A poignant and heartwarming novel about friendship, ghosting, and searching for answers to life’s mysteries.
When Mackenzie, Sunna, and Maude move into a converted rental house, they are strangers with only one thing in common—important people in their lives have “ghosted” them. Mackenzie’s sister, Sunna’s best friend, and Maude’s fiancé—all gone with no explanation.
So when a mangled, … when a mangled, near-indecipherable letter arrives in their shared mailbox—hinting at long-awaited answers—each tenant assumes it’s for her. The mismatched trio decides to stake out the coffee shop named in the letter—the only clue they have—and in the process, a bizarre kinship forms. But the more they learn about each other, the more questions (and suspicions) they begin to have. All the while, creepy sounds and strange happenings around the property suggest that the ghosts from their pasts might not be all that’s haunting them…
Will any of the housemates find the closure they are looking for? Or are some doors meant to remain closed?
Quirky, humorous, and utterly original, Sorry I Missed You is the perfect read for anyone who has ever felt haunted by their past (or by anything else).
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This was a totally engaging story that was just as much fun as its colorful cover suggests. There were so many highlightable moments, touching insights, and quirky revelations. It kept me reading and compelled me to put aside some household things I needed to do in order to finish it. This author has a memorable voice and an approach that makes for great escapism.
In Sorry I Missed You, Suzy Krause manages to give us two out of three initially unlikable main characters in an ensemble cast, to let us watch them grow together, influence each other, and steadily become not only more likable, but genuine, close friends. That takes writing chops. It also takes courage as an author to risk unlikable characters and trust the reader to grow sympathy.
I enjoyed the writing in this novel. Apt and amusing observations by an omniscient narrator are dropped in here and there. For example, when a character in multiple scenes slams both hands on a table, the narrator’s descriptive aside is “her signature move.” After someone’s face is described as hopeful, “He was going to be disappointed.” The reader knows the narrator is right, based on the ongoing action, but these fit well and create a consistent lighthearted and warm tone.
Ms. Krause does have a serious message having to do with how being “ghosted” had affected each of the three primary character’s lives–which was what drew them into a relationship with one another in spite of their initial dislike. Her point is that it doesn’t have to affect people in the profound and destructive way it often does, which she has one character explain at some length. She reserves this for the end of the novel, in a very direct delivery. It works to tie the novel together, even if it a bit heavy-handed. Still, the author has a lot of balls in the air and she catches them all.
Do you like quirky? If so, don’t miss this one.. For the first third of Sorry I Missed You, I didn’t understand what the fuss over this book was, despite Krause’s writing being quick and clever, exactly what I love. But I plodded on and ended up glad.
My skip factor? Zero. Read more of my review at https://cyndiezahner.com/2020/05/25/sorry-i-missed-you-by-suzy-krause/ to find out. I loved this one!
Three women with distinct personalities have moved into a rental house. Each of them starting a new life away from their past. So when a note arrives, albeit incomplete, each of them feels it’s a letter from someone important in their lives. Each of them feels the letter should be theirs. We watch this trio try to sleuth the origins of the letter while trying to figure out the mystery of the ghosts in the attic.
This was a gem of a read. Watching the three of them interact ranged from amusing to tense, especially because Sunna and Maude have such strong personalities. Once they started talking and working together, they each started to heal. This was a fun read. It took an amusing take on typical ghost stories. With some heartwarming moments thrown in, it was an enjoyable read from start to finish.
I love the beginning of the book when all of the characters were introduced. when the characters came together into the story, parts were slow parts moved quickly. There are a lot of separate plots going on for each character and then an overall plot line. I just never got grabbed into the story as a whole, even though I connected with a couple of the sub-plots. I never connected with the characters in a way that I wanted to know what happened to all of them. Even though this wasn’t “my book,” I still recommend it because it’s written well and the characters are unique. It’s a unique story that I haven’t seen done before. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
This amusing and original story is just the ticket for an escape from the “real world.” It achieved an excellent balance between witty, wacky, and serious and offered a range of vignettes on the idea of “ghosting.”
September 26, 2020
So much Fun!!
