While You Were Gone

This is a story about Karen, a violinist with the TSO who has lost her passion for music, she is fed up with being the only one dealing with her alcoholic mother (her brother never helps) and although she has a boyfriend, their relationship is rocky. Her life changes dramatically the day she meets Greg as this is also the day she is involved in a car accident and ends up in hospital. Throughout the ensuing few months as her injuries heal we see how she deals with being unable to play her violin and we also see her relationship with Greg develop.

At the beginning of the novella the author states that this is a stand alone story but is connected to her previous novel, Thought I Knew You which also features the characters of Greg and Karen. While the story is well written and well described and the characters are believable I don't feel this novella can stand on it's own, completely unconnected to the previous novel. Having never read the novel mentioned I found the story a bit one-sided and slow. Given I have just read another novella of a similar length in 2 hours I expected this to be the same but it took twice as long. If you've read Thought I Knew You and want more background and depth to the story of Greg and Karen then I would recommend this, however as a stand alone story I feel it is slightly lacking.

This was an interesting read for me. After having read the first book, “Thought I Knew You”, I went into this companion novel knowing what to expect. I got to find out some of the answers to Claire’s questions from the first book and got a bit of a glimpse into Greg.

This story is told from Karen’s point of view. She is having a rough go of it when she meets Greg and she falls head over heals for him almost straight away. I immediately empathized with how alone Karen felt. She has a mother she can’t depend on and a brother who doesn’t make time for her. I really felt her vulnerability and it’s no wonder she fell head first into things when she met Greg.

What really struck me, while reading this story, is how different Karen and Claire’s perception of Greg was. To me it illustrates how a person’s character is not black and white, but rather changes through perspective and interaction with individual personalities. Neither characterization, from both women’s point of view, paint a very good picture of Greg. I just didn’t see him as the villain Claire and Karen cast him as, though. All three characters had flaws and made bad choices in life.

I really enjoyed this follow-up novella. It rounded out the story for me. So.... is it wrong that I now crave a story about Greg getting a happy ending? After reading both of these stories, I can’t help but feel really bad for him. He seemed to come out the loser in both stories.

I had to get over the fact that Greg did a bad thing. Once I was able to do that (which goes against all my moral fibers), I liked the story. But I also felt as though I was missing huge chunks of a story here. There were backstories for sure but I felt I was missing big things within the story. I knew right away that he was doing naughty deeds but I still actually liked him a little. I felt that if this was a bit longer, I probably would have liked it more.

While You Were Gone by Kate Moretti is an engaging story that I enjoyed very much. It is about professional violinist Karen Caughee, and Greg Randolf, a trainer/lecturer that travels a lot for his company. While working in Toronto, Greg and Karen meet at a bar, where Karen is doing a nice job of drowning her sorrows. They leave together and Karen gets into a cab alone. A few moments later, there is an accident which puts her in the hospital. For the short-term, Karen's violin career with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is on hold, due to her broken arm, ankle, and other serious injuries. Greg actually saved Karen, by pulling her from the burning wreckage. As as result, they spend time together when Greg is in town and fall in love.

Ms. Moretti opens the story with a bang, and around the fourth chapter, I could not control the sadness and empathy I felt for Karen. Her disinterested mother and brother do not care enough to lend a helping hand, leaving her to fend for herself after being discharged from the hospital. How is she supposed to get groceries with a broken arm and ankle? Greg, a virtual stranger at the time, steps up to the plate and his constant kindness kept me smiling from ear to ear. Even when Karen discovers Greg's secret, I continued to like him. Ms. Moretti truly captures the emotion of Greg's deception, and the couple's final words to each other are quite impassioned.

All the characters are well-defined, realistic and compelling. Although the author wrapped up the story in the last chapter, the ending felt incomplete and abrupt. In a nutshell, this is an intriguing novella, with twists and turns that I felt deep into my soul.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. First of all I love music and play in the flute so having the main character being a violinist, I was able to identify. I have been in a local symphony before. Greg was so nice to her when she was in the wreck. They were falling in love. He needed to tell her the truth first (I am not telling what this truth is because it is a spoiler. It really is not your usual romance which is great. I love that. So romance novels are so clique but this one is not. I did wish she had gotten her dream. I felt the sadness of her. I loved this novella. Highly recommend it.

what a fab read, was really hooked, couldn't put it down. the story line contains many twists and turns which seem to creep up on you. the characters were well written and worked really well with the story line. the author has written a fantastic story which will leave you wanting more highly recommended

While You Were Gone is a novella that shows the missing part of the book I Thought I Knew You. We get to learn about Karen and her take on what happen in Toronto with Greg. I feel for Karen and how her life was when she meet Greg. I diffently understand how Greg got catch up but still don't excuse him for what was done. You could read this novella alone but I highly recommend that you read Katie Moretti's first part to this story. This book gives away a few things at the end. Maybe we could hear from Greg's point of view?

