I read and really liked These Silent Woods by Grant so was excited to read another of her novels.
The Nature of Disappearing is an interesting and slow-burn novel. The timeline goes back and forth between the past with the main characters and how they met/what they went through together, and present day. The twist wasn't what I was expecting but it kept me guessing and I wasn't quite sure where the storyline was headed.
It was also really atmospheric, where I felt I was in the Idaho wilderness with the characters.
A great Summer read!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

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. Fans of thrillers will be engaged and so will fans of people exploring their lives.

I really enjoyed this book! Grant really amerces you in the wilderness. The flashbacks are placed well throughout and I loved the suspense! Highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! I devoured this story! I discovered this story when I read a Minotaur Sampler, which if you have the opportunity to read one of those I recommend it. I have never read anything by this author before and look forward to reading more by her!

We meet Emlyn in the beautiful wild of Idaho, who is a fishing guide. Although we don't know at first what trauma has happened, it fairly obvious that Emlyn has been hurt deeply. She has a carefully curated life that only involves a few select people.

But, when she hears from Tyler, the one person who she cares for most in the world but no longer talks to, she hesitates to answer. Tyler was, and clearly is not longer, the love of her life. He suddenly shows up at her work asking that she help him find their mutual best friend who has disappeared. Emlyn decides to help Tyler search for their friend, and this is that story.

I loved how the author weaves the character stories and development through the alternating narrative of past and present. The descriptions of the wildlife, nature, and rivers is so well done. Its easy to submerse yourself in the beautiful setting. The pacing is fast and the ending is a little twisty, which I love. All in all, a wonderful read!

Highly recommend!!!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and St Martin's Press for the amazingly good The Nature of Disappearing from Kimi Cunningham Grant. I loved this book, the writing is excellent and the audiobook performance has made me a big fan of Emily Pike Stewart (she really nailed the emotional tones, the self reflection dialogue and the whole mood of the story). I love writing that is immersive in a character and setting and Cunningham clearly knows how to write about nature and people who live a little off the grid.

I love this character driven mystery that is as much an examination of the main character's life as much as a story about her missing friend. The story moves between the past, when Emlyn and Janessa meet in college and become friends and the years around that time into the present day when Emlyn, somewhat out of touch with Janessa goes on a mission, with her ex Tyler, to find Janessa when she goes missing in the wilderness. The time frames weave together elegantly, as the past timeline provides needed context to Emlyn in present day and helps pull in pieces of the puzzle underneath the mystery and their relationships. The missing person story was well done and a powerful way to present a story of self growth for Emlyn; the mission to find Janessa becoming the context for her to reflect on the past few years and where and who she is now. The title itself is a powerful statement, who was disappearing, what leads to disappearing,... it is more than a missing person story, it is a story of finding oneself through tough times.


Recommended for fans of Hannah Morrisey and similar authors

An excellent wilderness adventure with a well written storyline and complicated realistic characters. Contains a great wilderness setting with plenty of suspense, action, and romance. The main characters have to deal with their friendships and betrayals. A real page turner that I highly recommend.

2.25 Stars

I think the core of the story may have been there — a woman who’s an expert tracker (Emlyn) goes into the forest with her ex-boyfriend to search for her lost friend (Janessa) who may have disappeared under suspicious circumstances — but there was just a lot keeping me from really liking this. I wanted less chapters about Emlyn’s past (so many seemed irrelevant or didn’t move the plot forward). I wanted more suspense and mystery (I loved the few moments where they popped up). I would have like better research done on subjects such as tracking and Oxy use to name a few.

An example: Emlyn, who more than once is touted as a great tracker, relies mostly on a tracking app and mostly just wanders the forest in the same way I would (a very non-experienced hiker). At one point when being asked how she knows if they’re going the same direction as who they’re following, she responds “Where else could he have gone?” Like, what? If you’re tracking him, shouldn’t you have evidence of his direction? (Side note, I want her phone. It lasted for days without her battery dying.)

With all this being said, I did think it was well-written, and I would try another book by this author.

2.5 rounded up
Beautiful cover and title. There is a lot going in and it confused me at times. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Adored this psychological, missing person thriller. The setting was so alive and wild, and made the whole story of these two friends feel the same!

Thank you Minotaur for my free ARC of The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant — available Jun 18!

Read this if you:
🏕️ hate camping (same, but reading this kind of made me want to?)
😮 love books that keep you in suspense the entire time
☘️ are looking for excellent plot, characters, and writing

Emlyn made the drastic decision to cut all ties to her old life, and she's pretty happy living out in the forest and working as a guide. But when she sees a news story about her best friend Janessa going missing in the wilderness, she feels compelled to help. Even the arrival of the man who left her to die doesn't deter Emlyn from wanting to find Janessa, so they set out on the trail together. But things quickly become unsettling, and Emlyn starts to wonder if she's tracking something much more dangerous than her lost friend...

Okay so, I absolutely loved Kimi Cunningham Grant's first book ([book:These Silent Woods|56268973] ) and I worried that my expectations for this second book were too high. Fortunately for me, they were met! An absolute devotion to the beauty of nature just drips from these pages — I completely hate even the mere idea of camping, but after reading this book I was considering a trip. Grant's writing is just so compelling! Anyway, the story itself also had me in suspense the entire time. This isn't a thriller in my opinion, but it's an excellent example of suspense, and I simply could not put it down. Loved the plot, loved the pacing, loved the characters, loved the ending! I will read anything else she writes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book 53 of 2024.
[ARC/Mystery]
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read this book if you enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, made a best friend in college, or like rollercoaster edging thrills.

