The story swept me up in a rush of emotions and kept me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter. The pacing was perfect—fast enough to maintain constant suspense, yet detailed enough to let me connect with the characters and their struggles. Each twist surprised me, making it impossible to predict what would happen next.

The characters felt incredibly real and relatable, which made their emotional journeys all the more impactful. I found myself rooting for them, feeling their fears, hopes, and doubts as if they were my own. The thriller elements were woven seamlessly into the story, creating a perfect balance between tension and heart.

Despite being a quick read, it left a lasting impression. The emotions stayed with me well after I finished, and I kept thinking about the story’s unexpected turns. It’s rare to find a book that combines emotional depth with thrilling excitement so effortlessly, and this one did it beautifully.

When She Was Gone - Sara Foster
Pub Date - 4/1/25
Rating - 3/5
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley, Sara Foster, and Blackstone Publishing for this gifted advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review. The story is told in three perspectives - Rose, the former detective and mother to the nani, Lou, the nanny, and Detective Blackwood, the detective in charge of the case. Lou and the children she watches go missing after a typical morning on the beach. There is no camera footage and no demands for the children leaving the parents completely shattered. About to retire, Detective Blackwood is called into one last case since this family is very high profile. The reader finds out where the children were taken, why, and the secrets this rich family holds.

I always love books about rich families and their juicy secrets, but this one was VERY SLOW. I felt like there was a lot of fluff involved and this could have been a very fast paced thriller if executed correctly. I wasn't invested in the story, and I had a hard time relating to any of the characters. The twist, when revealed was decent. Nothing shocking, but not bad. I would say this was average.

3.5 - Rose had to walk away from her daughter years ago, but now she is missing and Rose might be the only one to find her. Her daughter Lou has been working as a nanny in Western Australia for the very wealthy Fisher family. Lou was last seen taking the two small children to the beach, but they never returned. The police suspect that Lou has kidnapped the children and ask Rose to help try to bring them home. Rose is a former London police officer, so the procedures are something she is use to, but she doesn't think that Lou would kidnap the children. She wasn't a part of Lou's life while she was growing up, but she hopes she can help find out what has happened and have a future with her daughter.

Detective Mal Blackwood has had a long career that is coming to a close. With the Fisher heirs missing and their multimillionaire grandfather breathing down Blackwood's neck, a lot is riding on this final case. Rose is trying to prove her daughter's innocence, but how would she know that since they are estranged? And the Fishers' have secrets that Blackwood needs to expose to really get to the bottom of what happened to the children and their nanny. Time is running out but who can Blackwood trust?

The story is told from three perspectives: Rose, Blackwood, and Lou. I liked this one but did start to lose interest for a bit before the reveals came. The characters never really hooked me and the story telling doesn't really show you what's happening, it just tells you. It got a bit repetitive and told you a lot of details that didn't really create the setting. It was almost like listening to a true crime event report or something. These things made me kind of disconnect of the story. The overall premise was a good solid thriller but it didn't have any big twists, things just kind of came together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the audiobook for review.

I liked the premise of this book however I did feel like it was a little too long. The mother was a bit unlikable which made it hard for me to root for her finding her daughter. I liked the multi-persepective story telling.

Unfortunately I was not a fan whatsoever.

The narrator wasn't my favorite and the story just moved far too slow.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced listeners copy.

The first half of the book was just ok, but then the plot picked up in the second half. I loved how the mom was able to think rationally when trying to find her daughter. I was listening to the audio and reading it at the same time, which helped with the dual timeline and many characters.
The narrator did a fantastic job with bringing the story to life and with various accents.

This book is for you if…
🎢 you love gripping psychological thrillers that keep you guessing until the last page.
🏡 crave family drama tangled with suspense
2️⃣ enjoy dual timelines and shifting perspectives
👩‍✈️ appreciate strong female leads with emotional depth
📚you’re a fan of authors like Paula Hawkins or Gillian Flynn, this one belongs on your TBR.

✧ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ, @netgalley, @blackstone

➤ 𝚂𝚈𝙽𝙾𝙿𝚂𝙸𝚂

Rose Campbell walked away from her daughter almost ten years ago. Now Lou has vanished from a remote beach in Western Australia, and the cops think she took two young kids with her. One problem, the kids are heirs to a fortune, and their grandfather wants answers yesterday. With the media circling and pressure mounting, DSS Mal Blackwood gets pulled in for one last case before retirement, and Rose is dragged in with him.

