⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I thoroughly enjoyed this book and although I had worked out early on what had happened it didn't detract from my experience. I particularly liked the use of different voices and timelines. Lisa Jewell is a very talented author and I'm already looking forward to her next book.

Lisa Jewell has a way of pulling you in at the most unexpected moments and then leaving you dangling. Sometimes it annoys you. Not because you think it is wrong...but because you are desperate to find out why and how.
Then she pulls you in a bit further.
Excellent

Very disappointed not to be able to review but it has been archived before I could download it

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

One morning in 2005 Laurel’s favourite, golden, 15 year old daughter, Ellie, sets off for the library and fails to come home. When her bedroom has been expertly rifled through by the police, it seems that Ellie has taken nothing with her - not even a toothbrush. All police investigations lead to nowhere and after two years they downgrade the search, indicating that they believe her to be a runaway.

When a thunderbolt of this magnitude strikes a family, many a relationship will come unstuck and the fallout for Laurel and her husband, Jake, result in their splitting up. In Laurel’s quest to find Ellie, her tunnel vision simply means that she can spare no energy for her existing family - they just don't figure in her life anymore.

Ten years go by and her other daughter and son have moved away from home and Jake has settled down with a new partner. When Laurel is least expecting it, an attractive and distinguished looking man walks into her life and pretty soon they're falling for each other.

When Floyd takes her back to his house and introduces her to his 9 year old daughter, Poppy, Laurel is totally unglued because she looks virtually identical to Ellie when she was that age. The more she gets to know Floyd and Poppy and their past history, the more she realises that their families are coincidentally linked. But there are more questions than answers, as Laurel shows her singleminded determination to discover Ellie’s fate.

This psychological thriller is told from 3 characters’ perspectives, but it is mainly Laurel’s narrative. Laurel had certain traits that didn't endear me to her, Poppy seemed like she'd been brought up by The Stepford Wives and there were a couple of characters who I distrusted from the beginning, so I second guessed quite a lot of the plot.

It wasn't an enjoyable read for me due to the dark subject matter - that a child/teenager has disappeared, possibly abducted, is so hard to contemplate and unfortunately as a parent it is only too easy to identify with the agonies that the parents have to go through. From very early on a sinister element is introduced and there is an uncomfortable tension on Ellie's behalf, which doesn't offer any light relief. I would have preferred more suspense and less darkness, but maybe this one just got underneath my skin. I feel that the main reveal was made too early and could have been better placed near the end with some re-jigging. After that I read on perfunctorily as the suspense for me had been somewhat lost, but to be fair the plot did introduce a twist at the end that meant I wasn't entirely correct in my prediction.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Lisa Jewell for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A wonderful book., so complex and yet so addictive. Lisa Jewell writes a truely disturbing psychological story full of secrets, twists and turns. The story centralises about the missing girl Ellie and her family, but interspersed with Ellie telling her story about what is happening to her. This is such an emotive story that it brought tears to my eyes. Well written, loved all the characters but especially Laurel, Ellie's Mum, who is the main stay of the story. There were a couple of parts that I really wondered if they were feasible but consider that I am not sure of what level modern day medical science has managed to reach. A book that I would highly recommend to my friends and anyone else who likes this genre

Decent summer reading. An enjoyable domestic thriller.

This is a face-value story and also a much darker web running underneath. It is really clever to write of the nice family which is torn apart when the younger daughter disappears. As one often discovers her parents subsequently divorce and one is glad for the mother when she finds a new love.
Underneath this is a glimpse of hte selfish, shallow woman she is and how unthinking she was during the disapearace and before.
Noelle is a repulsive/pitiful figure. Comments from her parents expose why.. Her awful actions are almost to be expected, but it is the nice people who are really shocking.
As usual with Lisa Jewel the details are so well written that we can see exactly the family's life and also that of the less-fortunate Noelle.

I found the means of denoument a little awkward, but doesn't detract from the power of the book.
I am still ruminating on the clever details such as as the choice of cordial offered. So tiny an aspect but so much of hte story depends upon seeing exactly how each character lives and thinks, so the quality of beverage illustrates the setting of the "Pleasant Mother" so well.

The loss of a child is something that no parent ever recovers from. Laurel Mack knows this only too well after the disappearance of her 15 year old daughter, Ellie, 10 years ago.
When Ellie went on a trip to her local library do to some revision for her GCSE’s all those years ago she was never seen or heard from again.
Ellie’s disappearance affected the whole of the Mack family, causing the breakdown of her parents’ marriage and completely changing the dynamics of the relationship between Laurel and her two other children.
Laurel goes on to live a solitary life, with Ellie’s disappearance always at the forefront of her mind. But then she has a chance meeting with a mysterious man called Floyd. The pair gradually get to know one another and before she knows it Laurel finds herself falling for Floyd’s apparent charms.
However things take a slightly more sinister turn when Laurel is introduced to Floyd’s daughter, Poppy. Despite her unusual way of dressing and her sophisticated vocabulary for a ten year old there’s something else that unsettles Laurel…the fact that Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie. Is this purely a coincidence or is there more to Floyd and his daughter than meets the eye?




