This one snuck up on me. It started out slow. I didn’t really like this first chapter and was worried it was going to slog to get through. But it built up and really grew on me.

This story follows Emlyn, who has found a safe place far from crowds and relationship drama, working as a nature guide in the Idaho wilderness. The story follows present day with some chapters flashback to Emlyn’s childhood and when she meets her now missing friend. There were some disturbing parallels to a vanlife influencer’s disappearance that captured national attention in recent years. But eventually it turns and is certainly not as tragic as the real-life story.

In terms of a suspense story, this may leave something to be desired. It certainly had some good settings and situations for suspense, but I don’t think it leaned into those too much. The shining star of this story is Emlyn’s journey. Despite having experienced some heartbreaking situations, it ends on a hopeful and promising note that made it feel like a worthwhile read.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. Views are my own.

What a stunningly beautiful book!

In the authors note, she says: ‘ I aspired to ferry the reader through mountains and valleys, fields and streams. I wanted them to experience both beauty and unique challenges of a physical wilderness, but also the loneliness and mistress of a more metaphorical, spiritual wilderness.’

That is EXACTLY what she delivered! I was there in the mountains and valley with Emyln. Not only that I felt her ups and downs like they were happening to me. The prose of this book is as beautiful as These Silent woods.

For me this is essentially a love story, of heartbreak and growth from said heartbreak. This is the story of friendship and how far you can go to protect and save that friend even when you aren’t exactly ‘friends’ anymore.

Thankyou NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC copy. It was a pleasure reading it!

This book starts off great and grabs your attentions right away. The story goes between past and present of the main character Emlyn and how she ended up where she is today. Emlyn is moving on with her life when her ex-boyfriend, that left her to die in the woods, shows up and asks for her help to locate their missing friend, Janessa. Emlyn doesn't want to go with her ex but she wants to make sure Janessa is safe and to reconcile their friendship. You get to see how Emlyn got to where she is now and why she has the quirks she has, which are endearing. The book stays great for the first three quarters and then starts to get a little off track for the last quarter of the book. The trip through the woods to track her friend is gripping and page turning and at times you are on the edge of your seat. Then when the ending gets close I feel like the author just rushed it a bit. I enjoyed how this book also showed that people from completely different lifestyle can be the best of friends.

I still enjoyed this book and would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in return for an honest review.

5 stars for setting
4stars for description
3 for characters
2 Star plot
1 star ending
And a thriller...0 stars
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was a wild walk thru the wilderness!!! Emlyn has lived in seclusion enjoying her peaceful existence after a tragic incident a year ago. Her Ex Tyler comes back into her life and they go on a trek to find Emlyn's best friend Janessa, deep in the wilderness.
This book provides a few twists and turns that I did not anticipate, but the ending warmed my heart. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for my opinion.

Duel timeline, 3.5 Stars

The story is a Slow Burn but I’m not sure a slow burn is the way to go for a Mystery/Thriller.

Emilyn is a fly fishing and hunting guide. The story starts with her teaching fly fishing in Idaho‘s wilderness. Five years ago Janessa and Emilyn were the best of friends. Now Emilyn’s ex-boyfriend, Tyler, has come to ask her to help find her ex-friend Janessa. He says he’s worried because he hasn’t heard from her and that’s unusual.

As the story goes back-and-forth between present and past we find out that Tyler left Emilyn in the Idaho wilderness five years ago, and she almost died. At the time he was high, and didn’t remember he had left her there. Now he says he’s clean, but he has said that many times before, and he always went back to it. Can he be trusted?

When Janessa is found and appears to be OK, you start to wonder was this just a trip down memory lane? There is more to the story but what was going on and who was involved became pretty obvious to me. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out what the mystery was. The story ends abruptly, and you do wish there was an epilogue.

