"Then She Was Gone," is a big departure from Lisa Jewell's earlier chick lit books and sits more comfortably in the psychological thriller genre.

Ellie disappeared as a school girl and 10 years after her disappearance her mother Laurel hasn't given up hope of finding out just what happened. The mystery surrounding Ellie's sudden departure is rapidly revealed in this page turner through past and present narratives to see the perspectives of both Ellie and her mother. Although there is no big twist due to how the story unfolds, it is still an enjoyable read.

If you've read any of Lisa Jewells books before and loved them well here she goes again. Fantastic plot, charachters you can completely empathise with and a lot of gut wrenching twists and turns.
Ellie disappeared when she was just 15 years old, just like that, gone. Her parents struggle to come to terms with the loss of their daughter.
Flash forward in time ten years. Laurel plods along day to day still hanging under the cloud of her daughters dissapearace. Them one day she meets a handsome mam that sweeps her off her feet. She finds herself going to net his daughter Poppy who she immediately realises bears more than a passing resemblance to her missing girl Ellie.
Once more she is thrown into turmoil as she tries to discover what happened to ellie5 all those years ago.
This book kept me in the edge of my seat the whole way through and on more than one occasion I found myself willing Lisa Jewell to give Laurel a break. But then it wouldn't be half as good!!!
Fantastic book by the ever fantastic Lisa Jewell

This was my first book by Lisa Jewell but certainly won't be my last. I really enjoyed this book and it kept my attention all the way through.

As a huge fan of Lisa Jewell's previous novels, I couldn't wait to get my hands on her latest book, Then She Was Gone! I was eager to find out whether the authors new book ended up being as fantastic as her previous work. Only time would tell!

Ellie disappeared. Vanished into thin air. Where did she go? Nobody knows. Her mother, Laurel, forever in a state of devastation. Can Laurel's marriage survive such heartache?

Ten years after Ellie's disappearance, Laurel is still none the wiser as to where her daughter disappeared to. No longer married to Ellie's dad, Laurel finds herself trying to repair the relationships with her two remaining children; whilst also having the past come back to haunt her thanks to a random man entering her life.

I've been mulling over this book for a long time now, trying to make sense of what I read and how I absorbed it. At first, my gut instinct of 'Then She Was Gone' was 'what the hell?'. I struggled with it. However, after putting the book down for several hours, I picked it back up again with more of an open mind. I guess part of me was expecting Lisa Jewell's novel to follow in the same vein as her previous work, so when this book ended up taking a different route, it came out of nowhere and took me aback.

Having a several hour break from the novel was the best move I made because I became more focused on the actual storyline, instead of everything else. Don't get me wrong, I still found parts of the storyline a bit confusing and not as straightforward as I would have hoped but, regardless of that, I still found myself oddly addicted to the book, refusing to put it down to do adult things. I was engrossed in Laurel's situation, as well as the ulterior motive of the man who suddenly came into her life ticking all the 'right' boxes. Throughout the storyline I knew I was missing a vital piece of information, I just couldn't put my finger on what it was, which began to bug me haha. I kept shouting at the book 'WHAT DOES FLOYD KNOW?' 'WHY IS HE THERE?' 'WHY NOW?!'. I just had to know!

Personally, I didn't think that 'Then She Was Gone' was one of Lisa Jewell's better novels, however, I love how the author is trying her hand at more of a darker type storyline. I was addicted to the storyline for sure. I was addicted to reading about the characters. I was addicted to finding that missing jigsaw piece to make the storyline complete. There was just something about Lisa Jewell's novel that grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. Granted I didn't manage to follow the entire storyline due to a lot of confusion, but that didn't seem to stop my mind from wanting to complete the novel. I have to say, I found the tying of loose ends to be exactly that; loose, and I finished the novel with a lot of questions.

Overall, I was genuinely hooked on this book with its dark and deceitful tendencies, as well as its rather questionable characters and twisted components. Lisa Jewell is an excellent author who certainly knows her craft, and she definitely manages to showcase her talent in 'Then She Was Gone'.

Roll on the next book!!

I have alwas loved Lisa Jewell' books and have read all of them. This was another brilliantly written book - I could not stop reading and raced through it.
I could imagine this as a film too ass it was so descriptive and engaging. Many thanks I loved it!!,

A fabulous book. Don't be deceived - you will ot be able to put this book down until the very end. I really enjoyed this book - Original concept.