I’ve always been a fan of Lisa Jewell. Her books have always been a go-to for me because they ticked so many boxes; they were chick-lit but with real depth and they always had a compelling story at their heart. However, her novels have slowly been travelling in a different direction over the past year or two, taking on a slightly darker undertone.
With Then She Was Gone Lisa has finally fully smashed into the psychological thriller genre and BOY OH BOY has she into smashed it.
This novel left me breathless, uneasy and in a red-mist of desperation to find out exactly what was going to happen.
I love all of Lisa’s books, new and old, but the way she had made the transition into writing thrillers has been seamless and she has lost none of her brilliance along the way. I’m a massive fan of psychological thrillers, but I’ll be the first to admit that since the days of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, the genre is pretty much everywhere. There are just SO many amazing-sounding thrillers out there at the moment, but the question is – are they any good? In the case of Then She Was Gone…Yes. YES, YES, YES, YES! A bazillion yeses, in fact. If you only read one thriller this summer then make sure it's this one.

I’ve already edited this review multiple times because I realised that I was giving away MASSIVE spoilers (I can’t help it! I just want to talk about this book so badly.)
The novel is told from four different viewpoints, obviously we get to hear from Laurel and Ellie, but I won’t reveal too much about the other narrators in fear of giving something away. Needless to say the format in which the story is written is really effective and helps the reader to gradually piece together the puzzle and reach their own conclusion as to what happened.
The way in which the story comes together is really clever, switching from past to present day as the narrator changes. There were points when I thought I could sense what was going to happen, but the story nearly always took on another unexpected twist and I questioned all that I thought I knew. I have read thrillers in the past where the ever-changing tense gets confusing and tricky to keep up with, but I had no such problems with Then She Was Gone. The story flows incredibly well and is cleverly written so as not to give too much away. Lisa Jewell has an amazing talent for building up suspense and she did a fantastic job of keeping me on my toes.




Lisa is also very clever with the creation of her characters and they all felt very real to me. Noelle was one who absolutely fascinated me and I was intrigued to find out more about her. She scared me and I was never quite sure what to make of her. Through the finer details Lisa uses to describe her I had built up a pretty accurate picture of her in my mind (I think it was the grease that did it…Ick) I also had a clear image of Ellie in my mind. I grew to like her immediately and the events that followed shocked and upset me much more than I was expecting, which is credit to Lisa’s wonderful storytelling.




All I can day is that I DESPERATELY hope that Lisa writes more novels in this genre because she has pulled off the move into psychological thrillers so well. The thing I loved most about this novel is how it is not written purely to shock, unsettle and intrigue (although it does all of those things.) It’s also a novel with family at its heart; whether that is exploring the dynamics of a broken family or examining the secrets that families can hold. It’s a story full of emotion, depth and is frighteningly gripping.

The blurb for ‘Then She Was Gone’ by Lisa Jewel definitely grabbed my attention and always willing to try authors I haven’t read before i was quite intrigued to find out what this book had in store. I am thrilled to say I wasn't disappointed at all, this book was more than I expected.

This book provided twists and turns as we get to know Laurel a mother who struggles to cope with the disappearance of her teenage daughter Ellie. Told mostly from Laurel’s point of view we get to see the drastic affects that Ellie’s disappearance has on her family and what happens through the years.

Going back and forward from the time Ellie vanished to ten years in the future the book flows well. Although there were a few bits you might be able to guess along the way there is enough going on to keep you gripped and guessing to the end. This was a great introduction for me to the work of Lisa Jewel, I will be looking out for more.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having read previous books by Lisa Jewell I had high expectations for this book. And I wasn't disappointed. I found this a riveting read - really great storytelling. It was my perfect holiday read.

Fabulous read - heart warming despite the content and all down to the way the author has painted the main character's in the book, even the ones you don't expect to empathise with..

An interesting story, enjoyed the relationships between the characters, lots of twists and turns leading to a nice ending that wrapped up the story

What a gripping read, had me on the edge of my seat for most of the book. Such a great read which I will recommend to everyone. So well written I can totally empathise with Laurel you feel her grief at the start and you totally become invested in the outcome.

I thought this was a great thriller. The plot was cleverly thought out and the writing very believable. Ellie, age 15, went missing 10 years ago, in London. Recently some of her remains were found and her parents Laurel and Paul finally have some closure. They are now divorced and Laurel leads a quiet, single life. One day she meets Floyd and they begin a relationship. Laurel meets Floyd's ten year old daughter Poppy and she immediately thinks how much the child looks like Ellie. But then Laurel thinks this a lot. When Laurel finds out that Poppy's mother is Noelle, who was Ellie's maths tutor, she begins to have her suspicions that Floyd knows more about Ellie's disappearance than he is letting on! Read on!

Devastatingly sad, utterly brilliant.

