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If You Could See What I See
In this moving, insightful new novel, acclaimed author Cathy Lamb delves into the heart of going home again, the challenge of facing loss--and the freedom of finally letting go. . .
For decades, the women in Meggie O'Rourke's family have run Lace, Satin, and Baubles, a lingerie business that specializes in creations as exquisitely pretty as they are practical. The dynamic in Meggie's family, however, is perpetually dysfunctional. In fact, if Meggie weren't being summoned back to Portland, Oregon, by her grandmother, she'd be inclined to stay away all together.
Since her husband's death a year ago, Meggie's emotions have been in constant flux, and so has her career as a documentary film maker. Finding ways to keep the family business afloat--and dealing with her squabbling sister and cousin--will at least give her a temporary focus. To draw customers to their website, Meggie decides to interview relatives and employees about their first bras and favorite lingerie. She envisions something flip and funny, but the confessions that emerge are unexpectedly poignant. There are stories of first loves and aching regrets, passionate mistakes and surprising rendezvous. And as the revelations illuminate her family's past, Meggie begins to find her own way forward.
With warmth and unflinching humor, If You Could See What I See explores the tender truths we keep close--and what can happen when we find the courage to bare them to the world.
For decades, the women in Meggie O'Rourke's family have run Lace, Satin, and Baubles, a lingerie business that specializes in creations as exquisitely pretty as they are practical. The dynamic in Meggie's family, however, is perpetually dysfunctional. In fact, if Meggie weren't being summoned back to Portland, Oregon, by her grandmother, she'd be inclined to stay away all together.
Since her husband's death a year ago, Meggie's emotions have been in constant flux, and so has her career as a documentary film maker. Finding ways to keep the family business afloat--and dealing with her squabbling sister and cousin--will at least give her a temporary focus. To draw customers to their website, Meggie decides to interview relatives and employees about their first bras and favorite lingerie. She envisions something flip and funny, but the confessions that emerge are unexpectedly poignant. There are stories of first loves and aching regrets, passionate mistakes and surprising rendezvous. And as the revelations illuminate her family's past, Meggie begins to find her own way forward.
With warmth and unflinching humor, If You Could See What I See explores the tender truths we keep close--and what can happen when we find the courage to bare them to the world.
449 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
99 people are currently reading
2516 people want to read
About the author
Cathy Lamb
24 books1,598 followersCathy Lamb was born in Newport Beach, California. As a child, she mastered the art of skateboarding, catching butterflies in bottles, and riding her bike with no hands. When she was 10, her parents moved her, two sisters, a brother, and two poorly behaved dogs to Oregon before she could fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a surfer bum.
She then embarked on her notable academic career where she earned good grades now and then, spent a great deal of time daydreaming, ran wild with a number of friends, and landed on the newspaper staff in high school. When she saw her byline above an article about people making out in the hallways of the high school, she knew she had found her true calling.
After two years of partying at the University of Oregon, she settled down for the next three years and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, and became a fourth grade teacher. It was difficult for her to become proper and conservative but she threw out her red cowboy boots and persevered. She had no choice. She had to eat, and health insurance is expensive.
She met her husband on a blind date. A mutual friend who was an undercover vice cop busting drug dealers set them up. It was love at third sight.
Teaching children about the Oregon Trail and multiplication facts amused her until she became so gigantically pregnant with twins she looked like a small cow and could barely walk. With a three year old at home, she decided it was time to make a graceful exit and waddle on out. She left school one day and never went back. She likes to think her students missed her.
When Cathy was no longer smothered in diapers and pacifiers, she took a turn onto the hazardous road of freelance writing and wrote almost 200 articles on homes, home décor, people and fashion for a local newspaper. As she is not fashionable and can hardly stand to shop, it was an eye opener for her to find that some women actually do obsess about what to wear. She also learned it would probably be more relaxing to slam a hammer against one’s forehead than engage in a large and costly home remodeling project.
Cathy suffers from, “I Would Rather Play Than Work Disease” which prevents her from getting much work done unless she has a threatening deadline. She likes to hang with family and friends, walk, eat chocolate, camp, travel, and is slightly obsessive about the types of books she reads. She also likes to be left alone a lot so she can hear all the odd characters in her head talk to each other and then transfer that oddness to paper. The characters usually don’t start to talk until 10:00 at night, however, so she is often up ‘til 2:00 in the morning with them. That is her excuse for being cranky.
She adores her children and husband, except when he refuses to take his dirty shoes off and walks on the carpet. She will ski because her children insist, but she secretly doesn’t like it at all. Too cold and she falls all the time.
She is currently working on her next book and isn’t sleeping much.
