Weirdly the description on Netgalley and the description on Goodreads don’t currently match so I’m not certain if the book will be different than the one I read of if they just haven’t updated the description. This book was a little bit too sad for me. I was expecting sad, but in smaller doses and I think it could have really used a dose of humor every now and then. I usually like paranormal aspects but this one was a little too melancholy. I still enjoyed the book though and the house renovation part was interesting.

Willa is a widow, her husband Ben unexpectedly passed away several years prior at their beach house and she has just now finally returned there, to prepare it to be sold. Willa is a shell of the vibrant woman she once was. She feels bereft without Ben, a ship floating aimlessly at sea, a specter going through the motions. Willa's relationship with her son Jamie has also faltered. Jamie, who has progressed through those transition years from child to man since his father's death, does more or less what he wants. And he does not particularly want to go help his mother at their beach house. But when Willa arrives, she finds that there is still some presence of Ben there - she can see him and speak to him. He wants to get her over her grief and help her return to the land of the living. As the summer progresses, Willa begins to blossom back into happiness.

Oh, this book - Beth Harbison always puts out fun, light beach reads and this one was no exception. Everyone who has walked from a boardwalk with the sights and sounds of the food and ocean and tourists will appreciate the way Harbison conjures those images. But this book also broke my heart a little - the pain Willa was in from losing a man whom she deeply loved was palpable and stories like this are all too common in our lives. It's a nice premise for a novel - that our lost loved ones are just behind an unseen veil and sometimes can surround us when we are feeling particularly sad or lost without them. I recommend this book for any fans of Beth Harbison or fans of "chick lit" who need a quick summer read.

An emotional filled read that will have you questioning what would you do if faced with the same thing. First off Willa you get to see how deeply she truly loves her husband in this one. She's grieving and trying to come to terms of what to do next. Using summer break as a way to try to heal and move on at the same beach house her husband died in reads highly emotional alert. And it is. The interactions with Ben are sweet and loving. He is trying his hardest to get her to understand it's okay to start letting go and move on. This beach house is kind of magical in it's own way. I say that because I love how it brings Willa and her son Jamie closer together. Not only that but shows Jamie the love he's been waiting for too. With help of Willa's friend Kristin you see the gradual healing begin. Even though this is a book of grieving from the loss of a spouse you still get a few giggle moments too. From reading the blurb I was prepared for a heavy emotional read. But in fact I love that I got a lighter one that still had a big impact. This is an amazing heartfelt read.

This is a heartwarming story of a woman who comes to terms with the grief of her husband's death by communicating with his ghost.

I thought this was a very entertaining book that I found hard to put down. It's an interesting point of view about dealing with the loss of a loved one & how it affects those left behind. Willa is a very rich character as well as her son, Jamie. Their relationship & how it develops throughout the book is very touching. I would highly recommend this book.

I have not read anything by Beth Harbison in quite a while and was delighted when I found Every Time You Go Away. I was not disappointed! It is a completely captivating story about a woman, Willa, struggling after her husband, Ben, dies and must, after three years, face preparing their beach home for sale. Her loss of vigor for life has affected her relationship with her teen son, Jamie, actually devastating each of them with the loss of how their relationship used to be.
The meat of the story is found in the ghost of her dead husband who visits her and talks to her at the beach house. He is there to pull her back into life and into an improved relationship with their son.
She is joined at the house by her best friend, Kristin, Kristin’s daughter, Kelsey and Jamie. As the summer and renovations progress, Willa finds there is life after Ben.

Willa Bennett (not Jane as in the description of the book, name change?) lost her husband Ben 3 years ago. He had gone to get their beach cottage ready for the summer and died unexpectedly in his sleep. Willa has just been going thru the motions since. She has decided to return to the beach to get the cottage ready to sell. While there she sees Bens ghost.

Willa and her son Jamie are each grieving in their own way, but they aren’t connecting with each other. This is a story about grief and learning to move on. It has a ghost which is not my favorite genre. The book is fast paced and would be a good read for the beach. Because of the ghost I am giving the book 3 1/2 stars. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I received an ARC of Every Time You Go Away by Beth Harbison from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I put off starting this book for a little bit because I expected it to be sadder than I thought I would be up to right now. While it definitely did tug at my emotions, and was sad in places, I did also find it to be uplifting. Willa lost her husband way too young and has lost herself in her grief, as well as not being as fully present with her son as she would like to have been. Yes, that is sad, but she is making an effort to get past that when she believes she sees Ben’s ghost. She has a good friend who is willing to help her in whatever way she can as they ready Willa’s Beach House for sale. My grandmother always told us salt air clears everything out and that old saying holds true for Willa. This was a good book with characters I cared enough about to cry a little, but not too much.

This was an interesting paranormal romance. When Willa returns to the beach house where her late/ex husband lived after their divorce, she finds that he still lives there as a ghost. Humorous to read and full of drama and suspense. I read this as a reader copy via Net Galley and voluntarily chose to write a review. An emotional roller coaster with lots of twists.

