Any Dream Will Do: A Novel — Comfort food for the chaos-tired soul

Debbie Macomber knows exactly what she's doing, and I'm not mad about it.

Look, I started this one during Sophie's nap time on a Tuesday and honestly? I needed something that wasn't going to require mental gymnastics. Three kids, zero brain cells left by 2pm. Macomber delivered exactly what the cover promised—a second chance story with heart, a little bit of faith woven in, and characters I actually rooted for.

Shay's story hit different for me. Not because I've ever been in her situation (my biggest crime is probably the amount of screen time I give my kids so I can listen to audiobooks), but because the whole "starting over when everything feels impossible" thing? Yeah. That tracks. When you're a mom who left a career you were actually good at, there's this weird grief nobody talks about. Watching Shay rebuild herself piece by piece—it just felt real.

Two Narrators, Zero Whiplash

So here's the deal with dual narration: it can go really right or really wrong. Laurel Rankin and Mark Deakins? They got it right. Rankin handles Shay's chapters with this vulnerability that doesn't tip into whiny (huge pet peeve of mine), and Deakins gives Drew this warmth that makes you understand why his congregation loves him. The switch between narrators wasn't jarring—and trust me, I'm listening to this while simultaneously preventing a toddler from eating crayons, so jarring would be a problem.

The pacing is solid. Nine hours is right in my sweet spot—long enough to feel like a real story, short enough that I can actually finish it before I forget what happened in chapter one. I knocked this out over about a week and a half of car time and stolen moments, and it survived all my interruptions. High praise.

Yes, It's Predictable. No, I Don't Care.

Let me be honest: you're not going to be shocked by any plot twists here. The moment Shay walked into that church, I knew exactly where this was heading. The brother coming back to cause problems? Saw it coming. The community rallying around her? Obviously.

But here's the thing—sometimes predictable is exactly what you need. I don't always want to be surprised. Sometimes I want to know the ending is going to be okay so I can just... relax into it. This book is like a warm blanket. You know what a warm blanket does. You're not expecting it to suddenly become a jet pack. And that's fine.

The faith element is present but not preachy, which I appreciated. Drew's a pastor, so obviously religion is part of the story, but Macomber handles it with a light touch. It's more about grace and second chances than anything heavy-handed.

The Widower Dad Stuff Got Me

The parts with Drew's kids actually got me. There's something about watching a widower learn to open his heart again while also being a good dad that just... ugh. I may have gotten a little misty during school pickup. Not full ugly-cry, but close. (The mom next to me in the carpool line definitely noticed. I pretended I had allergies.)

Shay's relationship with her brother Caden is complicated in a way that felt true. That thing where you love someone but they keep making terrible choices and you don't know where the line is between helping and enabling? Macomber captures that frustration without making Shay look stupid for caring.

Perfect For Multitasking Moms, Not For Edge-Seekers

If you want gritty, morally complex literary fiction—this isn't it. If you want spicy romance with explicit scenes—also not it. Skip this one. But if you want a clean, heartwarming story about broken people finding their way back to hope? This is comfort food in audiobook form.

My book club would love this (if I ever have time for book club again). It's the kind of book that makes you feel good about humanity without being naive about how hard life can be.

I listened at 1.25x and it was perfect. The narrators' pacing works well slightly sped up without losing any emotional beats. Car time approved, nap time approved, hiding-in-the-bathroom-for-five-minutes approved.

The Mom Verdict

Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. Sometimes you need a story that reminds you people can change and love shows up in unexpected places. Total Control gave me that same feeling of hope wrapped in solid storytelling. Satisfying ending—exactly what I needed.