I tried several times to get into this one, but it just didn't work for me. I just couldn't relate to the main character.

I did not finish this book, it was just not my style. The author did have a nice writing style with good flow though. I am sure this book is right for someone, but it wasn’t for me!

EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY - Beth Harbison

SWEET - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Three years after the sudden loss of her young husband, Willa is still having trouble dealing with this death. It's time to go to their beach house and clear it out, ready it for sale. But as she faces her memories, she also comes face to face with the ghost? spirit? essence? of her husband. It's hard to believe, but somehow she is seeing him and communicating with him, almost as if he's meant to help her to move on.

Writing - 4 stars - I was drawn into the story right away. Despite it being difficult to believe and understand, it struck a chord and provided a sense of hope and continuity in life and life-after-death.

Characters - 4 stars - Although Willa isn't the most personable person, she's appealing. We meet her as the paranoid grief-stricken widow and don't have the liberty of knowing her as a young and confident woman. Which makes it difficult to really understand how weird it is that she's seeing these visions. But we do know that she's strong and determined, and there's an attraction to that that puts us squarely on her side in dealing with this situation. Jamie, also, is somewhat one-dimensional as the boy whose father died, but we get to know him a little better as time goes on. He's got a good head on his shoulders and has good values, but he's been distracted and off-course for a while.

Title - 4 stars - Willa must face the loss of her husband over and over as she "sees" him after his death. Despite his leaving her after each "visitation," it does seem to help her to have conversations with him and share.

Cover - 4 stars - The cover is attractive, with a pretty pastel pink and bottles. But what it has to do with the book isn't so clear.

Overall - 4 stars - I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It's slightly ghostly, slightly unbelievable, but also is clearly a solid book about unexpected grief and learning how to deal with it. It's got a hopeful message, and I liked how Willa and Jamie were able to find their ways through their sadness and move on, especially with the help of their friends. I enjoyed watching their growth and their eventual acceptance, although I did shed a few tears along the way.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book that I have read by this author. I really enjoyed the story and the characters. It is moving to see how Willa works through the stages of grief to become a better mother and friend. It is an emotional book and one you will enjoy.

What I love about the woman’s fiction genre is that it doesn’t always rely on romance to further the story or the growth of the main character. And this book stays true to that. Willa is trying to move on from the death of her husband when she returns to the home he passed away in. Facing her past and her own fears, while trying to find a semblance of closer so that she can move on. While some readers may want her to find new love as her growth, I actually appreciate that Willa’s growth doesn’t rely on a new romance but that she finds it within her self and a little bit of paranormal magical realism in the house. (Not too much to change the genre but just enough to make it interesting). The house is like a character in and of itself, which I also love!

Not sure I needed this book in my life. Very emotional and moving story of a woman losing her husband unexpectedly from an unknown heart condition at a young age of 36. Although I can't relate, I can only imagine and it was gut wrenching. Makes you appreciate what you have, while you have it.

I am not a fan of romance, or chick lit and this may have biased my opinion of tis novel. The emotion in this book was overwhelming for me, and for this reason I was not a huge fan. I also could not relate to either of the main characters. It felt slow moving for me, and took a while to finish. This is definitely a novel that you need to be able to relate to in order to “get into” it. I feel as though this is a book that I need to give another chance while I am sitting on the beach.

I want to thank NetGalley, Beth Harbison, and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Note: clearing old books from before 2019

Did not have time to read this book - still on my TBR. Thank you for the opportunity and my apologies for not getting to it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Willa's husband Ben passed away suddenly while working on their beach house. After 3 years, Willa is still grieving and it has affected her relationship with her son. Willa decides that she needs to start putting things behind her and decides it is time to put the beach house up for sale. The house needs more work than she thought and while doing the work, she is joined by her son, her friend, and her friend's daughter. Ben also keeps showing up, in his ghost form, helping her to start to move on.

This was a nice, heart warming beach read. This is the first one I have read by this author but I doubt it's my last.

I really liked this author and this book did not disappoint, it was an appropriately paced, page turner that will have me hooked throughout the story.

An Arc of Every Time You Go Away by Beth Harbison was given to me thru NetGalley for an honest review. Beth Harbison weaves an emotional, heartfelt, and moving story. A story about why it is okay to grieve, still go on, and thru grief and thru grief can bring people together.
Everybody grieves on a different way, and for some, it takes a bit longer. Grief has no time limit. Just because you laugh, smile, move one does not mean you have forgotten about them. When you do those actual things, you are remembering them, for how they were with you. Every Time You Go Away is a pull at your heartstrings, funny, and remembering what friends are.

Willa is widowed by her husband Ben in her mid-30s. After three years she goes to the beach house they shared to fix it up to sell. While there, Ben starts showing up and talking to her. Usually I don't go for ghosts, but I thought this was done fairly well. She has a best friend and a teenage son who show up to help. Not much character development but enjoyable enough for chick lit.

Beth Harbison is one of my favorite authors and I was glad I was able to read this book. The story was touching and sweet view of grief. Willa has lost her husband, Ben at the beach house they shared. In her grief she ends up not being the kind of mother she wanted to be to her son. She decides to sell the beach house and spends the summer getting it ready to sell. She hasn't been there in three years and she sees Ben's ghost every time she turns around. Through the renovation of the beach house, Willa is able to draw closer to her son again and begin to accept her husband's death. Through the grief, she finds hope for a new beginning. I loved this book.

Perfect summer read. Willa is a grieving widow, having lost her husband Ben suddenly in the beach house they shared. Willia's grief is so much that she struggles with parenting her and Ben's child Jamie. This novel is told in alternating views between Willia and Jamie. Some time has passed and Willa must contend with the beach house. She returns to fix it up and prepare it for selling. There is a paranormal element to this book. The book handles grief well. I enjoy Beth Harbinson's writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. It did not influence my review.

DNF
2017; St. Martin's Press

As I mentioned in another review: Sometimes predictability and cliches work for me, as I see it as a comfort read. I know how it will end so I feel safe from any suspense. Other times, it just is a bit boring. I have tried two novels now and they have been DNF as they have ran towards the latter.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Every Time You Go Away focuses on English teacher Willa as she fixes up the beach house where her husband died 3 years ago. Willa manages to reconnect with the spirit of her dead husband, but she also manages to find peace and work on her relationship with her son Jamie. Overall, this book was bittersweet.

This book was too sad for me. It didn't feel like a good plot but was written as a way to grieve the death of a loved one. Not very entertaining to me. Sorry.

Unfortunately, I did not get to this book before it was archived. I cannot review it. The description seemed highly entertaining and I wish I had downloaded it prior to its expiration.

Quick read that was light and fluffy, but not exactly something I loved. It was a fun one and I enjoyed reading, but I found that it was lacking for me.

Emotional novel that makes you feel the feels. It wasn't my favorite but could certainly be well-enjoyed for those that enjoy more serious novels that really hit home.