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If She Could
Hazel Paterson’s life is in tatters since her fiancée left. Alone and sleeping on her best friend’s couch, her business is as dead as her social life. After her mother has an accident, being forced to move back home feels like the final blow.
Louise King’s life is finally back on track. After a ropey start she’s starting to believe everything is going to plan, that’s until a childhood enemy comes back on the scene. Even worse, a crush she’d long forgotten is set to complicate things in ways she could never imagine.
Hazel is seeking stability. Louise is ready to rock the boat. Can they find a way to meet in the middle…and maybe have a little fun while they’re at it?
Set in Perth and full of slow-burn chemistry, enemies-to-lovers tension, and best friends you’ll fall in love with, buy If She Could to find out if casual can be serious after all.
What to
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy sunshine
Only one bed…TWICE
Single mother dealing with big life changes
Meddling best friends
Situationship woes
Spice
Louise King’s life is finally back on track. After a ropey start she’s starting to believe everything is going to plan, that’s until a childhood enemy comes back on the scene. Even worse, a crush she’d long forgotten is set to complicate things in ways she could never imagine.
Hazel is seeking stability. Louise is ready to rock the boat. Can they find a way to meet in the middle…and maybe have a little fun while they’re at it?
Set in Perth and full of slow-burn chemistry, enemies-to-lovers tension, and best friends you’ll fall in love with, buy If She Could to find out if casual can be serious after all.
What to
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy sunshine
Only one bed…TWICE
Single mother dealing with big life changes
Meddling best friends
Situationship woes
Spice
381 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2023
8 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Allie McDermid
6 books68 followersAllie McDermid is a sapphic romance author. Her debut novel, Love Charade, has been published in August 2022. Born and raised in Perth, Allie now lives in Glasgow with her ever-growing gang of cats. She is partial to a good scone.
(source: Amazon.com)
(source: Amazon.com)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 7, 2023
Chuffed to get an ARC from Allie. Was well worth the wait! If only work hadn’t gotten in the way it would of been read sooner. Another great ‘real life’ story, really enjoy how these stories are written…you can relate or understand what characters have gone through and this book was no different. Looking forward to more!
June 27, 2023
If you have read LOVE DETOUR and LONG TIME COMING you already know Hazel. McDermid didn’t choose the easy path and broke a good person’s heart.
We are meeting her again in IF SHE COULD at her lowest. No job, no flat, no fiancée, having to move back to her parents ; I spend the first chapters, thinking « ooooh Hazel ».
Then, meet Louise : Louise and Hazel went to school together and Louise bullied Hazel in high school, whispering and laughing at her with her friends. I am always a bit uncomfortable with bully stories because I tend to hold grudges. McDermid did a good job in her redemption here, explaining her past behaviour and acknowledging it. Louise is clearly someone different now. Both characters are communicating, honest about their feelings and I appreciate that.
I loved how Louise slowly gained Hazel’s forgiveness, friendship, then heart. Hazel has been so hurt she doesn’t trust her own heart anymore and I felt for her. The object of the conflict with Louise was logical and well written. The resolution was a bit too easy but I am glad she had the happy ending she deserved.
I had a really good time reading the book. There is a lot of Scottish slang so google was definitely my friend, but I love to learn new sentences.
McDermid writes easy to read books with endearing characters and managed to create a spin off to an already rich world she built around LOVE DETOUR. I won’t complain about her productivity, I was waiting for Izzie’s story, now I can add Charlotte’s and Jordan’s on the list.
We are meeting her again in IF SHE COULD at her lowest. No job, no flat, no fiancée, having to move back to her parents ; I spend the first chapters, thinking « ooooh Hazel ».
Then, meet Louise : Louise and Hazel went to school together and Louise bullied Hazel in high school, whispering and laughing at her with her friends. I am always a bit uncomfortable with bully stories because I tend to hold grudges. McDermid did a good job in her redemption here, explaining her past behaviour and acknowledging it. Louise is clearly someone different now. Both characters are communicating, honest about their feelings and I appreciate that.
I loved how Louise slowly gained Hazel’s forgiveness, friendship, then heart. Hazel has been so hurt she doesn’t trust her own heart anymore and I felt for her. The object of the conflict with Louise was logical and well written. The resolution was a bit too easy but I am glad she had the happy ending she deserved.
