Originally reviewed at Words in a Teacup.

I'll kick right off with the one thing that made me request this book on Netgalley: The gorgeous cover. It immediately caught my eye and I adore it so so much. The blue background, the cakes, the title font and position... it just makes for such a gorgeous composition! (Though I have to say that the original UK cover from 2013 is lovely too. That one would fit right in with my Lucy-Anne Holmes books!)

There's a lot of talk about various cakes in the beginning, and though I would've enjoyed more details about the cakes, I really liked that! Cake! The world needs more cake. Holly, the main character, bakes cakes on commission and that's how she meets Ciaran after all. No epic love story between those two without the cake, yo. Or story of facepalm-inducing awkwardness, because that's what happens. Really, Holly is so socially inept, it's a miracle that they even have customers? But it's awfully funny, too, because as a reader you just know that occasionally the love interest will overhear the stupid things that come out of the MC's mouth and it made me giggle like a fool.

I also giggled like a fool every time Ciaran did something awfully sweet. Boy, that man would do anything for Holly, and it makes me swoon a little, no lie. And giggle. Lots of giggling. I'm silly like that.

Of course there are also things I wasn't too fond of. There's minor writing things like grammar issues and strange formatting (only an issue with my digital ARC file, I am sure), especially where there could be ligatures on actual paper (i.e. every time there was an "fl" in a word, there'd be a space between the f and the l in my ARC), but I got used to that quickly and just ignored it. No need to nitpick about that, considering that it's not the finished copy.

Another thing that might make other readers skip this book is the predictability. It's extremely predictable. I didn't mind so much because, quite frankly, if I request chicklit I expect to be served just that. I actually quite enjoy formulaic prose like this. There's all kinds of ~deep~ fiction out there, loads of action-y and political stuff in dystopian novels, your typical love triangles in YA, etc., but sometimes I just want to read something cute that will make me happy in the end and make me giggle and that's when I turn to chicklit. No shame in the predictability of that.

What bothered me more in regards to the writing was that the author kept beating around the bush on some issues where it was really unnecessary. Like, really, if you're going to have one of your characters let out some swearwords, don't mince them down? Using "mutha-funkin'" only makes it look ridiculous because everyone knows what that character is actually saying, so why not just write it down like that. Nobody says mutha-funkin'. Nobody. Similarly, if you're going to give your readers some sexy bits (yay, sexy bits! I was pleasantly surprised!) don't turn it into an innocent mystery that makes one question what exactly it is that is ~down there~.

Though maybe that's just how Holly's POV works. Which is a shame. Truly, if the book had been written from Ciaran's POV or even from a 3rd person perspective, I might have enjoyed it more than I did, because Holly is incredibly infuriating as a character. I adored a lot of the secondary characters, especially the ones that have a connection to Ciaran or build one to him; there's Mary, Mrs Hedley, Fergal, Toby... I adored them! They were a great secondary cast and gave the book an extra kick. Not so much on Holly's side. You see, Holly doesn't seem to have any friends at all aside from her colleague and her sister? And as far as those went... I couldn't get a handle on Jesse at all, he was all over the place, and Martha was possibly even more infuriating than Holly.

My biggest issue with Holly, however, is that she has no agency. At all. And everything she does is just a reaction to what others do. For instance, Charlie and Holly's past with him and Charlie's own individual past? I understand why the bigger bits of that can't be changed, but I really did not care at all about his oh so tragic childhood or his oh so noble plans to do whatever it is he wanted to do because it was really irrelevant to the story. Charlie was just a plot device for Holly's character, to give her a past and some issues, but it wasn't much more than that. Sure, without Charlie the book couldn't exist the way it does since he's crucial to the premise, but it was often overdone and unnecessary. But it's not just Charlie, it's also with the other characters. Jesse suggests a thing to her, she reacts; Martha suggests a thing to her, she reacts; her neighbour tells her a thing, she reacts; Ciaran does something for her, she reacts. She never seems to make the first step in any of her decisions.

