Emlyn is a river guide in Idaho, leading a quiet and fairly insular life when we meet her. There are thoughts of the past, where an un-named event sent her life careening out of control and brought her to this place. This comfortable existence is disturbed when she hears from her old love Tyler that their friend Janessa is missing. Emlyn had sworn to have nothing to do with Tyler again, after he left her to die in the wilderness three years ago. But the loss off her friendship with Janessa has haunted her and she cannot resist the call to help find her. But Emlyn will find that not everything is as it seems.

Before writing this review, I read several in Goodreads. Normally I fall in line with the majority of reviewers but with this book, I felt that in general they were really harsh. I do agree this book was a slow burn. i was probably a quarter of a way in before I became fully engaged, and yes, there were parts that really drug for me. But from that point onwards, I was all in. The story became un-put-downable.

As others have said, the descriptions of the Idaho back country are gorgeous and make me wish I was younger and could disappear to the back of beyond to experience all this. I did a brief search on the author's bio and didn't see anything to indicate she had special experience in the wilderness, but her descriptions ring with authenticity. I've always hated fishing, but the description here made it seem like such a thing of beauty, I may have to give it another try. And at around the same time I started to become invested in the story I realized something, this woman can write.! Picture a tile wall. One workman tiles the space and it is functional and the job is done. But another uses the tiles to create beautiful patterns and a mix of colors. So do I see this story. The story could have been told in a "he said" "she said" manner and would have still been interesting, but each of the author's choice of words, each descriptive phrase, seem like tiny jewels scattered throughout the story to make it more beautiful.

There are also some interesting themes here. Emlyn has some deep-seeded insecurities, and they have made her vulnerable in life, seeking affirmation that she is a worthwhile person. But this has caused her to misjudge people, and maybe be too forgiving of them. This story shows Emlyn's journey to becoming a person who learns to value herself.

A thematic device I enjoyed in the story: Emlyn would have a word to describe people. Her word for her friend Janessa is "alluring", and she always feels like second choice when she is around her friend, until she met Tyler who chose her, once upon a time. Emlyn's word for herself: forgettable. I enjoyed seeing Emlyn grow as a person and I thought the author handled this transition gracefully.

The beginning of this book was probably a three star, but the vast majority became a five star. I should settle on four, but I can't resist beautiful writing like this. It's a five star for me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kim Cunningham Grant, and St Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The main character of this novel, Ellen, is a wilderness guide in Idaho who has worked to rebuild her life after some difficult events three years before. Then she sees on the news that her onetime best friend Janessa, who is now a camper van life influencer, is missing - and then Emlyn’s ex-boyfriend Tyler shows up asking for Emlyn to help him find Janessa. Their present day search is interspersed with flashbacks which show us how Emlyn ended up where she is now, and the good and bad of her relationships with both Janessa and Tyler.

I loved Kimi Cunningham Grant’s book These Silent Woods, so I went into this one pretty much blind. It shares with that one wonderful descriptions of nature and survival, but I’d say this one has a little bit more of mystery/thriller vibes. But I’d say it’s still at heart a character novel, a well done one.

“But the truth is, I always found the most dangerous animal of all … that’s got to be the two-legged kind.”

What an incredible story! The Nature of Disappearing has so much depth. First it explores the steps we take to disappear from society, conflict, and even our own lives. How we work to make ourselves invisible in order to survive, and yet how some people are able to still see us and help us see ourselves.

Next, it dives into the throngs of addiction, not only the damage it can cause to those afflicted directly, but also the impact on those connected to the one suffering.

Lastly, it shows us how we can fail to see things when blinded by love or adoration.

This is a slow burn, character-driven story that takes a while to get going, but once it does, you cannot put it down. The mystery unravels gradually through a dual timeline but key elements are revealed at just the right pace. And, the strength and devotion of true friends shows through even when mistakes could cause the friendship to fall away. It’s the perfect blend of mystery and self-reflection.

I must admit I maybe didn’t love it quite as much as These Silent Woods, but it is a close second. Grant doesn’t cower from hard topics and infuses them with loving and endearing moments. Everyone that ever had a falling out with a good friend or has been blinded by love should read this book! As the author says, when you are lost or lonely in the wilderness it is not the final chapter. Your story will go on. This book shows us that!

QUOTES -
“There is a strange, marvelous liberty in seeing a person for who they really are.”

I know that whenever I am in the mood for a good wilderness survival story, I can count on Kimi Cunningham Grant. Her atmospheric novels set against the backdrop of the wonderous and wild are the perfect escape from ordinary life, allowing the reader to take a daring walk on the wild side without ever leaving the comfort and safety of home.

Her latest novel, The Nature of Disappearing, takes us on a journey with Emlyn, a fishing guide who sets off into the wilds of the West with her ex-boyfriend Tyler to look for her friend-turned-influencer Janessa, who has gone missing amidst her quest to document her adventures of traveling the country and living out of a camper van.