This is the first book I have read by Beth Harbison. It probably won't be the last. The only reason I did not give it 5 Stars was because of the slight use of profanity. Even though it seemed appropriate as part of the story it' still was a little offensive. The story centers around a recently widowed mother who has to close up and sell the family beach house. She has put this task off for 3 years because it is where her husband died. She has a young son who is also struggling with his dad's death. It sounds like a pretty cut-and-dried story until you realize that even though her husband is dead he still hasn't actually left the beach house! Even though Willa is the main character I really enjoyed the son's girlfriend, Roxie. She was well written and I think so accurate for a teenage girl going through a breakup. It was enjoyable every time I came to her part of the story. Although story does have a lot of discussion about recovering and moving on the main plot is still excellent. Plus after reading it now I want to go to the beach!
I voluntarily received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley.

Very emotional book. A wife, a son, and friends congregate at the lake house where the man died 3 years earlier. All in their own ways are trying to handle their loss and continue with "getting on.". So much of their feelings seem very believable and reasonable, but there are unexplainable happenings as well! A very good job at understanding of a sad situation.

I enjoyed this read, bittersweet as it was. Returning to sell the house she can’t bear to keep Willa finds that the ghost of Ben is still occupying the house making her question her sanity. Even with the complicated relationships this is a light beach read that I recommend

Every Time You Go Away was a very bittersweet book. I found myself singing the song throughout the book. When Willa returns to the beach house where her husband died three years ago she is surprised. She has stayed away because it has been too painful to deal with the place where she shared so many memories with her husband, Ben. There is a lot of work to be done to prepare the house to be sold. Willa sees Ben and not just the image of Ben when he died, but as a younger man and boy as well and she is not sure if she is losing her mind or if her grief is making her imagine him there. She knows that she doesn't want to be there alone and so she calls her son, Jamie to come help her. Together with a little help from their friends they try to move forward.

Enjoyed the read. Great beach read. Touching and sweet relationships. I am still windering what happened to Roxy. Psychology girlfriends don't just go away.

In the ARC that I received from Net Galley (thank you very much!) -Willa has lost her beloved husband Ben. He died 3 years before while opening their beach house for the summer.

The previous 3 years have been hard for Willa and their son Jamie (14 when dad died, now 17 and acting out - wrong friends, wrong girlfriend, disrespects his mom) and she is going to the beach house for the first time since Ben's death to sort out and put the house on the market.

The book was heartbreakingly and honestly real - if a little wordy at times - and I loved the interaction between Willa and Jamie, and their friends Kristin and her daughter Kelsey. And the way Willa and Ben converse. The ending was abrupt - and heartbreaking!! - would have LOVED an epilogue (or maybe a sequel?), but overall a satisfying read.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Net Galley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest opinion. I liked this book, and would recommend it, especially as a beach read. I think my true rating would be 3.5 because I didn't really feel the characters like I had hoped I would. I am all about spirit visitations, but some of these felt a little strained, or off. What I liked was the interaction between the two friends as well as the main character and her son. It was interesting seeing his take, versus that of his mom. Again, I gave it a 3, but I'd really be happier if it was 3.5

A bittersweet summer beach read. Every time you go away is a well-crafted story where the beach house almost becomes a character in itself. It presents a unique light touch of a heavy topic and leaves the reader satisfied.

I have to admit, I wasn't entirely sure what Women's Fiction meant as a genre, but I did think the book description sounded interesting( how many excellent psychological thrillers can you read without choosing a dud) and I thought it was time to read something different. I am glad I gave Every Time You Go Away a chance since I know so few people(myself included) who haven't struggled to recover and move on after a sudden and tragic loss. I was curious to see how the author would tell this tale and I wasn't disappointed by her writing ability and style.
Willa's husband Ben went to their beach house to get it ready for the coming season. Sadly, Ben suddenly dies and not only is Willa unprepared to cope with the loss of Ben, she also doesn't know how to move beyond her own grief and assist their son Jamie with the loss of his father. Willa avoided going back to the beach house for three years, until financial pressures finally push her to return, prepare to sell and say goodbye to all the memories(both good and bad).
There were many sad moments, but ultimately this is a story of loss, love, friendship and finding a way to live when life doesn't turn out as planned. Willa 'sees' Ben at the beach house and doesn't know if she is losing her mind or if there is life after death(no spoilers here). Once Jamie joins her, they work on strengthening their strained relationship and personally, I liked Jamie's voice the most(chapters alternate between Jamie and Willa's POV). I actually got to read this on a sunny spring day and can see this as being an entertaining beach read.
Thank you, Beth Harbison, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC. I am definitely going to see what else the author has written.

Don't go by the synopsis in Goodreads. story and character name is all wrong.
Willa has never fully recovered from the sudden death of her husband, Ben. She became an absent mother to her young son, Jamie, unable to comfort him while reeling from her own grief.

Now, years after Ben’s death, Willa finally decides to return to the beach house where he passed. It’s time to move on and put the Ocean City, Maryland house on the market.

While cleaning up and remodeling the ghost of Ben appears. It seems he is there to help her move on.
I really enjoyed this story and the characters. They seemed to have loved each other a lot.

Once I stopped crying, I was so happy I read this book! Such a beautiful heartwarming family story. It wasn't only sad, it was life affirming and I suspect it will stay with me long past the summer.