Then there's Holly's continued issues with herself. They're understandable and even expected, but you'd think that at 95% on my Kindle she'd eventually stop running away from Ciaran. It goes like this: Ciaran tries to impress Holly, Holly squeaks and runs away. Ciaran tries to apologise for his privileged lifestyle, Holly judges him and runs away. Ciaran continues to woo her and somehow magically succeeds (congrats, buddy, Holly had a sane moment!), but afterwards when he's gone -- because, you know, poor guy has a life too -- Holly wallows in self-doubt and moreover keeps ascribing traits and flaws to him that are out of this world. The guy clearly adores you, Holly, why do you keep insisting that you're just a one-off for him? Especially when he keeps coming back?! He doesn't deserve to be treated that way, really.

Enough with the ranting, though, because, yeah, there were a lot of things that bugged me, but I wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't liked it. Honestly, Since You've Been Gone has a lot of ups and downs but I enjoyed it all the same. It'll be out in the US on July 29th and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for some light women's fiction who won't mind the predictable bits.

Since You've Been Gone is a nice piece of women's fiction, though there is not much to distinguish it from other typical books in the genre. The characters were typical and fairly bland (the main character of Holly was particularly bland, unfortunately), though the story line of how kindly her new love interest treats the memory of her deceased husband is nice. For those looking for something new and interesting in the genre, however, this may not be the pick. Advance reading copy provided by Netgalley/the publisher (though I did not read it until well after publication, unfortunately).

Fairly typical chick-lit, but there are some really funny parts.

“Don’t be a fool, girl. Don’t be afraid of an unexpected joy. Don’t find yourself grieving for an opportunity wasted, because no matter how much you love the ghosts, they don’t keep you warm.”

Since You’ve Been Gone was quite an emotional journey as we followed Holly through her grief over losing her beloved husband, and as she slowly made her way back into the world again.

Not all of the content is heartbreaking and dark, although there were some very poignant moments as Holly dealt with her loss. Thankfully, there were a lot of fun, sometimes even silly, moments with her friend Jesse, her sister and brother-in-law, and of course with Ciaran. This made a nice balance to the story, keeping it from being overly heavy.

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Synopsis

Holly Jefferson is a lonely woman. Her life consists of spending time with her dog, working in her cake shop and being the charity case of her older sister Martha who worries that Holly spends too much time alone.

The reason Holly is lonely is because she is a widow. Her husband Charlie died nearly two years earlier and in that time Holly has managed to alienate nearly everyone in her life. She has a routine of eat-sleep-work and it is the only thing that is getting her through the hard and lonesome days and nights.

However, after a chance cake delivery Holly meets someone who shakes up her world. Holly, begrudgingly and tentatively allows Ciaran Argyll into her world and it is through his tenacity and determination that Holly comes back to life.

But will the memory of her dead husband stop her pursuing happiness?

Review

Chick-lit often gets a bad name. Mainly from those who would consider themselves serious writers and in turn those who consider themselves serious readers. It is assumed that if a book has a light and fluffy cover or if it has a happy ending then it can’t at all deal with serious issues or be in anyway important literature. Those who think that are both prejudiced and wrong. Chick-lit is wonderful. There, I’ve said it and I stick by it.

Since You’ve Been Gone is the debut novel from Anouska Knight, an author she was brought to light by winning a talent competition featured on ITV’s Lorraine and Since You’ve Been Gone is a wonderful example of good chick-lit. It has everything you could want – a strong yet bruised by life heroine; a dashing yet misunderstood hero and a colourful supporting cast of characters to boot.

The comfort that comes with this book is that you know that the guy is going to get the girl. Yes, along the way there are going to be wacky misunderstanding and misconceptions between the two and yes there will be a few moments when you will yell “kiss him, you fool” at the book but that is what makes chick-lit the perfect read.