Admittedly, this set-up does sound a bit like the tragic Gabby Petito saga, which is in fact one of the reasons why I picked it up, and while there are similarities, it is not the same story. So much more of this tale is focused on Emlyn and how she came to be the person she is in life through her cause and effect relationships with both Tyler and Janessa. As Emlyn journeys further into the wilderness, we explore her formerly toxic relationship with Tyler, and learn how Emlyn has always felt less than living in Janessa's shadow.

While The Nature of Disappearing doesn't quite deliver that electric spark that made Grant's previous novel, These Silent Woods so captivating, it is still an emotionally charged story fraught with peril. Kimi Cunningham Grant displays beauty in her writing, capturing the vital essence of both Mother Nature and human nature, and presenting it to readers in an intimate, thoughtful way.

I really enjoyed the scenic atmosphere of this book. I loved Emlyn, the main character, who was independent, careful and easy to like. I liked the timeline shifts as well as the mystery and how it all turned out. It was a bit slow at times, but it did keep my interest throughout.

I really wanted to fall in love with "The Nature of Disappearing" by Kimi Cunningham Grant, but in the end, it was just okay. The synopsis hooked me in, promising a story full of intrigue and mystery. But as I went through, I found my interest waning more often than not. While I did finish the book, there were moments where I unintentionally tuned out, and I didn't feel compelled to backtrack.

That said, the book isn't without its merits. There are definitely sections that are beautifully written and genuinely captivating. I particularly enjoyed the scenic setting and the shifts in time, which really helped to illustrate the evolution of the characters' relationships—from their beginnings to the present day.

Even though it didn't completely grab me, I can't deny that Kimi Cunningham Grant has a talent for crafting a well-written story. I'm still interested in exploring more of her work, hoping the next one will resonate with me a bit more. For anyone who enjoys a slower-paced mystery, this book might be just the right fit.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review.

This book was okay. I liked it, but I just couldn't love it.

The story centers around Emlyn, who lives a quiet life as a hunting and fishing guide in Idaho. She left behind a troubled past, including a broken friendship with Janessa and a relationship gone wrong with Tyler. Everything shifts when Tyler reappears with news that Janessa has gone missing. Emlyn realizes that she might be the only one that can find her, so together Tyler and Janessa set out in the wildness to do that.

I struggled with the pace, and honestly some of the content/storyline. The story was set up so well, and was super intriguing, but as we delved deeper into the story I found some of the things that were happening to the main character to be something that wouldn't happen in real life. For the example, the character was an avid nature guide, and while she was lost in the woods, I thought that there were times that she could have gotten out (due to her expertise).;Things like that didn't make sense.

Additionally, the characters weren't people I felt like I could really connect with. They were just...lacking.

One positive of the book, that I really did love was the atmosphere and the wilderness setting. It made me want to run to Idaho.

Emlyn plays things safe. She works as a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho, and while she may not enjoy the clients, she is good at what she does. She's at home in the wilderness, though she knows only too well how things can go south quickly.

When her former boyfriend Tyler shows up, asking for her help, Emlyn is forced to face feelings and thoughts she's left in the past. Left behind, like Tyler left her behind in the wilderness three years ago. Can she trust Tyler again enough to join him in looking for her friend Janessa? And is Janessa even missing in the first place?

The authorities aren't so sure she's missing. Employed by Tyler to cover their social media, Janessa missed a check in and scheduled post, but that's not enough cause for alarm. Emlyn is wavering, and then Janessa makes a post only a few days later. Only, Emlyn recognizes the lake in the picture. And it's not in Wyoming, like Janessa claims to be. Scrolling through old posts, Emlyn sees comments from a stalker they had issues with, including a few other comments that unsettle her. Mixed with the lake picture, Emlyn is concerned that something is truly wrong, and she has a good place to start looking.

Told from the past and present, the past takes us from Emlyn first meeting Janessa, and eventually Tyler, to their relationship and how it ended. Mixed with the search for her friend now, Emlyn lacks confidence in her ability to read people, and can only hope her experience in the wilderness can keep her from making the same mistakes.

I wavered on this one, but after letting it sit with me for a while, it does deserve a full four star rating, and I think it's definitely one that you should give a chance! It's a fairly quick read, and I do love Emlyn's habit of assigning people a word, a byproduct of her reading the dictionary as a young child.

3.5⭐️ - I feel like it took a while to get into the meat of this one. I loved the atmosphere and my interest picked up on all the parts put and in the wilderness. I also really liked how everything was resolved.

This took me months to force myself to finish. I loved her previous book These Silent Woods but this one was a miss for me. The first 80% of the book was just flashbacks. We’re almost done with it before anything finally happens, and when it does, it was lackluster. This just wasn’t a good thriller and the romance part was awful too.

