Thursday, October 15, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: "While You Were Gone" by Kate Moretti



While You Were Gone 
By Kate Moretti 
Genre: Women’s Fiction  


Book Description: 

Despite Karen Caughee’s intense focus on her music, her life is drifting out of its lane. Her alcoholic mother keeps calling from bars for early-morning rides, her boyfriend doesn’t think she gets him, and that Toronto Symphony Orchestra position she applied for ends up going to her  
friend, Amy. By chance, she meets American Greg Randolf just before she’s in a car accident. He pulls her from the wreckage, but after major surgery, her recovery is slow. Without her music, her life’s pursuit, Karen is pushed further adrift.  

Greg stays by her side while she heals, and he sees her every time he’s in Toronto for work. Without any other support or friendship in her life, Karen craves his enthusiastic attention, and their friendship deepens to love. Though she’s fallen hard for him, he doesn’t share everything with her. In one heartrending moment, Karen’s life comes to a crossroads, and she must face the full truth about who Greg is, and about who she has become. 

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Author Bio 

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’s Goodreads page: http://bit.ly/1W4cgMS 
Visit Kate on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katemorettiwriter 

Visit Kate’s Blog: A Beaker’s Reflection 
Red Adept Publishing Page: http://bit.ly/RAPWhileGone

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MY REVIEW:

This was my first book from Kate Moretti, I had not read the companion to this (Thought I Knew You), but that wasn't a big issue. I actually found that While You Were Gone could easily be read as a standalone novella, but I would have liked some hint within the narrative that there was more to this story. The ending left it a bit open, and had I not known that this belonged with another book (therefore hinting that there was more to come for these characters), I would have been very upset as a reader. I think that some readers might find that to be a bit upsetting.
The plot is very good: it's not necessarily "new", we have seen all these issues may times in literature and other forms of media, but Ms. Moretti did give it a slightly new spin in certain areas.
I was reminded of Lifetime movies and plots in books from years gone by. Karen faces insane struggles, things that many readers can relate to, and I think that that could be the big selling point of this book. A lot of women can feel for her.
Was this a great book in the women's fiction genre? No, I honestly thought it could have used a tougher heroine and some new plot ideas, but it was good. I think some of my readers will enjoy it.

3/5--a good, short book.

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