I’d like to thank net galley for this complementary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Like in These Silent Woods, Cunningham Grant excels at writing about nature. In this story, Emlyn is making a life for herself as a fishing guide in Idaho when her former best friend possibly goes missing. Janessa is an influencer documenting #vanlife online when she suddenly stops posting. Is there a problem or not? Emlyn is pulled back into her past and we learn about it through flashbacks. I loved the pacing and tone of the book. Generally, I steer away from thrillers, since I don't like to spend hours on the edge of my seat. This book had a general feeling of unease throughout. It is very realistic and left you constantly questioning things. There is a slow unraveling of the characters' history. Everyone is multifaceted and Emlyn's own issues with self-worth makes it difficult to tell who is on her side or not. Despite it being less intense than many thrillers, it keeps you hooked throughout, and I read the book in a day. I also liked the themes of being lost and finding your way - both in the wilderness and in life.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6409281187

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After having read These Silent Woods earlier this year, I was excited to see that a new book was coming out this coming summer by the author. I feel bad comparing The Nature of Disappearing to These Silent Woods, but having read them so close to each other it's hard to not instantly want to compare them, so here I am doing the comparing :)

The Nature of Disappearing centers around Emlyn who is approached by her ex-boyfriend, Tyler, to help search for their mutual friend Janessa who is an influencer for outdoorsy things. Janessa hasn't been heard from in a week and both Emlyn and Tyler are concerned. The story goes from there with chapters that alternate between following their search for Janessa and dealing with the past that describes what happened between the three of them to lose touch with each other.

The story had solid pacing and good story telling overall. I was let down by the driving force behind the present day story. It felt a little lame after the build up of the first half of the book which was really well done. While it was decent and worth the read, I'd have to say that it doesn't match up to the quiet power of These Silent Woods.

This was okay and I liked the ending. However, it was kind of slow and predictable. The climax was a bit far fetched.I liked the characters of Varden and Rev and would have liked to have learned more of that time in the main character's story. I liked the hiking and natural setting which is what attracted me to the book. Overall, not very exciting but some worthy moments.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

This story is of a woman named Emlyn who lives in Idaho, leading a simple life as an outdoors guide. Her past resurfaces when an old friend Janessa goes missing. She and Tyler, her old boyfriend and also longtime friend of Janessa, use her wilderness skills to help find out what happened to their friend.
This is a slow burn suspense read that never gets boring despite its unhurried unraveling of events.
I thought the characters and story were very realistic. I appreciated that despite the characters being in their 20’s, their conversations weren’t written in “young language” that isolated older readers.
I loved the scenery and wilderness described throughout. The simplicity of outdoor life and the mastery of survival skills were all pretty captivating.
One of Emyln’s traits is that she loves dictionary words and finds a single word to describe each person in her life. I liked this small quirky addition.
Drug addiction could be a trigger for some readers but overall anyone who likes a good thriller will enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martens Press for my ARC.

I fear that this book has "The Nature of Disappearing" in my mind as it is quite forgettable aside from the absolutely beautiful writing and atmosphere Kimi Cunningham Grant is able to express on the page.
I flew through this book devouring the Idaho Wilderness and walking on the egg shells of tension our characters found themselves in. The set up is everything a reader could want: A missing girl, ex lovers and friends of the girl set out into the Idaho Wilderness to find out what really happened. As the chapters alternate between past and present the reader learns more about the shady nature of the relationship triangle.As the book progressed I was sucked in by the writing and kept waiting for something “big” to happen. When the “reveal” (I am using bunny ears here because it was not that shocking_..) was esposed I desperately wanted more, maybe more sinister? To describe how I felt, if you ever did the Tower of Terror you have that build up to 13 floors knowing what is going to happen, but instead of the release and dropping 13 floors a mach speed, the ride just putters down at regular speed. Such a let down. It really all boils down to there was so much more attention given to the setting instead of the plot. This book could have been an easy 5 star with a much more developed and dark plot.
fter finishing the book I read the author’s notes, and those 2 pages are 5 stars no question asked. Kimi pours out her heart and thoughts on what prompted her to write Emlyn’s story. Her faith and trust in God is there displayed on the page.I did like the Christian elements present in the book, where it is often frowned on in books. I liked the struggle with being in the wilderness and then her tying it back to being in a spiritual wilderness at times as well. The emotion and words she spills on the authors note pages is what I want more of, I wish in this book she had showed more of that Kimi…..maybe a future book idea?

Thank you NetGalley and Kimi Cunningham Grant for allowing me to review this advanced copy. I was not influenced or paid for this review.

