Cue the alarms and someone hand me a megaphone...

I have an announcement to make.

Listen up folks, if you do not have a copy of In the Vanishing Hour, you are missing out on one heck of a book.

There is still time, head on over to your favorite bookstore and BUY this book.

Talk about an atmospheric setting, I was completely immersed in the New England surroundings, teleported into a different era. Secrets, mystery and suspense, this book is anything but slow and will have you speeding though the pages, eager to connect the dots.

Sarah Beth Martin, is an author to keep an eye on, I see big things in her future. .

Teaser :

Massachusetts, Summer, 1951: When a boy drowns in the Charles River, a family is devastated, and the town of Norumbega is changed forever.

Eight years later, Frances Adams lives in the shadow of her dead brother, Mac. At her window dresser job she befriends model Gwen, who inspires her to reinvent herself. When Gwen vanishes into the river, Frances is devastated, and Mac's death comes rushing back to her. She becomes obsessed with Gwen's memory, and transforms herself into her likeness.

An investigation begins, and the police question three young men. Frances and friend Iris follow them to the local riverside park, where one of the men—the suspicious Harris—mistakes Frances for Gwen. Frances is intrigued to haunt him, and continues to pursue him in secret. As the mystery unravels, shocking revelations about its connection to a long-past family tragedy come to the surface.

Set in the haunting atmosphere of 1950s and 1970s New England, In the Vanishing Hour weaves suspense and mystery into a story about loss, identity, and the secrets best left untold.

I LOVED the haunted, creepy atmosphere of this book. It was a little out of my comfort zone genre wise but I'm so glad i went for it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Love the cover of this one!

I really enjoyed this book. It was strange, atmospheric, mysterious, and exquisitely written. Told in dual POVs and dual timelines, the mystery of what happened to cause two peoples deaths is slowly revealed. The characters are well written and multi layered. The plot is a slow burn that feels like you are taking a boat ride down a long and winding river in summertime. A truly beautiful read that I can't recommend highly enough!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This was a bit of a slow burn. It was set in two time lines. It had great nostalgia as I grew up in the 70’s. The more I read, the more riveting and hauntingly lovely it became. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read In the vanishing hour by Sarah Beth Martin. The premise of this story is what drew me to read it: Frances befriends a model, Gwen who resembles Frances. When Gwen disappears, Frances begins to change her life to become just like Gwen. When on the suspects in Gwen's disappearance believes Frances is actually Gwen, she starts to follow him. Unfortunately, I just found the book to be too slow, It could be the mood I was in, but I finally gave up. This was a no for me, but others might like it.

In the Vanishing Hour is a story set in two-time frames, 1959 and 1974. Families are changed after a death in the family, and Frances is struggling after her brother, Mac, dies in the Charles River. Frances is working as a window dresser in a department store when Gwen arrives to work as a model. You wouldn’t think these two would become friends, but Gwen takes Frances under her wing and shows her how, with a few small subtle changes she can stand out a bit more. But interestingly Gwen and Frances have similar looks almost as if they are related.

Shortly after Gwen arrives, she disappears one night as they are out canoeing in the river. Frances feels an intense sense of loss and becomes close to Harris. Their stories are revealed in the two time periods each with their own revelations of what happened to Both Mac and Gwen.

This is a beautiful story with secrets of the past revealed over time. It is a little slow to start but is holds you until the very end.

Frances Adams lives in the shadow of her dead brother, Mac. At her window dresser job, she befriends model Gwen, whose resemblance to Frances inspires her to reinvent herself. When Gwen vanishes into the river, Frances becomes obsessed with her memory. She transforms herself into Gwen’s likeness and feels an identity she has not felt before.
Set in alternative years of 1959 and 1974, this book is told from the perspectives of Frances and Harris. The premise is thrilling and the writing is good. However, the story did not grab my interest due to the extremely slow pace of the novel. The last part of the novel where everything comes together is the best part. Had this book been a bit more fast paced, I would have really enjoyed it more.

