I loved everything about this book the setting, the story, the characters, the house.

The writing is beautiful and instantly transported me to the present day Cotswolds and back to the summer of 1959, so full of nostalgia but also something dark and mysterious.

The 1959 story is told by Margot the second youngest and plainest of the sisters and the closest to Audrey. She desperately wants to finds out what happened to her cousin and asks the awkward question that nobody wants to vocalise. Having sisters myself, I loved the Wilde girls' relationships, the closeness and teasing and yearned for my carefree childhood days with my siblings.

The present-day storyline is full of tension in a different way. Jessie and her blended family want to make a fresh start in the countryside, getting away from the stresses and strains of life in London. The tense atmosphere between Jessie and her stepdaughter Bella came across really well as the story took a more menacing turn at times. Is there something malevolent in the house or is it all in Jessie's imagination?

This isn't a dramatic novel, although there are moments filled with drama, but one that slowly builds revealing it's secrets through undulating twists and turns right up until the end, with a very satisfying ending.

This is one of my favourite books this year. I definitely recommend this if you enjoy books about family relationships and family secrets. This is my first book by Eve chase and it certainly won't be my last.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for my complimentary digital copy.

Present day: Jessie just persuaded her husband to move from London to the countryside with their toddler Romy and Will's teenage daughter Bella. They move to a huge manor with a dark past, and Jessie quickly begins to question whether she made the right decision.

1960s: The Wilde sisters soend the summer at their Uncle and Aunt's manor in the country, the memory of their cousin Audrey - who disappeared 5 years before - lingers around every corner.

The story alternates across these two time lines, following Jessie trying to make the manor into a home for her family and the Wilde sisters puzzling over Audrey's disappearance.

It's a strong historical drama with a good mystery at its heart, with a splash of family saga and a hint of Daphne duMaurier's 'Rebecca'.

Where do I even start with this book? The Vanishing Of Audrey Wilde packs so much into 320 something pages! With an intriguing plot and characters that just beg you to get to know them better, The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde makes for a great read, I should know, I stayed up until 8 in the morning reading (the majority of) it.



Full of rich descriptions, the book really transports you to the 1950’s - and the main setting of the book, Applecote Manor, so much so that you can almost see each scene playing out in front of your eyes as you read.



I love that it was written with a dual timeline, one in the 1950’s and one in the present day. It just adds to the overall air of mystery that the book exudes.



I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to everyone I know, that’s how confident I am that they’ll love it.

Eve Chase has a thing for old houses and families, so it isn’t a surprise that this story has Applecote Manor smack bang in the middle of the plot. Everything is woven around the families who inhabit or used to inhabit this house.

Chase creates a very nostalgic atmosphere, which is part of the charm of this book. The story wanders from past to present, and the chapters in the past are especially good. They evoke a sense of familiarity, warmth and belonging. The reader basks in the sun next to the river and feels the cool water as the girls swim in the river.

Throughout the book there is a sense of a presence watching over every event and word. Audrey Wilde is as much a part of the story, as her disappearance is.

Although this is in every sense of the word a mystery it is also a book about identity and coming of age. It is also a story about non-typical families. The patchwork family of the present is also haunted by their very own personal ghost. In fact the ghosts need to be laid to rest for both families to finally get some peace.

One day Audrey Wilde suddenly vanishes into thin air, and the mystery of her disappearance is something that her cousin Margot never really gets over. At a time when everyone else has accepted the possibility they may never find out the truth, Margot is almost obsessed with discovering what happened to her.

I loved the feel of this story, especially everything about Margot and her sisters. I thought that element of the story was strong enough for the plot without adding Jessie and her family to the mix. I also thought it was intriguing how the crime element never overshadowed the rest of the story, despite it being the thread that held everything together.

The truth isn’t pretty at all, and perhaps that cold breath of brutality should have changed the whole feeling of the story, but it didn’t. It remains a charming tale until the end.

