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Som om du inte fanns

Kate Eberlen

3.77 · Rating details · 7,120 ratings · 814 reviews

Tess och Doll ber en okänd kille ta en bild av dem tillsammans på Ponte Vecchio i Florens under en tågluff. Killen heter Gus och han är i Florens tillsammans med sina föräldrar för att komma över brodern Ross död i en skidolycka. Vad Tess och Gus inte vet är att deras vägar ska korsas ett flertal gånger under de närmaste sexton åren utan att de någonsin lär känna varandra. ...more

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Hardcover, 1, 521 pages

Published April 13th 2017 by Norstedts (first published August 11th 2016)

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3.77 ·

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· 7,120 ratings · 814 reviews

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Jun 13, 2018 Katie B rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, giveaways, librarything, england, italy, read-in-2018, grief

Absolutely loved it! I think some books just find a way into your life at the right time and this might be a case of that. Maybe six months from now I wouldn't feel quite the same way but this was just the perfect read for me at the moment. The premise isn't really groundbreaking as it's just a story about two people who meet in Italy and share a brief moment in time but go back to England alone. The book follows their lives for the next 16 years as they experience heartache, love, etc..

On an e ...more

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Jan 13, 2017 Whispering Stories rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A romance novel with a heart on the cover. Two characters who are meant to be. Alternating first person narratives following them through their lives. Sound familiar and wearingly clichéd? Kate Eberlen might not have made herself immediately appealing to the critic’s eye, but in her novel ‘Miss You’ she has written an interesting, enjoyable and immersive work that is both light and literary, and a gently provocative read.

We’re introduced to the main characters in 1997, when Tess and her best fri A romance novel with a heart on the cover. Two characters who are meant to be. Alternating first person narratives following them through their lives. Sound familiar and wearingly clichéd? Kate Eberlen might not have made herself immediately appealing to the critic’s eye, but in her novel ‘Miss You’ she has written an interesting, enjoyable and immersive work that is both light and literary, and a gently provocative read.

We’re introduced to the main characters in 1997, when Tess and her best friend Doll are inter-railing in Italy after their A Levels, and bump into a lonely and slightly awkward boy, our other protagonist Gus, away with his parents before he goes to fulfil their dreams at university. Tess however can not head to the big city to study, as following the death of her mother, she is left to bring up her autistic sister Hope, and with it sacrifice her own dreams and wonder what might have been. Things aren’t easy for Gus either, and he lives in the shadow of his handsome, successful and adored older brother Ross, whose death in a ski accident concretes his place as an idol in his parents’ eyes.

Through chapters that alternate between their two stories, both experience grief, betrayal, love, career struggles, and the general yearning to find oneself that life involves – right up until summer 2013. Over the sixteen years, their paths not only echo one another’s, but threaten to intersect – never quite making it.

A book lover, Tess’s early comment that ‘my romantic education had come from novels and all my favourite heroines had to suffer misunderstanding and despair in their pursuit of true love’ confirms what we know – they’ll end up together eventually (spoiler alert!) but the route there is interesting and varied to make the journey engaging. Both characters’ narratives are interesting enough to form novels in their own right, and the characters likeable but flawed. There’s some great twists to the plot – the identity of Gus’s wife surprised me, as did his relationship with Nash, and the changes in Hope’s character.

Description is often vivid, and the emotional or physical landscape illuminated, whether it’s the ‘shimmering palms of iridescence in the night sky’ as Gus’s teenage girlfriend gazes at fireworks, the ‘candyfloss-blossom trees, yellow daffodils, lime-green grass; a paintbox row of houses’ that make up Notting Hill’s Portobello Road, or Gus’s exhaustion as ‘my eyelids jerkily fluttering like the wings of a dying bird.’

