Major thankks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & Macmillan audio for the ARC & ALC copies of this one!!

I found myself feeling a tad disconnected with this one, and at times quite lost. I typically enjoy an alternating timeline to help us engage with the characters and story, but unfortunately in this instance it left me feeling confused.

Overall it was a decent read and Macmillan audio did a fantastic job with the audio, but I couldn't really get into this one. I didn't feel any excitement or suspense from the story.

I know that tons of people have loved it, so I definitely still recommend you giving it a try! It just didn't work out for me personally.

I loved Kimi Cunningham Grant's These Silent Woods, but she's now become an auto-buy author for me with The Nature of Disappearing. Not only are her settings wild and natural (I'm always up for a wilderness thriller), but she crafts characters that are instantly relatable. I think we can all see a little bit of ourselves in each of them, and Emlyn maybe the most of all. She chooses a word for people in her life, but it's heartbreaking that her own word is "pathetic". I loved watching her become strong and brave, and the ending was everything I wanted it to be.

Synopsis: Emlyn is a wilderness guide who must reunite with her ex, Tyler, in order to save their mutual friend who has gone missing in the woods.

Thoughts: The Nature of Disappearing is a binge-worthy thriller perfect for summer reading. With the luscious, atmospheric woodland backdrop, there is an eerily desolate vibe throughout. With characters too deep in the wilderness to be quickly rescued, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. A note on the audio: Narrated by Emily Pike Stewart. I found the narration style to be very entertaining. I felt a little like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds!

Read this if you like:
🏕️ camping/hiking
🏕️ thrillers
🏕️ drama

Ok, if These Silent Woods wasn't cournagement enough, The Nature of Disappearing has solidified Kimi Cunningham Grant on my list of auto-read authors!

The Nature of Disappearing brings back all of the gorgeous nature settings that I loved in her last book. There is something so magical about the solitude of nature, especially when it's the setting in a book. I am transported away from real life for a while when I read a book like this!

TNOD wasn't quiet as mysterious or suspenseful as TSW, this book focused more on the broken relationships between the characters, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed the reflections the characters had and found them to be both insightful and realistic. However, it did have suspense, just not as much. And the last quarter of the book got really good!

This will definitely make a great summer read, and I recommend it to fiction readers, romance readers, and suspense readers!

I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

🪵𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℕ𝔸𝕋𝕌ℝ𝔼 𝕆𝔽 𝔻𝕀𝕊𝔸ℙℙ𝔼𝔸ℝ𝕀ℕ𝔾 🪵
𝔱𝔥𝔯𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯
🗓️𝖯𝗎𝖻 𝖽𝖺𝗍𝖾: 𝖳𝗈𝖽𝖺𝗒! 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝖾 𝟣𝟪, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟦
𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬! ★★★

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...Three estranged friends. One goes missing in the wilderness…

💟𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢…First off, I have to say that 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑾𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 🏆is prob in my top 10 list of ALLLL the books I have ever read…..so, to say I wanted to love this one would be an understatement. I tried. Hard. I just couldn’t get there. I finished the whole thing too. Would never DNF after my immense love for her other book. 🩵I read this in hybrid form..some e reader📱 & some audio🎧 & the narrator was wonderful. What this book does have since y’all know this is hard for me 😭 is a wonderful atmospheric description of the wilderness they are in. Grant does paint a great picture there. 🙌🌳I wish I could say more, but I never felt connected to much at all. One part I loved(no spoilers) was where the main character finds a word to describe everyone she knows. Just one word & only to herself. I do weird “challenges” like that with myself all the time. This book wasn’t for me, but I am sure others will love it.

I loved Grant's previous book, but this one is just not great. Nature writing is not for me and I felt like the characters were stereotypical and flat.

Last year, when I finished reading another book by Kimi Cunningham Grant, THESE SILENT WOODS, I came away feeling as if I had read what would become a favorite book of mine— I loved it that much! However, just because you love one book by an author doesn’t mean you will love the next. Well, here I am, having finished her newest novel THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING, again in awe of her ability to draw me into a compelling, poignant story driven by amazingly rich characters.

I loved Emlyn, our protagonist, whose tragic past dictates an uncertain present, and even more precarious future as a result of her feeling as if she is undeserving of happiness. Broken trust at the hands of people who should have loved her better make her live her life this way. But this is the story of Emlyn finding her strength, her resilience, and a renewing trust in individuals who truly love her for who she is, flaws and all. She will surely become one one of my favorite fictional characters.

