First of all thank you to Netgalley and Spiegel & Grau for providing me with an advanced and uncorrected copy of this novel.
I always love when a book turns out to be better than what I thought. When it's not what I expected but something else entirely that ends up being magic. Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown was one of those books for me. It was a breeze to read with a dreamy writing style that is quite captivating.
The story is centred around a father and daughter, Jonathan and Olive dealing with the disappearance of their wife/mother Billir. Lost and never to be seen again while hiking on the Pacific Northwest trail. When Olive starts seeing her mother, shr is not sure if it is her hallucinating or if her mother is trying to tell her something. Jonathan and Olive learn more about Billie than they ever knew and family secrets and things hidden within them begin to come to light. 
The relationship between Jonathon and Olive is a beautiful one, even though it has its flaws like most parent/teenage relationships. The character of Jonathan is, to me, kind of likeable but one that you definitely feel on side with and can't help root for. The same with Olive, a teenage girl grappling with the loss of her mother when she needs her the most. Then there is Billie, a character-if not the main character who your not sure of the whole book. I wasn't sure I liked her or not until the final page really. Which by the way was so satisfying but completely unsatisfying at the same time and you will know what I mean if you read it. 
The story blends seamlessly and it gives plenty of closure with many moments in the book being well connected and related back to eachother. It's a mystery but not the thriller/suspense I assumed it was but more of a makes-you-think, strong-hearted page turner.
Watch Me Disappear is certainly, one to watch.

4/5

I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue of this book.  The plot and characters were well developed and the web of mystery was pretty good.  I was pretty sure she didn't for, but I didn't have the story completely figured out.  I know the reasons she left her husband and daughter behind but it made me dislike her even more.

Billie Flanagan never returned from her solo hiking trip. Search parties found her shattered phone and one hiking boot, but no one knows exactly what happened to her out on the isolated trail.  Her husband is writing a memoir of life with his wife, trying to deal with his grief and keep afloat until Billie is officially declared dead and he can collect on her life insurance policy. Their teenage daughter has started having visions of her missing mother. Those could be symptoms of a concussion. Or it could be that Billie wants to be found. This book had me literally holding my breath through the entire last chapter.

I would give this book a 3.5 star
I think the story is well presented and I like the characters as well. I was interesting to read how Bille's personality developed through out the book and how the image of her changed even to her family.
I wasn't crazy about the ending though, that's why I'm giving the book 3.5 instead of 4.

This is a pretty good thriller that focuses on a family left behind after a mother disappears while hiking. Not all is what it seems, and the book focuses on the father and daughter trying to unravel what really happened, and who the person they loved actually was.

It's pretty captivating and from very early on I was interested to find out what happened. There are a lot of twists and turns, and overall, I found myself pretty satisfied with it.

Great page-turner from Janelle Brown. Stayed up till one in the morning finishing this book. Highly recommend!

Sybilla (Billie) Flanagan disappeared a year ago while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail alone. Her body has never been found but her husband Jonathan is going through the legal process to have her declared dead so that he and his daughter can get the life insurance money and move on. To make money in the meantime, he has accepted a publishing contract to write a book about their love story entitled, "Where the Mountain Meets the Sky: My Life with Billie Flanagan."

His sixteen-year-old daughter Olive suddenly starts having hallucinatory visions of her mother which make her think Billie is still alive and is trying to reach out to her. Billie has left them before, so it's entirely possible. Jonathan learns something on his own that makes him think she might be right, so he starts digging into Billie's past actions. What follows is a fascinating trail of clues: one thing for certain, he didn't really know his wife of seventeen years; he is finding she was a woman of many different personas. 

The story is told from both Jonathan's and Olive's point of view, with chapters from the book he's writing interspersed. There is also a surprising twist at the end which was very satisfying. I enjoyed the steady pace of the story, the way in which the layers of Billie's personality were slowly revealed. Interesting plot, well conceived and executed!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an arc of this book for an honest review.

Billie Flanagan never returns after heading out hiking. This leaves her teen daughter and loving husband to wait for her body to be recovered. All that's ever found is one hiking boot and her cell phone.

A year passes. Jonathan is trying to keep money coming in, mostly by writing a memoir about her. His daughter, Olive, deeply misses her mother. When Olive starts to have visions that Billie is still alive, Jonathan is, at first, worried that his daughter has a brain tumor. That is until Jonathan begins to learn little things that prove Billie was keeping secrets.

Watch Me Disappear is a gorgeous piece of writing. The descriptions are so vivid, and I loved most of the characters. I felt their pain, their hope, and their uncertainty. The story winds and weaves painting this incredible tale of pain, joy, and the effort to move on with your life.

