As a fan of true crime podcasts and podcasts in thrillers I had to read this. I'll admit the cover is interesting too. I do plan to re-read this and listen to the audio book when it's available because I need to hear those podcast elements. Sera is searching for her favorite podcaster, Rachel, after she goes missing. She heads to Rachel's small hometown and ends up finding a way to insert herself into Rachel's family's life. She gets a job working on the ranch where Rachel lived and slowly but surely the tale unfolds and it's ominous and just plain creepy. There's weird cats and sickly looking dogs, horses turning on one another, weird poisons to kill overrun blackberry bushes, no internet, no cell phone service, and literally everyone from the parents to Jeb, the ranch hand, are strange. I found it very difficult trying to imagine where the story was taking me, where I would end up, and there were many times that Sera felt watched, but she never gave up, never tried to leave. Even more odd is how everyone from Rachel's parents to Jeb to Rachel's brother, and friends, even the cops all had theories where Rachel was or what happened to her, yet no one except Sera really seemed concerned about her disappearance. Everything stayed just on the wrong side of right and it kept me guessing and curious if Sera was on the right track, if she would solve the case, but the ending left me puzzled more than once. Since I honestly had no clue what was happening, I couldn't figure out what I expected exactly yet the ending left me just in that state of "huh..." and when things started being revealed it just got more and more weird until the last page. I can't say it's an ambiguous ending because it's pretty much spelled out, but I got whiplash with the twists and it made it feel like I just needed a tiny bit more. Like I said at the beginning I do hope to re-read this one when it releases in January 2021, hear the podcast elements, see the story a bit more polished, and see what I think the second go around.

#IfIDisappear #NetGalley
A interesting and at times creepy book about following a need to know. We live in a world of right this minute and this novel shows us that there are places that we can go that will go way beyond our worst nightmares. A psychological thriller with a twist. I really enjoyed this novel. It reads quick and has a gut punch tied in.

A claustrophobic theiler about a determined fan who goes in search of the host of a true crime podcast who seems to have disappeared from the isolated dude ranch owned by her parents before revealing the murder at the heart of the broadcast The problem is that neither the protagonist nor the woman she's seeking are interesting or sympathetic, the parents and other ranch employees creepy and unpleasant, and the motives of both women are too murky and poorly explicated to give the reader any reason to finish the book .

A solid thriller from beginning to end. I was hooked. A must read for true crime enthusiasts and pod cast lovers.

IF I DISAPPEAR is a spellbinding tale of obsession and isolation, and the darkness that can unspool when the two intertwine. Thick with atmosphere and dripping with tension, this is a book you’ll want to devour in one sitting — if you dare.

3 Stars

“We look because we have to. Because no one else will.” - If I Disappear.

REVIEW: Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Eliza Brazier for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book follows Sera, who is a lover of true crime podcasts. Her favorite are the podcasts that follow the disappearances of women and she feels like they are preparing her for something. So when her favorite podcast host Rachel goes missing, Sera decides to try to find her. She moves out to a ranch in Rachel’s hometown to search for clues, but the more she looks for clues the more things start to feel off.

This was a fun thriller to read at the end of summer! I thought it was really unique the way it incorporated a true crime podcast in with the plot of the story. In addition, the novel had many twists that kept me guessing about what was actually going on. What didn’t work for me with this book was the ending. Although I felt it was good, things got a little confusing and in some ways I felt it was a little too convenient of an ending. It seemed to wrap up very quickly after a long suspense. Overall, I would still recommend this book to thriller lovers as I think it is a unique story!

Release Date: January 26, 2021

SYNOPSIS: Sera loves true crime podcasts. They make her feel empowered in a world where women just like her disappear daily. She's sure they are preparing her for something. So when Rachel, her favorite podcast host, goes missing, Sera knows it's time to act. Rachel has always taught her to trust her instincts.

Sera follows the clues hidden in the episodes to an isolated ranch outside Rachel's small hometown to begin her search. She's convinced her investigation will make Rachel so proud. But the more Sera digs into this unfamiliar world, the more off things start to feel. Because Rachel is not the first woman to vanish from the ranch, and she won't be the last... Rachel did try to warn her.

I was very intrigued when I started the book. The idea of a person trying to find the author of several podcasts because she suddenly stops publishing them was a good story line but then the story just seemed to deteriorate with bits of romance, country western etc. thrown in. The last few chapters were very far fetched. I give it three stars because it kept me reading until the end.

