This book has a bit of a slow start, but once it finds its rhythm, it becomes an easy and enjoyable read. The characters are engaging and bring a lot of personality to the story, making it easy to stay invested in their journeys. What really sets this book apart are its unique storylines—fresh, imaginative, and different from the usual. Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy.

"The Art of Vanishing" by Morgan Pager was an interesting, unique novel, blending characters in real life to the ones trapped in the painting. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC!) This was a really fun story about Jean, one of Matisse’s sons who never ages as he lives a life inside a painting, and Claire, a museum worker who finds out that she is able to step inside paintings herself. Claire discovers a whole new world as she walks among the various paintings on the walls of the museum, and she also brings something new to Jean’s life, who is stuck inside the same scenery day after day after day. Of course, the two begin falling in love, but their relationship faces numerous challenges. This was cute – not incredible, but a solid, enjoyable read – and I especially appreciated the ending!

Imagine you are one of the figures in an oil painting hanging in a museum. Once the museum closed, you are able to jump out and visit with fellow artistic creations until mortals reenter their galleries. What if one of these catches the eye of a museum employee and they begin to strain the limits of the relationship they're allowed?

This is a charming and affecting novel, cleverly realized. Morgan Pager fill in the tale with thoughtful backstories on both the employee and the figure, who is in a piece by Henri Matisse of his family. Lots to unpack ad enjoy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a DRC of this lovely novel.

I am afraid to say this might be the first book I DNF in a while. Part of me was curious to see how it ended, but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy. Publication date July 1, 2025.

“If you buy into the premise, you’ll probably enjoy it. I didn’t.” —Leonard Maltin

Leonard Maltin, a longtime film reviewer, famously said this about the movie Forrest Gump. And now I know exactly what he meant because that quote perfectly sums up my experience with this book.

It’s marketed as a romance novel, but to me, it read more like middle grade fantasy. If it had been middle grade with the romantic subplot removed entirely, I think it could’ve been a much stronger story. As it stands, the tone felt mismatched, and the romance didn’t come across as sweet or moving, but rather it felt awkward and kind of icky.

The dialogue was sometimes childish, the themes felt random, and the pacing was wildly inconsistent… some parts dragged while others seemed to appear out of nowhere. I went in hoping for something whimsical and clever, but what I got leaned more toward odd and awkward.

I’m with Maltin on this one… I didn’t buy into the premise. I’m usually pretty flexible when it comes to suspending disbelief, but this one stretched it past my limit.

Thank you @netgalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I typically love magical realism but this book didn't completely work for me. I think the characters needed more depth, the relationship needed more depth, etc. I think it had an amazing concept but ultimately fell flat.

"The Art of Vanishing" by Morgan Pager is a gripping and emotionally charged read that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Pager masterfully explores complex relationships and the weight of secrets, making the characters feel incredibly real and relatable. The pacing is tight, with enough suspense and twists to keep the story unpredictable and engaging. The prose is both sharp and evocative, perfectly capturing the tension and emotional depth of the narrative. Overall, it’s a compelling and thought-provoking novel that lingers in your mind long after you turn the last page.

I just finished “The Art of Vanishing” and I was absolutely enchanted! This debut novel has such a creative romantic premise and while I’m not always drawn to stories with magical realism, this was so perfectly developed, resulting in a dreamy relationship between the painted world and real life.

Other than a bookstore, it doesn’t get more atmospheric than a museum, so I was pretty sucked in right from the unique concept alone. I read this one pretty quickly because I just HAD. TO. KNOW. how it was going to end! It’s the perfect romantic-escape read to add to your TBR!

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Random House for this eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So whimsical and utterly charming, I absolutely loved this book. The premise is so clever and Morgan Pager really pulls it off - a joyful escape.

DNF at 25% - the premise of this one sounded great, but ultimately I’m not feeling drawn to pick it up or invested in the story.

A magical realism romance dream!! Have you ever wandered a museum and wondered what it would be like to live in a painting or even just communicate with the characters living inside the artwork? This whimsical take on a love story had my attention from the first page. I love how it felt like a true escape from reality without the world building in a true fantasy. I do wish that we got more of the character development- they fell a little flat for me as the story felt more plot-driven.