Emlyn has escaped her past by hiding out as a wilderness guide is a small Idaho town. That all changes when Tyler, her old love, that ruined her life years ago, calls to say that their mutual friend, Janessa, has disappeared. Teaming up with Tyler to search for Janessa is the right thing to do but it also drags Emlyn into a part of her life that she has wanted to leave behind. Together they head off into the wilderness, far from town, friends, and cell service. Will they be able to find Janessa before it is too late?

This suspense novel keeps you on the edge of your seat, while taking you on a beautiful trip into the backcountry of Idaho.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this Advanced Reader Copy for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is my first Kimi Cunningham Grant book and wow! what a great first book it was. Right from the start I was involved. The writing was so fabulous I could not wait to get back to reading it. The description of the scenery, the people, the feelings, the everything was so well done that I felt as if I was right there. Even better, I loved Emlyn and Janessa, even at their worst times. I was fooled by the “who did it”. I never guessed that which is a bonus. The only thing I didn’t like… that it ended 😕
I can’t wait to read another!

Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to read this and to find another favourite author!!

This is the second book I have read by Kimi Cunningham Grant and she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She has a way of writing that just draws you in and paints a picture with words that brings the story to life.

This is not a book I would have expected to enjoy as I am probably the least outdoorsy person on the planet. I know nothing of fishing and hunting or survival and wilderness, nor do I care; however, I hung on every word and I was hooked (pun intended!).

As I was reading, I had no idea which direction this story was going to go. I had thought this was more of a thriller and while there was suspense at several points in the story, I would not give it that genre classification. It was not at all what I expected but still, it was a story I enjoyed and I would recommend to others. Kimi Cunningham Grant is a talent to be reckoned with and I look forward to much, much more from her in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I am so grateful for the opportunity.

3.75 stars This was a good read! If you’re going into it thinking it’s a thriller, it’s not. The pacing is very much like These Silent Woods, which is more setting focused. I love how the author sets the setting and makes you feel like you are there. It also reminded me of Gabby Petito case with the van life gone missing. This book centers around three estranged friends Janessa, Em, and Tyler. It was overall a fast paced book and recommend it. Really liked the flashbacks as well to tie the whole book together. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for this arch in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.,
This book starts out with the friendship of 2 young girls that carries through many years. One is the protector and tries to keep the other one from making a big mistake with a guy but she doesn’t want to listen and thinks she has the guy all wrong. As time goes on the book takes you through a lot more. You are taken through the wilderness and into stories of people’s lives. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

I absolutely loved Kimi Cunningham Grant’s previous book, These Silent Woods, so I was very excited to get an ARC of her new book. Unfortunately, this one didn’t land for me like I’d hoped. Though this is a fast paced, well written book, it was much more “mystery” than I prefer.

This was a quick read and held my interest for the most part. I didn't really feel any connection to the characters or care about what happened to them, apart from Varden. I wish he had a bigger role in the book because the scenes with him were my favorite. The plot twist was lackluster in that I got to it and was thinking, "oh, that's it?" I really enjoyed These Silent Woods so will definitely be reading more from Grant in the future!

All I want to do is go backpacking out West now! And believe me, that has never been something that has piqued my interest before! The beauty and bigness of nature is a strong theme in this book and yet it is conveyed in a subtle way that doesn't make you feel like you're reading a nature documentary. And I haven't even gotten to the main story and characters! They were all so real and I immediately cared about them. Even though the issues the characters are dealing with may not be something every reader has experienced, the themes and struggles are common to man, so that I think everyone could see a piece of themselves or someone they know in this story. It was redemptive, hopeful and paced to keep me reading. A fantastic novel!

I’ve always enjoyed Kimi’s writing and this is no exception. The Nature of Disappearing is a story surrounding loss, betrayal, and love.

Emlyn, a wilderness guide, is living a quiet life. But when the man, Tyler, who destroyed her world three years ago asks for her help, she’s thrown back into everything she tried to move on from. Searching for Emlyn’s former best friend, Janessa, the duo retrace her steps and find themselves in more trouble than they ever thought. As time is ticking, Emlyn will do anything to find her friend.

A great recommendation for anyone who is looking for a nature-themed suspenseful thriller!