The book drawn comparisons to David Nicholls’s super successful One Day, both dealing with the idea of love and fate and written through vignettes over the years, and whilst is certainly not a rip off, will benefit from the popularity of the genre. It’s an easy read, but not fluffy – more accessible and immersive. The trope of fate and serendipity is a well-worn one, but like Gus ponders himself, so much of who we spend time with and the relationships we engage in are a result of circumstance more than anything – and you never know what could have happened if you’d spoken to that person, not this one. ‘We think we choose our friends, but perhaps it’s always a matter of chance.’ The premise might be timeworn, but the book certainly isn’t, dealing with all of the issues of life in a warm, compassionate and honest manner.

Endearing and engaging, it thawed this reader’s hard heart towards romance novels. Thoroughly recommended as the un-guiltiest of guilty pleasures.

Reviewed by Francesca on www.whisperingstories.com ...more

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Sep 08, 2016 Anja rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I'm not really sure if two stars is an okay rating because a) I didn't really read this book properly and b) if I had read it properly and it would have been the right time and stuff, I might have liked it. Maybe.
Edit: changed it to one star :D

OK, so the book is about Tess and Gus, who 'meet' in Italy when they are each on vacation. They both go back to England the next day and their paths separate. In the next 16 years they 'meet' more than once again, but they never really get to know each ot I'm not really sure if two stars is an okay rating because a) I didn't really read this book properly and b) if I had read it properly and it would have been the right time and stuff, I might have liked it. Maybe.
Edit: changed it to one star :D

OK, so the book is about Tess and Gus, who 'meet' in Italy when they are each on vacation. They both go back to England the next day and their paths separate. In the next 16 years they 'meet' more than once again, but they never really get to know each other.

I think the story itself sounds lovely and it could've been so much better, it's a shame, really.

Let me start at the beginning: It all started off way too sad or depresssed or whatever for my liking. Both Tess and Gus have difficult relatives as in not-so-loving parents (for whatever reasons) or their past is sad and so on. It was not at all happy enough for me. That was quite exhausting. The beginning was also way too slow, the first chapters are about certain months in one year and that was painful to read. Towards the middle and the end of the book it gets a tiny bit better, but that doesn't make up for the immense pain felt in the beginning.

I don't know why, but the style of writing and how that made Tess and Gus appear (especially Gus) made me feel really uncomfortable. I've started a book once where this exact problem was the reason I didn't even try to finish it. And 'Miss You' was just not heart-warming enough. Well, it was not heart-warming at all for that matter. I couldn't really like Tess or Gus or anyone else. There was no warmth at all. Nothing that made me want to relate to them. Nothing. Only exhaustion.

Also, I thought their paths would cross more often. They did, but not often enough. I never really wanted to know how their story continues, because it wasn't 'their' story. I understand that the story wasn't supposed to be about how they meet each other all the time and slowly fall in love or something, but a bit more cuteness or something wouldn't have done any harm.

Now, there will be some spoilers.

The uncomfortable story aside, Tess and Gus were stupid people. First, Gus cheats on his girlfriend of six years about a hundred times with a colleague (who coincidentally is / was his dead brothers' girlfriend). And if that wasn't stupid enough, he tries to find out wether she is joking about marriage or whatever (because he got her pregnant) so he asks her to marry him and she says yes. Okay? Yeah why not ask someone to get married only to clarify some stupid joke / misunderstanding? Sure thing. Okay, stupid enough. But then they actually DO get married and have a second baby. Right. At some point she starts cheating just like he did years ago. What a nice couple!

But Tess is not better. Her boyfriend cheats on her, she is furious etc. but then one day she starts having an affair with a married man. Makes sense. Overall I got the feeling the book only consists of people cheating on each other and beginning new realtionships with people who are older / earn more money than themselves as a result. Not my type of story unfortunately.

I tried. I really tried reading this book. Up until page 148 or so. Then I had to admit defeat. I only scanned the pages for interesting words or sentences from then on but obviously couldn't find any. Such a waste of money (or payback points in my case). I cannot reccomend this book. The story was a pain in the arse.

Maybe I'm too much into this chic lit stuff, but why wouldn't I be? Why read depressing stuff when you can read cute, happy, sometimes cheesy stuff instead? Rubbish. ...more

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Jul 17, 2016 Celeste_pewter rated it liked it · review of another edition

Three things:

1) The book felt a little too much like a confluence of One Day and Love, Rosie, down to the affairs, accidental pregnancies, culinary-inspired careers and Tess's desire to become a writer.

