When We Meet Again by Kristin Harmel (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

Emily thinks she’s lost everything…until a mysterious painting leads her to what she wants most in the world. The new novel from the author of international bestsellers The Sweetness of Forgetting and The Life Intended shows why her books are hailed as “engaging” (People), “absorbing” (Kirkus Reviews) and “enthralling” (Fresh Fiction).
Emily Emerson is used to being alone; her dad ran out on the family when she was a just a kid, her mom died when she was seventeen, and her beloved grandmother has just passed away as well. But when she’s laid off from her reporting job, she finds herself completely at sea…until the day she receives a beautiful, haunting painting of a young woman standing at the edge of a sugarcane field under a violet sky. That woman is recognizable as her grandmother—and the painting arrived with no identification other than a handwritten note saying, “He always loved her.”

My thoughts-

I fell in love with Kristin Harmel's writing style when I read The Sweetness of Forgetting when it first came out. Since then, I am always on the look out for a new novel from her and as soon as one is available I have to read it immediately. I was so excited to see that her newest book is in my favorite historical fiction sub-genre, set in WWII. The book goes back and forth between that sad era in history and the present day. The main character Emily receives a package in the mail that she believes to be a painting of her grandmother which sets her off on a journey to find some answers. I always enjoy novels set in two different time periods because I think it adds more to the story and helps bring together the ending in a bigger way. Emily was abandoned by her dad and before that, her dad and his own mother were abandoned by Emily's grandfather. This painting leads Emily to answers about who her grandfather was ,what happened between him and her grandmother and gives her the opportunity to get to know her own father better. I read When We Meet Again in a two day span. It is a page turner. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

When We Meet Again will be available for purchase June 7, 2016. You can pre-order your copy today on Amazon.com