If Not for You (New Beginnings #3) by Debbie Macomber

If not for her loving but controlling parents, Beth Prudhomme might never have taken charge of her life and moved from her native Chicago to Portland, Oregon, where she s reconnected with her spirited Aunt Sunshine and found a job as a high school music teacher. If not for her friend Nichole, Beth would never have met Sam Carney, although first impressions have left Beth with serious doubts. Sam is everything Beth is not and her parents worst nightmare: a tattooed auto mechanic who s rough around the edges. Reserved and smart as a whip, Beth isn t exactly Sam s usual beer-drinking, pool-playing type of woman, either. 
But if not for an awkward setup one evening, Beth might never have left early and been involved in a car crash. And if not for Sam who witnessed the terrifying ordeal, rushed to her aid, and stayed with her until help arrived Beth might have been all alone, or worse. Yet as events play out, Sam feels compelled to check on Beth almost daily at the hospital even bringing his guitar to play songs to lift her spirits. Soon their unlikely friendship evolves into an intense attraction that surprises them both. Before long, Beth's strong-willed mother, Ellie, blows into town spouting harsh opinions, especially about Sam, and reopening old wounds with Sunshine. When shocking secrets from Sam s past are revealed, Beth struggles to reconcile her feelings. But when Beth goes a step too far, she risks losing the man and the life she s come to love.

Review: Thank you NetGalley for the copy of It Not for You by Debbie Macomber that I read and reviewed.
This is the third book in the New Beginnings series and even though it is a stand alone it does contain a lot of spoilers for the second book so if you haven't read it and are planning on reading it I would suggest you read the books in order or at least the second and third due to spoilers.
Now for this book. It started off really fast then slowed down a bit and for me that was a bit strange but I guess it worked for this book in the grand scheme of things because I really ended up enjoying it.
Beth and Sam seemed like they would be total opposites and not work but as the book moved on as a reader you had no choice but to cheer for them. I loved how in this book true opposites attracted.
Then there was Sunshine, Beth's aunt who was dealing with the pain of the betrayal of her sister and really not getting over her true love. Her story that was intertwined with Sam and Beth's added a second layer to this book and a second character for the reader to cheer for.
This book is not your typical romance if that is what you are looking for. Things are not always easy for these characters and they have to fight their own demons and their pasts to get their happily ever after in this story and the journey they go through makes them stronger as individuals, as a family and as couples and that is what makes this book so special.
I am giving It Not for You four out of five stars.