I discovered Lisa Jewell’s books in the spring of 2017 and was instantly hooked. She writes psychological thrillers that delve deeply into the intricacies of human, especially familial, relationships. The Night She Disappeared, her latest novel, is a perfect example of all the things Ms. Jewell does right, and I found myself captivated from start to finish.

Kim Knox doesn’t like babies, but that doesn’t keep her from doting on her one-year-old grandson Noah. He might disrupt her nights with his sleepless grumblings on a regular basis, but he brightens Kim’s days. She’s proud of how her daughter Tallulah has risen to the challenges of being a teen mum and how Tallulah’s boyfriend Zach has stepped up as well, proving to be a sweet, devoted father. They are all living with her and her seventeen-year-old son Ryan. The house has been a bit full, but Kim has enjoyed the feeling of being a large, happy family.

When Tallulah and Zach ask to have a date night, Kim doesn’t mind. She’s a young grandma and it is normally her going out of an evening and the teenagers staying home to care for the baby, so it’s not like they ask often. She winds up falling asleep on the couch with Noah lying on top of her, secure in her arms. But when Kim awakens at four in the morning, Tallulah and Zach are still gone. She tries calling both their cellphones, but they go straight to voice mail.

Kim spends the next few hours anxiously awaiting the arrival of the morning so she can contact their friends. Tallulah is an extremely responsible, devoted mother and she would never leave Noah this long without at least checking in on him. Every instinct tells Kim something has happened, but looking for Tallulah turns out to be a futile effort, even when she gets the police involved later that day. Kim’s bright, beautiful girl and Zach have seemed to disappear without a trace.

A year later, Sophie Beck moves with her boyfriend to Upfield Common in the Surrey Hills. This is the location of the school, Maypole House, at which he will be working, a place for sixteen- to nineteen-year-olds who’ve flunked their GCSEs and A levels and whose parents can afford to give them additional years of private education to get it right. It’s also a spot for those kids who’ve been expelled from other schools and have nowhere else to go.

Sophie doesn’t concern herself much with the school and its denizens. It’s the lovely, dark woods that surround the place and the spooky old abandoned estate called Dark Place that sit at their edge which she finds so fascinating. As the author of a mildly popular set of mystery books, she’s convinced the locale will prove deeply inspirational for her work.

When she learns of the missing Zach and Tallulah from the villagers, she becomes deeply intrigued by their case and finds herself desperate to learn the truth of what happened the night they seemingly vanished into thin air. And someone seems determined to help her discover just what occurred because a mysterious note appears on her garden gate that reads, “DIG HERE.” When Sophie does, she finds the first clue to the mystery, a small piece of information that will lead her down a dark and dangerous path.

One of Ms. Jewell’s greatest strengths as a writer – and she has many- is her ability to show how unusual events can disrupt ordinary lives. There is nothing really special about Kim, Sophie, Tallulah and Zach – they are average and rather unexciting, although the author turns that into relatable and endearing rather than mundane and boring. But as the story unfurls, she shows us the layers to each character and the complexities of their relationships, revealing that even in these everyday folk, some serious shadows lurk.

The crime centers on one of my favorite themes: simple decisions which shouldn’t be wrong but turn out to be. A person caught up in a moment of passion, a few choices that aren’t mistakes but that turn out to be calamitous – that is all it takes for these two teens to disappear. The tragedy could have been averted if one character in particular had trusted their instincts but the choices they make turn out to be serious errors.

Another positive is the way Ms. Jewell displays the difficulties for young people in drawing the lines on their entanglements. What do you owe a previous partner? How do you handle someone aggressively pursuing you? When does looking out for you cross the line into controlling you? These are tough questions to answer as adults, and for someone just taking their first steps into grownup relationships the boundaries can seem near impossible to understand.

I thoroughly appreciated that Sophie and Kim aren’t super sleuths but that someone is very emphatically feeding them the clues that lead to the denouement. They go to the police with all their discoveries and the proper authorities do the follow through, which made the solving of the crime seem very believable.

I also just loved our two sleuths’ personalities. Kim is perfect as a mother and grandmother facing an absolutely horrible situation with grace, tenacity, and dignity. She is a warm, generous, thoughtful, and committed mother and I found how she cares for Noah while still being thoroughly involved with the search for Zach and Tallulah, and keeping the missing teens very much in the public’s mind absolutely wonderful.

