I was super excited to read this book because I enjoyed These Silent Woods. This book quickly catapulted to the top of my favorite books list, and is just absolutely incredible. Kimi has solidified herself as an auto buy author for me

Loved The Nature of Disappearing! The setting, the characters, the plot and the writing style will keep you turning page after page from the very start until the end. Highly recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

I’m not an outdoorsy person and this story makes me kind of glad I’m not. Just like in real life there are dangers in the wild, but the biggest danger comes from who we least expect. This was a great read and I enjoyed the way the author developed the main character and showed a strong, competent woman who also doubts herself. Just like most of us!

Wowww this one kept me on my toes the whole way through! I love a good thriller/mystery and this one delivers!

I was very excited for this book because I loved These Silent Woods so much. I was disappointed. I didn't feel connected to these characters. In fact, I was immediately put off by the 'pick me' style with which Emlyn was characterized - going to a bar two towns away to avoid the sorority girls because she's 'NoT LiKe oThEr GiRls.' The plot dragged a little bit and in the end I didn't feel much of anything at the resolution. It seemed like we were supposed to be invested in Emlyn + Varden but there wasn't anything there to really invest in because of Varden's quiet, steady nature. There wasn't much 'there' there. Not much plot, not much character development, not much atmosphere. Like a Colleen Hoover book in disguise. I really wanted to love this one.

In The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant, Emlyn is still healing from a traumatic breakup with her boyfriend, Tyler, when he comes to her with a request: help find their friend who has disappeared in the wilderness. He knows that Emlyn is a master tracker and wants her to put aside her differences with him and the missing friend, Janessa, to bring her home safely. I don’t know much about survival and tracking, much less building traps and snares or cooking without the conveniences of home, but in my opinion, KCG has presented detailed research or experience of her own in painting a picture of being IN the book. The way she describes what Emlyn does, what she sees, the different things that happen depict a vivid picture in my novice mind if I was in her shoes.

As we dive deeper into the story, we learn from Emlyn’s perspective what word she defines a person by. Emlyn even characterizes herself with a word: pathetic. This word is revisited and expounded upon as different events unfold in the story. Even with all her tracking and survival skills that she has learned from the time she lives in Idaho, ultimately she’s going to have to figure out how pathetic she is. Is she putting herself into a situation that is a repeat of what happened three years ago with Tyler, or will she be able to redefine what is at the heart of who she is. Also in the back of her mind is the word she was told by Rev, who was part of her rescue three years before, who told her the word trust before she left to find her friend. KCG drops little crumbs of foreshadowing through the book that you create a satisfying meal with by the conclusion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book was published on June 18, 2024.

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #TheNatureofDisappearing #KimiCunninghamGrant #StMartinsPress

After reading “These Silent Woods” I was so excited to receive a copy of this ARC!! And it was captivating from the beginning to end!

When Emlyn’s help is enlisted to find her former best friend Janessa out in the wilderness, she has to revisit her past and confront what led her to Idaho’s endless woods. Through this journey we dive into her past and heartbreak.

An excellent t story about friendship, broken relationships, grief, and new beginnings. We all find ourself in the wilderness at times, but this redemptive story reminds us that we never have to stay there.

I want to preface this by saying I ADORED These Silent Woods so my expectations might have been too high. This was a really quick read, I finished it in less than a day and was genuinely interested in the outcome. I was expecting a rugged, wilderness story and enjoyed those aspects of the book. With that said, think my main takeaway is that I'm underwhelmed. I would have loved some more background on the characters but with the focal point being on the "thriller" aspect of the book, I just wasn't impressed with the reveal. It was just too unrealistic and just kind of made me go "oh."

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC in exchange for my review.

For my personal preferences, the love story with Vander developed a bit late and caught me off guard, but I appreciated Emlyn's character development. Through the flashbacks and present-day events, we learn more about her relationship with Janessa, Tyler, and Rev. The focus on addiction and drug use is a much-needed topic in fiction, and I am curious to see how people will react to Tyler and Bush as characters. The Nature of Disappearing is a solid read that I will recommend to patrons looking for a mystery with a more easygoing pace, with a wholesome ending.

The title of the book caught my attention. A wilderness guide in Idaho, Emlyn, teams up with an ex, Tyler, to find their missing/disappeared friend Janessa who had been on a mountain trek with her boyfriend.

Enjoyed the writing, nature setting, and the character of tracker Emlyn, The novel's suspense builds during the search for Janessa and when the true nature of Emlyn's friends gradually come to light.