One thing I did love is, and here's where it's tricky to review, the ending. I had my feelings on where things would end up and am so glad the author chose to do things as she did and not as I imagined. I almost wouldn't mind if she decided to return to the story when Olive's older and have the teen look back with an adult point of view. That would be a fantastic way to return to characters I loved.

The second half of this book was far superior to the first half, so I'm glad I kept going. Overall I enjoyed her writing, and the basic story, but I didn't really connect to any of the characters and I found the first half dragging and started just skimming pages to get to the good stuff.

This book gave me whiplash.  Just when I'd think I had things figured out, WHAM - went another direction.  The writing is page-turner-worthy and the story is compelling.  Plenty of mystery, lots of twists, and some real insight on how nobody truly knows everything about those they love.

A great beach read!

This book went in very unexpected Int directions.  The many tosses and turns keep you engaged and excited waiting for the outcome. Janelle does a great job with character development and by the end of the story you are in love  a very complicated family.  I wasn't sure what to expect and it wasn't until the end that you were anywhere close to knowing what happened. I enjoyed the book immensely, it was a page turner.

What I liked:

What I loved most about this story was that it was told through the life of a very likeable and realistic teenage girl. Olive has to deal with the disappearance of her mother and the stress of high school at the same time. She is passionate about the environment, and like most teenagers, confused about her identity and sexuality. Olive’s “visions” of her mother add a supernatural element to the novel that is surprisingly believable. She pushes onward, though everyone around her doubts her visions and belief that her mother is alive.

The many different leads and twists in the novel made me question my theories after each chapter. I couldn’t stop reading until I knew what had truly happened to Billie. I nearly finished the entire book in one sitting, I was so completely determined to get to the end.

What I didn’t like:

The actual writing style of Watch me Disappear solely serves to move the plot along. It’s not poorly written but also not well-written at the same time, and left me wanting more depth.

Billie’s rebellious nature and unhappiness in her role as a mother were interesting qualities to me, which could have been explored much more. At times, her “lost years” and anarchist acts seemed repetitive and cliche. Her life should have been detailed in more depth in order to explain why she would possibly choose to disappear and abandon her family.

These days, many authors are trying to write the next Gone Girl. Watch me Disappear did seem to mirror Gone Girl’s plot at times, but it was unsuccessful at creating the same depth or cultural commentary as the popular novel.

Overall: While Watch me Disappear is not the most unique or well-written mystery novel, it’s easy to get attached to its likable characters. It touches on themes of motherhood, coming-of-age, family, and love. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about mysteries and family secrets.

Billie Flanagan is an exciting woman. She lives for the moment. On the other hand, her husband, Jonathan, and her daughter, Olive, are a little more reserved. When Billie goes missing after a hike in Desolation Wilderness, her family is sure she is dead, but when Olive starts to have visions of her mother, she is unsure. Together, Jonathan and Olive embark on a quest to find Billie, and in the process discover secrets she kept and a bit about themselves as well. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Spiegel & Grau, and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book. 

Sybilla "Billie" Flanagan is the type of character you're not sure if you love or hate. She lived her youth free and reckless and now as a wife and mother, she's your typical "room mom" always there for school activities, to help where needed, snacks for Olive after school, and a home cooked meal on the table every night. But this is not the life she envisioned for herself, she misses the days when life was much more carefree. After spending time with her husband and daughter at the beach, Billie decides to take a weekend hike to sort out the thoughts that are going on in her head. Unfortunately, she never makes it home. Much to the devastation of her 16 year old daughter, Olive, who was going through enough as a teenage girl in high school. When she starts having visions of her mother at every turn, and Jonathan finds things hidden amongst Billie's belongings, they question whether she is really dead, or if she has just left them. Together, they will try to find the answers to the questions they have. 

This is the first book I have by Janelle Brown, but it will not be the last. This was a totally enjoyable book. You felt like you were sitting with Olive in the Subaru searching all over for her mother. This was a great summer read. There are a couple of twists you don't see coming, but it fits with the character of Billie. The more you learn about her, you're not sure if you want to be her friend and go along for the ride, or hate her for all the secrets she keeps from the ones she loves. I wasn't sure if I was routing for Olive to find her mother, or to just accept the fact that she was dead. 

Highly recommended!!

This is a well-written book that deals with the fallout of a mother disappearing. Her husband and daughter go through a range of emotions as they begin to question whether she is truly dead.. People from her past and present provide more and more unsettling information. Descriptions of the California coast and mountains are very vivid, while some of the characters are a little superficial. The ending(s) provide a mixed bag of emotional satisfaction and wonderment. I found the book hard to read, but was pleased I persevered to the end.