Knight has managed this beautifully. She makes you fall in love with Cairan along with Holly. When Holly feels guilty that she is betraying the memory of Charlie, her dead husband, you too feel her guilt and shame. Equal to all of that you desperately will Holly and Cairan to be together with all your might.

The good thing about chick-lit is that the majority of the time there is a wonderful happy ending. Anouska Knight will not disappoint her fans.

I wasn't really expecting much from this- bright pink cover and all. It was actually a very endearing and at times very moving read. I'll certainly look into anything else Knight has written, as I was so taken with this novel. I'd recommend this for anyone looking for an enjoyable summer romance.

Verstand op nul en lezen maar...

Holly is a widow who owns a cake shop. A rich man buys cake to gain her affection.

FIRST THOUGHTS:

3.5 stars. Well, this is the second book in a day that's made me cry. I just think it started a teensy bit slow. But got really good at the end. Love the crazy characters, enjoyed the romance.

REVIEW:

(Originally posted on Alexa Loves Books)

In many ways, Since You’ve Been Gone reminds me a lot of P.S. I Love You. Both novels are about a main character named Holly whose husband has passed away, and the majority of the story focuses on how they move on with their lives after his death. However, Since You’ve Been Gone is very different from the other… and that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

I’ll warn you right away, however, that the beginning of Since You’ve Been Gone was a teensy bit slow and also a tad confusing. I’m not sure if it was because I started it right after another novel, or if it really reads that way, but I figure that it’s important to tell you guys when this happens so you can consider yourselves forewarned.

Holly Jefferson is our heroine, and I really liked her! She’s a baker, and runs a shop called Cake with her friend Jesse, where they create baked goods that sound visually appealing and happen to be delicious. She’s also one of those girls whose more comfortable in jeans and pullovers, content to wander the woods, sit at home and wear flats everywhere. Her love for others is fierce and strong, and her loyalty and dedication is pretty admirable.

At the start of the novel, she’s still suffering from sadness over losing her husband Charlie, even though it’s been years. Though her friends and her family did their best to encourage her to embrace living again, Holly was unwilling to let go of the memories and dreams she had of her husband. She was pretty much stagnant in her life, refusing any change… until Ciaran shows up.

Clearly, Since You’ve Been Gone is, primarily, a romance novel. While there are other aspects of Holly’s life, as mentioned, this is the one that receives the most attention here. And, the thing is, it totally worked! The beginnings were a bit suspect, I’ll admit, since I thought the two people involved – Holly & Ciaran – met and interacted under dramatic circumstances. Plus, there was the danger of the story feeling fairly unbelievable as Ciaran is a rich guy, and Holly is just a regular girl. Their love story may have felt like I was watching a movie play out before my eyes, but I still felt like there was real emotion there too.

Ciaran is a great love interest for Holly, and not just because he’s handsome, generous and incredibly clever (and okay, he could be funny too). The biggest draw, for me, was that he respected Holly’s love for her deceased husband and never tried to ask her to forget him. He was the catalyst for Holly moving on with her life, sure, but he also never made it seem like he was trying to erase her past. He wasn’t selfish about her affections, and I absolutely adored that about him. (Plus, he had a Scottish accent, so that’s another bonus for him!)

Since You’ve Been Gone is sprinkled with strong secondary characters, including Holly’s friend Jesse, her sister Martha, brother-in-law Robert, Ciaran’s father Fergal and a few more. It also has a story that kept me turning the pages, wanting to see what crazy shenanigans would occur, what Ciaran would do next, or how Holly would choose to respond. I love that it’s the kind of story that made me laugh, made me tear up and made me shake my head good-naturedly!

Overall, in spite of the slow start, Since You’ve Been Gone wound up being pretty good. There was a good bit of drama, balanced out by a couple of quiet, emotional moments. And, of course, it was impossible not to enjoy the crazy cast of characters in all their glory! Basically, I just wound up liking this a whole lot.