I love these characters, the situations they find themselves in, and all their quirks that pop up along the way. I laughed, sniffled and burst with joy. Loved this book!
a good read on finding closure, confrontation, and moving on.
I feel like I’m really getting back into women’s fiction books and I’m so happy about that. I remember that there was a time where I’d just grab any Lake Union Publishing books that I can because why not they sound good. BUT yeah, when I read the synopsis, I thought it sounds light and fun and takes on a topic I’ll enjoy.
Sorry I Missed You is about 40-year old punk music lover, Larry who inherited his aunt’s old style house. With really complex conditions from the will, he decided to have it rented and continue on with his life thus bringing three women together: (1) Maude a senior woman who was ghosted on her wedding, (2) Mackenzie who watched as her sister ran away from home, and (3) Sunna who had a falling out/faded out relationship with her then bestfriend.
So when the women found a soiled letter inside the mailbox, all three of them instantly thought of someone who could maybe send then a letter. A LETTER!! through a MAILBOX! It ended up becoming somewhat unreadable. However, they did found traces of the letter stating to meet them at a specific café in the afternoon. With that in mind, the three of them decided to meet at the café every afternoon starting the next day until one of them meets the person they’re looking forward to seeing.
It took me a while to finish this book but I absolutely enjoyed this! Few things about this: (1) I enjoyed all the characters! The dynamic is goooood and I love all their interactions especially Maude and Sunna’s arguments, (2) I was invested in Mackenzie’s life. I was really curious, (3) I like the ghost situation in the house. It really made me intrigued about the whole thing and the story behind it was also really fun, (4) Larry is such a listless and anxious landlord. I liked reading his perspective and how things ended up for him.
I LOVE that the book as a whole took on finding closure, confrontation, and moving on as a whole. It really hit it well for me and it made me really look into my old relationships as well. I like how each character helped the others in finding peace from their past. Everything is done smoothly and all things were given proper closure. Yes, even the “attic ghost” situation as well as the “sorry I missed you” letter they received in the mailbox early on in the novel.
OVERALL, Sorry I Missed You is a light, amusing, and fun novel. There’s a bit of mystery, humor, romance, and friendship. It’s a wholesome novel that you can speed through when you want something light in between when reading books. I like its take on closure and moving on and I LOVE all the characters! Definitely a recommended novel!
SORRY I MISSED YOU by Suzy Krause was a fun story that brought together three entirely different women at three different points in their lives. The only thing they have in common is that they live in the same house. When a letter arrives, mangled, with only an apology and a meeting place listed, each woman thinks it could be someone from their past trying to make amends. The three decide to stake out the coffee shop hoping their person shows up. Sitting there day in and day out, they start to get to know each other and why they think the letter could be for them.
As they become friends they realize things in the house are a little odd…their new landlord may have forgotten to mention that there are ghosts in the attic…giving them another mystery to unravel.
These three women aren’t always likeable, but they become the friend each needs, supporting and pushing each other to face the past and come to terms with it. Friends, mystery, romance, quirky characters, and ghosts! There’s a something for everyone here.
Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
#SorryIMissedYou #SuzyKrause #LakeUnionPublishing
I struggled to complete the book. I found some of the characters were boring. The 3 main characters all lived in the same large house in different apartments. They all had secrets but not enough to keep me engaged. The letter in the mailbox was an interesting idea but the reality of sitting in a coffee shop every day until someone walked in that they hoped wrote the letter felt unrealistic.
Well written, mysterious, touching, at times humorous, a very enjoyable read! To me, th!s was a lesson on communication! I loved the quirky characters!
4 stars
“The ghost isn’t the person; it’s the feelings attached to the person.”
This is a unique story of three ladies, so different in age, and life experiences. They have one thing in common- each has lost a relationship at one time.
They live in an old renovated home that is haunted! There are things missing, noises in the attic, and food taken from the refrigerator.
How does one get the spirits out? Will anyone believe them? Can it be true?
This was a definite mystery with a comical twist that I enjoyed and read quickly to see how it ended.
I loved the closing and it was not at all what I expected!
Terrific!