I struggled with this book. I can usually read a 300 page book in 2 to 3 days, but this one took me 4 because it just really wasn’t holding my interest very well. Reading the sypnosis, this made me think of the Gabby Petito case. I thought the book would go in that kind of direction, but it definitely did not. It was a VERY slow burn, was lacking in suspense/excitement, and just over all underwhelming. I did enjoy the past and present timelines. The character background for our main character was done well & the ending felt satisfying enough. I just really wanted more out of this one. I feel like it could’ve been really great, but it just didn’t do it for me. But, maybe you will enjoy it! Check it out when it comes out on 6/18/24.

This book wasn't for me. I hate when adults hide feelings instead of just saying how they feel. And the ending really made me upset.

This novel is awesome on so many levels—the characters who are strong but flawed, the setting which comes through as clear as the deep blue sky, the plot which kept me reading way after I should have gone to sleep night after night and the underlying spiritualness inherent in all of this.
Read this and be prepared for it to stay with you long after it is finished! I wish there could be another book with Emlyn and Rev and Varden because now I’m invested in their story and want to see where it goes next.

Thanks to #netgalley, #minotaurbooks, and the author, Kim Cunningham Grant for this ebook of #thenatureofdisappearing to read. All opinion here are my own.

I loved These Silent Woods, so I was excited to dive into Kimi Cunningham Grant’s latest. The Nature of Disappearing proved a decently compelling follow-up, if a bit slow and uneven at times. I enjoyed this as a nice summer suspense to breeze through in a day.

Emily Pike Stewart did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Kimi Cunningham Grant, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really loved These Silent Woods so I was so excited to read this one. It was a masterclass in creating an atmospheric setting and top notch character development. This book is not going to knock you out with action and twists but instead is a slow burn mystery with an intense look at the bonds we form with those around us and how we face our insecurities. And the unexpected romance storyline? I loved that. I deducted a star because I felt like the shift between timelines felt a bit clunky sometimes and while I enjoy a slow burn, this one took some time to really get into the heart of the mystery. I still really enjoyed this book and look forward to future books by this author.

Read if you like:
▫️cabin life
▫️survival shows
▫️hiking/camping
▫️slow burn mysteries

Thanks to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is available now!

This book really was a total thrill ride. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to years ago because I think it really gave us some background on what had been going on.

The book was so twisty and you really didn’t know what was going to happen. I definitely plan to read more books by this author because I really enjoyed this one!

The Nature of Disappearing was exquisitely done - past and present unfold as we get to know the characters, their flaws and all. The description of the wilderness setting will have you feeling like you're right there. Just enough mystery and suspense to keep you on your toes and turning the pages. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Kimi Cunningham Grant for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Such a quick read with an interesting story. I really enjoyed reading this book and connecting with the characters. I could not put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for a digital ARC of this book. This was not a favorite. In the beginning, I thought I might DNF. Not that the story was bad, it just isn't my taste. I was expecting a bit more thrill but it wasn't there.

This book kept my attention but I'm not sure it really deserved to. I was drawn in by the concept of a pair of #vanlife social media influencers going missing - obviously this felt prompted at least in part by the Gabby Petito case - but that ended up being barely relevant to the plot. In fact if anything it just made most of the plot feel pretty unbelievable by the end.

Main character Emlyn was just a deeply frustrating person, the type of character that's like a pinball getting slapped around but never really moving anywhere on her own. She's resentful about how her best friend Janessa orders her around, but still follows her everywhere, including moving across the country to Janessa's own random hometown in Idaho. When that friendship breaks up, she just literally stays there and gets a job she doesn't seem to care about much, and has two entire friends, one of whom is supposed to be the will they/won't they romance except all they do is stare at each other like this: 🥺 for months while neither makes a move. Are these people twelve years old?

Emlyn's maybe still wishy-washily hung up on her ex Tyler, who did something so objectively terrible to her that it should have been the final nail in the coffin (a coffin already generously nailed!) for anyone with sufficient vertebrae to form a spine. The entire book really ended up turning on one stupid plot point in which Janessa tells Emlyn not to date Tyler but just refuses to tell her <i>why</i> for no clear reason, then gets mad when Emlyn refuses to follow that order without good cause. Which is fair! And it wasn't even necessary. 😩

Anyway, this whole book ended up feeling like a too-long backstory for the forest nerd romance that author really wanted to write about two damaged hot people finding love and bear tracks in a miasma of pine needles and weird Christian overtones. Whatever. Who's gonna write an actually good thriller about this slice of the social media world?

My thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Grant knows how to write wilderness mysteries that though they seem incredibly far fetched, somehow still manage to catch just enough of that “but what if” allure that keeps you invested.

Similar to her last book, the set up with this one takes a bit of time as you’re clued in early to a traumatic past that makes the main character reclusive, gritty, yet somehow naive in a way due to their isolation and insulation.

It took a bit for the flashbacks to feel like they were actually adding to the story instead of just filling in the blanks of missing friend Janessa and her character, but I’m not convinced they needed to go on quite as long as they did and I had a big eye roll over the way Emlyn and Janessa’s friendship was portrayed. There are some pretty huge lies of omission with damning consequences that just don’t make any sense.

I did clock the twists and reveals, including the villains and main drama quite early, but I did enjoy seeing it all unravel and come to light for Emlyn. Where this did lose it substantially for me was in the last handful of chapters when we see how the past and present fully collide and the main mystery is solved. It felt like such painstaking work- literally hiking step by step to get to this moment and the climactic showdown felt so dissatisfying.

