Kimi Cunningham Grant always does a an outstanding and vivid job describing nature and making it both fierce and enticing. This story is about exes that go on the hint in search of a missing friend. It weaves together many stories and themes about friendships, relationships and finding yourself. It was an entertaining read that kept me flipping pages.

Thank you once again NetGalley for the chance to read this before it gets released!

I have read one other book from this author (these silent woods) and didn’t like it nearly as much as I thought I would, because I expected it to be more of a thriller. Coming into this book expecting the same type of experience that I got from These Silent Woods, actually made me enjoy the plot a lot more. I do love the way Kimi writes about her characters losing themselves in the wilderness. It’s a feeling and comfort I can relate to, and it makes it a very interesting read. I can see why some reviews have this pegged as a slow read.. A lot of the action doesn’t happen until the last 80 pages or so, but I enjoyed the whole set up.

Also I think the main character Em’s progression through letting go of things that no longer serve her and navigating trust again in a healthier way was incredibly well told. I loved her character development.

Only giving it a 4/5 because I didn’t love the whole Janessa plot line, she annoyed the fuck out of me haha. All in all this was a win for me! I enjoyed this more than These Silent Woods and I look forward to more things from this author 😊

I devoured this book. The Nature of Disappearing is one of those wonderfully well-crafted thrill rides that constantly keeps the reader guessing about where the story is going and how. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

3.5 stars. This author wrote one of my favorite books a couple of years ago (THESE SILENT WOODS), and I was so excited to read her new one!

Unfortunately this one wasn’t as big of a success for me, but there was still so much that I loved about this story.

What I loved:
•As always with Cunningham Grant, I adore the overall themes and messages of her stories. In this case, wilderness both literally and when one’s life feels like you’re wandering in a wilderness.

•Speaking of the literal of wilderness, the writing was so beautiful. I fully felt like I was in the mountains and hiking and seeing the rivers and trees. So picturesque without distracting from the plot moving forward.

•VARDEN❤️

What didn’t work for me:
•Unfortunately I just didn’t fully enjoy some the actual story/turns the plot took and the ending felt so sudden!

Very suspenseful and page turning thriller. Mimi Cunning Grant really knows how to write the wilderness. lol, I actually wanted to go hiking in the woods after reading this.

I loved These Silent Woods, and this was another winner from this author! Now, I did struggle a bit in the beginning. The story seemed to start slow, and I didn't connect with Emlyn right away. After a few chapters, though I was really into this story of survival in the Idaho wilderness. It's funny because I just finished a book about a character surviving in the Idaho wilderness. What are the odds? I didn't even realize this when I picked this one up. I loved the descriptions and am now dying to see that part of the country. The picture is painted just as vividly as in the author's previous book. Emlyn, a hunting/fishing guide, is searching for her missing friend in the wilderness with the help of her ex-boyfriend. This story is more of a character-driven drama with some suspense thrown in though than a hard-core survival thriller, but I enjoyed it and look forward to more!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kimi Cunningham Grant and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

surviving the elements/thriller in one!!!! wow this book was absolutely so well done! i love work from this author, and this book was one of her best!!!!

Though I have loved other books by this author, I struggled with this one. I found myself a bit bored and not able to really connect with any of the characters. I loved the descriptions of the wilderness and the premise of the story was promising, however, it never came together in a believable way.

I did like the book, though I didn’t love it, hence the 3-star rating. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Kimi Cunningham Grant hits all the right spots in,her newest book. This book has great pacing and suspense and you really feel like you know each character. There is a,great mix of suspense, drama, and heartache that will keep you turning the pages. Excellent story by an incredible author.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher St Martins Press for giving me a look at this new slow burn suspense from Kimi Cunningham Grant! I wish it had been more of a success. I loved the descriptions and narrative about the Idaho wilderness…seriously I’m dying to go hike in Idaho now. The descriptions were beautiful, and on that note the author’s original title Wilderness was apropos. The negative was sadly the big reveal. At 70% book became absurd, and just didn’t do anything for me. I loved the character Varden, and in fact wish more had delved into him and into Rev!

Here is my confession…

“The Nature of Disappearing,” is short on suspense, very very slow to start, has unsettling and unnecessary animal deaths, and never had my full engagement.

Emlyn, a wilderness guide is drawn into looking for her missing best friend by her old flame. Pretty simple plot, a few twists, nothing earth shattering. Like this author’s previous works, the setting plays a very important role in the story. The setting, just like in “These Silent Woods,” is spectacular and very vividly described.

Beyond the setting, I didn’t enjoy any part of the story. I did not like any of the characters, and it played out more like a high school romance than a gripping suspense novel.

I finished this novel, reluctantly.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions, herein, are my own.

Our main character is asked to go into the wilderness with her ex-boyfriend with some long time friends. I enjoyed this title, however, I have enjoyed some of the other titles from this author much more. .

