This was the first book I’ve read from Lisa Jewell and it was an emotional and suspenseful read. This story follows Laurel Mack whose daughter, Ellie, went missing 10 years ago. Ellie was never found, and no-one knows what happened to her and we start in the present tense, following Laurel and life 10 years after Ellie has gone. Laurel meets Floyd and they develop a relationship which leads Laurel to meet his daughter Poppy, who looks shockingly like her lost daughter Ellie and this causes her to start questioning Ellie’s disappearance and what happened to her.
This is told in both the present tense and the past tense and from several points of view although Laurels is the most prominent POV that we hear. I really enjoyed the POV of telling and the changing past/present tense as it helped really weave Laurel’ current situation together with what happened in the past to Ellie and it was especially heart-breaking to hear Ellie tell her story of what happened to her.
I felt unsure about Laurel at first, she just seemed very cold and uncaring, but you soon come to see that it’s caused by the loss of Ellie and everything that came with it – her other daughter Hanna is cold towards her and her marriage to her husband broke down. Despite the multiple POV telling, Laurel is the main character in this story and the way her character is developed really makes you feel for her. You feel annoyed and angry with her. You felt sympathetic and wanted to reach in and hug her which was strange because as said, I was really unsure of Laurel at first and I thought this was going to be another book where I really wasn’t sure if I liked the main character.
The writing was fantastic and really keeps you gripped and even when there didn’t seem to be much going on, I was still gripped and didn’t find myself getting bored with the story. I didn’t figure out exactly what had happened to Ellie – I had some idea of what have happened to her but the reality of it was quite twisted. Again, one of the things that made it so great was the realism and the reality that this could happen. I feel like one of the things that did slightly let this down was the lack of police investigation into the original disappearance, once you find out what actually happened it’s hard to believe that they wouldn’t have seen that lead, but I suppose that there wouldn’t be a story if Ellie had been found!
Overall I thought this was a great, twisted and suspenseful read and I would definitely recommend picking it up!

Wow, what a brilliant story.
This book is full of twists and turns that will take your breath away.
Laurel is heartbroken when her 15 year daughter Ellie disappears but she slowly gets her life back on track.
When she meets Floyd she thinks she’s found happiness again and when she meets his daughter, Poppy, she is taken aback by the likeness to her daughter. She wonders if it’s the grief affecting her perception but other family members notice the likeness too.
There are secrets that several characters are hiding that come tumbling out and it really will take your breath away....
I can’t say anymore as I really don’t want to spoil such a great story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for sending me a copy to read and review.

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW – 4.5 gripping stars!

Then She was Gone is certainly not what we’re personally used to reading from the wonderful Lisa Jewell, however, we literally inhaled this thrilling and suspenseful novel which was brilliantly written. Jumping from past to present we get an eerie sense of foreboding with hints at what’s to come yet Lisa Jewell kept us on the edge of our seats needing to know the what, the how and the why’s. We love a great thriller and this was certainly one that kept us up at night unable to put our kindles down. Such a unique and compelling story. Ellie Mack disappeared ten years ago and this story tells of a dark and twisted web of lies and deception on what happened and how random circumstances played a part of a horrific tragedy initiated by a warped mind.

‘Ellie Mack was possibly the most golden girl I had ever encountered.’

Ellie was fifteen when she disappeared on her way to the library. A happy go lucky in love, studious girl who had no reason to run away. However, this is the belief of the police. Her Mum on the other hand has never accepted that Ellie would’ve run away. Rather she suspects something far more sinister, becoming obsessed and unable to move on; losing the ones she loves along the way clinging on to the hope that one day Ellie will return. However, with no clues or witnesses to her daughter’s whereabouts there is little hope to grasp.

‘She’d never worked out how he’d done it, how he’d found that healthy pink part of himself amongst the wreckage of everything else. But she didn’t blame him. Not in the least. She wished she could pack a couple of large suitcases and say goodbye to herself, wish herself a good life, thank herself for all the memories, look fondly upon herself for just one long, lingering moment and then shut the door quietly….’

Our hearts hurt for Ellie’s Mum as we read of her desperation, her sorrow and her inability to reach any form of happiness in the face of darkness. Her struggles to connect to her other children and the breakdown of her marriage all leading to a downward spiral. That is until a ‘chance’ meeting with a handsome man named Floyd. This meeting changes Laurel’s path completely, one that leads to a sinister and heart-breaking discovery as well as setting a change in motion for Laurel and her family.

