge turned out to be a pretty unlikeable woman. She was bossy, rude, and presumptuous. I had a hard time understanding why Danielle was friends with her at all. Their relationship was definitely codependent. I found it to be authentic though; I know women who have friendships very similar to Danielle and Smidge.

Even though I didn’t like Smidge, I still enjoyed the book. The characters were well-developed and layered. I especially loved Smidge’s husband’s best friend Tucker. He was comic relief and the voice of reason at the same time.

Because I am a cold-hearted snake (see my review of Skipping a Beat), this book was not a sob fest for me, although it certainly was sad. However, if you are the type who bawls at movies like Beaches, then this book will give you a good cry. I thought it was a great summer read.

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(I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publicist.)