Book Review: While You Were Gone

By Melissa Amster

While You Were Gone is a novella companion to Thought I Knew You (reviewed here). If you haven't read Thought I Knew You yet, there are spoilers for that book in here, which are hard to hide in the review. So go read that book first (very much worth your time) and come back here afterward.

Despite Karen Caughee’s intense focus on her music, her life is drifting out of its lane. Her mother is falling head-first into alcoholism and her brother refuses to acknowledge it. Her love life and music career have both stalled out. When she meets a charismatic but aloof stranger in a bar, she is uncharacteristically smitten. He seems to "get her" in a way no one else does, and she begins to second guess everything she's ever held dear.

After a tragic accident, Karen finds her support system in the unlikeliest person imaginable. A shattering revelation brings her to a crossroads, and she must face the full truth about who she loves and who she has become. (Synopsis courtesy of Red Adept Publishing.)

SPOILERS ahead for Thought I Knew You...

I enjoyed this story; even if it were separate from Thought I Knew You, I would have still enjoyed it. It was interesting to see what would happen in this story, given what I knew from the outcome of the novel. There were also some surprises and twists from Karen's side of the story that I didn't see coming at all.

Karen had a rough go of things, so I don't blame her for clinging to the first person who gives her attention, even if he might not be who he seems. I can't really blame her for her part in any deception that was going on because she really had no idea.

I would have loved a few more chapters in the end of this story, as it felt a bit rushed to get to the finish line after taking so much time to develop the story and allowing readers to invest in Karen's situation. It would be interesting to have another novella written from Greg's point of view, just to bring things full-circle.

Once again, Kate Moretti has proven herself to be a dynamic writer and I look forward to more full-length novels from her in the future.

Thanks to Sage's Blog Tours for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit all the stops on the virtual book tour.

Kate Moretti lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kids, and a dog. She’s worked in the pharmaceutical industry for ten years as a scientist, and has been an avid fiction reader her entire life.

She enjoys traveling and cooking, although with two kids, a day job, and writing, she doesn’t get to do those things as much as she’d like.

Her lifelong dream is to buy an old house with a secret passageway.
Visit Kate on Goodreads, Facebook, and her blog.