The What If Guy

Totally captivating!

This book was so amazingly good that I don't even want to write a review. Because there is no way I can fully capture the awesomeness that is The "What If" Guy with my lousy words.

This fantastic book is all up in my relationship lovin' grill and I ATE! IT! UP! I cried people, I cried like four separate and distinct times. CRIED! The last time I cried while reading a book was 1987! Seriously, it was when I read Taliesin by Stephen Lawhead.

I just.just.*squee* I don't have much more than that.

Brooke Moss rocked the relationships.

Autumn + her son, Elliot = WIN! A wonderful relationship that shows how a single parent can succeed, underscoring the sacrifices a woman on her own has to make. It made me proud of my single mom friends and made me even more thankful for my amazing husband who is my dream come true.

Autumn + her father, Billy = WIN! This was a heart-wrenching, honest look at a tough relationship. Moss tackled the consequences of alcoholism head on, both the physical and emotional. It really was heartbreaking and touching.

Autumn + her best friend, Holly = WIN! There is really nothing, nothing, that can compare to a best friend. Autumn burned quite a few bridges when she left her small town for college in the big city. Then shame and embarrassment cut the rest of the ties she might have had with Holly. But Holly embodies the heart of what friendship is. I have a friend like that and I treasure her - the sister of my heart. I wish a friendship like this for all women everywhere.

Autumn + Henry = WIN! First I have to say that Henry Tobler is the MOST unlikely hero name I have ever read. And I was prepared to judge. Silly, stupid me! This man was was flawed, gentle, strong, smart, and totally, completely squee worthy. This entire relationship was filled with so many wild ups and downs I had some head spinning going on but with a date and a night 13-years in the making was drool worthy.

The book was also scattered with small relationships that at first didn't necessarily mean too much but in the end, when Moss pulls the camera back and shows us the whole picture.every single, last one added to the whole.

There was some sex stuff but I honestly can't remember it enough to squee or drool because I was so involved in the actual relationship between Henry and Autumn it was not a stand out scene. Like an honest relationship it was a part of the whole.

This book pushed every single relationship button I have and ones I didn't even know where there. Once I actually started reading it I could not put it down. Brooke Moss, you've made a life time fan and have been added to my auto-buy list.

You made me laugh, cry, and sigh. My heart fluttered, I gasped, I got mad and confused. You pulled emotion out of me with a surgical precision that I found stunningly beautiful. Thank you.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Funny and Sweet

I LOVED IT!!!!!
My husband sure did give me a lot of funny looks while I was reading it though! I was laughing out loud, crying...getting mad! LOL Can't wait for more books by Brooke Moss ;)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Dang good!

I don't do summaries - if you want the summary, you can check out the book or see below. But I will review this sucker!
To preface this, I met the author at a local RWA chapter meeting and found her quite delightful. She told me about her book but didn't push anything on me.
When I Kindled it (yes, I love that thing), I started reading, unsure of what to expect. I mean, let's face it, that cover is UNREAL! Absolutely gorgeous. I was worried that the story inside wouldn't hold up to it.
But hold the phone! I was so enraptured by the characters, I didn't get off the treadmill for a lot longer than I had planned (most reading is on the treadmill). My butt thanks this book!
But seriously, the conflicting emotions this book created had me talking about it to people I haven't discussed books with in a while.
At one point, I was literally laughing through sad tears. Seriously? What the heck? Yes, it is great characterization, plot reinforcement and mushy love stuff all rolled into one! And I LOVE mushy love wrapped around the word romance.
Brooke Moss did a great job threading a simple, engaging plot with a large variety of subplots which enriched her characters without a lot of baggage and gave them a multi-faceted gleam - like a diamond!
Great job, Ms. Moss. I can't wait for more.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I couldn't put my Nook down!!!

I was hooked from the first page, to the last! I was sad when it ended! I laughed, cried, got butterflies, & got frustrated! I felt like I was right there in that little town with them!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Autumn returns home to Fairfield with her son Elliot to nurse he

Autumn returns home to Fairfield with her son Elliot to nurse her father back to health and get her life back on track. The last thing she expected was to run into her ex-boyfriend, Henry, the only man she ever loved.

Although this is mainly a Romance, it encompassed so much more. Brooke Moss brought to the page a heart warming story about friendship, family and second chances. From the start, I was drawn into the story and its characters.

A funny and strong-willed single mother, Autumn felt like a friend to me and reading her story was both entertaining and painful. I found myself laughing at her antics and inner musings, but also crying with her and for her. She truly was an incredible character to get to know.

Henry was adorable and infuriating. Although at times I wanted to get inside his head, I don't think that I missed much, since Brooke Moss did a great job of letting me see Henry's personality and emotions through Autumn's eyes. He was thoughtful, funny and completely adorable.

Brooke Moss introduced a wonderful cast of secondary characters that added to the story in their own right. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the townsfolk, the gossip mill and how they all pulled together for a common cause. I especially liked Holly and how she and Autumn renewed her friendship.

All in all, The "What-If" Guy was a great romantic story about letting go, taking chances and accepting new beginnings. Add a pair of complex, interesting main characters, a cast of quirky neighbors, humor and range in emotions and you've got yourself a wonderful read.

Rating 4.5 Stars Well, I got a chance to read The "What If&

Rating 4.5 Stars
Well, I got a chance to read The "What If" Guy by Brooke Moss. This delightful read is about to be re-release this coming week. I'm seriously really enjoyed the book.

Have you ever wonder if the guy you left behind was the "one"? Well, Autumn Cole has always thought of Henry Tobler after leaving him. She never thought she would see him again, funny how fate intervenes in her life.

