Not a story that will light fires! An overused plot about missing girls, and not very engaging or page turning. Perhaps one of those books that gets written fast rather than a book crafted and thought about.

Four year old Holly Gebhardt was kidnapped, yet returned three months later to the same park from which she was taken. Despite a lack of witnesses, including Holly herself, a local handyman ends up being convicted of the crime. Twenty years later, another girl goes missing under similar circumstances. Turning to Holly for help, will the police be able to nudge the young woman into remembering what happened all those years before?

The author spent so much time trying to trick the reader into following the red herrings that the plot suffered. The present timeline, with Holly's mother suffering injury from an accident, seemed to exist only to introduce the past events. The side plots did nothing to enhance the story, muddying the waters so that the reader did not guess the culprit of the crimes committed. I am a big reader of mystery thrillers, but The Day I Disappeared fell woefully short. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Day I Disappeared to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Day I Disappeared by NetGalley and the publisher, Lake Union Publishing. The choice to review this book was entirely my own.

Interesting premise, pulls you in from the first chapter. Told in alternate voices, transitioning from present day Holly and glimpses from the past from her mom, Cecily. Sure, Holly survived a childhood kidnapping but at what cost? And does she know something now, years later, that can help locate a missing child?

Holly is kidnapped and then returned at the age of 4, with no memory of any of it. A handyman was convicted but there was some suspicion on hollys mom as well.
Even though this book was very predictable, I still enjoyed reading it. I wanted to keep reading to see if what I thought was going to happen, actually happened.
Some side parts got wrapped up pretty quickly and I don’t like that in books.
This was my first read from this author and I will check out more from her.

This is not necessarily a bad book, but is, at its core, so formulaic, that I honestly cannot give any more than two stars. I just can't. It's a mystery about missing girls, and I honestly couldn't care. I think the writing was just not compelling enough and the plot felt more like ticking boxes than moving forward organically.

While writing this review, I actually had to check the protagonist's name. Yeah. That's how much we got to know her. She had a bit of "one-of-the-guys" vibe about her, with her working in construction, and drinking whiskey, and not feeling at ease at her best friend's pre-wedding events among the other guests. And now that I mentioned the "best friend"... I am sorry but this is just not how best friends work. From the very first chapter I hated the way this friendship was shown, and I was kind of hoping Kitten would be somehow involve in the main mystery, as a way to explain why she is that awful to Holly. Seriously, I don't understand how or why we were supposed to care about this friendship.

To be honest, same goes for all characters and relationships in this book. I think the most compelling character is Cecily, Holly's mum, even if she wasn't properly utilized as a character either. Overall, the mystery and plot were fairly straightforward and nothing unique, and the characters were entirely forgettable. I also really really the "twist" at the end, and it almost felt like an attempt on the author's part to justify Holly's attitude at the beginning.

I enjoyed #TheDayIDisappeared and didn’t guess the twist.

Holly was abducted at 4 years old and returned unharmed 3 months later. Now, as an adult, she must try to remember her ordeal to help save another little girl who is missing and may have been taken by the same man.

Fast paced, I read this in one sitting.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

Anytime you give me a missing child who is returned without any feedback on where they have been, I'm in for the ride. Ms. Reed provides good mystery, though you have to stick out the story through the less engaging parts.

A slow moving story that has some twist and turns although it was a bit predictable. It kept me entertained and wanting to read more. This is my first book by this author and I would be interested in seeing what else she writes.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Brandi Reeds for this 🌟🌟🌟🌟 star book in exchange for this honest review. I enjoyed it tremendously and definitely a must read!

I liked this one, Had a well written plot and kept me engaged from page one, the characters were well thought out and relatable, I didn’t guess the twist, and was reading well into the night. Can't wait to see what the author brings out next, would recommend for sure.

Interesting premise, well executed. Although it was very predictable I did enjoy reading it, but I do think I have maybe read too many thrillers to be surprised any more.

This is a tense, exciting book, the type that has your heart in your mouth throughout the read. As Holly remembered more and more about her ordeal I was almost breathless with anticipation. The truth when it finally came out left me stunned. A really strong read.

I don't love multiple POV-type books and I like them even less when I'm unable to tell one character from the next. I often got confused because the voices were so similar.

A uniquely written story that is full of suspense and intrigue from the start.
The plot is well structured and keeps the reader engrossed throughout.
I really liked how this story brought the characters - mother and daughter especially - together, in order to try and solve this mystery.
The characters were realistic and relatable, and their personalities added extra depth to an already fascinating story!.

Holly Gebhardt was kidnapped at the age of four from a park. Three months later she is returned to the same spot she was taken from. A man was arrested, found guilty and has spent his life since in prison. Holly never recalls any time from while she was taken.

Twenty-odd years later and another child has gone missing in freakishly similar circumstances. The police get in touch with Holly as it may be that the guy serving time was actually innocent of kidnapping Holly if it turns out to be the same person who has kidnapped the latest little girl. They think Holly can help them profile the real guy responsible. It turns out that eleven children have been taken in total, and suddenly everyone is a suspect, including Holly’s comatose mother.

Character – 3.5/10. I did not particularly like any of the characters in this book and, found their redeeming qualities to be quite minimal.

Atmosphere – 3/10. There just wasn’t very much of it. But, what was there in terms of where and how Holly was kept, as those memories started ‘flashing’ back, wasn’t badly done. It just wasn’t nearly enough.

Writing – 5/10. Quite simply, not bad but not brilliant. Pretty average. Not impossible to read but nothing special.

