There are so many things I would love to say about When You’re Gone and I am afraid anything that I do say won’t give this book the justice that it deserves. Brooke Harris’ talent for writing an emotionally gripping story will just grab you so deeply and never let go. Harris hits you hard with all the feels, all the emotions will just bubble forth and at times, will make you cry your eyes out.  It is not often I read such a powerful story with such a strong message where I want to sit back and just remember and then go right back to the beginning and start reading all over again. For an example, my all time favorite movie is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.  I went to see this movie every weekend in the theatres with a friend of mine and cried every single time until sadly, it left the theaters.  Nothing I have ever read and no other movie ever came as close to what I felt for The Notebook, until I read When You’re Gone. Harris has done what so many other authors have tried to do….make me fall in love with a story.

Brooke Harris has created wonderfully written characters that you can root for, that you want to see their happiness even through all of the sadness.  Holly is such an exceptional character.  She is going through a tough time with her breakup from Nate and even tougher time accepting the fate of her unborn baby who is very ill.  Sadly, during this time, her grandmother is also very sick and does not have much time left. Here we learn about Annie and her story and it so emotionally heartbreaking. But, Annie’s story is two-fold as it opens up Holly to learning how to live and find the strength within herself to go on and to find happiness.

When You’re Gone is told in the present and the past interweaving Annie’s story along with Holly’s in the present. I really found myself savoring every moment of this story as I just did not want it to end. I teared up for many scenes, sighed through many scenes (it just grabbed my heart), and then sobbed my eyes out. Wow! I am still in awe by what I have just read. Brooke Harris is a tremendously talented writer and it is times like this where I am so glad I read books.

When You’re Gone is simply captivating. It is emotionally heartbreaking and yet uplifting at the same time. It is a story about family, love, acceptance and knowing when to let go. I can not recommend this book highly enough. There are not enough stars to show just how much this book meant to me you will just have to read it for yourself in order to understand how much of a great book this truly is. Top read of the year!

I just LOVED this brilliant book from start to finish. A story that stays with you long after you've finished reading. One to savour. Just beautiful! Very highly recommended.

This is a story about a very close-knit family. Holly is home to visit her ailing grandmother. All signs indicate that her nana, Alice, doesn’t have long to live. The family is devastated. They are struggling to deal with the impending loss but also trying to hold on to Alice and keep her on earth just a little longer. It is during this time that the family discovers Alice’s writing about her first love.

This story in narrated in a dual timeline. I was utterly captivated by the 1958 timeline. Alice’s story was so poignant and well detailed. I found myself looking forward to her narration, maybe because I enjoy historical fiction or just because of her character and the unfolding love story. Holly’s narration was also interesting though for some reason, it didn’t pull me in like Alice’s.

This is a story about family, love and loss. It is both beautiful and heartbreaking. There were moments that had me smiling while others made me a little teary. I lost my grandparents way back in the 90s and can’t remember much about them. Reading about Alice and her family makes me feel like I missed out on important relationships and some great stories too.

<b><i>When it rains look for the rainbow, when it’s dark look for the stars.</i></b>

A beautifully told story filled with heartbreak and hope. Brooke Harris sure knows how to paint a story with emotion and heart that will tug at your heartstrings. This book touches on some pretty depressing subject matter but it is handled with warmth and compassion. If you have ever suffered a miscarriage or had issues with pregnancy/fertility there could be some possible triggers. But as someone who has had two miscarriages herself I really feel as though this was handled with care.

At its core this is a book about love, especially the love between grandmother and granddaughter. Holly is called home when her beloved grandmother Annie is dying. The bond between them is amazing and the last days they spend together are priceless. Annie still has a story to tell and Holly is the one that needs to hear it. The story bounces back and forth in time Annie’s story in 1959 and Holly’s story in present day. Earth grandmother and granddaughter’s stories are heart wrenching and emotional bursting with love and family and grief. Annie’s story is about a magical love of a lifetime a tale that will not only pull at your heartstrings but squeeze them until they hurt. Holly story is equally as emotional this is a book that requires at least one box of Kleenex! 

This is one of those books that will put your heart through the ringer and leave you with a book hangover the next day. A story that will evoke every possible emotion you have and some you didn’t even know you did. The characters are likable and relatable the type of characters that will stick with you long after the book has ended. Next time you are in the mood for a book with all the feels, beautiful storytelling, and a cast of amazing characters, this is your book! Absolutely recommend!

*** A big thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars. I truly loved it but the ending made me so mad. I was so invested in these characters and loved their stories so much that the heartbreak was almost too much for me. I wish I could rewrite the ending, but maybe that's part of the point: life isn't fair and it's hard and sometimes breaks our hearts. There is a lot of pain in this book but there's so much love in just about every character's story. Most of the characters are quite loveable and feel like family. In fact, Holly's story with her mom and dying Nana is very relatable to me because I went through the exact situation. Needless to say, I cried often during those sections of the book. I couldn't get enough of Annie and Sketch's story and wish there was more to explore. I loved this book so much I devoured it in one day and I feel a little empty now that it's over. This will be one of those stories that sticks with me a while and I'll be thinking about the characters for weeks to come.