I posted this review on Goodreads on 1.28.24:

After loving THESE SILENT WOODS, I was all in for another novel by Kimi Cunningham Grant. I love a wilderness survival story, especially when it's combined with a compelling mystery, so the premise of THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING appealed to me. As far as characters go, I liked Emlyn well enough, even if I didn't feel a whole lot of connection to her. Her crew of found family in Heart was a likable and interesting bunch; in fact, I probably would have liked the story better if it had been more focused on them. Neither Tyler nor Janessa appealed to me. They're both flat, stereotypical, and not complex enough to feel real. The dialogue between them and Emlyn always felt juvenile, like they were teenagers (and simple ones at that) instead of independent adults in their late 20s. Surprisingly, this book is less of a wilderness survival tale and more of a romantic suspense novel, with more emphasis on character relationships than action. Since I didn't love the story's cast, this was a disappointing focus for me. Without enough tension, suspense, and action to keep it moving along, THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING was a bit of a slog, much duller than I was expecting it to be. I also had a hard time understanding why Janessa didn't just tell Emlyn the things she needed to know. Her secret keeping was such a big part of the story and it never really made any sense to me.

There are some things I appreciate about this novel. Since it's Christian fiction, the book is faith-affirming, even if it's not exactly uplifting. It's also clean, which is always nice. Like I mentioned, I did like the Heart folks and would have liked to get to know them better.

All considered, I found this book to be only an okay read for me, which is a bummer because I was really excited to read it. Darn.

I had really high expectations after reading These Silent Woods, and this one did NOT disappoint!

Best friends that have a falling out over a guy... Adventures in nature with skilled foragers that carry heavy secrets... Life and death rescue missions... oh my!

I loved every part of this. The ending felt a bit abrupt, and I wish I could have seen more summation at the end, but it's just because I was greedy for more.

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

"The Nature of Disappearing" is atmospheric, and has well developed characters. It's central themes of love and relationships balance well with the central mystery. Recommended for readers who love atmospheric, character-driven mysteries set in the outdoors. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. My second book from this author. The first was a hit for me but this one was lacking. Although the story line was not bad, it missed a mark for me. I won't write the author off as I really liked the first. This one is a good read, I am sure. Just not for me.

Thank you @netgalley for the advance copy of this novel. The Nature of Disappearing begins with Emlyn, our main character finding out her former best friend, a social media influencer is missing in the Idaho wilderness. Emilyns ex boyfriend Tyler, shows up to beg Emily’s to help him track their mutual friend down. The premise of this story intrigued me. I love a survival story and a thriller and this seemed to be both. All I could think when I finished it though was that I wanted more. I wanted more of the characters back stories. I wanted more of Varden and Emlyns history and interactions. And I wanted more plot and action. I absolutely adored Kimi Cunningham Grants last novel, These Silent Woods and was so excited to get an advanced readers copy of this new novel. It just didn’t meet my expectations. I also think that the author’s original title “Wilderness” would have been a much better and more relevant title to this work. I will be reviewing this book on my podcast, Southern Girls Guide to Books

Emlyn’s estranged friend, Janessa, has gone missing. Janessa is a social media influencer (#vanlife) and hasn’t posted in several days and failed to check in at the next wilderness check point. Maybe she just wants to take a break from publicly posting her life. Or maybe she is injured, lost, or worse.

I felt this was very well written. I liked the way the present and past intertwined throughout the whole book. The suspense and mystery were great! The only thing I felt fell short was the reveals and action scenes. They seemed dull compared to the suspense building parts.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kimi Cunningham Grant, and St. Martins Press-Minotaur Books for providing this ARC. This review is being shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date 18 Jun 2024

I really enjoyed the author's style of writing. Her characters are really captivating. I wanted to read more about Rev and Varden. The big reveal was very underwhelming.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I love when a book is atmospheric, and this was definitely it. It caught my attention right away and held on until the end. I try not to guess endings of books, and this one I definitely did not see coming. Thank you for letting me review! I will be recommending this to everyone!

Emlyn is a wilderness tour guide living in her Airstream in Idaho. She ended up there after her boyfriend left her for dead on the side of the road in the wilderness. Emlyn has worked hard to build friendships and a new life while recovering. Life is good until Tyler, the man who left her on the side of the road, finds her and asks her to help him locate their mutual friend who seems to be missing. Her feelings for Tyler are still there even after everything that happened and she reluctantly agrees to help him locate their friend Janessa. All is not as it seems though and Emlyn soon realizes that she and Janessa are in danger from the man Janessa is traveling with and possibly Tyler himself.

I really enjoy survival tales and this was a good one! I'm looking forward to her next book!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant!

3.5 stars. Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Pub 6/18

The Nature of Disappearing follows wilderness guide Emlyn as she joins her ex to search the Idaho wilderness for her missing estranged friend, Janessa. Janessa has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife along with her boyfriend. While the plot seems familiarl it takes a number of unexpected turns, some of which seemed a bit out there.

I was a big fan of Grant's previous book, These Silent Woods, and like that novel, I found this one to be beautifully written and engaging. The flasbacks were useful in fulling creating the characters and their motivations. Ultimately, however, the plot, particularly the ending fell a bit flat for me.