Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Ellie is a young girl who goes missing without a trace. She had it all: a loving family, a caring boyfriend, and great grades. Ellie was the golden girl, until she disappeared. Days turn into weeks that turn into years. There is still no sign of beautiful Ellie. Ten years pass, everyone has moved on, but her mother still seeks answers. It is the not knowing what happened to her child that has kept her begging for answers.

I devoured this book in 2 days. I just had to know what happened to Ellie, and if Laurel would ever find out. This book was beautifully written. I loved how everything was concluded.

I was really surprised by this book. I had formed my conclusions early on as the read is easy to follow and fairly predictable. I was wrong. Jewell weaves her story through past and present, grief and hope wrapped up in suspense. I could not put this book down.

We follow the journey of Laurel, mother of a golden child gone missing, Ellie. 10 years following her disappearance, we follow Laurel as she is informed of her child's whereabouts, a shallow grave on the side of the road.

Now this story unfolds in an interesting way. We move through memories of the past whilst the present moves forward for Laurel and her family. There's mystery, coincidences, and healing. A twist and a confession.

Again, it took me by surprise.

I've just finished this and my heart hurts. Ugh. I guessed it all from the beginning, and yet, I was so invested as if hoping to have been proved wrong. But honestly, this was just so fucking sad and my emotions are everywhere right now.

A quick-paced read that wouldn't let go and left me utterly devastated.

Trigger warning for rape and thoughts of suicide.

UPDATE:
I guess because I already knew what was going to happen, this one read to me much like women's fiction. And I guess because of this, I felt more emotion. Laurel really places herself in a state of self-doubt, she looks back at her family and what went wrong, and assesses her life after the death of her daughter. We get to see her start new relationships and try to fix older ones.

We also get to see Laurel's hopefulness and complete devastation upon learning new information as she goes. So because we get so much of a mother's POV, by the end, I was a MESS. Actually, that's an understatement.

I loved, loved, loved this story so much. Its pace, its writing, its choosing of character POVs, EVERYTHING was just on the spot and I couldn't recommend this one enough!

After Ellie Mack disappeared, the police concluded she was a runaway. For ten years, her mother Laurel has lived a life of anguish, going through the motions but not really moving on. She finally gets to a point of peace in her life and then meets Floyd, who seems to be the perfect boyfriend. But is there more to Floyd than meets the eye?

Ms. Jewell pulled me in from the first page and didn't let go until I'd finished. So many questions. What really happened to Ellie? Is Floyd as perfect as he seems? What's the deal with his daughter Poppy, and her mother's disappearance from their lives? 

Honestly I don't want to say much here because - SPOILERS! What I liked about this one is that while Ellie's disappearance is central to the plot, the story itself isn't really about Ellie's disappearance and the logistics of searching for her afterwards. It's about Laurel and her journey to finally find peace 10 years after her daughter disappeared. And I think in the end (no spoilers!) it's about realizing what's in front of you - what you still have, what you didn't lose. You can find beauty after a tragedy.

This book is a great summer read - definitely add this to your pool bag.

Then She Was Gone was an entertaining read. Kept me interested and curious, even when I figured certain pieces out, I still needed to find out HOW it had happened. The final reveal was a bit lengthy, but it served to answer all the final questions. I'd recommend this book for suspense readers for sure.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I’ve read a couple of Lisa Jewell’s books over the years- The Third Wife and The Girls in the Garden. But Then She Was Gone is probably the creepiest. When one character was mentioned, I could just feel my skin crawling, my distrust was so high.

So while I really did like this book- this book was also at times like when you are watching a scary movie and you are yelling at the main character- “Don’t go in there! It’s a trap!” In my Goodreads review, I called some of the characters CRAZY TOWN. I still stand by that statement 🙂 I think you will too once you’ve read it!



What I liked:

The cover. It caught my eye immediately.

The ending. I felt like Lisa wrapped up everything- not too neatly and perfectly- just right.

The mystery. Even though it made my skin crawl at times and want to walk through the house to check to make sure the doors were locked 500 times, I was gripped. And I had to know more.



Bottom line: This book is not scary in the sense that there is a monster or a serial killer waiting to get you- it’s scary feeling (to me anyway) comes from knowing that there are people this unhinged (but hiding it seemingly well) just walking around, interacting with you on a daily basis.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*



**Then She Was Gone was an April #FuturisticFriday selection from Traveling With T.**

Ten years ago, Ellie Mack went missing. The police think she is just another teenage runaway, but her mother, Laurel, doesn't believe that for a second. Ellie's disappearance destroyed the family and now that her remains have been found, Laurel will finally have some closure. When she meets Floyd, it's like she's getting a second chance at life. But when she meets his daughter, Poppy, life comes to an alarming halt. Poppy looks so much like Ellie, but why? Of course people look like other people all the time, but there is just something about this child that keeps Ellie at the forefront. When Laurel discovers a connection between Floyd and her family, she embarks on a journey to find out exactly what happened to her daughter and who did it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

After the first few chapters of this book, I figured out a few things about this story that I think most readers will discover as well. But the thing that made this book so hard to put down was how it was all going to come together, it's an incredible journey.