I finished this book last week. 
All week I have been waiting for my stop on this blog tour so I could shout from the rooftop about how wonderful this book is.....
😢😢 What a book, what a love story between
Annie and Arthur "Sketch". 
I do love a good love story, not a soppy one but just one where you fall in love with the two characters immediately and you can almost feel their love radiate off the page.
I took this book with me on a weekend trip to Berlin with my husband. Bad mistake 🙈
We had so many tea, coffee, wine & beer breaks just so I could sit for a few minutes and read another page or two.
The French lady beside me coming home on my flight kept looking at me as I wiped away my tears while reading. 
I was a blubbering mess. Although she did ask me for the name of the book and author as I was leaving the plane.
I loved the authors character Annie... 
Such a strong, loyal young girl who lived a hard life with her alcoholic father.
But Sketch saved her.....True love always wins doesn't it...
She felt so loved and happy around Sketch.
Isn't it amazing how someone can bring the best out in you...
The character Sketch was pretty amazing too. He wanted nothing from Annie just her love.
Even though we were reading about the last moments of Annie's life with her family, we got a beautiful glimpse of a very special time in her life....
We see how much Annie's family adore her, most especially her granddaughter Holly.
We see how special the relationship is between them and how much it helps in Holly's own personal life.
A week later and I'm still thinking about their love story & this beautiful book. It will stay with me for a long time...
So go buy this book...I promise you won't regret it....

This is the first book I have read by this author.  It has been previously released under the title When It Rains, but this copy does contain significant editorial revisions.  This is the story of Holly and her family.  She returns back to her family home when her Nana, Annie is dying.  Whilst there, Holly discovers that Annie, wrote a story of her life back in 1958 when she met the love of her life, Albert ‘Sketch’ Talbot.  Holly finds the handwritten book and together with her family reads to the story to Annie.  As she reads it, Holly is forced to face the reality of her life at that moment – pregnant but her unborn baby is seriously ill, Holly’s relationship with Nate is also dying.  Can Annie’s story help her through this time?

Wow, this was one seriously emotional book!!  Told from two different timescales, present day from Holly’s point of view and in 1958 from Annie’s point of view, this book certainly took me on one hell of a rollercoaster ride of emotions!  Beginning in the present day, my heart went out to Holly journeying back to her family home to be with her Nana in her last few days.  Holly was such a likeable character, as was all the family, and it was clear to see how distraught Holly was with not only the upset of Annie dying, but also the news that her unborn baby had a serious illness and was unlikely to survive also.  I couldn’t imagine what poor Holly was going through but admired her courage for staying as strong as she did throughout the book.  I could see her broken relationship with her partner, Nate was one worth saving, and I was willing Holly throughout the book to also see that she needed him just as much as he needed her.

Annie’s story was just wonderful.  Set back in 1958 when Annie was a teenage girl, her story is interspersed amongst the present day chapters.  Again my heart went out to another generation of this family, and I absolutely loved the young Annie.  This was though, another heart-breaking tale as Annie and her mother suffered physical abuse from the hands of her alcoholic father, but meeting Albert ‘Sketch’ Talbot gives Annie a chance of happiness.

Both stories was heart-breaking, yet with a strange sense of happiness.  This book shows the strength of true love and family relationships. I have made it all sound like all doom and gloom, but it really isn’t like that at all!  Yes, there are some overwhelmingly sad parts, but the gaps are filled with love and tenderness that make even the sad parts feel so much better.  The writing was beautiful and the last few chapters certainly stay with you long after the book is finished.  Whilst they are written very sensitively, it does have some topics which may be upsetting, so just a word of warning.

A story of love, loss, family, secrets and regret, this book will certainly tug at your heartstrings.  I was completely hooked from the very first page and only managed to dry my eyes after I had finished the book.  Would highly recommend, but would also make sure you have a large box of tissues at the ready as you are going to need them!

This is a beautifully written book. It is about two different generations and their loss, heartache and love. It I had me close to tears on several occasions. It is set in beautiful, scenic Ireland. The descriptions brought the characters and their surroundings vividly to life. This is a wonderful story that is definitely worth reading. 

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

WHAT A BOOK!!! Sorry for shouting, but it just feels right. It was a-ma-zing, fabulous, wonderful. 

The book contains two equally beautiful stories. Holly's love story is taking place in the present and Annie's in the past. The author alternates between the two and although Holly's story is very emotional as well, I was more attracted to Annie's. It really had my eyes fill with tears and the emotions were so raw that I felt her pain and happiness.