She then embarked on her notable academic career where she earned good grades now and then, spent a great deal of time daydreaming, ran wild with a number of friends, and landed on the newspaper staff in high school. When she saw her byline above an article about people making out in the hallways of the high school, she knew she had found her true calling.
After two years of partying at the University of Oregon, she settled down for the next three years and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, and became a fourth grade teacher. It was difficult for her to become proper and conservative but she threw out her red cowboy boots and persevered. She had no choice. She had to eat, and health insurance is expensive.
She met her husband on a blind date. A mutual friend who was an undercover vice cop busting drug dealers set them up. It was love at third sight.
Teaching children about the Oregon Trail and multiplication facts amused her until she became so gigantically pregnant with twins she looked like a small cow and could barely walk. With a three year old at home, she decided it was time to make a graceful exit and waddle on out. She left school one day and never went back. She likes to think her students missed her.
When Cathy was no longer smothered in diapers and pacifiers, she took a turn onto the hazardous road of freelance writing and wrote almost 200 articles on homes, home décor, people and fashion for a local newspaper. As she is not fashionable and can hardly stand to shop, it was an eye opener for her to find that some women actually do obsess about what to wear. She also learned it would probably be more relaxing to slam a hammer against one’s forehead than engage in a large and costly home remodeling project.
Cathy suffers from, “I Would Rather Play Than Work Disease” which prevents her from getting much work done unless she has a threatening deadline. She likes to hang with family and friends, walk, eat chocolate, camp, travel, and is slightly obsessive about the types of books she reads. She also likes to be left alone a lot so she can hear all the odd characters in her head talk to each other and then transfer that oddness to paper. The characters usually don’t start to talk until 10:00 at night, however, so she is often up ‘til 2:00 in the morning with them. That is her excuse for being cranky.
She adores her children and husband, except when he refuses to take his dirty shoes off and walks on the carpet. She will ski because her children insist, but she secretly doesn’t like it at all. Too cold and she falls all the time.
She is currently working on her next book and isn’t sleeping much.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
August 15, 2013
After leaving behind a disastrous marriage, emotionally crippled Megan O'Rourke returns home to Oregon and takes over the management of her grandmother's failing lingerie business, Lace, Satin and Baubles, which is headed for financial ruin. She moves into a tree house and has no time or desire for a private life. She devotes all of her waking hours to the rescue of the business and her two sisters, Tory and Lacy. Tory is the adopted one who is the main designer and has issues of her own. Lacy has three very strange but adorable children and she is now pregnant with her fourth child. The grandmother is loving but a force to be reckoned with. And of course, there is Blake, the gorgeous, hunky police chief who sets his eyes on Megan. She is attracted to him, who wouldn't be, but she is not interested in another relationship. Then there are an odd assortment of factory workers that all have their own stories! Megan definitely has her hands full!
I did enjoy the really funny parts of this novel and there were many. I wasn't exactly put off at the over-the-top bizarre characters or the raw sexual scenarios because some of them were actually hilarious and others... not so much. I thought there were a lot of repetitious scenes concerning the arguing sisters and the flashbacks of Megan's relationship with her ex-husband, therefore the reading was tiring at times. In other words, what was scrumptiously entertaining was so worth the read and what was not, I will admit, I skimmed over. I can say that the ending is delightful but I never give a novel more than 3 stars when I have to skim pages to get to the good parts. My opinion may be unpopular because many people really loved this one. I suggest that if you like vivacious novels you probably will enjoy this book. The outlandish characters are strong and very interesting and I enjoyed the way they were developed through the novel. The story is somewhat predictable but oh so fun along the way. I did enjoy reading about the strangely devoted, quirky family and will try another of Cathy Lamb's books in the future.
I did enjoy the really funny parts of this novel and there were many. I wasn't exactly put off at the over-the-top bizarre characters or the raw sexual scenarios because some of them were actually hilarious and others... not so much. I thought there were a lot of repetitious scenes concerning the arguing sisters and the flashbacks of Megan's relationship with her ex-husband, therefore the reading was tiring at times. In other words, what was scrumptiously entertaining was so worth the read and what was not, I will admit, I skimmed over. I can say that the ending is delightful but I never give a novel more than 3 stars when I have to skim pages to get to the good parts. My opinion may be unpopular because many people really loved this one. I suggest that if you like vivacious novels you probably will enjoy this book. The outlandish characters are strong and very interesting and I enjoyed the way they were developed through the novel. The story is somewhat predictable but oh so fun along the way. I did enjoy reading about the strangely devoted, quirky family and will try another of Cathy Lamb's books in the future.
