I liked getting to know Emily and Paolo in the beginning. Seeing them driving to their weekend getaway was very cute and I liked watching them in their relationship. This is how the reader is introduced to both characters and I liked watching from Emily’s point of view, both with Paolo and when she wakes up alone.

The mystery in the story starts very early, right after they are on the boat, and is a main thread throughout the remainder of the work. It was interesting seeing Emily react to her situation, find a way out, and work through the mystery on her own while the investigation takes place. I liked watching Emily work and seeing how the stress of the situation caused her to unravel in her own way.

The mystery itself could have been a bit more puzzle-like. As a reader I couldn’t really work on the puzzle on my own, it was mostly Emily doing the work and the reader watching. I had some suspicions, but because of the structure I basically had to watch Emily do the work.

I did appreciate the secondary characters, but they felt a little flat for the most part. I did like Cal, he was a nice balance to Emily, but I wished the story dug into his character a bit more. Paolo was pretty much a secondary character and he was okay, but I wasn’t sold on him being a good partner for Emily. I did like how he played into the mystery, and the end had a good twist, it just wasn’t amazing for me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fast-paced, character focused mysteries and thrillers. This was a good read because it stayed tight to the main mystery and main character with secondary elements that enhance and help piece the puzzle together.

This story is quite the whirlwind as you try to follow the connections between the different events that have happened with the main character, Emily, and given her difficulties it can be a hard thing to do but it is well worth it to stay for the ride!

This book was not quite “unputdownable” to me, I did set it aside a few times during the first half, but once I unraveled the mystery and conspiracy it was a completely different story. The second half was riveting to me. I found myself wondering what was happening while I wasn’t reading and couldn’t wait to finish.

Emily and Paolo take a little nice romantic boat sailing one weekend. Some wine to loosen Emily’s nerves a little (you all know, when wine/drinks are involved something happens) and then Emily falls asleep. Only to wake up possibly hours later, confused, disorianted and not finding Paolo on board either.
Desperate to find anwers and knowing things don’t look for her, she is on a quest to find out what happened to Paolo and clear her name.

3-3.5 Stars This book started off good, but then it got pretty slow. I really liked the premise and was interested in knowing how it played out so I had to finish.

Emily and her boyfriend Paolo decide to spend a romantic night on a sailboat on the lake, despite Emily's hesitancy given her inability to swim. When she wakes up sick and groggy in the morning, she realizes Paolo is missing... and thus begins her attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding his disappearance. With the police investigating her and symptoms of her bipolar disorder increasing in severity, Emily doesn't have much time before things are going to go really wrong...

I loved that this book was written by a psychologist, because Emily's descent into mania felt so accurately portrayed. While I figured out the twists early on, I still enjoyed going along for the journey with Emily and watching her make some really questionable decisions along the way. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future (don't let me down, keep writing!) especially if he continues to write characters like Cal and Emily.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book!

'And then you were gone' by R.J Jacobs.

4 stars.
You go to bed with your loved one, wake up and he is nowhere to be found... Scary! A real nightmare!

I really liked this book.
I found it well written and interesting.
Maybe a little slow at first.
But I wanted to find out what happened. It kept me interested until the end.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

An unreliable narrator and hazy circumstances surrounding a disappearance seem to be a great recipe for success so I naturally had high hopes for this book. The first few chapters with Emily and Paolo at the cabin felt natural, the writing was concise and the plot promising. I was impressed with the great level of care and attention the writer put into Emily's bipolar disorder as it is not an easy topic to discuss, yet it was still handled with a lot of sensitivity and thought. I rushed through the first few chapters as I was impatient to understand what had happened to Paolo and if he was still alive.

Unfortunately, the story line and plot were just to weak for me. I quickly started losing interest as more characters were introduced and the attention shifted to Paolo's co-workers and research the main motive behind his disappearance. It was also around this point where Emily's character traits started to emerge and I could not connect with her hastiness or impulsiveness to take dangerous measures so she could uncover what she believed to be a conspiracy. I understand that her interpretation of the events of the night Paolo disappeared were distorted due to her mental illness and praise the author on the way this idea was developed but I think this side of the story line could have approached in a different way while still engaging the reader.