2) Why is it that women in these books are always borderline pathetic? They're always self-sacrificing, giving up careers, having affairs and waiting for rich friends to fix their problems. No, damn it. Go fix your own life. Go look at Gwenyth Paltrow in Sliding Doors and emultate her.

It's not ...more

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Mar 14, 2017 Joana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Sinto a tua Falta" tem todas as características do género "chick-lit" e dentro dessa categoria é um dos melhores que tenho lido nos últimos tempos. O enredo parece inspirar-se no livro "Um Dia" de David Nicholls (que chega a ser mencionado a determinada altura. Estamos perante duas vidas que nunca se cruzam e que são narradas em paralelo ao longo dos anos. A história está muito bem estruturada, tendo a autora optado por se focar em temas como a morte, a família, o alcoolismo, o cancro e o síndr ...more

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Mar 12, 2017 Mafi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pt, 2017, new-on-the-shelf-17

Para primeiro livro da autora não está mal...gostei. Achei a 5ª parte um pouco apressada e o final é muito corrido. Achei que fosse mais romântico do que é e para mim o titulo nem se refere à saudade entre os dois protagonistas.

Aborda alguns temas sérios como o cancro, síndrome de Asperger, alcoolismo e o adultério. A minha personagem preferida foi a Hope.
Curiosa para ler mais trabalhos da autora no futuro.

----
(...)
Claro que aqui o que interessa é perceber se Tess e Gus se vão encontrar outra v ...more

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May 29, 2016 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Thank you netgalley for approving my request for this book, although not out til August I had heard great things already. I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. It is a wonderfully intimate story following two very endearing characters who are unaware of each other. As the chapters progressed I felt more and more engrossed in Tess and Gus's lives, so much so I feel bereft now that I have finished the book. I miss the characters already and feel this book will stay with me for a long ...more

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Feb 28, 2017 Lynne rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: bookclub-reads

I had a hard time with this book ...

You see - it has been compared to One Day, a novel that revolved around two people always missing their chance, until they don't but then life gets in the way. A really heart-warming love story that had me in tears at the end.

Miss You is about two people, Tess and Gus, who were both in Florence at the same time ... they were in the same church, they saw one another ... and that's it. They aren't two people who know one another, who are simply being to bull hea ...more

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Feb 08, 2017 Olga rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 31, 2017 thegirlwhoreadssbooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bookshelf

Opinião no blogue! :)
https://thegirlwhoreadssbooks.wordpre...

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Mar 30, 2017 Vanessa Silva Martins rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Destino...

Será que quando nascemos já temos um destino traçado?ou somos nós que construímos esse destino??

Quando estava a meio desta leitura, foi estas as perguntas que me questionei?
Isto porque a minha mãe tem sempre a conversa de.... "nós quando nascemos já temos o nosso destino traçado, se ele o quis assim temos que o aceitar e saber viver com ele".
Tenho sempre a resposta "mãe, o destino somos nós que o construímos no nosso dia a dia".
Depois de ler este livro, começo a pensar se a minha mãe ...more

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Aug 30, 2016 Brina rated it liked it · review of another edition

An "Miss You" scheiden sich ja derzeit die Geister, denn die einen lieben dieses Buch, die anderen hegen eher eine Abneigung. Da ich mal wieder neugierig war, wollte ich dem Buch trotz kleinerer Skepsis eine Chance geben und habe es fast in einem Rutsch gelesen.

Nun, in einem Rutsch durchlesen klingt ja eigentlich zunächst positiv, denn dies ist immerhin ein Zeichen dafür, dass sich die Geschichte leicht und schnell lesen lässt. Dennoch besitzt die Geschichte aber auch einige Schwächen, sodass i An "Miss You" scheiden sich ja derzeit die Geister, denn die einen lieben dieses Buch, die anderen hegen eher eine Abneigung. Da ich mal wieder neugierig war, wollte ich dem Buch trotz kleinerer Skepsis eine Chance geben und habe es fast in einem Rutsch gelesen.