I loved this book and got totally lost in it, from the first few pages. The author has an easy, flowing writing style which drew me in and made this novel a perfect summer holiday read. The four sisters - Flora, Pam, Margot (the narrator) and Dot - are well-drawn and individual. I also enjoyed the more contemporary story of Jessie and Will moving to Applecote from London. I have read quite a few books where a couple move from the city to the country, but this one is particularly successful because of the quality of the writing. I didn't want this book to end and would love to read more by this author.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from netgalley

This book is slow to start and if you'd have told me 25% in that is be giving in four stars, I wouldn't believe you!

Persevere! It's worth it :)

I like books with two different timelines, I like mystery books and I like books that end properly. This book delivered.

The reason I didn't give it five stars, is because I wasn't overwhelmed by the 'current day' story. The story in the past was far more engaging and the merging of the two was also really good! But Jessie, the lead in the present, I just didn't like her. I was keen to get back to Margot in the 50s

I was sold on this book by the fact that it was a dual timeline mystery described by Lisa Jewell as ‘The most beautiful book you will read this year.’ I have to admit I felt a little let down as I started it; this book has been described as ‘beautiful’ and ‘evocative’ but I found the writing a little too flowery when it wasn’t necessarily needed. It took me a little while to get into the story as I took time to adjust to the tone of voice, but once I did I found a strong plot which took me by surprise.

At the centre of the story is Applecote Manor, a grand manor in the Cotswolds. In its time it was a pristine picture of elegance, but in present day it’s crumbling and dilapidated. The story follows two timelines and shows what one house can mean to two different people. In present day, Jessie sees the mansion as a fresh start; a chance to escape the bustling city life of London and build a life with her new family. In the summer of 1959, Margot and her three sisters also escape the city for a summer in the countryside, when they are sent by their mother to live with their aunt and uncle.

It was the period part of the novel which I really enjoyed, and I have to admit I found that Jessie’s chapters dragged at times. Margot’s chapters combine a coming of age tale with a sinister mystery, and the backdrop of Applecote at its finest really works. Margot’s voice as an insecure young girl was authentic, and the lavish prose helped bring the bucolic British summer and the hint of dark mystery to life.

This novel didn’t quite capture me the way I wanted it to, but it did grow on me. I think it’s the sort of book and genre I might have loved a couple of year ago, but my tastes have changed. It’s a rich, well-told story which incorporates elements of gothic mystery, coming of age and modern domestic drama. It reminded me a little of Kate Morton, and I’m sure it’s one plenty of people will love.

Opening with a body being moved by characters we are yet to meet, The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde begins with a mystery and what follows is a beautifully written book with gothic undertones.  It spans two time frames; the heat wave of the summer of 1959 when Margot and her sisters, beautiful Flora, inscrutable Pam and shy Dot visit their Aunt and Uncle at Applecote Manor, and the present day when Jessie, her husband Will, their infant daughter Romy and Will's troubled teenage daughter Bella move to the Cotswolds from London for a fresh start.
For Margot and her sisters this is the first time they have visited Applecote since their cousin, Audrey went missing 5 years earlier.  Their Aunt and Uncle have become different people in the intervening time period and the girls are awkward around them and uncomfortable that Audrey's bedroom is being kept as a shrine to her.  In 2017 Jessie, too is troubled by the bedroom at the top of the house which features a bed fully made up and evidence of a recent fire in the hearth.  Struggling to connect with her step-daughter Bella who is pining for her dead mother Jessie sets about making Applecote into a family home, carefully curating a perfect lifestyle on her social media.
The two stories blended perfectly together and really complemented one another.  The story of Margot and her sisters was beautifully written and had a gorgeous dreamlike quality. Some of the descriptive passages were wonderfully evocative with whole paragraphs bringing the heat, haze and lust of the summer of 1959 to life;
"There is a trail of crushed grass behind them, like the tail of comet"
"Today there is a breeze but it's warm and wet, like a lick"
Margot was a wonderful protagonist, unsure of her position as one of four sisters she is thrust into an unforgettable summer of discovery and jealousy.  Each sister had a very distinctive voice and Margot and Pam's sisterly jealousy of Flora's beauty and impending adulthood seeped from the page.
The story set in the present day was just as intriguing.  Written just as beautifully as the tale of Margot and her sisters, it is very modern in both style and tone.  I particularly loved Jessie and Will's relationship, how they met, fell in love and the trials and tribulations of their relationship.  Bella's defiance, teen arrogance and grief was well executed; never clichéd or trite her story was well-rounded; her obsession with Audrey's disappearance forging a bridge between the present and the past.  Both Jessie and Margot's stories were given equal weight, both had their own mysteries and intrigues and both were exceptional.
I really loved this book, it had me hooked from the first page.  I loved the contrast of the present and the past, the gothic undertones, the mystery, the strong women and the glimpse into the past.  Much like The Companion, this book's most evocative character is a house; Applecote Manor is a house holding secrets and history and ready to uncover the past.

