After I've Gone

by Linda Green

[Leah]

Linda Green made the switch from Chick Lit to thrillers last year, with the arrival of her book While My Eyes Were Closed. It was incredibly successful - I personally loved While My Eyes Were Closed, it was such a clever novel and I was just so impressed with Linda’s writing ability. So I was obviously excited to read After I’ve Gone. With every body and their mother (literally) being on social media, it’s interesting to see social media make its way into books. With After I’ve Gone, it’s all about seeing posts from the future, a future that tells Jess Mount that in 18 months, she’s going to die…

You’ve got to admit, that’s a super intriguing premise. What was also intriguing was how it foretold her future, not just her death, but everything leading up to it, the book only just opens with Jess meeting Lee and yet, because of these prophetic messages, Jess knows she’s going to marry him and she’s going to have a son and you’re kind of wondering how the plot can differ, because you already KNOW everything that’s going to happen. Jess is going to get married, have a kid and die. The entire plot was given away! But the cleverness is unravelling exactly what leads to Jess’s death - she’s only 22/23 during the book so she’s hardly old, ya know? She’s also super, super cautious, after the death of her mother as a teen, so it’s not that and you’re just suckered in, wondering what the hell’s going to happen.

I was honestly so impressed with After I’ve Gone. I loved how the Facebook posts helped the plot move along, helped Jess understand more what was coming for her - which is scary. I have no idea what I would do if that happened to me. I’d probably check myself into some kind of facility with padded walls. But Jess was a very cock-sure character. She knew her own mind, and I loved her. Much like her friend Sadie, I was surprised at  how quick everything moved with Lee - Jess just threw caution to the wind, willing to just go along for the ride and it didn’t seem in character, but love does things to you that you wouldn’t ordinarily expect and Lee was pretty charming.

I had no idea how After I’ve Gone was going to end, and it was a pretty great ending actually. I really, really enjoyed this book. I was engrossed from start to finish and Linda Green has been SO successful in her genre transition. I love her writing so much, she really gets into the heart of her characters and I loved getting to know Jess, even if I didn’t always agree with her decisions. I can’t wait for Linda’s next novel, she just has this genre down pat, and I like that I know when I pick up a Linda Green book I’m in for a brilliant, unputdownable read.