Nun, in einem Rutsch durchlesen klingt ja eigentlich zunächst positiv, denn dies ist immerhin ein Zeichen dafür, dass sich die Geschichte leicht und schnell lesen lässt. Dennoch besitzt die Geschichte aber auch einige Schwächen, sodass ich ehrlich gesagt auch nach dem Lesen noch nicht so richtig weiß, was ich von der Geschichte halten soll.

Auf der einen Seite fand ich die Liebesgeschichte in diesem Buch wirklich schön, allerdings war es mir insgesamt zu viel Drama und die Steine, die einem immer wieder in den Weg gelegt werden, zu künstlich aufgebaut. Da reicht es nicht, dass Tess und Gus einen Schicksalsschlag hinnehmen müssen, sondern es muss gleich gefühlt eine ganze LKW-Ladung sein. So muss sich Tess gleich mit mehreren Problemen auseinandersetzen, die alle aufeinander aufbauen, denn nicht nur ihre geliebte Mutter ist gestorben und ihr Vater schwer alkoholkrank, sondern sie hat auch noch eine autistische Schwester, sodass quasi alles an ihr hängen bleibt und sie sich um sie kümmern muss.

An sich hat die Autorin die Geschichte gut erzählt, aber mir persönlich waren das zu viele Probleme und zu viele Momente, die die Figuren beeinflusst haben. So bekommt man zwar den Eindruck, dass sich die Figuren, allen voran Tess, stets weiterentwickeln, allerdings hätte ich mir eine leichtere und unbeschwertere Geschichte gewünscht.

Das Cover ist schlicht, aber dennoch durchaus schön anzusehen und passt für mich hervorragend zur Geschichte. Die Kurzbeschreibung verrät in diesem Fall nicht allzu viel, sodass man nicht genau weiß, was hier einen erwartet und man sich somit überraschen lassen muss, was ich jedoch vollkommen in Ordnung finde.

Kurz gesagt: "Miss You" ist an sich eine hochemotionale Geschichte mit interessanten Figuren, allerdings gab es mir hier auch zu viel Drama und zu viele Probleme, sodass man sich als Leser schon fast von all den Sorgen erschlagen fühlt. Hier wäre weniger weitaus mehr gewesen, sodass ich die Geschichte zwar an sich ganz nett fand, sie mich allerdings nicht vollends überzeugen konnte, was ich ein wenig schade finde. ...more

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Sep 24, 2015 Megan • Reading Books Like a Boss (book blog) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-releases, audiobooked-it, second-chance-romance

MISS YOU is a story of missed connections about two people who are perfect for each other but never meet over the course of fifteen years.

Tess and Gus first meet briefly in Florence as teenagers—she while on holiday with her best friend, Doll and he while on a trip with his parents who are still grieving after losing his older brother in a skiing accident. Over the next several years, both of their lives take them on journeys neither of them saw coming. Serendipitously, they almost meet again s ...more

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Jan 14, 2017 Melissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The best way to enjoy this novel is to avoid reading the blurb and go into it with no expectations about the plot. It is a thoroughly engaging saga about two people and the directions their lives take over the years on the path to maturity. Both Tess and Gus are intricately drawn characters who feel and act so realistically that readers will likely miss them once the book is complete. Once the reader gets into the rhythm of the story, the tale is difficult to put down until the conclusion.
Tess a ...more

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Apr 13, 2017 Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, fiction, romance

In "Miss You," Kate Eberlen explores the idea of whether or not there is a person for everyone, a person that matches them so well that any other relationship will pale in comparison. Are our relationships fate or happenstance? We meet Gus and Tess in this book and the readers can see that they would be perfect for each other. They don't know each other and they will spend the entire book crossing paths but not knowing each other. Will true love be found?

I don't necessarily believe in fate when ...more

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Nov 15, 2016 Lisbeth rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Maybe chick lit is just not for me, or maybe this book was just really bad. I didn't absolutely hate it like other one star books - it was just really, really bad.