Yes, I did enjoyed this story. The "What If" Guy has a lot of emotional tension. The tension tends to circle around Autumn and her dynamics between her son, her father, and Henry. Coming back to her hometown hasn't been an easy transition. I loved the dynamics between each of her relationship with the men her life. So, you watch Autumn deal with rebuilding a relationship with her son. Which happens to be a rocky relationship since leaving Seattle. She slowly rebuilds what they had before. Then you have a damage father-daughter relationship that is in desperate repairs before her father dies. I think that was one of the most emotional parts of the story. Finally, Henry. Now this is a complicated relationship with all the "I want you, but I can't right now."

Overall, an emotional read. With a lot of dynamics between the important characters in the story. I adore the story, because it was written in such a fantastic way. I mean Ms. Moss was able to keep me captivated with the whole story. I really didn't want to put the story down. So, if you are looking for an emotional good read, I would suggest The "What If" Guy.

Copy provided by the publisher

Great book about 2nd chances...

My Review:
I really liked this book, but it's not one of those books that I can necessarily pinpoint the "why" for that. This is a contemporary novel with a lot going on with the heroine, Autumn.


The story starts with a prologue that takes place 13 years prior to when the book actually takes place. She is breaking up with the love of her life, Henry, whom she has only been dating for two months, but it has been a magical two months. They are in love, but she has just discovered that she's pregnant by the guy that she hooked up with before meeting Henry. The break-up breaks both of their hearts, but to her mind, there is no alternative. She's pregnant with someone else's baby so she needs to make a go at that relationship.


Now it's 13 years later, and she has come home eight month's after losing her job running an art gallery after the economic downturn. She is coming home with her 12 yo son who is not happy about moving. The relationship with his father never worked out so she has always been a single mother. Her father, whom she has only seen once in the last 10 years, is an alcoholic and very sick so she is home to take care of him and to get back on her feet. When Autumn dated Henry, they were living in Seattle, so you can imagine her surprise when she walks into her sons new classroom and discovers that his teacher (in this town of 500 people) is Henry, her true love that she destroyed.


There is so much going on with Autumn, but it's a great story. There is a lot of depth to it and a lot of aspects of the story which I really loved. I adored Henry although his signal were so confusing that it became a bit frustrating. My one issue with this story was that the characters, even at the very end, did not know how to communicate which had already kept them apart for 13 years. I just felt like there should have been more growth in that aspect of their relationship over the years. I loved Elliott, Autumn's son. I can just imagine how hard it would be for an artistic pre-teen to settle into a small town. I thought that Brooke Moss wrote his character really incredibly well. I also really loved the arc of the relationship between Autumn, Elliott, and her father. That relationship has a TON of reasons for it not to work, but it was really beautiful in the way that she wrote them working out their differences.


This is a great book about small town life, about second chances, and about love and romance. Overall, I really, really liked the story. One of my favorite things about how Brooke wrote the story was such a small detail, but it was great for impact. The entire story is written from Autumn's point of view, but the epilogue is written from Henry's. It was such a cool detail that I really LOVED!


This is one of those books that I can see myself reading over and over and coming to love it more and more with each reading. It was just one of those books. Definitely going on my keeper shelf!

One of my favorite and I heartily recommend it!

Review by Kate:
I wanted to read this story because of one of the first lines in the blurb - 'Autumn Cole clocked hers with an encyclopedia.' After accidentally hitting my husband with a 2x4 (among other things.and all totally accidental, I swear), I could relate! The opening language had me completely hooked (see Favorite Quote), but I didn't have my hopes up for the language and style to continue. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! Brooke Moss' The "What If" Guy was not all humorous, but also very poignant and managed to capture various emotions so perfectly, you felt like you were talking with your best friend and seeing her heartache.

Autumn Cole is a single mom who just lost her job in Seattle and is heading back to her small hometown, the place she vowed never to return. I could identify with her character and the need to not return to a small town upbringing, once you have been to the 'outside' world. The author did a wonderful job of capturing that small-town mentality, where everyone knows everybody else's business, whether you want them to or not. Autumn's character ran away, and now has to go home and face the music of her actions; such as, when she didn't want her best friend to know she had become pregnant and had to drop out of school. Because of her 'shame,' Autumn never spoke to her childhood best friend, Holly, since then.

All of the characters in this story are perfectly drawn. The forgiving best friend, who opens her heart and welcomes an old friend back home, as if nothing had happened. The couple who own the local store and know everything that is happening in the small town of Fairfield. The town drunk, who learns before it's too late that family is important. The local school teacher who comes from San Francisco with big ideas that help those students who don't quite fit in. The student who is a little bit 'odd' but learns to fit in as well as stand up to the local bullies. The woman who comes home, in more ways than one. The characters are all a little different, which is so refreshing to see. There is nothing worse than reading a book where everyone has the same speech pattern, and you get no sense of who they are as an individual. That is definitely not the case here.

This being said, it is more of a character-driven storyline, than one based on a prescribed plot. It is the story of a woman going home and what she finds there. Having been conditioned by so many plot-driven contemporary romances, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, as it were. There were a few shoes placed lightly on the floor, but nothing too shocking or that throws the story completely off-kilter, making you wonder if they will ever get together. I actually enjoyed the change quite a bit! It wasn't cliche, it was a story of people.

The 'What If' Guy by Brooke Moss is now one of my favorites, and one that I would heartily recommend. The language was wonderful and the story flowed at a perfect pace. It's rare to come across a book were the ending didn't seem rushed. The word that comes to mind (again) is poignant. This reader felt a part of Autumn's world and her story, feeling her pain and her wonderment. I wanted to sit down and share a plate of Haystacks with Holly and Autumn, have them as my best friends.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.