Enjoyed the mystery of the story, as well as the descriptive nature scenes. Characters were just ok. They won't stay with me. Great narration.

Emlyn has mostly moved on from the upsetting end of her relationship with Tyler several years ago, so when he suddenly turns up again she's not enthusiastic. Still, when it turns out he's come to her for helping finding a mutual friend who has gone missing in the Idaho back country, she doesn't hesitate. The two embark on a search through the wilderness and soon realize they're in over their heads.

I nearly DNF'd this one within the first five pages because the book starts with a scene where there's a totally inconsequential character- I don't even remember what the name was now, maybe John Thomas?- and the author uses the full name approximately one million times in that tiny little part of a chapter about him. I assume when you're reading it Thomas is clearly the last name, but the narrator reads it almost like it's one word (Johnthomas) and it's used a number of times, it was annoying to listen to. The narration of it isn't on the author, so I continued. The next few chapters were fine and moved much more seamlessly, except for the overuse of the Carhart brand. I get it, it's wilderness-y.

I enjoyed the bulk of this book and overall the narrator did a good job keeping things moving. The characters were pretty decent and mostly believable. I just struggled a bit because I generally love dual-time lines but several of the chapters from the past also involved the same rural, off the grid wilderness setting and I found it to be a little confusing. Additionally, the end was a little implausible felt like a bit of a stretch. It was still run to read just not my favorite.

There are two types of wildernesses in Ms. Grant’s new novel: the physical place she so eloquently describes, and the main character’s state of mind.
Emlyn is tethered to the past by unaddressed trauma and by bad actors drawing her back into an uncertain life she barely survived. Emyln’s friend Janessa is missing and she feels compelled to find her and resolve some serious unanswered questions.
In this case the best writing is reserved for two older friends back at “base camp” and they exist in stark contrast to the main characters who consume most of the story.

The bouncing back and forth of timelines took me out of the pace of the story and interfered with the propulsive pace I enjoyed in the author’s most recent book. The perhaps petty exchanges among the relationship triangle at the heart of the story diluted an interesting premise and left me feeling frustrated. Maybe my patience has worn thin for some of the themes (abandonment, addiction, social influence) and overall I was hoping for a less predictable read.

The narration by Emily Pike Stewart was outstanding and I will be drawn to future performances by her!

Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

When an old friend she no longer talks to anymore, goes missing, she is brought back into a world she so desperately wanted to forget. This was suspenseful and a really good narrated audiobook. I recommend listening to it.

Thank you to Macmillan audio for the opportunity to review an Advanced Listeners Copy of The Nature of Disappearing,

This book was good but not my favorite. I really enjoyed the setting and the premise of this book but I felt like a few things that occurred were a bit of a stretch. It had a really intriguing first half but the last half seemed to drag a little for me. I was losing interest in the story and it was really hard for me to remain focused on what was happening.

Overall, I felt like the narrator did a good job. The pacing was well done. They were easy to listen to and understand at any speed.

Although Emlyn remains guarded and isolative from experiencing past hurts, she has found a new group of friends and support in a small Idaho town. She may even be falling in love with the local forest ranger. But when she receives a call from her former best friend, Janessa and the call is dropped right before Janessa is about to tell her something important, Emlyn wants to find and reconnect with Janessa. Then Tyler, Emlyn’s former boyfriend and Janessa's best friend shows up to enlist Emlyn's help in finding Janessa, who has gone off the grid with her boyfriend, Bush. . Tyler and Emlyn determine that Janessa may be in danger and work together to find clues and track Janessa and Bush into the wilderness. But who is really in danger and will Emlyn and Tyler renew their romance while working together?
An enjoyable thriller with not a lot of mystery. The characters are too few to provide many unexpected twists although there are some surprises towards the end. The characters were fairly well developed and I did enjoy the way the author revealed more and more little tidbits about them as the story progressed. There was a little romance but not enough to ruin the thriller aspect. Overall, an enjoyable read.
I listened to the audio version of the book and thought the narrator was very good. The voice inflections were just right and what few accents were included were well done.

Emlyn, a wilderness guide in Idaho is trying hard to rebuild her life. Then her Ex Tyler shows up and asks for her help finding their mutual friend Janessa, who’s gone missing. Tyler did more than break her heart, he almost killed her. Hesitantly, she agrees to help and the two set off to unravel a mystery that will pull them into the wilderness and into danger.
I really enjoyed this. The characters are well developed. The story is unraveled by going back and forth between what happened in the past and what’s happening now. I found Emlyn’s story of rebuilding herself and learning to forgive and open her heart moving and heroic.
The overall mystery was a bit off for me as I found it a bit unbelievable that someone would put themselves in that kind of a situation. Seemed a little foolish and naive.
I’m still giving it four stars, because overall it’s a very enjoyable read and I loved the wilderness aspect and capability of the heroine.
Also, I listened to this in audiobook format and the narrator, Emily Park Stewart did a fantastic job and I highly recommend it.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for giving me the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Having eagerly awaited the release of this audiobook, I started listening with high expectations. The narrator's performance is, as always, skillful and engaging. The characters are brought to life vividly, and the plot unfolds at a steady pace, keeping me interested from beginning to end.

However, I must admit that, compared to the author’s previous audiobook, I found myself longing for a deeper emotional connection. While the story was well-crafted and the narration excellent, it didn't evoke the same level of emotional resonance for me as the last one did. The previous audiobook left a lasting impression on my heart, whereas this one, though enjoyable, didn’t quite touch me in the same way.

