I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“After years of learning how to manage her bipolar disorder, Emily Firestone finally has it under control. Even better, her life is coming together: she’s got a great job, her own place, and a boyfriend, Paolo, who adores her. So when Paolo suggests a weekend sailing trip, Emily agrees—wine, water, and the man she loves? What could be better? But when Emily wakes the morning after they set sail, the boat is still adrift...and Paolo is gone.”

I’m only going to post the first paragraph of the synopsis because frankly, I feel like the description gave too much away about this story.

I feel so conflicted about this book. And Then You Were Gone was gifted to me in 2019 and I am just now getting around to reading it due to personal matters.

However, it was a little crazy reading a book that tries to prevent the spread of a possible epidemic/pandemic, when since this book was published, as we all know, a global pandemic did transpire. It was interesting to hear the perspective of a relative who had died from an infectious disease, as well as the scientific side of it. Did I understand what they were talking about? No. Did I get the gist? Yes.

However, I do not like the the-main-character-has-a-mental-illness-so-she-must-be-crazy-and-guilty stereotype that goes along with the stigma of mental illness. I feel like it's a low blow and honestly, a little cheap. As someone who suffers from ADHD, G.A.D., and severe depression, it's just not the most progressive point of view, especially with the author being a man writing in the POV of a “crazy” woman.

I DID like that Emily, the main character was a psychologist, I think, and that the story was based in Nashville. I say, “I think” because the story seemed to be more about her mental illness rather than her being successful in her field.

As far as the plotline goes, I only had one theory in mind while reading this story, which included a slight “twist” and I was proven 100% correct. I’m not someone who will give a thriller/mystery a low rating if I guess the ending correctly. I will however rate a book low if it feels like not much thought had been put into the the resolution. I didn’t find anything about this story “thrilling” besides the structure of the story that meets the bare minimum qualifications of a thriller novel.

There’s a possibility that I’d read a more recent work from this author, to see if he has, hopefully, evolved as a writer.

I could not get into this book, sorry. Trying to clean up my netgalley. Didn’t realize that I was forgetting to leave reviews on netgalley itself, My apologies.

Nothing is as it seems in this book, and just as soon as you think you have it figured out, the author surprises you again! It was well written, and I will read more by this author in future.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

A thrilling and heartbreaking story. A must read! I expect great things from Jacobs’ future work after being surprised and amazed by this novel!

4.5 stars - This was a fantastic quick and easy read!

The main character, Emily has been managing her bipolar disorder for years. However, when her boyfriend disappears one night, her disorder management comes into question. Due to this, I was suspicious of unreliable character narration, but R.J. Jacobs did an excellent job at not focusing too much on that aspect and letting the story play out in an interesting, nail-biting fashion!

Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop! There were many twists and surprises in this unpredictable thriller!
If you lost fast-paced thrillers, this one is for you! Highly recommend.

I really like this book it was pretty good easy read definitely recommend
The book grabbed me from the the beginning to the end

2 stars. Implausible and uninteresting.

This is one I should have DNF’d as I knew once I was a quarter in that I wasn’t going to connect with it. However, I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump and feel like I have DNF’d too many lately so I pushed my way through with the hopes that it would get better. Sadly, it didn’t.

There are a few positives. I enjoyed the pandemic/vaccine aspect of the storyline. This was written before Covid-19 so it was interesting to have that as part of the plot. I appreciated the mental health portion of the storyline and all that added. I also liked the atmospheric feel to the start of the novel. The boat on the water and all that happened within the first quarter really had me feeling like I was there with the characters.

Unfortunately the negatives far outweigh any enjoyment I felt from this book. None of the characters were likeable, especially the main character who became more irritating as the story progressed. Her thoughts and actions didn’t feel authentic or believable. There were several unrealistic and absurd plot points throughout that had me rolling my eyes. I did not connect with the writing - at all! The author used sarcastic humour that missed its mark for me every time. Overall, I didn’t feel any sense of investment in this book making it a chore to get through and therefore I would not be able to recommend it.

Audio rating: 2 stars. I didn’t feel that the narrator added anything to this story (and quite possibly negatively affected my overall enjoyment of the book). Felt robotic at times.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy! Thank you to my lovely local library for the audio loan!

I am not leaving a review due to the fact that this book did not interest me enough to finish the story.

