I think this was a pretty good book. It was about a time of life I am not yet in. It was pretty entertaining, sad, but happy at the same time. It made me think and feel introspective to what the character was going through

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

“Until It Was Gone” by David Seaburn is a complex, and sometimes heartbreaking, family saga that highlights how messy families can be and how life in the contemporary United States is filled with dangerous uncertainties. Laney leaves her husband Franklin on their 40th anniversary, saying that their marriage is over, and heads for Oklahoma to connect with her daughter Roz, whom she hasn’t seen since Roz ran away from home at the age of 15. Franklin contracts COVID and is unable to recover from its aftereffects. His sister, still grieving over her husband’s death in a mass shooting, moves in to help him out. Laney’s granddaughter Maggie becomes pregnant, but the pregnancy isn’t viable, and she is in desperate need of surgery, which cannot be performed in the state of Oklahoma. How will this family come together to survive when all this has been thrown at them?

Seaburn writes sensitively about these issues and it’s hard not to feel strong compassion for these people. But at the same time, I am grateful to NOT be living in their world--a place that easily puts guns in the hands of mentally disturbed people, a place where women, regardless of the reason, cannot chose to terminate a pregnancy (even under life-threatening conditions), and a place where someone in dire need of emergency care is not provided for immediately. These people’s world seemed so bleak and hopeless to me, but I’m hoping the characters find happiness as they rediscover their relationships with each other.

I’m grateful for Net Galley for an ARC of this book and my opinions are my own.

This book was fantastic! I really enjoyed all the characters. The family drama was really interesting. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but it was still a 5-star read. Maybe it was closer to a 4.5-star read. Thanks a bunch to NetGalley for sending me an advance copy!

This is a fascinating book about families, hardships, and the bonds we make and break. Franklin and Laney separate after the 40th wedding anniversary and Franklin gets Covid. His sister, Gretchen comes to care for him as he's old and can't do many things for himself anymore. We also meet Roz, Laney's daughter and Roz's daughter, Maggie--whose relationships are also "messy"! It's a great family drama that covers many topics that all marriages go through and leaves the reader with hope.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Rounded up from 3.5 stars. A beautiful story about the messy dynamics of family exasperated by the long term effects of the COVID-19 virus and the pro-life policies of the state of Oklahoma. No matter how many horrible things happened to this estranged family of 5, I'm glad I held on to my optimism. If you let Franklin, Laney, Roz, Maggie and Gretchen into your life, they will show you that it's never too late to blow up your life and that nothing is ever too broken to be fixed.

Thank you Netgalley, David B. Seaburn, and Black Rose Writing for the ARC.

I loved the idea of this book. However the writing style ruined it. I don’t think it captured the entire depth and weight of what was going on and seemed a little YA at some points. The characters were doing things that made little to no sense and borderline just not believable. Again, loved the idea but was not executed.

This title hits on timely issues and I enjoyed reading the author's story about characters dealing with things like abortion, Covid, and more. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I thought it was a well-written story.

Until It Was Gone by David B Seaburn is a broken story. A broken family, marriage, mother-daughter relationship, legal system, and society. Laney and Franklin are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary when she announces she's done. She's done with the marriage and her current life. She needs something greater.

Franklin immediately deteriorated, catching COVID-19 and becoming a victim of Long COVID-19, something that is still affecting people today. His sister, Gretchen, moves in to take care of him. She's suffering the deep pains of grief after her husband was a victim of a mass shooting.

Laney and her lavender Mercedes zoom to Oklahoma, where Laney hopes to reconnect with her estranged daughter. This, of course, is not without it's own problems as Roz (daughter) is dealing with her own failed relationship with HER daughter.
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Seaburn was able to write a very contemporary novel. While it seems like it covers a lot of hot-button issues (Covid, masking, mass shooting, small-town hospitals and their services, child abuse, abortion.....), he's able to tie everything together. These multiple things can and do affect families. This is a particular American problem, so I'm not entirely sure that international readers will understand small-town Oklahoma, but this is a universal story about family.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A well constructed, well written novel that will stay with you long after you have read the last page. I loved every word of it,