I loved her previous book, and I liked this one. I thought the story hooked me right away. It’s not super fast-paced, but the atmospheric writing and the wilderness. The narrator did such a good job of capturing that mood of the story, so it almost felt like I was being told a personal story. If you like character-driven books with a little mystery and a lot of heart, this one was great!

Emlyn has started over in a way that feels safe to her - she lives alone in her airstream, works as a fishing and hunting guide, is friends with a forest service ranger and the community reverend. But when her ex shows up to say that her previous best friend is missing, she leaves to help find her.
I really liked Emlyn, she was deeply scarred and fragile, but her story arch was inspiring. I appreciated where we enter the story and why its happening. We see Emlyn trust her strengths and learn who she can rely on.

The imagery and descriptions of the woods was beautiful. The atmosphere and the summer vibes was giving. However, the characters, the thrill and suspense was flatline for me 😵💀

I'd still recommend this for readers who like a more domestic thriller/mystery that is slow paced.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5 stars rounded up) — Quietly suspenseful, beautifully written, and emotionally resonant

Kimi Cunningham Grant has such a gift for crafting atmospheric, character-driven suspense, and The Nature of Disappearing is no exception. This book pulls you in gently, with lyrical prose and a strong sense of place, and before you realize it, you’re completely immersed.

The story unfolds slowly but deliberately, blending a tense present-day search with a deeply emotional past. The main character is layered and compelling—strong, flawed, and quietly fierce. What I loved most is how the mystery isn’t just about what happened, but why it matters, and how trauma shapes identity, memory, and connection.

It’s less about big twists and more about emotional weight and subtle revelations. That said, it still had me flipping pages late into the night. The wilderness setting is vivid and integral, and the relationships (especially the complicated ones) felt authentic and earned.

If you enjoyed These Silent Woods, this one has a similar stillness and intensity—but even more emotional depth.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I devoured this one and will definitely be recommending it widely.

I loved These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant. After reading this one, she has sealed being an auto buy author for me.

Emlyn has moved on from her past with a new life that is simple and safe. She lives in an Airstream and works as a guide in Idaho. Then, Tyler, a man from her past shows up and tells her that her old friend, Janessa, is missing. Janessa had a social media star documenting her van adventures with her boyfriend. Emlyn has no choice but to Tyler look for Janessa. However, things don't add up and as they travel deeper into the wilderness, she begins to think there is more danger than she originally suspected.

This one had twists and turns that I did not see coming. It definitely kept me in suspense. Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the audio. It is narrated by Emily Pike Stewart who did an excellent job! I would definitely recommend this one to my thriller friends.

I have loved everything I've read by Kimi Cunningham Grant, and her latest is no exception. Emlyn is a strong protagonist, and the setting was so well developed there were many times I was in the book walking through the woods with the characters. This strong writing definitely enhanced the mystery and suspense in this insightful and memorable thrill.er

This audiobook was so atmospheric. And also a reminder that I would die very quickly in the wilderness. The slow reveal of the past and how it directly impacted the journey Janessa and Tyler were on was so impactful. For those who love adventure- this is a fantastic read!

Some readers will enjoy the beautiful descriptions of the setting and this slow burn, but for me it was too slow.

4.5 - Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the complimentary ALC!

I remember two years ago when I read These Silent Woods, I was immediately immersed into Kimi's writing and the story she created. This one was no exception. I am a little overdued reading this and boy was I kicking myself that I had not read it sooner.

The book is told from the present timeline but also through multiple past timelines. The past timelines showed the start of the relationship between Emlyn and Janessa as well as with Tyler. These played an important with knowing their history and how it correlates to what is happening in the current.

Emlyn learns that an old friend Janessa has not updated her whereabouts to her friend Tyler and Tyler becomes worried that something has happened on her travels. Emlyn and Tyler are not on the best of terms due to what happend years prior but Emlyn wants to help find her former friend to ensure she is okay.

"You're different."
"I sure hope so."

One thing that Kimi is great at between the two books that I've read, is how she describes nature and the environment that the characters are around. It really made me miss hiking! Now their skills were much more advanced than I'll ever be. I love the detail that Kimi put in through Tyler and Emlyn's excursion trying to find Janessa.

The romance reader side of me was rooting for Emlyn and Tyler throughout the book. But I understand why it wouldn't work and I was satisfied in the end in that regards (not spoiling!).

The ending was a little lackluster but overall this was a great read! I was invested the whole time and it kept me guessing most of the time.

I paired my reading with the audio and Emily Pike Stewart did a fabulous job! She is a new to me narrator and I certainly would listen to her again. Between Kimi's writing and her narration, the reading experience was great!

I highly recommend this book if you love an outdoor setting, dual timelines, and looking for something a little suspenseful!

After feeling underwhelmed by Kimi Cunningham Grant's first book, I was hopeful that this novel would be more my cup of tea. While intriguing, I unfortunately found this to be too slow in terms of pacing and I wouldn't describe this as a thriller, more literary fiction with suspenseful elements - just like I described Grant's prior novel. This was by no means a "bad" book. I just have discovered that this author isn't for me - which is okay! I know many fellow readers who would love this and I highly recommend it to them!

I loved the setting of this book. I was fascinated by Emlyn living in an airstream, I don’t think I could do it. It was a little too slow for me, and the end felt a bit rushed. I think the writing was well done as well as the narration. Emily really helped me connect with Emlyn.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

I’m a little bit in the middle of the road on this book. I found it easy enough to listen to and enjoyed the great descriptions of nature in the west. I thought that was the most successful part of this book. The narrator did a fantastic job of setting the scene for the story. The story itself, however, was very slow and at times I lost interest in it. I also didn’t find any of the characters redeeming, which isn’t required, but left me wanting more from this book. Some of the plot twists had me rolling my eyes as well. I enjoyed that it did move timelines to show Emlyn and Tyler’s past as well as Emlyn and Janessa’s, but I found myself losing focus when it did that. Overall, it was decent, but it will likely be ultimately, unfortunately, forgettable for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

" The Nature of Disappearing" is a gripping blend of suspense and emotional depth that pulls readers into the wild, isolated landscapes where the past and present collide with dangerous consequences. Emlyn, a wilderness guide who’s crafted a quiet, solitary life after surviving a traumatic event, is forced to confront the ghosts of her past when her estranged friend Janessa goes missing. Teaming up with Tyler, the man who shattered her life years ago, Emlyn embarks on a perilous journey into the wilderness, where dark secrets unfold and the chemistry between them reignites. Grant’s evocative prose and tension-filled narrative explore themes of betrayal, healing, and the complexities of moving on, making this a poignant and pulse-pounding read that will keep you on edge until the final page.

Kimi Cunningham Grant’s The Nature of Disappearing is a gripping and emotional suspense novel that blends a tense mystery with deep personal drama. Emlyn, a wilderness guide who’s built a quiet life for herself in Idaho after a traumatic past, is forced to confront her history when her former best friend, Janessa, goes missing. Janessa, now a popular social media star, has disappeared without a trace during one of her #vanlife adventures, and Emlyn reluctantly reunites with Tyler—the man who left her broken three years ago—to search for her.

As Emlyn and Tyler journey through the rugged, untamed wilderness, the tension between them is palpable, but the mystery of Janessa’s disappearance takes precedence. The wild country they traverse seems to hide darker secrets than they initially anticipated, and Emlyn begins to suspect that Janessa’s troubles run deeper than a simple van-life mishap. Grant skillfully weaves themes of survival, both physical and emotional, as Emlyn is forced to confront the demons of her past while trying to uncover the truth about her missing friend.

The novel is beautifully written, with vivid descriptions of the Idaho landscape that almost feel like another character in the story. Emlyn’s internal struggles—her hurt from Tyler’s betrayal, her longing for a different past, and her need to protect Janessa—are all explored with sensitivity and depth, making her a compelling protagonist.

Suspenseful, poignant, and layered with emotional complexity, The Nature of Disappearing is a riveting read that keeps you on edge while also inviting reflection on love, loss, and the difficult road to healing. Grant’s talent for combining atmospheric tension with rich character development makes this novel an unforgettable, slow-burn thriller that lingers long after the last page is turned.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was such a wild read! omg lmao i would love to see this as a tv show!

Emlyn has a past that is nothing to write home about. She doesn’t often speak with Janessa, her best friend, and her ex-boyfriend left her on the side of the road for dead. Thankfully she now has a quiet life that allows her to spend her days in nature, leading fishing and hunting groups that wish to take in the beauty that is the Idaho wilderness. All is as it should be, until Tyler, her ex-boyfriend shows up looking for help to find Janessa who has gone missing. Janessa has turned into a bit of a social media star, living in a van and within the wilderness away from all the chaos that cities bring, but she seems to have gone silent online and can’t be located. Believing that she might be the only one who can find her, Emlyn reluctantly agrees, but Janessa might not be the only one in danger.

I really wanted to like this one, but it was a struggle. The descriptive language used painted a beautiful picture of the wilderness and all that comes with it. It seemed to me that the author has a lot of knowledge about the area (or areas like it) and the type of life lived by the characters. I also liked the idea of the dual timeline, bringing the past and the present together well. That being said the plot was such a slow burn that nothing thrilling happened until the novel was almost over, making it more of a drama and less of a thriller. I also struggled with the characters. While I did not go through exactly what Emlyn did, I did face an event that led me to almost die at the hands of another and I would never put myself in a situation where I was alone with my attacker, let alone even take a phone call. This made it hard to connect with her in any meaningful way as a character. I really just wanted more.

Unfortunately I feel the same way about the audiobook as I do about the book. To me the narrator seemed almost robotic, both in terms of the way it sounded as a whole and in the lack of emotion and inflection. I really didn’t feel like anything was added by listening to the audiobook, but it did not affect my overall opinion about the narrative.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for gifting to me electronic and audio copies of The Nature of Disappearing, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

This was such a good book! It had good pacing, excellent description, interesting characters, and fantastic plot points. I had no idea where this story was taking us and it was wonderful. I really enjoyed the flashbacks that took us to the protagonists past and how it juxtaposed with her current self after barely surviving. Phenomenal read, great narration, loved it all!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Kimi Cunningham Grant, and Macmillan audio for my copy of this audiobook.

Very slow start with all of the thrilling of this thriller happening in the last quarter of the book. When the action does start to happen there are so many twists and turns that you just have to grab the reins and hold on as the plot goes wild. Beautiful setting and interesting concept, I only finished the book because I was listening to it. Otherwise I don't think I would have stayed engaged. Still, will try others by the author in the future.

Audiobook was well narrated.

Thanks so much to MacMillan Audio for the gifted ALC!

I have to say I just didn't love this one. I felt like the storyline was so slow. I found myself not being able to connect to any of the characters. It seemed to pick up towards the very end and by then it had already lost me.

I did enjoy the way the author wrote. The descriptions of the scenery was great imagery. The audio was well produced as well and I enjoyed the narrators voices.

I absolutely loved this author's previous book, These Silent Woods, and so I was extremely excited to read The Nature of Disappearing. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. My main struggle came from the slow pace of the story, lack of likeable characters, and an unbelievable plot and story line.

I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for a review.