Full review available on: https://bonnevivantetr.wordpress.com/2022/04/09/book-review-unmissing-by-minka-kent/

I had such big hopes from this book due to its highly mysterious and exciting description. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite reach my expectations and I would give it a 3/5.
Did this book have a plot twist? Yes. Dis it surprise me (and multiple times at that)? It absolutely did. However did it have an impact on me? Unfortunately not, and this can be due to the fact that I did not care about any of the characters.
“Unmissing” tells the story of Lydia, who went missing at 20 years old, after being married to Luca Coletto for no more than a few months. The events of the novel take place 9 years after Lydia’s disappearance and start off with Lydia’s escape/return from her kidnapper. As she returns to the town where she and her husband Luca used to live in, she realizes that Luca has remarried to a beautiful woman named Merritt, founded a restaurant business with her and that he now has a family of his own with one little daughter and one baby on the way.
Now I don’t know why but Lydia decides to deal with her return all alone: she doesn’t go to the police, claim that she is alive or file a complaint for her abductor. The book actually brings somewhat of an explanation for this in the later chapters but I unfortunately didn’t find this course of action very logical. As she’s trying to make it on her own, a very kind-hearted woman, Delphine comes into her life and helps her as much as she can.
Once ready, Lydia goes to face Luca in his new house. Of course, this reappearance of a once presumably dead woman changes everything for Luca and his family. As pages and chapters pass, we’re confronted with not one but two plot twists. Honestly, I thought these were pretty good plot twists, I heard that some people found them rather predictable but fortunately this wasn’t the case for me. I was sincerely surprised. But I just couldn’t care for any of the characters which made the twists less impactful. To be fair, the most likable, logical and credible character was Delphine (the woman who helped Lydia) for me.
Since the book alternates in between Lydia’s and Merritt’s eyes and is written in first person POV, this literary decision obliges the author to actually turn both of these women into unreliable narrators in the middle of the book just for the sake of the plot twists. And the problem is that we learn these twists by reading Lydia and Merritt’s thoughts once again IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK. But we’ve actually been reading their thoughts from the beginning and they actually know the plot twist so they’re not actually shocked by these revelations. So I don’t understand how it would be possible for them to not think about these facts all along the book once they cross paths and suddenly think of it to reveal a mystery and cause excitement once it’s convenient for the plot? It’s not like they’re learning something new from an investigation or something, they already know what they’re thinking.
Of course, this small logical problem got so much under my skin that I couldn’t empathize with nor care for any of these women afterwards.
However after this much critique, I should also give this book its value. First of all, the idea behind the book felt new, it just could’ve been better executed. Second of all, the plot twists actually surprised me more than I was expecting them to: they were out of the ordinary. The truth behind the events of Lydia’s disappearance, turned out to be way darker than I had anticipated. And finally, once the pace picks up especially towards the latest chapters of the book, you don’t want to put the book down which is almost always a good sign. I would also say that the ending was actually very good, that I think that the title of the book is a brilliant and original idea and that I love the book cover (which drove me to read this book the first time from what I can remember.
So if you’re looking for a mystery/thriller book that is quite different from most of the books in the bookstores and if you don’t easily get disturbed from slight inaccuracies or logical mistakes, you are very likely to enjoy this book, I’d suggest you to give it a thought.

Okay Minka Kent you got me a little with this one! This was an enticing, unpredictable domestic thriller. I wasn’t really sure what was going on and was thrown for two fun loops! Minka Kent never disappoints!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercher for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was good. It definitely held my interest and was a twisty ride the whole way through, but some of the twists were predictable. The story was fairly original, but I have read similar plotlines before.

Let's start with the fact that I hated every character in this book with the exception of Delphine? She was the only person I could feel empathy for. Lydia should have been a sympathetic protagonist, but she came off as unlikeable. We were supposed to feel sympathy for Merritt too, but she was a flat out b****. I felt like there wasn't enough character development and one of the main twists (and one of the ones I predicted) was kind of confusing as to the why. I won't give anything away because I hate spoilers. All in all, a decent, quick read if you're looking for something fast paced to read in one sitting. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this eARC.

A story about an abducted woman rebuilding her life after escape and getting revenge on her captor will definitely keep you turning the pages. I have seen lots of hype around this new thriller but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would! I read it in a day and enjoyed the page turning experience, but it didn't captivate me the way other thrillers have. In fact, I would say this is more suspense than thriller. I guessed the twist early on and the ending left me unsatisfied.

I’ve never read this author before but I will be reading more from them. I absolutely loved this and was flipping through the pages late into the night. I loved the main character and I felt for her.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the gifted book.

To sum this up in one word: Underwhelming. I heard people rave about this book as fantastic, but although I read this book quickly, I got to the end and didn't really care how it ended. It was hard to be invested in the characters because they had no depth to them. I wanted a thriller that sucked me in and blew me away and this just fell flat.

Intriguing premise and very twisty as Minka Kent books usually are. The alternating point of view work well for this book, but the pacing was inconsistent. Overall a solid thriller!

The Unmissing by Minka Kent was a fabulous read. It is my first book by this author. The author starts the book about a woman named Lydia, who is married to Luca. They are happily married til one day Lydia disappears while hiking through the woods near their home. After couple years, Luca remarries to a woman named Merit. They have a daughter and another baby on the way. Luca is a very successful restaurant owner. The couple are very happy and have everything that anyone would dream of. But, one day Lydia escapes the man that kidnapped her for 9 years. She shows up at Luca's home. There lives are turned upside down with a major twist. I enjoyed this book. It was slow in beginning but the author was building up the characters to give an amazing unforgettable twist

More like 3 and ½ Stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Mercer for my advanced copy of Unmissing.