That was a strange book that I think I really liked but it was also often quite frustrating. Set in Norumbega, Massachusetts it covers mainly two timelines - 1959 and 1974 although a few other years make an appearance.

Frances is not quite the same after her brother, Mac, dies in suspicious circumstances in the Charles river. She feels somehow diminished. In 1959 she is working as a window dresser in a department store when the very glamorous Gwen arrives to work as a model. You wouldn’t think these two would get on but Gwen takes Frances under her wing and shows her how, with a few tweaks, she can look spectacular. These two girls, along with Frances’s friend Iris hang out together. There is also a group of 3 boys who are somewhat trouble makers - Rudy is the leader, Cliff is Rudy’s obedient lapdog and Harris, well Harris is kind of over all the childish pranks.

It is not long after Gwen arrives that she disappears one night as they are out canoeing near the island in the river. Frances is bereft but feels somehow drawn to Harris. It is not until the end of the book that the complex network of relationships and secrets come to light. There is much to learn.

I thought the book was beautifully written and the characters were very different and strongly portrayed. This is not, however, a fast paced book so if that’s what need it may not be for you. It was even a little slow for me but I knew there would a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, which indeed there was. Was it worth the wait? You’ll have to make up your own mind.

In 1959, Frances is still grieving the drowning death of her brother Mac, afraid to stand out, feeling herself rather plain. At her job as a stylist, or "display", dressing mannequins, she meets Gwen Mann who looks exactly like her, only better. Curious, she befriends her but when Gwen is found dead in that same river, Frances takes on her likeness and insets herself into the case, trying to get to the truth.
I liked the different POV of the characters that help reveal clues and secrets into the mystery. It was a bit of a slow burn, but once you really get into the story, the pacing was perfect. I thought it was a great portrayal of small town American life for the time period.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my ARC copy of In the Vanishing Hour.

When Mac Adams' body washes up on the shore of the Charles River, his family is devastated. Only a young girl, Frances, Mac's sister is a miunderstood loner who is plagued by the haunting death of her older brother. Years later, when Frances meets Gwen, everything changes, but Gwen has secrets of her own that set into motion a series of events where everyone will never be the same.

At first glance, it had everything I love in a novel, secrets, dark psychological suspense and intriguing characters. While the characters are well developed and fleshed out, the story took some time to gain momentum. The ending had a twist that I didn't anticipate. While brooding and atmospheric, the novel was overlaid with poignat bittersweet moments.

All in all, I would recommend. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this one, but I kept coming across minor problems that made me dislike it and not enjoy it.

For one, it did feel a bit too slow for me. And while I typically LOVE slow burns, this felt like it was dragging more than anything else. I also had a love/hate for the dual narrations/timelines. Instead of helping the story’s pacing and keeping me engaged, it ended up doing the opposite. It just felt like I was digging for things that weren't there, and it became exhausting to read after a while. I also felt no connection with the characters, which tends to help with a slow-burn story. As long as I feel something towards the people in the story, I can push on, but something very lacking and surface level about this story stopped me from investing in it.

Overall, I don't think the writing style was for me. But while it sadly didn't work out for me, I hope it can still find its way into the right reader’s hands!

"Eyes that met him on the street would never understand that Norumbega, the river, and his entire life had changed forever."
-Sarah Beth Martin, In the Vanishing Hour

3.5🌟/5

I received this e-book from NetGalley.

"In the Vanishing Hour" starts with the drowning of a boy in the town of Norumbega, while years later a girl vanishes in the same river. What actually happened? Was it an accident? You will read and discover both mysteries through the lives of Harris and Frances during three significant years: 1951, 1959 and 1974.

This story is not a simple "who did it?". It gives you a clear lesson of how everyone's choices could lead to a chain of events which might end with fatal consequences, and how its effects will extend into the many lives which were touched by the ones who are no longer with the living.

It was definitely an interesting read and I will most likely check out other books by Sarah Beth Martin.

