After finishing The Nature of Disappearing and reflecting upon it, I came to the conclusion that it would be a perfect Lifetime movie because it contains parts that would be appealing to that target audience. It wasn’t gory nor too intense just the right amount of intrigue to keep the reader interested. I was hoping for more twists and thrills but it read more like a drama. I did enjoy the Idaho wilderness setting and found it very atmospheric as well as the Vanlife piece. However, the main protagonist lacked any self confidence and it came off as annoying. Overall it was an average read that had enough elements to keep me engaged.

Read this if you like:
-wilderness settings with hikes and survival skills needed
-exploration of female friendships
-multiple timelines
-personal growth and coming to terms with your past and present

My rating 3 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC that will be released June 18 2024.

I had hopes that this book was going to be amazing however, I feel like it fell short. The description of the books made it seem like it was going be a suspenseful, thrilling mystery set in the wilderness. It seemed like there were going to be so many twists and turns...and there just was not.

Long story short: The book follows Emlyn, who is a wilderness guide in a national forest. She notices that an old friend of hers, Janessa, has been radio silent on social media and she has not heard from her in a couple days, after journeying into the wilderness. Another person from her past, Tyler, also shares concerns for Janessa's safety. The thing is Tyler is Emlyn's ex and the two had a rocky relationship with a traumatizing experience for Emlyn. She is nervous to go into the woods with Tyler, but she wishes to discover what happened to her friend. Secrets come out and feelings are hurt.

I thought the book was going to be thriller than mystery so it dampened my reading experience right off the bat. I was also expecting some crazy secrets to be revealed, when in reality is was not a surprising twist. The story also jumps between past and present, which could have been down differently in terms of story telling. This was the first book I've read by this author, and I fear it may be the only one I read.

Thank you so much to @minotaurbooks for my advance copy! I loved These Silent Woods so I was happy to dive in. This is an extremely atmospheric read in the heart of Idaho wilderness. It started off a bit slow but it really helps lay the background and the setting. Emlyn is flawed and has had a tragic past. We don’t really know what happen until the story unfolds.

The timeline jumps around a bit between past and present. The whole idea of being stuck in the wilderness is terrifying. I thought the scenario and relationships extremely realistic and I liked the twists this took toward the end that I did not see coming. I also appreciated the ending. It just seemed to be lacking something, don’t know what it is but…something. I am still a Grant fan even though I liked Silent Woods better.

This book was kind of disappointing to me. I had read the author's previous book and really liked it but honestly I felt like I could never really latch on or care for the characters, which is my biggest criteria for enjoying a book.

I really enjoyed the writing and plot of this book!

This was listed as a thriller, however I think that may hinder a reader's expectations as they may be left wanting more twists and turns from this one. If you go in knowing this is more of a dark and tense book, it's much more enjoyable.

The setting really drew me in, I'm a sucker for a woodsy hike book, and I'm glad it did!

The internet categorizes The Nature of Disappearing and her previous novel, These Silent Woods, as suspense/thriller. While the undertones are there and very present in many scenes, they are more dark contemporary fictions that explores the complexity in human nature. I say this because some go in looking for the constant thrills and twists and subsequently complain of the “slow burn”. Mindset and mood are everything.

These Silent Woods was unquestionably a 5 star read for me and had me anxiously awaiting Grant’s next novel. It’s finally here. And it was everything I could have hoped and expected from her. I devoured this!

Told in dual timelines, I was so invested in the main protagonist’s story. Grant has such a beautiful ability to pull you in to deeply feel the emotions in every scene. There is a constant uneasiness because you know something just isn’t right in the present timeline. The past keeps you turning the pages to connect the breadcrumbs the present timeline drops. It was just so well done.

I highly recommend getting lost in this one! It is sure to stick with me as These Silent Woods has. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was lucky enough to have the ebook and audio for this one which allowed me to never put it down. The narrator, @emilypikestewart , did a fantastic job!

I really enjoyed this book! A big draw for me was the setting as I love the outdoors and hiking. Many of us dream of traveling to and hiking in some of the world’s most beautiful spots. But, we also know the risks that exist with this hobby and these types of adventures. The second half of this book was a bit stronger and more engaging than the first half. I thought it came together really nicely at the end. I wasn’t a fan of either Emelyn or Janessa, but they each grew on me as the story developed. Thank you for this early copy!

ARC Review. 4 stars! This was a fast paced, easy to read, mystery. I loved the focus and commentary on nature. It was atmospheric and the mystery kept me intrigued.

I LOVED the atmosphere and description of the setting in this book. The characters were kinda "meh."

The whole book kinda led up to the main character pining for a guy and then we never really got his story just the ex-boyfriend that was a turds.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant is a suspense novel about coming to terms with the past (and present), loyalties and letting go. There are also glimpses of hope for the future.

Atmospheric wilderness settings grab me by the shoulders and yank me in. Set in Idaho, nature is both dangerous and rewarding. But then, so are humans. Wilderness guide Emlyn is more at ease with fish and animals than around her clients. Her home is a secluded camper trailer (a dream for many!). She doesn't miss much about her old life and her past. But on a news clip she discovers her former dearest friend Janessa is missing and her old instincts kick in. She and mutual friend Tyler seach for the influencer, combing through her posts and photographs and find discrepancies. Their search takes them on a wilderness jaunt.

