The Absence of Olivia by Anie Michaels

My name is Evelyn.

I met Devon and instantly fell for him.

Weeks later he fell for my best friend.

Never one to make waves, I watched as they started a life together. I stood by as their family grew, was the maid of honor at their wedding and the godmother to their children. All the while, I was longing for him, watching as he became the perfect husband and father. I was never jealous. I wasn’t even angry that my best friend had the only person I wanted. I had simply resigned myself to living without his love, but still being a part of his life.

Then, one terrible day, my best friend died.  

She died and we all struggled to live life without her. Slowly, as the pain eased, our eyes opened and Devon finally saw me.

This is a story about second chances and second choices.

This is the story of how my life changed in the absence of Olivia.

I received a copy of the absence of Olivia in exchange for an honest review. Sometimes you will read the Blurb for a book and you can tell how the book is going to end. This is not that book. This book is so much more than an ending its an entire journey. In my case that journey included a bucket of ice cream and bin bag full of tissues. The absence of Olivia is an emotional rollercoaster that involves love, loss and the one that got away.

Evelyn has loved Devon for years but the problem was he was dating her best friend. Evie stood by in the wings as Olivia and Devon dated, married and had children. She lived in the shadow of her best friend and on the sidelines when it came to her romantic life. She never gave herself the chance to move on from Devon and now that Olivia is gone Evelyn has to make the choice of whether to try with Devon or move on. This is such a stunning story of how Evelyn becomes her own person and makes the right choices for herself and not for a man. I absolutely loved this book and would love to read a sequel based on the other characters in this book as each personality was so strong and individual they practically leap off the page.

Anie Michaels writing is absolutely wonderful and i wouldn't change as single thing about this book except that i wanted more.