Wow. One of the best book I ever read. Can’t stop when you begin. Keep you on suspense until the end.

Excellent book. It was fairly simple to figure out the plot as the story unfolded, but the details and reasons why things happened made it all fall into place. I would recommend this book to others. Very well written and was a book that I did not want to put down.

4.5 Stars!

This is my first read from this author, and I can definitely say it will not be my last! Then She Was Gone is a fairly different novel to the one I was expecting. I don't normally read this genre, but when I do, I'm always impressed.

This is the story of Laurel, a mother whose teenage daughter has gone missing and the effects this event has had in the family's life. Ten years later, Laurel meets a new man and decides to give herself another chance at life and love.

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.

The storyline here is dark, disturbing and heartrending, but utterly compelling! The ending of the book is a big emotional sock to the jaw, and tears were shed.

"Then She Was Gone" by Lisa Jewell

This isn't my usual genre but surprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed it! The story moved forward at a good pace and held my interest to keep reading. Towards the middle the mystery and pieces began to be predictable, however, only to a small degree. Specifically, I began trying to tag characters with the role they play in the missing girl. Even so, there were still loose ends that had yet to be played out, which is how this story kept my interest. I am happy to say all the ends were tied and it has a tight ending!

Netgalley
Book Published: April 24, 2018
Review Published: March 4, 2018

I received A copy of this book from netgalley for a honest review. I’ve never read a book by this author before, but I was taken in from the first page. This is the story of Ellie Mack, a beautiful 15 yr old girl, that goes missing. The book is told from multiple POV, but it’s really easy to distinguish who is “talking”. I really enjoyed this book, even if I was able to figure out what exactly happened early on, the writing kept me interested and eager to read.

I enjoyed this story. The characters were developed well and it had a good pace that kept me turning pages. I found it a bit predictable though. (Spoiler ahead) Just from the description, the reader will wonder if the little girl is Laurel's granddaughter. I was hoping for a twist on that. Also, Noelle was so horrible. It would have been more interesting if she had been more sympathetic. Even soon, I'll still happily recommend this book to customers and friends.

Time well spent reading this masterfully written psychological drama. Told at a steady pace with surprises that feel like forgone conclusions.

Laurel & Paul Mack and their three children, Jake, Hanna & Ellie glide through their normal middle'class lives until an unhinged tutor's stalking causes 15 year old Ellie to disappear.

Ten years later the shattered family begins to change when Laurel meets Floyd Dunn and his 9 yr old daughter Poppy. There is something familiar calling to Laurel's heart.

Chapters alternate between then and now; Ellie, and her family's struggle to cope and survive.

As I've started sharing recently, I have a love of crime thrillers. The promise of a kidnapping grabbed my attention immediately and I sped through this novel faster than I had planned. The set up of the disappearance, as well as the following events, was done beautifully -I love that it was told from multiple points of view.

I found the motivation behind the whole story different than similar stories I've read, which was refreshing. The subplots were engaging and one completely caught me off guard. I did find I was able to piece together upcoming events as the story moved along but the ending still had enough of a twist that I didn't expect.

If you're looking for a new take on the classic kidnapping plot, this book is for you.

Then She Was Gone is a dark psychological thriller that is told from several different perspectives and is told Then and Now timeline.

Ellie Mack goes missing ten years ago and she is never found. The effect that this has on her family, on Ellie as you learn her story.

Her mom's struggle to cope after all these years but also is ready to move on.

Can't say more than that or it will take away from such a great read.

The characters are strong, you love many and despise a few.

I am a big fan of Lisa Jewell and once again she has written a powerful book that you will think about long after the last page has turned.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Another fascinating read by this author! This story centres around the disappearance of Ellie Mack and takes you on a wild, tragic, heartbreaking roller coaster of twists, turns and emotions. It was a well developed plot with intriguing, creepy and broken characters that had me turning the pages quickly! Such a sad story but the ending had me tearing up. Great book!

Wow! Excellent book. Laura Mack's life stopped when her fifteen year old daughter Ellie went missing. She lived in the past and stopped being a wife and mother to her other children, Fast forward ten years when she meets a man who has a young daughter who bears a remarkable likeness to Ellie. Some of the story was predictable but I did not expect the ending. Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this book. A really solid thriller/mystery. It completely gripped me and I read it in one sitting. I loved all the different POVs. My only complaint is that I craved a bit more detail in Ellie's chapters, especially in the latter half of the book.

This book was full of emotional ups and downs. You feel devastation and loss and then you feel happiness for the new relationship only to feel loss and devastation again. Then comes the suspicion and lies.
Lisa Jewell writes a wonderful and engaging tale with an amazing spectrum of emotions.

I read my first book by Lisa Jewell last week, I Found You. Psychological/Domestic thrillers are among my favourite categories, but they tend to run together in my mind. I find Lisa Jewell more accomplished than most. The author is a great storyteller and her characters have depth, are well developed and believable. The transition between the main characters’ perspective and different timelines was flawless. I have read many books where this writing technique is jarring and spoils the narrative.