[Denne bog er modtaget af Politikens Forlag som anmeldereksemplar. Alle ord og holdninger er mine egne.]

The characters knowingly screw up their own lives time and time again, and frankly it's incredibly annoying. The book is so full of clichés, that even the original elements in the story seem worn out and weary.

I had hoped for a war ...more

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Apr 28, 2017 Marilina Fernandes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Adorei, está nas minhas leituras de preferidos 2017.
Um livro que não "fala" apenas de amor e romance. Ele saltita por temas tão importantes como a morte, o alcoolismo, famílias pouco estruturadas, relações de pais e filhos, de irmãos, de doenças como o Cancro e o Síndroma de Asperger.
Uma leitura que nos toca no coração de um modo especial, viajamos um pouco pela Inglaterra e por Itália e sempre aprendendo que nas coisas mais simples poderemos encontrar a felicidade!
:)

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Oct 28, 2017 Laurence R. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book made me so happy and so sad at the same time, and I absolutely loved it! I highly recommend it.

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Feb 18, 2017 Océano de libros rated it liked it · review of another edition

Las vidas de Tess y de Gus se cruzan en Florencia y tienen que pasar casi dos décadas hasta que se vuelvan a encontrar y entre ellos surja el verdadero amor.
Quería probar algo distinto y dejar un poco de lado las típicas novelas de romance que suelo leer y creí que esta cumpliría mis expectativas y que sería buena, más que nada por lo que se decía en la portada pero… la verdad es que tanto esperar para nada. Os voy a ser sincera y desde ya os digo que la famosa historia de amor se desarrolla al Las vidas de Tess y de Gus se cruzan en Florencia y tienen que pasar casi dos décadas hasta que se vuelvan a encontrar y entre ellos surja el verdadero amor.
Quería probar algo distinto y dejar un poco de lado las típicas novelas de romance que suelo leer y creí que esta cumpliría mis expectativas y que sería buena, más que nada por lo que se decía en la portada pero… la verdad es que tanto esperar para nada. Os voy a ser sincera y desde ya os digo que la famosa historia de amor se desarrolla al final, vamos, en aproximadamente unas diez páginas. A lo mejor es un spoiler pero es para que sepáis lo que os vais a encontrar. Me parece perfecto que la autora nos quiera mostrar lo que es el destino, que hay almas que están destinadas a encontrarse, pero el tiro le ha salido por la culata al hacer lo que ha hecho. No se nos puede tener casi setecientas páginas pasando por lo que pasamos con los personajes principales, para en definitiva un final que sabe a poco, muy poco. Me ha defraudado. Esperaba más de esta historia.
Los personajes tienen tela pero me ha parecido que la historia es muy real, a esto no le quito mérito exceptuando ese final para mí de ciencia ficción. Demasiado rápido y poco creíble pues.
Tengo que apreciar enormemente a Tess, es una chica a la que no le pueden dar más palos siendo tan buena, matándose por los demás, apartando su vida y que encima no se lo agradezcan.
Gus quizás es el que mejor lo pasa pese a que él tiene lo suyo, comparado con Tess su vida es de color de rosa, lo normal.
Los personajes secundarios dotan de realidad a la historia y la dotan de realismo con situaciones nada inverosímiles. De la pareja principal no puedo decir mucho puesto que su relación fue un visto y no visto.
En resumen, esta novela tiene los ingredientes necesarios para funcionar pero un buen potaje no se puede cocinar en olla rápida, necesita cocerse a fuego lento, pues esto es lo mismo. Esa supuesta unión de almas no puede surgir de dos frases en encuentros anteriores, es para mí poco creíble y menos ese amor exprés, mucho menos sin habernos dado algo antes.
...more

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Aug 24, 2016 Deborah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Regular readers of my reviews will be shocked that I read this book... which probably can be classified as 'romance'. Indeed, it reminded me of my Maeve Binchy-loving days as it was a little saga-like and not necessarily in a bad way.