Fast paced and thrilling. Rachel's' Podcast is all about women who disappear, when she herself disappears Sera, a devoted fan decides to investigate. Sera travels to an isolated ranch where Rachel lived and starts to uncover clues. The family at the ranch and the people in town all seem a bit weird and things just get weirder. Its a bit like a Twilight Zone episode. Sera is determined to discover the truth and has no one to trust.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Like any good mystery there are plenty of suspects and motives. The writing is simple and direct. The pace picks up as the story unfolds. Though I wondered at times if Sera herself had gone insane that only added to the fun of the story line. I recommend this book to any like who like lean, fast paced mysteries.

As an avid true crime podcast listener, I was very excited by the premise of this book. This book definitely checks all my boxes, disappearances, mysteries, and some creepy characters along the way.

Thanks for the advanced copy Berkley and NetGalley!

In summary:
Sera's disturbing obsession with Rachel and Rachel's true-crime podcast takes a dark turn when Sera believes that Rachel has gone missing.

Sera is convinced that it's her duty to search for Rachel, and from the personal tidbits Rachel dropped throughout her podcast and on her personal social media, Sera is able to find Rachel's hometown and family ranch, and begin her investigation. As Sera digs, she finds more questions than answers. Why can noone agree on what happened to Rachel? What is Rachel's family hiding? Can Sera trust anyone? Can Sera trust herself?

She's not sure of any it. But she's determined to find out.

In review:
Whew! When I say Sera is obsessed she is OBSESSED. The sort of rambling intensity we see in Sera's obsession reminded me a bit of "You", by Caroline Kepnes, and it's what grabbed me at the beginning of my read through.

I think that the book was generally well-paced but did have slow portions in the middle that I found myself rushing through, though in all fairness I find this is true with most thrillers. Some of the twists and plot points needed to have more explanation or more build-up to feel like they belonged, as a few things felt thrown in, and yes, a few characters needed more fleshing out. Even Sera, at times, felt a bit unbelievable and in truth, I can't imagine anyone putting up with the endless, blunt interrogating that she subjects nearly everyone to. Despite my nitpicks, this book was entertaining and for some reason felt a bit like a guilty pleasure. The premise was interesting, and some of the twists worked really well. The way Brazier puts Sera's obsession to page felt compelling, particularly in its beginning. In parts, you'll feel a bit like Sera, like you can't trust anything that's being revealed to you. And perhaps you shouldn't.

Read this if you like:
Guest List by Lucy Foley
Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Eliza Jane Brazier's debut novel If I Disappear is a campy, culty delight!
I live for the creep factor, the who-done-it mystery, where the fingers seem to point in every direction and you just can't for the life of you seem to figure any of it out.

Sera is a lonely woman, a divorcee who has recently lost her baby, her husband, and is on the verge of losing her job and even her home when her favorite podcast host seems to have gone missing.
Rachel is the host of a true-crime podcast called "Murder, she spoke." When Rachel suddenly stops airing episodes, Sera takes it upon herself to travel to Rachel's hometown to solve this mystery. At first Sera is unsure if Rachel is even missing, I mean, after all, she doesn't even really know this person, does she?
Once she arrives at Rachel's family's summer dude ranch, she finds it in disrepair, not at all the idyllic ranch Rachel painted for her podcast listeners, and she quickly realizes something is amiss. there is a mystery to be solved here, a missing woman, and EVERYONE is a suspect!

This book is a slow burn, an unraveling of small clues. Just when I would have an AHA moment, thinking I had it all figured out, I would be left with 12 more questions, and honestly, i'm not mad about that aspect of the story at all!
The protagonist's personality wasn't developed enough for me to connect with her, and her personality fell flat for me. I feel like she was trying to be portrayed as strong and fearless but she felt very one dimensional. I was hoping to have an explosive ending after such a slow unraveling, but it wasn't that for me at all. So many loose ends needed to be tied up, leaving the reader with an open ending and even more questions, What happened to Rachel? What did Sera do? How did it end? I had Sopranos flashbacks all over again.

Overall, this was a solid debut, it was a good book, and I can't wait to see what they do with the TV series!

OH MY GOD. OH. MY. GOD!!! CALLING ALL MURDERINOS AND TRUE CRIME AFICIONADOS!!