There’s an attempted murder that isn’t even called as such, and instead of a big confrontation or reveal, we mostly get allusions to past and off page plotting. The payoff was just so not there and even for Emlyn, her big moment to shine and come through as a hero never materialized. Then when rescue arrives, the story just kind of fades to black. We get no insight into the conclusion to an incredibly far fetched mystery. Did anyone ever find the ranch? Was the SD card safe?

Ultimately I think this was less successful as transporting me into the Idahoan wilderness and creating that wild yet also locked room type of atmosphere that makes you claustrophobic in the way this was meant to, and I didn’t find the characters or plot to be very strong. While it was a quick read and easy to get through, it had an air of an unfinished draft instead of a fully fleshed out story with something to say.

The Nature of Disappearing is a fictional mystery written by Kimi Cunningham Grant. When Emelyn first starts college it is hard for her to connect with her classmates, until one day when she meets Janessa at a diner. Years later Emelyn is a wilderness guide, and is no longer as close to Janessa. But when Emelyn’s ex-boyfriend calls her telling her that Janessa is missing, Emelyn has to decide what to do, if it is safe for her to be around Tyler, and if Janessa even wants her to find her.

This was an engaging mystery, and I enjoyed how we looked at the pasts of the main characters, and how that helped us understand some of their actions. I appreciated the character and relationship development throughout the book, as well as learning a bit about the wilderness area where the book takes place. I definitely recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley, and to the author and publisher of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**NetGalley Review: The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant**

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

"The Nature of Disappearing" by Kimi Cunningham Grant is a beautifully written and haunting novel that delves deep into the themes of loss, identity, and the enduring power of nature. Grant's prose is lyrical and evocative, painting vivid pictures that draw you into the world she has created.

The story centers around a gripping mystery that unravels at a perfectly measured pace, keeping you engaged and invested in the characters' journeys. The protagonist's struggles and growth are portrayed with emotional depth, making them relatable and compelling.

While there were moments where the narrative felt a bit slow, the overall experience was immersive and thought-provoking. The intricate plot twists and the well-developed characters more than made up for any minor pacing issues.

If you enjoy novels that blend mystery with rich, descriptive writing and complex characters, "The Nature of Disappearing" is a great pick. A solid 4/5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Grants last book and was really excited to read this one. It was also good. The settings always really deliver and you can feel immersed in the books. I liked the character of Emlyn. I was a little unsatisfied with the way everything played out, but I still liked the book

I loved These Silent Woods so when I seen this one I just had to read it too. Unfortunately this one didn't pull me in like woods did. It was disjointed and was more like a romance than a mystery. If she writes another I will read it as well.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a bit behind on my ARC’s but working diligently to get caught up. I really liked the whole concept of this story! The characters are complex and well written and the setting is perfect. It jumps from the present to the past and back constantly, which can get a little confusing, but it was handled in a way where I could always ascertain when it was. There were some twists at the end that caught me off guard, which I love. If you’re into psychological thrillers and mysteries, check this book out!

4.5 stars

Kimi Cunningham Grant is a master of atmospheric wilderness survival writing and I am certain after reading These Silent Woods and now The Nature of Disappearing that I will immediately read anything she puts out into the world.

Emlyn has built a safe and quiet life in the mountains of Idaho where she is a wilderness guide. She lives in a camper van, enjoys her quiet life, and has a few close local friends. One morning, Emlyn sees a news report claiming that her best friend Janessa is missing. Emlyn and Janessa met in college and became friends right away. A few years ago they had a falling out over a guy and now are just starting to patch things up. Janessa called Emlyn recently, with something important to say, but the call dropped and by the time Emlyn got where there was service, she wasn't able to reach Janessa again. Now, with Janessa missing, Emlyn can't help but wonder where her friend is, what happened to her, and what that last message might have been about. Now Emlyn's ex-boyfriend Tyler has shown up asking for her help as a tracking expert to find Janessa. But Emlyn doesn't know if she can trust Tyler, a drug addict who left her for dead on the side of a snowy road a few years ago. As Emlyn and Tyler enter the wilderness, can she trust him not to let her down again?

I actually think I liked this book more than Ms. Grant's first novel. I enjoyed the mystery and the bit of romance sprinkled in. But I am absolutely captivated by the way Ms. Grant describes the outdoors - making the reader feel as though they're right in the middle of the rugged mountain. Some may say that this book is slow - but I devoured it quickly. I enjoyed the dual timeline, both told from Emlyn's POV - one in the present as they search for Janessa and the other in the past as we learn how Emlyn met with Janessa and Tyler and what happened to Emlyn that fateful night.

I beg you, please go pick up one of Kimi Cunningham Grant's books and get lost in the beautiful storytelling and character development.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

my first from this author. I always love thrillers that are based in the wilderness or deal with wilderness guides since I'm from Alaska. Very good read

I really enjoyed this book! The writing is great and kept
me captivated the whole time. I liked that it was a missing person story, but also a tale of love, friendship and finding yourself. I really liked Emlyn and was rooting for her. I also liked the setting and the wilderness and survival aspects as that’s something I haven’t read about before. I also liked the dual timelines to get to know Emlyn and her relationships with Janessa and Tyler. While this may not be a book that sticks with me forever, I throughly enjoyed reading it!

I was a HUGE fan of These Silent Woods by KCG, but this book didn’t quite hook me in the same way. At 50% in, I think the obstacle for me was a very circular feeling plot where the same few pages of content were recycled over and over without much teal movement. I still look forward to more from her, but this was a miss for me.