‘She was about to know something after ten years of knowing nothing.’

At the heart of this story is the dynamics of a family touched by loss and the consequential behaviours in overcoming grief and the not knowing of what happened to Ellie Mac, their sister – their daughter. Without question this story is superbly character driven and we loved that. Our only gripe was the way in which the police investigation of a missing child was portrayed with what seemed like little research, therefore we sometimes had to remind ourselves that this was fiction. On a last note though…the epilogue……slayed us!!!! We -without question- highly recommend Then She was Gone to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

Reviewed from an ARC copy provided by Atria Books.with thanks

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this great book by one of the greatest authors out there!
Imagine your daughter just disappears. No trace found. The rest of your family has moved on, but you keep on hoping she'll be found one day.
And then she is found. Sort off. Or maybe not.
Brilliant read, and worth your effort and time!

Ellie just wants to go to the library to study for her GCSEs. But she never arrives there and is never seen again. Her mother Laurel is sure that her daughter is still alive, but where? Ten years pass by, the family splits up and Laurel is alone with her grief. When she meets Floyd, she experiences happiness for the first time in many years. Can this be true? Finding love at the age of 55? But why is the famous writer in love with her, this old, nondescript woman? When she meets Floyd’s daughter Poppy for the first time, a vile thought is planted in her head. Was their encounter really a coincidence? Who is that man in reality?

Lisa Jewell tells the story of the vanished girl from different perspectives at different points of time. Thus, the full picture is only revealed bit by bit throughout the story and the tension is constantly kept high. You never know whom you can really trust, what is true and what isn’t, you can guess, but at times, you might be completely wrong.

I especially liked the mystery about Floyd and his daughter. At the first glance, they appear to be a bit too perfect, too lovely and likeable to be real. Just because of this you become suspicious. Is Floyd the nice loving man or is he simply evil? What might happen to Laurel when she keeps on dating him? From the experience of reading thrillers you are convinced that sooner or later something really wicked will happen, you simply wait for it to happen all the time – of course you still hope that by some miracle the nice and decent woman is spared another nightmare in her life.

“Then she was gone” is not a too bloody thriller, but it is creepy due to the characters and you always teeter on a knife edge about what is going to happen next. So, Lisa Jewell successfully plays on the reader’s nerves – just what I would expect from a good thriller.

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

Then She was Gone is certainly not what we’re personally used to reading from the wonderful Lisa Jewell, however, we literally inhaled this thrilling and suspenseful novel which was brilliantly written. Jumping from past to present we get an eerie sense of foreboding with hints at what’s to come yet Lisa Jewell kept us on the edge of our seats needing to know the what, the how and the why’s. We love a great thriller and this was certainly one that kept us up at night unable to put our kindles down. Such a unique and compelling story. Ellie Mack disappeared ten years ago and this story tells of a dark and twisted web of lies and deception on what happened and how random circumstances played a part of a horrific tragedy initiated by a warped mind.

‘Ellie Mack was possibly the most golden girl I had ever encountered.’

Ellie was fifteen when she disappeared on her way to the library. A happy go lucky in love, studious girl who had no reason to run away. However, this is the belief of the police. Her Mum on the other hand has never accepted that Ellie would’ve run away. Rather she suspects something far more sinister, becoming obsessed and unable to move on; losing the ones she loves along the way clinging on to the hope that one day Ellie will return. However, with no clues or witnesses to her daughter’s whereabouts there is little hope to grasp.

‘She’d never worked out how he’d done it, how he’d found that healthy pink part of himself amongst the wreckage of everything else. But she didn’t blame him. Not in the least. She wished she could pack a couple of large suitcases and say goodbye to herself, wish herself a good life, thank herself for all the memories, look fondly upon herself for just one long, lingering moment and then shut the door quietly….’

Our hearts hurt for Ellie’s Mum as we read of her desperation, her sorrow and her inability to reach any form of happiness in the face of darkness. Her struggles to connect to her other children and the breakdown of her marriage all leading to a downward spiral. That is until a ‘chance’ meeting with a handsome man named Floyd. This meeting changes Laurel’s path completely, one that leads to a sinister and heart-breaking discovery as well as setting a change in motion for Laurel and her family.

‘She was about to know something after ten years of knowing nothing.’