July 31, 2013
This isn't the first novel I have read by Cathy Lamb, in 2011 I borrowed Henry's Sisters from the library and though I never wrote a full review I gave the book five stars and wrote "I would give it more if I could." When I finished If You Could See What I See, the first thing I did was make a note that read "I laughed, I cried, I loved!" and the second thing I did was to order the author's entire back list.
Articulating why I so adored this novel is difficult because I can't isolate one particular element that I can identify as extraordinary. There is just something about the way in which Lamb writes that works for me.
In simplistic terms, the story of If You Could See What I See begins when Meggie O'Rourke, still struggling with the fall out from her disastrous marriage, returns home to Oregon to rescue her beloved grandmother's failing lingerie company from financial ruin. Buffeted by her grandmother's indomitable will and her sisters rivalry, Meggie has to find a way to secure both herself, and Lace, Satin and Baubles, a future.
But If You Could See What I See offers so much more than this neat summary reveals. The shocking truth of Meggie's marriage, the complex dynamics of her family and their relationships, the foundation on which the company was built and the lives of the people who work for it, all create a story that is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Similarly, the characters will shock and surprise you, from Brianna O'Rourke's frank discussions about sexual satisfaction on national TV to Hayden's revelation that he is a girl stuck in a boy's body.
There is grief, pain and tragedy, deeply felt and sensitively explored, but all tempered by heart, humour and even romance. A story about love, family and courage, I laughed, I cried, I loved!
November 18, 2013
Meggie is damaged - we get that, we just don't know why until the book unravels her story. Lamb does a good job of incorporating flashbacks and stories to slowly reveal what happened to Meggie. However, that's where the compliment ends. The rest of the book is incredibly cliche. The supporting cast of characters have their identities and Lamb keeps beating those same identities like a dead horse. It got old. She needed to develop her characters and round them out a bit more. The story was predictable and about 100 pages too long. Glad to be finished.
March 7, 2015
The first novel I read by this author really wasn't for me, but I decided to give the author another chance. Unfortunately this novel wasn't for me either. It felt repetitive to the point that I wondered if whole sentences had been copied and pasted. There was just two much literal- wording "I visually saw her" how else do you see someone? And in a scene where Meggie was filming the grandmother and this is a paraphrase because I couldn't find the except quote to mention in this review -she said turn off the camera, I turned it off.....turn it back on, I turned it back on.... and this went on about 4 times! In addition, the amount of crude language was over done and just didn't work. I felt like the book didn't know where to end so then the ending went on and on trying up every little end so nothing is left to the reader's imagination. Just when I thought it would be over something else had to be discussed. This book also had a lot of elements and activity which led me to question why things couldn't just unfold without drama on every page. I think some soap operas have less chaos. I am unlikely to try novels by this author. Recommend this novel for those who have enjoyed other Cathy Lamb novels.
July 20, 2013
One of my favorite things in the world is the anticipation of reading that next book by one of my favorite authors. Another favorite thing is when that author "delivers" on the promise of a great read. Cathy Lamb always delivers, and she has done so once again with "If You Could See What I See."
Meggie O'Rourke has returned home to take over the CEO position at her grandmother's family-run lingerie company, where - together with her sisters, Lacey and Tory - she will have to rebuild the company to its former financial solvency. It won't be an easy process, as besides the challenge of the company itself, Meggie will have to overcome the inner demons that have chased her back to Oregon and the rivalry, competition and overall love that all siblings share.
"If You Could See What I See" is simply a great story about family and love. And, like all of Lamb's novels, it's filled with zany characters that make you wish you were a character in the book yourself so that you could just hang out with the other characters. They're simply fun and "real" and make you wish you knew them in real life.
Overall, a really wonderful story and I hated to see it end!
Meggie O'Rourke has returned home to take over the CEO position at her grandmother's family-run lingerie company, where - together with her sisters, Lacey and Tory - she will have to rebuild the company to its former financial solvency. It won't be an easy process, as besides the challenge of the company itself, Meggie will have to overcome the inner demons that have chased her back to Oregon and the rivalry, competition and overall love that all siblings share.
"If You Could See What I See" is simply a great story about family and love. And, like all of Lamb's novels, it's filled with zany characters that make you wish you were a character in the book yourself so that you could just hang out with the other characters. They're simply fun and "real" and make you wish you knew them in real life.
Overall, a really wonderful story and I hated to see it end!
Want to read
March 17, 2013I cannot wait until this book comes out. I love the way Lamb writes!!!
August 19, 2019
I loved Meggie and her sisters, her niece and nephews, her outrageous mother and feisty Irish grandmother. Meggie, a widow, returns home to help run her grandmother's lingerie business and, in so doing, has to come to grips with her past and celebrate life for what it can give her. She handled spousal abuse, mental illness and transgender issues adroitly and with aplomb.