I have to say I have already read a fair amount of books. Some of them will stick with you forever and this is one that will be added to my shelf never-to-be-forgotten.

The book was heartbreaking, heartfelt, heartstopping. 

I liked the way the author chose her characters. They were perfect for the role they had to play.

I regret I did not buy shares from Kleenex before I started reading. I would have made myself a very rich woman ... 

I can only say one more thing : I loved it! 5 stars.

Thank you,  Brooke Harris, Bookouture and Netgalley.

Holly is having problems with a pregnancy where the baby is seriously ill and a relationship that is falling apart and to make it worse her beloved Nana Annie is dying.   Annie knows that Holly is suffering and so asks her to read out her journal to her,  the story of her lifelong love for one man, Sketch........ can Annie's story help Holly find her way? 

A lovely emotional story, compelling from the first pages and one that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it..... definitely recommended.

Well this has been a truly beautiful, emotional and heart breaking story from beginning to end.  

I was pleasantly surprised by this story, it created so many mixed emotions within me. I felt so strongly for some of the characters and yet at the same time I wanted to yell and scream at some of them too. Never have I felt so angry towards a character. That in itself shows how talented this author is, the way she brings her characters to life that we almost forget they aren't real. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, which is told in the present and the past, some parts were very sad to read and made me think how unfair life can be at times. This is a story that will seriously pull on the heart.

This has been my first read by this author but it won't be my last as I have two of her books sitting on my kindle waiting for me.

Lovely and emotional dual time line story.  Annie has never told her family her whole story but she did write about it.  Holly, her granddaughter, is having a tough time and, to add to it, Annie is dying.  She asks Holly to read from the memoir. Oh what a journey!  From a miserable awful life with an abusive father to her joyous relationship with Sketch, this felt so real.  Harris has created terrific characters who you will root for (well, not all of them!).  Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.  Nicely plotted and written, this is the sort of novel you want to curl up with.

This is the story of Annie and her granddaughter Holly, the story is set over 2 time periods. The present day is told from Holly’s perspective and the past via Annie’s manuscript, which the family read at Annie’s deathbed.
A very emotive story about life, love and death.
Make the most of the time you have with loved ones no matter how short.
Beautifully written

This book is beyond amazing. How can I put into words how this book made me feel. The answer is that I simply can’t. It evoked all sorts of emotions inside me. 
My advice is this is a must read book but please avoid mascara as you will definitely cry

A beautiful journey filled with family, relationships, pain, friendship, and at the core of it LOVE. Not the love shown in movies, but the kinds that connects the hearts and the souls, the kinds that is felt in life and beyond, the kinds that becomes the colors of the rainbow and the twinkle of the star!! 

The story goes thus; Holly is called back home as her Nana is dying. She soon realizes that her Nana knows her far deeper than she can guess and has a message for her in the form of a book written and kept in the attic. Holly brings it out and starts reading the story of her Nana Annie. This is Annie's story, a saga of her pain and her eternal love for Sketch. 

This story by author Brooke Harris made me cry as I read through the pages. Each chapter showed Annie's courage and love for her mother as both suffered through the torture and physical abuse at the hands of the father, but stayed strong for each other. In such a strife, came Sketch bringing with him a love which was like a balm to the damaged soul and a hope for freedom and dreams. 

Brooke's writing brought out the bubbles of emotions, ripping my heart into pieces and joining them back. I cried when Annie did, it was so powerful, the last few pages saw me sobbing and breaking down completely. Brooke squeezed every last bit of my emotions out from my heart till I had nothing more left to give. 

A book which touched my cold heart and made me long for the stars. I see my dreams as clearly as Annie saw hers!! 
When it rains, look for the rainbow. When it's dark, look for the stars!!

Beautiful but heartbreaking story.
Annie lives an awful life at the hands of her cruel father her world changes for the ether when her old school friend Sketch comes back into her life....Holly (Annues Grandaughter) is also facing turmoil her beloved Nana is really poorly & her unborn child seriously ill.. The book switches between 1950's Young Annie's life to present day with Holly & is wonderfully interwoven.
This story is so emotionally charged it's compelling,soul destroying but beautiful all at the same time. Loved every page!

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. Holly comes back home to say goodbye to her Nana who is dying. Holly finds pages to a book that was handwritten by her Nana. The book is the story of her Nana's life and so begins the present and past of this book. It is very unique in the way the story goes back and forth and I so enjoyed it!

This book had all the feels.  I like the author's style of writing.  It was engrossing and a great read for a long weekend.  I will definitely look up more books from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy...

Oh my heart!!! That's such a heartbreaking story!! Oh my god!! It's amazing and beautifully written!!

Looking forward to read more book from new author..

My thoughts on this title will appear on my blog on February 19/19. closer to the publication date.
3.5 stars

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.