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 .

THESE SILENT WOODS is one of my favorite books so my hopes were hiiigh for this one + it mostly succeeded!

✨dual timeline
✨slow burn mystery
✨great on audio🎧
✨the search for a missing friend - but who’s really in danger?
✨atmospheric - the wilderness plays a huge role (and was the original title of the book!)

This one was suspenseful and I binged it in a day because I really wanted to know what would happen next! Since it is a slower burn I think the audio was a huge help in my enjoyment of the story! I didn’t *love* the ending but if you enjoyed her other works I think you’ll enjoy this one too👏

This is a blend of what I call book club fiction and mystery/thriller. It is definitely a slow burn and really picks up at the end. The story goes back and forth between current events and past events that are directly shaping how the currently storyline plays out. The heart of the plot really centers around the relationships between the main characters, Emlyn, Janessa and Tyler, those core relationships help us understand why the characters do what they do in the present missing persons event.

This was my first book by this author, but I will be checking out the rest.

4.25 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


How does it feel to have your life pulled out from under you? To lose your way in life. To feel like you have to leave everything behind and start over. The Nature of Disappearing tackles this for one young woman.

Emlyn has run away from life more than once. She learned it well, from her mother. And then in college, Janessa befriends her and turns her life upside down. Suddenly the reclusive, shy Emlyn is wearing fancy clothes and visiting clubs and going to exclusive parties. All because of Janessa.

Then Emlyn meets Tyler. Who also turns her life upside down. It also causes Emlyn and Janessa to no longer speak. So when things go wrong with Tyler, Emlyn has nowhere to go but away and start her life over, yet again, this time as a wilderness guide in a small town.

Until Tyler shows up in Emlyn’s new life and begs her to help him find Janessa. Janessa has gone off grid and Tyler is thinking the worst. Because Emlyn is Emlyn, she agrees to help Tyler try to find Janessa in the wilderness. What Emlyn doesn’t expect is for things to go terribly wrong.

Loved this suspenseful novel about love and loss and fighting for your life - not only the physical life, but your heart and soul as well. Emlyn is someone that you want to fight for. She’s fought so hard in the past and present - as the novel does flip back and forth. Janessa is a wealthy social media star, but she has some very tough girl qualities that can make her endearing. This is a good one.

Wow! It is official, Kimi Cunningham Grant is my favorite author!!

Synopsis:

Emlyn doesn’t let herself think about the past. How she and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore. How Tyler, the man she thought was the love of her life, left her freezing and half-dead on the side of the road three years ago.

Her new life is simple and safe. She works as a fishing and hunting guide, spending her days in Idaho’s endless woods and scenic rivers.

But 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, it turns out, has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife adventures with her rugged survivalist boyfriend. But she hasn’t posted lately, and when she does, it’s from a completely different location than where her caption claims to be.

What I Loved:

The setting: I absolutely love a wilderness setting and this book put me in the beautiful Idaho wilderness with mountains, rivers and trees and I loved every minute!! 😍

Suspense: I had no idea what happened to Janessa. I loved the way the story kept me guessing!

Faith: Kimi usually has a side character with strong faith, and I LOVE that!! It’s just enough to not overwhelm an unbelieving reader, but also there is actual scripture quoted in this book! 👏🏼

Character Growth: Emlyn had to deal with a lot of things in this book and I really appreciated her character growth! I also loved the glimpses back to her childhood and early adulthood! It gave me so much understanding and empathy for her view of herself and the relationships in her life.

Quote from the book:

“Wilderness is a lonely place. It’s a place of hardship and doubt. You don’t know where you are and you don’t see a way through. And that is a real real hard spot to be.”

“But it’s in the wilderness that you grow… In ways that you couldn’t anywhere else.”

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Nature of Disappearing. It is one of those "literary mystery/thriller" books that is slightly hard to categorize, but really satisfies the itch for a suspenseful book that is thoroughly grounded in relationships. The writing in this book was very strong, both in terms of descriptive language regarding the wilderness and backcountry activities and in delving into relationships and how they develop and morph over time. I thought the alternating timelines were done well, and I never had difficult following what was going on in either. The main character was drawn very well - flawed in some ways, but absolutely someone you are rooting for, even if you're not always sure what that "rooting" might mean in the moment. Supporting characters were also believable, and I thought the pacing (often a challenge in this kind of book) worked well. I didn't know anything about this book or author when I dove in, but it's definitely one I'll be recommending!