Nineteen fifty-nine. The four Wilde sisters, Isla, Violet, Maggie and Dot, are spending the summer in the Cotswolds, at Applecote Manor. Affectionately called the Wildlings, the sisters are exceptionally close, yet this year there's a sense of nostalgia. Things are changing.

Except for Applecote itself, a house that seems frozen in time. The sisters haven't been there in five years; not since their cousin Audrey mysteriously vanished.

But as they discover Applecote's dark secrets and new temptations, the sisters begin to grow apart. Until the night everything spirals out of control and the Wildlings form a bond far thicker than blood.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would be keen to read more by Eve Chase. I found it a compelling read and read it very quickly. The story is set in two time periods - the 1950s and present day - and focuses on two different families who live in Applecote Manor. It is quite dark at times and definitely has a gothic feel - I could really imagine the house and grounds from the descriptive text.

I don't want to give away any spoilers but would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a thriller or good mystery.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest book review which I've also posted on Goodreads..

This is an amazing split narrated book. At first I wasn't sold on the 'current day' story, but eventually it was my favourite part. The story was wonderfully told, with interweaving 'current day' and 'past' events. Loveable characters and even if the end was not necessarily surprising, there were lots of details that made this a perfect 5 star. I highly recommend this book.

This book was so well written that I could visualise every scene quite clearly. The swinging between past and present didn't trouble me at all as it does sometimes. Suspense and mystery at times sent me on the wrong track, blaming the wrong person, but Iwas soon drawn back. All in all a really enjoyable book with a real can't put down factor.

I was very excited to read this fantastic book. What an incredible and compelling book. Very beautiful descriptive writting by a great author. I enjoyed both present and past stories making one great read. I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this book hard to put down and exciting.
I am very thankful to NetGalley for this opportunity.

Loved this book, so well written and seamless between the past and the present.

A was surprised how much I enjoyed this.
To be honest I don't usually go for books that aren't modern day settings, but this one set part modern day and part historically - but all in one country home caught my imagination and I enjoyed it.

Some great characters particularly the 1950's teenagers, and it was interesting to see how life was different for teens in those times.
Covering a whole host of issues this was a haunting read.
Unusually for me it was definitely the 1950's part of the book that I enjoyed more, the modern day parts didn't quite sit right and felt a bit convoluted.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early read - I will be looking out for future novels by this author that I hadn't come across before.

This book has two stories, but it is never confusing, and they inter twine neatly, and join completely for the final chapter.
In the 1959 story we have four sisters; and unusually, but perfectly, we get to know them all as distinct characters, all rounded people, no caricatures. I have not given 5 stars because I thought the rapid improvement in Sybil was a little unrealistic. Also, I have read too many books where the 'move to the country' didn't go as planned and one character spends a long time commuting back to the city so I thought that was frustrating and perhaps the plot could've been though out more to get Will out of the way.
There is also a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Overall, this is a great read, it romps along and is very well written. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

Thank you first to Netgalley for introducing me to a new author. This is a family drama, with dual narration (which works very well indeed), with the drama happening in both the 1950s and present day, the settings for both being Applecote Manor a large house set in rural England.

