Review: Gone by Anna Bloom

Gone

by Anna Bloom

Publication Date: July 28, 2014

Pages:364

Source: Good Choice Reading Blog Tours

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 Rebecca Walters harbours a dark secret, and as the fifty-three bangles she wears on her wrists as a self-imposed sentence of guilt remind her, she can’t even begin to consider moving on. Not after what happened on that night six months ago… a night which she can’t remember and yet managed to change her life forever.

When Rebecca comes across Joshua Adams, man equally haunted by past tragedies, on a moonlit beach, both of their lives are destined to change forever, and when the girl made out of the sun meets the boy made out of the moon and sea, anything can happen… but will the knowledge of their murky pasts bring them together or drive them apart?

Will Rebecca finally be able to claim her freedom? Will she stay and fight to be the girl she found on the sandy beaches of Cornwall or is she destined to keep running and hiding from a past that won’t stay Gone? One thing’s for certain: either way, nothing will ever be the same again.

My Thoughts

Gone is beautiful story through and through. Anna Bloom's writing grabbed a hold of me and made me believe in this story of two young people struggling to live in the present.

Both Rebecca and Joshua are holding on to major regrets and guilt from their pasts. They are both devastated in ways that they believe they are beyond repair. I'll admit that I had some reservations about both of these characters and their pasts that left them haunted and damaged. Would it be overly dramatic? I shouldn't have had any worries because it was perfectly balanced. I think that story being told in alternating perspectives helped with that. 

I loved the intensity between Joshua and Rebecca during the serious moments between them but also in playful moments too. It was easy to get caught up in what was going on between them and experience happiness when they did and sadness when that was what they were feeling. This can be attributed to Bloom's ability to capture authentic emotions. 

I liked the interactions between Rebecca and her family. Her parents are involved in her life regardless of how she tries to separate herself from them. They are observant and understanding and well -meaning and great examples that parents can be relied on and confided in. And because of them, Rebecca doesn't have to experience the pain of her past all alone. 

A friend had recommended to me other books by Anna Bloom, but I hadn't read any of them prior to reading Gone. Having read this beautiful and emotional story, now I understand why she was raving about the writing and the characters. I will definitely read Bloom's other books in the near future.

Disclaimer:  I received this e-ARC from Good Choice Reading Book Tours  in exchange for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way other than the e-ARC provided. Thoughts and opinions are my own.