I just LOVED this brilliant book from start to finish. A story that stays with you long after you've finished reading. One to savour. Just beautiful! Very highly recommended.

This is a story about a very close-knit family. Holly is home to visit her ailing grandmother. All signs indicate that her nana, Alice, doesn’t have long to live. The family is devastated. They are struggling to deal with the impending loss but also trying to hold on to Alice and keep her on earth just a little longer. It is during this time that the family discovers Alice’s writing about her first love.

This story in narrated in a dual timeline. I was utterly captivated by the 1958 timeline. Alice’s story was so poignant and well detailed. I found myself looking forward to her narration, maybe because I enjoy historical fiction or just because of her character and the unfolding love story. Holly’s narration was also interesting though for some reason, it didn’t pull me in like Alice’s.

This is a story about family, love and loss. It is both beautiful and heartbreaking. There were moments that had me smiling while others made me a little teary. I lost my grandparents way back in the 90s and can’t remember much about them. Reading about Alice and her family makes me feel like I missed out on important relationships and some great stories too.

<b><i>When it rains look for the rainbow, when it’s dark look for the stars.</i></b>

A beautifully told story filled with heartbreak and hope. Brooke Harris sure knows how to paint a story with emotion and heart that will tug at your heartstrings. This book touches on some pretty depressing subject matter but it is handled with warmth and compassion. If you have ever suffered a miscarriage or had issues with pregnancy/fertility there could be some possible triggers. But as someone who has had two miscarriages herself I really feel as though this was handled with care.

At its core this is a book about love, especially the love between grandmother and granddaughter. Holly is called home when her beloved grandmother Annie is dying. The bond between them is amazing and the last days they spend together are priceless. Annie still has a story to tell and Holly is the one that needs to hear it. The story bounces back and forth in time Annie’s story in 1959 and Holly’s story in present day. Earth grandmother and granddaughter’s stories are heart wrenching and emotional bursting with love and family and grief. Annie’s story is about a magical love of a lifetime a tale that will not only pull at your heartstrings but squeeze them until they hurt. Holly story is equally as emotional this is a book that requires at least one box of Kleenex!

This is one of those books that will put your heart through the ringer and leave you with a book hangover the next day. A story that will evoke every possible emotion you have and some you didn’t even know you did. The characters are likable and relatable the type of characters that will stick with you long after the book has ended. Next time you are in the mood for a book with all the feels, beautiful storytelling, and a cast of amazing characters, this is your book! Absolutely recommend!

*** A big thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars. I truly loved it but the ending made me so mad. I was so invested in these characters and loved their stories so much that the heartbreak was almost too much for me. I wish I could rewrite the ending, but maybe that's part of the point: life isn't fair and it's hard and sometimes breaks our hearts. There is a lot of pain in this book but there's so much love in just about every character's story. Most of the characters are quite loveable and feel like family. In fact, Holly's story with her mom and dying Nana is very relatable to me because I went through the exact situation. Needless to say, I cried often during those sections of the book. I couldn't get enough of Annie and Sketch's story and wish there was more to explore. I loved this book so much I devoured it in one day and I feel a little empty now that it's over. This will be one of those stories that sticks with me a while and I'll be thinking about the characters for weeks to come.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It has been previously released under the title When It Rains, but this copy does contain significant editorial revisions. This is the story of Holly and her family. She returns back to her family home when her Nana, Annie is dying. Whilst there, Holly discovers that Annie, wrote a story of her life back in 1958 when she met the love of her life, Albert ‘Sketch’ Talbot. Holly finds the handwritten book and together with her family reads to the story to Annie. As she reads it, Holly is forced to face the reality of her life at that moment – pregnant but her unborn baby is seriously ill, Holly’s relationship with Nate is also dying. Can Annie’s story help her through this time?