At the heart of this story is the dynamics of a family touched by loss and the consequential behaviours in overcoming grief and the not knowing of what happened to Ellie Mac, their sister – their daughter. Without question this story is superbly character driven and we loved that. Our only gripe was the way in which the police investigation of a missing child was portrayed with what seemed like little research, therefore we sometimes had to remind ourselves that this was fiction. On a last note though…the epilogue……slayed us!!!! We -without question- highly recommend Then She was Gone to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

A Cracking Thriller:
This novel makes for many an hour of pleasurable reading as we follow the emotional trail of a mother left bereft by the disappearance of her daughter.
Ellie Mack is a GCSE student who has everything going for her: intelligent, pretty, sound family and a loving boyfriend. Then one day she completely vanishes. There's no hint of foul play and, after a detailed search, police suspect she's run away from home. But why?
Her mother, Laurel, is beside herself with grief and as time passes her family seems to disintegrate around her.
Ten years pass with no news or sightings of Ellie. TV run a Crime Special hoping that new evidence might come to light. Unfortunately nothing of substance is forthcoming. Or so it seems.
Then one day in a café Laurel meets Floyd and as she comes to enjoy his company it appears that Laurel may at last have accepted closure. But not all is quite what it appears and surprises are in store for readers of this excellently crafted novel. I found "Then She Was Gone" difficult to put down once started. I have to confess I thought I had an inkling. But I was wrong. A cracking thriller.

This book was a brilliant read. I loved the way the way main character, Laurel did not give up hope about finding out what happened to her daughter, Ellie. The story was filled with so much mystery and tension, I genuinely could not put the book down. The ending was fabulous and was not something that I was expecting at all but a good end to an even better start!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Having spent much of my twenties reading books by writers such as Lisa Jewell, Jane Green and Mike Gayle I was keen to see if Lisa Jewell could pull off anything other than the contemporary chick-lit I expect from her.

I was instantly absorbed in this emotionally-charged psychological rollercoaster. It was dark in parts, whilst still keeping a definite sense of plausibility which is usually absent in books of this genre. It was well written and the alternating points of view kept me on the edge of my seat. I was intrigued by the constantly evolving relationships between the characters, especially the reserved exchanges between Laurel and her daughter, Hannah.

The ending was perfect. There was no other way this book could have ended and I feel Lisa Jewell pulled it all together beautifully.

I was interested in reading this book as I couldn't remember if I read it when it was first published! As so many others have said, it has a brilliant opening line that sucks the reader in with the promise of a wonderful story, but I must admit I felt cheated by the ensuing tale with its complicated flashbacks and timeline. I still can't remember if I've read it before, but I won't be reading it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for sending me an ARC of "Then she was gone" by Lisa Jewell.
This book is written with a slightly different perspective than the usual psychological thriller template. You know from quite early on where the plot is heading. However this doesn't make the book any less of a page turner, as with each page turn, the story unravels slowly along with the intreague of the whys and hows.. There were a couple of instances where the story went into some chilling detail which really drew the reader into the sombreness of the situation.
I particularly liked the epilogue, a brilliant finishing touch.

The narrative goes back and forth between the present day and the past, and is told from the perspective of four different characters, at different times throughout the book, although mainly from the pov of Laurel and Ellie. As a reader it's not at all difficult to keep on track, the perspectives don't keep changing continually, but rather gently weave in and out.

Other than that, Then She Was Gone, is an enjoyable suspenseful read, filled with characters with shady secrets and questionable pasts. There are many emotional parts with plenty of moving moments. The book has some twists and turns, but I think I may have read so many books of this genre, that I was able to see where the story was going. However, I shouldn't let this detract from the fact this is a well written book, it certainly didn't drag, each time i picked my kindle up I was looking forward to reading it. It just wasn't "omg that was original" or "well I never saw that coming".

I don't mean to put a downer on the book, I do think it's well worth a read, even if you have read a lot of this genre of late.

Excellent well written read. I was drawn in immediately and couldn't put it down. Lisa Jewell is definitely a go to author. Very consistent work.

Wow this was good. Twists and turns, but all very readable and exciting. Highly recommended

Wow, what can I say about Then She Was Gone that will give the book and the fabulous Lisa Jewell some justice. The short answer is I can't. There's so much I want to say about this book but I can't in fear of spoiling it for somebody.

It was disturbing, bizarre and truly shocking that made me love every second of every page. I've been a huge fan of Lisa's writing since I first read Ralph's Party several years ago but this was my first read of a psychological thriller she has written. I am so glad she has ventured into this genre as she is brilliant at writing a thriller.