Decent read but didn’t do much for me. Wonderful setting and writing of the landscape. Slow buildup.

There are some twists, primarily that the “missing” couple turn up slightly over halfway through. Eh, I should probably edit that bit before I put it on Goodreads before adding spoiler warning.

The main character is a hunting and fishing guide so not much of a surprise there is some upsetting animal death.

This would be a good summer read if you plan to not just be at the beach.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


"Emlyn doesn't let herself think about the past. How she and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore. How Tyler, the love of her life, left her half dead on the side of the road three years ago. Her new life is simple and safe. She lives alone in her Airstream trailer and works as a fishing and hunting guide in scenic Idaho." Life is peaceful, Emlyn is content, if not truly happy. Then, Tyler shows up - Janessa is missing and he fears for her safety. Emlyn becomes convinced to help Tyler track Janessa and return her to safety.

The Nature of Disappearing was an extremely slow start for me and I was debating about returning the novel -- then POW, I was hooked. While Emlyn spends a considerable amount of time in introspection regarding her past and how it will impact her future, she is a relatable character. Janessa is a force unto herself. Tyler, charismatic and charming, but with a past he wishes to hide.

An outdoor adventure with twists and turns. Be patient, as the plot line becomes more interesting and enjoyable.

In this book our main character Emelyn is called upon by her ex boyfriend Tyler to go into the wilderness after his long time friend Janessa and who is Emelyn's estranged best friend. Janessa is out living a type of wilderness van life with Bush (who may or may not be putting her in danger) but has gone off grid prompting Tyler (who is also their business partner) to worry about what is going on. He calls us his ex (whom he still loves) to help him find the couple due to her extensive tracking experience. She reluctantly agrees to go along. She still has feelings for Tyler but has a new boyfriend she also loves. The alternate timeline is also good and in it we get bits and pieces of her relationship with Tyler and Janessa and learn what went wrong with both. This book was a page-turner for me and there were many twists and turns that I did not expect.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing me with the digital reviewer copy of this in exchange for my honest opinions.

This started off pretty strong, we follow Emlyn who is searching for her missing childhood friend.I feel it lost a lot of the plot along the way. It read pretty smooth and kept me interested though. The ending was just ok to me, it was leading up to a huge secret that I thought was going to be huge but when it was reviled, I was just like "oh ...ok", I think it could have been much better and more exciting.

This book was so heavy and so deep, yet so freeing at the same time. I feel like the content went so much deeper than your normal surface level suspense novel. The use of scripture to highlight how God can pull you out of the deepest pit really resonated with me. The trauma and the struggle that come along with loving a drug addict will hit so close to home for so many people and it was portrayed in a true and authentic way. The story line was slightly predictable, but the characters were all so unstable right from the beginning, you had to read until the very end to see where they would end up. Nature is a powerful force and it added such a depth to this story for the characters to be so distant from the rest of humanity. The title of this book can only be fully comprehended upon finishing the book because there is such a deeper meaning associated with the nature of disappearing as skillfully conveyed by Grant. Highly recommend for an emotional, suspenseful read with an ending you can appreciate all around.

Emyln works as a wilderness guide when contacted by an old boyfriend Tyler. It appears that
Emyln's former best friend Janesa has gone missing. While in infrequent conact now, Emyn is
concerned enough to go with Tyler to look for Janesa, More is revealed about the couple's past
and Janessa's disapproval of the relationship. What will be the cost of Emyln's decision to follow
Tyler? Has he really changed?
Beautiful setting. Past and present timelines.
#TheNatureofDisappearing #StMartinsPublishingGroup #NetGalley

From the author's previous books, the settings have always had extremely important role in her books and with this one too, it follows the same pattern. Three estranged friends for years have mostly stayed within their lives but one of them is now missing and this makes Emlyn comes out from her wilderness life and meet with her ex Tyler to find their missing friend. But their breakup in the past was not without troubles and do they still create issues in their search? There is a constant eeriness in the air and that atmospheric vibe is clearly author's forte. I liked how Emlyn finally decides to put her past behind completely and grows as a person to move forward with her life.

If you like slow burn reads, this is the book for you!

"The Nature of Disappearing" is an intriguing mystery novel that had me hooked from the beginning. The story revolves around estranged relationships, both romantic and friendship, that unexpectedly find themselves back in the limelight. As I read, I kept asking myself whether some things are better left in the past. However, I enjoyed the plot twists and turns and was left with my jaw hanging open - it was that good! Kimi Cunningham Grant has a unique writing style that works wonderfully with the mystery/thriller genre. This is the second novel of hers that I have read (the first being "These Silent Woods" which was also phenomenal), and I plan to read every novel that she writes going forward. I highly recommend "The Nature of Disappearing" which is a five-star novel that should be on everyone's reading list!