Beautiful written, moving, heart-breaking, and heart-warming, THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING is a book that will stay with you long after turning the last page. You will come away enriched having read it. As I grew closer to the conclusion, I honestly didn’t want the book to end. It is written in such a way that you relate to both the story and the characters in a very personal way. You’re invested in Emlyn’s journey—both her physical journey as well as her emotional journey—from the first chapter. It will be hard for you to say goodbye. It was for me!

I want to extend a huge thank you to NetGalley, Kimi Cunningham Grant and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for gifting me the ARC of THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING! I so appreciate you trusting me with an honest review!! It was a privilege to be able to read the novel before publication.

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant was such an enthralling mystery.
I love Grant! Her writing instantly sucks you in and holds you captive.
The storyline was extremely compelling and I was completely addicted from beginning to end. I started it this morning and finished it in a day!!
The story had the right amount of suspense to keep me engaged throughout.
Easy to read with vivid descriptions that brought the setting to life. The pacing was perfect, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.
Kimi Cunningham Grant does a fantastic job with her characterization.
Her previous novel, These Silent Woods, I thoroughly enjoyed and once again her skills/depth of writing is just flawless in this one.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I enjoyed this book. I was able to connect to the main character and I enjoyed how the story unfolded. I like how the story was written. I enjoy how a story goes back and forth from the past to the current. I can say I did not expect what happened in this story. Very unique. It is nice to read a storyline that is different.

In the vein of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, Emlyn is trying to overcoming her past and come to terms with who she is and what she wants out of life. The Nature of Disappearing is a quick read with lots of twists and turns. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the story took unexpected turns that kept me engaged.

The timeline moves between the past and present day and it helps the story unfold as we learn more about Emlyn’s back story and that of the main people she has had in her life, helping to understand each of the characters better.
Now I want to go backpacking in the Idaho wilderness!

One minor criticism is that there were a few aspects that felt a little unrealistic to me, but the author made it work.

Would I recommend it? Yes. If you are in the mood for a mystery/thriller I would recommend this one.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this story.

3.5 stars
There's just something about receiving a new book from an admired writer.
Kimi Cunningham Grant's previous book, These Silent Woods, is on my top favourites list.
So I was thrilled to receive her newest, The Nature of Disappearing - thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!
This is the suspenseful story of longtime friends Emlyn and Janessa. Chapters go from present-day, back to when they met, and the years going forward.
Their relationship has been complicated. But when Janessa, a van life social media influencer, appears to be missing, Emlyn sets out with former boyfriend Tyler to find her.
The Nature of Disappearing makes excellent use of setting - the forests of Idaho - and slow-burn tension.
The second half of the book picks up with reveals of the secrets held within relationships.
If you're not yet familiar with this author's writing, I highly recommend checking out her work.
For release on June 18.

I went into this book blind and finished it in 14 hours. It has been a while since I have been so enthralled in a storyline!

Grant created such a strong setting with this novel. One of the things that I appreciate so much in a book is a setting that is key to the story and as well developed as its characters, and we definitely have that here. Her heroine is fascinating and complex, the backstory unfolding through flashbacks alternating with the current timeline.

Heartache, love, friendships, insecurity, identity, relationships - so much is explored while weaving a slight mystery/thriller storyline in the midst as Emlyn teams up with her ex-boyfriend to search the Idaho wilderness for their missing mutual friend. I loved seeing how realistic and complicated the relationships in this story were, Emlyn’s struggle to heal, all while the anxiety of their safety in the wilderness loomed overhead.

My only wish was for an epilogue; the ending, while not unsatisfying, could have been a bit richer.

Also, no sex or swearing which is always refreshing and welcome in a book. This gets my recommendation for sure!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley.

As the novel begins, we meet twenty-eight-year-old Emlyn, who makes a living as a hunting and fishing guide in Idaho. She lives a simple life, keeping busy with her work and living alone in her Airstream. Her closest companions are Varden, a Forest Service Ranger and the makeshift reverend “Rev” who took her in after a particularly traumatic episode in her life.

Emlyn is forced to confront a painful episode from her past when her former boyfriend Tyler asks for her help to find Janessa, a #vanlife social media star who was once Emlyn’s closest friend and who has gone missing with her boyfriend, both of whom work with Tyler, while on their latest trip. Her relationship with Tyler had ended three years ago when he had abandoned her, leaving her freezing and fighting for her life, on the side of the road. Janessa had once been Emlyn’s closest friend, but their friendship became strained after Emlyn embarked on a relationship with Tyler, who was Janessa’s childhood friend. Emlyn, unable to reach Janessa, also identifies discrepancies in her most recent social media post. Concerned for Janessa’s well-being, Emlyn agrees to help Tyler and the narrative follows them as they navigate the wilderness in search of their missing friend.

