Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this one. The beginning hooked me right away, as we learn that the main character, Emelyn, sees her best friend, Janessa, missing on TV. Emelyn is a wilderness tracker in Idaho and she decides to head out to find Janessa after her ex reaches out for help. The middle of the book slowed down for me a bit, but then it picked back up and I had a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed all the references to wilderness and the outdoors. It made things very easy to visualize and I felt like I was on the journey with them! I loved the authors previous book, These Silent Woods, so I was excited to give this one a shot. Overall, I really enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed this one and have had These Silent Woods downloaded forever but haven’t checked it out yet. This book definitely gave me the push to finally check it out, as I enjoyed Grant’s writing and her character development quite a bit in this one!

The Nature Of Disappearing is about forgiveness, but also about the walls we build around ourselves when we need to survive. Emlyn is a survivor in every sense of the word, and when her best friend goes missing she rises to the call - even though it means teaming up with her awful ex to do so.

This one was perfectly twisty and I always love shifts in timeline. The narrator, Emily Pike Stewart knocked this one out of the park as well! I wanted more from the ending to be entirely honest, and that’s what led to the lack of 5 stars. I definitely recommend this book for fans of thrillers, nature, remote settings, and suspense!!

**Thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur Books for the ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this title!!**

After reading and loving These Silent Woods from this author, I was excited to read this one after receiving an advanced copy from @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress.

In this captivating novel of suspense, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing. Emlyn, Janessa and Tyler were very close at one time. Many different things happened in the past to tear them all apart. This story is told in dual time lines, the past delves into how they all met, became friends and you slowly learn the things that tore them apart. In the present time line, Janessa is believed to be lost and missing in the Idaho wilderness. The sense of place is so great, I really felt like I was right there isolated with these characters. She definitely does a great job of building that sense of tension and dread. It made me nervous to even think of being out there so isolated in nature and not knowing if you could get back.

I felt this was also a story of finding yourself and coming to terms with your past. Emlyn finds new people who help her grow to love herself and make a new life.

Overall, a really good suspense novel with a strong sense of place. I will continue to read whatever this author writes in the future.
Out June 18, 2024.

Emlyn has a complicated past she worked hard to leave behind. But, when her ex, Tyler, comes looking for her help to save their friend, Emlyn puts her expertise as a wilderness guide to use to try and find her.

Thoughts 💭
This novel has a lot of suspense with twists and turns I didn't completely see coming. The then and now timelines helped add to the suspense and the drama. No one was really what they seemed. The story was very engaging and fun to read from the start. Bonus points from me for having the setting in the wilderness as I love to hike.

I didn't rate this higher because I was occasionally frustrated with Emlyn's choices. Her willingness to listen to her ex and ignore safety protocols was contradictory to her strong, smart character. Some plot points were a little outrageous and random as well. Overall, this was a quick and fun read for me, and I loved the setting in the wilderness.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you, Minotaur for the digital ARC.

let me start by saying that i loved THESE SILENT WOODS, so maybe i had high expectations going into this book.

While I enjoyed the beautiful writing and how atmospheric it was, i really struggled with the past timeline. I felt like it didn't let the story unfold seamlessly.

Overall, a good read, but not one that i remember months from now.

3.5 stars

Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the arc copy of this. This book was wonderful. Emlyn has created a new life after being left in the wilderness by her drug addled boyfriend Tyler. One day Tyler tracks her now to let her know to seek her help finding their mutual best friend who’s gone missing Tyler now clean is leaning on her to unravel the mystery while old feelings begin to resurface, but can she ever trust him again? Beautifully written and fast paced this was such a solid story. 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant in exchange for an honest review. Another amazing book by Grant. Her books are so relatable and it's because her characters are people you feel like you know or how I feel sometimes. I love the crafting of the storyline with immense attention to the words on each page. You can tell that Grant puts a lot of heart and soul in her books, and they are inspirational because of it. Thank you for another wonderful book.

