Come Away with Me

"Come Away with Me" was a touching story of love, loss and recovery. My heart bled for Tegan after the loss of her baby in a horrific car crash. However, the blame and resentment she directed at her husband, Gabe, often made me lose patience with her. Her repetitious spirals into despair and depression also started to annoy me, especially when she refused to take her medication, even though she promised those who loved her she would do so while on vacation.

I adored Gabe. I thought he was so supportive and loving of Tegan and cared for her through thick and thin. There were moments when he tried to lighten the mood, keep the peace and help Tegan move forward. It was impossible not to fall a bit in love with him. I also liked both Tegan's show more and Gabe's families. Tegan's two brothers were extremely funny but their concern for their sister was touching.

The locations Tegan and Gabe visited to help them cope with their loss were beautiful. I especially loved the descriptions of Bangkok and Italy - riding on a elephant, watching the elephants paint (I've wanted an elephant artwork for years) and taking an Italian cooking class using the freshest ingredients. They all sounded so much fun. I felt as though I was Gabe and Tegan's constant travel companion.

I also liked how the author took the reader back before the accident to see Tegan and Gabe together before tragedy struck them. They were so much in love and the perfect couple.

As for the twist at the end - I did not see that coming at all! Although, reflecting back, it made perfect sense and made the novel even more heartbreaking than it was already. An excellent debut. show less

My book club picked this book to read for January 2018. Otherwise I doubt I would have read it and that would not have been a great loss. Most of the book reads like chick lit but there is a twist at the end that redeems it from being strictly that genre.

On Christmas Eve in Chicago Tegan and Gabe are driving to Gabe's parents' house. They are running late and Gabe's mother hates people being late. So Gabe is driving too fast for the black ice that the car encounters and they crash. Tegan lost the baby boy she was carrying and also had a complete hysterectomy so she can't ever have children. She is grief-stricken and furious at Gabe. After months of barely getting out of bed they decide to go on a trip to fulfill three of their bucket show more list items. Starting in Thailand where they watch elephants painting pictures (Gabe's wish), they travel around the world. They spend some time in Italy where Tegan takes a cooking class so she can cook like Gabe's mother. Their final destination is Hawaii where they both want to learn to surf. At first it seems to be helping Tegan as she starts to lighten up and even laugh. But she crashes a number of times and each time Gabe is the ideal helpmate. When the six weeks of travel are over will Gabe and Tegan be able to mend their relationship? They are very committed to each other but there is a big problem and I can't say what it is without spoiling the book's ending. Let me just say that it took me by surprise.

I was disappointed that Ms Brown, who is Canadian, chose to make her protagonists American. There was nothing about this story that could not have worked for a couple from Toronto (for instance). Maybe because this was a first novel the author (or her publisher) felt it would have better success with the broader appeal of an American base. show less

HAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

DNF at page 147, but then I went and read some other reviews to try and figure out why this had been so highly rated and saw "twist" "twist" "twist" so I went and read the twist.

This book was insufferable. I am two-starring it instead of one merely because I didn't finish it so maybe it did get better, but I was trying so hard and you know, I have too many library books I really need to read right now to waste time on this.

Tegan is perpetually bemoaning how she will (spoiler of first two pages alert) never have children again, which yes, is very upsetting and tragic, but I decided I was done when she literally says that the only reason she as a woman exists is to have children, and I just cannot. Maybe I'm unsympathetic show more because I don't want kids, but come on. I could even argue from an evolutionary standpoint that a woman could be useful without having kids, so just don't.

I was enjoying the flashbacks. I think I needed more earlier to care about Tegan's misfortunes.

(Though the twist is actually what I thought had happened, so I was a little confused when it didn't happen. So I guess I should have read the end and then the flashbacks and maybe then I would have liked this?) show less

I had the book's "shocking" ending figured out by the end of the first chapter. While the emotional element of the book was powerful and the writing was good, it's really just "The Sixth Sense" based on a different type of tragedy. If the accident scene ended just a bit more mysteriously, I would've been captivated; instead, it was way too obvious to me what was really going on, and that made the whole book feel like fuckery. DNF. Pffftt.

This book is about journeys - not just about the journey that Tegan and Gabe take after the accident that causes her to lose their baby but also the emotional journey from loss to anger and to eventual healing. Tegan and Gabe travel to Thailand, Italy and Hawaii on their journey to try to put their lives back to normal but its a struggle because Tegan has had an emotional breakdown and is still blaming Gabe for the accident that killed their unborn son. The scenery and adventures in each country are so well described that you almost feel like you are traveling with them on their journey. This is a wonderful heart wrenching book but one warning for the reader - have a box of Kleenex close by because you're going to need it!

This is a debut novel by Karma Brown about a woman, Tegan, who loses her unborn baby in a car accident while her husband, Gabe, was driving. She had to undergo surgery and, as a result, will no longer be able to have a baby. She blames Gabe for the accident and grieves for months afterward, is unable to return to her teaching job, and refuses to go on with her life.

Eventually Gabe talks Tegan into going on a trip to Thailand, Italy, and Hawaii which are places they had on their bucket list. He hopes that a change in scenery and doing some specific things in each location will help her recover.

I have mixed feelings about this book. First, the cons: Tegan was agonizing throughout the book. I felt guilty for not liking her after the loss show more she had experienced, but all the grief and sadness wore me down. There were way too many flashbacks, some of which I didn't consider necessary, but they helped the author make the book longer.

The pros: I loved the visits to the three places. The author did a nice job with the descriptions, landscaping, and activities chosen for each location even though I've only been to Hawaii. I've always liked to read about other people's travels and these were especially interesting, very well-done.

The twist at the end was mind-blowing. I didn't see it coming and, at first, didn't know what to think. In a way, I felt tricked, but glad that it all came together in the end. show less

The last twenty minutes of the audio book I spent crying.

Karma Brown is an amazing author. Her charcters face challenges that most people do not want to talk about or acknowledge. She does this with a depth that is truly inspiring.