Wow, this was one seriously emotional book!! Told from two different timescales, present day from Holly’s point of view and in 1958 from Annie’s point of view, this book certainly took me on one hell of a rollercoaster ride of emotions! Beginning in the present day, my heart went out to Holly journeying back to her family home to be with her Nana in her last few days. Holly was such a likeable character, as was all the family, and it was clear to see how distraught Holly was with not only the upset of Annie dying, but also the news that her unborn baby had a serious illness and was unlikely to survive also. I couldn’t imagine what poor Holly was going through but admired her courage for staying as strong as she did throughout the book. I could see her broken relationship with her partner, Nate was one worth saving, and I was willing Holly throughout the book to also see that she needed him just as much as he needed her.

Annie’s story was just wonderful. Set back in 1958 when Annie was a teenage girl, her story is interspersed amongst the present day chapters. Again my heart went out to another generation of this family, and I absolutely loved the young Annie. This was though, another heart-breaking tale as Annie and her mother suffered physical abuse from the hands of her alcoholic father, but meeting Albert ‘Sketch’ Talbot gives Annie a chance of happiness.

Both stories was heart-breaking, yet with a strange sense of happiness. This book shows the strength of true love and family relationships. I have made it all sound like all doom and gloom, but it really isn’t like that at all! Yes, there are some overwhelmingly sad parts, but the gaps are filled with love and tenderness that make even the sad parts feel so much better. The writing was beautiful and the last few chapters certainly stay with you long after the book is finished. Whilst they are written very sensitively, it does have some topics which may be upsetting, so just a word of warning.

A story of love, loss, family, secrets and regret, this book will certainly tug at your heartstrings. I was completely hooked from the very first page and only managed to dry my eyes after I had finished the book. Would highly recommend, but would also make sure you have a large box of tissues at the ready as you are going to need them!

This is a beautifully written book. It is about two different generations and their loss, heartache and love. It I had me close to tears on several occasions. It is set in beautiful, scenic Ireland. The descriptions brought the characters and their surroundings vividly to life. This is a wonderful story that is definitely worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

WHAT A BOOK!!! Sorry for shouting, but it just feels right. It was a-ma-zing, fabulous, wonderful. 

The book contains two equally beautiful stories. Holly's love story is taking place in the present and Annie's in the past. The author alternates between the two and although Holly's story is very emotional as well, I was more attracted to Annie's. It really had my eyes fill with tears and the emotions were so raw that I felt her pain and happiness.

I have to say I have already read a fair amount of books. Some of them will stick with you forever and this is one that will be added to my shelf never-to-be-forgotten.

The book was heartbreaking, heartfelt, heartstopping. 

I liked the way the author chose her characters. They were perfect for the role they had to play.

I regret I did not buy shares from Kleenex before I started reading. I would have made myself a very rich woman ... 

I can only say one more thing : I loved it! 5 stars.

Thank you, Brooke Harris, Bookouture and Netgalley.

Holly is having problems with a pregnancy where the baby is seriously ill and a relationship that is falling apart and to make it worse her beloved Nana Annie is dying. Annie knows that Holly is suffering and so asks her to read out her journal to her, the story of her lifelong love for one man, Sketch........ can Annie's story help Holly find her way?

A lovely emotional story, compelling from the first pages and one that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it..... definitely recommended.

Well this has been a truly beautiful, emotional and heart breaking story from beginning to end.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story, it created so many mixed emotions within me. I felt so strongly for some of the characters and yet at the same time I wanted to yell and scream at some of them too. Never have I felt so angry towards a character. That in itself shows how talented this author is, the way she brings her characters to life that we almost forget they aren't real.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story, which is told in the present and the past, some parts were very sad to read and made me think how unfair life can be at times. This is a story that will seriously pull on the heart.

This has been my first read by this author but it won't be my last as I have two of her books sitting on my kindle waiting for me.

Lovely and emotional dual time line story. Annie has never told her family her whole story but she did write about it. Holly, her granddaughter, is having a tough time and, to add to it, Annie is dying. She asks Holly to read from the memoir. Oh what a journey! From a miserable awful life with an abusive father to her joyous relationship with Sketch, this felt so real. Harris has created terrific characters who you will root for (well, not all of them!). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Nicely plotted and written, this is the sort of novel you want to curl up with.