This book follows three friends who have a complicated history. When one of them goes missing in the wilderness, the other two go hunting for her.

I thought this book was just ok. I will start with the positives. I did like the wilderness setting and how everything was described. I feel like the wilderness is a scary place to get lost in so that really kept me interested to read. I also enjoyed the characters.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration! I liked the narrator. The voice was good and the pace was good.

My biggest complaint is that this story was so slow. I didn't like all of the flashbacks; I don't think they added much to the story. I think there should have been more action early on and less of the flashbacks.

While this book wasn't bad, it wasn't my favorite either.

Thanks so much to netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillian audio for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Emlyn has built a new life for herself in scenic Idaho, far from the painful memories of her past—namely, her fractured friendship with Janessa and the traumatic night Tyler left her for dead. Living in an Airstream trailer and working as a fishing and hunting guide, Emlyn finds solace in her routine and her small circle of friends.

This fragile peace shatters when Tyler reappears with alarming news: Janessa, now a social media star documenting her #vanlife, is missing. Reluctantly, Emlyn teams up with Tyler to find her old friend. As they follow Janessa's trail through the wilderness, Emlyn notices something off about her last social media post. Despite the unresolved feelings between her and Tyler, they push deeper into the wild, uncovering a darker truth that suggests Janessa isn't the only one at risk.

Initially, I had my doubts—the names threw me off, and I had to Google some fly-fishing terms. But as the story unfolded, I was hooked. The timeline shifts between past and present added depth and kept me engaged. The meaning of "Varden" became clear, and I couldn’t put the book down. Kimi Cunningham Grant's The Nature of Disappearing is poignant, suspenseful, and unforgettable. 3.5/5 stars.

I had high hopes after These Silent Woods. that being said, I was not disappointed. This was such an engrossing, layered novel yet again. Definition of a literary thriller/mystery. The alternating timelines really helped build the momentum for the final “climax”. You slowly get more and more invested in each character and their personal struggles. I can’t wait to read what’s next by her.

Emlyn has finally gotten back on her feet and being left freezing and half dead in the woods by her ex-boyfriend. She has good friends and a good job. But when she sees a news report that her estranged best friend is missing and her ex boyfriend asks Emlyn to help find her, she feels obligated to help. The journey explores not only the ruggedly remote Idaho wilderness but also her past and the relationships with her best friend and ex-boyfriend.

I feel the categorization of this book as a thriller, mystery or suspense is slightly misleading. A good portion of this dual time line book is exploring Emlyn’s past, her relationships and choices. This focus makes the book read slower than a typical thriller or suspense novel. I feel like it reads more like fictional second coming of age story where Emlyn explores her current and past life with the backdrop of the remote wilderness of Idaho. I loved the character growth demonstrated by the main character between the two timelines. I was glad to see the strength, both mental and physical, that Grant gave the two female main characters. Then ending did wrap up quite quick and there while the ending was a little twist, this book is not overall twisty. This reminds me of a little Wild by Cheryl Strayed + Happiness for Beginners wrapped in a mystery/suspense story.

I was really excited to get a copy of this. It has everything I look for in a book. A strong, complicated heroine. A dangerous, beautiful setting. Complex overlapping stories. And, as someone who was nomadic for a few years, a community close to my heart.

But unfortunately this author's distant, nearly disconnected voice was not for me. Every time I put the book down, I just forget about it. So, while I have a feeling this would be a 5 star movie, it's only a 2.5 start read for me. If you like the authors style, this will probably be a great read for you.

I have been picking ALL of the slow burns recently, and they just aren't doing it for me. I was always waiting for something to grab me, and nothing ever did.

Simply unputdownable! This novel grabbed me from the onset; and I just loved the descriptions of the wilderness. Although I’m not a camping type person, I’ll always appreciate the woods/trees/off the grid/forestry setting in any story.

Emlyn’s character had baggage, but also had strength. I will never tire of complex characters and dual time lines. You’re trying to understand her new life and how she got here. The novel kept me on my toes and guessing which is perfect for this mystery. Idaho was a new novel setting to me too.

Highly recommend this novel, especially if you love anything with a forest backdrop/complex characters/can’t stop reading type of book.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.