Made it through 2 chapters and abandoned.
Boring story.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book. This story asks the question: do we really know the people closest to us? Are there parts of ourselves that we keep hidden from those we love?

This author has a beautifully descriptive writing style. I found this book interesting and the characters deep and relatable. At times the plot seemed to drag for me, but in the end it was enjoyable and definitely worth the read!

A bit slow but full of twists and turns. Just when I thought I had it all figured out something would happen to prove me wrong. The ending was a complete surprise! Loved it!

Do we ever really know the people in our lives or do we see only what they want us to see? Jonathan and Olive are torn apart when Billie, wife and mother, respectively, disappears after she fails to come back from a weekend hike. Jonathan is writing a memoir about his loving marriage, but begins to see that Billie had some secrets that she kept from him. Meanwhile, Olive begins to see visions of Billie. Together, they find things about Billie that maybe would have been better undiscovered. Some of their queries are answered, but do they ever discover the whole truth? Or are they better off not knowing everything? Janelle Brown has told the story of one woman who is many different women, depending on the perceptions of the viewer.

The idea of this book is incredible, but it didn't pan out how it should have. I didn't enjoy the writing style at all.

I expected more from this book. Although the story took some twists and turns at the end, it seemed very slow in getting there. The characters were well rounded and I really liked Olive, a typical teen age girl. The present tense is used through out, whick is quite unusual. Not the kind of book that will keep you up all night.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I liked this book. It moved at a bit of a slow pace for my taste, but the characters were well developed. We never really know others as well as we might believe. I'd recommend this one.

For fans of Gone girl and other books in that vein -- compelling and readable

See link to goodreads review

Great book! Loved the story! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

This was exceptionally good, one that I easily completed in a weekend. Not a barn-burner book that makes you think about deep and meaningful aspects of life, but a well-written, semi-mystery story about a family with love and secrets and problems and everything in between. I really enjoyed Olive and Jonathan's characters. Billie not so much, but in the grand scheme of things she was more of a bit part, used to form a common thread for Olive and Jonathan to work from. It was a storyline that had me conflicted about what I wanted the ending to be, which is always refreshing- I enjoy not really knowing how I want a book to end until I actually get there and see how it ends. My biggest complaint was the plot line they threw in toward the end involving Olive - without giving anything away, I felt like it was simply a random after thought that didn't add any sort of meaningful detail to the overall story. Even so, I would recommend this one!

I really liked Janelle Brown’s novel, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, so I am very excited to read her newest book, Watch Me Disappear. I love the cover of the book, it definitely hints at something sinister!

Synopsis:



It’s been a year since Billie Flanagan – a beautiful, charismatic Berkeley mom with an enviable life – went on a solo hike and vanished from the trail. No body, only a hiking boot, was ever found. Her husband and teenage daughter have been coping with Billie’s death the best they can: Jonathan by drinking, Olive by growing remote.

But then Olive starts having waking dreams – or are they hallucinations?—that her mother is still alive. Jonathan is worried about Olive’s emotional stability, until he starts unearthing secrets from Billie’s past that bring into question everything he ever knew about his wife. Is it possible that Olive is right – that Billie isn’t dead after all?

Together, Olive and Jonathan embark on a quest for the truth—about Billie, their family, and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love.

If you typically skip to the ending to find out what happens -- at least start with the epilogue. That's the only point in Brown's latest novel where readers get Billie's perspective on all the incidents that get uncovered throughout the story. Unlike Paper Towns where Margot wants to disappear from her life and her friends are stressed out, but determined to follow her trail of breadcrumbs so they can get their friend back, that isn't the case with Watch Me Disappear. Instead, Billie's teenage daughter Olive and overworked husband Jonathan are grief-stricken because they cannot find her body nor get a final sense of closure. Olive starts having what she believes to be psychic visions of her mother and Jonathan realizes he didn't know his wife the way he thought he did. Parts of this story drag on and seem rather contrived. The ending, even if you read it first, doesn't provide enough closure for readers, nor did it answer the questions my Criminal Minds-loving self wanted to know.

Very exciting read! A missing person mystery that keeps you guessing til the very end! I would highly recommend this book for the action, suspense, and surprise elements. Nothing is resolved until the last page is turned.

I am a big fan of Janelle Brown, but this book left me a bit disappointed. It is a drama with a hint of mystery and a possible bit of the supernatural, too much! I found it hard to get involved, but certainly more engaging as it went on.

The death of Billie, a wife and mother is the centerpiece of the story, but the question arises, is she really dead? Her husband Jonathan and daughter, Olive, try to ferret out the real story while rebuilding their lives. They successfully learn about her past, involvement in ecoterrorism , a former lover, a radical newly out of prison and that she is the mother of a child given up for adoption. Lots of secrets to process. A bit too stereotypical and trite.

While all this is being uncovered, Jonathan becomes involved with Billie's friend Harmony while Olive struggles with her sexuality and the mysterious visions she is seeing. Just TOO much for a novel which makes it hard to plow through.

Certainly, the author writes well and her love of nature is apparent, but I think there is simply an over-abundance of topics to allow the reader to relax and enjoy the book.

How hard is it to be the perfect wife and mother? How much of yourself do you lose in the process? Billie is wife to Jonathan, mother to Olive and has a lovely settled life, one far removed form the one she had growing up. Looking to regain a little of herself, Billie begins to run marathons and go rock climbing, she spends more and more time in pursuit of extreme sports. One day while hiking alone, she disappears, leaving nothing behind but a hiking boot. Authorities assume she is dead and her little family falls apart. Olive begins to dream her mother is not dead at all, but still very much alive. Brown captures the enui of marriage and motherhood and the longing for something more in this unputtdownable read