I was privileged to read The Gaps by Leanne Hall before its release date in March 2021. It starts with Chloe Cardell ruminating on the disappearance of her classmate Yin. Chloe just transferred to the school Balmoral and does not know her classmates very well at this time. The abduction takes a toll on all the Year Ten students, and as the days go by, there is less and less hope that Yin will be returned like the other girls before her. It starts a wave of fear, anxiety, and doubt among the students; the teachers start getting questioned, the students see police around campus, and fathers start getting questioned as well. No one quite knows how to handle the emotions that the disappearance brings on for these girls.
After a few days, popular student, Natalia comes into the story. Natalia is a blonde spitfire who rules Year Ten. She always has a posse of friends around her, who cause fear in everyone around them. Natalia is particularly shaken up by the disappearance of Yin, she and Yin were best friends in lower school, but they drifted apart before Year Seven.
Art is a major theme in this novel; Chloe loves creating art but does not know if it is the right path for her in life. Chloe and Natalia start a friendship through an art project that Chloe is working on for an exhibition at Balmoral. Through art there is conflict, foreshadowing in the disappearance of Yin, and the start of new friendships and understanding in the students at the school. The author cleverly set up the story to show what it is like going through a traumatic experience for those who are left behind. The fear that boils inside each of the students, how they attempt to curb their emotions, while trying to be more aware of their surroundings so they are not the next to be taken. The author combines the fear of the students with the fear and nerves of the parents and teachers in the story.

i truly did enjoy this book and the writing flowed so easily, creating such a chilling and lovely environment. however, the pace was continuously a little off and i wish that was more steady but none the less, i definitely loved this and would rate it highly! the characters instantly grew on me and the setting was beautiful - the plot was carried out amazing.

Oh my goodness... what an absolutely breathtaking book. <i>The Gaps</i> is the kind of book you think about for weeks, months, maybe even years after you finish it. It’s tragic, its hopeful, it’s heartbreaking, it’s heartwarming, it’s beautiful.

One thing that I adored about this book is how distinct each narrator was. Hall does an incredible job giving Chloe and Natalia their own voices. The development of their friendship is beautiful to read about. I also loved the commentary on art and how creativity can be used to cope and express emotion.

<i>The Gaps</i> tackles so many issues - some more obviously than others - including race, gender politics and gender identity, sexuality, and class. It also tackles one of the hardest scenarios: survivor’s guilt and what it means to be left behind. Hall achieves all of this with grace and eloquence.

I am in awe of this book and will be purchasing a physical copy as soon as its publication date (my birthday!) arrives. Stunning.

Not my favorite read, not my least favorite. The mystery of a local girl's disappearance seems to run like background interference for the true story- friendship between unlikely friends. A good quick, vacation read.

An excellent story of young people experiencing extraordinary circumstances and unfathomable grief. Leanne Hall is deeply in tune with the worlds of her characters here, and she is so skilled in replicating the looks, tones, voices, and inner and outer lives of teenagers and their families. This is a solid, affecting read.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Gaps in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't quite what I was expecting and I really enjoyed it for that. Based on the description, I was expecting your typical "two teens from different social scenes become friends in the face of tragedy to try and solve a mystery" book but there's a lot less emphasis on the mystery of where Yin's gone/who's taken her in favor of focusing on how the kidnapping affects everyone else in our dual protagonist's lives. The Gaps is definitely also feminist fiction and I really enjoyed its discussions about how society treats both missing and not-yet-missing girls. A page-turning, thought-provoking read.

First I would like to say thanks to the author for giving me an ARC copy of this book! I really enjoyed it. It was not what I was expecting but was very very good. It was filled with emotion, regret and I loved the friendship between Chloe and Natalia as I watched it grow. I loved seeing the broken girls come together through things that were important to them as it was really emotional to read. It was written from two alternating perspectives, Chloe and Natalia, which I really enjoyed. Overall, such a good book!

A spellbinding coming-of-age story of ordinary high school girls, who are anything but ordinary. They are dragged from the innocence of a protected existence by a dramatic occurrence to one of their school chums. The writing style is genius, with common school girl chatter overlaying a narrative charged with wisdom and a sense of critical observation far beyond their age. The young, and not so young, will be forever changed by reading this gem.

DNF at 14%
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc

I'm sad that I'm dnf-ing this but I also would rather dnf than give it a low rating. The arc was so oddly formated. Some of the text was red and the alignment was off. Also, there was a character named Arnold who I thought was a stuffed animal, but then it galloped and stuck out his tongue and then I realized he was a dog, and I'm pretty sure it never said that.

I'm just very confused and I might pick it back up when the finished copy comes out.