Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and author Kimi Cunningham Grant for this eARC to read and review!!

This was a captivating and atmospheric slow-burn mystery filled with suspense and suspicion all the way through … never really knowing who to trust and what was going on right up to the end. I really enjoyed the deep, wilderness setting and thought that it added to the sense of underlying danger at every turn … not just from the players in the story but from nature itself. The dual timelines did an awesome job of revealing each character and building the plot. I also loved the sprinkling of faith, hope, found family and community and was rooting for our MC, Emlyn, to find peace and long needed rest in the word trust. Overall an enjoyable and light thriller with a great message!

This one wasn’t my favorite but it’s not bad per se. I wish there was a better way to phrase this considering it’s a book, but there was to much wordiness for my liking. I’ve never been a huge fan of that writing style as it’s very clunky to me and tends to pull me out of the story. This one starts off slow but picks up a bit a little before the halfway mark. I think the pacing struggles because of the inter-splicing of flashbacks throughout the book. They provide necessary context to the characters and the current events of the plot but the timing of them and how the information is so sparingly parsed out makes it feel like everything’s dragging on and detracts from the overall flow of the story. While most of the characters read as very two dimensional I will say Emlyn was a strong, well written character. I really loved how much depth there was to her and how she evolved throughout the book. The story went in a completely different direction than what I was thinking it would take so I did like that there were some surprises but overall I don’t think I’m the right reader for this particular book.

The Nature of Disappearing is a brilliantly crafted and gorgeously written suspense story that fully transports you to the middle of the wild unknown - and keeps you hooked through the very last page.

I am such a massive fan of @kimicgrant and how she tells stories, and this latest just cements me in place as a forever cheerleader of her work. I of course, love a mystery and a book brimming with suspense (which this plot has by the handful), and a LIVE FOR books that are so atmospherically rich that you can’t help but feel like you are right in the story. Reading this book had me convinced I was a well trained outdoorsman who could easily track a missing person in the wild.

Let me assure you - I am not. But that’s how beautifully written and perfectly detailed this story is! It will make you fully delusional about your own skills!

I was also pleasantly surprised by how this story unfolded which was in no way, whatsoever, the direction I would have guessed. The pacing was perfect and the flashbacks to Emlyn’s past were the perfect cookie crumbs to follow as the action and tension grew.

No spoilers - but honestly if you aren’t reading this this summer you are nuts. This is IDEAL summer reading and I can only promise you a deeply compelling story that will entertain and delight. What more could you ask for.

Many thanks to @minotaur_books for the copy and the exceedingly perfect swag.

The Nature of Disappearing got better after the first quarter of the book or so. I did think the twist could have had a little more punch to it.
I didnt connect with the characters as well as I wish i would have. I thought the description made it sound like this book would be amazing. Definitely more of a slow burn and not as thrilling as I had hoped! Overall a good book though.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If suspense/mystery/adventure/survival is a genre, Kimi Cunningham Grant is the queen of it. These Silent Woods is one of my favorite books of all time (I’ve read it 3 times), so I was thrilled when I got an early copy of The Nature of Disappearing from @netgalley. Thank you for sharing it with me!

Summary: Emlyn doesn’t let herself think about the past; how she and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore or how Tyler, the love of her life, left her half dead on the side of the road three years ago.

Her new life is simple and safe. She lives alone in her Airstream trailer and works as a fishing and hunting guide in scenic Idaho. Her closest friends are the community’s makeshift reverend and a handsome Forest Service ranger who took her in at her lowest.

When Tyler shows up with the news that Janessa is missing, Emlyn is propelled back into the world she worked so hard to forget. Janessa has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife adventures with her rugged boyfriend. She hasn’t posted lately, though, and when Emlyn realizes the most recent photo doesn’t match up with its caption, she reluctantly joins Tyler to find her old friend. As the two trace Janessa’s path through miles of wild country, Emlyn can’t deny the chemistry still crackling between them. But the deeper they press into the wilderness, the more she begins to suspect that a darker truth lies in the woods―and that Janessa isn’t the only one in danger.

I’ve seen mixed reviews for this one, but I loved it! My husband and I enjoy backpacking so I was really able to connect with it. I love how the setting feels like a character itself with how well KCG describes the wilderness and its effect on Emlyn, Janessa and Tyler. It’s a slower-paced book, but I was hooked from start to finish and highly recommend it if you enjoyed These Silent Woods!

I absolutely loved These Silent Woods and was so excited to read this book. I found myself caught up in the outdoors adventure and the mystery. The setting in Idaho was a bonus that I throughly enjoyed. The book felt scenic and the writing brought out the beauty of the great outdoors.

I was interested in Emlyn’s story and how she got to the place she was physically and emotionally, but this part of the story was told entirely through flashbacks. There were four different timelines in the flashbacks which was way too many. A majority of the book was spent looking back instead of on the current timeline and mystery. This impacted the flow and made the story feel choppy and slow.

I loved the small glimpses we got of the potential love interest. I was rooting for him and hoping for more of his story. I also really enjoyed Emlyn’s friendship with Janessa. It showed the highs and lows of long lasting friendship. The theme of being there for each other even when time and distance separate people was powerful.

This has some Christian elements in it, but they felt like they were thrown in to make it Christian fiction. They didn’t add to the story and left me feeling lackluster.

This book contains no profanity and has kissing only.

I loved Grant's first book, These Silent Woods, very much and was really looking forward to her new novel, The Nature of Disappearing. In this book, Emlyn, a fishing and tracking guide, joins forces with Tyler, her ex-boyfriend, to find their mutual friend who has disappeared with her boyfriend. Emlyn and Tyler were in love several years earlier but he betrayed her in a big way.. She has moved on to establish her life in a new location and has made some good friends and a possible love interest is there also. She still has some feelings for Tyler and it seems Tyler does also. This book is filled with tension between Emlyn and Tyler as well as tension around finding their friend and figuring out why she has disappeared. The book has short chapters that move it along really quickly. I finished it in one day.

While I didn't love it as much as These Silent Woods, I will read whatever Grant writes next. i wanted more from this book including more side character development and more nuanced relationships and characters. I'm rating it 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Minotaur Publishing for this book

Formal review to come! I always appreciate the atmospheric settings this author is able to capture in her books. The setting here is beautiful, but also ruthless (as much of Mother Nature meeting human kind can be). I loved Emlyns character. Her tragedy became her strength, and though not the same circumstances….my soul resonated with that. With the idea of people, a community, surrounding you and showing you love when you need it most.

Beautifully written, suspenseful, but touching about finding yourself, your people, and letting go of the past that has hurt you.

This book tells the story of a young woman, reunited with her ex on a search to find her former best friend — whom they believe to be missing — deep in the wilderness of Idaho. Like These Silent Woods, the wilderness atmosphere gave the book a strong sense of place, but I thought the author did a really good job of not letting the setting overtake the story.

I thought this book was a perfect blend of character and plot. The main character, Emlyn, was complex and nuanced, with a tumultuous past that really made her appreciate her as a character. I loved the way the story explored her complicated friendship with her best friend, Janessa, through the ups and downs of their relationship. I also loved the development of the characters with which Emlyn found community.

The story itself also kept me engaged. There was definitely enough to where I felt the plot was always moving forward and I thought the pacing and timing of different reveals throughout the book was so well done.

I don’t really have any complaints about this novel. I really enjoyed the time I spent reading it and I’ll definitely continue to read whatever Cunningham Grant writes!

After loving These Silent Woods I had very high expectations for The Nature of Disappearing. And for me it absolutely delivered. The setting descriptions really made me feel like I was in the outdoors.

The plot of this story gave me Gabby Petito case vibes. The narrator for the book was very engaging and kept me entertained throughout the story. This is more of a slow burn type plot.

I really liked Emlyn and I enjoyed experiencing her growth. With this story told in alternating past/present we really get a chance to see how far she’s come.

If you loved These Silent Woods you should definitely read this one!

I listened to this book via audio courtesy of Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

Emlyn, her best friend Janessa and Tyler. Struggles to be with Tyler against warnings from Janessa and breaking their friendship. Forging ahead with a shattered relationship. Emlyn’s journey of survival and trust. Emotion and truth to find ones self. Recommended read.

When I pick up a Cummingham Grant novel, I know I will be gifted an atmospheric read. This writer has a way with capturing the setting in a way that make it seem as if it's a main character with a story of its own to tell.

Join Emlyn, a wilderness guide, as she navigates the treacherous terrain of her past and the present, where the lines between reality and danger blur, and the truth is as elusive as the wilderness itself. In hopes to bring her former best friend Janessa back from a #vanlife trip gone wrong, Emlyn discovers you truly never know someone. Sometimes not even yourself.

"The Nature of Disappearing" is a suspenseful and adventurous tale of survival, nature, and the great outdoors, with a dash of romance and a deep exploration of the human spirit.

I could not be more excited to handsell The Nature of Disappearing. Kimi Cunningham Grant's novel These Silent Woods has consistently been a bestseller in our store, and I believe this one will be just as popular. The characters are relatable--flawed, hurt, and working to overcome their pasts. They make mistakes, they don't communicate like they should, but the bonds of friendship remain strong. I loved the pace of this book, and could not wait to find out what had happened between Emlyn, Janessa, and Tyler. The setting, as in These Silent Woods, is a character unto itself. Kimi's writing makes the reader feel as if they are in the woods with the characters, feeling the eyes of the wilderness as they move closer and closer into the unknown. One final thought--as a bookseller, it is hard to know which qualities of a book a customer will find offensive. One thing I love about this book is that I can recommend it to anyone, young adult or senior citizen, without worry. There are triggering things in the book, but they are so well-written and kept off of the page that it makes my job easy. I hope that we get many more amazing stories from this incredibly talented author!

Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley. This book had so much potential for me with the perfect setting at a wilderness alike setting. This story was very slow until around the 80% mark and I couldn’t connect to the characters. I LOVED the wonderful descriptions of the wilderness and animals.

I read this one after another thriller and coming off that one, this one I have to admit was a bit hard to get into. While I usually love a good flashback book I wish we had gotten a bit more of the present storyline or even starting this book in the past and working off that.

The whole influencer friend missing did remind me a bit of a sort of current true crime instance and this storyline was for sure what kept me hooked through the end of the book. The ending was definitely a huge surprise that I wasn’t expecting but it ended in the way I was hoping for.

THESE SILENT WOODS by Kimi Cunningham Grant is one of my favorite books so I was thrilled to read an early copy of the author’s newest release. Sadly, THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING didn’t live up to my, admittedly sky high, expectations.

Both books are pretty outdoorsy but TNOD is very much “huntin’ fishin’ and lovin’ everyday” and I personally didn’t need all those details. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric and the well-illustrated setting had me feeling like I was alongside the characters in the woods. Problem is, I don’t really LOVE the woods.

The story is a bit anti-climactic and a pretty slow burning plot led up to a bit of chaos followed by very little resolution. The van-life social media element did add an interesting touch and I absolutely (and unexpectedly) loved one character! I think this was a perfect middle of the road read for me; not a bad book at all but it didn’t knock my socks off either!

If you loved THESE SILENT WOODS I would definitely still encourage you to give this a try - just maybe temper your expectations a bit beforehand. It’s still an emotional story with an evocative mystery and you really can’t beat KCG’s stunning prose!

<b>Grant's thriller is set in the wilds of Idaho, with a wilderness expert of a main character who has fought to trust others and be vulnerable--and who may find herself deeply betrayed again. </b>

In Kimi Cunningham Grant's newest thriller, <i>The Nature of Disappearing,</i> Emlyn is a wilderness guide who very deliberately tries not to think about the past--her fractured best-friendship, her failed love, and the vulnerability that allowed her heart to break.

But when her estranged old friend Janessa goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Emlyn must team up with the man who broke her heart in order to try to find social media icon Janessa and, hopefully, bring her home, safe and sound.

I love a book set in the wild (Peter Heller's novels <i>The River</i> and <i>The Guide</i> come to mind as favorites), and I loved the outdoorsy element here. Much of the story takes place in an Idaho forest, and it made me reminisce about my college summer spent in that beautiful state.

The story is more of a thriller than a mystery; after a time we aren't wondering what happened, rather wondering if those who seem untrustworthy are in fact bad seeds.

I loved the focus on repairing a friendship, and how Emlyn has difficulty trusting and being vulnerable but works to do so. I wasn't surprised by the final denouements but felt satisfied that we are left with the promise of a fulfilling future for some characters at the end of the book.

I listened to <i>The Nature of Disappearing</i> as an audiobook, courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

Kimi Cunningham Grant is also the author of <i>Fallen Mountains, Silver Like Dust,</i> and <a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/review-of-these-silent-woods-by-kimi-cunningham-grant/"><i> These Silent Woods.</a></i></b>

I really enjoyed this book that I read it in one sitting. When her boyfriend, who left her for dead on the side of the road, shows up saying her best friend is missing. She had not talked to her best friend in a while. She reluctantly agreed to help find her. I liked the characters and the storyline. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I love a book that follows different timelines, but I found myself a little confused with this one at times. This is a thriller about two friends who no longer talk. Emlyn tries not to think about Janessa any more... but that all changes when she goes missing.

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 & 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲/𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕) 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬! 𝐈𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝; 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐈’𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨) 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐥𝐲𝐧, 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 (𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨), 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡, 𝐓𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚—𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒦𝒾𝓂𝒾 𝒞𝓊𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝒽𝒶𝓂 𝒢𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓉, 𝑀𝒶𝒸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, 𝒮𝓉. 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃'𝓈 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.