I enjoyed this one but not as much as These Silent Woods. The time line changes were as smooth as they needed to be but overall I liked this one!

First of all, this book gave me serious deja vu and if someone can help me figure out why, I’d really appreciate it.⁣
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Next, this book is really easy to binge. The premise is pretty spooky and it’s hard to know who to trust.⁣
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I switched between ebook and audiobook and recommend either one equally! Narration is great and storyline moves quickly. It switches between present day when Emlyn’s trying to find a close friend who presumably is missing, and she is trying to do so with her ex, which makes things complicated. We also get glimpses of the past, though, too, which helps to see how the relationships came to be and how they’ve burned out over the years.⁣
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Solid mystery/thriller!

This book had so many beautiful moments. While it did start to feel a little too long, I did really enjoy it.
You'll enjoy the main character quite a bit, and the resolution of the story was satisfying.
Overall I'd rate the book a 3.5, but will round up to a 4.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

I really loved Grant’s last book, These Silent Woods, but I feel less enthusiastic about this new one. I still read it very quickly but it comes in second to These Silent Woods.

This is the second book this year that felt like a vague retelling of the Gabby Petito story so that also dampened my enjoyment a tad. The chapters alternate between Emlyn and her ex-boyfriend searching for a mutual friend believed to be missing and past chapters showing us what happened relationally between the three of them. There’s also some background chapters about Emlyn interacting with two other characters who contribute to her healing from hurt but I didn’t feel like this aspect was fully fleshed out enough to have an impact. The setting was really well done, detailed and atmospheric.

If you are a fan of sort-of-survival mystery/thrillers (?), you may enjoy this! I’ll still definitely pick up more from this author. I discovered in her earlier family memoir that we went to the same small Christian college so that’s a fun connection!

This was another book that caught me by the cover. It's beautiful, isn't it? Picking this one up is definitely worth it. 

I have a thing for wilderness books and television shows. I find wild nature very alluring but equally scary. I find that people who can go into the wilderness and explore, camp, live, etc are cut from a very special cloth. They are brave, intriguing and I look up to them. It's odd because I don't have any desire to explore the wilderness in this way or live in it, but it captures my attention pretty easily. 

The gist of this book is that a girl who has had trauma in her life finds a new life that suits her and makes her feel safe. Then suddenly, one day, an old friend goes missing and she finds her ex back in her life asking for help to find this old friend. The two set out together on a quest to find out what happened and they're met with wild animals, dangerous situations and unexplained happenings. Some things in this book really gave me the creeps and would have me turning around to go back the way I came. There were lots of twists and turns and I really loved how atmospheric the setting was and how the characters were worked into it.

A beautiful story about wilderness, love, friendship, addiction, and betrayal. My heart was invested in Emlyn and her life experiences.

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my ARC!

This was a good one. Wasn't sure where it was going for a while, thought maybe just a missing person, rescue type of book and then it totally ended up being more. Well worth the read.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and to Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

This one hit very close to home for me and I was certainly not expecting that. Grant captured Emlyn and her relationship with an addict so well, it took me back to when I was there in it, to the ‘oh I’ll just brb’ and hours later they aren’t back, and you know the worst is true. Listening via audio made this even more real, and although I had some anxiety while reading this one, it was so incredibly well done. This moves from current day to the past, where we learn a little more about what happened back then and how it connects to present day. The suspense slowly builds until the end and then I could not listen fast enough to get to the ending. I definitely recommend this one, just keep in mind the addiction trigger warnings mentioned above.

Really good suspensful novel set in Idaho. A young woman is convinced by her ex-boyfriend to search for her missing college friend. All is not what it seems and she must decide who to trust.

When her friend Janessa goes missing, wilderness expert Emlyn will have to partner with the ex-boyfriend who left her stranded on a hike years ago, in order to find her. As the two work to track Janessa, old sparks reunite even as new secrets threaten to come to the surface.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, sets an atmosphere like Kimi Cunningham Grant. Whether deep in the mountains of Appalachia or the wilderness of Idaho, nature and the wild itself are always a featured character, and one that adds a dark and moody vibe.

One thing that caught my attention was the use of elements of the Gabby Petito case. From the idea of a van life social media account to the disappearance of a young woman traveling with her boyfriend, I enjoyed the true crime element woven into a story that ultimately ends up going down a completely different path.

While this one wasn’t quite what I was expecting following her knockout with These Silent Woods, I still enjoyed reading it, especially via audio narrated by Emily Pike Stewart. I would suggest that format over the physical book for the audiobook fans out there.

Read if you like:
• domestic suspense
• atmospheric reads
• friendship drama
• wilderness setting
• romantic suspense
• true crime elements

Thank you Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies.