"you can never really know a person." He wrings the water from his hat, gives it a shake. The droplets dance across the stream. "You know what they want you to know."

This was a stunning novel, set in the rugged and rural area of Idaho - an area our main character, Emlyn has mixed emotions with. On one hand, she knows it well and her job is to take others out fishing and exploring and to experience amazing things while being safe in the rugged forest. On the other hand, she knows how quickly that terrain can get the better of a person.

As Emlyn is just getting her life back on track, she's contacted out of the blue by an ex-boyfriend. Emlyn and this ex's mutual friend - Emlyn's previous best friend - has gone missing. This ex is begging her to help him find her.

I was immediately drawn into the story. This author has an amazing ability to have very moving stories. The author is amazing at getting you to know characters very quickly and seamlessly and that draw really keeps you invested. There were a few times I shook my head but the ending really does bring those points together and help you to understand. I was completely wrapped up in this one and I loved it! This is my first story from this author and I will definitely go find more!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Some may call this a slow burn, but it drew me right in. Kimi Cunningham Grant’s The Nature of Disappearing is rich with character development and atmospheric settings. A wilderness guide is searching for a friend who went missing, but she may not be able to escape her past in this suspenseful mystery.

It is a credit to the author that in a relatively short amount of pages, I felt like I knew the main character Emlyn quite well. With tidbits from her backstory, watching her interact with those in the present, and seeing her learn about her missing friend, I was able to understand Emlyn at a deeper level than is typical. Cunningham Grant has a talent for drawing complex and realistic characters that is evident in this book.

The story revolves around the disappearance of Emlyn’s friend Janessa. Emlyn reflects on meeting Janessa in her Carhart jacket and carrying a can of bear spray to ward off drunks at the bar, but Janessa was just as comfortable with styled hair and flawless make up the next day in their university class. From the very first time Janessa was introduced, the reader finds themselves as fascinated by her as Emlyn did.

Without knowing the details, the reader also learns that Emlyn went through a pretty significant break up before we meet her in the present as a wilderness guide. It seems evident that this relationship had a strong and negative impact on Emlyn. She lives in mostly solitude now, and there was something fragile about her that the reader picks up on right away.

Emlyn learns that Janessa went missing initially by chance. She’s wracked with guilt that a call with Janessa dropped last week and she never found out what Janessa needed from her. The two never reconnected and now she’s missing. Was the call related? Janessa’s disappearance also brings her ex back into her orbit, as he asks Emlyn to help him find Janessa.

Having seen glimpses of the trauma Emlyn seems to carry from her previous relationship, I was fascinated to meet Tyler—the ex-boyfriend. A love story broken by betrayal, I wanted to know what would happen. Would this be a story of fated lovers brought back together through a common quest, or one of a woman realizing that he was never the man she thought he was. Or maybe even something else! I won’t spoil it, getting to see their story unfold and learning more about the past was one of the more intriguing parts of the plot.

Janessa remained at the center for me, though we only see her in the past through Emlyn’s memories. The two have drifted apart from what was once a close friendship. Now, Janessa is a popular social media figure, documenting her van life adventures with her boyfriend. But it seems that her latest post is in a different place than the caption implies, and Emlyn may be the only person suited to find Janessa based on those clues.

The falling out between Emlyn and Janessa is related to her break up with Tyler, and it also brought Emlyn to her current position working as a wilderness guide. A forest ranger named Varden helped Emlyn, and brought her to the wilderness company owned by an elderly woman named Rev. Now, this is the place Emlyn thinks of as home.

This isn’t a soapy type of influencer book as others who explored a similar concept over the last few years have been. More than anything, it’s a book about relationships, trust, and what happens when those are broken. Is it irreparable? I found the story atmospheric and the characters and their relationships compelling.

I did the audiobook for The Nature of Disappearing which is narrated by Emily Pike Stewart. Its so important for a narrator to be a match for the story and character they are portraying, and Emily Pike Stewart was a great choice for Emlyn. This book is rich with detail and elegant writing, as well as the complex character of Emlyn as our narrator. Audiobook listeners will enjoy it!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.

I would describe this book as a slow burn mystery adventurous romance. What I enjoyed most about this book was the location and setting - out in the wilderness in Idaho. I love emersing myself in nature while reading: hiking, the sunsets, animals scurrying around, and the lakes with waterfalls. This book reads in past and present timelines, and I’m a huge fan of dual timelines. This book took me on a captivating adventure full of friendship, trust, addiction, suspense, hope and survival. Not my favorite book from this author but still recommended.

I truly wanted to love this one because These Silent Woods is one of my favorite books EVER! While I enjoy the atmospheric setting of Grant's novels - this was so boring. The story wasn't keeping my attention and I thought it would pack a heftier punch and that did not happen. I thought it was going down the path of a recent ripped from the headlines true crime but i was just disappointed in this one.

I ended up really liking this book! I started reading it while on a camping weekend and I had to put it aside 😅
Once I was in the comfort of my own home and not the woods, I really enjoyed it. I thought the wilderness aspect was really descriptive and well done. It was easy to imagine what the characters were going through. I did think the mystery was a bit predictable, but this book gave me legit chills at one point so I'm still giving it 4⭐. I like quirky main characters and I liked how the main character assigned everyone a dictionary adjective.

I felt really disconnected from the characters and the action of this book. Given the relationship of the two characters, it felt like the tension should be felt but it was not convincing. This was a miss for me and I wanted to like it.

4.5 stars

I absolutely loved Kimi’s first book. This was a close second. Kimi does an amazing job of setting the scene in this atmospheric novel. You truly feel like you are in the “wilderness” (read the authors note) alongside the characters. This was a story of adventure, finding yourself and a mystery all rolled into one. I liked the back and forth between the present and the past learning more about the characters as the pages turned including the complicated pasts of Emlyn, Tyler and Janessa. I recommend if you are in for an intriguing atmosphere novel with nature at the center connecting multiple storylines throughout the book.

3.5 stars
I enjoy the way the author describes nature, it feel very immersive. She truly makes me want to go on a hike in the Idaho wilderness. I did appreciate Emlyn’s character growth and the confidence she found by the end. The mystery did keep me interested and made me want to keep reading. I think this book is a good option for someone who likes the page turning nature of thrillers but can’t handle the anxiety inducing nature of them. (It’s me!)

However, it’s hard to describe without spoiling but the ending left me feeling a bit dissatisfied. I also was a bit underwhelmed by the “Christian themes” they were much more prominent in her previous book and that was what made me love it so much. I wanted a bit more redemption, grace, and hope.

There is no question that Kimi Cunningham Grant can write a great book! I loved These Silent Woods and was eagerly anticipating The Nature of Disappearing!

A story of survival in the deep woods and a reckoning of friendships told in past and present that will captivate and draw you in with it’s beautiful writing and descriptions. We meet Emlyn, who is a guide of sorts for those seeking a remote off the trail experience. She is adept in living off the grid and forestry, and when she learns that an old friend has not been heard from for some days after a deep woods camping trip, she is compelled to help find her.

As mentioned, I loved the writing – its flow is smooth, and easy to lose yourself in…I enjoyed the adventure for the most part, but towards the later part of the story it took a turn that felt unnatural to me…. The story accentuated the allure of surviving in the woods, and I was intrigued to know the past relationship of Emlyn and her friends and was invested in the journey of finding out what happened, but when I got there, it lost a little bit of it’s flow, felt like I went from a beautiful nature based survival read with mystery and allure to something more out of the blue and common. I’m not going to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did, but I just didn’t feel the same way about the last part of the book vs. the beginning. Towards the end, I felt that the characters were on the shallow side and any depth built disintegrated – turned into a different type of read.

Overall a good read, but perhaps my expectations were too high, I tend to do that to myself often. I will look forward to the next read by this author!