Ellie Mack is a fifteen year old who has a bright future, she's about to study for her GCSE exams but she struggles with Maths. Her mum, Laurel hires a Maths tutor, Noelle who helps Ellie to study. However Noelle starts to become a bit weird and Ellie doesn't want her to come around anymore. A few weeks later Ellie disappears.

Laurel Mack struggles with Ellie's disappearance and distances away from her other children and her husband. She later meets Floyd in a coffee shop. She has so many questions - where is Ellie? What happened to her?

I loved the characters in the book - Laurel was just fabulous and I adored Ellie. At times I guessed where the book was going and then Lisa threw a spanner in the works and completely twisted it on its head. I loved all the twists and turns throughout and I was so sad when the book came to an end.

I highly recommend this book - you'll go on an emotional journey but my word it is worth it. The ending was perfect - I feared it would disappoint like some endings but not at all. It's well worth a read!

Then She Was Gone is a masterful blend of chilling human cruelty, suspense, tenderness, sadness and even hope. It's fresh, in that it isn't gory or violent, but gripping in a shockingly horrible way yet still shows signs of redemption too. Completely unexpected. I was touched by the ending and cried. Ok, that may sound pretty random but I've just finished the book and feel very close to it, so let's start from the beginning...

Then She Was Gone follows two tracks; current day happenings in the life of Laurel, mother to Ellie who disappeared without a trace 10 years ago, and the events that unfolded 10 years ago that brought us to Ellie's vanishing act. The dynamic between the characters is presented in a wholly authentic way and makes the reader really appreciate the family structure and the struggles they face. All characters are thoroughly likeable (ah, excluding the baddie, that is!) but earnest Laurel is my favorite. She's a lovely lady who carries more pain than any one person should bear having never really recovered from her daughter's disappearance. Laurel's life changes when she meets Floyd. She comes back to life but soon realizes things may not be as they seem and starts to question what happened 10 years ago and what that means in current day for her and her family.

I really don't want to say anything more as the story, and how it unfolds, needs no spoiling from me. It is a roller coaster ride of suspicion and intrigue that will lead you to guess at the whos, hows, whys and whats behind it all. It's great stuff and I eagerly look forward to more books from this writer.

Thank goodness I can always rely on Lisa Jewell. I have been in a reading slump, not really enjoying anything I am reading for a while. Knew I could pick up Lisa's latest and get straight into it and I was right. Fantastic read that gripped me from the first page and did not stop until I had devoured the whole thing. I have always loved this author and she never disappoints. Every book is better than the last!

This is the first Lisa Jewell book I have read – and it was rather good.

Laurel's 15 year old daughter Ellie had disappeared between her home and the library some 10 years earlier. Laurel's perfect life was never the same after that. She never believed that Ellie had simply run away just before her exams. Ellie was a good student, seemed happy.

She now lived alone, her grown up children living their own lives, her husband had moved out and was now living with a new partner. Ellie's disappearance had a devastating effect on the whole family and Laurel's relationships with her husband and remaining children.

However one day a man enters a cafe where Laurel is having lunch. They exchange a few words and eventually Laurel goes on a date with Floyd. He's polite, clever and charming and Laurel finds herself swept off her feet by him. He seems just perfect and Laurel is starting to enjoy life again. However when she eventually meets his young, rather precocious and unusual daughter Poppy she is struck by how much Poppy resembles Ellie at that age and she starts to question her daughter's disappearance again.

But is the charming Floyd just too perfect. Is he hiding something? Laurel's son's girlfriend thinks he is. She says she gets bad vibes from him and that there is something dark and hidden. But Laurel doesn't really approve of Jake's girlfriend.

The story is told by several characters, including Ellie at the time she disappeared, and the person who was involved in that disappearance (who is revealed quite early on in the book).

It's a pretty good psychological thriller/ family drama. It got quite 'dark' in parts and there are some very good twists. Although it jumps from past to present and between characters, it is well written and isn't difficult to follow. The characters are good although you might not like all of them.

I really enjoyed it and got very engrossed. I found it hard to put down.

I've read all of Lisa Jewell's books and have enjoyed them all. This one did not disappoint. There were so many twists and turns throughout this book and I really enjoyed how the story grew and developed. I didn't want to put it down until I got to the end.

A page-turning read and I couldn't put it down. Through enjoyed this book and would highly recommend this author.