The ending where the secrets were revealed was somewhat of an anticlimax because the author gave many hints throughout the book of the suspect so it was not difficult to assume who it was. Despite the strong beginning, this book had too many flaws for me to fully invest my time in reading it in several sittings. Instead I found myself stopping and starting over the course of a few weeks which happens rarely when I read thrillers. I would recommend it only to those looking for a slower paced thriller and would advise not to trust Emily's reasoning throughout the book.

And Then You Were Gone is out to buy now!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

And Then You Were Gone is an innovative psychological thriller that includes an inside look at mental illness.

Emily is a child psychologist. Paolo is an epidemiologist. They decide to take a weekend vacation on a rental boat. Paolo is an experienced boat captain and swimmer. Emily cannot swim. She takes anti-anxiety medicine for her fear of water. She is also bipolar.

Emily and Paolo anchor the boat in a remote part of the lake and drink a couple bottles of wine. The next morning Emily is hungover and Paolo is nowhere to be found. Soon, Emily is the number one suspect.

I love the flawed character of Emily. Her anxiety and bipolar diagnosis are innovative and elevate the plot. Her drunken blackout the night of the disappearance makes her an unreliable narrator.

And Then You Were Gone is highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers looking for something different. It is a twisty ride! 4 stars.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think I am going to be the odd man out with this one but I have to say it – I did not enjoy this book. My hopes were so high and I was so excited to read this debut thriller from R. J. Jacobs but no matter what I tried, I could not focus. Six months. It took me SIX MONTHS to finish reading this book and, honestly, the only reason I finished was because it was an advanced copy and I felt that I had to give it my all.

Why didn’t I love this book like everyone else has? There are several reasons. The big one being that I just could not connect with Emily from the beginning and Paolo….well I just plain didn’t like him. No real reason, I just didn’t. When he went missing it didn’t matter to me one bit and let’s face it – if you start out a book by not caring about the characters, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.
My lack of connection with the Emily made the plot accelerate very, very slowly for me. So slow that by the time I found the pace quicken, I didn’t care anymore about what happened. It got to the point where I was reading to finish instead of reading to enjoy myself and there’s no coming back from that.

What I DID enjoy about this book (yes, there were parts) is the mental illness representation and how much that illness was involved in the plot. Emily’s downward spiral into mania throughout the investigation was incredibly well done and allowed for a completely different experience while reading. Again, I was already past the point of no return with this book before Emily started slipping but you can tell that the author has done his homework on bipolar disorder and that makes all the difference to the reader. I learned things. I like that.

And Then You Were Gone was obviously not the book for me, but I do see its potential and the draw for other readers. While I didn’t enjoy it, I can definitely see why so many others do and would still recommend it to someone looking for this type of thriller. I would also keep an open mind about reading future works from Jacobs. I think his writing style is on point and would love to see if other books by him will hit home with me as this book has with others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a copy of this book to read and provide my honest opinion.

2.75 stars from this reader.

I expected more from this novel than it delivered for me. The main character is on meds for her bi-polar condition, She agrees to go out on the water on her boyfriend's boat, even though she is deathly afraid of water and can't swim. Her boyfriend is a good swimmer and experienced with boats and water. They make a night of it, sleeping on board the boat drinking a lot of wine (and note she's on meds). When she wakes up the morning after he is missing, and understandably, she is panicked. Where is he? Why can't she remember what happened the night before? What does she do now? How does she get help? That part of the story got my attention. I was looking forward to a good thriller... but alas, it didn't thrill me quite enough.

