While I Was Away

by Stylo Fantome

[Eve1972]

I have ZERO idea where to start with this review. As of this moment this book sits on the top of my list for best book I have read so far this year. This story completely blew me away, and I teared up SO many times. I will leave this review somewhat vague because I think this story is best experienced without a lot of prior knowledge. Just trust me you'll want to read this book as soon as it is released.

 
So onto the deets...this was an amazingly well-written book. A good portion of it had an almost surreal Alice In Wonderland feel to it I loved.  It is a fairly long book, clocking in at around four hours of reading time. However, I never once found myself bored or needing to skim. It was told in multiple POVs, which was one of the things I think worked SO well. I loved getting an inside peak at the thoughts of Adele's brothers and her BFF. It added so much depth to the story and set the stage for the secondary romance that plays out in the book. There was no OW or OM drama. This wasn't a steamy read, and that didn't bother me in the least since that aspect fit with the overall plot. One of the standout things about this book were the secondary characters. Especially Adele's brothers (River, Ocean, and August). My heart broke reading their POVs. I also loved Adele's BFF and her ex Charlie, who was such a nice guy. Both Adele and Jones were fantastic main characters. The journey they took together was amazing, and heartbreaking. Last, it all wraps up in a very satisfying way. I hope we get to see more of these characters in the very near future.