At first this started off very intriguing and I was flying through it. But at around 40% I started to get bored and very fast. I was expecting a thriller and felt it really fell off the mountain in that aspect. I enjoyed the wonderful descriptions and the details of rugged life that Emlyn is living. She never really seems to make the best decisions and rushes off with a man she is scared of and left her for dead and has been hiding from. I felt that is not something anybody would do. If you are in the market for a slower burn of a book this might be for you. But maybe I am too used to mind bending twists and thrills.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thank you for an advance copy of this book by an author I have enjoyed. This tells the story of 3 childhood friends who go searching in the woods for one who went missing in the wilderness. This is a slow moving character driven story,, that really didn't pick up for me until about halfway thru. The story has alternating timelines and I was more interested in the present day than the past....I enjoyed this one but These Silent Woods was a stronger, more interesting story for me.

This backcountry thriller might be a slow-burn, but it is no less compelling; predictable, but no less enjoyable. I finished it in a single day. If you’ve been around my blog, you know I enjoy the outdoors and camping, so when I read the synopsis for this on NetGalley, I immediately requested it.

I really liked Emlyn’s arc. The synopsis says that her ex “ruined” her life, which I think is a bit of a misnomer. Fairer to say that he traumatized her and she struggled to heal from that trauma. But I thought the author did a great job of showing us her growth and healing from past hurts and trauma and the self-perceptions those things created in her. I thought some of the side characters took longer to come to life because they were only related in flashbacks for the most part.

The way the story was told in alternating timelines allowed the story to unfold very neatly. I did find, however, that the present timeline interested me much more than the past timeline, at least until about 60% of the way through.

I really liked the overall theme of wilderness, shown in this book both literally and figuratively. Her writing around this topic was incredibly insightful and I highlighted a couple passages about it.

Even if you’re not all outdoorsy, if you enjoy suspense, this slow-burn thriller will hit the spot.

I will always love the authors settings but this one didn’t blow me away like the last one. I enjoyed the past and present timelines. I found it ok and can’t put my finger on why I didn’t love it.

Thanks to netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the advanced ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

Publish date June 18, 2024

So having really enjoyed the last book (These Silent Woods) I read by this author; I was looking forward to reading this new one. Like the last one, this new story also takes place out deep in the woods, off the beaten path, where one could easily get lost and/or die from either exposure or some wild animal.

The book summary basically just introduces the two storylines: one of Janessa and her boyfriend, Bush, who Tyler, their employer, thinks are missing and that something has happened to them. Tyler, Emlyn’s ex-boyfriend, convinces Emlyn to help him find Janessa and Bush. Emlyn and Tyler have a bad history; a few years ago, when Tyler was deep into his addiction, he abandoned Emlyn and she almost died on the side of the road waiting for him. Anyway, Emlyn, who hasn’t seen Tyler in years, is very wary of going anywhere with Tyler, who has been clean and sober for a couple of years. However, based on the info that Tyler provides, Emlyn also becomes concerned about Janessa.

The second storyline is of the history of Emlyn’s relationships with both Janessa and Tyler and how Emlyn met them and what happened that fractured Emlyn’s relationships with them. There is also a park ranger, Varden, who was the one that found and rescued Emlyn years ago after Tylor left her for dead. Varden has become hopelessly in love with Emlyn even though the feelings are unrequited.

Tyler and Emlyn head off to try and find Janessa and Bush out in the wilderness of Idaho. The story flips back and forth between Emlyn’s present and past. The past chapters are kind of all over the place: seven years ago, then five years ago, then 17 years ago, then four and half years ago, etc. The past chapters cover the history of Emlyn’s relationship with both Janessa and Taylor as well as what happened to her. The present chapters mostly cover Emlyn’s and Tyler’s search for Janessa and Bush. It's well into the second half, when Emlyn and Tyler find Janessa and Bush, that the story takes a really strange turn and a very ominous tone that culminates into a bizarre and scary intense ending. Good grief!!! That was insane!!!

I flipped back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook, which was expertly narrated by Emily Pike Stewart, who understands the timing of energy and pitch with just the right amount of flair for character authenticity, like the polar differences between Emlyn and Janessa. The characterization of Emlyn and Janessa was much more developed than the rest the rest; the rest being the men, Tyler, Bush and Varden. The pacing and storyline were steady and interesting, respectively. The writing style was good, but I found the alternate chapters (the chapters on Emlyn’s past) kind of clunky and a little thin on details. I’m sure that was by design with the author not wanting to give too much away. However, I love crazy endings!

Personally, I would have preferred that the author didn’t feel it necessary to include the scene of the wild animals that were tortured. I hate animal abuse!!! I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.2 that I will be rounding down to a 4star rating. I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Press and Mcmillan Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #StMartinsPress #McmillanAudio #TheNatureofDisappearing

TW: Graphic scene of tortured wild animals

I was excited to score an ARC of THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING. The description made it sound like it would be loosely based on the Gabby Petito case - a beautiful blonde influencer who’s traveling the country with her outdoorsy boyfriend suddenly goes missing while on the road - and her estranged best friend has to find her. It started out like this, but quickly drifted from the mark, in my opinion.