I had a really good time reading the book. There is a lot of Scottish slang so google was definitely my friend, but I love to learn new sentences.
McDermid writes easy to read books with endearing characters and managed to create a spin off to an already rich world she built around LOVE DETOUR. I won’t complain about her productivity, I was waiting for Izzie’s story, now I can add Charlotte’s and Jordan’s on the list.
June 5, 2023
literally flawless book. LOVED it
June 22, 2023
Redemption, Blocked By Her Own Guilt And Fear.
Hazel feels broken, unable to trust herself after Ashley shattered her heart. Louise has had a crush on Hazel since high school but Hazel hates Louise for how Louise treated her in high school. But slowly, inexorably, Louise works her way past all Hazel’s defenses but one, Hazel’s irrational insistence that she can’t trust her own instincts in love.
This book made me laugh and cry. And it was pure joy to watch Hazel finally tear down her own final wall between herself and her forever love, Louise.
Hazel feels broken, unable to trust herself after Ashley shattered her heart. Louise has had a crush on Hazel since high school but Hazel hates Louise for how Louise treated her in high school. But slowly, inexorably, Louise works her way past all Hazel’s defenses but one, Hazel’s irrational insistence that she can’t trust her own instincts in love.
This book made me laugh and cry. And it was pure joy to watch Hazel finally tear down her own final wall between herself and her forever love, Louise.
June 23, 2023
love when people write about thirty years old falling in love, not everyone gets their lesbian love at 17.
loved the scottish slang? anyways I read it in like a day which makes me like this book more, and as jordan says it could have more lesbians in it but I'll wait patiently for the book club love stories also did the author just hint charlotte and jordan could be a thing or is my solely fantasy.
loved the scottish slang? anyways I read it in like a day which makes me like this book more, and as jordan says it could have more lesbians in it but I'll wait patiently for the book club love stories also did the author just hint charlotte and jordan could be a thing or is my solely fantasy.
October 13, 2023
In If She Could Louise and Hazel meet again many years after graduation. Things do not go smoothly. Their great difficulties in communicating clearly with each other continually push their developing relationship offtrack. They do eventually find their way, but the self-imposed roadblocks become a little too much at times. This is a decent read with a reasonably satisfactory conclusion.
June 17, 2023
It is more of a 3.5.
I think it was a 'me' issue. I was not necessarily loving Hazel and Louise. Yes, I want them to be together. I don't think it is a bad book and I hope more people discover it. I really appreciated Louise being honest. In some way, I enjoyed the communication in this book whenever they sat down and talked. I think I will try another book by this author!
I think it was a 'me' issue. I was not necessarily loving Hazel and Louise. Yes, I want them to be together. I don't think it is a bad book and I hope more people discover it. I really appreciated Louise being honest. In some way, I enjoyed the communication in this book whenever they sat down and talked. I think I will try another book by this author!
March 20, 2024
Let’s all head to Perth🥰
A delightful love story filled with intriguing characters both young and old that takes place in the hinterlands of Scotland that still does not have an LGBTQ bar down town.
Read how Hazel and Louise muddle through past hurts and scars to find their well deserved happy ending 💕💕💕
A delightful love story filled with intriguing characters both young and old that takes place in the hinterlands of Scotland that still does not have an LGBTQ bar down town.
Read how Hazel and Louise muddle through past hurts and scars to find their well deserved happy ending 💕💕💕
April 11, 2024
I was honestly hesitant about reading this book because I was SO onboard with Dani and Ashley in Long Time Coming that I didn't read Hazel as a character I liked, that said, If She Could definitely changed my mind. I have read enough of Allie McDermid's books at this point, should have trusted her to write yet another book that I would enjoy. If you like spicy contemporary romance with story and well developed characters, then you will like this book as well as all of Allie McDermid's other books.
June 5, 2023
Yay for Hazel
If this is your first book by this author, you will have fun. It's a great love story. If you had read other books then you will be so happy Hazel finally finds someone who loves her and appreciates her.
If this is your first book by this author, you will have fun. It's a great love story. If you had read other books then you will be so happy Hazel finally finds someone who loves her and appreciates her.
November 25, 2025
My only criticism is that I didn’t know this was connected to other books by this author and the villain in this one is a heroine of another set before this one, so I now have no desire to read that one lol this book was great though!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews