The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant. This is the second book I read by this author. I really enjoyed the first book I read (These Silent Woods). This book was good too but the ending really threw me for a loop. I felt like it came a bit out of nowhere, it was rushed and that was that. I really did enjoy the first 80% of the book.

Grant’s covers and titles always have me thinking I’m going to read a fast-paced thriller which is definitely not the case. But she does write some beautiful literary suspense in a wilderness setting.

Emrey was such a resilient character and I loved the flashback chapters that provided insight to her character and her struggle to bounce back from a failed, toxic relationship. I think her story will resonate with a lot of people; whether it be the fear of starting over, how a loved one’s addictions affects our lives, or learning to accept that you’re worthy of love. The rich wilderness setting was well done and I think the slow burn really worked here.

These Silent Woods is still my favorite but this was a really great read! Can’t wait to read what she writes next.

I loveddddd These Silent Woods by this author. So I was excited to get this one. It fell a little flat in the middle and I lost interest but definitely picked up speed at the end!

Emlyn is a woman who has built a new life for herself after being left in the wilderness, when she learns that her old friend may be missing and the one who left her behind (her ex) wants her help to find out what happened.

This book has everything: romance, friendship, adventure, danger. It is very well written and the main character is very likeable and endearing. I always enjoy dual timeline storytelling as well, which this one has as you move through the book. It really helps you to understand the characters and piece together what is going on. While the actual twist is predictable, the way the story is told makes up for that.

There’s something incredibly liberating about being surrounded by nature. Immersing myself in the unspoiled wilderness, far from the stresses of daily life, is my ultimate escape. I find complete peace in those moments, allowing myself to truly relax and be present. Despite being a place of solace, the wilderness can also be unforgiving. In her latest novel, The Nature of Disappearing, author Kimi Cunningham Grant uses the vast wilderness to craft a tale that highlights its serenity and harshness. I’ve been eager to read her work since her previous novel, These Silent Woods, caught my attention a couple of years ago. Thanks to her publisher’s generosity, I had the opportunity to read and listen to her newest creation.

Emlyn knows firsthand the healing power of nature. A few years ago, she hit rock bottom. Her best friend Janessa couldn’t accept Emlyn dating Tyler, especially after she warned her against the relationship. But Emlyn was in love and wouldn’t let her friend’s opinion stop her. Unfortunately, Janessa was right. Three years ago, Tyler left Emlyn stranded on the side of the road in the freezing cold, half dead. Now, Emlyn has found peace working as a fishing and hunting guide, spending her days in Idaho’s endless woods and scenic rivers.

Her serene life is upended when Tyler reappears. Janessa, now a social media star with her survivalist boyfriend, has gone missing, and Tyler fears the worst. Despite their turbulent past, Emlyn realizes her tracking skills could be vital in finding her friend. Reluctantly, she teams up with Tyler to navigate the rugged terrain. Emlyn can’t ignore the lingering sparks between them as they trek through the wilderness. Though she hadn’t anticipated a reconciliation, the undeniable connection remains. As they travel deeper into the forest, Emlyn is gripped by a new sensation - unease. In her mission to rescue her friend, she may have inadvertently placed herself in danger.

In The Nature of Disappearing, Kimi Cunningham Grant crafts a multifaceted narrative that seamlessly weaves elements of a gripping missing persons saga, an exploration of complex relationships, and a contemplative meditation on the wilderness’s profound influence. Grant’s vivid descriptions instantly transport readers to the sprawling Idaho wilderness, imbuing the story with a palpable sense of grandeur and atmosphere. Against this vast backdrop, the intimate drama of the characters unfolds, adding layers of depth to the narrative. The search for the missing couple, led by Emlyn and Tyler, serves as the primary driving force of the plot, gradually unveiling the intricacies of their intertwined past and relationships. While the story maintains a compelling momentum, there is a slight lull in the third act, where the sense of revelation momentarily stagnates. However, this minor flaw doesn’t detract from the overall buildup, as Grant’s skillful storytelling and well-developed characters remain engaging throughout. Whether experienced through reading or listening to the beautiful audiobook version, The Nature of Disappearing captivates with its atmospheric prose and thought-provoking themes. It is a summer read that entertains and invites deeper reflection—a winning combination that leaves a lasting impression.

The Nature of Disappearing follows Emlyn, a wilderness guide, who must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing. Emlyn is a layered main character. She is self-assured in nature yet is insecure in her relationships with people. She is forced to face these insecurities head on to search for her friend in the wilderness. Kimi Cunningham Grant does an incredible job building atmosphere. She is a nature lover, and she writes about the wilderness in such a gorgeous way that it makes you want to love it too. The cliffhanger chapter endings moved the mystery forward and cleverly placed one-sentence revelations made The Nature of Disappearing hard to put down.

A sincere thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to this ARC!

The Nature of Disappearing is a slow burn literary suspense novel that I could not put down! Emalyn has created a new life for herself as a wilderness guide after being abandoned by her boyfriend Tyler on the side of the road. She tries not to think about the past and has all but cut ties with her best friend, Janessa. When Janessa goes missing in the Idaho wilderness, Tyler shows up asking Emalyn for her help. Through flashbacks we see Emalyn and Janessa’s friendship develop, as well as Emalyn’s relationship with Tyler. I was equally invested in both timelines. While each timeline has a slow burn mystery, this is more of a story about human nature - one that explores addiction, friendship, redemption, and hope.

Kimi Cunningham Grant’s writing is beautiful and immersive. The mountains of Idaho come to life in this story. She also creates characters that I truly cared about, and I loved the found family that Emalyn has after she leaves her past behind. This is a second win from this author and I can’t wait to see what she continues to put out!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

“I wanted them {the readers} to experience both the beauty and unique challenges of a physical wilderness, but also the aloneness and lostness of a more metaphysical, spiritual wilderness.”

I appreciated the Author’s note at the end that explained what she was going for, it just didn’t get me there. The mystery seems suspect from the beginning, and none of it really drew me in. The book may be enjoyable for those who appreciate stories that take place in the wilderness and more of an inner growth theme than a mystery.

Thank you #NetGalley and @minotaur_books for this eARC!

I liked:
- The tech sleuthing (but wish there had been more of it rather than stumbling upon the truths)
- The displays of outdoor survival skills (even though this is not at all appealing to me personally!)

I didn’t like:
- That the characters’ current roles didn’t make all that much sense to me. For instance, I expected that maybe Janessa had gone into law enforcement while out East, but no, she’s a vigilante social media influencer.
- Not enough resolution on any fronts
- The one-dimensional characters. Emlyn assigns a word to people’s character and this seemed to become a basic theme for each in the book
- Emlyn is inconsistent. Examples: She can track people in the woods, but doesn’t remember to solar charge her phone. She leaves Tyler because he is an addict and liar, but trusts him to use his GPS tracker thing and traipse after Jenessa into the wilderness instead of getting help.

Thank you for reading!
Publication date June 18, 2024

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!