Plot – 3/10. I have read many books with a similar premise and this one, whilst being a bit of a mystery (although a predictable one), is certainly not a thriller. There were definite ‘eye roll’ moments as I was reading. Other books I have read like this, execute the plot much better. See the Shaye Archer books by Jana Daleon – because they are brilliant.

Intrigue – 4/10. Whilst the core plot of this book was entirely predictable and so lacking in any intrigue whatsoever, the little side stories and how they all wove together and formed part of the overall tapestry of the book and linked into the core plotline, was really good and so I gave points for that.

Logic – 3/10. The characters in this book are largely in the mess they are in because they make stupid, nonsensical choices throughout. I don’t mind a character making a stupid decision but learn from it!


Enjoyment – 3/10. Literally, barely enough to get me through the book. The only thing that stopped me from ‘DNFing’ this book was that I did want to see how all the separate pieces fit together.

This book was an amazing surprise with a great plot twist. Writing flows and it’s hard to put it down, the story is intriguing and keeps you interested all the way too the end.
If you like a good thriller or even if you don’t (like me), I would still recommend, this is a book for whoever likes a good story!

I completely enjoyed this twisting and turning novel. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an awesome read.

Holly Gebhardt went missing when she was four years old and inexplicably returned to the same park she'd vanished from months later. Upon her return, Holly had no recollection of her three months gone and was physically unharmed. Even 20 years later, she still has no memory of her time missing. When another young girl disappears under similar circumstances, Holly is approached by Detective Guirdy for help, but Holly doesn't know how to help since she remembers almost nothing. Soon, pieces of the puzzle start to come together and Holly's memory comes back in small flashes. As the mystery starts to unravel, Holly is determined to finally figure out what happened to her and save the missing girl in the process.


I haven't read a book by Brandi Reeds before, so I was really excited to receive an advanced copy of The Day I Disappeared. What interested me about this book was its plot: I felt like it had a lot of potential plot- and character-wise. However, The Day I Disappeared fell short in terms of expectations. While I liked the writing and pace of the book, there was just way too much happening. The book felt extremely cramped as each character, major and minor, was used as a subplot to throw off the reader - but half of the characters didn't even matter, which made the book seem directionless at some points. Because of this, I wasn't very excited about the ending and felt like the entire book could've been trimmed down. While I didn't love this book and wouldn't recommend it, I did enjoy the way Brandi writes and I would read another one of her books.


Thank you, Lake Union Publishing, for an advanced copy of The Day I Disappeared.


2/5

A Good Read
I have never picked up a Brandi Reeds books until this one and I am very happy that Netgalley has put her on my radar. I am a big fan of thrillers and this truly fits the bill. This is a good read and definitely one of those books you can finish in one sitting like I did.

In The Day I Disappeared, five-year-old Amy’s older brother was supposed to be watching her. Instead he was outside fishing. However, when he came home later, Amy was missing. A little bit of time later little Amy’s body is found drown and her brother never forgives himself.

Holly was kidnapped as a child at the age of five. She was returned months later essentially unharmed. While Holly remembers nothing, she had a wound on her forearm and a missing tooth. One of her church members was convicted of the crime but the more I continued turning pages I am not sure about it at all.

Twenty years later, Detective Jason contacts Holly. He believes Holly is the first in a string of abductions and that she is the only hope of finding Skyler the latest victim alive and well. Only one of the ten was found alive Holly.

Holly tries to help Jason, by trying to remember details of her own abduction. But with her mother stuck in a coma in the hospital, her best friend’s upcoming wedding, and her on-again-off-again relationship with her boyfriend, she already has a lot on her plate.

The Day I Disappeared is an immensely twisty tale combining a serial child abductor story with some intense family drama. Both Holly and her best friend, Kitten, struggle with their relationships with their parents. While in a coma, Holly’s mother, Cecily, is also narrating part of the book. Which adds so much more dimension to the story I found myself enjoying the voice of Holly’s mom very much. Be prepared to dislike many of the characters, my least favorite is the best friend once you read it you will know why. Never Holly though she goes above and beyond to try and figure these abductions out not only for the little girls but for herself as well.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for my gifted eARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review!

HOLY SCHMOLEY SPOOKALICIOUS. This is that true crime, multiple guilty suspects, nightmare inducing story I have been searching for (what does that say about me?). For ages I have been looking for a story that can parallel the true crime podcasts story I hear, that can actually keep this perceptive gal guessing, while making me a little scared of the dark again. Cue "The Day I Disappeared" by Brandi Reeds, my first read of her books, but not the last.

Holly Gebhardt was kidnapped as young child and returned back to the same park wherefrom she was taken, with no memory of the incident, and seemingly fine. A handyman confessed to the crime, and was convicted, but twenty years later, strange circumstances begin to arise making everyone question if the true criminal was convicted.

More young girls in eerily similar circumstances go missing, and the police look to Holly to help put together the pieces. Holly's memory is patchy at best, and weird things begin happening in her life as well. Her loved ones are worried, she is stressed, and it all just progressively goes down hill from here --- but I won't spoil any of the fun.

I will say: CREEPY DOLLS

This was a book that had me eagerly tapping my kindle next (aka the digital page flip), eager to find out who and what was causing such chaos, so I could sleep in peace. Fair warning, I 100% did have two nightmares from this book, which typically only happens for me with a creepily believable tale. SO GO READ IT, IF YOU DARE! *cue maniacal laughter*