When You’re Gone: A heartbreaking page turner full of family secrets by Brooke Harris
Published by Bookouture on March 14, 2019
Genres: Literary Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Pages: 368
Format: ARC, eBook
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‘It doesn’t matter if you love someone for ten minutes, ten years, or one hundred and ten years; once that person owns a piece of your heart, you’ll never be ready to let them go.’
It should have been the happiest time of Holly’s life: she’s expecting a baby with her fiancé Nate and has the joyful news to share with her beloved Nana, Annie.
But Holly’s unborn baby is unwell, and her relationship is fracturing under the stress. Just when she needs her family the most, she receives the worst news of all: Annie is dying.
With Holly by her side, Annie has one last gift to share before she leaves: the handwritten story of her first – and last – love, Albert ‘Sketch’ Talbot, hidden in a box in the attic, untouched for years.
As Holly reads her grandmother’s words and discovers the devastating secret that Annie has been hiding, can they help her find the strength to face her own future?
Compelling, heart-breaking, and emotionally vivid, When You’re Gone will break your heart and fix it anew. A gripping and emotional novel about family, love and sacrifice, for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Susan Lewis and Kathryn Hughes’ The Letter.
I read this book weeks ago and have struggled to put together a review post – there are just so many things I want to say about When You’re Gone by Brooke Harris, but I feel like nothing I type gives the book justice. Unfortunately, due to my current personal situation, it makes it very difficult to write of sad and hard “life’ things.
I had never heard of author Brooke Harris and I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book but I’ll say I’m glad I had the opportunity to read the gripping story of When You’re Gone. Interestingly, this story was previously published as a book entitled When It Rains.
Holly is pregnant and her unborn child isn’t doing well. Even worse, she learns that her Nana is dying and Holly is called back home. She learns about her grandmother Annie’s story, including her past love with a man named Sketch.
As I said above, When You’re Gone was a good book but it is a very sad book. I’m thankful I read it before I was immersed in a sad time in my own life, or I know I wouldn’t have been able to finish it, much less write about it. I will warn all readers here: please be assured that you will really need to be in the right frame of mind to read this book about death and dying. It does have some very beautiful moments and some awesome messages mixed in with the sadness, but if you are in a bad place, you won’t catch those.
About Brooke Harris: USA Today bestselling author Brooke Harris is a self diagnosed romance addict. Realizing at the age of seven that being a real person and not a cartoon character may prove a hindrance when applying for a role as a Disney Princess, she decided to create her own stories. As a grown up Brooke tried swapping the heels and tiaras in her stories for sex and revenge and published her first book in 2014.
Brooke lives in Ireland with her young family. She daydreams about a climate where it doesn’t rain every day, but secretly she loves the green fields and heritage of Ireland.
You can connect with Brooke on FACEBOOK and TWITTER!
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley in exchange for my review. I would like to thank Bookouture for allowing me the opportunity to participate, read and review this book. My views are my own and are in no way influenced by anyone else!
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