2.5 stars - I was excited to read this book, the premise sounded unique and magical! I really enjoyed the first half of this debut, but the second half/the use of the pandemic as a plot point fell flat for me. Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

🎨💌🖼️⏳

When Claire, a lonely night-shift cleaner at the museum, starts noticing that the figures in the paintings seem to move, she thinks she might be losing her mind—until one painting, a Matisse featuring a man named Jean, draws her in completely. The handsome, mysterious subject seems to shift under her gaze, as if inviting her closer, until one night she steps through the frame and into his world. Inside the painting, Claire is free from the weight of her real life and able to be whoever she wants to be. Her connection with Jean deepens quickly as they discover they share the same quiet ache of feeling trapped, each finding solace and belonging in the other. But when the museum’s future is threatened, Claire must make an impossible choice between the world she’s always known and the one she never knew she needed.

Congrats to Morgan on such an inventive, magical debut—this concept is brilliant and the story is as beautiful as the art it celebrates!

This saccharine look into the world of art felt a little too coincidental and lacked a grounded reality to keep me invested.

The too good to be truth of the story's setup makes the fairly sweet story feel more than a little unrelatable. What I had hoped would be a build up ended up instant love so potent that I was a little turned off by it. There is also the matter of this book not really feeling like an adult piece of fiction. At times I had to remind myself that it was not YA.

It is incredibly reminiscent of the young adult novel "Between the Lines" by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, and I felt like I was experiencing deja vu at the relationship dynamic.

Claire works the night shift at a premier art museum. Every night, she looks around at the art, and some nights, she swears that the people in the paintings are looking back. And at least Jean is - Jean in a Matisse painting, Jean who, just like the other people in the paintings in the museum, has been stuck in his painting for decades. One day, Jean somehow pulls Claire into the painting with him, and they fall in love as Jean introduces her to the world of the museum. But of course, it’s not that simple.

This book is the talk of the town, and it is really creative and engaging, but I just didn’t buy the romance, which made it hard because that is the driving force of the book. Neither Claire nor Jean have much of a personality - I hate to say it because Claire is kind of whiny, and Jean has no character traits except being in love with Claire. Their connection is complete insta-love, and sometimes that works, but here it felt like we were supposed to feel like their romance was some huge epic thing, and I just didn't feel it. The pandemic is also thrown in as a device to keep Claire and Jean apart, and it's not done particularly well. Overall, this book just didn't really make me feel anything.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

I have followed Morgan on instagram for a while due to her book content. I was excited about this one from her first announcement.

This was a fun book to read. Magical realism is not a genre I usually explore but this was such an original premise.

If you like Ashley Poston, this book is for you! Magical realism might be my favorite genre and I thought this book was so charming. I can't wait to read more from Morgan Pager.

Morgan Pager is an avid lover of books who has made a name for herself online. Her book is creative and demonstrates a lot of promise. While the story fell a little flat for me, the museum setting and magical realism made it feel unique. I am excited to see what else she chooses to write in the future. We need her creativity in the book world!

Claire is the new museum employee. Linda is teaching Claire custodial work. Linda can’t believe that she got hired and didn’t know what to do at work. Ever since she was a little girl, Claire's had the feeling that there’s a way to cross over into the world of a painted image, and she’s about to find out she’s right. Jean’s life is the same day in and day out. Frozen in time by his painter father, the legendary Henri Matisse, Jean observes the ebb and flow of museum guests. His world takes a turn when Claire, a new museum employee, enters his life. He can’t take his eyes off of her. Claire is attracted to the painting Jean is in. She and Jean are in love. This escapist adventure and love affair is deeply satisfying, almost therapeutic, for young Claire. She has a lot of responsibilities and complications in the real world. Later she starts to realize she could be missing important calls while she’s over there in La La Land. The author Includes the details of Claire’s backstory, Pager throws two big real-world developments into the mix—Covid-19 and a museum heist.

The author has written an enchanting and quaint novel. I love them the attraction between Jean and Caire This is a charming story of a magical portal between a 1917 Matisse painting and present-day Philadelphia. This charming novel is recommended for art and museum lovers or anyone who seeks a lighthearted escape. It has magic. It is a unique love story that I enjoyed reading