I picked this up hoping for a quick read, however this took me a lot longer than usual to get through, I found the storyline predictable and lacklustre. I'm disappointed I didn't love this as it sounded incredible. I can see its merits for other people however and this just wasn't the book for me personally. It was in no way a bad book or badly written but my personal flaws with it, made it difficult to enjoy.

Emily Firestone finally has her life under control. She has a job she loves as a counselor for kids, her bi-polar disorder is under control and she is dating Paolo a brilliant researcher who is handsome and adores her. Though she cannot swim and is reluctant to go out on a weekend boat trip she agrees. When she wakes in the morning though Paolo has disappeared and her memory is cloudy.
As Emily becomes more convinced that he was murdered, she deliberately stops taking her medication and she is at risk of losing everything she has worked so hard for.
This started off well but I lost interest as the plot dragged at times and the main character acted in ways that seemed impulsive or irresponsible for someone responsible for the treatment of children. I think the conclusion was predictable but the inclusion of the mental issues were handled well and could be an interesting plot device in a different story.
This is a good effort by a debut author and it will be interesting to see where he goes in future stories.

And Then You Were Gone is a middle of the road psychological thriller. It has the well used premise of "unstable woman caught up in a disappearance/murder she cannot remember, and no one believes her". I was only really interested in this because the main character has bipolar disorder, as do I. There were no shocks or even real surprises, but it was still a solid and entertaining read.
3 stars

*I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley. *

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to. I liked the idea behind it and the storyline, but it fell flat for me. I can see why some people love this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

And Then You Were Gone by R. J. Jacobs is one psychological mystery that resonates well with me. Not because of a murder but because of Bipolar. I unfortunately have been diagnosed with the disorder and can honestly say that the writer is spot on with all of the emotions whether it be mania or depression. Mental clarity is affected and there are times I cannot remember a thing. We meet Emily Firestone who after being diagnosed with bipolar, has been able to get the disorder under control and now everything is starting to come together. She has a new boyfriend whose name is Paola. They decide to go for a weekend sailing trip to relax, drink wine, and just be together. Side note...... alcohol and bipolar do NOT mix well together. Neither do any of the medications for bipolar. After a great night, Emily awakens to find Paola missing. You can honestly feel the emotions that the writer is tryin to invoke with the chosen words and actions. Emily cannot remember what happened. She knows Paola can swim. Where did he go? The police have Emily in their sights as the possible murderer. Was he even murdered? There was another woman in Paolo’s life. This is where Emily must fight to remain focused and do her best to ensure that she can prove that she had nothing to do with his disappearance. The writer does an immaculate job of telling a story and this one kept me up all night engrossed in this book just to finish it. I would live to see this made into a movie.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately upon revisiting this book I am no longer in what the description has to offer but would like to thank the publishers for the opportunity

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase your copy here:
https://www.amazon.com/Then-You-Were-Gone-Novel-ebook/dp/B07H7MK1MD/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=and+then+you+were+gone&qid=1599501134&s=digital-text&sr=1-3
BEFORE I begin my review of this novel, I want to let you know, it was published an ENTIRE YEAR before the pandemic broke out and shut everything down in the United States! AN ENTIRE YEAR! Prediction? Knowing? Warning us?
We begin this novel in October, with Paolo and Emily driving to the lake. Paolo taught Emily about epidemics and had told her before that a pandemic would happen, it was just a matter of when, not if. An H1-N24 outbreak occurred every two years. This is the virus that killed Emily’s father, he was famous for being among certain researchers who contracted H1-N24 and died from it. The CDC studied his body for two weeks after his passing. They stumble upon a boat where people are looking over the edge and discover they have lost the keys to the boat in the water. Paolo dives in and starts the search for the keys and hero Paolo manages to find the keys in the water.
This is all fun and games until we meet Matt and we start talking numbers. Bubonic plague took two million people. In 1918, influenza killed fifty million people. Smallpox took five HUNDRED million people. The CDC has counted twenty-four outbreaks of H1-N24 in the last thirty-four years. This book is filled with deceit, double crossing, and mystery. Other than the mention of a pandemic while in the middle of one, this book was everything I had hoped it would be!

Emily Firestone was having a weekend on a boat with her boyfriend Paolo. Next morning he is gone. Emily has bipolar she cannot remember the evening. She endures investigation by the police. She begins to unravel. When one of Paolo colleagues contacts her murder follows. This is a rollercoaster ride with our main character. It gives you a great insight into the everyday struggle with bipolar.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.