She wants to believe her daughter is innocent, but truth is, she barely knows her anymore. As secrets start crawling out of the Fisher family tree and the case grows darker by the hour, both Rose and Blackwood are running out of time. The kids are missing, Lou is gone, and no one knows who to trust. Was she taken, or did she run?

➤ 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝚂

When She Was Gone kicks off like a proper thriller, missing kids, estranged family, high stakes, but it loses steam fast. The setup had promise, but what followed was a slow crawl padded with overly detailed descriptions and more telling than showing. I kept waiting for something, anything, to punch through the fog, but instead it just dragged. I wanted to care about the characters, I really did, but they felt distant and flat, like they were going through the motions on autopilot.

I kept holding out for that one twist to knock me sideways, but it never came. The tension fizzled, the momentum stalled, and by the end, I felt more relief than resolution. It is not a disaster, just not the sharp, twisty story I was hoping for. Some readers might click with it more than I did, especially if you are in the mood for a slow burn with a heavy focus on character dynamics. For me, it was a miss.

When She Was Gone follows Rose who arrives in Australia intent to prove her estranged daughter’s innocence after she goes missing with the two young children she nannies for. It also follows Blackwood, a detective who is about to retire from the force but is determined to close his last case with the best outcome possible.

It’s always strange for me to pick up a book that is set in Australia. It makes it feel more jarring when it’s close to home.

I only have a few critiques when it comes to this book. One being that I often felt like the descriptions went on for too long. I felt that often we were told something rather than it potentially coming to us organically. I do also wish that there were more twists and turns.

What I love is that it brought forward the conversations surrounding domestic violence and how common it truly is in our society. Many people believe it to be a taboo subject but as a victim I think if we spoke about it more and normalised the conversations surrounding it, we could make more effective change.

I also have to mention this but I love the fact that there is a strong Aboriginal woman in this book, I personally would read entire novels about Angela and she was a huge highlight for me.

I’m excited to check out more works by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with this audiobook. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When she was gone
Author Sara Foster
Narrator Sophie Loughran was good
4stars

When a call out to a domestic situation turns nasty , it has massive repercussions on police officer Rose Campbell just back from maternity leave , her life spirals into depression and alcohol abuse .
Years later Rose , has regained control and is no longer with the police but become an author and domestic abuse expert , she has a supportive family ,however she is still estranged from her daughter, Lou, who is a nanny in Australia .

When she gets a call from her ex husband and father of her daughter saying that Lou has vanished along with the two children she is nanny for . She flys out to Australia to met with Mel Blackwood the detective in charge of the case looking for Lou and Honey and Kai Fisher ,the missing children .
The charters of both Rose and Mel are well drawn although I felt Rose and her back story were more interesting
The Fisher family have a multitude of shady happenings in their past and present , both Rose and Mel seek out answers to the mysterious disappearance each of them exploring different lines of investigation , their findings do converge at the climax of the story in satisfactory conclusion .

I felt this was a really interesting book, not a police procedural or psychological thriller , but a mix of the two , that I thoroughly enjoyed .
I liked the Australian setting as it was a different environment for me.
I will definitely be looking for more books by this author .

This setting for "When She Was Gone" was dark and ominous. It was the perfect setting for a psychological thriller. I liked the plot of the story. It was suspenseful. However, I think that there were parts of the story that drug on too long. I could also see where the author was trying to throw us off the scent. That was annoying to me as a reader. Give the facts and the background story and let us solve the mystery without trying to make us guess by telling us all of these other facts and nonsense. Overall, I would recommend this book. It's not the best thriller but it was entertaining.

From the very first moment, this audiobook grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. It’s a unique narrative style that immediately reveals the outcome, leaving us to unravel the intricate web of why and how it all unfolded.

Former London police officer Rose Campbell is drawn back into her estranged daughter's life when her daughter, Lou goes missing from a beach in Western Australia. Accused of kidnapping two young children she was caring for—who are heirs to a wealthy family—the pressure mounts as DSS Mal Blackwood, nearing retirement, leads the investigation amidst escalating media attention and family secrets.

The mother-daughter duo at the heart of the story has a relationship that’s as complicated as a Rubik’s Cube. Both characters are not only relatable and sharp-witted, but you can’t help but cheer for them—hoping for a happy ending and a heartfelt reconciliation. It brought to mind those thrilling movies starring Liam Neeson, where he employs his “particular set of skills.” Just like Rose, our determined protagonist, you find yourself bracing for the unexpected twists and turns.

