I did enjoy reading this book but felt it was still a little lightweight and only just creeping out of the chick-lit gene that Jewell started in. The characterisation is good and there is depth in the background setting. However, the truly horrific and tragic story at the centre of the plot is treated almost in passing, and the story really belongs to Laurel . In her acknowledgements, Lisa says the plot was originally bizarre and a suggestion from her editors balanced it out. I would like to know which part that was! There is so much potential in this author and I will read her future books with interest.

Ellie is the type of teenager every girl wants as a best friend, intelligent, smart, likeable and well loved by her family. Then one day she has gone, in the blink of an eye Ellie's bright future is no more.
This book is fascinating in that it focuses on the after effect of this tragedy. Told mostly through Laurel (Mum to Ellie) we see what can happen to a well balanced family when tragedy strikes.
I am reluctant to go too much into the storyline as its a journey the reader should take themselves but I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will say that you kind of have the sense where we are heading in the book but that in no way detracts from the ending.
The author Lisa Jewell has a style of writing that makes for easy reading, making you feel like you know the characters first hand and I didnt want to put the book down. I couldn't recommend 'Then She Was Gone' enough.

I enjoyed this book although it is a little far fetched in places. Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors and this was different from her other books. I did feel a little cheated at the end as the suspense had been growing and I'd expected some sort of show down. All in all a good read.

I have loved Lisa's other books, and even though i don't really like thrillers like this, because it was written by Lisa, I gave it a chance . And I am in awe. It's truly one of the most outstandingly chilling, tender, gripping books I've read in years. Having a child go missing is one of the worst things that can happen to a parent, and Lisa taps into that fear quickly...I normally pride myself on being able to guess outcomes in books, but there are so many twists and turns that you cant. I was in tears by the end

Utter perfection.

Started this on a 9 hour flight and I finished it! It drew me in from the start and kept me there right until the very last page.. I didn't think I liked Laurel at first but then I found her strong and I really hoped she'd find some happiness. I couldn't figure out how things had turned out as they had so it was good to go back and see the story unfold from others perspectives. Thanks for a great read to get me through a long long flight!

Thank you to Netgalley and Lisa Jewell for giving me the opportunity to receive a free copy of 'Then She Was Gone' in advance of the release day.

This was my first go at reading psychological thrillers and I can officially say I am OBSESSED! I have never been so enthralled in a book before, I wouldn't even allow myself to sleep until I knew every single detail from start to finish! No book has ever made me feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest and stomped on a million times, but for a thriller, I knew it was never going to have a happy ending and it definitely gave me the complete opposite leaving me a broken heart.

10 years ago, Laurel's daughter Ellie went to the library to study and never came home. The family have moved on and are ready to repair their shattered hearts, however, Laurel's life spun out of control consistently, her marriage fell through and her two other children became shadows of their perfect sister. Laurel is not even close to being ready to give up finding out what happened to her daughter. Her maternal instincts tell her there's more to Ellie's disappearance and she won't stop until she knows the truth.

Laurel meets a handsome man called Floyd, who brings a breath of fresh air and life to her empty, broken world. Is Floyd as perfect as he seems to be though? What secrets does he have hiding?
After a few dates, Laurel is introduced to his nine year old daughter, Poppy. Sounds pretty casual right? Wrong. Poppy is the spitting image of Laurel's daughter, Ellie. All the unanswered questions that Laurel had given up on began flooding back in an instant.

'Then She Was Gone' is split in to 5 parts, with POV's from 4 different characters, interspersed with the past and present. It's a rather quick read, answering every possible question you'd have been asking yourself whilst reading. I desperately needed to know what on earth had happened to Ellie and even I knew there was just something not adding up with the story police had given, nevertheless, I was not for one second expecting the truth story to be as sick and twisted as it was!! I could hear myself gasping non stop and I had so many light bulb moments where the story just completely clicked and I knew what was going on before the book had told me. I don't guess a lot when it comes to books, mainly because I just can never make up big enough theories, but with this book my mind was in complete overdrive and I was making up every theory possible until I got the right one.

The plot is complete genius, I don't know somebody can create such a disturbing story, and be sure to keep readers hooked at all times. Whilst the majority of characters are unlikable, they are linked in a way you just would not believe, it's hard to feel sympathy for many, yet you can also understand their motives, even the most distorted ones.

Then She Was Gone will grip you to the point of obsession. I finished this book in just a day. I truly believe that everybody should read this book, you're going to be affected in so many ways but it's all worth it. I have been so affected by this book so deeply that I still think about this book and want to re-read it for the rest of my life. I don't think there will be another novel this year which is going to move me and unleash feelings I rarely ever feel like this one. I can not recommend this book more if I tried, just please pretty pretty please read this masterpiece by Lisa Jewell and let your world be completely shook to the core.

4 1/2 stars . I found you, Lisa Jewells previous novel to this one, is one of my favourite reads of 2017. How is it possible that in such a quick time frame she produces another gripping page turner! A terribly sad plot, you can almost see what's comings but don't want it to happen. Whilst other writers would make you put a book with this storyline to one side, Lisa Jewells carefully crafted writing style makes you want to finish the book in a few sittings. I honestly think her writing and genre has moved away from chick lit writing to suspenseful mysteries and thrillers. I don't need to go into detail on the plot; a daughter goes missing in very strange circumstances, and the story line draws us in to her mothers story, her families, her captors and all is weaved into a very clever web. I loved it! I'm sure it'll be in many beach bags this summer.