Losing a child is the most painful experience. When Laurel loses Ellis, her whole world is turned upside down and she can no longer function as she once did. She stops cooking for her family, her relationships become strained and eventually she and her husband divorce. Once they find the body of her daughter, the pain becomes a little less since she now has some closure. But why does this young girl look so much like her dead daughter. Did Floyd have something to do with Ellie's disappearance and death? Her family doesn't get a good vibe from this man, but Laurel feels as if she needs to stay with him until the whole truth is revealed.

I really enjoyed this story and I think that everyone who reads it will enjoy it. Very hard to put down.

I have read a few Lisa Jewell novels over the years though THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN always remained my favorite; and though it is still my favorite, THEN SHE WAS GONE is a very close contender.

Ellie Mack, golden child goes missing before taking her final exams with her whole life ahead of her. Her mother Laurel cannot move on from her daughter's disappearance alienating herself from the rest of her family. Laurel ends up divorced from Ellie's father and alienated from her other children.

It appears Laurel is just going through the motions of living until she meets Floyd in a local cafe. Floyd is charming, he sweeps Laurel off her feet. Everything about Floyd feels familiar especially his daughter Poppy who take's Laurel's breath away because of her resemblance to Ellie.

This book was a page turner; even though I had my theories, many of which were correct I was still very anxious to find out how everyone was connected and what did happen to Ellie Mack.

This is a dark book with dark characters, it is at times creepy and often bizarre, yet I recommend it to anyone looking for an easy to read page turner that will leave you satisfied and glad you picked it up.

WHile i enjoyed this book, I unfortunately was able to figure out what happened once Poppy was introduced. However, I did enjoy the way the story was told through different characters and think my customers will as well.

Once again, Ms. Jewell has written a compelling story. With multiple pov's, she expertly tells the tale of a mother's grief when her 15 year old daughter goes missing. A few twists that were nicely done just adds to the experience.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter, student, girlfriend and sister. At 15 years old, she was ready to enter into a fun summer of sun, friends and no responsibilities. But all of the sudden she disappears. 

Now, 10 years later, her mom, Laurel, is opening up the search for Ellie, after a new clue seems to appear. Laurel meets a man named Floyd and when their relationship deepens and Laurel meets Floyd's daughters, her breath is taken away. [And yes, you'll have to read the book to find out why...(insert evil laugh here)]

But seriously, if you liked books such as The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, What She Knew, then you will LOVE this book. It's intense, and while it may not be filled with as many twists as other suspense novels, I still really loved it. And it has an ending that you'll love.

THEN SHE WAS GONE BY LISA JEWELL BOOK REVIEW
Something about Then She Was Gone hooked me immediately. I burned through it in one day & I couldn’t put it down.

You know when you’re doing housework (yuck) & you sit to fold laundry. Then, a Lifetime Movie comes on & you get distracted & BAM! you’re sitting there holding the same towel you started folding 2 hours ago. You’re captivated by what you’re seeing & you’re not moving until you finish the story. Then She Was Gone is like that. As soon as you meet Laurel & you know Ellie disappeared, you cannot close this book.

LISA JEWELL KNOWS HOW TO WRITE FEMALE CHARACTERS
Last year, I read & loved I Found You by Lisa Jewell. Lisa has a way, similar to my favorite Liane Moriarty, where she writes these female characters in a way that I know them. Like, I seriously feel that I know Laurel & her kids. Is that weird? I don’t so. I think it’s a mark of a fantastic writer.

As readers, we expect to learn a lot about our main characters, right? What I love about Lisa’s writing is that she shows us more about the characters through his or her actions. Like learning that Laurel cleaned her daughter Hanna’s house for money & rifled through her paperwork to see what’s she up to tells me SO much about their mother-daughter relationship. They’re close, but not that close. Laurel & Hanna share a precarious & precious bond & I felt Lisa Jewell handled it in a believable manner.

THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book. I know it’s a little early for pool & beach reads, (at least in Oregon) but this is a perfect quick, thrilling & memorable story. Get ready though, you’ll be hooked.

If you love well-crafted thrillers, check out Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan or Everything You Want Me To Be by Mindy Mejia.