Overall, it’s a good listen, and fans of the author will appreciate the familiar style and quality. I look forward to the next release and hope for a return to the more emotive storytelling that I’ve come to love.

I highly recommend this book! I loved the storyline and the main characters. Both were well developed and well written. Once I started, I could barely put it down. I ended up both reading and listening to it just so I could continue and get other things done. I loved the writing style and how atmospheric it was. The narrator was wonderful too. I give this book a 5/5. In my opinion it is a must read.

3.5 rounded down. I loved the first half of this book. The second half got a tad slow for me. If you’re an outdoor adventure or hiker you’ll enjoy the premise of this book!

Having really liked These Silent Woods, I was thrilled to have been given an ALC of this book and was so excited to dive in. I’m all about a slow burn novel, however I found myself getting easily distracted and/or antsy for something to happen with this one. The author does a beautiful job with her descriptions of the setting, and the narrator did a great job bringing these characters to life, but it just wasn’t enough for me to look forward to picking it back up. Beware of quite a few trigger warnings. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant. This is the second book I read by this author. I really enjoyed the first book I read (These Silent Woods). This book was good too but the ending really threw me for a loop. I felt like it came a bit out of nowhere, it was rushed and that was that. I really did enjoy the first 80% of the book.

There was a lot I liked about this book. While the pacing was a bit slow (especially for a book labeled a thriller) I mostly enjoyed the flow. I thought the dual timelines worked really well to build some suspense between Emlyn, Ty, and Janessa. They felt like characters I could easily imagine in the real world.

I wish this book wasn’t described as being a thriller. I think the synopsis makes it out to be a much more exciting and mysterious story than what actually unfolds. It’s not a bad book by any measure I just think the expectation was somewhere it shouldn’t have been.

I really liked this book. I was hooked from the start and wanted to know more. It sounded like a recent real life story that was in the news so it got me sucked in from that. It was a quick and easy read that I didn't want to stop. It wasn't heart pounding thriller but it still left you wondering what's going on? What is going to happen? Where are they? The end result was not what I thought it was going to be so I always call that a win in my book if I can't figure out the ending. Thanks netgalley for the arc. I really enjoyed this book and will be looking into more books by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of this audiobook! I really enjoyed the premise, I thought the narration (both story & audio) was well done. The jumps in time helped the reader slowly piece together the full picture of our protagonist. The ending was a bit predictable, and therefore fell flat for me. I think this would make an excellent book club read as there are many conversation pieces and characters throughout the story. Kimi writes a strong character & gives the reader opportunity to develop their own opinions about each person. One of the aspects I wish was different (and without giving spoilers) was the progression of the protagonist’s relationship with one of the characters. It seems to come out of nowhere in the end, making the ending a bit hard to believe as realistic. Overall, a nicely written story/mystery and I would definitely recommend checking it out!

The Nature of Disappearing follows Emlyn, a wilderness guide, who must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing. Emlyn is a layered main character. She is self-assured in nature yet is insecure in her relationships with people. She is forced to face these insecurities head on to search for her friend in the wilderness. Kimi Cunningham Grant does an incredible job building atmosphere. She is a nature lover, and she writes about the wilderness in such a gorgeous way that it makes you want to love it too. The cliffhanger chapter endings moved the mystery forward and cleverly placed one-sentence revelations made The Nature of Disappearing hard to put down.

Emily Pike Stewart did a phenomenal job narrating The Nature of Disappearing. Her voice moved you through the simmering tension of the mystery and through the vast wilderness at the perfect pace. Stewart performed Emlyn’s personality perfectly, her tone made you feel Emlyn’s apprehension and insecurities as she navigated through her relationships.

A sincere thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC!

This was a very slow burn book. I liked the descriptions of nature and the wilderness. I liked that there was a duel time line. I liked how the relationships changed during the course of the book. The narrator was good too.

Emlyn is forced to reconnect with her ex boyfriend on a journey to find her former best friend turned “van life” social media star who may be in danger. Loved so many things about this audiobook. The connection to nature, vivid descriptions and lush language as well as the character development of Emlyn stood out to me. The narrator did an excellent job of keeping me engaged and differentiating the voices of different characters. Where the story meandered was unnecessary stepping backward in time that felt repetitive and the final climax fell a little flat and unbelievable.
Overall, I’d definitely seek out this author again.

Great listen! I really enjoyed the narration.

A story about friendship and the ties that bind people together; good and bad.

Written in two different time frames; Emlyn’s past and Emlyn’s present; we follow the main character through her troubled life until she finally gets some peace and happiness with her best friend Janessa. Things take a turn and there’s a falling out when Janessa finds out Emlyn is dating her best childhood friend, Tyler. Seems like it would be your typical love triangle story but it’s not.

I loved the setting. I really enjoy books in the great outdoors, isolations thrillers/horror are a favorite genre of mine.

Good twist at the end.

The publisher's blurb opens with this: "In this captivating novel of suspense, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing." Unfortunately, "captivating" is not an accurate description of this novel, at least for this reader. Interesting, but never fully engaging, The Nature of Disappearance promised more than it delivered. In early chapters, a dire twist was frequently foreshadowed, but the predicted event didn't occur until very late in the novel, and was neither shocking nor especially dangerous. Not a terrible story overall, but it just fell flat.