September 5, 2013
Meggie and her family are a breath of fresh air. Meggie goes home after a year of wandering after her husbands death. Her Grandmother task her with saving the family business, getting her sisters to stop arguing and with starting to get her own life back together. Cathy Lamb handles very serious subjects with deep sensitivity, realistic reaction and humor. I can picture myself having some of the conversation with people in this book. I wish I could put into words why I love this story so much. I believe Cathy Lamb is going to be on my favorite author list for a very long time!
October 5, 2013
In all fairness, I have to say that I did not fully read the book. I got through the first three chapters and could not go on. I found the characters unrelatable, the dialogue mundane and the actual story telling juvenile. The thought of reading another page numbed my brain. I cannot figure out how others have given this 5 stars.
September 18, 2018
SEVERAL times I went to see what page I was on and how much was left. This book has so much promise but its redundant and the writing can be clunky.
Take 150 pages out and it may be a winner!
Take 150 pages out and it may be a winner!
May 24, 2018
I love Cathy Lamb. I wept reading "Henry's Sisters". Loved "Julia's Chocolates". Adored "A Different Kind of Normal". I anticipated being just as enthusiastic of "If You Could See What I See".
Instead... It's like Lamb paged through FB looking for every "ism" of which anyone has posted. Mental illness: check. Mental abuse: check. Physical abuse: check. Sexual abuse/rape: check. Illegals immigration: check. Transgender: check. Child abuse: check. Sexual freedom: check. Sperm-donor: check. Teen promiscuity: check. Animal advocacy: check. Alcohol and Drug Addiction: check. Well, I could go on, but you get the idea.
The thing is, the primary "ism"---mental illness in a loved one (I don't want to give away a spoiler in case someone wants to suffer through this)---and that storyline was pretty darn compelling. We didn't need all the other crap. And frankly, there is no one to really like in the book but maybe Grandma Reagan and the police chief. The three sisters themselves---I think they are supposed to be Lamb's usually quirky, charming and endearing characters---are absolutely unlikable and most of the female characters are annoying. As I think about it, the male partners of the sisters only make infrequent appearances, but they are by far the most attractive. I actually want to tell these guys: RUN! You can do better! Really!
I can't really recommend this book, although I can't say enough good things about the other three Lamb books listed above. I actually don't think Lamb wrote this book. Maybe it was AI or something, and she just plugged some parameters into her computer. I am giving it two stars because I liked the guys and I wanted to save them from the nutballs. Take the guys away and it gets a 1 star. Barely.
Instead... It's like Lamb paged through FB looking for every "ism" of which anyone has posted. Mental illness: check. Mental abuse: check. Physical abuse: check. Sexual abuse/rape: check. Illegals immigration: check. Transgender: check. Child abuse: check. Sexual freedom: check. Sperm-donor: check. Teen promiscuity: check. Animal advocacy: check. Alcohol and Drug Addiction: check. Well, I could go on, but you get the idea.
The thing is, the primary "ism"---mental illness in a loved one (I don't want to give away a spoiler in case someone wants to suffer through this)---and that storyline was pretty darn compelling. We didn't need all the other crap. And frankly, there is no one to really like in the book but maybe Grandma Reagan and the police chief. The three sisters themselves---I think they are supposed to be Lamb's usually quirky, charming and endearing characters---are absolutely unlikable and most of the female characters are annoying. As I think about it, the male partners of the sisters only make infrequent appearances, but they are by far the most attractive. I actually want to tell these guys: RUN! You can do better! Really!
I can't really recommend this book, although I can't say enough good things about the other three Lamb books listed above. I actually don't think Lamb wrote this book. Maybe it was AI or something, and she just plugged some parameters into her computer. I am giving it two stars because I liked the guys and I wanted to save them from the nutballs. Take the guys away and it gets a 1 star. Barely.
March 12, 2017
For the last few days, I've been writing and re-writing this review. I love every Cathly Lamb book that I've read, but a few people whom I've lent her books to have absolutely hated them. I wanted to write an honest review and be able to convey what I like about her books despite the things that some would see as nonsense or crazy, but I wasn't sure I would be able to. To start with, Lamb's characters are usually troubled and off the wall, and things happen that might make you roll your eyes or shake your head. In "If You Could See What I See", the O'Rourke family's business is a little far fetched in how it is run. Their grandmother insists on taking her adult grandchildren sky diving, and their mother is a sex therapist who tours the country giving advice on talk shows and at book signings. In spite of the nutty characters are far fetched outings, what I loved about this book is that the emotions were raw. Real. At one point, Meggie is fighting with her neighbor because he wants a relationship and she does not and neither one wants to take no for an answer. The emotion and the dialogue were real life, unlike so many other books out there. The feeling of loss and regret she's dealing with throughout the entire book were also genuine (even if most of the other characters and their actions weren't).