I was thrilled to receive her latest book. Many of the strengths of the previous book are present here. However, I found the plot quite predictable, and thus lacking in much suspense. I kept reading as was anxious to learn the outcome for its characters. There was a smooth transition between the four main characters points of view, and the present timeline and events which occurred 10 years earlier. The characters were mostly sympathetic, even if flawed human beings. The author enables us to see into their hearts and minds. We even gain insight into how the worst characters who may be beyond redemption got that way. We may not like them, but we get some understanding of their warped thinking process.

This is a dark, sad story with a satisfactory conclusion. I will be looking for earlier books by this Lisa Jewell, as she is a previously unknown writer to me. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster who provided with a copy of Then She Was Gone in exchange for an honest review.

What a sad and dark yet magnificent novel. As of yet, Lisa Jewell somehow missed my home library after reading this novel, she is welcome to flood my shelves.

Laurel Mack is a mother of three. Or maybe two. She really doesn’t know. Ten years ago, her beautiful 15 year old daughter Ellie disappeared and no sign of her has been seen since. How could she just disappear? How could no one know where she was? One person did know. And that person isn’t telling.

With Ellie’s disappearance and no closure Laurel shut down. She was so consumed by her grief that she didn’t realize what she had and while Ellie is gone, her family has lost Laurel too and as a result she has a strained relationship with her remaining children and her husband has moved on without her.

Now 10 years have passed, Laurel meets a man and she’s ready to start living again realizing all she’s missed for the last 10 robotic years. When she meets Floyd’s youngest daughter she is struck by the familiarity and resemblance to her missing daughter. But everyone looks like someone else, don’t they?

As she becomes more involved with Floyd and his daughter Poppy, uncertainty digs at her. Is she just haunted by the past and seeing what she wants to see or is there more to the story?

There weren’t a whole lot of surprises for me, I knew the what but didn’t fully know the how and had to not so patiently wait to uncover the whole story. It’s written mostly as Laurel’s story but a very brief portion of narration by Laurel’s boyfriend, Floyd and the mother Poppy barely remembers, Nicole, creeps in. Noelle was one crazy woman but she was definitely a hoot. I loved her sarcastic narration and I did love how some periodic humour in the story lightened it a little. And made me laugh.

I love books of this kind but they don’t generally affect me as emotionally as this one did. It was so heartbreaking when I started to piece it all together and just the tragedy of it all was overwhelming and senseless. At times I almost didn’t want to keep reading as I didn’t want certain things to be true but this book was so compelling I couldn’t stay away from it. Lisa Jewell has a beautiful picturesque descriptive flow of writing as though the reader is actually there and not just a spectator.

I highly recommend this absorbing tale, it’s s solid five stars for me. I received an ARC copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the publisher and net galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Perfect for fans of “Gone Girl”.

Wow. I could no put this book down! Every page, chapter, part - something new. Even knowing the style of book, each revelation is shocking and makes perfect sense.

Real, nuanced characters explore the complexities of life dealing with the highs and lows of life. Jewell does a fantast job of making you want to turn every page, yet you are almost unable to as you need to take a moment to fully digest and appreciate each new twist and turn.

Beautifully and suspensfully written.

This book was truly a great read. It starts off feeling like a Danielle Steele family drama that keeps growing into a mystery making for a compelling read. The author's style of narration is deceptively simple even as the story is told in the voice of many characters with plenty of twists and surprises. The ending was emotional and one does not see it coming. Looking forward to reading other works by Lisa Jewel.

*I chose to read this ARC and all opinions expressed in the following review are my own. Thank you, Netgalley, and Simon & Schuster Canada publishing.*
This book goes back and forward a decade in the life of protagonist Laurel, and what a wild ride it is!
Ten years prior, Laurel's 15 year old daughter, Ellie disappeared suddenly, with seemingly no clues to her whereabouts. Fast forward a decade: Laurel is still hesitant to move on with her life without her "golden girl", until she meets a man who fascinates her, and makes her feel again. Even more fascinating to Laurel is his young daughter, who is the spitting image of Laurel's long lost daughter!
I could barely read this book fast enough, so intent was I on learning Ellie's fate and finding the solutions to all the interwoven questions! Great suspense, and a story that will make you both catch your breath and break your heart for Laurel and the consequences for everyone Ellie touched. The characters were vivid and realistic, and the storyline well thought out.
Highly recommend!

wow! what a great read!!! Another great book from Lisa jewell. She is on my radar for upcoming books.


Thanks to net galley and the publisher for an early release copy of this book.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ellie Mack, the youngest of three, is a vibrant young girl with a brilliant future ahead of her. That is until the day that she disappears into thin air on her way to the library. Her family starts to fall apart after her disappearance, especially her mother, Laurel. Laurel stops mothering her other two children and drifts away from Paul, her husband. Ten years after Ellie's vanishing, Laurel meets a man who she becomes romantically involved with. When Laurel meets Floyd's 9 year old daughter Poppy, for the first time, she is almost brought to her knees by the uncanny resemblance to her own daughter. This story jumps back and forth between the past and the present and different POV's of several characters. Slowly we find out just what happened to Ellie and how it involves each character over the 10 year span.
This is a very darkly disturbing story with a large dose of creepy but in a completely enthralling narrative. It took a good third of the book to fully draw me in but once I was hooked I just couldn't stop till I got to the very last word.