this was actually my first book by sara foster and honestly? definitely not the last. it started off a little slow but once it got going i was all in.

the story’s set in australia and follows some seriously flawed characters . there’s a dual investigation going on, one more official and the other low-key which kept things interesting.

it’s emotional, suspenseful and gets darker and twistier as you go. if you like slow burns that build into a gripping ride this one’s worth your time

also the audio book was reallyyyy good!!

I am a huge fan of this author, even though I don't understand Australia and I don't like like cop stories. This was perfect! I also loved the narration. I felt for the losses in this one.

I honestly liked it so much more than I expected! I went into it thinking it would be a pretty standard thriller, but it ended up pulling me in way deeper than I thought. The pacing was great, the tension kept building, and I found myself really invested in the characters. I also have to say, the narrator was a really good choice — they captured the tone of the story perfectly and made it easy to stay hooked. Overall, a really solid read. Not quite a full 5 stars for me, but definitely one I’d recommend if you’re looking for something gripping!

When a nanny employed by the affluent Fisher family, goes missing with the family’s two young children on the beaches of Western Australia, a media frenzy and intense scrutiny ensue. The author’s writing gradually captivates readers, maintaining their attention until the middle of the narrative. Sara Foster introduces a novel twist to this time-of-the-essence thriller.

Review: Occasionally a bit wordy, multiple POV that may be hard to follow for some. Overall I would recommend this book and Author to friends.

Narration: great rhythm and expressive tone.

Rating: 3.5 rounded to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone for this Advanced Audio Copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was an interesting crime thriller. I liked the different characters and points of view, and having the mother (Rose) of one of the missing persons being a former detective herself. This didn’t get me completely committed to the book until about halfway through, and then I couldn’t stop. I honestly had no clue where this was going and couldn’t predict the ending, either, so bonus points for that!

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑰'𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐:
Crime fiction/thriller/mystery lovers.

𝑨 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏:
I loved the narrator’s voice, although it was almost so relaxing that I fell into lulls while listening.

This one was seriously addictive—dark, emotional, and packed with characters you’ll love to hate.

Told from multiple POVs, it follows the frantic search for a missing nanny who vanishes from her wealthy employers’ vacation home—along with their two kids. Did she run off with them? Or is something more sinister going on?

It’s suspenseful and layered with just the right amount of emotional weight. I flew through it in one sitting because I had to know how it ended.

When She Was Gone is a race against the clock type thriller. It started off strong and I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, it was short lived for me. I felt like the pace started to become unbearably slow, there was a lot of telling instead of showing, things were overly descriptive to the point where it lost my interest on multiple occasions.

I am very sad, I wanted to love this one. The whole idea of the book was very well thought out, but some of the execution just fell flat for me. The characters were hard to root for or care for. There was just also not any major twist that really caught me off guard, so that was another miss for me.

Overall, this was just not the book for me, but I am in the minority and it might work for you. Give it a shot if this one sounds like your jam !

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @blackstone & Sara Foster for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you partner Bibliolifestyle and Blackstone Publishing for having me on this tour.

This was a little slow to start for me but once I got into it I was vested and could not stop listening, the audio was fantastic. This was very well done, full of unlikeable characters but I loved to hate them. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and cannot recommend it enough.

When She Was Gone was not quite what I expected. It is a good read--fast paced, short chapter, forward momentum story--but not a great read. So many characters were involved, which would have been okay if we got to know them in some detail, but the book lacked character development, and even toward the end of the book I had to remind myself of who was who. I really wanted to get to know the characters better, and we didn't have that opportunity. I didn't find anything surprising in the plotline, either. In this day and age of twisty suspense, I guess I just expected more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ALC. I really enjoyed the narrator and back and forth in the story. Different POV's are my favorites. This one really makes you wonder what happen and has plenty of suspense.

it's sad that the question of whether the nanny kidnapped the children in her care is an option, but here we are. it is fun to peak inside the life of the super rich, but sad to see how broken it is. Being missing in Australia, a world away from everything you know and with new predators of all sizes would be terrifying! Foster took all of these thoughts and wrote an engaging story about betrayal and love that captivated my brain. the broken relationship between the missing nanny and her mother made me so sad, particularly because it was her father's fault. I also loved seeing the character of the DCI adapting to become less of a work- automaton and realize that there is so much more to life.

thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author Sara Foster for my ARC of this book.

The book is suspenseful and character driven. Lou vanishes from a remote beach in Australia and becomes suspect of kidnapping Fisher Family’s children. The mystery gets deep. Rose, Former London police officer must get to the bottom of the mystery. Author slowly unravels the mystery with some twists and surprising truth. Narrator did a good job.

Many Thanks to the Publisher.