Its your worse nightmare losing a child. Not knowing what has happen to them, not having the closure you need to move on. And that is how Lauren feels when her daughter goes missing. 10 years later she finally finds out Ellie's fate, but in the meantime her world is not the same as it was before. Relationships in her family are fraught, things can never be the same ...

Then Lauren meets lonely single parent – Floyd, and the story of how Ellie disappeared is about to unfold before her eyes. Truths will finally be told, twists will be round the corner and love will conquer.

I absolutely adored Lisa’s new novel, it was different to her others, but still wonderful and totally gripping. I couldn’t put it down until I knew all the truths. I cried, I smiled, my gut twisted and knotted and I felt so sorry for what this family endured. But never the less the story was wonderfully written, poignant and special. I highly recommend this. 5 out of 5.

I had not read any bills by Lisa Jewelprior to this but will go ontotry another. I did think it was still inchick lit format to begin with but did evolve into a more suspenseful format. It had its twists and turns along the way so I am leased I carried on with it. A smouldering start that develops momentum to a late crescendo. A touch of Stockholm syndrome with all the ends neatly tied up .review will be onGoodreads

Reading this book made me appreciate my family a lot more. I can’t imagine having a family member disappearing and living in oblivion for ten years. How does one do that? And the finding out what really has happened. It is not fathomable that a human being can do such a thing to a girl and live with it. Thrilling and impossible to put down, this was a great book and I highly recommend it. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK!

This is a wonderful book written beautifully.
Lisa Jewell keeps you on tenderhooks right to the end which means you can't put book down
Laurel Mack the mum in the book reacts exactly how many of us mums would when her daughter goes missing, but the author entagles everyone in the story it is any mums worst nightmare

In the days I participated in more blog link-ups with US/European book bloggers and reviewers I often heard about books by Lisa Jewell - who I assumed was American, but discovered is English! Her most recent books in particular, sounded to be exactly the sort of books I enjoyed - romantic suspense. 

For reasons unknown Jewell's latest book is my first and I'm glad I finally got around to reading something by the popular author. 

I enjoyed this book and read it in a night, but do think it was pretty obvious what happened to Ellie from the beginning and why Poppy looks so much Ellie.

I'd be surprised if readers DIDN'T guess what happened / how it came to be. I note Jewell's author's note about the book being a bit twisted and her editors having to talk her down from the ledge a little. I have to admit I would have liked a bit more of a twist, as I felt as I was kinda waiting to get what I knew confirmed and then move on to the intricacies of the fall-out and exactly who knew what.

Because I think that is this book's strength - we spend much of the book wondering: what Floyd knew; and / or what Floyd did. And - of course - what will happen now?

I did wonder, as I said, if there was going to be some extra twist and I guess there was in a way as the conclusion pans out (ultimately) in a pretty unexpected way, which I found exceedingly sad but didn't take away from my enjoyment.

I adored Poppy though I'm not sure I'd cope with a real life version of the somewhat precocious 9yr old. Laurel sums her up. 

"Poppy is clearly a strange child, who is both charmingly naive and unsettlingly self-possessed. She is cleverer than she has any need to be, but also not as clever as she thinks." 29% through novel

Laurel however was hard to warm up to.

"Laurel has always been a glass-half empty type of person. She could find much to complain about in even the most pleasant of scenarios and could condense the joy of good news into a short-lived moment, quickly curtailed by some new bothersome concern." 3% through novel

She also felt like the mother-from-hell. She seemed like a nice person but the comments she made about her kids (and we know she meant them because we're in her head) are a bit horrendous - admitting (to us) her regret that it wasn't her older daughter who disappeared. Hanna.... who describes as her 'difficult' child and her 'tiring' one. And someone she wouldn't want to be stuck on a desert island with. And in the present she thinks of Hanna's life as 'miserable' and mentions that neither Hanna nor her brother have 'set the world alight'.

I do realise, however, that she's anointed Ellie as the golden child and if she'd not disappeared then her glimmer might have dulled a little for her mother.

There were some obvious questions of logic in terms of the plot itself... when Laurel became suspicious, why didn't she go to the police, do some sneaky DNA tests? For example.

My only other grumble was a change in points of view towards the end when we switch to first person in the present (to a new character)... which was a teensy bit confusing initially.

I guess I would have liked for Ellie's fate not to have been quite as obvious but gather Jewell wrote it in a way that we were meant to know what happened and wonder: if Floyd and Poppy's appearance in Laurel's life is just coincidence, or something more sinister; which makes this an intriguing read.

I should also mention there's a sadness or wistfulness about Ellie's story. I mean, that's a no-brainer, but even Ellie talks about the 'kinks' in the timeline and moments at which - if she, or others had done something differently - her fate might have changed.

Wow, this book really packed an emotional punch. Some of it was quite hard to read, especially the basement scenes and Ellie's story. I've been a fan of Lisa Jewell for some time, and this book was another triumph from her. I felt that it was more hard hitting that her previous works, in a good way though. The pain experienced by the family really came off the page and made for feel it for them. The characters were in depth and relatable. I really enjoyed this book, and even though I completed it yesterday, today it is still with me. A great work.