I had a hard time really becoming engaged in the plot or understanding the characters’ motivations. The underlying love story between the main character, Emlyn, and Varden felt flat and unnecessary. And the great falling out between Emlyn, Janessa and Tyler felt a little too convenient. It was necessary for the plot but it wasn’t believable.

Overall, the best word I can come up with for this book is “flimsy.” I felt like it was almost there, but it never quite delivered on the suspense. It’s clear that Kimi Grant Cunningham is a talented writer and I would like to give one of her books another chance.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the early digital copy to review. I’m sorry this one was not for me!

3.5 rounded up.

Emlyn doesn’t think about her past or the friend and ex who turned her life upside down. But while working as a fishing and hunting guide, she finds out that that friend from the past, Janessa has gotten lost in the wilderness, and it isn’t until her ex, Tyler shows up, that Emlyn’s ready to face her past head-on.

I was really excited for this book after absolutely loving THESE SILENT WOODS, but this one missed the mark a little.

THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING by Kimi Cunningham Grant is an exploration of the wilderness around us and within us. It tackles messy relationships and the bravery it takes to put yourself first.

I loved the nature, hiking, and camping elements of this - literally just want to be bug-bitten in the woods right now - and even the mystery itself kept me wanting to push forward.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the past timeline story in this and felt that the reveal behind the missing Janessa was a letdown.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: June 18

✨Arc Review!✨

The Nature of Disappearing
By Kimi Cunningham Grant
Publishes: 6/18/24
Genre: mystery/thriller

This book is one to put in your backpack for your camping adventures this summer. If you’re an outdoors enthusiast, you’ll most likely love it. I liked this story, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Actually, I don’t think I even read the synopsis beforehand. Probably I went in cold because I LOVED These Silent Woods!So, I was going to read it no matter what. Although The Nature of Disappearing wasn’t as engrossing for me, I still felt a connection to the main character and had an appreciation for the setting and symbolism. It just didn’t deliver the high suspense that I typically crave in a thriller novel, but it still had a lot of great qualities and a few suspenseful moments. I really enjoyed Emlyn’s search for herself more than the search for her missing friend. Descriptions of the outdoors and landscape are abundant and well done. It’s a novel about both human nature and nature outdoors. It’s about wilderness outside and in within oneself. It’s about accepting oneself and the past and choosing to move forward. And, I always love mentions of my home state of Pennsylvania. 😉 This earns a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating from me.

All this and more….
⛰️mountains
🌲 forest
🎣 fishing
🏕️camping
👥 human nature
💊addiction
💔love triangles
🧭 searching…literally & figuratively
😶‍🌫️ mystery
⏰ past and present timeline
👩 strong female MC

I rated this one a 4.5/5 stars. This one hooked me from the beginning. Emlyn was a deeply compelling character who was easy to root for. She was so resilient but also so broken. My heart ached for her. I was also in awe of how knowledgeable she was about the wilderness and tracking. I loved all the scenery descriptions! It made me feel like I was right there with Emlyn. This one was dual timeline, and it was well written. You knew at the start of the chapter which timeline it was. Also, both timelines were written in chronological order so it was easy to follow and guess at how it all connected. I liked the way the author explored Emlyn’s complicated relationships with Janessa, Tyler, and Varden while the plot unfolded. The plot was well paced and the reveals were perfectly timed. There were some details I guessed out, but I was surprised by the bigger reveals. The ending was a bit abrupt, but it fit the story and the characters. I appreciated the open-endedness of it and how it left room for hope. But I also kinda wished I knew how things worked out for Emlyn after the fallout of the climax.

“Wilderness is not the destination. It’s not the final chapter. Your story goes on.”
In the beginning we meet fishing guide & wilderness expert Emlyn. She’s resilient, lovable and a character to root for as you get to know her through flashback chapters that alternate with present day (I love when an author does this!)
The writing is descriptive and atmospheric. The reader is drawn into the rich Idaho setting and you feel like you are drawn along on the camping, fishing, and wilderness’s experiences.

Though this is not a Christian fiction, I appreciated the clear biblical themes throughout: wilderness/wandering, redemption, hope, freedom. It deals with tough subjects like parental abandonment and loving someone caught addiction. There also some interesting portrayals of strong friendships and sacrificial love, but also the dangers of toxic attachment and codependent relationships.

I personally didn’t enjoy one character (Rev) that was depicted as a Believer, but was a little new-age for my preferences. There were also multiple references to the “universe speaking” or sending signs.

😇: faith portrayed in positive light, new-age beliefs, redemptive themes, a couple Scriptures quoted
😍: talk of attraction, one kiss
🤐: one use of h*ll
⛔️: parental abandonment, drug use and addiction, drugged at a party

Thank you to St Martin’s Press & Minotaur Books for the complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I am a very indoorsy person who enjoys reading outdoorsy stories. Emlyn is a fishing guide who is happiest in nature. But when Emlyn is at the diner for lunch she sees news that her former best friend Janessa has gone missing. When her ex Tyler shows up and says he’s worried about Janessa and the police aren’t taking him seriously - they decide they need to try to find her themselves. (Why was it already on tv then? Unclear.)

