I love this type of book. Atmospheric and well developed characters with a mystery built in. There are some relationships at the core of the book too and I love the themes that are woven through. Wanted more from the ending and resolution, but couldn’t put this down and look forward to more from this author!! Thanks to Net Galley for the digital arc!

A story of relationships, love, and courage told across dual timelines. What kept me engaged in the story is the author’s talent in describing the nature and wilderness. It makes me want to take a hike in the mountains. Overall, I enjoyed the unfolding of Emyln’s story.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this!
I liked how it took place in the wilderness.
I'm an outdoor girl, so it really resonated with me.
I also liked how I didn't know what to expect while reading. The twist wasn't obvious until after they found Janessa, and i really liked that.
I also enjoyed the FMC. She didn't believe she was strong or deserved to be loved. It was a great story about how she was freed from her past and her past beliefs.
I would have liked an epilouge or something to show what ended up happening.
I would definitely recommend this!

This story is told with a dual timeline. I found that the one timeline was a bit boring and din't hold my interest. I wanted more of a suspenseful wilderness book. This was more about t he characters and I found I didn't really care for them very much.

The writing isn't bad, though. I was happy with the ending. The slower pace and lack of much wilderness made this a bit of a letdown for me.

It is an incredible story about a woman who lives in the wilderness. She gives tours to those who want to fish and camp out in the wild. She also fell in love five years ago and never really got her heart back. It's a story of courage, love, and adventure. It was an awesome read I couldn't put down.

I ended up listening to this one and while I found the narrator to be quite engaging - I found myself bored throughout most of the story, and wasn’t overly surprised by the ending. I’ve heard good things about the authors previous work and will definitely be reading more.

A roller coaster of a read. Emlyn is a relatable character that you could not help but just root for. When she embarks on a search for missing friend Janessa, Tyler he ex-boyfriend would not be her first pick in a traveling partner. As Emlyn comes to terms with her past self and the relationship she currently has with these two, she realizes more about herself than she could have ever imagined. Grant will have you on the edge of your seat till the end with all the twists and turns packed into this book.

I can't even imagine what it would be like to have a friend or family member disappear. The feeling of absolute need to search for them.....the fear that they may be injured or even dead.....the pain of not knowing. Some friends/families never find out what happened to their loved one. I guess I can be glad that I just have to imagine what it would be like. So many actually go through this sort of life-changing event.

When I read the book blurb for this novel by Kimi Cunningham Grant, I knew I needed to read this story! Take a disappearance, add in past relationship drama, a dose of fear and suspicion, and a healthy bit of reckoning/acceptance/dealing with the past.....and you get a suspense novel like this one! The story quickly morphed into something so much greater than searching for a lost friend.

I enjoyed this book from the first word to the last! I actually ended up binge reading this one, because I couldn't put it down! I wasn't sure how the story was going to end.....which made it an awesome emotional trip. I liked the main character...so strong and capable yet still trying to get a grip on her life and move on from her past. I love how the plot centers around the disappearance of a basically estranged friend.....and how events lead Emlyn to face her demons, past and present.

I love books that make me feel all the feels -- I had a wide range of emotions while soaking in this story. Fear, anger, hope, sadness, happiness......and when I finally got to the end, I had to sit and just digest about how I felt about the story as a whole. It's awesome when a book has that sort of a hold on me! Lovely reading experience!

Great book! I look forward to reading more from this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St Martins Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I had really high hopes for this book as the author’s previous is a favourite of mine. Unfortunately, this one was a huge disappointment.

I found the first 30% engaging and interesting, but from there literally nothing happened. It’s a slow burn plot (sloooooow burn), with a bit of a love letter to nature. I didn’t really find it to fit into a mystery/suspense genre at all, zero suspense and maybe a touch of mystery - but the end was a letdown for me too.

I hope this finds the right readers, but for me I was just bored.

Emyln, Janessa, and Tyler. That was then. Now - Emyln has made a new life for herself. And then Tyler returns with the shocking news of Janessa's disappearance. Lots of twists and emotional wrangling in this one! Enjoyed it very much!

I am just beyond in love with this cover!!!

I really wanted to love this book! Unfortunately, like her first book I just couldn't get into it and it fell super flat for me.