I mentioned that it has taken me a few days to figure out how to write this review without discouraging anyone from reading this book. Yes some parts are silly, but at the same time, Lamb has a talent for being able to capture intense elements of love and pain, so clearly, that I can't help but love her writing.
Today I was reading Orson Scott Card's introduction for "Ender's Game", and the following quote perfectly sums up my feelings for "If You Could See What I See":
"Why else do we read fiction, anyway? Not to be impressed by somebody's dazzling language--or at least I hope that's not our reason. I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not 'true' because we're hungry for another kind of truth: The mythic truth about human nature in general, the particular truth about those life-communities that define our own identity, and the most specific truth of all: our own self-story." Thanks Orson! Happy reading.
I mentioned that it has taken me a few days to figure out how to write this review without discouraging anyone from reading this book. Yes some parts are silly, but at the same time, Lamb has a talent for being able to capture intense elements of love and pain, so clearly, that I can't help but love her writing.
Today I was reading Orson Scott Card's introduction for "Ender's Game", and the following quote perfectly sums up my feelings for "If You Could See What I See":
"Why else do we read fiction, anyway? Not to be impressed by somebody's dazzling language--or at least I hope that's not our reason. I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not 'true' because we're hungry for another kind of truth: The mythic truth about human nature in general, the particular truth about those life-communities that define our own identity, and the most specific truth of all: our own self-story." Thanks Orson! Happy reading.
October 10, 2025
2.5 stars
March 2, 2015
The last Cathy Lamb book I read was "The First Day of the Rest of My Life" back in 2011. I did not like it. There was way too many things crammed into that book and I started to get sick of reading Ms. Lamb's characters having the same weird quirks and voices from book to book. I picked up "If You Could See What I See" because it was available via the Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Good thing I didn't pay for this book because I found this just as disappointing as the last book I read.
This newest offering centers around Meggie O'Rourke and her family's lingerie business. Meggie has recently returned home to help her grandmother's struggling lingerie business in Oregon. She is still recovering from her marriage and husband's death and is doing her best to draw her two sisters' in closer. Her sisters Lacy and Tory both work for her grandmother's company and have left things go into a tailspin since they are still embroiled in childhood drama even as adults. Meggie's grandmother Regan is still a sexy in control woman in her eighties but she now wants her granddaughters to step up and help save the family business.
Though the plot didn't exactly feel me with excitement I hoped that it would be more along the lines of "Henry's Sisters" and "Julia's Chocolate". I can deal with some quirkiness with my characters but if the whole thing reads as a weird pacific northwest Gothic fiction novel I am just not interested. Sadly the more I read, the more I realized that I was right to pass up on her last book before this one.
We get some insight into Meggie's character but it takes a lot of time and reading before you find out what is going on with that character and how her husband died. I really wish that things had not been spoon-fed to the reader a page or two here and there since we would read a bit and go back to Meggie dealing with her sisters, or taking care of the menagerie of pets Regan (her nephew) kept bringing over. I was sympathetic to Meggie once I read the whole back-story and felt for her and found myself getting frustrated and annoyed with the love interest for her in this book (by the way Ms. Lamb does not do subtle, as soon as Meggie meets the character you know this is only going one way) because of the ham-fisted way he kept treating her. I felt upset on her behalf and honestly wanted her to just say to him:
"Based on my past I am allowed to act this way and just because you want X, Y, Z from me does not mean it is going to happen on your speed."
I don't want to get too spoilery in this review but there was legitimate reasons why Meggie was hung-up the way she was about starting something new. It makes me really annoyed when an author sets up a reason why a character would be reacting the way they are whether it is due to a past abusive relationship, rape, etc. and the male character is all but I love you so that is all that should matter. Um no, not in real life. Even in romance or other books I read, I still read for realism and to something I can relate to. There was some realism in this book but often it gets overshadowed by silliness and quirkiness that I just got tired of real quick.
For example, the character of Lacy has three kids that I swear could have come out of central casting. For example, Lacy's son, Regan is sweet and cries at a drop of a hat but also is phenomenal in sports and reminds me so much of Lance from "Such a Pretty Face" that I had feelings of deja-vu anytime that character spoke. Her daughter Cassidy is a slut. It's okay though since she is such a great baker and cook. No I am not kidding about this and no I don't run around calling characters that either, but her aunt and her own mother call her that several times and several times say it so that she can actually overhear. I was just flabbergasted. Lacy's other son Hayden is going through wanting to have surgery to become a girl. I definitely feel for those who are going through being transgendered and all that it entails but besides one or two show-downs with people who have problems with it who of course are just total caricatures of every racist and bigot out there we don't get much insight into the character of Hayden. This is probably because there are a lot of moving parts to this novel that Ms. Lamb had going on and she did not have sufficient space to tell a truly compelling story about any character since she was trying to jam fit so much in one book.
