Wow what a book, I loved it! I found this to be really suspenseful and had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. It kept me guessing with a few twists in the story. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a gripping read! The mystery had me hooked, and the emotional side of it really hit hard. Some parts slowed down a bit, but overall I couldn’t stop reading. If you’re into twisty, emotional thrillers with strong characters, definitely give this one a shot!

This was a hard to put down thriller about a nanny and two small children going missing from a remote Western Australian beach. The kids belong to the youngest son of a rich tycoon who arrives in the town with the rest of his arrogant family to cause trouble for the police team lead by DSS Blackwood and DS Angie. Rose, a former police officer, is the nanny’s estranged mother and she arrives from England determined to help find her daughter. I liked the main characters and the plot was well written with occasional flashbacks that added to the suspense. I read it quickly and enjoyed it.
(Could’ve had a better title though)

I was lured in by the stunning cover of When She Was Gone, and was immediately immersed in this engaging thriller.

The pacing was perfect, enough to get to know the broad cast of characters, but keep you hooked. The chapters were short and punchy and I could have easily flown through this book in one sitting! The alternating POV and flashbacks were executed cleverly and deliberately, creating a strong sense of suspense and putting readers right in the drivers seat of this gripping read.

The strong family drama elements were driven by a truly despicable family, and I thoroughly enjoyed the respite of Rose and Lou’s storyline as an estranged mother and daughter seeking to reunite. The gentle social commentary of power and privilege made this story all the more chilling, and the ending was both satisfying and emotional. The Western Australian setting was spot on, and I’d strongly recommend this read for fans of Jane Harper, Gillian McAllister, and Lisa Jewell.

Thank you HarperCollins Australia for this ARC. Opinions expressed are my own.

I could not put this book down so thank goodness it's the long weekend because
I stayed up way too late finishing it.

The book follows former London police officer Rose Campbell who receives a phone call from her ex-husband telling her that her estranged daughter Lou has disappeared with the 2 young children she is a nanny to in Western Australia. Rose heads to Australia to find her daughter because one of the theories is that her daughter has kidnapped the children.

Lou was working for a very wealthy and powerful family and not everyone was happy with their business dealings.

Told from multiple POV’s this book took me on a ride. There were so many secrets and accusations that I didn't know what to believe but what a thrilling end!

Thank you to @harpercollinsaustralia and @sarafosterauthor for my #gifted eARC.

The suspense, the character insights and personalities. I do n0t want to give much away but for a book that sucks you in, I suggest you read it. Thank you so much for the copy.

This centres around the disappearance of two children from a wealthy family while in the care of their nanny. All three disappear from a beach leaving limited clues. The nanny had concerns about the parents' care of the children so there's a question of whether Louisa (a young English woman staying in Australia) took them herself. It's only when the body of her boyfriend washes up that the police fear more for their safety.

I enjoyed this though read it directly after another book featuring a very wealthy family with a similar legacy (Rachel Parish's <i>See How They Fall</i> so had to keep reminding myself who was who. I really liked Rose - our female lead - ex-cop now domestic violence warrior, despite the fact she could be a bit prickly. I appreciated the complexity Foster reflected here in her feelings toward Louisa given their estrangement - particularly that she didn't 'know' what sort of person her daughter was so couldn't be sure she hadn't taken the kids. I also liked the backstory Foster gives us for Rose, with the book opening in 2002 when she was a cop and attending a domestic violence scene which ended tragically.

I felt I should have liked DSS Malcolm Blackwood more than I did, but suspect his antipathy towards Rose's interference in the case annoyed me a little. I certainly liked his partner however.

The missing kids' parents seemed to be drawn a little inconsistently. We meet Louisa briefly before she disappears and get a glimpse of irresponsible parents who put partying ahead of their children, but they seem to be genuinely devastated at the kids' disappearance.

This goes in an unexpected direction but Foster feeds us backstory in a consistently well-paced way so we get clues as needed and I also liked that Foster's not afraid to give us nuanced characters who aren't all-good or all-bad.

Young English nanny Lou is in Australia looking after the two young children of a wealthy family, Kyle and Fannie Fisher. They are holidaying at their beach house near Margaret River in Western Australia, when Lou and the children disappear from the beach one morning. The police must determine if Lou has run away with the children or whether someone has abducted all three of them.

Told in short sharp chapters from multiple points of view, this is a fast paced and gripping thriller..There is a host of well-drawn intriguing characters from the odious extended Fisher family to DSS Mal Blackwell, the detective leading his last case before retirement to Lou’s estranged mother, Rose and Lou herself.