I didn't feel any connection to the characters or the plot. I'm a bit of an outlier on this one and it wasn't for me. But, there are tons of 5 stars so please check those out!!!

2/5 stars

I think I was just the wrong audience here. Took me forever to finish, and I almost didn’t finish at all. I’m sure it’s me and not the book itself, but I was so bored.

The writing is great, but this story was not for me. I DNF because I could not connect with the characters.

Emlyn and Janessa were the best of friends until they weren't. Tyler was childhood friends with Janessa but fell for and started dating Emlyn. Janessa tried to warn Emlyn about Tyler, but she didn't listen, and it almost cost Emlyn her life. This was a fairly fast-paced book and it kept my attention throughout the book. I won't lie, I was freakin' impatient and wanted to know why they weren’t friends anymore. 😆 I really like the names she chose for the female characters. They are unique and pretty.  

This was a good book where the FMC (or is it MFC. I never remember which one to use 😆) doesn't know her strength within but learned it throughout the story. I really enjoy stories like that!

Also, this book reminds me of the Casey Duncan series by Kelley Armstrong. If you read/listened to that series, definitely give this book a go!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and interesting. The religious aspect was a little much for me, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

I want to start off by saying a great thanks to NetGalley, author, and publisher for this e-Arc.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the idea of the plot, and the mystery. The authors writing style flowed really well and I liked the time that she took to describe the scenery. It didnt feel like it got lost in the plot. The biggest downfall of this book was the characters and plot. The characters fell flat in different aspects, so I didn't connect too well with them. The plot was very slow and underwhelming. The romance didn't pull me in and I didnt get much chemistry between the two. I've heard great things about her other novel, so despite this book, I am interested in reading her other novels. Overall, I would rate this a 2/5.

This book was a great premise. A woman's estranged best friend vanishes off the face of the Earth, even though she is a social media personality, and the woman is the only person that can find her. I found the plots of the story to be entertaining and engaging, and I found the twists to be realistic. The writing style was engaging and kept me guessing, and it kept my brain engaged with the story. Although I didn't like this one quite as much as the last book that I read by this author, it was a solid novel, and I would recommend it to friends that enjoy a twisty, contemporary mystery.

Thank you to the Author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good. So, so good, even if you aren't an outdoorsy person.

I was so worried about Emlyn searching for Janessa and all of the obstacles and flashbacks with Tyler and gah, you have to read it to understand. Also, I'm trying not to give spoilers.

The pace was a tad bit slower than I liked because of the flashbacks, and overall, I think it worked fine. I was so worried for all of these people and I kept waiting for the worst to happen.

I liked how Emlyn had such a positive growth over the years from where she came from. Life is just ... hard.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING to review.

I rate THE NATURE OF DISAPPERING five out of five stars.

Do you like hiking and nature? This book is for you. I thought the mystery was fun but the culmination at the end fell a little flat for me. Also, I am not a very outdoorsy person so I was a bit lost on the jargon. Still, a nice slow burn.

This is my second book by this author. It follows Emlyn in third person with a now and then format going back six years to describe events and relationships that she has developed with her best friend, Janessa, who is currently missing, and other characters that include family, friends and romantic entanglements. I switched between the audiobook and the e-book. The audiobook is narrated by Emily Pike Stewart who did a fantastic job portraying the personality of Emlyn, as well as describing the beauty of the natural surroundings and the suspenseful moments leading to the conclusion of the story. It was the perfect read for my current hiking vacation.

I really enjoyed Emlyn’s complexity of character, from her low self-esteem due to her abandonment issues and her resilience for survival despite her subsequent experiences that only contributed to those issues as an adult. She is currently working as a wilderness guide in Idaho when her ex Tyler approaches her with information indicating their mutual friend, Janessa, is missing and needs her expertise in tracking to search for her. At times I was a little frustrated with the ambiguity of the events leading to their breakup, but in the end I felt the story developed at the appropriate pacing for the situation and I especially enjoyed reading about the development of her friendship with Janessa in the alternate “then” chapters.

Recommended to readers who enjoy a combination of nature and suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and MacMillan audio for a copy provided for an honest review.