Special thanks to Lisa Jewell , Atria Books & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I've been a fan of Lisa Jewell's since I read "The Girls in The Garden." I love her quirky style and aptitude for slow-building suspense. When I first read the premise of "Then She Was Gone," I was concerned it would be dark in a way that I wasn't sure I could handle, so I put it aside for weeks. It is dark, and weird, and sometimes sad, but I loved it! It's twisted in a way that's hard to even describe, but once the roller coaster starts it doesn't stop until you finish the book. I couldn't put it down. Now I wish my book club hadn't broken up so we could read this and talk about how messed up it is.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

I just love Lisa Jewell's books and this one was no exception. I find that I become completely absorbed in them, not wanting to do anything but read to the detriment of anything else!

This book hooked me right from the start. And what I loved is that it is so much more than just a missing girl story. It is a layered story that it not only addicting but also quite compelling. It easily blends the psychological drama with a family drama, keeping you glued to the pages as everything starts to unravel, and the short chapters give that mentality of just one more chapter until you find yourself at the end of the book in no time at all.

I find with each Lisa Jewell book that I read that she really takes the time to develop all her characters, and she also really builds intricate relationships between the characters. We get the nuances that come with these relationships, making them all the more based in reality. It's this that makes these characters and the story itself all the more engaging.

As much as I started to suspect some parts of where the book was headed, I still found myself completely hooked until the very end. I wanted to know the why as much as the final resolution and I still hadn't worked everything out. It's a suspenseful book, slowly building that suspense over time as clues are dropped here and there. With strong characters, raw emotion, and a good story line, I found myself hard-pressed to put this book down.

This book packs quite an emotional punch. It's a relatively fast-paced, yet highly addictive read with a great ending. I think it would be a perfect summer read!

This is the second book I have read by the author, Lisa Jewell, and I really enjoyed it. I really enjoy her writing and this book kept me very interested from the very beginning. The main character, Laurel, has not only dealt with her daughter going missing, but also her marriage falling apart as well. She finds herself trying to find any sort of hope and peace after these events.

This is definitely a suspenseful book and I found that I really enjoyed the characters and the story. I will say that I did see some of the plot twists coming, but I find this happens quite often with books in this genre and it doesn't take away from my overall opinion of the book.

I really enjoyed Then She Was Gone and look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for the ARC of this book.

I love Lisa Jewell and this book shows exactly why! Then She Was Gone is a perfect combination of suspense with a touch of darkness. It keeps you guessing until the very last page. You may guess what happened to Ellie Mack but it’s the details that makes the story so addicting. It’s told in multiple POVs which makes it even more intriguing. It’s beautiful and heart wrenching. The ending will shock you. I love this book so much in fact that I’m rereading it to see if I missed any details.

Ellie Mack was a fifteen year old golden girl that had a bright future ahead of her when she goes missing. Her mother, Laurel Mack, never really receives closure until Ellie's remains are found 10 years later. During that time, the Mack family never recovers, and Laurel separates from her husband. Through a chance meeting in a cafe, Laurel begins a relationship with a novelist, Floyd. As the two explore a relationship, Laurel meets Floyd's 9 year-old-daughter, Poppy, who looks much like Laurel's daughter, Ellie. Lisa Jewell takes readers on a complex, multi-layer ride was Laurel discovers what truly happened to Ellie and what role Floyd plays in her daughter's death.

Then She Was Gone moves at a perfect pace.  Lisa Jewell's witty, clever writing style that makes you just want to keep reading combined with some short chapters, so it's easy to say "just one more" and you will want to say that because although you will think it's easy to figure out what is going on, you will want to know if you are right.  

Then She Was Gone is a character-driven thriller, as Ellie's family and people affected by her disappearance navigate their lives.  The characters' reactions to what had happened to them was realistic, the way they process things and move on, figure out what they need and what is acceptable to them and how to heal in their new normal all felt very real to me.  As a homeschool mom, I thought Poppy was a VERY REALISTIC homeschool kid (I have met some very much like her!) and I appreciate that Lisa Jewell gets it right.

This is a "truth is stranger than fiction" kind of novel.  There were times when I questioned the plausibility of these things happening, but then I thought "the truth is often stranger than fiction".  Proximity was on the side of possibility and the rest is explained further on in the novel.

I enjoyed the story and that characters, it was interesting to see it all play out. To see who orchestrated it all and what everyone knew. It kept me reading because I wanted to know. Interesting characters and an in depth look at a mother who has lost her her child.

This is the first time I've read Lisa Jewell and I can't wait to read all that is available!!! This book is a fantastic thriller and kept me guessing!