Rose is convinced that Lou would never do anything to harm the children, and starts her own investigation into Lou’s life, social media and the network of other nannies working for friends of the Fishers. Although Blackwell is aware that Rose is an ex-police officer, he does his best to keep her at arm’s length from the Fishers and the police investigation, but she is determined to do anything it takes to find the daughter she feels she has let down. Suspenseful and nail biting, this is a terrific read with plenty of surprises and a stunning climax.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Australia & Sara Foster for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5 stars.
Genre(s): crime, mystery, thriller.

Overall impression: a very impactful thriller that kept me on my toes until the last pages. The characters were complex, flawed and diverse in their reasons for wanting to solve the missing persons case. I wasn't able to solve the case on my own and it wasn't until the 2/3 mark that everything started to unfold and make sense. Sara also focused on the prevalence, forms and devastating impact of domestic violence on victims and their families. It was a great teaching moment for readers that might not be aware of the issue, whilst not detracting from the main plot. I'd love to read more of her books in the future.

Tropes:
➵ Missing persons case
➵ Run away or kidnapped?
➵ High profile victims
➵ Nanny for rich family
➵ Family secrets
➵ Power, money & control
➵ Everything isn't as it seems
➵ Stalker
➵ Isolated town
➵ Ex-police officer mother
➵ Estranged daughter
➵ Domestic violence
➵ Running out of time
➵ Final stand off
➵ Not everyone survives
➵ Set in Australia
➵ Multiple POV

⤷ Plot:
The main storyline revolved around the search for the missing nanny and children of a wealthy high profile Australian family, who disappeared without a trace on a family holiday. It was told from multiple POVs, highlighting the complexity of the case. It was unclear if the children had run away or been kidnapped, which kept me on edge as more of the Fishers' secrets were revealed and experiences of past nannies were exposed. The ending was also hard to predict but everything started to align and make sense.

⤷ Characters:
There were quite a few core characters, each with completely different personalities, motivations and experiences. Rose was an ex-police officer from the UK that was estranged from her daughter because of her abusive and controlling ex-husband. She used her detective and negotiation skills to help guide the investigation in the right direction. She had a very strong personality and didn't shy away from investigating leads that the Australian officers neglected.

Blackwood was the lead investigator but I couldn't quite picture him as the expert he was portrayed to be. He was a pushover when it came to the Fishers and relied on a lot of other people to solve the case for him.

The Fishers were really complex and interesting characters. They were majorly flawed and thought that they could throw money at any problem they created. The missing children were the only innocent parties in their family and I was hoping they would be found safe the entire time.

⤷ World-building:
It was very easy to picture all of the locations. I could feel their isolation when the desolate beach, thick bushland and sprawling mansion set far away from everyone else were described. It felt like this could have been a true crime novel with how well it was planned out and executed.

⤷ Writing:
I was fully submersed in the story. The chapters alternated from different character's perspectives and time periods, showing how a string of events from the past led to the missing persons case in the present. It flowed smoothly and nothing was revealed too early. I think a lot of people will find this book bingeable.

⤷ Everything else:
I love the book cover design. It encapsulates the feel of the story perfectly.

Was she taken… Or did she run?

Former London police officer Rose has been estranged from her daughter Lou for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia, and there is question of whether she kidnapped the two children in her care, Rose is asked to help bring Lou home.

The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breaking down DSS Mal Blackwood’s neck, the media storm is intensifying.

As Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers’ secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn and it soon becomes clear that every hour is critical.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the three main points of view were very easy to follow and gave great insight into the characters and the development of the investigation.

The story was believable and I liked the focus from the beginning on the different forms of abuse and the ways that it can shape the lives of the people involved; both the abuser and the abused.

In saying that, the story wasn’t overly predictable and while I did guess certain parts, there were a few twists that I definitely did not see coming.
Overall this was a fast paced and interesting read that kept me engaged and hoping for the characters to get home safe.

This book was so addicting. It is dark and full of characters that I'm sure you will love to hate.

The story is told from multiple POVs and details the search for a young nanny that goes missing from her rich employers holiday house. It is a race to find her and her employers two children. Did she take them and disappear? Or did someone take her?

This book is suspenseful and so emotional. I binged it in one sitting because I just had to know what happened.

Thank you so much @HarperCollinsAustralia for the arc of this book.

When She Was Gone will be available from the 2nd April.

Lou is the nanny of two young children from a wealthy Australian family, the Fisher's. Early one morning, Lou and the kids vanish from a remote Western Australian beach. With no major evidence, the police suspect Lou kidnapped the kids, or something more sinister is afoot.