This was so good. I truly did not expect any of the plot twists. I literally was just along for the ride because the author was doing an amazing job of setting up plots, introducing us to characters and I trusted them in guiding me along. This was soo good!!!! I loved the premise (primarily because I’m a true crime buff myself) and I loved how creepy the whole thing seemed. Literally I can see this played out on the big screen as a thriller because I even got anxious here and there over how dangerous everything was.

I highly recommend. On technical aspects; the writing was good, the plot was not rushed at all, many morally grey characters (including our narrator) and many surprises that you won’t see coming.

The book was fast-paced which I always enjoy in a story but the plot twists needed more answers for me. Sera was boring at times and the ending was open and I don’t like open endings because I want to know what happened. I also wished that there had been some part of Rachel’s pov when she went “missing” in the beginning. It was a podcast episode but I would have liked to actually hear Rachel’s voice. There was a lot of typos in the book (which I get this is an arc) but it was a lot.

This is the third book I've read recently where it's a thriller based on a podcast. I though it was done fairly well, although at times the main character was annoying. The story continued to build and really picked up towards the end. The final meeting she had was a very good twist and definitely unexpected.

By the way, I was more than a little surprised that I was turned down for my request for a galley of The Nature of Fragile Things. As a CEO of Kensington Publishing, and someone who reads and posts a review of a book at least twice a week; it doesn't make any sense. The fact that I'm CEO of Kensington is in my profile; but I guess you have your reason. I have about 1200 followers on FB and we have 12,000 members in our Between The Chapters FB Group, which also receives my reviews.

Best,

Steven Zacharius
President and CEO
Kensington Publishing Corp.

This one kind of won me over despite myself, or itself, or something. So, there you are, going back and forth about the narrator's reliability, and you suddenly realize that this huge crapload of stuff just happened, or probably happened, or may yet happen...and the whole time you've been addressed as "you," by which I mean Rachel, by which I mean a character you haven't even met yet...and the whole damn thing is like that.

This book is about a girl that lives in a small town that’s humiliating experience what she’ll do anything to disappear only something sinister follows her. I highly recommend the psychological thriller.

Sera has lost nearly everything in her life - her husband, her unborn child, her career. The only thing she (desperately) clings to is a true-crime podcast, hosted by a woman named Rachel. Sera knows every episode, every tip Rachel ever gives, and every minute detail about Rachel’s idyllic life on living on her family’s ranch.

When Rachel suddenly stops producing her weekly pods, Sera <b>knows</b> something is wrong. She can feel it in her bones. So she heads to the ranch, which is completely isolated, and ends up with a job as a ranch hand, working for Sera’s strange parents on the large property. Her intent is to follow Rachel’s lead and investigate the family and property, as well as the small, strange town a few miles away. But things don’t go as Sera intended. At all.

<i>If I Disappear</i> had great bones and a hell of an ending! I enjoyed the podcast quotes at the beginning of each chapter as well, which were a great addition. I gave it 3.5 stars ⭐️, leaning towards 4. The character development was great, especially for Sera—you really got to know her and how alone/empty she truly felt. This thriller just kept getting more and more interesting as the storyline picked up!

Sera loves listening to Rachel's podcasts. Rachel tells about women who have disappeared and no one is looking for them. Sera feels like she herself is figuratively disappearing from her own life. Then Rachel disappears. Sera gets a job at Rachel's home, a guest ranch owned by Rachel's parents out in the boonies, where she secretly investigates Rachel's disappearance. Plenty of creepy people abound on the ranch and in the nearby town.

I enjoyed this story. It was weird at first to get used to the author's style of writing. Eliza Jane Brazier writes in first person from Sera's point of view as if Sera is talking to Rachel. I read the book in one day so that tells me it should earn 5 stars simply because I couldn't put it down. However, I would give it 5 stars for the story alone.

This didn't work for me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, including Sera. Her obsession with Rachel was odd and it didn't ring true that no one ever called her on it. Like, no, you don't know her better than anyone. Also, for an avid true crime podcast listener, she sure does a lot of inexplicable things.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for providing this review copy.

I was attracted to this book because of the cover, which is a fantastic tie-in with the plot! I was a little worried that it would be a rehash of the books I have read that involve podcast, but this book is in a league of its own! What a story! There are so many twists and turns and psychological pulls that make it so you cannot put down this book!