Kimi Cunningham Grant is a must read author for me, so I was incredibly excited and grateful to be gifted an early copy of this book. I couldn’t put it down. Atmospheric and full of complexity, so never knew quite where the story was going. The nature descriptions set the scene beautifully, and it felt completely transported. I loved the female friendship in this novel, too. I will absolutely recommend this to my friends and audience.

Based on the description, this book sounded right up my alley, and yet, I couldn’t quite get into it.

It’s a slow burn with a beautiful, atmospheric description set in the Idaho wilderness, but I kind of felt my mind wandering a lot.

It’s also relationship-heavy versus having fast-paced mystery or thriller details, which maybe means I needed to read it at a different time. Sometimes tucking into a slower build is best for cozy, winter months.

The nitty-gritty: Wild nature is the setting for this excellent mystery/thriller where the characters' relationships take center stage.

I became a Kimi Cunningham Grant fan after loving These Silent Woods, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Nature of Disappearing, which I ended up loving just as much. This is a character/relationship-focused thriller that takes place in the wilderness, and I loved the Idaho location and the outdoor-savvy characters. Despite the emphasis on the characters, there are plenty of tense moments for thriller fans, but Grant’s story is much more than just popcorn entertainment, as she also explores emotional relationship dynamics.

The story follows Emlyn, who lives in Idaho and works as a wilderness guide, taking (mostly) rich people on private fishing and hunting trips. She ended up here by chance, after a disastrous camping trip with her ex boyfriend Tyler ended in her nearly dying of exposure. Emlyn has since made a quiet, happy life for herself and has formed a deep friendship with a ranger named Varden, the man who rescued her and saved her life.

But one day Emlyn catches a story on the local news that chills her to the bone. Her old college friend Janessa is missing, along with her partner Buck. Janessa is a social media influencer, and she and Buck were trekking deep into the wilderness to test and promote a line of camper vans. Just a week ago, Janessa called her to tell her something, but the call dropped and Emlyn never called her back. Now she feels guilty and wonders if something was wrong. The next day, Emlyn is surprised when Tyler shows up, asking her to help him look for Janessa. Emlyn will do anything for her friend, but she’s reluctant to trust Tyler after their horrible break-up.

Despite her misgivings, Emlyn agrees to help search for her friend. Being alone with Tyler is bringing back so many old memories, but other dangers await Emlyn and Tyler as well.

Grant fills in a lot of the information about the characters’ relationships in flashbacks, so you learn how Janessa and Emlyn met, how Emlyn and Tyler met, and what the relationship is between Janessa and Tyler. All of these are important to the story and what happens in the present, and I enjoyed these flashbacks immensely, perhaps even more than the mystery/missing person plot that takes place in the present. The author infuses her story with so much emotion and sometimes heartbreak. Without going into too much detail, there’s a drug addiction element that added lots of depth to the story, and Grant makes it feel completely believable.

Emlyn in the present has been shaped by everything that happened with Janessa and Tyler, and she comes across as both emotionally fragile but also a woman who has enough strength to move on. In other words, I thought her character was very believable. Adding some drama to the trio of Emlyn, Tyler and Janessa is Varden, the sweet and steady man who may be in love with Emlyn (although they haven’t really talked about their feelings yet). Emlyn is drawn to him, even though she still has complicated feelings for Tyler, and by the end of the story she’s able to figure out which man is best for her.

But if you’re here for the action, you won’t be disappointed. Grant sets up an interesting scenario where Janessa has gone off into the wilderness with Buck (who is sort of the wild card of the story), and no one has heard from them in over a week—quite a long time for Janessa, who continuously posts about her adventures on social media. I loved that Emlyn is skilled in all sorts of outdoor activities, like hunting and tracking, and she is able to follow Janessa’s trail by the boot footprints in the dirt at their last known location, and even come up with theories about what happened. Tyler is the “sad puppy” in all of this, as the reader is filled in on some of the awful things he’s done in the past, and clearly he’s trying to get Emlyn back, even though he recognizes he doesn’t really deserve her.