Sophie is terrific as well. She has some handy skills for putting clues together to give to the police, but she isn’t Wonder Woman and doesn’t see this as her case to solve. She is very supportive of however Kim chooses to handle each piece of the puzzle they’re given and very much takes a backseat to the mum and cops running the show.

There are gay characters in this novel, and as in real life and with all people, some are good and some are less so. One of the issues the narrative examines is how complicated falling in love, and being in love can be, and the mistakes we make trying to get it all right. The author does a good job showing that love stories can be minefields, especially for the young.

My only quibble with the tale comes at almost the very end and because it is in deep spoiler territory, I will have to discuss it in only the most generic of manners. Let’s say a happy result that takes place seemed completely unbelievable. It felt more likely that the people who had gone such lengths to keep their secrets would have dealt with this particular loose end in a different, more severe manner.

Other than that tiny criticism, I thoroughly enjoyed the lovely prose, fascinating characters and complex mystery of The Night She Disappeared. If you are looking for a character driven suspense novel with some surprising twists and turns, this may be the perfect book for you.

After being on thriller high all of August, I was excited to read this one! I was a fan of 2 of her previous books : Then She Was Gone & Watching You.
Unfortunately, this was a disappointing. I loved the premise, dual timelines and POV’s, but I struggled with this one. Not only did I find it slow, but it was hard for me to stay invested as I really didn’t care for any of the characters. It read more like a drama and women’s fiction, which I don’t like when it comes to what is supposed to be a thriller.

I think many, especially first time Lisa Jewell readers will enjoy this one. But I had high expectations and this one let me down.

One evening, nineteen-year old Tallulah and her boyfriend Zach go out for a "date night." This is actually an unusual event for these two - they have a baby boy at home, Tallulah is currently enrolled in college, and Zach has been working to save for their future and a place of their own. When the pair never come home from their night out, Tallulah's mother, Kim, expects the worst. She knows that Tallulah would never abandon her son.

Fast forward to over a year following the disappearance of Tallulah and Zach. The investigation has gone cold and there are no leads to indicate what happened to the couple. A writer of detective novels moves into a nearby cottage with her boyfriend. She finds a mysterious sign near her property that reads "DIG HERE." What she discovers as a result of this ominous sign sparks life back into the investigation. Will Kim ever find out what happened to her daughter and Zach?

Let me start off by saying that Lisa Jewell is one of my go-to authors. She has a way of telling a story that keeps the reader captivated and wondering how it will all end. The Night She Disappeared was a slow burn that led to a jaw-dropping finale. The story alternates between past and present, and is told through multiple points of view. I'm a huge fan of this type of narrative. This one kept me guessing and did not disappoint. Check this one out!

My Review:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars

Lisa Jewell never disappoints. I loved The Family Upstairs and the Melody Browne book - so I was excited to read her newest book! This is a multi POV where it shifts between Talulah in 2017, Tallulah’s mom Kim, and Sophie in 2018. Talullah, a 19 year old mom, who lives with her mom, bf, and her son Noah, disappears after a date with boyfriend after going to the pub. Her friends thought she left in a taxi, but weren't sure. Her mother, Kim, has been trying to keep the police involved in finding her daughter, who would never just abandon her young son . The other POV is Sophie, who is a crime mystery writer who moves to the area where her boyfriend is the new headmaster. She finds a strange sign in their backyard that says “Dig here” with a mysterious item that furthers her curiosity into the local investigation.

I loved how subtly thrilling this was - it had a steady pace, but kept you interested the whole way through. I had a few guesses as to what really happened but this had me on my toes the entire time. This was a great book to get me out of my reading slump.

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wow Lisa Jewell has really knocked it out of the park with this one. I usually read thrillers but I loved this mystery so much. I was very invested in the story as well as the characters. I didn’t want it to end.

This book is the best of Lisa Jewell's that I have read, since The Family Upstairs. The Night She Disappeared was a page turner! I just had to know what happened to Tallulah!

The story went between two time lines, the time leading up to Tallulah's disappearance and after, with multiple points of views. I was confused a bit at the beginning of the book, but once I got into the book, it was not an issue.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery and psychological thrillers. There wasn't a huge twist in this story, but it draws you in and keeps you reading!

3.5 stars! This thriller was a slow burn that kept my attention throughout, although I felt it stalled a bit towards the end. While this ultimately wasn’t my favorite Lisa Jewell book, I really liked the alternating timelines and points of view. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Lisa Jewell has done it again! When it comes to thrillers full of suspense, drama, and buried secrets, she is the queen!

