3.5 rounded to 4 stars!

Jumping back and forth between before Sally's Holt's sister Kathy dies and after, this coming-of-age story is a unique take on the typical genre. At its core, this story is a series of memories, stories and thoughts that Sally has regarding her sister, both before and after her death. Stories of how her life was with Kathy, stories of how her family changed after Kathy's death, stories of how she grew up.

This book will fill you with nostalgia if you are a person over the age of 20, as this book brought me right back to my childhood, so many times. This book is a slow burn, an ultimate building of characters. At first, I almost put this book aside as it was too slow, too disjointed to read. But suddenly, the stories started coming together and a real narrative developed. I enjoyed the melancholy.

I took a few parts of the book and saw my own self in Sally, in Kathy, even in their mother, as I myself am now a mother. This book is a story of the ties that bind us. It is sad, it is hopeful, it is tragic, it is life.

Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Henry Holt and Co., for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed reading this! The writing was strong and the story was enjoyable. I recommend it.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance was such a lovely, melancholy read. I absolutely loved the author's writing style - her word choice, her characterizations, and the use of the second person made for an absolute delight of a story even though it centered around the unthinkable... the death of a teenage girl, Kathy, and the repercussions of that loss on her family (particularly her sister, Sally), her boyfriend Billy, and her friends/community. This book touched on so many themes related to grief, love, family, loss, moving on, and growth. It was a coming of age story but also a story that leaned into marriage, priorities between spouses, and growth throughout one's life. It was stunning and powerful, and I cannot say enough good things about this book. It is one to ponder and dwell in.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved Espach's debut novel and had been eagerly anticipating her next book. Sad to say, this one just didn't do anything for me. Because I ultimately DNFed it, I am not leaving any public reviews on my regular platforms as I do not believe that would be fair.

I really loved this book. I read without hardly stopping as I had to know more.
You will love it.
Highly recommend!!!

In this coming of age novel, sisters Sally and Kathy Holt are going through the motions of middle and high school, teenage drama, and boys. One boy in particular, is Billy; everyone loves the high school basketball star. Kathy sets her eyes on Billy and by the end of the summer, they’re together. Driving to school, going to parties, and making summer and college plans together. A horrible accident happens and the world seems to fall apart. Especially for those left behind.
This novel details that falling apart. It shows that grief has no timeline, no end game, and can appear in so many ways. Grief isn’t linear. And this novel pinpoints how grief may present itself even years after it happens.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance" by Alison Espach was recommended to me by a friend. I was able to read it on NetGalley. This book made me laugh and cry. It is the story of Sally, her sister Kathy, her parents and Kathy's teenage boyfriend, Billy. A terrible accident occurs when the girls are teenagers and this is the story of that. The buildup and the after. A great book!

10 out of 5 stars! This book will definitely be in my top 5 books of 2022. My only complaint is that I waited all the way until September to read it!

I loved the unique structure of this story and that although there is some romance, this is truly a love story of sisters, Sally and Kathy. It’s quiet, but I kept wanting to turn the page. I truly can’t say enough good things about this book so just go read it. I’ll definitely be picking up Espach’s backlist.

READ for themes of:
- love between sisters
- grief
-romance
-coming of age

I enjoyed this book, especially the way that it was written - in 2nd person! It took a while to get used to that, but it really made a difference in the way the story went.

My only complaint was the ending - the reader KNOWS what is going to happen, but an epilogue would have been perfect here!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC!

What sounded like an interesting premise didn't work for me. I found the narrator boring and the use of the second person way of speaking annoying. The story evolved very slowly and I just didn't care about the sisters

My want to like this was greater than my ability to actually like this, it fell apart as it got closer to the climax for me.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is a coming of age novel where the lead character Sally has to walk through the grief of losing her sister Kathy. The author has a real touch for writing the emotion of grief and so the book is moving if not altogether enjoyable. I stayed engaged wanting to see Sally's life as she moved ahead. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Sally going through different stages of life after her sister's, you guessed it, disappearance (in the form of death). It was a very sad book and I think that other people would enjoy it, but I found the pacing off and the main character hard to connect with.

A heart wrenching love story that examines grief, loss, and coming of age. A difficult but important read that was emotional and thought provoking. Beautifully written story.

So many reviewers have either loved or hated this book! I found in it a worthwhile, sad, and extremely honest exploration of death, grief, family dynamics, and one teenager’s coming-of-age in the midst of it all. It’s hard to say I enjoyed the subject matter, but you may be one of the likers if the topics mentioned- and the uncensored voice of a bewildered teenager facing it all- appeal to you.

The pain of losing someone you love is so overwhelming. It really resonated with me because I recently lost my mom and I could really feel Sally’s pain. It’s heartbreaking but at the same time it’s interesting to see how much Sally grows through it.

I absolutely loved this book. Alison Espach’s writing is unique and she managed to imbue this story, a very sad one, with so much dry humor. I read her book The Adults many years ago and while I didn’t remember much of the plot, the minute I started this one, I recognized the writing style. Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is about two young sisters, a tragedy, and the unlikely relationship that forms in its wake (trying not to to give anything away here in case you want to go in blind, but know if you google it you’ll get a lot more). It’s told in the second person, as if the reader is the older sister Kathy, and that felt like a really smart choice. It lends an intimacy and poignancy to the story that draws you right in. This isn’t a light read, but it felt like a slice of life and there were so many legitimately funny moments – almost sad funny, like might as well laugh because if you don’t you’re going to cry. It’s a coming of age story, a family drama, an examination of grief, a love story, and a story about sisters. I won’t forget this one anytime soon and it’s sure to be in my end of year top ten.

I absolutely loved this book! So much so that I ordered my own physical copy. The cover really attracted me to the story and the plot/distribution of the plot. I love coming of age novels and this one was perfect. I will definitely be recommending!

I wanted to like this one so much...but... I couldn't get into it. It is VERY character driven and I just felt like I didn't have any reason to connect with Sally. Ugh.