The plot took some interesting twists, but it was slow getting to them. About 2/3 into the book, it got more interesting. I liked the protagonists determination to get at the truth, even though she struggled through her bipolar disorder to find it. I liked her alliance with her boyfriends best friend, a former military ops guy, who towards the end did help her get some answers. That part was good. When she was racing the clock with her friends child in the car, my heart-rate revved up a notch or two. Putting a child in harm's way will do that to me.

Not a bad read. I had a hard time relating to the characters, so for me it will be a forgettable read, but it may not be for you. Give it a try. My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give my opinion on this work.

A fascinating thriller with an unreliable narrator. I could not put this down. It was so exciting and mysterious.

When Emily heads it for a weekend boating trip with her boyfriend Paolo, she doesn’t expect to wake up with no memory of the night before and Paolo missing. The chilling turn of events that follows have Emily questioning her reality and if there is something sinister going on...

I really enjoyed the premise of the story. I started the book thinking it would be all about Paolo's disappearance but the story becomes about much more then that. The writing is great because the author R.J. Jacobs is a psychologist so his narrative from the point of view of the bipolar Emily was well written!

I did feel the story was a bit slow to get through and I had to try not to go crazy following Emily and her rash decision making. I couldn’t decide if I liked her or not! Always harder to connect with that kind of character but a enjoyable read nonetheless.

Review was posted on Goodreads and on my WatchThisReadThat Instgramm Personal Blog

While on a sailing trip, Emily wakes to find her boyfriend Paolo is missing. Since Paolo is a strong swimmer, Emily finds it hard to believe he could have drowned. As days pass, Paolo's disappearance starts to lean toward murder... with Emily as a suspect. Emily struggles with managing her bipolar disorder, which she though was under control, while she searches for answers to what happened to Paolo.

Emily makes for an interesting unreliable narrator. She has been managing her bipolar disorder well, but when Paolo goes missing and she becomes a suspect, she no longer has control. In addition to that, her memory of the night Paolo went missing is very hazy. The fun thing about unreliable narrators is the reader never knows if they can be trusted.

When Emily looks into Paolo's disappearance, she learns more about his work. Paolo works in medical research, and while Emily was aware of the virus he was working with, she learns a lot more about his research and coworkers as she questions what happened to him.

A fast-paced thriller. Intriguing, suspenseful, and twisty.

I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I can't remember why I requested this on Netgalley- whether I saw good reviews and was intrigued, or if it was just because it's being published by Crooked Lane and I've been really loving what they have been publishing lately. Whatever the reason, I'm so glad that I did read it, as it was a fast paced, thrilling ride.
When Emily's boyfriend disappears on a boat trip, she's devastated and concerned. However, in the days following his death, her life spirals more out of control, which is concerning for her and those around her as she's worked hard in the past to manage her bipolar disorder. As evidence mounts that Paolo may not have suffered an accidental death and suspicion for that and other events moves to Emily, she has to fight to prove her innocence and that something much more sinister is going on.
Emily is a great character, and R.J. Jacobs did an excellent job writing her mindset. Timelines seem compressed as she stays awake for days at a time at the end, forgetting her medication and working to figure out the answers before she finds herself arrested. I worried for her as she got herself wrapped up into increasingly more danger, but rooted for her to clear her name and right wrongs. It's a quick and relatively short story, and I honestly would have read even more. Here's hoping this is just the beginning from this author!

And Then You Were Gone by R. J. Jacobs is a highly recommended novel of mystery and suspense.

Emily Firestone is taking a weekend sailing trip with her boyfriend Paolo. Emily has her bi-polar disorder under control and, although she's panicked over being out on the boat in the lake because she can't swim, she feels like she can keep her panic at bay. Paolo is a strong swimmer and an experienced sailor. He has assured her she will be safe and they will have a lovely weekend. After dinner and drinks on the boat the night before, Emily awakens the next morning on the boat, Paolo is gone, she has a horrible headache, and the boat is drifting around the lake. Emily manages to get back to shore, report Paolo as missing. What could have happened to him?