But back to the action. I had a couple of guesses and theories as I was reading, as to what actually happened to Janessa and Buck, and I was wrong on all accounts. Grant throws in a twist or two and some dangerous situations, with a flurry of exciting activity at the end.

And I can’t finish this review without mentioning the “nature” in the title of the book. Grant perfectly captures the wide vistas of the Idaho wilderness setting, the (at times) dangerous terrain, and the awe of nature. In one flashback we learn that Emlyn’s love of nature came from her nurturing grandfather, and I loved the scenes where he teaches her to hunt and fish. The author also uses “wilderness” as a metaphor for being lost in life, at a crossroads not knowing what you want to do next. Emlyn is trying to cope with the loss of her friendship with Janessa, as well as Tyler, but by the end of the story she is much closer to “emerging from the wilderness” and living life on her terms.

Kimi Cunningham Grant has captured so many things I love in one story: interesting characters who I came to care for, an awe inspiring setting, tense action and emotional character connections and backstories. Highly recommended!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

This was such an atmospheric read. The author did a great job with details and she created a beautiful setting in which I felt immersed in. The story was not just a well written mystery, but a story of friendship and love as well. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to read more.

I really enjoyed the majority of this book. I liked the suspense and the build up. A book about the outdoors always intrigues me. For the sake of being entertained and having a good time while reading, the book definitely checked those boxes.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I've never heard of this author before, and I can't recall how I stumbled across this title, but I'm so glad I did. I'm someone who really enjoys kayaking and hiking, so a thriller in the wilderness is definitely up my alley. I also have my own adventure vehicle so this thriller hits close to home. I loved this. The author really has a way of setting the scenery. The descriptions are vivid and it makes you feel like you're actually in the wilderness area with these characters. The pacing is great. I finished the book in about a day because I kept wanting to know what happened next as I finished each chapter. The characters keep you on your toes. There's mystery and intrigue with each of them so picking apart everyone's motives is fun. The "reveal" of the overall mystery/thriller component was believable but not overly predictable, which was nice. This was also a fun summer read for me because of the nature depictions. If you love nature and thrillers, this one was fun. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC opportunity!
I have posted this review to Goodreads already, found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6504467611
I will also post this review to Barnes and Noble and Amazon on the published. Update: Reviews added
Made a recent tiktok about it too: https://www.tiktok.com/@cantureads/video/7387559357401074987?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7345918379795957290

What I love most about Ms. Grant is her attention to details. The Nature of Disappearing does just that… whisks you away into the vast wilderness right with Emlyn. It was a great read and I can not wait for her next book!

I was really anticipating Grant's new novel after being absolutely obsessed with her debut novel. This book was definitely interesting, but ultimately it was a little disappointing. These Silent Woods was a good mystery but more importantly it was such a beautiful character driven story with complex and full characters and relationships. The Nature of Disappearing did not have the same complex characters or relationships that I was hoping for, but to be fair I had high expectations. I did enjoy the journey with the story, but nothing made this stand out like These Silent Woods did previously.

I was able to get this from the library the week it came out and read a physical copy. I enjoyed this thriller/mystery and really got invested in the story line. It's perfect for summer reading and great for new to the mystery/thriller genre as well as seasoned readers.

I often had to step back from this book and wonder what the protagonist was thinking. So many times Emlyn made decisions that made no sense. That said, this book was easy to read and provided a good mystery that didn't require much thought. I give this a solid 3.5/5 stars.


Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin Press for the opportunity to review The Nature of Disappearing. All opinions are my own.

I usually don't go for slow burn thrillers, but I ended up really liking this one. The "thriller" part is really only engaging for the last 25-30% of the book. However, I loved the way Emlyn's character developed. The story was more about her inner life and finding happiness in her own skin than really about the mystery. The circumstances of Janessa missing were giving Gabby Petito vibes, but the story is not an exact parallel. There were some twists I didn't see coming, which I always appreciate. This book made me want to go on a hike and never go on a hike again in equal measure. If you don't mind a slow burn, appreciate character studies, and have a love for the wilderness, this may be for you.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.