Rose, a former London police officer is estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. When Lou disappears, Rose is called on to help bring Lou home, however, the police don't realise that Rose hardly knows her daughter anymore. How can she prove her daughters innocence when she barely knows the girl? How can she be sure Lou isn't capable of something like this?

This is the final case in DSS Blackwood's career and there's a lot riding on it. The Fisher children are heirs to the Fisher property empire and as their multimillionaire grandfather breathes down Blackwood's neck for results, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust. As Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a much darker turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers and Rose, and soon it's clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?

This was my first Sara Foster book and it definitely won't be my last! This story was well written, with well rounded characters and a good plot where you cannot easily "pick who-done-it." The story is told from multiple POV's which was also done quite well. I mostly don't like multiple POV stories but this one flowed effortlessly. This story follows the three main characters above with some other character storylines thrown in the mix.

The main reason I cannot give this one 5 stars is because I really struggled to connect and engage with the character. Yes they were well rounded, but I could not care less about Blackwood and felt as though he added nothing to the storyline. He was just cop in charge of the investigation. Rose and Lou were definitely more relatable, even some of the side characters too.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable thriller which was easy to read and difficult to put down. Thank you to Harper Collins NZ and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this one to review!

When She Was Gone by Sara Foster was captivating.

The former London police officer, Rose Campbell who was also a best selling author and domestic violence consultant has her own personal issues and when her estranged daughter Lou who is working as a nanny goes missing in Western Australia along with the two children she is looking after, it is her and not her ex-husband and father to the daughter who races over to undertake an investigation. She hopes to work with the detective in charge of the case, Mal Blackwood but it is a rocky relationship.

The storyline is intriguing, the characterisation is complex but also believable and the plot development was engaging without losing the main threads.

Highly recommended read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from HarperCollins Publishers Australia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#WhenSheWasGone #NetGalley

When Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia, her estranged policewoman mother Rose, is quick to fly down from London. It is unclear whether Lou was taken or whether she chose to take the two children she was minding with her.

This was an amazing book. Heart stopping in parts because you could feel Rose's pain and full of action in other parts, especially the last 25% of the book. Once the story took shape, it was incredibly hard to put down. Told through multiple POVs, this fast paced novel will have you flipping those pages at rapid speed. Read it and thank me later.

Such a gripping read!

I loved everything about this. The Aussie setting, the fast paced drama, the surprises, and the insight into a few different lives along the way.

There's a lot of characters but I found it easy to follow who was who.

One of those books that make you regret you have a day job and don't have all day just to read to find out what happened. Definitely recommend.

This was a well paced thriller set in Western Australia. Two children and their nanny disappear from the beach one morning, setting into motion an urgent investigation. But it's not just the local police. The nanny's estranged mother happens to be a former detective too and she can't help getting involved. As more details are revealed and clues uncovered, the net of suspects widens. It is full of unlikeable characters.
I thought this was an enjoyable read. It may not be particularly memorable, but anyone who likes crime thrillers will find it does what it is supposed to do.

What I like the most about thrillers is that when I keep guessing what could happen, and I’m proved wrong all the time! I absolutely love thrillers that gives me unexpected twists and turns that would keep my jaw hanging and this one absolutely nailed it!! Trust me when I say you’d be up at night either trying to finish this book or trying to get a grip on what you’ve just read!

When an estranged daughter disappears and also blamed for kidnapping, a mother does everything she possibly can to find her daughter, who she may not even know anymore!

Read a good thriller after a long time. Would highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Australia for this great ARC!!

When She Was Gone by Sara Foster is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers on edge from start to finish. With its richly drawn characters and a compelling, twist-filled plot, the novel expertly explores themes of memory, grief, and the secrets that shape our lives. Foster’s writing is immersive, effortlessly pulling readers into a world where nothing is quite as it seems. Perfect for fans of suspenseful mysteries, When She Was Gone is an engaging and thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page.

I love Sara Foster books...you always know it's going to be edge of your seat excitement from the beginning. This is no exception. Louisa is working as a Nanny for a rich Australian couple and her and the children go missing. Rose, Louisa's estranged mother, travels to Australia to help find her. There are alternating chapters between Rose and the main detective Blackwood, along with some of the other characters in the book. Climactic ending this a highly recommended read. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

What a thrilling and heart pounding book. I wasn't sure if I would like this one as the previous book I read of Sara Foster I didn't really like. This one had me hooked and enthralled from the start and I loved it.

It is told in numerous voices by numerous people but the main characters told the full story and some of the others were there to fill in the blanks, so to speak. It was all rather exciting and edge of your seat reading and it really did keep me guessing as I never fully knew what had happened and where it was going.

If you want a thrill ride then this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.