The perfect summer read. In Every Time You Go Away, Beth Harbison has written a sweet and touching novel about a woman who, after the loss of her husband, shuts herself off from the world. Willa has to face the memories with Ben that return at their beach house, and then she is confronted with Ben’s ghost...! The ending had me sobbing!

This book gave me ALL the feels!!! Willa is such a great character and so is Jamie. This story is so well written you can physically feel the heartbreak, even when Ben is there with her. I loved Kristin and Kelsey and how things rekindled between the kids and also how Kristin ended up believing Willa about Ben. This book was 100% amazing!

Reminiscent of the movie Ghost.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it definitely won’t be the last. When I started the book I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. The whole concept seemed a little “out there” to me. After reading just a few chapters I was hooked.

Willa is not dealing well with the sudden death of her husband, Ben. She cannot cope with her grief, much less be a parent to her 14 year old son, Jamie. When, after three years of living in a grief-filled fog, she decides that it is time to sell the beach front home where the family has spent many happy days celebrating summer with friends. She goes to the beach home alone because Jamie just can’t face going to the place where his father died. Upon arrival, she finds that the home has fallen into disrepair and it will take a lot of work to get it ready to sell.

As she begins repairs and cleanup, Willa is deluged with memories of her beloved Ben. The images of Ben seem to be real enough to touch. Is her imagination getting the best of her? Every Time You Go Away brings out all the emotions. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes women’s fiction.

This was perfect weekend read. Heartwarming, with likeable characters and a great setting. It wasn't my favorite book by this author but definitely a solid beach read.

I am pleasantly surprised with this book by Beth Harbison. The first few chapters I was struggling to stay interested, then it really picked up once the main character Willa went to the beach house. From that point on it was a quick read! I enjoyed the two different perspectives from Willa and Jamie, her son. It was nice to follow the progression of grief with Willa and by the end you are happy with the outcome of her big decision, knowing it is what is best for her and her son. Overall, I am very happy with this read!

A family is torn apart by a sudden death. Ben has passed away at the family’s beach house and Willa is trying to deal with her grief while being a present parent to their son, Jamie. She is failing on both accounts. After a few years, Willa feels she has the strength to go to the beach house and get it ready to sell. To spend time there with her son would be unfathomable. While at the house, she feels Ben’s presence and then a little unstable when she thinks she sees him. She calls her good friend to stay with her and do a ‘reality check’ to make sure she’s not losing it by seeing her late husband. Together they make good progress on the house when by surprise Jamie has ditched his girlfriend and arrives at the house to help. I really felt a healing vibe as Willa and Jamie came together for the same goal. It was heartwarming when Willa begins to heal and accept her new normal with Jamie. I liked the addition of Ben. Dead people coming back isn’t an element that I usually enjoy, but this worked for me.

This is an enjoyable fast paced beach read. Told in alternating chapters between Willa and Jamie kept the flow moving. This is my first novel by Beth Harbison and I will look for more by her.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy.

The book starts with Willa (who is a widow) whose husband (Ben) died while repairing their summer home to be their retirement home. Willa and Ben also have a teen age son, Jamie, who Willa Has neglected during her year of morning, Now Willa see's the house Ben died in to be a new beginning for her and Jamie.

Every Time You Go Away is a heartfelt, emotional story about healing a tragic loss, letting go, and coming together as a family. When Willa gets to the beach home she finds that it has not been updated as much as she thought and Ben left it in disrepair. However, Willa starts seeing Ben's ghost everywhere she looks but Jamie does not see his dad as often as mom. Willa invites her best friend and daughter to come spend the summer with them. As they visit places they used to go Willa has a hard time focusing on her memories.

This book has all of life's journey's, a loss, letting go of that loss and getting back to living the life you had before that loss.

Willa was having a very difficult time dealing with her husband's (Ben) death. He died in his sleep getting their summer home ready. She hadn't gone with him because she just didn't want to. She finally (3 years later) gets up the nerve to put the place in order and sell it. She is quite surprised to see Ben there as a ghost. I thought the story was sweet that he had things he just wanted to remind her of that he didn't get to tell her before he died. He reminded her of their love and they would be together again one day. Their son was having his own difficulties dealing with just being a teenager and having his mother mostly absent from his life after his father's death. The story was a good reconnect for both of them

Book review: Grief, ghosts, love, laughs in beautifully written summer read
By Sandy Mahaffey FOR THE FREE LANCE–STAR Jul 26, 2018

It takes a lot of finesse to make a light summer read emotional and heart-wrenching, yet still full of humor. Beth Harrison has achieved just that with “Every Time You Go Away.” It has some faint tones of the movie “Ghost” running through it, which is a plus for me. I don’t as a rule go for the paranormal, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Willa is still struggling to overcome her grief. Her husband, Ben, died unexpectedly of a heart attack while getting their beach cottage ready for the summer. Three years have passed, and she decides this is the summer to fix up the cottage for sale. She has not even been able to go there since his death. Her teenage son Jamie has his own issues as he struggles with the loss of his father and, in many ways, his mother. He refuses to even spend his summer at the cottage with her.
The moment Willa steps into the cottage she sees Ben walking through the room. As this continues to happen from time to time, she begins to question her sanity, but then he begins to converse with her. Apparently, he has been sent back temporarily to help her to get her life back on track for her sake and that of their son. After her best friend, Kristin, Kristin’s daughter Kelsey and Jamie join her, the work load lightens, but Willa struggles to keep them from thinking she’s having a breakdown when they overhear her talking to Ben.
The writing flows beautifully, parts had me laughing out loud, others tugged gently at my heart. The friendships ring true and sorrow soon becomes hope and joy. A perfect read for the beach.