This was a compelling read and ended up being a one sitting read for me because I wanted to keep going and see what would happen next. However as you can see above there are some parts that didn’t quite connect or feel entirely believable.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ebook and audiobook to review.

I really loved her first book and was excited for this one. I think she does a great job with descriptions. I can feel the forest and smell the camp fire. I liked the characters and complexity and I thought the friendship being the true love story was good.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Publisher for providing me a a copy of The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant.
I have read several books by this author and have found them memorable. I seek out books written by an author which I like and this is one.

This book is a thriller, suspense, and mystery, set in the wllderness. Emilyn a pack ranger has to be the one to find an old friend who is a internet superstar that is lost in the woods. I found this book to be sort of predictable, this book was ok it wasnt't my favorite but, I will read more from this author.

Having seen rave reviews of These Silent Woods, I was so excited to dive into this one! I still haven't read TSW, so I can't compare, but I was somewhat disappointed in this one. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I felt pretty meh about this one.

This book follows two timelines - the present-day mystery and the past that leads up to said mystery. At the start of this book, our main character Emlyn learns her former best friend Janessa has gone missing. We learn about Emlyn's past, her friendship with Janessa, and what led them to become estranged. Teaming up with her ex, Tyler, she attempts to track her down.

I really liked the present-day narrative, the mystery behind Janessa's disappearances and Emlyn's hunt for her friend. What I didn't like were the chapters covering the backstory - they started allllll the way at Emlyn's childhood, leading up until after college, and honestly, a lot of it could've been cut out. I know we needed the backstory about how Emlyn and Janessa became friends, and what eventually led to their falling out (along with Emlyn's falling out with Tyler), but honestly it starts reading more like a piece of emotional women's fiction, and less like a mystery/thriller. There were pieces that aided to the overall storyline, sure, but so much of it could've been cut out. I felt like we were still talking about Emlyn's childhood at the 80% mark, and then the whole present-day mystery wraps up pretty quickly.

Also, I'll try to say this without being spoiler-y, but the reason behind the falling out with Janessa and Emlyn felt SO... wrong? Like 1) it wouldn't have caused that big of a falling out; and 2) Janessa KNEW something VERY IMPORTANT and did not tell Emlyn??? I get Emlyn being mad but Janessa being mad made no sense to me.

Anyways - I can tell this author is a really talented writer, and the descriptions of the Idaho wilderness were beautiful. I still want to give These Silent Woods a try, even if this wasn't my favorite book!

Set in the beautiful Idaho wilderness, The Nature of Disappearing is a captivating story of estranged friendship, and finding the momentum to move on when it’s needed. It was thrilling, suspenseful, moving, and overall a really great book.

Being a PNW girl myself, I loved the wilderness descriptions, and just how well its beauty was captured. I loved how Emryn was independent from everything, and embracing the skills that her father taught her long ago: fishing, hunting, tracking, etc.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this arc in return for my honest review.

Pub date: 18 June 2024

When Emlyn, Janessa, and Tyler, three estranged friends, find one of them missing in the wilderness, they must set aside their differences to locate their friend before it's too late.

Although I hoped for a five-star experience, I struggled to connect with this book despite my sincere efforts. Immersion into a story is crucial for me, and unfortunately, I felt detached, like an outsider merely observing the events unfold. The lack of connection to the characters and storyline left me wanting more, as I failed to feel the intended tension and suspense.

While I adored the author's previous work, "These Silent Woods," this particular book fell short for me. However, I remain open to exploring more of the author's future releases. It's worth noting that there are numerous glowing five-star reviews for this book, so my perspective may differ. I'll certainly be giving this author another chance down the line!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I think I set myself up for failure with this one ☹️ I was so in love with These Silent Woods that I was sure this would be just as phenomenal of a read... but alas, I didn't connect with this read at all.

I genuinely loved the wilderness description throughtout and all the parts with Rev and Varden.. however, the main character, her story, and her interactions were not keeping my interest. at all. I didn't enjoy Emlyn as the main character honestly.. ugh, letdown 😭

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this Advanced Reading Copy. This is set to publish June 18th, 2024.

I couldn't get into this at all unfortunately.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & MacMillan Audio for an advance copy

4.5 stars.

✨I knew after I finished THESE SILENT WOODS by this author that I would read anything she wrote, so I was very excited to read this, her latest novel.  It did not disappoint. 
 
✨As with her previous novel, the author seamlessly intertwines elements of her Christian faith without being heavy handed in any way.  One does not have to be a Christian to appreciate the deeper meanings in these pages.  If you are a fan of starting over, learning to trust again, becoming your best self, I think this book will resonate with you no matter what your faith may be. 
 
✨At its heart, this is a story of starting over from a place of brokenness and finding not only yourself but others to love who will love you back.  I am still feeling all the feelings. 
 
🌿Read if you like:
✨Van life
✨Wilderness settings
✨Found family
✨Long-term friendships
✨Being inspired
✨Nature themes
✨Survival stories