The title of this book is not terribly inspiring, and the cover less so but as I read it as an ebook this was not too relevant.

The two periods were well defined and in each case believable, but, although I enjoyed the book immensely, I felt that the book could have stood just as well as a historical family drama and that Jessie and her broods' trials and tribulations could have been padded out to make another, separate novel.

The descriptions and the dialogue were vivid and evocative of both the periods. The story moved along at a favourable pace and I most certainly got caught up in the late 1950s which I found far more compelling. There were twists and turns and intrigue that drew me in from the outset. I will certainly be on the look out for more novels by Eve Chase.

This is a really enjoyable dual time-frame novel that skilfully blends both parts to a satisfying conclusion. For once I enjoyed both the parts set in the present day with Jessie and her blended family coming to live at Applecote Manor, and the parts set in 1959 with the enchanting Wilde sisters and the mystery of the disappearance of their cousin Audrey. The novel is not a thriller but has unexpected and thriller-ish bits within it with romance, adventure and family story intertwined to make a good read with an ending that ties up all the loose ends.

I did enjoy this, with a good ending (despite the occasional Mills & Boon descriptions and characteristics) - there was a moment in the middle I thought it might just be a copy of her first book and go a bit chick-lit, but it turned out much better than expected!

I am not always a fan of dual timelines, I have read some real gems but often it is very predictable. You know that there is a family mystery, somewhere along the line, and that once revealed is going to change the lives of those in the present.
What saves this book from a fate worse than predictability is that it is very well written and the characters are interesting and well developed. One timeline is set in 1959 when Margot and her three sister spend the summer with their aunt Sybil who five years earlier lost her daughter Audrey. Lost is the right word, as Audrey went missing and her body was never found.

The alternate chapters are set in the present with Jessie who moves to the same house, called Applecote Manor, where Sybil and her daughter Audrey lived in the past. Jessie is married to Will who was a widower and father to Bella. They also have a young daughter called Romy. This family dynamics are complex, Bella resents Jessie for having come to replace her mother, while Will misses his London life where all his memories are.

Bella who attends the same school as Audrey did many years earlier, find out that a tragedy happened many years ago and become obsessed with it. As 1959 was not so long ago, they are bound to meet someone who was alive when Audrey disappeared.

The chapters set in the 50s are particularly good, you get the atmosphere of what it would have been living in the countryside those days. Life was definitely slow. But you also want to know how the relationship between Jessie and Bella develop.

This is a beautifully written, evocative novel that takes us on a fascinating journey into the past, as it skillfully portrays the pastoral idyll, unhurried summer of 1959 and seamlessly weaves the intriguing story of a family of four girls (the Wildings) and their coming of age season.

As the story unfolds, it paints a portrait of the house where their cousin Audrey lived and went missing from (and where their mother sends the Wilding sisters for a memorable summer break) with a parallel account of its current dysfunctional occupants, who have problems of their own as they try to settle into their new home.

Because Applecote Manor is no ordinary home. It’s frozen in time, the scene of much sadness stemming from the sudden, unsolved loss of a beloved daughter, which tore a family apart and left lingering traces five years later.

Alternating timelines, narrated by Margot (a Wildling) and Jessie (the new owner of Applecote), gradually reveal what actually happened to Audrey as the action unfolds and the timelines begin to coalesce and merge together.

If you like to lose yourself in nostalgia for the past, enjoy a rattling good read centered around home and family, sisterly dynamics and drama, and an intriguing tale with a heartwarming ending, then this would fit the bill perfectly. I loved it!