Tess and Gus meet but barely when they're 18 and just out of school. It's not particularly memorable but both seem to sense something in the other... a connection of sorts - recognising a kindred spirit perhaps.

Their lives move on, though because we're following bot ...more

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Oct 06, 2016 Steffi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gewonnen, neu-2016, leserunde, read-2016

2.5

Der Klappentext hebt die außergewöhnliche Liebesgeschichte zwischen Tess und Gus vor, denn die beiden laufen sich immer mal wieder auf den Weg, aber es dauert bis zu sie zusammenfinden. Ich habe von Miss you eine berührende und romantische Liebesgeschichte erwartet, leider wurden meine Erwartungen nicht erfüllt.

Die Liebesgeschichte kommt in diesem Buch viel zu kurz. Mehr Details hierzu würden die Geschichte jedoch spoilern. Dieses Buch ist für mich nicht wirklich eine Liebesgeschichte und die ...more

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Dec 29, 2016 Helen Eddon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Beginning in August 1997, Miss You follows the lives of Tess and Gus. In 1997, they are both 18 years old and about to go to university following holidays in Italy. However, life is never as simple or straightforward as you expect. Gus does begin his medical degree but Tess finds herself at home, taking care of her 5 year old sister following the death of her mother. Tess and Gus found their paths crossing very briefly in Italy, they should have met at university and there are fleeting encounter ...more

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Apr 26, 2017 Adelaide Silva rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4,5* No geral gostei bastante, apesar de a autora andar a saltitar sistematicamente entre Tess e Gus, mas consegue cativar para continuarmos a ler. Peca por andar muito tempo a enredar sobre os dois personagens e na última parte ter acabado a meu ver precipitadamente

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Jun 29, 2017 Tiana rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This was a weird one for me. I liked the idea of the story, but I don't believe the author has executed it as well as they could have. So much infidelity and just general disloyalty were excessive throughout the entire book. And at the end of it all, we only managed to get a couple of chapters with the two leading character; and to me, it was rushed, and there was zero chemistry and reasoning for them to even end up together.

I know how the author wanted it to be, I could see where she was going ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Delores rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Don't like it. Don't recommend it. Enough said.

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Jun 29, 2016 E. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: gelezen-in-2016, in-mijn-kast, ter-recensie

Wat een fijn boek. Heel veel liefde, maar ook veel andere mooie dingen, waardoor het geen puur romantisch verhaal is.

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Sep 02, 2017 Wendy Bunnell rated it liked it · review of another edition

Miss You covers 18 years of separate lives of August / Gus and Theresa / Tess / Tree after they briefly meet but don't really connect while both on vacation in Italy in 1997. They both deal with their respective launching, family dramas, friendships, other relatinships, etc. Told in alternating chapters, they keep having glimpses and near misses over 18 years.

It reminded me of "alternate reality" books like Maybe in Another Life and The Post-Birthday World in that it was repetitive, with period ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Fabi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Um livro muito amoroso, gostei muito!

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May 28, 2018 KOMET rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hist-fiction-uk-1900-et-beyond

4:57 PM EST. A few minutes ago, I finished reading this novel, my eyes brimming with tears. I am now basking in an afterglow of quasi-orgasmic satisfaction, for this was a story that spoke to my heart and mind, captivating me throughout its 433 pages.

The story begins in Florence (Italy) in August 1997. Two young ladies from the UK - friends from childhood - are nearing the end of a summer holiday before each will embark on different paths. Tess, who had recently received her A-levels, has secure 4:57 PM EST. A few minutes ago, I finished reading this novel, my eyes brimming with tears. I am now basking in an afterglow of quasi-orgasmic satisfaction, for this was a story that spoke to my heart and mind, captivating me throughout its 433 pages.

The story begins in Florence (Italy) in August 1997. Two young ladies from the UK - friends from childhood - are nearing the end of a summer holiday before each will embark on different paths. Tess, who had recently received her A-levels, has secured a place at University College in London. Her close friend, "Doll" (her full name is Maria Dolores O'Neill), is set to be a beautician. "Doll" is the lively, engaging, vivacious, ballsy sort of friend who is a nice complement to Tess who is deeply sensitive, quietly resilient, a bit naive about some of the ways of the world, with an abiding passion for art and literature.