A really good book from Lisa Jewell. I've read a few of this authors books over the years, and this one seems to be a little darker from some of the others that I have read of hers.

The story line of this book has me gripped throughout, and although I found a little lull midway through, by the end I simply could not put it down.

The story was gripping and had me on the edge of my seat more and more as more details were uncovered and revelations were made. Full of emotions, twists, turns and supposes, this book had it all.

Written from Laurel's PoV and also from Ellie's, we do get snippets from other characters involved in this storyline which added another dimension and worked really well.

A brilliant psychological thriller which just proves the authors ability to cover different genres.

A great read!

4 Solid Stars

This was my first book by Lisa Jewell.
The story of a child suddenly gone missing is always eye catching and such books are on trend too. 
Ellie on the way to library disappears and is not found for 10 years till some traces are found. Her mother Laurel does not give up searching for her ever. Ultimately due to evidence found, she finds some sort of closure regarding her lost daughter. She soon meets a man whose daughter Poppy looks just like her daughter Ellie. What's the connection between the two? Who is Poppy?  Where is Ellie? 
This is the gist of the story. And the author Lisa Jewellery has revolved all the characters around this plot. The book, at the beginning itself, tells us the mystery behind Ellie's disappearance. So there is no further intrigue, just the dots getting connected together. 
The book on the whole is written well with its usual suspects and story line. Laurel and Ellie have undergone great trials and tribulations during this phase till both achieve some kind of freedom and their story is well depicted by Lisa Jewell. 
There are various characters who are an eclectic colorful group who make up the main character's family but the author has not gone in depth into their stories. This book revolves around 5 characters the mom Laurel, her daughter Ellie, the kidnapper, the new man Floyd, his daughter Poppy. The entire story is a fast read with a good pace - 

Spoiler alert
The main reason I am angry
I am amazed that a well known writer along her team of editors and publisher could not see this fact. In fact in the acknowledgement, this lopsided solution of immaculate conception has been called a bizarre radical solution to the plot, making a mockery of the medical procedure and doctors and nurses who work hard for the couple who are trying for a kid.

A good psychological thriller living up to the standard of other Lisa Jewell books. Some aspects were perhaps a little predictable but the plot was woven well and kept my interest.

Laurel's daughter Ellie went missing 10 years ago. It left the family broken, leaving a strained relationship between Laurel and her remaining daughter. When Laurel meets the charismatic Floyd, she is shocked to discover his 10 year old daughter is the image of Ellie. So begins the unraveling of the mystery of Ellie's disappearance. Wow, I loved this! A tense, well plotted psychological thriller; I couldn't put it down. Told from multiple perspectives, I had no trouble distinguishing between the different voices and I raced through the pages. Yes, you can see the big reveal a mile off, but I enjoyed the journey and unfolding of the mystery. This is Lisa Jewell's best book. Fab.

This book was incredible. Dark, twisty and sometimes horrifying, but incredible. I loved reading it and flew through it in a single day. My heart was thumping in my chest throughout and I'd absolutely recommend it to everyone – the fact that it's so believable makes it all the more shocking.

Whilst a traumatic subject, it is sensitively handled. Initially I thought it would be a difficult ead due to the subject matter, but I eventually got into it and whilst some of the outcome could be guessed, the detail and the how made me want to read it all. The style can be a little reminiscent of a screenplay, lots of information in diary/jornal form from many characters, but untimately a very enjoyable read.

Solid psychological thriller with intriguing characters. I had to suspend a fare amount of disbelief but nevertheless I enjoyed it.

Actual rating 3.5 stars.
This was an interesting story, told from multiple view points. I really enjoyed how the author portrayed family relationships and dynamics, but the phycological thriller side didn't really work for me - I found it more of a dark domestic drama than a tense thriller. There's nothing wrong with the domestic drama genre, of course, but it just wasn't what I was lead to expect from the blurb. I haven't read any other Lisa Jewell's books before but will certainly try another one.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Then She Was Gone was another fab book by Lisa.
I could not put it down, great holiday book that will hook you in until several hours have passed, you will just want to keep on reading.
Lots of twists and turns and although I guessed one of them it did not spoil the rest of the story and I was still hooked.
Laurels 15 year old daughter Ellie disappeared 10 years ago, her marriage then breaks down and Laurel meets Floyd, she is then introduced to his 10 year old daughter Poppy who is the image of Ellie........
Have a read you will not be disappointed.

