Ten years ago, Jess Greene took on guardianship of Teagan, her eight year old sister, after their mother left with a boyfriend. Turns out the boyfriend was a notorious conman and the subject of a viral podcast shortly before he met their mother. Jess has kept their lives small and private until Teagan reaches out to the podcast team in hopes of finding their mother. The sisters set off on a road trip with a pair of podcasters to all four corners of the (continental) US.

I especially loved the road trip aspect of this story. My favorite part was the mini-break they took in Missouri. The epilogue was a little bit of a letdown and didn't quite tie up the loose ends for me. I wanted more resolution especially for Adam's podcast.

I read and listened to this book simultaneously. I enjoyed the dual narration for most of the book but found the podcast excerpts were better consumed by reading.

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. #TheOtherSideofDisappearing #NetGalley

Jess has been holding back ever since her mother left ten years ago. She’s been taking care of her younger sister, but kept the few details she knew of her mother’s disappearance a secret. So when a podcast team shows up at Jess’s front door asking for details about her mother’s disappearance, she has to pivot, and fast. She ends up on a road trip to track down her mother (and the acclaimed con artist she supposedly ran off with) with her sister and the podcast team, which includes Adam—who makes her feel safe and understood in a way no one has before.

I love Kate Clayborn, but this book did not hit an emotional chord with me. I could feel the same prose and mood that I’ve come to expect from her, but I ultimately didn’t care about the characters and ended up bored. I never truly bought into the search for her mom and how suspenseful that was supposed to feel.

The romance also was based largely on an insta-love experience that I didn’t quite buy into (especially since I’ve seen her do it well!). Not to mention, this fell victim to one of my least favorite tropes: the MMC being so tall and big and strong that he doesn’t fit in doorways or chairs and we’re reminded of it every five pages.

Because it’s Kate Clayborn, the writing was rhythmic and lovely, but the content fell short for me this time. I still love you Kate! Please don’t continue with these tropes I hate!

**Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

I read this book a long time ago and forgot to post a review. Firstly, I love Kate Clayborn's writing, and while this one didn't get stuck in my head quiet like Georgie All Along I did really enjoy it. The plot was interesting and the MMC (Clayborn's typical, stoic, man) was someone I really felt for.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn in exchange or my honest review and opinion. I love Kate's books and style of writing so I was super excited to sit down and read this. Once I started, I realized this was not going to be an easy read as it was dealing with a lot of heavy issues. (Mental Health). I found it to be a good read but don't expect a light hearted easy read.

Ten years ago, Jess’ mom rand off with her boyfriend, a con man who was the subject of a very popular podcast. Since then, Jess has been taking care of her younger sister, Tegan. When Tegan learns about the podcast, and the connection to their mother, she wants to go look for her mom. Jess reluctantly agrees to go with Tegan and a podcast host and producer and the four begin a cross-country roadtrip that becomes more tan Jess ever expected. This is probably my favorite of Kate Clayborn’s novels. I loved Jess’s journey and growth throughout this book and thought Hawk was a great partner for her. While I enjoyed the romance, the journey this book takes and Jess’s growth are really what make this story so great in my opinion. Thanks to Kensington Books for the gifted copy.

I still haven't gotten around to reading this, but I purchased it on Overdrive for my library and it has circulated like crazy, so it's a winner!

Kate Clayborn gives all the feels with "The Other Side of Disappearing" and turns a romance novel into a heavy, heartfelt read. This isn't a lighthearted novel, but readers looking for a deeper side of the romance genre will enjoy.

This book was an unexpected delight. A road trip romance + true crime podcast? Count me in! I hadn’t read any of Kate Clayborn’s other books before but had heard great things about them, so I was really excited to read this one. The story is told from the dual POV of Jess, who has been raising her sister since their mom disappeared, and Adam, who works for a true crime podcast. The plot was unique, and I loved the combination of romance and mystery. The characters were complex and well-developed, and I also thought author did a good job navigating more serious themes of grief and loss. Overall, I enjoyed this one, and I’ll definitely be reading Clayborn’s backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read every Kate Clayborn book and it never disappoints. This one was great and I couldn't put it down.

The Other Side of Disappearing is a beautifully written, emotional journey filled with mystery, heart, and self-discovery. The characters felt so real, and I was completely hooked by the poignant storytelling and the deep exploration of family and identity. If you love books that balance suspense with heartfelt moments, this one is an absolute must-read!