I really enjoyed the world building and atmosphere. My only critique per se is that it was a slow start.

A fairly mediocre thriller. Can't remember much about it too long post-reading, which is not a good sign for me. Thrillers do need something to snag me and I didn't feel this one had it.

Emyln lives a lonely life, a fishing and river guide in Idaho, she lives in her airstream trailer, trying not to think of Tyler, the boyfriend who ghosted her, and her best friend. Janessa, who she had a falling out with. Emyln likes to categorize people by their behavior, and often uses it as a coping mechanism to avoid getting close to anyone after her boyfriend ditched her. Her rich annoying client is 'Patronizing', the owner of the company where she works, whom she may or may not be in love with is 'Decent', Janessa is 'Capricious', and her nosey neighbor Mrs. Boyer is indeed 'Meddlesome'. 
While having lunch with 'Patronizing', she overhears a news report discussing the search that is on for a missing famous podcaster, Janessa. She goes back through her last communications with Janessa and is scared and surprised at what is unfolding. She relives how she and Janessa met, and how she got her out of many a tricky situation in college, and how their friendship fell apart. She soon gets a call from Tyler, who worked with Janessa on the travel podcast, and they team up together to try to uncover what happened to her by tracing her steps via social media.The book then goes back and forth between the present and the past and describes in detail the relationship between Janessa and Emyln, and Emyln and Tyler. This part could have been tightened up a bit. You know it's leading up to a big reveal, and it takes a bit too long to get there. Was Janessa right about Tyler not being who he says he is, and does he have something to do with her disappearance? 
It's not until 80% into the book that the thrilling part starts, and when it does it's not that much of a surprise.This isn't a unique plot and has been done many times before. The author is a talented writer and the landscape and nature descriptions are spot on. I'd heard great things about 'These Fallen Woods', so I was expecting a bit more.

🌲 Kimi Cunningham Grant is the queen of the slow burn suspense novel! I absolutely love how she develops her stories, how they wrap around you like a warm blanket and draw you in to the narrative. Her writing encompasses all your senses, creating an utterly engaging experience.

🌲 While her books may not fit neatly into the thriller genre, they are undeniably suspenseful and atmospheric. Grant’s inclusion of spiritual elements adds depth to her novels, and her ability to make nature a vivid character is truly astounding. She clearly has an appreciation for our natural world, and she captivates readers with the beautiful landscapes her stories are set in.

🌲 The Nature of Disappearing is a multifaceted tale that seamlessly blends introspection with mystery. The protagonist, Emlyn, grapples with her personal issues while desperately seeking answers about her missing friend, Janessa. The interplay between mystery and self-reflection creates a captivating narrative.

🌲 This author is an auto-read for me. Her precise pacing and ability to blend suspense, emotion, and nature makes her work truly captivating! I absolutely loved this book, and I will definitely read every book she ever publishes in the future. By the way, if you haven’t read These Silent Woods by this author, I highly recommend that one, too!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress @minotaur_books for copy of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This book for me was stolen the beginning and never really seemed to move much faster. I did not dislike the story however I just became bored with it and kept going thinking it would get speed. The characters were interesting and I love the cover.

Thank you to the publisher and for NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this title.

This is probably more of a 3.5 stars for me. I enjoyed it, but the beginning is very slow. I really enjoyed the writing style. It was very atmospheric and I loved the setting of this one. I think this author does a great job really immersing the reader in the story. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and thought the ending was pretty satisfying. I would have liked the action to start happening a little sooner in the story though.

This had a promising premise - Emlyn flees a bad break up and starts a new life as a nature guide. Things go awry many years later when the ex shows up and asks for help finding a mutual missing friend. I love a good moody mystery in a remote local. Unfortunately, the characters were pretty one dimensional and the story seemed to stall. Some may like this one, but it just was not for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book!

Emlyn is starting to heal from a disastrous relationship that ended with her nearly dead. But suddenly, her best friend, Janessa, has disappeared, and her old boyfriend has asked her to help him find her.

This is a beautiful story that is a great thriller set in a beautiful Idaho landscape. But it’s also a novel about grief, hope, moving on,, and allowing the goodness of others in to your life. If you like Peter Heller, you need to read Kimmi Cunningham Grant.

Emlyn’s former best friend Janessa has gone missing in the Idaho wilderness. Tyler, Emlyn’s ex-boyfriend and Janessa’s business partner, coaxes the reluctant Emlyn to join the backwoods search. Rich with details of the natural world this mystery felt more about the journey than the destination. Alternating between past and present timelines, we get a full picture of the character’s motivations and backstories. This is a slow-burn story of friendship, sacrifice, and losing yourself only to be found once again.

Read this if you:
-prefer a slow build mystery with a focus on character development rather than jaw-dropping twists
-have ever found yourself in a metaphorical wilderness
-are drawn to atmospheric stories with a strong sense of place
-are willing to pick up a very different story than These Silent Woods

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my second Kimi Cunningham Grant book. I read These Silent Woods a few years ago and it remains one of my top thrillers of all time. I really love her writing style and how she creates complex character relationships while feasting the readers senses with the natural world. The characters in this book are complex and I enjoyed how she unraveled their pasts through the non linear timelines. Highly recommend.