Review: When You're Gone by Brooke Harris

1958
In a small town like Athenry, people talk. Everyone’s noticed that the injury which stopped Annie Fagan’s father from working doesn’t prevent him from hitting his wife. But a man’s home is his castle, and no one is going to intervene.

Until Annie runs into Arthur ‘Sketch’ Talbot. Sketch is determined to help Annie, and the two soon fall in love. But Annie’s father won’t give his daughter up lightly, and Sketch’s attempts to save her will have devastating consequences…

Now
Holly’s world is falling apart. Her unborn baby is seriously ill, her relationship is fracturing before her eyes, and her Nana is dying. But Nana has one final wish before she leaves: to read, one last time, the handwritten story of her first – and last – love, Albert ‘Sketch’ Talbot.

As Holly reads to Nana, could it help her find the strength to face her own future? Could fulfilling her grandmother’s final wish really be a gift for Holly?

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.

Previously published as When It Rains. This edition contains significant editorial revisions

Expected publication: March 14th 2019
Genre: Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

When You're Gone (previously published as When It Rains) is highly rated on Goodreads so I was excited to dive into it. I don't often look at other ratings but sometimes when I'm looking to discover "new to me" authors it is a good starting point. Unfortunately this can sometimes leave me with high expectations that aren't always met.

When You're Gone told the story of Holly at the end of her Grandmother's life (now) and Annie's love story (then) with a man named Sketch. I thoroughly enjoyed Annie's story and her developing relationship with Sketch. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I craved more of it than I got. The book stayed in the present and dealt with a lot of grief more than it went to Annie's story in the past. The tidbits from the past were too brief and far between for my liking. It left me wanting more.

I found the present day story surrounding Holly very depressing. She was dealing with a dying Grandmother a struggling relationship and a very sick unborn child. The interactions between family members was sometimes juvenile and annoying. I also struggled with some of Holly's decisions and actions. Having just lost my own mother this past year I thought that I would be able to empathise way more than I did with the situation. There was a little disconnect that I can't quite explain. Perhaps this story came a little too soon for me to fully appreciate. Perhaps it was a little too neat, tidy and predictable to be believable. I'm not sure. Perhaps it was simply the fact that I was enjoying Annie and Sketch so much that I was anxious to get back to them.

Overall When You're Gone was a good book but a sad book. You really need to be in the right frame of mind to read it. It was about death and dying but had some beautiful moments and messages mixed in with all of the sadness. It is definitely worth reading when you are in the right frame of mind. I think readers will love Annie and Sketch.