Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Tender, magical and captivating - a story of family, friends, and the unlikeliest of romances . . .

Everything in Elizabeth Egan's life has its place, from the espresso cups in her gleaming kitchen to the swatches and paint pots of her interior design business. Order and precision keep life under control - and Elizabeth's heart from the pain and hurt she has suffered in the past.

The only cloud on the horizon is her sister Saoirse, a red-haired whirlwind always leaving behind pieces which Elizabeth struggles to pick up - including her six-year-old son Luke. Being a reluctant mother while trying to keep her business on track is a full-time job, one which leaves little room for error - or fun.

Until, one day, a stranger unexpectedly comes into their lives. Ivan is carefree, spontaneous and always looking for adventure - everything that Elizabeth is not. In no time at all, he has crept under her skin and started to change her life in ways she could never have .

She knows barely anything about Ivan - who he is and whether he is everything he seems. And if there is a future for their blossoming relationship...

Full of Cecelia Ahern's trademark warmth and poignancy, If You Could See Me Now is a love story with heart - and just a little bit of magic...

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Elizabeth is a successful thirtysomething businesswoman living in a small town in Ireland. In an effort to establish some control over a chaotic, dysfunctional family, she has a clean, rigid, and lonely existence with her six-year-old nephew Luke. Into her bleak existence comes Ivan, a magical and somewhat disrupting presence who delights and inspires Elizabeth and Luke. Ahern's characters and landscapes are beautifully developed in this modern folktale, and the whimsy is charming though not especially profound. Apparently the rights to the book have been sold to Disney for a musical version that is sure to be popular. Production values are excellent in this audio program with Susan Lynch and Rupert Degas giving dimension to the female and male voices. Highly recommended for light fiction collections in public and high school libraries.-Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

In her third novel, Ahern (P.S., I Love You and Love, Rosie) employs an imaginary best friend to breathe distinctiveness into an otherwise stereotypical Irish tale. Living in her own house in a small, posh Irish town, 35-year-old Elizabeth Egan is an uptight interior designer and adoptive mother to her six-year-old nephew, Luke, whose mother, Elizabeth's 23-year-old sister, Saoirse, prefers boozing to parenting. Saoirse's behavior reminds Elizabeth of a painful past-the alcoholic mother who abandoned the family, leaving Elizabeth to care for her baby sister and forgo her own childhood, and the emotionally distant, controlling father still waiting for his wife's return. Unlike the other women in her family, Elizabeth adheres to a fastidiously well-ordered existence-no mess, no complications, no love. But all that changes with the arrival of Ivan, a goofy and spontaneous man intent on infusing much-needed fun and tenderness into Elizabeth's frigid persona. The catch is no one can see this ageless man from the land of "Ekam Eveileb" save Elizabeth and her nephew. Through Ivan, Elizabeth becomes the woman she's always been too afraid to be. He helps her reclaim the childhood she never had and, most importantly, to forgive those who have let her down. Ahern tempers heartbreak with hope and playfulness in this uplifting, sentimental tale. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

Ahern's charming third novel takes an imaginative twist, literally, as one of the main characters in her novel is an invisible friend, Ivan. Ivan befriends six-year-old Luke Egan, who is being raised by his aunt Elizabeth. Luke's mother, Saoirse, is 12 years Elizabeth's junior and very much like their flighty mother, who ran off and left Elizabeth and Saoirse with their cold father. Serious, grounded Elizabeth all but raised her sister, and now she's doing the same with her nephew. Elizabeth is distressed when Luke starts talking to his invisible friend Ivan, but it is Ivan who is truly puzzled when it seems as though Elizabeth can sense his presence. And then Elizabeth actually sees him, although she believes he's the father of Luke's friend, Sam. Ivan decides to get to know her, but things become complicated when Elizabeth and Ivan begin to fall in love. An imaginative twist on romantic comedy, Ahern's novel should have appeal among readers looking to move beyond the usual fare. --Kristine Huntley Copyright 2005 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A buttoned-up Irish woman finds her life transformed when she meets a soulful man who may not exist. Ahern (Love, Rosie, 2005, etc.) sets her third novel in a sleepy and picturesque Irish burg well-suited to magical happenings. Among its inhabitants is reluctant single parent Elizabeth Egan, who has few reasons to believe in magic. Abandoned by her "free spirit" mother at an early age, she was forced to take care of her much younger sister, Saoirse, with little help from her emotionally distant farmer dad. Saoirse (Gaelic for "freedom") grows up to become a wild and troubled teenager with a baby of her own. When she shows no interest in taking care of the child, Luke, Elizabeth adopts him. Realist-by-default Elizabeth has little patience when, at age 6, Luke starts playing with an invisible companion he calls Ivan. When Elizabeth actually starts seeing Ivan, she mistakenly believes he is the father of a local boy. Ivan, who considers himself a professional best friend helping youngsters in need, realizes that Elizabeth would benefit from his services as much as Luke would. He teaches her to be spontaneous and silly and helps her come to terms with her unhappy childhood. (Ivan also confronts certain ethical issues when he finds himself interested in Elizabeth in more than a professional capacity.) Is Ivan a figment of Elizabeth's sleep-deprived and caffeine-addled brain, or a tall, blue-eyed dream guy? Ahern's fairytale is at times insufferably whimsical, with a main character whose idea of fun is spinning around on chairs and speaking backwards. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Cecelia Ahern was born on September 30, 1981 in Dublin, Ireland. She received a degree in journalism and media communications from Griffith College Dublin. She wrote her first novel PS, I Love You at the age of 21. This novel was made into a movie starring Hilary Swank. Some of her other novels include If You Could See Me Now, A Place Called Here, There's No Place Like Here, and Thanks for the Memories. She won the 2005 Irish Post Award for Literature and a 2005 Corine Award for Where Rainbows End. She is also the co-creator and producer of the television show Samantha Who?

(Bowker Author Biography)