Set in London but without any real sense of place, I did still want to read this as it sounded creepy and mysterious. The writing is as good as always and the characters mixed up and emotional. Lisa Jewell does like to get inside her characters and throw you off scent, give them more obstacles than a mad episode of The Crystal Maze.

Then She Was Gone is told mainly from Laurel’s point of view, but there are flashbacks into Ellie’s life before she went missing . I didn't feel these chapters worked as well as the others as Laurel's voice and viewpoint were stronger for me. Interesting to have flashbacks into her life though.

It was the impact on Ellie's disappearance and the aftermath which was the real strengths of this novel for me. I did guess the twists but the shock of having your daughter disappear and then meeting a man with a daughter who looks similar? Creepy indeed

I have read several books by this author and this one is by far my favourite. It is harrowing at times and I was quite overwhelmed reading some of the content. However, it is a very well told story of a diverse family coping with tradegy, each finding their own path to follow afterwards and finally coming together. I'd thoroughly recommend this book.

I thought Lisa Jewell's book I Found You couldn't be beaten, but Then She Was Gone blows it out of the water and surpasses it, and that in itself is incredible given how good the previous book was.
Ellie was 15 when she disappeared 10 years previously, her Mother Laurel had never given up hope of finding her, and so begins this thrilling psychological thriller. I'm not going to give anymore synopsis sometimes reviewers can say too much , with this book you need to come across every scene to understand the power they have.
The twists and turns will send you dizzy, and make you feel so many emotions this book should come with a hazard warning.
An engrossing wonderful book, I am in awe of this authors imagination and how she deftly weaves this tale.
I didn't think I could cope with anymore emotion and just when I thought everything was tied up she's gives us a few last pages that........well all I can say is Books never make me cry ....how wrong I was

Brilliant book; well written and all the characters were interesting and believable! Struggled to put it down once I had started reading. Good ending too.
A very good read

Absolutely loved this book! Stayed up all night to finish this amazing page turner. Full of twists and very very scary.... Hoping Lisa Jewel carries on with this type of novel

This book centres around Laurel who is consumed by grief at the loss of her daughter Ellie 10 years ago. Ellie went to the library one day and never came back. The police are convinced that Ellie ran away. Laurel needs closure but the rest of the family have moved on. Laurel and her husband Paul have divorced but still care for each other. One day she meets Floyd and his 9 year old daughter Poppy and things start to change for Laurel. But is Floyd too good to be true?

I was gripped by this story straight away. It is a real page turner and I really couldn't read this fast enough. The ending of the book was not what I was expecting. This made a refreshing change for me.

I enjoyed this book and it was very nearly a 5* read for me. Laurel's 15 year old daughter Ellie disappears without trace. She is beautiful, popular, bright and on the verge of taking her exam's. Laurel has two other children and a husband but they can't ease the pain of her loss and the family slowly disintegrate. Ten years on Laurel meets a lovely man who starts to make her live again, he has a daughter and she bears a striking resemblance to Ellie. Everything is coming together and the future looks good but it is enough for Laurel.

Unputdownable! That's not even a word....but this book is so good, it deserves a new word! The story is told in sections from differing characters but fits together perfectly to achieve an enthralling tale. I have always enjoyed Lisa Jewell's books and this one did not disappoint. She seems to be getting better and better and looking back on the early, perhaps more 'chick lit' books, this is evidence of a maturing story teller who can grab your interest and keep it until you have finished. I read this in about 4 days but had I not had to work....it would have been much quicker! A great read for the beach, or snuggled up on the sofa. Brilliant, once again.

I've been a fan of Lisa Jewell since her debut - Ralph's Party - and have read most of her books since. I don't believe I'm her typical reader (I'm a middle-aged man who normally reads crime/mystery novels) but Lisa should not be pigeon-holed as a chick-lit author either! Her books tend to be about 'ordinary' people and I like the fact that she isn't too descriptive/flowery in her prose and gets on with the plot and often produces some very thoughtful novels and 'Then She Was Gone' definitely doesn't disappoint. It's hard to provide a synopsis without giving away any plot spoilers and while the story is intriguing (and also very sad) it isn't a mystery/whodunnit as you can almost guess what might happen very early on, but you warm to her characters (and often identify with them) so I enjoyed seeing how this would develop and was interested in how the story would pan out. I read this in less than 2 days (on holiday) and wanted to keep going (always the sign of a good book). Finally, I would say that the difficult subject matter here is ultimately handled very respectfully and if you haven't tried reading Lisa before then this is a good starting point and will probably lead you to want to read more. If you've read Lisa before then this review is superfluous as I'm pretty sure you'll be reading this whatever I say!

Lisa Jewell owes me three hours lost sleep. I stayed up far too late last night finishing this book, I simply couldn't put it down. I thought I'd worked out the 'whodunnit' about 20% into the book - and I was wrong! It was an emotional book - I really felt Laurel's pain at losing her daughter. It explores the impact on the whole family, from her marriage breaking down to her strained relationship with her other daughter. In many ways it isn't about the daughter who goes missing, it's about what is left behind. It's a fast-paced, well-written book which I will be recommending to friends.

Every mother's nightmare. A chilling tale that is very well plotted and told. Vaguely depressing read though.

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.

AND THEN SHE WAS GONE

by

Lisa Jewell

Never have I been more wrong about a book when reading the first couple of pages. I thought I was reading a romance but boy did this book darken as it progressed.
The book opens with Laurel, an atrractive but drab woman in her 50s who lost all joy in her life when her youngest daughter, a clever and attractive girl who had everything to live for, just disappeared. It was if the family became unstuck and disunited. Laurel appears self centred dwelling on the lost daughter and neglecting the other members of the family so the inevitable happens and all go their separate ways.
But a brighter future looms when Laurel meets Floyd in a cafe and there is immediate attraction on both sides. They begin dating and on meeting Floyd’s precocious young daughter Laurel is struck with Poppy’s close resemblance to Ellie. Laurel perks up immediately and throws herself into love and sex with great abandon. But coincidences reveal cracks. Is Floyd the doting father and intense lover with a sad background or is it possible that he is too good to be true? Could he have a dark secret that links with Laurel’s past?
The characters are cleverly portrayed if a tad unrealistic at times. Laurel’s Mum is described as disabled after three strokes, almost blind, little recall and difficulty speaking and yet she is able to talk about death fairly freely. Poppy may be a gifted child but she is extremely forward, and annoying initially and even for a clever child her level of conversation does not ring true.
It is a good story but peppered with fantasy. The prose flows freely and the story proceeds at a steady pace. A good holiday read that builds from romance to horror and ends in sentimentality. Not really my taste but I have to say I did quite enjoy the book.

Sheila A. Grant

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!