Meggie's two sisters' are just shallow characters we don't get much insight into except that Tory is just selfish as the day as long and I got tired of reading her tirades about everything.
The story wraps things up clumsily and then the ending just kind of happens. I can say that I was most disappointed with the ending to Meggie's storyline and leave it at that. The other characters I really didn't care that much about either way. I would suggest passing on this.
Please note that I received this novel via the Amazon Kindle Unlimited program.
This newest offering centers around Meggie O'Rourke and her family's lingerie business. Meggie has recently returned home to help her grandmother's struggling lingerie business in Oregon. She is still recovering from her marriage and husband's death and is doing her best to draw her two sisters' in closer. Her sisters Lacy and Tory both work for her grandmother's company and have left things go into a tailspin since they are still embroiled in childhood drama even as adults. Meggie's grandmother Regan is still a sexy in control woman in her eighties but she now wants her granddaughters to step up and help save the family business.
Though the plot didn't exactly feel me with excitement I hoped that it would be more along the lines of "Henry's Sisters" and "Julia's Chocolate". I can deal with some quirkiness with my characters but if the whole thing reads as a weird pacific northwest Gothic fiction novel I am just not interested. Sadly the more I read, the more I realized that I was right to pass up on her last book before this one.
We get some insight into Meggie's character but it takes a lot of time and reading before you find out what is going on with that character and how her husband died. I really wish that things had not been spoon-fed to the reader a page or two here and there since we would read a bit and go back to Meggie dealing with her sisters, or taking care of the menagerie of pets Regan (her nephew) kept bringing over. I was sympathetic to Meggie once I read the whole back-story and felt for her and found myself getting frustrated and annoyed with the love interest for her in this book (by the way Ms. Lamb does not do subtle, as soon as Meggie meets the character you know this is only going one way) because of the ham-fisted way he kept treating her. I felt upset on her behalf and honestly wanted her to just say to him:
"Based on my past I am allowed to act this way and just because you want X, Y, Z from me does not mean it is going to happen on your speed."
I don't want to get too spoilery in this review but there was legitimate reasons why Meggie was hung-up the way she was about starting something new. It makes me really annoyed when an author sets up a reason why a character would be reacting the way they are whether it is due to a past abusive relationship, rape, etc. and the male character is all but I love you so that is all that should matter. Um no, not in real life. Even in romance or other books I read, I still read for realism and to something I can relate to. There was some realism in this book but often it gets overshadowed by silliness and quirkiness that I just got tired of real quick.
For example, the character of Lacy has three kids that I swear could have come out of central casting. For example, Lacy's son, Regan is sweet and cries at a drop of a hat but also is phenomenal in sports and reminds me so much of Lance from "Such a Pretty Face" that I had feelings of deja-vu anytime that character spoke. Her daughter Cassidy is a slut. It's okay though since she is such a great baker and cook. No I am not kidding about this and no I don't run around calling characters that either, but her aunt and her own mother call her that several times and several times say it so that she can actually overhear. I was just flabbergasted. Lacy's other son Hayden is going through wanting to have surgery to become a girl. I definitely feel for those who are going through being transgendered and all that it entails but besides one or two show-downs with people who have problems with it who of course are just total caricatures of every racist and bigot out there we don't get much insight into the character of Hayden. This is probably because there are a lot of moving parts to this novel that Ms. Lamb had going on and she did not have sufficient space to tell a truly compelling story about any character since she was trying to jam fit so much in one book.
Meggie's two sisters' are just shallow characters we don't get much insight into except that Tory is just selfish as the day as long and I got tired of reading her tirades about everything.
The story wraps things up clumsily and then the ending just kind of happens. I can say that I was most disappointed with the ending to Meggie's storyline and leave it at that. The other characters I really didn't care that much about either way. I would suggest passing on this.
Please note that I received this novel via the Amazon Kindle Unlimited program.
July 30, 2013
In this moving, insightful new novel, acclaimed author Cathy Lamb delves into the heart of going home again, the challenge of facing loss–and the freedom of finally letting go…
For decades, the women in Meggie O’Rourke’s family have run Lace, Satin, and Baubles, a lingerie business that specializes in creations as exquisitely pretty as they are practical. The dynamic in Meggie’s family, however, is perpetually dysfunctional. In fact, if Meggie weren’t being summoned back to Portland, Oregon, by her grandmother, she’d be inclined to stay away all together.