Then there is 'Gus' (short for Angus) who is also in Florence at the same time. He is with his parents. Together they are the picture of the staid, self-contained English family. Gus is the dutiful son. But inwardly, he is uneasy and anxious given that he will soon be going to London to study medicine, to become more independent and learn who he really is. While exploring the city on his own, Gus has a chance meeting with Tess. It was a fleeting, awkward encounter for both of them - as such meetings between 2 people can be, especially if there is a sudden, mutual attraction.

Sometime later, Tess and Gus meet a third time near the Ponte Vecchio. Gus was standing in line for ice cream when "... I'd felt a tap on my shoulder, and there she was again, smiling as if we'd known each other all our lives and were about to go on some amazing adventure together." Tess then informs him about "this brilliant gelato place just down Via dei Neri where you can get about six for the price of one here!" In response, Gus tells Tess that "I don't think I could manage six!" Ruefully, he then confesses to the reader that "[m]y attempt at wit had come out sounding pompous and dismissive. I wasn't very good at talking to girls." I could totally relate to Gus when you find yourself unexpectedly in the presence of a person who is singularly attractive to you. But you're at a loss for words in a vain attempt to both impress and ingratiate yourself with that person. Opportunity lost. In Gus' case, he "stared at [Tess] like a moron with sentences jostling for position in my head as her smile faded from sparkling to slightly perplexed before she hurried off to catch up with her friend."

Each succeeding chapter follows the paths made by both Gus and Tess over the next 16 years. Gus tells his developing story in one chapter in a given year that is followed by Tess sharing with the reader the ups and downs in which she found herself in that same year. Most of Gus' life is clouded over by the tragic death of his older brother, who is clearly the apple of his parents' eyes. Tess returns home and is soon engulfed by a family tragedy that will seismically alter the trajectory of her life. And yet, through the passing of years, the reader is witness to how chance or Fate may bring together or keep apart 2 people perhaps destined for each other. Example: Gus attends in July 2013 a Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park (London), where "[a]bout six people in front of me, I noticed a tall woman tracking the ephemeral silvery-white image as it floated over her head, her expression as innocently delighted as a child gazing up at a circus trapeze artist, her lips syncing with the words of the song. Almost as if she had sensed me watching her, our eyes met, her mouth stopped moving and time stood still. Then the butterfly flew away and her face merged back into the darkness."

The ecstacy and the agony. Both Gus and Tess became real people to me the more I read this novel. And as I said earlier, once I read the last sentence, I wanted to cry. But felt embarrassed to do so, though I was alone in my apartment. (I wonder if the author of "MISSING YOU" has received any offers to auction off the rights for a movie adaptation. If so, this novel could be made into a really good movie - provided the mistakes are avoided that bedeviled the movie adaptation of David Nicholls' novel, "One Day".)

Suffice it to say, "MISSING YOU" is a winner. ...more

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May 02, 2017 Annette Juhlin rated it it was amazing

Glad och full av intryck och framtidsplaner kommer Tess hem efter att ha tågluffat i Europa med sin bästa vän Doll. Kontrasten mot gatan hemma, där allt är sig precis likt, blir en stor besvikelse. Tess känner starkt att hon är färdig med kvarteret där hon vuxit upp och hon ser fram emot att börja på universitetet och starta sitt nya liv. Hon utgår från att pappan är på puben som vanligt, men hon blir förvånad över att varken hennes mamma eller lillasyster möter henne när hon kommer hem, efter a ...more

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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Romance: A couple almost meet several times. One is on holiday and one asks the other to take a photo of them. [s]	8	66	Jun 15, 2018 03:27AM

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About Kate Eberlen

Kate Eberlen

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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 working in publishing and as a teacher. Kate now lives on the south coast of England, but spends as much time as she can in Italy, a country she loves. She is married with one son.