This is the story of Annie and her granddaughter Holly, the story is set over 2 time periods. The present day is told from Holly’s perspective and the past via Annie’s manuscript, which the family read at Annie’s deathbed.
A very emotive story about life, love and death.
Make the most of the time you have with loved ones no matter how short.
Beautifully written

This book is beyond amazing. How can I put into words how this book made me feel. The answer is that I simply can’t. It evoked all sorts of emotions inside me.
My advice is this is a must read book but please avoid mascara as you will definitely cry

A beautiful journey filled with family, relationships, pain, friendship, and at the core of it LOVE. Not the love shown in movies, but the kinds that connects the hearts and the souls, the kinds that is felt in life and beyond, the kinds that becomes the colors of the rainbow and the twinkle of the star!!

The story goes thus; Holly is called back home as her Nana is dying. She soon realizes that her Nana knows her far deeper than she can guess and has a message for her in the form of a book written and kept in the attic. Holly brings it out and starts reading the story of her Nana Annie. This is Annie's story, a saga of her pain and her eternal love for Sketch.

This story by author Brooke Harris made me cry as I read through the pages. Each chapter showed Annie's courage and love for her mother as both suffered through the torture and physical abuse at the hands of the father, but stayed strong for each other. In such a strife, came Sketch bringing with him a love which was like a balm to the damaged soul and a hope for freedom and dreams.

Brooke's writing brought out the bubbles of emotions, ripping my heart into pieces and joining them back. I cried when Annie did, it was so powerful, the last few pages saw me sobbing and breaking down completely. Brooke squeezed every last bit of my emotions out from my heart till I had nothing more left to give.

A book which touched my cold heart and made me long for the stars. I see my dreams as clearly as Annie saw hers!!
When it rains, look for the rainbow. When it's dark, look for the stars!!

Beautiful but heartbreaking story.
Annie lives an awful life at the hands of her cruel father her world changes for the ether when her old school friend Sketch comes back into her life....Holly (Annues Grandaughter) is also facing turmoil her beloved Nana is really poorly & her unborn child seriously ill.. The book switches between 1950's Young Annie's life to present day with Holly & is wonderfully interwoven.
This story is so emotionally charged it's compelling,soul destroying but beautiful all at the same time. Loved every page!

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. Holly comes back home to say goodbye to her Nana who is dying. Holly finds pages to a book that was handwritten by her Nana. The book is the story of her Nana's life and so begins the present and past of this book. It is very unique in the way the story goes back and forth and I so enjoyed it!

Holly loves her Nana and has really fond memories of the times she and her brother spent with her when they were small children. So when Nana first falls ill and has her diagnosis, she is very upset. But the day her brother phones her and gently tells her that it is time for her to drive to Nana’s home in Abhenry, it seems that nothing at all in her life is right. She is already very stressed, having recently received the news that her unborn baby is very sick, but knowing that she is going to lose Nana very soon is just too heart-breaking for her to bear. All the time she is driving to see Nana, she hopes against all hopes that she will be in time. Whatever else can go wrong? She has already split up with her baby’s father and now she feels as though she is adrift in a sea of misery.
Nana in confined to her bedroom with a whole cacophony of medical paraphernalia and a nurse is in attendance when Holly arrives. She is so happy to see her though, but Holly is unprepared for how fragile her Nana is. She wants to do everything she can to make Nana happy and soon the opportunity to do just that is presented to her. Before she goes, she wants to hear the story of her one and only love just once more. They discover a handwritten manuscript in the loft. Bit by bit Holly begins to read about Nana’s life with an overbearing and cruel father who dictated everything she did. He abused both her and her mother, emotionally, physically and psychologically. Nana gets very tired easily and hardly has the strength to talk, but the wide smile that lights up her face when Holly reaches the part of the story about the day she met her childhood best friend Arthur Talbot makes it all worthwhile. Nana is happy at last as she listens to Holly reading.
‘When You’re Gone’ as an absorbing and beautifully written story full of emotion and family secrets. Although the story does deal with love and loss, it is also uplifting and joyful in other parts. The love story between Nana (Annie) and ‘Sketch’ as Arthur was nicknamed, is tender and full of love and light, as is the story between Nana and her mother, living in daily fear and totally downtrodden, but supporting and looking out for each other as well. I loved all of the wonderful characters created by Brooke Harris, but my favourites were Annie and Sketch. The novel is written in dual time frame, with Nanna’s story of her life in the 1950’s interspersed with the modern story. It was once published as ‘When it Rains’, but has been extensively remodelled into the present poignant tale of abuse, alcoholism, sacrifice and family bonds.
I received this excellent and moving novel through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Bookouture, all in return for an honest review. This is my 4.5* review. All the opinions are my own with no influence from other parties. It is going to go on my list of recommendations as highly readable and a real page turner.
Beautifully written story of family love, buried secrets, troubles and triumphs

