About Miss You
• Hardcover: 448 pages• Publisher: Harper (April 4, 2017)
"If ever a couple was ‘meant to be,’ it’s Tess and Gus. This is such a witty, poignant, and uplifting story of two lives crisscrossing over the years, with near miss after near miss. . . . I couldn’t put it down."—Sophie Kinsella
A wryly romantic debut novel with echoes of One Day that asks, what if you just walked by the love of your life, but didn’t even know it? "TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE." Tess can’t get the motto from her mother’s kitchen knickknack out of her head, even though she’s in Florence on an idyllic vacation before starting university in London. Gus is also visiting Florence, on a holiday with his parents seven months after tragedy shattered their lives. Headed to medical school in London, he’s trying to be a dutiful son but longs to escape and discover who he really is. A chance meeting brings these eighteen-year-olds together for a brief moment—the first of many times their paths will crisscross as time passes and their lives diverge from those they’d envisioned. Over the course of the next sixteen years, Tess and Gus will face very different challenges and choices. Separated by distance and circumstance, the possibility of these two connecting once more seems slight. But while fate can separate two people, it can also bring them back together again. . . .
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Photograph by Leanne DixonAbout Kate Eberlen
Kate Eberlen grew up in a small town thirty miles from London and spent her childhood reading books and longing to escape. She studied Classics at Oxford University before pursuing various jobs in publishing and the arts. Recently, Kate trained to teach English as a Foreign Language with a view to spending more time in Italy, a country she loves and has visited many times. Kate is married with one son. Find out more about Kate at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.My Review:
Miss You is excruciatingly frustrating because the reader knows that Tess and Gus belong together. Their paths cross, and either they miss each other or one of them fails to act on instinct. Meh! Plus the reader also knows that their relationships with other people are doomed to fail. Fate must be one frustrated lady with these two characters! Gus is my favorite. His family has suffered a horrible tragedy, and he evolves from a timid, awkward young man into a confident, caring prince of a man. He is the perfect romantic hero by the end of this book. *le sigh*
Tess and Gus both tell their stories from their points of view alternately. It's fun to figure out all the times they miss out on finding each other. After their initial "cute-meet" in Italy the summer before starting university, their next supposed chance is doomed as Tess's mother fights and eventually succumbs to breast cancer. Tess stays home to care for her Kindergartner sister rather than attending university in London. The next section told from Gus's point of view reveals that the room across from his in the dorm becomes available at the last minute according to the lucky girls who had been waitlisted for the room. The book continues along in a similar fashion, and it truly is poignant considering all the time Gus and Tess miss being together.
SPOILER ALERT:
One thing I loved most about the book is Tess's relationship with her sister Hope. Hope has autism, and Tess is a fantastic parent to her. I appreciate books that depict autism in such a positive light. Kudos to Kate Eberlen!
This book was difficult for me to read because breast cancer is a major character in Tess's narrative. My best friend is battling breast cancer currently, and she has had many unexpected complications. Unfortunately all of us know women who have fought cancer with determination, courage, strength, and grace just like Tess.
END OF SPOILER...
Eventually, Fate successfully pushes these two together, and the ending is fantastic, much more than satisfying. Miss You is a fun read, and it made me wonder about chance meetings and whether or not anything in life is truly random. I highly recommend it, and it would make a fun Spring Break or Easter Break read.
Disclosure:
I received a copy of Miss You from the publisher via TLC book tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
I'm adding this to my wish list! Sounds like a really fun book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on this tour!
Sounds sweet!! The first time I met my husband, I wasn't interested at all, then when we met again 2 years later, I knew after 3 hours I was going to marry him! Thanks for another great review!
ReplyDeleteJenna
Steve and I met in a college class and discovered we had mutual friends. In the course of our conversations we realized we were both at a friend's 21st birthday party and I actually remembered spotting him in a corner. And then, the day after he asked me out, he walked into my Sociology class to show a film - he was the projectionist.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and her fiance met at an A's baseball game 10 years before they started dating. My son and his wife were both at a wedding where my daughter and my daughter-in-law were both bridesmaids. It took 2 more years for my daughter to introduce them.
This sounds like a GREAT book, Ricki! I think it is one I would like to read. I have often wondered how many 'perfect' matches have passed by each other over the course of years-it's wonderful that they connected in this book finally. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteOne Day (sigh)...I did not read your spoiler, but fear this book could make me too anxious!
ReplyDelete