The setting is a moody Norembega, MA. In 1959, Frances has been living a shadow of a life since her 13-year-old brother drowned in the Charles River 8 years ago. Frances dreams of going to design school, but instead she is living at home and working as a window dresser at a local department store, where she is befriended by Gwen, one of the stores' models. After Gwen disappears into the river, presumed drowned, Frances realizes she can use her resemblance to Gwen to haunt Harris, one of the young men being questioned about Gwen's disappearance. Harris is also haunted by the past, while dreaming of getting out of Norembega. This book is beautifully written and the moody tone suits the story well, but I found it difficult to relate to the characters.

This is a hard book to review. I wanted to like it and tried pushing through to see where the story went, but ultimately I couldn't finish it. I thought the premise was interesting but just couldn't get into the story/connect with the characters and the two timelines sometimes confused me.

A quiet, beautifully written mystery that I read in one sitting. I was immediately endeared to Frances and enjoyed her POV chapters the most. I loved the setting, which added to the overall atmosphere of the plot. Five stars!

This had interesting plot twists and turns that weren’t expected! I liked the plot alot! The writing style was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC to read and review this novel.

In the Vanishing Hour is a story of two concurrent timelines which is something I love. I love the feeling of two stories in one. This was a slow burn mystery of the disappearance of beautiful model Gwen.

There were plenty of twists and turns and the characters were well developed. Our main character Frances was especially well developed, likeable and relateable.

This book also accurately captured the feeling of those growing up in small towns and that feeling of wanting for something better. Excited for more books from this author

In The Vanishing Hour is such a great mysterious and haunting story.
When more than one person mysteriously dies in the same way people start to take notice. Frances meets a man, Harris, who seems to be connected to these disappearances, one being her brother. Do others see the connections, could it just be a coincidence? Frances will not stop until she finds answers.

The characters are really caught my attention. We get the opportunity to see them introduced over two timelines, a favorite viewpoint of mine. The story line and writing are great. The authors way of describing the characters and the story line kept me interested in what was going to happen next.

This is a great book for anyone who loves a story with twists and turns. I will be recommending it.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

3.5 Stars

This is a slow burner of a historical mystery with two timelines, one is 1959 and the other fifteen years later in 1974. The two timeline format has always been a favourite of mine and I always seem to like the before chapters best. It gives the reader a feel for what set up the more recent situation and the reason everything happened the way it did. We also get two points of view, another format I enjoy. In this case, we get into the mindset of Frances and Harris.

The earlier timeline is about the suspicious missing person death of Frances' co-worker, Gwen...whom she actually starts to mimic and look like. And Harris just happens to be around Gwen when she disappears. I loved how hauntingly beautiful the writing was, it was also very descriptive in nature and I could easily visualize the setting, clothing, and buildings in my imagination.

This is a well-written, imaginative story that made me wistful for days gone by and I would definitely read more of this author's work, even if I did find the pacing a tad on the slower side.

Sarah Beth Martin's In the Vanishing Hour reminds me of a longer Alice Munro story. It's a slow burn of a story, where the plot is laid out, and the characters are introduced over two timelines. We know they will eventually meet and somehow one will hurt the other, but how will soon be revealed.

Harris and Frances are growing up outside of Boston in the late 1950s. Frances works as a dresser at the local department store. She lives at home with her parents and deals with the grief of her brother's death years before. Harris is a few years older and works at the local hardware store and reluctantly hangs out with his bad boy friends, The Lizards.

Frances briefly meets Gwen, a new model at the store who resembles her. Gwen was kind, much nicer than the others. She shared a moment of kindness with Frances, giving a few makeup tips and a smile. Then Gwen vanished.

Harris suffers with stress and guilt for weeks, eventually leaving town for a better life. In a future timeline, Harris has returned and is working on a new construction project that brings back the secrets of that past.

This is a story of lost people and small towns. It's about grief and guilt, and lost innocence and hope. This is beautifully written and I could have read 100 pages more about both Frances and Harris.