When evidence begins to suggest that something more sinister is afoot and Paolo's disappearance may be due to foul play, Emily begins to forget her meds and is moving into a manic state - or is she just naturally concerned? The more she discovers, the more erratic her behavior becomes. The more erratic she becomes, the less she sleeps. Soon she is high on the police's list of suspects.

Emily is an unreliable narrator and trusting what she thinks she knows and believes can be a struggle at times because you don't know what her state of mind is - especially since she mentions frequently as the novel progresses that she's forgot her meds, isn't eating, and she's not sleeping. All of these factors make her incredibly unreliable and untrustworthy as a protagonist. Adding to the mix are other characters who either begin to doubt Emily or are suspicious themselves.

While the plot will hold your interest and moves quickly, the narrative flow in this novel can be a bit bumpy at times. Part of this is due to Emily's state, and part to an inconsistency in the narrative. Events do start to collate into some semblance of a timeline, but questions still remain about why Emily is allowed so much freedom to move about considering she's a suspect. If you set aside any little niggling questions about certain details (which could have been handled in final editing) this is an enjoyable mystery with an exciting climax.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crooked Lane Books.

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An enjoyable story and very well written. Plenty of twists and turns, which kept me wanting to turn the pages. I am not going to write what the story is about, as i prefer one to read the book for themselves, but i do recommend. Hope it's not too long before i read another book by this author.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review.

A good concept, with an unreliable narrator. Unfortunately, she just wasn’t unreliable enough, making her just slightly crazy. The police investigation did not ring true and there were inconsistencies throughout. Slower paced than it should have been made this book just an OK read, but not really memorable.

And Then You Were Gone is a wonderfully mesmerizing and suspenseful read (I finished it in one day, stopping only for meals)!

Emily Firestone, a woman diagnosed as bipolar, has struggled for years to get and keep herself on track. Now, for the first time in a long time, everything seems to be running smoothly; she has a job she loves, a home of her own, and a boyfriend, Paolo, that she finds herself falling in love with.

When Paolo suggests taking a break from their busy work lives (he is a medical researcher working on the virus that killed Emily’s father, she is a child psychologist), Emily is all in. To have a weekend alone with Paolo, who promises to keep his phone OFF the entire time, is impossible to resist! She is so excited that when he suggests sailing, Emily decides to put her fear of open water (she doesn’t know how to swim) aside and go for it. They enjoy a wonderful night together, talking and laughing over several glasses of wine.

Emily wakens the next morning to find that Paolo is not on board. Thinking he must be swimming, she calls his name repeatedly. When there is no response, and she doesn’t see any sign of him in the water, she begins to panic. What happened to him? He’s an excellent swimmer, and she heard nothing overnight. But she slept surprisingly deeply – would she have heard anything? Her heart now racing, she steers the boat back to the marina to report Paolo missing. The police soon arrive to take her statement, and it doesn’t take her long to realize she is the main suspect in his disappearance.

With stress abounding, Emily starts to spiral out of control – she’s not sleeping and can’t remember when/if she took her meds. Emily begins to see clues everywhere and becomes convinced that Paolo was murdered, but how can she get the police to believe her when she’s not sure her thoughts are clear? Will the truth save Emily? Will she lose her hard-won stability for good?

This book is so excellently written, the characters so rich and deep, the storyline so riveting, that it is quite hard to believe this is a debut novel. RJ Jacobs, you have yourself a devoted fan! I eagerly look forward to your next book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

And Then You Were Gone is available to the public on March 13, 2019.

Where is Paolo? He was on the boat when Emily fell asleep and then he was gone. No trace. Emily has worked hard to managed her mental health- she's bipolar. This, however, threatens to send her over the edge. In her effort to prove she didn't do anything to Paolo and that she doesn't know what happened, she pushes too hard and ends up triggering her mania. Emily becomes the classic unreliable narrator- or does she? There are multiple loose threads in this otherwise fine debut but no spoilers. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a fast read that will keep you guessing. And points for a good portrayal of a woman coping well with her challenges.