Since her husband’s death a year ago, Meggie’s emotions have been in constant flux, and so has her career as a documentary film maker. Finding ways to keep the family business afloat–and dealing with her squabbling sister and cousin–will at least give her a temporary focus. To draw customers to their website, Meggie decides to interview relatives and employees about their first bras and favorite lingerie. She envisions something flip and funny, but the confessions that emerge are unexpectedly poignant. There are stories of first loves and aching regrets, passionate mistakes and surprising rendezvous. And as the revelations illuminate her family’s past, Meggie begins to find her own way forward.
With warmth and unflinching humor, If You Could See What I See explores the tender truths we keep close–and what can happen when we find the courage to bare them to the world.
This was my first Cathy Lamb book, but it won’t be my last. As gripping as the story is, it is the characters which make this book for me. Each one is a perfectly drawn mixture of traits. I could not only see the characters, I could feel them. Each character has their own problems and secrets, none more so than the central character Meggie O’Rourke who is plagued by nightmares following a bad marriage.
Although this book is undeniably a romance, it is a real romance. Nothing seems stilted or over the top. Nothing seems too perfect, which makes a refreshing change.
I received an advanced reader copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
For decades, the women in Meggie O’Rourke’s family have run Lace, Satin, and Baubles, a lingerie business that specializes in creations as exquisitely pretty as they are practical. The dynamic in Meggie’s family, however, is perpetually dysfunctional. In fact, if Meggie weren’t being summoned back to Portland, Oregon, by her grandmother, she’d be inclined to stay away all together.
Since her husband’s death a year ago, Meggie’s emotions have been in constant flux, and so has her career as a documentary film maker. Finding ways to keep the family business afloat–and dealing with her squabbling sister and cousin–will at least give her a temporary focus. To draw customers to their website, Meggie decides to interview relatives and employees about their first bras and favorite lingerie. She envisions something flip and funny, but the confessions that emerge are unexpectedly poignant. There are stories of first loves and aching regrets, passionate mistakes and surprising rendezvous. And as the revelations illuminate her family’s past, Meggie begins to find her own way forward.
With warmth and unflinching humor, If You Could See What I See explores the tender truths we keep close–and what can happen when we find the courage to bare them to the world.
This was my first Cathy Lamb book, but it won’t be my last. As gripping as the story is, it is the characters which make this book for me. Each one is a perfectly drawn mixture of traits. I could not only see the characters, I could feel them. Each character has their own problems and secrets, none more so than the central character Meggie O’Rourke who is plagued by nightmares following a bad marriage.
Although this book is undeniably a romance, it is a real romance. Nothing seems stilted or over the top. Nothing seems too perfect, which makes a refreshing change.
I received an advanced reader copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 2, 2019
I liked this book and it was a great story about life's ups and downs. At times, I got very frustrated with Meggie, but she was true to her hurts and strengths. Glad I picked this to finish off 2018 and start the New Year.
August 5, 2013
Cathy Lamb is one of my favorite authors--her books always make me both laugh and cry and I love her quirky characters and Portland-area, Oregon (where I grew up) settings. As soon as If You Could See What I See was out, I promptly went to Barnes & Noble with my 20% off coupon and bought it, then spent the next two days and 430+ pages completely absorbed in the story. (No Kindle for Cathy's books because I have to share them with my mom and sisters after--they are those kinds of books.
In this novel, Margaret (Meggie) O' Rourke has returned home to Portland, summoned by her grandmother Regan O'Rourke to keep the family business, a lingerie business called Satin, Lace and Baubles afloat and to repair the relationship of her sister Lacey and adopted sister Tory. Meggie left the company several years before to follow her passion to be a documentary film maker but a bad marriage, the death of her husband and other secrets and tragedies have left her broken.
As usual in Cathy Lamb's books, there is a cast of crazy but loveable characters; Meggie's eccentric family and the company's diverse employees especially. Lamb deftly works in subjects like death, abuse and even the struggles of a transgender adolescent into her family drama. And, I tend to mark her books as "foodie fiction" because of all the cooking and meals woven into the story.
I think this is one of my very favorites from this author--a book to curl up and escape with--tissues, handy for both the happy and sad parts. I would rate it 4.5 stars but since I can't here, I'll round it up to a 5. ;-)
In this novel, Margaret (Meggie) O' Rourke has returned home to Portland, summoned by her grandmother Regan O'Rourke to keep the family business, a lingerie business called Satin, Lace and Baubles afloat and to repair the relationship of her sister Lacey and adopted sister Tory. Meggie left the company several years before to follow her passion to be a documentary film maker but a bad marriage, the death of her husband and other secrets and tragedies have left her broken.