I received a copy of this in return for my independent honest review.
At first I thought "oh no, not another psychological thriller where a child goes missing" However shortly after I started reading this,Lisa Jewell's excellent writing style and experience of providing suspence thrillers at their best kicked in.
Fifteen year old Ellie goes missing whilst visiting the local library to study for her exams, and never arrives home. Every patents nightmare! Her mother has never got over her loss and it has affected her relationship with others ever since, even with her other children.
There are several time narratives provided by Ellie,her mum and two other characters. This gives us a better understanding of the back story and its likely impact.
It is a slower paced family drama than some psychological thrillers, however this does allow you to become emotionally involved whilst drawing you into the bizarre plot lines.
It is a very emotional read with the usual twists and turns to keep the suspence flowing. Highly recommended

I loved this dark, creepy, latest novel from one of my favourite authors. I was hooked from the first page right through to the last.

What I love about Lisa Jewell’s books is the way she writes and develops such believable characters and scenarios. I feel that I could be reading about my neighbours, ordinary people that I past on the street everyday who I know nothing about. Her world building is so strong that I can see everything so clearly in my mind’s eye as I get slowly absorbed into her books.

Then She Was Gone, was slightly different in that I got into this book so fast that I was quite surprised by the speed of the plot. I enjoyed the telling of the story from the different characters, and the flitting between the past and present definitely added to the tension throughout. The mystery of what happened to Ellie is slowly but surely revealed with a such a force that I felt emotionally overwhelmed by the last page.

It’s a book that will definitely stay with me for sometime and I will be reading again in the future.

If you like a creepy, dark read that’ll you make your flesh creep, then this is a book for you.

I received an Arc through NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone but actually read my own copy that I’d pre-ordered from Waterstones.

Firstly, a truly despicable antagonist you'll loathe with your whole being; then a naive man trying to do what he sees as the best in the situation he finds himself in (although his character is likable and much more complex than just that), and also a family you truly care about and mourn for, for ’what could have been…’

Ellie Mack a very normal and talented 15 year old about to take her GCSEs for which she has totally prepared, suddenly vanishes. She’s a highly intelligent individual with a promising future and a lovely boyfriend. All this stops one day while on the way to the library for more revision.

Sheer horror is revealed later and you mourn for the lives split apart and for Ellie’s situation. I veered between suspicions for various characters, I was not sure who was ultimately the most evil until the author chose to tell me. I was suspicious of relationships, had a feeling of paranoia - Are there coincidences, or is there something more sinister going on with the main characters? Some of those characters are decidedly ‘odd’, with reactions that don’t seem ‘normal’.

This is a very unusual thriller. You get into the mind of the antagonist (and you’d really rather not be there!) I was gripped, I could not stop reading even though it made me incredibly sad. I wanted to cry and couldn’t see how this could get any happier – at one point I also most gave up. But I couldn’t – it’s compulsive. And very, very sad. And the end section.... I don't even know how to put how that made me feel, into words - this stays with you - I re-read it 3 times.

Ellie Mack went missing ten years ago just before her GCSE exams. The majority thought she had run away due to exam stress but her family never believed that. Now a body has been found. Shortly after her funeral her mother, Laurel, meets Floyd and starts a relationship with him. Floyd has a ten year old daughter, Poppy, and Laurel can't help but notice that she looks remarkably like Ellie. The story is told from the point of view of Ellie, Laurel and two other characters. Unfortunately I had worked out what had happened after reading a third of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House and Lisa Jewell for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ellie was a happy bright teenager, a golden girl, expecting to get all A's in her GCSEs, happy with a lovely boyfriend and the apple of her mother's eye.....until one day aged 15 she just disappeared without trace.

Ten years on Laurel has never come to terms with the loss of her daughter - she has split up with her husband Paul as she had nothing to give to him and has not had the best relationship with her two remaining children - but then sitting in a café minding her own business she meets Floyd.

Suddenly life seems worth living again, especially when she gets to meet his nine year old daughter Poppy and she is the spitting image of Ellie....can this really be coincidence!

As the story unfolds between then and now we gradually hear the full story of what happened to Ellie and it is quite spine chilling in places but the book is one that you cannot put down, and will Laurel ever find peace and more importantly make peace with the family that she has left behind - another great book by Lisa Jewell