Billie Flanagan, oh what a messed up selfish person you are! Even is death she is monopolizing peoples lives and driving them crazy.  I cannot decide if I feel sorry for her or for her husband and daughter.  
     This was definitely a page turner for me but the only character in the whole story that I truly liked was Olive, the daughter.  Both her parents were a bit messed up; Mom for her selfishness and Dad for his obsession/love for her mom.  I felt that Olive was overlooked and as a teenager struggling with her identity and mourning her mother she should have been a lot more lost than she was!  
   There's not much I can say without spoilers but I will say even though I did guess the "big twist" this was still a compelling thriller with interesting characters. I just wish Billie had been a bit more likable and that through her backstory we could have seen her grow a bit more.  3.5/5 stars

Well written story, grips you right from the beginning and holds your interest. Suspenseful enough to be a page turner, but more psychologically intriguing than tense. All in all, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it as a relatively quick mystery read. Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau!

This book was quite suspenseful, about the time you thought you knew everything you get another surprise.  Well written, a book you don't want to end.  I highly recommend this book!!

Billie, Jonathan and Olive appear to be a perfect family. The beautiful and quirky mom, Billie, dotes on her family and is the perfect mom. Except for her tendency to disappear for the weekend, to spend time alone hiking in the wilderness. Husband Jonathan is blind to her faults, seeing her need to be alone as a minor quirk in an otherwise perfect personality.

Then, Billie disappears while on a solo hiking trip. Her body is never found, but her hiking boot is found in a river. She is presumed dead, but with the absence of a body, her family must go to court to declare her dead. As the one year anniversary of her death approaches, Olive begins having "visions" of her mother, that cause her to believe Billie is alive. Jonathan begins to learn disturbing facts about Billie's life before him. And the court date to declare her dead is coming up fast.

The book muses on how well we know people. Do we ever really know anyone? You can only know as much about a person as they are willing to open up to you. And apparently Billie did not open up to her family.

I enjoyed reading the book, and trying to decipher all the clues. Is Olive really having visions, or are they just her subconscious wishes? They seem to lead her towards Billie, but how real are they? I felt for Olive as a character, a lost child trying to find her mother. Jonathan is a less likable character. He falls too easily into the arms of Harmony, Billie's BFF. And Harmony is the shadiest character of all. I spent the whole book wondering what Harmony was up too.

The progress in the book was steady, but slow. Things do not happen quickly here, but unfold slowly. This is more a character study than a mystery. I was interested enough to keep reading, but I can't say it was exciting. I would have liked more of a suspense/mystery atmosphere. I give this book 3.5 stars.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown is a recommended mystery about a missing woman and the family she left behind.

A year ago Billie (Sybilla) Flanagan went on a solo hike in the wilderness and never came back. Her shattered cell phone and a boot were discovered, but a body was never found. Now the family she has left behind are looking for closure and maybe some answers. Jonathan, her husband, is close to getting a declaration of death in absentia so he can collect the life insurance on Billie. They desperately need the money. At the same time he is writing a memoir about his love for Billie and their life together. Olive, their daughter, begins to have strange visions of her mother in which Billie is still alive. Olive is seeing her in different situations where Billie is talking to her daughter, telling Olive to find her.

As the two try to come to terms with Billie's death and absence from their lives, Jonathan begins to uncover secrets from Billie's past and lies she told him. Suddenly their lives together don't seem as clear as he once though they were, and maybe Billie was having an affair. Jonathan's stories about Billie become darker. Adding to the tension is Harmony, Billie's best friend and an old friend. What does she know about Billie's past and why is she always around. And then there is a coming-of-age moment for Olive.

This is a well-written but rather slow paced novel that keeps turning the same questions over again and again, with a few new details each time and little advancement of the plot until you are well into it. Alternating between the chapters detailing Jonathan and Olive's lives are excerpts from Jonathan's memoir about Billie. The excerpts aren't quite as successful in Watch Me Disappear as they have been in other novels.

Admittedly, I didn't find any of these characters that appealing, especially Billie. She's supposed to be independent and a force unto herself while also being whimsical and unique, but I can't believe that Jonathan didn't notice some of the discrepancies in her travels along with her darker nature.  I also think that when authorities were looking into Billie's disappearance while hiking, they would have likely look into her background much more closely and talk to some of the people that later Jonathan and Olive talked to. Olive's visions were presented as supernatural at first and it might have been a better choice to leave them at that and not present an explanation that never provided any true clarification.

The ending is satisfying, but, no matter how good the writing is, for me it felt like it took too long to get there. This is a much more subtle mystery that explores how well we know family members than a tension filled drama.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the Penguin Random House Group.
on 7/14/17: http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2058329000

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
A mother makes decisions based on what she thinks is best for her child/children OR makes decisions  based on what she thinks is best for her own self.  Before anyone judges the decisions, take a walk in her shoes.......