Losing Kate in Aussie Readers

Feb 24, 2014 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, aussie-author, arc-are

Kylie Kaden's compelling debut novel, Losing Kate, is an absorbing contemporary story of secrets, betrayal, love and redemption.

On the night that seventeen year old Kate disappeared while celebrating 'schoolies', Francesca lost both the best friend she adored and the boy, Jack, who held her heart.
Thirteen years later, Frankie is stunned to discover Jack has bought the vacant block of land bordering her cottage. Their unexpected reunion revives memories and emotions neither are prepared for, and
Kylie Kaden's compelling debut novel, Losing Kate, is an absorbing contemporary story of secrets, betrayal, love and redemption.

On the night that seventeen year old Kate disappeared while celebrating 'schoolies', Francesca lost both the best friend she adored and the boy, Jack, who held her heart.
Thirteen years later, Frankie is stunned to discover Jack has bought the vacant block of land bordering her cottage. Their unexpected reunion revives memories and emotions neither are prepared for, and to move forward they need to learn the truth about what happened to the girl they both loved.

The first person narrative shifts between the past and present as it traces Jack, Kate's and Frankie's teenage relationship, the events on the night Kate went missing, and Frankie's and Jack's reunion after 13 years. Though Frankie and Jack quickly reestablish the intimacy of their childhood friendship, Kate always stands between them. Guilt, regret and lies are irredeemably tangled with loyalty, truth and love. The situation is complicated further by Jack's current relationship.

The mystery of Kate's fate is what primarily drives the tension throughout the novel. The flashbacks slowly reveal what Frankie remembers of the night and how those memories fit with what she is learning in the present day. Frankie just can't let go of Kate and her desire for closure. Suspicions rise and fall as the truth is pieced together, and the swirling ambiguity kept me guessing.

Despite the pop culture references (to bands like Powder Finger), elements of the story, including the oppressive summer weather, Francesca's crumbling cottage, fire and illness, give the story a contemporary gothic feel. The doomed teenage romance between Kate and Jack also plays into this, as does Frankie and Jack's unrequited love.

Set amongst the streets of suburban Queensland, Losing Kate is a gripping novel of suspense, drama and romance. An impressive debut, I really enjoyed Losing Kate and I'm looking forward to more from Kylie Kaden.
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Jan 21, 2014 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: net-galley, aussie-authors, mystery, read-on-kindle, 2014-release, arc, own-read, romance

As Frankie gazed at the huddle of people in her back yard, she felt a little bemused – her little old miner’s cottage which she had bought earlier with the view to renovate had a vacant block at the back, just beyond the rickety fence – this was why the group of people, including the forceful auctioneer were on her property. Her neighbour and best friend, Meg, was treating it as a fun day for her boys – including the popcorn. But quite suddenly Frankie froze in shock; a man from her long ago pas As Frankie gazed at the huddle of people in her back yard, she felt a little bemused – her little old miner’s cottage which she had bought earlier with the view to renovate had a vacant block at the back, just beyond the rickety fence – this was why the group of people, including the forceful auctioneer were on her property. Her neighbour and best friend, Meg, was treating it as a fun day for her boys – including the popcorn. But quite suddenly Frankie froze in shock; a man from her long ago past had just materialized – her emotions went into overdrive immediately as memories crashed over her.

Thirteen years ago two childhood friends found their lives ripped apart by tragic events – events which occurred at a schoolies weekend on the beach. They had escaped the restrictions of their families finally, and were all set to have a fantastic weekend, drinking, fishing and just being teenagers. Kate and Frankie were best friends; Kate had been in Frankie’s life for only a year, but it felt like she had known her forever. Jack she HAD known forever – since they were little kids they’d been best mates, but as Frankie had matured her feelings for Jack had intensified. But Kate and Jack were an item, so she continually felt like “the third wheel”.

In the beauty of the moonlit night disaster struck. Kate disappeared from the beach where they were all camping; the friends spent the remainder of the night searching frantically, but she seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. The police were called, the searching began; questions were asked, interrogations were held. But one thing was certain – Kate was nowhere to be found…

All these years later and recently single after kicking out an unfaithful fiancé, Frankie watched the auction come to its conclusion; she realized with a dawning sense of dread that Jack was the final bidder. How would she cope with the man who knew so much about her past – their past – living almost on her doorstep? All the guilt, remorse and pain was resurfacing – were there secrets which would come to light? Would they ever get over losing Kate?

What a great story! A debut from Aussie author Kylie Kaden, I feel confident in saying she is here to stay. The mystery was well done with an authentic twist at the end, also the moving from past to current day worked really well. I have no hesitation in recommending this novel highly.

With thanks to NetGalley for my copy to read and review.
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Apr 05, 2014 Helene Young rated it it was amazing

A rich evocative read that kept me riveted right to the end. Losing Kate is a stunning debut and I look forward to reading many more stories from this wonderful new writer.