Full disclosure, I haven't finished this book. But the reason why is that it's so freaking good that I don't WANT to finish it. I've never read a bad Kate Clayborn and I am anticipating and dreading finishing this one.

I went in to this book blind, knowing I generally like Kate Clayborn and this book absolutely slaps. This is my far my favorite Kate Clayborn book. It was so beautifully written. I became very emotionally invested in the mystery and the characters. The romance was good too, but I loved it for the plot.

I really like Kate Clayborn books and how she writes. This one took me a bit to get into, I felt like the story started a little slower than her other books - but it was good overall. All that to say, I felt like there was a lot going on and the storyline felt a bit muddy.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I like Clayborn fine, but somehow her books never seem to excite me as much as they do other people. I really didn’t like this one at first because I had so much trouble accepting the premise. It grew on me and I got there eventually and found myself somewhat invested, but I almost DNFed along the way.

Jess Greene dropped everything to take care of her sister Tegan when their mom disappeared 10 years ago. But now Tegan is 18 and looking for answers, and that looking drops a famous podcaster on Jess' front porch. Against her better judgement, Jess agrees to be part of the investigatory journo road trip, which lands her in a van with Adam Hawkins for a month. Adam has his own agenda and his own demons to exorcise; but they're both about to de-rail each other's plans.

Kate Clayborn cannot miss, and in THE OTHER SIDE OF DISAPPEARING, she reaches another level of plot complexity and new emotional depths.

I loved Kates "Love Lettering" and this one didn't disappoint! Thank you and huge shout out to Netgalley, Kate and Kensington Books for an eArc!

What to Expect:
⭐ Trauma Healing
⭐ Strangers - to friends - to romantic partners
⭐ A journey of self discovery
⭐ A mystery to solve
⭐ A story of two sisters

My Thoughts:
A slight deter from her previous books, this story has a higher focus on the plot, storyline of the two sisters (Jess + Tegan), self-discovery and trauma healing. There is a romance story tangled in betwee all of that but only as a part of Jess healing and finding herself again. I truly enjoyed the bond the two sisters shared and the story that comes from that. The healing they both go through in this book was truly moving. The journey they take to find what happened to their mom and why she never came back was shocking, at times comedic and other times disheartening. As a mom myself I struggle to understand the leaving your children behind. I know it happens but wasn't a relatable thing for me.

All that to say I love the complexity of the characters in this story. I love Kates way of really building them through the story, working us through their journey and the conclusion she brings them too. In this case I loved the focus being on the sisters and not the romantic side. It shows the depth she has to write fiction and yet to give us a story to keep us wanting more. I knew she had this sort of story in her with Love Lettering but this really shows the depth of her writing skills.

Synopsis:
Hairstylist Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her younger half-sister, Tegan—and keeping a shocking secret. Ever since their reckless mother ran off with a boyfriend she’d known only a few months, Jess has been aware that he’s the same accomplished con man who was the subject of a wildly popular podcast, The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore.

Now thirty-one, Jess didn’t bargain on Tegan eventually piecing together the connection for herself. But Tegan plans to do exactly what Jess has always feared—leave their safe, stable home to search for their mother—and she’ll be accompanied by the prying podcast host and her watchful, handsome producer, Adam Hawkins. Unwilling to let the sister she’s spent so much of her life protecting go it alone, Jess reluctantly joins them.

Together, the four make their way across the country, unraveling the mystery of where the couple disappeared to and why. But soon Jess is discovering other things too. Like a renewed sense of vulnerability and curiosity, and a willingness to expand beyond the walls she’s so carefully built. And in Adam, she finds an unexpected connection she didn’t even know was missing, if only she can let go and let him in . . .

DNF at about a third of the way through.

This is a bummer. I really wanted to like this one and I had put it down once before thinking I was the problem. That it just wasn't the right time for me to listen to the audio.

I gave this book more of a chance on my most recent attempt and I just couldn't get into it.

I've enjoyed Kate Clayborn's books in the past. I still look forward to reading more by her. This one was just a flop for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for my gifted copy of The Other Side of Disappearing. ❤

I've read all of Clayborn's books up to now and this is my least favorite. Having said that the writing is as usual sensitive and fluent so I did enjoy this book very much. looking forward to her next book!

I LOVED Georgie All Along so it pains me to say this one just wasnt for me. I didnt connect with the story and found myself quite bored. I will still look out for what Kay Clayborn creates though.