December 2016: This was my first ARC. I got it from NetGalley in ebook format.

The story itself is really intriguing. Here we have a jilted bride who discovers her fiancé has not only driven away from the wedding, but was killed in a car accident, offering no explanation as to why he has disappeared. Interesting, right?

Well...the problem was the approach. I understand that Olivia would be incredibly upset and bit catty, but this character was almost juvenile. She was in her late twenties and was flat-out awful to everyone in this novel. She, however, was not the only troubling character. Her parents, more specifically, her mother, were unbelievable. This may just be because I live in the Pacific Northwest and I'm used to people being PNW-friendly, but the mother was basically a cartoon, reinforcing stereotypes held by media. Her friends weren't entirely great either. And that love interest? Please.

I'm a firm believer that not all Christian novels need to have a great crisis of faith or a salvation story, but the Christian taboos this story brings up could have been done in a much more subtle way. She could have been a jilted bride who also happened to be from a religious background. Instead she was a girl with a religious background who also happened to be jilted at the altar.

This story is intriguing, but the outlandish characters, the unbelievable love story, and the immaturity of the narrator made me drag my feet through its completion.

Here's to hoping you find better luck. Perhaps I'm just cynical.

This book was outstanding! I loved the writing style and the characters--especially Ruthie. The story was uplifting and full of life lessons. Life is hard and filled with adversity but joy is a choice regardless of circumstance. What a great message!

The story written well enough to hold the reader's interest, but the mystery was a bit weak and predictable.

Since You've Been Gone is a great book. One I did have a hard time getting into at first. This is a story of love, heartache and searching for answers. Do we really know the person we love?

Overall an enjoyable light read, although I was hoping for a better twist.
Olivia, a woman finding her way and dealing with pain when she finds out her relationship wasn’t as perfect as she thought.

Another Christa Allan winner. This story explores a series of relationships and life lessons that will keep the reader asking, What would I have done?

Whew! I was an emotional mess as I finished Christa Allan’s latest book, Since You’ve Been Gone. Allan took me on a roller-coaster — sad, mad, tickled and hopeful. This novel is not for the feint of heart, but it is for the reader who wants an authentic story full of flawed characters, real-life happenings, and an unchanging God. So come prepared with a few tissues and a few hours to spend with this unputdownable book.

Olivia is hit with the unthinkable — her wedding day ends not with a happily-ever-after, but with grief and seemingly unanswerable questions. When she finds out she is not only a bride without a groom, but a soon to be mother, Olivia finds herself struggling to make sense of why God is silent.

As I stated above, Since You’ve Been Gone is not an easy read. It does have its moments of levity as only Allan can bring. That’s a relief, because Olivia faces loss upon loss within this book’s pages. I won’t spoil it for you, but while Olivia faces more than she thinks she can handle, it is not more than many real life people have to bear. As Olivia’s grandmother, Ruthie, puts it — life can be wonderful and also very, very hard. The story is told in Olivia’s first person voice which works well to see into her character and circumstances. Supporting characters are treated pretty fairly by Olivia, yet no one can truly know the hearts of others. I found myself really liking Ruthie and Evan, Olivia’s ex-boyfriend. Olivia’s mother, Scarlet, not so much. But the reader finds in the end everyone faces loss and grief and responds in many different ways. Wyatt, the one character who cannot speak for himself, is revealed in a very unique way. Well done, Ms. Allan!

While God is largely silent in Olivia’s life, He shows up in what Ruthie calls God-incidences. Olivia and the reader are reminded that while we may not understand what is going on, God is not really absent or not working in the midst of tragedy. He often sends just who we need just when we need them.

I really liked Since You’ve Been Gone. It is one of those books that will make you feel and think and then think again long after the last page is turned. This one is a highly recommended read.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

Olivia’s life is turned upside down when instead of walking down the aisle, she finds herself grieving for her fiancé and untangling the mystery of why he was heading in the wrong direction to their wedding with a baby gift in the car. She is a bit of a maddening character at times, but I found myself sympathizing with her tragedies and hoping for a happy ending for her. Enjoyable read and good pacing.

Early on in this story, I was hooked. There is something about a jilted bride that I just can't help but want to know more about her story. Olivia was such a well-developed character in this story with a clear voice of her own. I enjoyed reading her story.

The beginning and the ending of this book were wonderful. The beginning is filled with so many questions... ones that don't seem to have any answers. And with each turn of the page, Olivia's life seems to become a bit more dismal. Unfortunately, the middle part of this book drags. Many of those questions that are raised in the beginning just feel like that are constantly being asked over and over. There is nothing about the mystery of where Olivia's fiance is going on their wedding day that is any closer to being solved, nor is there anything to further deepen the mystery. We are just simply experiencing Olivia's new norm over and over for awhile.

And then there is the end. There are some fascinating facts that come to light, a few questions are answered, but we see the change in Olivia that we've been waiting for. In many ways, the ending redeemed this as a good book worth working through that middle portion. It was a decent book overall.

You’ll need to grab your tissue box for this one, but don’t let that prevent you from picking it up, because it was SUCH a good read! Once again, I’ve left a novel languishing on my TBR pile for much too long!

Christa Allan is a new to me author, and I picked this novel up simply because my curiosity got the better of me. I HAD to know where Wyatt was going and why there was a baby gift in the back seat. Despite what her mother says, Olivia can’t believe Wyatt was going to jilt her, but it’s a cold comfort, especially when she has no way of finding out what he was doing, or who the baby gift was for.

As much as I was dying of curiosity, I found myself fearing that when Olivia did finally get some answers, it would be something of an anti-climax. Not at all! In this case, the answer opened up a new world of complexities for Olivia to work through—both emotionally challenging and poignant. And healing.

But that’s only half of the story, because Olivia knows that she’s disappointed God, and she can’t help believing God is punishing her for her sin—a belief that is only reinforced by her mother’s self-righteous response to her situation. Her grandmother, Ruthie, on the other hand, exemplifies grace and compassion—to the point where Olivia asks, “Are you sure this is the same God my mother talks about? This isn’t some new and improved God 2.0?”

As heartbreaking as this novel was at times, there are rays of light scattered throughout: Olivia’s grandmother, Ruthie; her friend, Mia, with husband, Bryce, and daughter, Lily; and even the reappearance of Evan, her boyfriend before Wyatt came along.

Well-written, and full of both heartache and healing, this was an excellent read.

This book is all about moving on and finding strength in yourself when things go wrong. Amazing how when the world seems to be against you that you can cope and become a better person. Olivia and Wyatt are due to get married. However, on their wedding day, he dies in a car crash an hour in the opposite direction from the church. In the back of his car is a baby gift. Who is it for? Does Wyatt have a child? Olivia is grieving and she has so many questions. Her parents especially her mother, who Olivia really doesn't get on with are no help at all. She tells Olivia it's God's way. Olivia can only turn to her Grandmother (brilliant character!!) and her best friend who help her realise that life goes on and she can move forward. A really good story with strong relationships that moves slowly through until you find out about Wyatt and where he was going that fateful day. On a slightly negative note, I have never known so many things go wrong for one person as they do for Olivia and its hard to swallow the number of times its mentioned its God's way.