I loved this book it was just amazing. Loved the writing style characters & would highly recommend this to anyone it’s just perfect in every way.

This is one of those books that you cannot review straight away. You need to get over the crying and sit and understand the power of what you have just read.

I viewed this book from a number of viewpoints. A reader, a daughter a mother, a granddaughter and a nurse. You cannot help it, as the emotions that this book evokes feel so real.

Annie is dying and has her family around her. Before you think that seems rather too morbid for me, this is far from it. This is a celebration of a life, an insight in to how a loving family functions and how to achieve the most pleasant death possible by challenging the norm and knowing the person you love.

Holly has her own challenges but her grandmother is the matriarch and the cement that holds this family and directs it. The thought of losing her is incomprehensible. There is a part of this book where there is a discussion about how we reconcile death by suggesting someone has had a long, good life. It is so insightful that you question every conversation you may have had in relation to this.

The character of Annie and her impact upon the family is fascinating and when you find out what challenges she has faced during her childhood and in to early adult life you cannot help but feel she deserves the closeness of the family she has.The book that Annie has written explaining her life is such a clever way to tell this story.

The dynamics amongst the family particularly Hollies situation is heart rendering and has such impact that you cannot help but shed a tear but also to champion some kind of miracle.

I can only imagine that the author in some way has been exposed to the death of a relative, as everything from Marcy to the ambulance arriving is so accurate. I was shouting at my kindle for Holly to step in and follow her nanas wishes. The interplay between the nurse and the family reminded me of a number of situations I have had the honour of witnessing. The effects on Blair were so perceptive, the difficulty of being a mother when you are the daughter facing such tragedy.

The viewpoints of Holly and Annie are exceptional and add to the context and power of this book. It is so difficult to discuss this book without spoilers.

I read this in two sittings. It is emotional there is no getting away from that. Ugly crying emotional but whilst there is sadness, there is also the joy that Annie ultimately achieves her wish and leaves a legacy for generations to come.The last three to four chapters are so very emotional.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, do not be put off by the fact that death is mentioned, embrace it and you will benefit immensely from reading.

With the authors last book I didn’t feel that it could be topped. I have read everything she has written. Nothing is the same, the genres change and yet this makes her books exciting. Something to look forward to. All but one has made me cry such is the accuracy and cleverness of the writing.

This is a must read.
A note of caution-don’t try and squeeze this in on your lunch break or before work you may well regret that. This is an emotional ride and you need to give it the time it deserves, although you will be turning the pages so fast to know what happens next.

Can I only give this 5 stars?

Thanks to the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest and very tearful review.

Where do I start? This book was unexpected. I fell in love with Annie and and her granddaughter Holly immediately.

Just as the title promises, When You’re Gone is a heartbreaking page-turner full of family secrets. And love, so much love (but not in a mushy disgusting way).

Annie’s story was beautiful, but heartbreaking. As was Holly’s.

I cried happy and sad tears. I smiled and laughed. I wanted to jump in an save Annie when it seemed no one would. I wanted to hug Holly and take her out for coffee.

I did not want this book to end. Most of all, I really want to read a longer version of Annie’s book.

OMG, where to start? I loved this book so much. As soon as I started it it felt really special, I couldn't put it down and read it in one go through the night.

Hannah and Annie the two main characters were so well drawn, I could visualise them and felt so drawn into their lives. Everything about the book, all the descriptions were so well doneI could totally visualise Athenry. I ended the book with tears streaming down my face and spend the next few hours thinking about them all still.

You must read this book.