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Mar 29, 2014 Bree T rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, kindle-version, netgalley, arc, australian, aww2014

Thirteen years ago, Frankie, Jack and Kate were almost inseparable. Frankie and Jack had been friends since they were both tiny – Frankie’s mother used to babysit Jack after his mother went back to work. They went through school together like best friends although somewhere along the way, things became a little different.

And then came Kate.

Kate was new to the school when they were about 16 and it was Frankie she made a beeline for and the two of them became best friends. Shortly after, Jack the Thirteen years ago, Frankie, Jack and Kate were almost inseparable. Frankie and Jack had been friends since they were both tiny – Frankie’s mother used to babysit Jack after his mother went back to work. They went through school together like best friends although somewhere along the way, things became a little different.

And then came Kate.

Kate was new to the school when they were about 16 and it was Frankie she made a beeline for and the two of them became best friends. Shortly after, Jack the jock and Kate, beautiful Kate, became an item and Frankie was in the middle of a very delicate juggling act. Kate was needy, often difficult but the two of them were as close as sisters, even though Kate occasionally would feel left out of Frankie and Jack’s closeness. And Kate hated feeling left out.

When they finished school, they went camping on a ‘schoolies’ holiday and Kate disappeared after Jack tired of her drama and broke up with her, determined to move on with Frankie, the one he should’ve been with. However nothing was ever the same after Kate’s disappearance – Jack was briefly a suspect and then he moved away to escape the stares and the whispers.

Now Frankie is nearly 30, unmarried and not connected to anyone when Jack buys the property behind hers. All of a sudden, everything Frankie has been suppressing – guilt, pain and so much more comes rushing to the surface. She and Jack have always been better together but there are complications. Jack has a ready-made family but as always, the two of them are drawn together. They want to be around each other but they still have so much unfinished business. In order to move on, move forward either together or separate, they have to know what happened to Kate all of those years ago.

Losing Kate is the sort of story that has a little bit of everything. On one hand, it’s a love story – Frankie (short for Francesca) and Jack have known each other since they were tiny. They grew up together, they were best friends. Somewhere along the way they started to see each other as more than friends but were reluctant (especially Frankie) to take that next step for fear of ruining the amazing friendship they’d spent so many years cultivating. Enter Kate, new girl at school. Beautiful, a bit crazy and she slips straight in, becoming best friends with Frankie and Jack’s girlfriend.

It’s also a mystery as thirteen years after Kate disappears, Jack pops back into her life. This brings back all of the feelings she’s crammed to the back of her mind right to front and center and she finds herself desperate to know what really happened to Kate. All Frankie knows is that Kate ran away from Jack on the beach after Jack broke up with her and was basically never seen again. Why did she feel the need to run when there was really no where safe to go? Was it an accident? Did she meet with someone who hurt her? And was what Kate told Frankie just prior to her disappearing really true? And if so, it means Jack lied to her. And if he lied to her about that, even all of those years ago, then she knows that the two of them have no future together because she’ll never be able to trust her. It’s important for Frankie to know the truth.

I think that most people, well most teenage girls have had a friend like Kate. Someone that you click with, who is fun and amazing when they’re happy but who can also be difficult and moody and make you feel like you’ve done them so wrong when really you have no clue what it is you’re supposed to have done. Kaden really captures this with Frankie and Kate, perfectly balancing the fact that Frankie loves Kate, enjoys her company and being friends with the effortlessly cool girl, at the time unaware of the fact that Kate does have some underlying issues that an adult picks up on but a teenager would be oblivious to at the time. Likewise the triangle is well done, which is a difficult thing to achieve. The scenes in the past are where this book shines, navigating the difficult teenage relationships with all their complicated layers and for Frankie, trying to achieve that balance where she gets to both keep Kate as a best friend and get to be with the person she wants to be with, who clearly wants her as well. I’m about the same age as Francesca, so her teenage memories of music etc are my teenage memories of music. It was a great way to connect with Frankie and her life.

In the present, nothing is easy. Jack has a partner named Sara and he deliberately hides his connection to Frankie from her for fear of raising her suspicion. It seems that Jack has a predisposition to picking women who are self-destructive and often difficult which made me wonder if he was trying to make up for what happened to Kate (or if I was just totally overthinking it and Sara was difficult because it made it easier for the reader to dislike her and want Jack and Frankie to have their chance!). Jack and Frankie have so much to work out, half truths, finding the real from the not real and the messy situation regarding Jack’s home life and it was interesting to watch them really work at it, sometimes making mistakes and taking a step backwards before they could go forwards.

A great debut and an author to watch in the future. ...more

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Apr 24, 2014 Lauredhel rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, contemporary, australian-women-writers-challenge, romance, australian, mystery, aww2014

‘Hope I’m not distracting you from bidding,’ I laugh.
He scratches his head. ‘Er, not me, no.’
I relax a notch. ‘Phew, now that would be freaky,’ I scoff, and a snort-laugh escapes. I lean in close. ‘Besides, the block is a swamp every time it rains …’
‘Is that right?’ A dimple appears on his cheek. Then he’s side-tracked again, looking around the crowd, at the little boy now on hands and knees with his ball at the fence, and it gives me a chance to suss him out. His clothes are different – brand n