In 2017, Tallulah and her boyfriend, Zach, go out for a night on the town while her mother offers to watch their infant son. But as evening turns to morning, there is no sign of Tallulah or Zach, and Kim begins to worry that something might have happened to them. After questioning her friends, Kim learns that the last place they were seen was at a house called Dark Place nestled in the woods, but from there they simply vanished.

It isn’t until 2019, when Sophie discovers an engagement ring buried near the cottage of prestigious boarding school that the case of the missing couple begins to gain some momentum. Together, Sophie and Kim dig deeper into the secrets of Dark Place and the family that once lived there, hoping to find more answers, but as more evidence comes to light, it appears they might have bitten off more than they can chew.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Night She Disappeared! The story is well paced and Lisa Jewell does a fantastic job of not giving away too much too soon. The breadcrumbs she leaves along the way are subtle, yet they kept me from putting the book down. If you pay close attention, you can deduce where the story is heading, but I was still really surprised by ending. Highly recommend this one!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4006228360

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell is a fantastic thrilling read.
I LOVE this author and this book was no exception.
The characters and the writing style are exceptional.
The plot is perfectly paced and dynamic.
The twists and turns kept me flipping through the pages non stop.
Fantastic read!

This is a exciting thriller that will keep you reading through the night. I have read all of the author's work and this is one of her absolute best. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.

This is a story of a young Mother and her boyfriend who went missing decades ago after attending a party in the woods. Fast forward to present day and her Mother is determined to find the answers to what happened to her daughter . Law enforcement did not take her daughters disappearance seriously and told her to accept she ran away with her boyfriend. She knows better. The ensuring pursuit of answers is consuming her life. When clues take a sinister twist Kim is determined to pursue answers.

I loved this story of a Mother';s love against the most terrible odds. Its a wonderfully told tale of love of family, A enjoyable read that will keep the reader turning pages into the night.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and @atriabooks for the advance copy of The Night She Disappeared. I love love love Lisa Jewell books and this one did not disappoint! ⁣
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I loved the alternate timelines and points of view, and while I had a few suspicions, this one kept me guessing until the very end.

Lisa Jewell has a way of cultivating a book with multiple perspectives and timelines that hold your attention and make you appreciate details. In The Night She Disappeared, Jewell weaves in finding yourself, teen pregnancy, unhealthy relationships, and mental turmoil. About halfway through everything started to piece together as far as the timelines, which made my brain appreciate everything a bit more as I found it easier to keep track of. But the roller coaster kept going and everything hinges on a few minor details that reopen the case of our missing main character; for me there was times where I felt not much happened in the book while at the same time a lot of things happened. The bit of a twist and the why and how of everything did surprise me and then the epilogue spins another twist for us, Jewell just had to get everything and everyone an ending, which I appreciate.

Lisa Jewell is one of those author's that I'm always going to read despite her work being a hit or miss for me most of the time because when her work is good, man is it good.

The Night She Disappeared is her latest novel and it is about a young couple with a baby that goes missing one night without a trace. The girl's mom just knows that her daughter would never leave her son willingly and begs the police to search for her.

Years pass and nothing has been found regarding the missing couple, until a new headmaster and his girlfriend move nearby and find a sign saying 'dig here' opening the investigation back up.

At times this one was a little slow for me, but there was a lot to set up. I could have used more of a creepy feeling with this one but I still liked where the author took the story.

This was the best Jewell in awhile! Definitely kept me interested and entertained. I thought the ending was a bit convoluted - I may need to go back and read that portion again! Definitely a step up from her last few novels.

It sounds like a cliche to say "Lisa Jewell does it again," but wow, she certainly does. i've never been disappointed in one of Jewell's books, and this is certainly no exception. I reviewed it in print and online for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sept. 12.

I’m a big fan of Lisa Jewell’s storytelling so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest mystery, The Night She Disappeared. I knew I would be in for a wild ride and I was not disappointed.

It’s 2017, and 19 year old Tallulah and her boyfriend have left their baby with Tallulah’s mom, Kim, while they go out for a much-needed night on the town. When they don’t return home, Kim becomes frantic because it’s just not like Tallulah to be irresponsible. After calling all her daughter’s friends and learning only that Tallulah had decided to go to a party at Dark Place, a mysterious house in the nearby woods, Kim decides it’s time to call the police. The police investigate but there’s just no sign of either of them, dead or alive.