This was a fantastic audiobook. The plot was interesting and the narration was wonderful. Trying to figure out what happened to Lou and the kids kept me engaged throughout the book.

🎧Louisa is a nanny for a posh family. While on a beach vacation Lou and the two young children she watches go missing. Her estranged mother, Rose, travels to help find out what happened. I felt this story dragged on and I had a really hard time getting into it. I kept waiting for something to happen. There were really no unexpected twists or surprises. This was just not for me. 2.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing Audiobooks for an advanced listening copy.

Another great read from Sara Foster, set in Western Australia. I listened to this on audio so it was nice to hear the Aussie accent.

Told through three main POV's, it hooks you in quite quickly, as the reader doesn't know if she ran or was taken. The dynamics of the by-the-book police investigation by DSS Blackwood running alongside the mother's (former police officer) less official investigation, gave us lots of suspects but also lots of extra characters which, at times, had me trying to remember who's who.

It all heats up in the second half, as secrets are revealed and people open up. The abuse of power and money is the key factor (and you know that there's more happening in the real world than there is in fiction).

Part police procedural, part thriller and very much a mystery, this was an immersive read with likeable characters who made good decisions (I hate when they make idiotic choices that just puts them in danger). Another great Aussie author.

A dark tale, that deftly weaves together psychological suspense and a high-stakes investigation, told from multiple perspectives.

Lou is working as an au pair for a rich couple, until the day she disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia, along with the two children she was caring for. It is uncertain whether she took them voluntarily?

I enjoyed the perspective of former police officer Rose Campbell, who is the estranged mother of Lou. When she is notified of the disappearance of her daughter, she flies over to assist in the race-against-time investigation.

This was a thrilling story featuring a wealthy family, plenty of nefarious dealings, family estrangement, police procedural elements and some strong female characters.

This audiobook is narrated well by Sophie Loughran, and she managed to distinguish the various characters, and the tense scenarios with skill.

With thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley, for the listening review copy to listen to and provide an honest review.

Audio time: 10 hours, 30 minutes

Damn! This is my first book by Sara Foster and won’t be my last!!! The pacing of this was excellent. It gripped me up and didn’t let go! I was on the edge of my seat a lot! Also, really enjoyed the narrator.
LOVED the different perspectives a lot too

I loved The Hush by Sara Foster and was eager to jump into a new title. And she did not disappoint.
The compelling narrative and well-drawn characters had me up so late.
The way she creates her characters is seriously the best. They are intriguing and entertaining.
Sara Foster's ability to build and maintain suspense makes this novel a captivating read.

What an utterly absorbing and addictive police procedural. Set against the richly rendered backdrop of Australia, this is a deeply character-driven narrative featuring flawed yet compelling personalities—and one of my all-time favorites: rich people behaving badly.

Both suspenseful and emotionally gripping, the plot grows increasingly dark and intricate with each layer that’s peeled back. Told through multiple perspectives, I particularly enjoyed the dual investigations—one official, led by Blackwood, and the other more covert, pursued by Rose.

Though it begins at a slower pace, the tension steadily builds, escalating into a pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse that grips you right through to the final page.

4.25 Stars ⭐️

Man, this was definitely my week for "new to me" authors. This was an audio ARC, narrated by Sophie Loughran (who was also a first for me) and she did a fabulous job with the story. This book takes place in Australia and I loved hearing the differing accents throughout the entire story.

This book takes off from the very start and doesn't have a slow moment. It isn't one of those thrillers that has a ton of twists, but it is a gripping story with a gradual build that creates tension as we get closer to the resolution.

We meet Lou, a young woman who is a nanny for 2 very young children from an extremely rich and influential family - the Fisher family. They all disappear one morning from an early beach outing, with a small teddy bear and a small bit of blood being the only thing left. We spend the majority of the book going between a couple of POV's:

*Former London police officer Rose Campbell - Lou's estranged mother, who drops everything to immediately head to Australia the moment she hears about her disappearance.

*DSS Mal Blackwood - on the verge of his retirement, this is looking like it is going to be the last case of his career.

Rose decides to embark on her own investigation once it becomes clear that the Fisher's influence seems to be steering the case. DSS Blackwood, on the other hand, is trying to walk a fine line to solve the case and bring home both the children AND Lou, while dealing with the media frenzy as well as the immense ego's of the Fisher family.

Leads are few and things are looking bleak. Ms. Foster does a great job of laying out the story while at the same time letting us get to know and like both Rose and DSS Blackwood. You can FEEL the fear and the growing tension as time goes on.

I really enjoyed this book. It felt like it flew by an I enjoyed the way everything ended up playing out. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the opportunity to listen to and review this audio ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on April 1, 2025.