I really enjoyed These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant and was eager to read The Nature of Disappearing. I loved the atmospheric setting and the vivid descriptions that transport you to the Idaho wilderness along with the main characters. The narrative is presented from Emlyn’s perspective and moves between past and present timelines – the past timelines detailing Emlyn’s past, her friendship with Janessa and her relationship with Tyler. Though I could sympathize with Emlyn, I can’t say that she was a particularly interesting character. I wish we had gotten to know more about Rev and Varden. I should mention that the plot focuses on personal relationships and the complicated history between the main characters more than the mystery behind Janessa’s disappearance. The plot progresses slowly and only in the final quarter of the novel is the mystery addressed and even then, I found the “twists” and revelations a tad underwhelming (with more telling than showing) after the long-drawn build-up.

Overall, while I didn’t dislike the novel, it wasn’t the gripping suspenseful read that I’d expected. However, many have enjoyed this more and I would request you to read the other reviews before making a decision about reading this one.

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Emily Pike Stewart, which made for an engaging immersion reading experience.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the digital review copy and Macmillan Audio for the ALC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Kimi Cunningham Grant's books usually take place in the wild where you can smell, hear, and see the sights she so vividly describes.

This book is set in the Idaho wilderness where Emlyn is a nature guide for a living. Her good friend, Janessa, is a travel influencer with her partner, Bush, living out of a van and posting about their journey on Instagram #vanlife. However, Janessa is reported missing by a close friend, Tyler, when she suddenly drops off the map and misses a post at her next planned location. Emlyn takes off to find Janessa and Bush with Tyler, who happens to be her ex boyfriend that left her stranded in the wilderness 3 years ago.

There was a sense of foreboding throughout and the author's descriptions of what it's like living in and traveling through nature are the highlights of the book. The flashbacks between Tyler, Emlyn, and Janessa grew more intense as the book went on and I loved how the mystery unfolded by the end. Can't wait to see where Kimi Cunningham Grant takes us next!!

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

IMO this was good, but not as exciting as I had hoped for. That being said, this is a great low stakes entry level thriller. Nothing too crazy.

I liked the faith elements, but I wished for a character redemption that I never got.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and netgalley for sending me a complimentary digital copy of this book in advance. All the opinions in this review are my own.

This was my first time reading a book by this author and I came into it with high expectations since I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews for “These Silent Woods.” I am happy to report that this book exceeded my high expectations. It’s for everything I want and love in a good thriller: suspense that had me clenching my seat, captivating characters, heart-wrenching poignancy and an eerie setting. The writing was so immersive and beautiful—really well done. I’m a huge fan of this author’s writing style. I’ll definitely be checking out previous and future works of this author! Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I wanted to like this book much more than I did. The jargon affiliated with outdoorsman activities like hiking, fishing, foraging, etc. were alienating for me because I’m not particularly into that field. If you area and into a mystery, this is probably for you. I was able to read this in three sittings but only one of them was entertaining. I wish the villain’s motives were more appropriate and enthralling. Instead, they were closely held together, revealed in a rushed way, and overall uninspiring. Three stars because it’s merely acceptable.

I love Kimi Cunningham Grant! N=My favorite is These Silent Woods. I was super happy to receive this one!
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⁣This an intriguing read that takes you way into the woods(literally). The character development is great and they are relatable. It really is a story of a deep connection between friends. ⁣
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It was a great suspenseful & atmospheric read and I highly recommend it.
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⁣Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC of The Nature of Disappearing.

A suspenseful and mysterious thriller set deep in the wilderness where nature's danger and beauty contribute to the story's overall feel and add to the plotting. I wouldn't say this one is fast-paced or a slow burn, but it lies somewhere in the middle where you're intrigued and invested. The dual timeline added so much to the characters. I especially liked the main character Emlyn with the issues she overcomes from her past and her somewhat complicated relationship with her best friend Janessa.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my early e-arc copy.

Kimi Cunningham Grant has such a talent for nature writing. This is my second book from her and she really makes it feel like you are submerged into the environments that she can create. This book mostly takes place in the Idaho Wilderness, being raised in Idaho really had me feeling like this was even more personal.

I do not think that the book was very interesting from a mystery standpoint, however I will probably always pick up her books solely for the fact that she can make me feel so immersed in her nature descriptions.

I would give this a 4/5 stars, but I can see that if I didn't love the nature aspects as much as I do, it would be closer to a 3 for me.