Enter DSS Mal Blackwood, who initially plays hard to get, reluctant to team up with Rose simply because she’s a civilian from an entirely different continent. But as the stakes rise, they join forces in a race against time to save everyone involved.

I found it nearly impossible to step away from this audiobook. It’s chilling, and like a protective mama bear, you’re always on high alert for what might happen next! The narrator did a great job!

If you’re a fan of nail-biting suspense, tangled family secrets, and a sprinkle of police procedural drama, this audiobook is sure to captivate you. It’s a race against the clock, reminding us that when someone goes missing, the first 24 hours are crucial. Perfect for a summer listen, this gripping tale will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Thank you, Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Prob my least fav Foster book. Too many characters that all felt like the same person. I do like the author and will read more again.

Well-paced police procedural set in beautiful Australia, with a good dose of suspense throughout and lots of secrets to unravel along the way. The characters were engaging, and the plot was complex enough to keep me on my toes. I listened to the audio version of this book and was nearly hypnotized by the narrator's melodic voice and lovely Aussie accent. She really brought the characters to life.

With so many characters and moving parts in the mix this book demands complete devotion to keep it all straight. I thought the premise was good but there were a few plot holes that bugged me and took focus because I couldn’t let them go. That’s a me thing and I’m sure few people will even care. I did enjoy the audio experience, it was very well done!

This was actually quite good! I went into this really not knowing what to expect and didn't even really read the synopsis. Which I highly recommend. I liked that it was fast-paced and easy to listen to. I really like the audio with the accents really helped me enjoy it even more and I was along for the ride. I enjoyed the different character POVs that we got! It was a very enjoyable thriller/suspense! plus I love the itty bitty drops of slowburn romance we had going on in the background. The romantic in me is always about that! But HIGHLY recommend doing the audio because the accents are fantastic!

Audiobook Review: When She Was Gone by Sarah Foster
A slow-burn psychological thriller that keeps you guessing. The multiple POVs add depth, and the narrator does a great job bringing each character to life. Perfect if you enjoy emotional, atmospheric mysteries. Solid 4/5 listen!

This book grew on me. As it started, I had a bit of a struggle getting into it, but I became invested in understanding what happened to Louisa. I admit to struggling with Rose as a character, as I feel a lot of the context and character development were lacking. Luckily, the mystery itself was intriguing, and I really enjoyed Detective Blackwood, who was the most interesting character to me in the story. Overall, it was a worthwhile mystery, and I would look for more work by Sara Foster.

Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone publishing for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I seem to be in the minority here when I say that this book was not as fast paced or engaging as other readers found it to be. I did appreciate the audiobook narrator, which made for an enjoyable listen.

I thought the most interesting part of the story was the long time that had passed between mother and daughter and how that affects decisions when the daughter goes missing and is accused of kidnapping two children.

what I liked least about the book is that it felt like it was picking up in the middle of a story – or that I had somehow missed an earlier book in a series. Again, I seem to be in the minority on this one and so I would urge you to read it for yourself if the premise sounds interesting.

Wealthy family. Nefarious dealings. Estrangement. Disappearance of two children. Rose Campbell is a former police officer and the Mother of the nanny of the two children who disappeared. Mal Blackwood is an Australian police officer on the case.
What a twisty tale. Told from multiple perspectives - both police officers work this case at the same time, but parallel to one another - they do not work the case together. Australia.
I was fairly engaged in the story, but I am disappointed in the ending.
Without giving too much away, I will say why this book frustrated me.
I felt like we were never going to get anywhere! The questioning and questioning and questioning went on and on for what felt like forever. I just felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin.
All of the ingredients for a 4-5 star book are here, but they are just pieced together to so poorly, I just couldn't take it.
The parallel plot lines have to be written so incredibly well if you are going to write a story in this manner. While I felt like the plot had some structure, the pace of the plot dissipated whatever connectedness that I had with the plot.
The characters were fairly developed. I had a hard time connecting with them, primarily due to the pace of the book.
I did almost DNF this book, but pushed through to give it my best fair shot.
The plot does get darker as the book progresses, and it becomes more layered, but again, the pace killed it.
Give it a shot if you love this author, because again, all of the ingredients are here, I just felt it wasn't put together in a manner that I could enjoy it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!
Happy Reading!

The narrator was lovely. Enjoyed this book and was rooting for Rose and her daughter. The ending wrapped things up nicely.