Yet another fabulous book by Lisa Jewell. One day, Laurel’s daughter, Ellie, just disappears. No one knows why she would run away from home, as she is such a happy girl, but no one has seen anything that would suggest she has been snatched off the street. This story tells what happens from that moment on, in terms of Laurel’s life, and running alongside we are told what is going on in Ellie’s life.
The stories are expertly woven together and lead to a clever conclusion.
Lisa Jewell kept me captivated from page 1 and I have recommended this book to all of my friends who enjoy reading. I can’t wait for her next book!

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
This was an intriguing read with a steady pace which kept me hooked. There were no massive twists and turns in the first half of the but just a slow burning plot which slowly revealed facts. In the second half of the book the pace and intensity increased dramatically as all became more clear. The characters are excellently portrayed and very credible.
A good book.
4 ****

Wow, I think I am in shock. This is Lisa Jewell, but not as we know her! Gone is the women's fiction a la 'Ralph's Party'. What we have here is a family drama crossed with a psychological thriller. And it is gripping!

I don't want to say too much about this book because I don't want to spoil it, but this book looks at how grief affects a family after the disappearance of one of the children. It's quite a twisted book - not for the feint hearted at times - but it is thrilling. It gets under your skin. And it is very poignant. I finished it just before bedtime and I was like 'woah, I might be to disturbed to go to sleep now'. And I'm still thinking about it now, the next morning. I'm not sure what I am going to read next but it is going to have a lot to live up to!

I feel this book would be a good book club choice. More like this please Ms Jewell!!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It is without a doubt the best book I have read in a long time. The storyline was brilliant. It was heartbreaking and sad. Very well thought out and written. It's one of those books that will stay with you forever. Brilliant writing.

A brilliantly worked story which keeps you involved to the tear jerking end.

Then she was gone is a book that I've literally raced through in a few hours, it's not very fast paced but I literally had to find out the outcome of Ellie and Laurels story. It's set in different parts and chapters are written from the point of view of various characters, each pushing the story forwards to its heart wrenching conclusion.

Bloody brilliant! I'd worked out the twist by about halfway but it really didn't matter. Fantastic plot, believable character​s that you genuinely care about and really well executed. Very enjoyable.

Awesome read! Kept me intrigued and the suspense built expertly as the story progressed. Loved this book. 5 star read!

I read this book in a day, couldn't put it down despite the tragic storyline and the suspicion that things were going tragically wrong. Another Jewell from Lisa.

Lovely flow to this book, it didn't take me long to read it! It was definitely fascinating and although it was a little predictable there was enough to keep you guessing and stay engaged.

Laurel and Paul's studious daughter goes missing; completely out of character but she is never found.  Years later Laurel begins a new relationship which doesn't quite turn out to be all it first appears to be.

Then She Was Gone isn't a crazy book, it's pretty plausible, which makes it even more worrying.  There's a lot to be said about your gut instinct with people!!

A well thought out and fabulously written little book.  A solid 8 out of 10. Check out more of her stuff too, I'd realised I'd read a number of her other books too.

Really gripping. I didn't guess the ending but I like that! Engrossing read.

I like Lisa Jewell and have enjoyed all previous books by this author. Jewell prefaces this book with a statement that this may be the most bizarre book she has ever written and she isn't far wrong. She also says that she had quite a strong steer from her editor once she had submitted her draft and made changes as a result of that. So I looked forward to reading Then She Was Gone and initially the story drew me in and I was interested and intrigued by both the characters as well as the storyline. The book has a contemporary feel about it which is pleasing.

However as the story unfolded and the book starts to flip between romance and horror, I found it entirely bizarre and at times quite unbelievable. The ending felt a bit rushed, as if there were some loose ends that needed to be tied up, so "let's expedite by bumping off some of the characters that we're not sure what to do with". I will read Lisa Jewell again but I was not convinced by this book, it doesn't really know what it wants to be, despite the author's best efforts to grasp the "women as villain" genre. I'd have wrapped it up as a love story, with justice served where it was needed, instead of killing people off.

I had never read any Lisa Jewell novels before this one although I knew her name. On the strength of 'Then She Was Gone' I shall certainly read more of her work. The story concerns the impact of the disappearance of 15 year old Ellie on her family and others not so immediately connected. There are several narrators but this is not in any way confusing. It is a gripping tale with well drawn characters, all of whom have their flaws, making them all the more plausible. A touch of reality is brought in with reference to the BBC series Crimewatch doing a reconstruction of Ellie's disappearance. Relationships are not straightforward and one of the most effective is that between Laurel, Ellie's mother, and her own mother, a side but important character.
In the acknowledgements Lisa Jewell refers to the help and advice she received from her editors to improve the story and I now wonder what the first draft was like and would love to read it as well. This really is a well-crafted tale which will appeal to many and would make a good tv series.