You Take It From Here

FEATURING A GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE

Just because you’d give your best friend everything doesn’t mean she has to take it.

On the heels of a divorce, all Danielle Meyers wants is her annual vacation with sassy, lifelong 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.

In the spirit of
Beaches
and
Steel Magnolias, You Take It from Here
is an honest, hilarious, and heartbreaking novel that ultimately asks: How much should we sacrifice for the ones we love the most?

“Pamela Ribon takes you on a colorful, rich, and unforgettable journey.” —Kristin Harmel, author of
The Sweetness of Forgetting

“Ribon is a sparkling talent.” —
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

PAMELA RIBON is the bestselling author of the novels
Why Girls Are Weird, Why Moms Are Weird,
and
Going in Circles
. A writer for stage, screen, and television, her credits include the Emmy Award–winning
Samantha Who?
Visit her popular blog at
pamie.com
, or find her in the dictionary under “muffin top.” (That is not a joke.)

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COVER DESIGN BY REGINA STARACE • COVER PHOTOGRAPH OF WOMEN WALKING BY EDVARD MARCH/CORBIS; ROAD AND FLOWERS BY MASTERFILE; HOUSE BY JOHN ELK III/GETTY IMAGES; AUTHOR PHOTO BY JESSICA SCHILLING PHOTOGRAPHY

Raves for Pamela Ribon’s “witty, wonderful, and wise” (
Maryland Gazette
) novels

YOU TAKE IT FROM HERE

“Hilarity and heartbreak compete, but ultimately hope wins in this thoroughly delightful story about what it means to be a woman, a mother, a best friend. I can’t wait to pass this book along to every woman who ever mattered to me. Pamela Ribon has a huge, fresh voice, and this is her best book yet.”

—Joshilyn Jackson,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Gods in Alabama
and
A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty

“One of those rare books where the characters feel like your best friends from the first page. You’ll laugh and cry as Pamela Ribon takes you on a colorful, rich, and unforgettable journey of friendship.”

—Kristin Harmel, author of
The Sweetness of Forgetting

GOING IN CIRCLES

“Pamela Ribon’s hilarious and touching writing makes you think, feel, and wish you still knew how to roller skate. Her best work yet.”

—Caprice Crane, international bestselling author of
Family Affair

“If Pam broke my heart with
Why Girls Are Weird
, she completely pulverized it with
Going in Circles
. . . . I’m not usually one to force people to read books, but seriously people, if you don’t pick up
Going in Circles
this summer, you clearly don’t love books enough.”

—Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic, for
BlogHer

“Few writers are as funny as Pamela Ribon, who infuses her novels with satirical humor alongside honest glimpses into our most intimate relationships. . . . One of summer’s most absorbing reads.”

—
largehearted boy

“It’s refreshing to see a chick lit heroine who isn’t just a designer label whore. Charlotte has depth. Sometimes she’s wise, and sometimes she needs a guide to see the obvious—just like a real person. Ribon has taken us back to chick lit basics, and the floundering genre is all the better for it.”

—
All About Romance

“A more intense read than you’ll get from something with a pink cover. Which is as it should be.”

—
Lainey Gossip

“Totally enjoyable reading. . . . I read it in a day and I learned about roller derby and I laughed out loud once and cried a little, and what more do you really want in a book?”

—
The Unimaginary Book Club

“This book surprised and delighted me. . . . A highly enjoyable novel by a talented writer whose time has come.”

—
Fierce & Nerdy

“This is a fantastic book. I’m really going to attempt to rein in my enthusiasm. Really! This is me attempting to sound like I’m not pushing a book at you.”

—Book-Addicts.com

WHY MOMS ARE WEIRD

“A rollicking page-turner. . . . Fantastic and satisfying.”

—
Albuquerque Journal

“Compassionate. . . . Fans will identify with this kind, imperfect heroine.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“This joyous, single-sitting read is as bright and witty as it is wise and bittersweet. . . . Ribon is a sparkling talent.”

—
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Hilarious and heartfelt.
Why Moms Are Weird
tackles the absurd morass of family with joyful wit and brutal honesty. I barreled through this book.”

—Jill Soloway, Emmy-nominated writer for
Six Feet Under
,
The United States of Tara
, and author of
Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants

WHY GIRLS ARE WEIRD

“Chick lit at its most trenchant and truthful.”

—Jennifer Weiner,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Then Came You

“Light and entertaining.”

—
Booklist

“A whole lot of good reading.”

—
Miami Herald

“Irresistible. . . . [L]ike hanging out with your best friend just when you need to most.”

—Melissa Senate, author of
The Love Goddess’ Cooking School

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Gallery Books
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2012 by Pamela Ribon

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.