As usual in Cathy Lamb's books, there is a cast of crazy but loveable characters; Meggie's eccentric family and the company's diverse employees especially. Lamb deftly works in subjects like death, abuse and even the struggles of a transgender adolescent into her family drama. And, I tend to mark her books as "foodie fiction" because of all the cooking and meals woven into the story.
I think this is one of my very favorites from this author--a book to curl up and escape with--tissues, handy for both the happy and sad parts. I would rate it 4.5 stars but since I can't here, I'll round it up to a 5. ;-)
August 12, 2013
As usual, another stunning book from Cathy Lamb. The sisters in this book are believable, the mother and grandmother are interesting. Ms. Lamb's characters are always three dimensional. Not for the cookie cutter is she. While she writes with targeted humor that never misses and I always do laugh out loud, Ms. Lamb also plucks a sting on the heart. I have enjoyed all of her books and recommend them to anyone who asks for a book outside their normal reading genre. Having said that, she does tend to take a run into the traumatically dramatic issues of life. This book deals with mental illness and it's impact on people around the person afflicted with mental illnesses. At first, I was worried about it because this particular book does not portray it's mentally ill character in a flattering light. However, the circumstances of the story resonates with a theme all too common for people who suffer mental illness. Denial and refusal to address their issues and often times making their problems worse by self-medicating. There is nothing but empathy, not sympathy for the main character of the book. You cheer for her, internally yell at her when you disagree with her decisions, and you go with her thinking the same things she does when she questions the validity of her decisions in her life. This book also bring forth the power of family especially the relationships between the sisters. I read this book way too quickly because I couldn't put it down. Now I have to wait for the next one. But at least I know it'll be worth the wait.
December 4, 2013
Oh, boy, what can I say... I picked this up at a Kroger store in Tennessee where the selection wasn't the best. I needed something to read on the plane. Maybe I'm too old to appreciate this book... too much drama. I got so tired of hearing about Meggie's dysfunctional relationship with her husband, which was written about throughout this book. Torie's dysfunctional relationship with her husband was also a common theme. The problems with Lacey's teenagers (one girl is sexually active and her boy who wants to be a female) weren't very entertaining, in my opinion. The redeeming parts of this book included some of the employee's stories that they wrote for the fashion show. Sorry, but I was not a fan of this book and struggled to finish it.
January 17, 2014
What a fabulous story! I previously considered Julia's Chocolates one of my top all-time favorite books, but it is going to have to share that spot with this one. There is a great story, wonderful characters, and so much wisdom in this book, that I feel like I may need to read it again - and I rarely, if ever, re-read books. This one is so good I am planning to buy copies for my friends!
July 21, 2013
. I received this book as an early release from netgalley. I have always been a fan of Cathy Lamb's writing, but she has outdone herself this time. The reader is immediately drawn into this captivating family with all of their issues. You will laugh out loud and cry while reading this book, all the while wishing that you could be friends with the characters and purchase all of your lingerie from Lace, Satin and Baubles. A must read!
August 24, 2013
This was "classic" Cathy Lamb - right up there in stature with Henry's Sisters and Such a Pretty Face. Loved all the characters, loved the writing and the beauty of the story. I never get tired of her writing style - set in present day with snippets of flashbacks that keep you hanging on until the very end when she wraps it all up in a nice pretty bow. Beautifully done!
April 4, 2016
This was the first book by my favorite author I didn't love. I loved every character but the main protagonist. While I sympathize with her pain, it wasn't until the end of the book...and if I'm brutally honest I thought she was stupid for staying in such a situation. There are millions of others like her, and in real life I can be more sympathetic, but I expect more from this author's heroines.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2016
This is the first Cathy Lamb book I have read, but I plan on trying others. Interesting story of three generations of women all working for a "bra" company started by the grandmother. The characters are interesting and believable and although it seemed to be a slow read, I enjoyed it all the way through.
September 11, 2014
This was an interesting an enjoyable book by Cathy Lamb. In it, widowed Megan O'Rourke returns home to try to save her grandmother's failing lingerie business. This is a novel of second chances and starting over.
July 14, 2013
I laughed, I cried. I enjoyed this book very much! Crazy family, crazy relationships, wonderfully woven together. Typical Cathy Lamb style!
August 15, 2013
Aw, this is so cool! Can't wait to read.
May 6, 2015
I laughed out loud and I cried. An amazing book.
January 10, 2017
A solid four star chick lit read. Cathy Lamb seems to have a great balance of light and fluffy with just enough substance to keep me wanting more. If you like her others you will like this!
January 3, 2017
this book was so awesome. it was funny, humorous, some sadness and well wriitn.
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