Two years later, Sophie moves to the same town. Sophie’s husband has just taken a job as headmaster at a local boarding school and they’ll be living in a house on campus. One day while wandering in the woods around the school, Sophie comes across a note affixed to a tree that reads “DIG HERE.” The note looks pretty new so, intrigued, Sophie does as instructed, unaware that she is about to uncover new evidence in Tallulah’s missing persons case.

My favorite part of this story is how Jewell lets the pieces of this mystery come together through dual timelines. The 2017 timeline shows us both the lead up to what ultimately happens with Tallulah and her boyfriend, as well as the initial police investigation as witnessed through the eyes of Kim, who is determined to find out what happened to her daughter. I was so heartbroken for Kim because I just can’t even imagine how she could go on from day to day, raising her grandson alone and wondering everyday what had become of his mother. I was also very sympathetic to Tallulah herself because it becomes clear she had some pretty major issues that she was dealing with up until the time of her disappearance.

The second timeline, which Sophie really kicks into motion with her digging, focuses on what the new evidence brings to light as Sophie decides to do a little sleuthing on her own. Sophie is an author of cozy mysteries who is currently suffering from writer’s block so she goes into this thinking it might help inspire her to write. She has no idea what she is getting herself into as she slowly starts to put together the pieces and gets closer to the truth than anyone has gotten thus far.

It’s definitely a slow burn when it comes to learning the fate of Tallulah and her boyfriend, but the journey is filled with plenty of twists and turns, riveting drama, ever increasing suspense and tension, and a wonderfully intricate plot that will keep you guessing until the very end. I’ve read four of Jewell’s thrillers so far and The Night She Disappeared is my favorite. I read it in a single day and just could not put it down until I had answers, which is what I look for in a great mystery. If you’re looking for a read that will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning, The Night She Disappeared is the book for you.

The Night She Disappeared is the newest thriller by Lisa Jewell. She once again combines a tight plot with characters that you actually care about. A young couple disappears one night leaving their baby without parents. The mother of the young girl in the couple knows her daughter would never abandon her baby. She won’t give up looking for her daughter. The setting was so good in this book. Read and enjoy!

Read this one if you love…
A slow burn mystery
Old mansions
YA reads

Two young teenage parents mysteriously disappear after a night out.

Unlike this authors other books, this one just never got me hooked. Slow burn in the beginning with the back and forth of timelines. I wanted to see how the story played out, but I was never invested in the teenagers story. If you are a YA fan, this is a great one to pick up! Overall, I was just waiting for more. For me, it picked up around 80%.

I loved Kim’s character - I wish more of the story was told from her POV! Also loved the epilogue!! Wish we saw more from that characters POV as well!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for this advanced readers copy!

Lisa Jewell's newest offering The Night She Disappeared keeps readers engaged through two time-lines, three POVs (Tallulah, Kim, and Sophie), and her interesting story line.

June 2017 - Tallulah, 19, is the mother of a one year old son, Noah, whom she absolutely adores. She lives with her mom, Kim, who helps with Noah's care while she attends classes at the local college. Her boyfriend Zach, also 19, has recently moved in with them to take a more active role as Noah's father.

Tallulah and Zach go out for a date night and never return. A year later, the mystery is still not solved though Kim keeps in touch frequently with the detective on the case.

August 2019 - Sophie Beck, a detective novelist, has recently moved out of London to accompany her boyfriend Shaun as he starts a new job as head teacher at a private boarding school. While walking about to get familiar with her new surroundings, Sophie sees a handwritten sign saying "DIG HERE". She continues her walk, but her curiousity keeps nagging at her until she does dig at the designated spot. She uncovers something that turns out to be a clue in the local mystery of the young missing couple. She notifies Kim of her find, and the two work together with the detective in hopes of finally determining what happened to Tallulah and Zach.

Fans of Ms. Jewell, suspense and mystery genres will enjoy this novel. It will appeal to YA readers as well as much of the story deals with the young couple.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel which was published on 9/7/2021. All opinions stated in this review are my own and are freely given.

I really, really enjoyed this multilayered mystery about a young teen mom who gets wrapped up in an abusive relationship and tries to find a way out. Highly recommend if you’re looking for an entertaining thriller with depth!! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy of my very first (but not last!) book by Lisa Jewell!

⚠️CW: homophobia, domestic abuse, teen pregnancy, rape, intimate partner violence