I'm going to keep this short.

I missed the pub day ( as is usual ) so I bought this one on Amazon as an ebook and upgraded to add the audio. It's very inexpensive to do.

I enjoyed the audio!

Unmissing had two narrators. Carly Robins & Jane Oppenheimer. They both did a stellar job. I appreciate when books with dual POV's have multiple narrators.

I've been a Minka Kent fan for quite a while and while I can't say this is my favorite by her , It was still a solid read. I was unsure for about 50 percent of the book but once I reached the second half things really started to pick up.

Overall- Recommend. I look forward to reading more by this author.

What did I just read? By far, the most twisty turny book I've read in a very long time. The character development was excellent, the story, a crazy ride, that i loved! One element I caught on pretty fast. But the way it played out, nope. I could never have guessed.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

I love Minka Kent she is a must read for any thriller lover!!
Lydia was only married to Luca Colett for three months when she went for a hike and disappeared. She was kidnapped and held hostage in a cabin and tortured and attacked. Everyone presumed she was dead.
Fast forward and it’s been nine years, and Luca is married to Merritt now , they have an adorable three year old daughter and she’s eight month pregnant with their second. They own a chain of restaurants and outside looking in they appear to have it all, underneath their perfection their in debt and struggling to sell their restaurants. One night while Luca was gone for a business meeting, Merritt hears a knock at the door it’s dark out and she’s nervous. To her shock a woman who appears to be homeless is outside her door and when she answers the woman says she’s Lydia! Luca and Merritt are shocked but why hasn’t Lydia gone to the police? Lydia doesn’t have any legal identity anymore, shes staying with a shop-owner in town. Merritt is convinced maybe if they befriend Lydia and help her start over she will leave them alone and move on, but will it be that easy? As we dig deeper and the story is told in Lydia and Merritts POV we begin to see a twisted story unfold but whose playing who? Wow this was a rollercoaster five stars!

A pretty decent twist that I didn't see coming but I hated all the characters and parts of this dragged a little.

"Unmissing" is the first book I've read by Minka Kent, and it will definitely not be the last! This book centers around Lydia, who was kidnapped and tortured for nearly a decade. Upon finally escaping her captor, she returns back home to her husband, only to discover that he has remarried a built a new life without her. As Lydia struggles to reclaim those missing years, secrets are uncovered and just when you think you've figured things out, the author pulls out a twist you never expected.

This was a fun, spellbinding book to read! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow, this book kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Imagine being attacked and held captive for 9 years by a monster. You escape after you are left for dead after being shot and you find out that your husband has not only married again, but he has landed himself in the lap of luxury.

Told from the POVS of both wives, this is a train wreck waiting to happen, yet those trains take some ghastly turns before the wreckage even begins!

Fast-paced, exhilarating, thriller lovers delight!

The premise of this one hooked me from the beginning! I loved the slow unravel of this story. The author gives us just enough at a time to keep the reader engaged and wondering where this is going. I loved the shocking conclusion, although I had kind of guessed the twist. This was twisted and fun! 4⭐️

What an exciting ride this was! I love a thriller with twists you don’t see coming and this definitely delivered! I enjoyed the beautiful Oregon setting. The premise was clever and original and the characters well developed.

Unmissing by Minka Kent is a thriller about Merritt and her husband Luca, who have a lovely home and a growing family. One day, Luca's first wife, who was missing for ten years and supposedly dead, shows up at Merritt's door. Where has Lydia been all this time? In this book, no one is who you think they are. There are so many twists, but they work really well. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This is one of the best mysteries I have ever read! The final paragraphs of the book add to the mystery. Luca is married to Lydia and she disappears. In the meantime Luca marries Merritt and have a wonderful life. They purchase a beautiful home, have 2 children and own 7 thriving restaurants. While Luca is away on business, a visitor appears at their home and it is Lydia. This book has twists and turns and you can not put it down. An excellent story!!

I love a thriller that can keep you on your toes and Unmissing by Minka Kent did just that!

Merritt and Luca seem to have the ideal marriage with their second baby only weeks away from being born. But, things take a turn when Luca’s presumed dead wife, Lydia, comes a-knockin’ with quite the story to tell. What could possibly go wrong?

Told in both Merritt and Lydia’s POV, we learn what life was like for Lydia in the nine years that she has been missing, which left me with a lot of questions and barely any answers. But, the more I read on, the more I thought I knew what was happening. Point one for me! But, then Kent twisted the script and I was back to square one again with many more questions needing answers. Ugh!

I will admit, I do love a story where I hate every single character and both Merritt and Lydia are not exactly very likable and I kept going back and forth between like and dislike for both of them. Another plus while reading this story was the very short chapters which I absolutely love. The story is incredibly engaging and will keep you on your toes as you flip through the pages needing to know how it all ends.

If you love a story with questionable characters, a twisted tale and mystery just begging to be solved, then you definitely will want to Unmissing by Minka Kent

This was my second Minka Kent book and I flew right through this one! I am understanding why so many love her books! Overall, a great thriller that kept my attention through out!

I think this is one of those books that going in as blind as possible is the best way to read this book so I am keeping this vague and just encouraging you to check it out!