This novella is advertised as a companion to another book that I didn't read. It was pretty good as a stand alone story about a Canadian woman and her life with an alcoholic mother and a brother busy with his own life. She has boyfriend problems and career issues but she eventually finds her own solution.

While You Were Gone is an emotional roller coaster ride filled with more than just romance. Its a story about self-discovery, life choices and reconstructing family ties. Karen is meant to be the every-woman, the late twenties-early thirties who can’t seem to find her way, the one who begins to question their life choices.

I cannot wait to delve into more of Kate’s work because While You were Gone was unique and extremely well written. I rarely come across a novel that feels so realistic, encompassing and realistic.

I originally didn’t realize that While You Were Gone was a novella attached to another of Mortelli’s works called Thought I Knew You. I actually had no idea until I was probably half way through when I started realizing that half of Greg’s story was MIA. I wasn’t particularly surprised by the subject matter of the book, early on you get an idea of what’s actually going on behind the scenes, but it was still a fantastic read.

Karen’s life is about music. She immerses herself in her career at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and her boyfriend Scott until everything falls apart. Her boyfriend leaves her, she gets into a serious car accident and her beloved career is no longer set in stone. The night of the crash she meet Greg, a man who inspires Karen to be more than just a musician, and causes her to question what she really wants in her future. When Karen learns about Greg’s secret everything falls apart, but in the ashes can she find the strength and courage to become the person she was meant to be?

I didn’t really like Karen and her desire to steal everyone else’s men. I don’t feel this opinion is out of left field since she goes after a guy while they are both on first dates or that she goes after a man who is clearly holding himself back from her. If a guy is reluctant, don’t chase him or force yourself on him! She consistently seems to have her hands in the “someone-else’s-partner” cookie jar but fails to see how this makes her unlikable by other women (I mean, she only has one female friend!).

Otherwise, While You Were Gone was an amazing book with heart wrenching moments, strong characters and the sex scenes were PG. It’s incredibly hard to find novels that have love scenes that end well before anything actually happens. I definitely loved the fact that more focus was put on the love story and Karen’s relationship with her mother and brother rather than sex scenes. I loved that not every second page was filed with intense descriptions of what they did to each others’ body, but instead was filled with text that helped develop the characters, their relationships and the plot.

I also loved that Mortelli’s writing is so masterful and strong emotionally that the main family oriented portions of the book were something I could understand. I don’t understand family ties as thoroughly as most people and generally shy away from novels that are heavily family. I usually end up frustrated by the book or feeling like there’s something wrong with me for not really understanding the relationships between the characters. I was shocked to find my lack of irritation with Karen’s desire for family bonds and even found myself cheering her on.

This book would appeal to readers who enjoy clean romance, family struggles, self-discovery and tales about coming a grips with life. I would definitely recommend reading on a Sunday afternoon with a glass of wine on the patio. A light hearted romance with a really explosive ending.

Tig calls Karen to come get her mom Paula at the bar yet again. Karen played the violin and was auditioning for concert mistress. She had almost 20 years of training and the audition the next morning. Her boyfriend is Scott but only makes half-hearted attempts to see her lately after four years of being together. While at the bar, she meets a stranger and her life is about to change.
I loved the way Karen changed and grew and found happiness in many ways. All of the characters were well done. The plot and overall story were good. I highly recommend.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was a great read and a good follow up

While this was a companion novel to Thought I Knew You I felt like it was a standalone book. Karen is in a place in her life where everything seems bleak. Dealing with her alcoholic mother in the middle of the night leads to her being less than stellar for her audition for the position at the orchestra she has been waiting her whole career. The day isn't over yet until her boyfriend decides he doesn't want her anymore and is seeing someone else. Drowning her sorrows and meeting a man she clicks with was not the plan, getting in an accident wasn't either but he stays by her side. She becomes giddy and attached to his energy and how they are together. One night brought them together but one night can bring it all tumbling down. Karen will have to decide which road to go. A short and quick read that made me wanting more from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley & Red Adept Publishing for an ARC of this book. An enjoyable quick read. It re tells the story of Thought I Knew You from Karen's perspective. Karen is single & plays the violin in an orchestra- she has just broken up with her boyfriend & meets Greg that same evening in a bar. He lies to Karen from the offset.
They have been having a relationship for a year when Karen discovers he is married. Greg tells her he will not leave his wife Claire. He leaves Karen's apartment & is involved in an accident & is in a coma for over a year. Karen is unaware of this & is startled when Claire presents at her door 2 years later. Karen is has moved on with her life & can't get rid of Claire quickly enough as she is expecting her mother. There is of course a little twist at the end of the story.
I was glad I had read I Thought I Knew you before reading this book.