Sandy Mahaffey is former Books editor with The Free Lance–Star.

EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY
By Beth Harbison
(St. Martin’s Press, $27.99. 304 pp.)
Published (paperback): July 24

This book is perfect for the beach. I pretty much knew how the whole story was going to end. It was an okay book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Willa is grieving the death of her husband and decides the time has come to let go of their beach house. Her seventeen-year-old son Jamie has also struggled since the death of his father. Willa and Jamie spend the summer learning to let go of their grief, reconnect with one another and figure out what comes next.

Beth Harbison gives an emotionally intense story of loss, grief, and how the power of love heals our soul.

I love love love Beth Harbison, and I love how all of her books are song titles.

This book did not disappoint. None of her books do! This is a great beach read, if you don't mind crying and getting sand in your eye. A touchingly sweet book that gives you all the feels.

I gave this a try several times but I am DNF at 25%. I don't mind an occasional "ghost" but I just couldn't get behind it in this story. Also, I don't like teen narrators so the sections narrated by the teenage son were difficult for me to get through.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, unfortunately, it was just not for me. Since I did not finish it, I will not be posting a review on social media outlets.

This was my second Beth Harbison book and I enjoyed it. It's a sad book which deals with a woman and her son moving on and dealing with the unexpected death of her husband, his father several years earlier. I think this was a believable depiction of grief and how people feel when you lose someone you love. The story is slow at parts, but kept my interest throughout. The book does end somewhat abruptly, but it makes sense in the context of the story. This was a good read and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.

This new novel Every Time You Go Away, by Beth Harbison, takes the reader through the roller coaster ride that is the grief following the loss of a spouse. What about the kids who’ve lost a parent? If one parent is gone, and the other is absorbed in grief, who takes care of the kid? Harbison examines the gamut of emotions and difficulties experienced by both, and shows how they can come out on the other side of grief with the family intact.

It has been four years since Ben died, and Willa still has not recovered from losing the love of her life. She finally faces the reality of the need to sell their beach house. The house where they went as teenagers, bought, then took their own kids.

Her son, Jamie, is suffering, too, and has allowed himself to be caught up in a toxic high school relationship with an emotionally needy girl. He does know from his parents what a good marriage looks like, and he finally extricates himself. Together, mother and son begin to rebuild their relationship.

As Willa works to make the house presentable for sale, Ben keeps appearing to her – then going away. Ironically, it’s Ben who helps her not only to see her neglect of Jamie, but to accept that she still has work to do in this world, and he is waiting for her on the other side of the veil.

I love a happy ending, and Every Time You Go Away has one. I give this story four stars.

What Makes This Book Reviewer Grumpy?

• Spelling “god” without a capital “G”;
• Using “Try and”, rather than “try to”;
• Beginning sentences with conjunctions;
• Split infinitives;
• Misplacement of the word “only” within sentences.

Three years after the death of her husband, Ben, Willa is still struggling to get on with her life and selling the old beach house where he died is just the first step. But things get complicated when she starts seeing Ben everywhere…
Every Time You Go Away was a very different book than I expected. It’s definitely not a light, summer-read. Some parts are very moving and will have you blinking back tears. At the same time, some parts were too detailed and not moving quick enough, making you wish the book was just a little bit shorter.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a delightful read! I found the writing and story development, and character growth made me part of their lives. Totally believable in the moment. I would definitely read more by Ms. Harrison.

I was pleasantly surprised by Every Time You Go Away. From the cover, I was expecting something light and frivolous, and this book was not. However, even though it dealt with heavy topics, it remained hopeful.

Willa lost her husband, Ben, three years ago. When the story begins, she is returning to their beach house to prepare it for sale. Most of the story is told from her point of view, but there also are chapters from her son Jamie's perspective. For the most part, this helps to deepen the story and to provide a glimpse of what kind of mother Willa is (as opposed to what kind of mother she thinks she is).

I liked that the story touched on so many things without meandering too much: Willa's marriage and her grief, her relationship with her son and with her friend. My favorite part? Unlike so many other books about widows, this was not the story of a woman who found herself or healed from her grief by finding a new man.

I LOOOOVED this book. Beth Haribson is one of my favorite authors and this one did not disappoint. Perfect beach read with a little ghost story!!!

3.75 stars.

Three years ago, Willa's husband, Ben, died from a heart attack while at their beach house. Willa has not been back to the beach house, but knows she needs to sell it. So, leaving her teenage son, Jamie, at home, she heads to the beach house. Will she finds what she needs there to heal and move on? Upon first arriving, she feels a presence and knows that somehow Ben is there. Is she crazy, or is she really seeing him? Then Jamie arrives to help her prepare the house to sell. Is he finally able to break free from his awful girlfriend, Roxie? Roxie was so obnoxious, but it took a while for Jamie to see that. Over the summer, Willa finally finds the strength to move on with her life.

The story is told in chapters alternating between Willa and Jamie's point of views. I enjoyed that aspect of it, but sometimes found there was way too much description in some of the chapters.

Ultimately though, I did enjoy the book.