3.5 ⭐

Kimi Cunningham Grant has been hot on my radar since I read the masterpiece that is These Silent Woods a few months back. And while this book doesn't quite live up to the experience of the other (that's a lot to ask of a book), it is still thoroughly enjoying. This author does a great job crafting complex, emotional characters, vast worlds, and endlessly tense scenes. I was on my toes for the majority of this book, my mind spinning.

Setting the majority of this story in the woods really worked for me, the whole thing felt both claustrophobic and horrifyingly remote. I liked the amount of detail that went into the sections about hiking, trapping, fly fishing etc. It really felt like the author knew their stuff (at least to me, someone who knows nothing about anything woodsy).

Like I said before, the characters were complex and realistic. I felt that Emlyn's character was a bit 'pick me' at times, and she sometimes got on my nerves because of this, but her struggles with feeling like she belongs and her abandonment issues were really well done in my opinion. The author did a great job with handling the conflict between Janessa and Emlyn, and I appreciate that both characters were able to acknowledge how they mishandled the situation without brushing the issue under the rug.

When it came to the love triangle, I was left wanting a bit. I honestly didn't realize that the ranger boy was a potential love interest untill halfway through. I thought he just had unreciprocated feelings for Emlyn, but then she starts talking about having fantasies of them having kids together, and the whole thing sort of threw me off. I wish we had more time to build their connection, especially since he is gone for most of the story. I thought Tyler's character was written very well, as an unpredictable addict character. I appreciate that the author touched on how their can be good moments mixed in with the bad times in a relationship, and it felt very understandable as to why Emlyn stayed with him for so long. That being said I am SO GLAD they did not end up together and have some BS forgive and forget moment. I thought the story was headed that way for a minute and am really glad it did not.

Overall a very solid read from Kimi Cunningham Grant. I look forward to reading anything else this author puts out, and encourage others to do the same!

I enjoyed this slow burn suspense (NOT thriller), as I had the expectation that it would be slow. Full of wonderful nature/survival writing, we follow Emlyn as she tries to figure out what happened to her friend who has disappeared in the wilderness. Following a dual timeline, we slowly discover her history with her friend and exboyfriend, putting puzzle pieces slowly together. Some may lament the slowness of the novel, so please have that expectation going in. This would be a great one to read on a nature-filled vacation, as the nature writing is really the star here, rather than the mystery of it all. Worth a read!

I wanted to love this book. The premise definitely had my attention. But while beautifully written, it was just so slow moving. I loved how descriptive Grant was with her wilderness scenes. I could picture myself in those mountains. As well, Emlyn was such a strong female character. I really liked her strong love of, and connection to, nature. And how she turned that into a successful career in a male dominated field. But it wasn't enough to get past the slow pacing. Which I couldn't even reasonably call a slow burn.

In the end I did enjoy the book. And there was nice little twist near the end. I just didn't love it like I wanted to.

I loved These Silent Woods, so I’m not surprised that I enjoyed this one. The writing is wonderful and the plot is unique. It’s definitely a slow burn story. It’s told from Emlyn’s POV and switches back and forth between two different timelines. I’ll be eagerly waiting for the next book!

I loved These Silent Woods and bought it for everyone I knew. Grant has a great way of creating suspense that simmers throughout her novels. Although this one didn't capture my attention like the previous novel did, I enjoyed the characters the plot kept me turning pages.. The dual timeline didn't flow as well as I would have liked but the characters were well thought out and multi-dimensional. I wanted a little more literary complexity and thought it relied too heavily on "who dunnit" but am glad I read it. A good summer beach read. Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy!

Decided to DNF at 21%. It was so slow and it is not holding my attention. This may just be me since I am a mood reader and I want to be reading romance books right now.

3 out of 5 stars!

Emlyn has a simple life, working as a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho. She lives in an Airstream trailer, along the scenic river. She has 2 best friends, a local ranger and the makeshift community reverend. But nothing is that simple. Emlyn may live the simple life now, but she is about to get pulled back into a life she is trying to forget. When Tyler, the love of her life, finds her, he comes with unexpected news. Janessa, Emlyn’s best friend, is missing. Are they considered best friends, even if they haven’t talked in years? The jury is still out, but Emlyn knows this is serious, and her help is needed in finding her. Janessa, now an influencer, lives a completely different life than before. She is traveling across America with her boyfriend, promoting van life. When she stops posting, Tyler is sure that she is in danger and needs help. As Emlyn and Tyler search the woods trying to find Janessa, they start to find themselves in a dangerous spot. There are lies out there in the woods, and Emlyn is soon going to find out.

“The Nature of Disappearing” by Kimi Cunningham Grant is the first for me by this author! I was really drawn to the title of this novel, as well as the synopsis. I love the outdoors and exploring, so the synopsis sent a shiver down my spine about the things that can go wrong out in the woods. This book held a lot of suspense, but kind of fell apart towards the end of the book. The book kept building up, uncovering secrets and having twists, but the ending felt it was lacking something. I feel like Grant could have expanded more and explained better.

I loved the main character, Emlyn. She was a very smart main character who took cues from what was going on. She was good at solving mysteries and developed a lot throughout the novel. Another thing I loved was the chapters. They flipped between the past and the present, which really propelled the book forward. You learned a lot of valuable information about Emlyn’s past as it pertains to the present. There was also some romance in this book, which is a hard thing to bring into a thriller novel. But the author did a great job incorporating it!

Pick up “The Nature of Disappearing” by Kimi Cunningham Grant on June 18th, 2024!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Kimi Cunningham Grant, and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the setting of this book and felt myself getting completely absorbed into the Idaho wilderness. It was a slow burn, switching off between the last and present POVs. The big reveal wasn’t anything super exciting, just an okay end to the book. That said, it was a quick read and did keep my attention throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Kimi Cunningham Grant's previous book, These Silent Woods, so when I got a chance to read an advanced copy of The Nature of Disappearing, I jumped on it.

We follow Emlyn as she and her past boyfriend Tyler search for Janessa, their friend who has gone off the grid under suspicious circumstances. We also have a series of flashbacks to the past five years that explain why Emlyn is living in an off-the-grid Airstream trailer and her complicated relationships with Tyler and Janessa. The tension ratchets up as the book moves along with higher stakes than I expected.

I was intrigued by the camping/backpacking part of this book. The tracking passages were fascinating. However, I had a hard time connecting with some of the characters. I think the flashbacks were a bit abrupt and the last few felt rushed. Overall, I loved the story and enjoyed Grant's writing. It's definitely worth reading!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC of The Nature of Disappearing.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this ALC!
Much like the first book I read by Grant, this one is a little bit slower, especially for the genre it’s classified in. But the writing is so beautiful and immersive that it just makes sense. Grant really has a way of captivating me and building beautiful atmospheres that give a creeping sense of dread. I had a feeling where this one was going, but kept hoping I was wrong. When it finally got the climax and I was right, I felt so disappointed because I had become so invested in the characters.
As for the audio version, the narrator did a great job. I usually prefer a full cast, but the narrator did such a great job encompassing all the characters.
Overall, for my second Grant book, I can safely say I’ll be reading more from her when the time comes!

This book suffers from the dual timeline dilemma. While Emlyn and Tyler are trying to track down Janessa in the present, there are constant flashbacks to when Emlyn and Janessa met and when Emlyn and Tyler met and had a relationship that blew up spectacularly (not in a good way). I didn't care about the past. Sure, it helped color in the characters but I didn't need that much and it was taking away from the present timeline of which could have used a lot more development. That whole section felt very rushed and rudimentary compared to all the time and detail spent in the past. I did really enjoy Emlyn's quirky habit of assigning everyone a specific word based on their personality. I kinda geeked out on that!

I love this book. It is so beautiful and complex. Our girl starts a new life when her boyfriend leaves her in the mountains with no survival gear. She ends up back in the mountains with him again because their mutual best friend has gone missing and Tyler might have a clue where she is.
It is both terrifying and tranquil.
I was hooked all the way through this one. That ending too!

Emlyn ends up facing her past when she is called upon to help an old friend who has disappeared in the Idaho wilderness. As an experienced guide and tracker ,You see her struggle with her past and comes to realize that she is happy with what she has. I enjoyed this book and loved getting to see what happened in her past and she rescues her friend .