Animals lurking in the darkness add to the danger element. What surprised me was the ending which had such scope to be incredibly powerful. The writing is gorgeous, smart and clean. I really like the variety of likeable and unlikeable characters. The author's inspiration is fabulous and I look forward to what she has planned next!

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of engrossing novel.

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

If you're looking for an atmospheric summer thriller, this is it! It has a slower start, but I enjoyed the setting and character relationships. The action didn't pick up until the back end of the story, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I was looking for an outdoor vibe, and that's definitely what I got.

This is the first book I've picked up from the author, so I didn't have much of an expectation going into it, and I may have been a bit easier to please. I'll definitely be checking out her other books after enjoying this!

And can we talk about the stunning cover that perfectly captures the vibe of the book?

What a great story of friendship, love, love lost, second chances, new love, and of course nature. I was captivated from the start with this one. The words, painting a story i felt like I was a part of. The characters, all so simply and beautifully human and relatable. I so wish this novel, just like her last, would just get picked up and turned into a movie i know i would love just as much.

THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING centers around Emlyn who is a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho. Before that she was the child of a depressed mother and a father who disappeared from her life. And she was a poor college student who kept to herself for fear of being a person easy to leave behind.

She met Janessa as a college freshman when Janessa saved her from some overaggressive college boys at a local diner. The two become inseparable with Janessa as the charismatic leader and Emlyn the quiet follower. Emlyn is mostly content to let Janessa make her decisions for her.

At least she is until she meets Tyler, Janessa's childhood friend. Emlyn and Tyler become a couple but Tyler's addiction to drugs leads to their breakup which comes to a head when he leaves her for dead in the wilderness.

Rescued by a forest ranger and cared for by an older woman, Emlyn decides to leave her past behind and build a new life. She's doing well until a couple of years later when Tyler comes to find her because Janessa, who has become a social media darling, is missing in the wilderness.

Together the two of them head into the wilderness to try to find Janessa. Along the way, Emlyn learns things Tyler doesn't want her to know about himself. And she learns that she is much stronger and competent than she has ever thought she was.

There is a mystery here with moments of danger, but for me this was mostly Emlyn's story showing her growth and the changes she has gone through. Highly & enthusiastically recommend!

This was a nice descriptive book. It kinda made me want to go camping. The story weaves from past to present giving details about Emlyn’s and Tyler’s relationship. I liked Janessa and Emlyn, both strong women. I enjoyed the story, it was quite a page turner towards the end.

The Nature of Disappearing had an interesting storyline with a lot of potential. However, it was very slow moving with most of the action starting toward the last quarter of the book. Similar to how I felt about the storyline, the characters also had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the characters building was lacking leading to difficulty connecting to and understanding the motives and choices of the central figures portrayed. Nevertheless, the book was well written, and I would certainly give this author another try.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Kimi Cunningham Grant for this free ARC digital copy.

I enjoyed this novel, it held my interest, it was interesting to go back and forth in the time periods, however it felt like the ending was rushed.

Another great read from the author of THESE SILENT WOODS!

This is a story about hurt and healing and trusting yourself and survival. The chapters alternate between present day and various flashbacks that help the reader understand the narrator, Emlyn. And I really wanted to give her a hug at times!! All of the characters are layered and realistic, and the setting is atmospheric. The tension is ratcheted up as our main character searches for her estranged friend, Janessa, after the latter goes radio silent on her camper van influencer socials. The fact that one wrong step in the remote wilderness areas could spell disaster for even an experienced hiker also adds to the tension. I found this book to be readable and compelling. Recommend to fans of stories set in national parks, told in dual timelines, and don’t mind themes of addiction and abandonment.

A big thanks to St Martin’s Books, Minotaur and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

A wonderful thriller/mystery.
The story goes back and forth from the past to the present to explain where the MC is now and why.
I enjoyed the thrill of the hiking and wondering what was going to happen next.
The ending was so sweet I wanted more.

Although Emlyn remains guarded and isolative from experiencing past hurts, she has found a new group of friends and support in a small Idaho town. She may even be falling in love with the local forest ranger. But when she receives a call from her former best friend, Janessa and the call is dropped right before Janessa is about to tell her something important, Emlyn wants to find and reconnect with Janessa. Then Tyler, Emlyn’s former boyfriend and Janessa's best friend shows up to enlist Emlyn's help in finding Janessa, who has gone off the grid with her boyfriend, Bush. . Tyler and Emlyn determine that Janessa may be in danger and work together to find clues and track Janessa and Bush into the wilderness. But who is really in danger and will Emlyn and Tyler renew their romance while working together?
An enjoyable thriller with not a lot of mystery. The characters are too few to provide many unexpected twists although there are some surprises towards the end. The characters were fairly well developed and I did enjoy the way the author revealed more and more little tidbits about them as the story progressed. There was a little romance but not enough to ruin the thriller aspect. Overall, an enjoyable read.

The Nature of Disappearing
Written By Kimi Cunningham Grant
Published By St. Martin’s Press
Release Date June 18, 2024

This book was very captivating and edgy due to the authors skillful ability to write a book that switches between timelines. I have never heard of this author before and honestly am quite surprised. This fits right in with my favorites and I was hooked from page one. The story will intrigue you and keep you wanting more while you try to figure out the mystery. The character development also makes for a great read. I am definitely going to add Grant to my list of favorite authors.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and to Netgalley for providing me with an eArc to read in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.