The book jumped back and forth in timelines and this tended to confuse me. The premise of the book is very interesting. It’s a dark story that has a lot of suspense. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Growing up with her younger siblings in the unforgiving New Zealand bush, Effie believed their parents had cut them off from civilization because they loved Nature. She never suspected that their reasons might be more menacing. After witnessing a terrifying episode of violence, she escaped the wilderness to forge a life for herself halfway across the globe.

Now, when she learns the only witness to a murder is a little girl who looks just like her, Effie is compelled to return to the scene of her troubled childhood, where the secrets of her upbringing and the terrors of her past come rushing back to the surface. In order to find out once and for all what became of her family—and possibly help this mysterious girl who could be her younger self—Effie must face her greatest fears once more.

Thank you @NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley Publishing group, for the ARC copy of this ebook to read and have the opportunity to review.

This story is unlike any psychological thriller that I’ve read recently and I’m giving it 5 stars. It’s told through Effie’s POV and spans two different timelines. As the story unfolds you get bits and pieces of her childhood in the bush and her current day as another young girl, a spitting image of Effie, emerged from the very same bush. The story captivated me and kept me turning the pages, eager to figure out how this would all be wrapped up. The writing of the setting brought it to life and made the story even more compelling. I did not have the slightest inkling of the twist and was shocked as I read on, it was not predictable for me at all. Overall, I really loved reading this book and would recommend to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller that has dark elements with beautiful writing combined to take you on a journey you won’t soon forget.

Zoë Rankin's The Vanishing Place is an absolute triumph, a masterful blend of atmospheric suspense and deeply human emotion that will keep you utterly captivated from the very first page. Rankin crafts a narrative so intricate and compelling, it feels less like reading and more like breathing the same air as her unforgettable characters.

Every twist and turn is handled with exquisite precision, pulling you deeper into a labyrinth of secrets without ever revealing too much too soon. The prose is beautiful, evocative, and perfectly sets a tone that is both haunting and hopeful. This isn't just a mystery; it's an exploration of resilience, memory, and the unseen ties that bind us.

If you're looking for a book that will grip your heart, challenge your perceptions, and leave you pondering long after you've turned the final page, look no further. The Vanishing Place is a truly exceptional read that deserves every bit of its five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

THE VANISHING PLACE BY ZOE RANKIN was a book that kept me interested til the end. It tells the story of Effie and her family and how she once lived deep in the New Zealand bush. It is a thriller that is filled with themes of family, relationships,murder and many secrets. I really enjoyed it an hope to read more from this author

✨ The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin ✨
⭐️ 4.5 stars
📚 Huge thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Tropes & Themes:
🌲 Isolated wilderness survival
🧍‍♀️ Haunted past
🧬 Family trauma & secrets
👁️ A child witness who mirrors the protagonist
⏳ Returning to the scene of the past
🌀 Unraveling memory

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This debut wrecked me in the best way. Set deep in the New Zealand bush, The Vanishing Place is a chilling, emotional thriller about a woman forced to confront her darkest memories when a murder and a girl who looks just like her pulls her back to the childhood she escaped.

Effie is such a layered and compelling main character. You feel her fear, her guilt, her strength. The wilderness setting was so vivid it almost felt like a character of its own; raw, wild, and claustrophobic. As the mystery deepens, you’re right there with her, questioning everything and holding your breath through each reveal 😮‍💨

Zoë Rankin’s writing is beautifully tense, lyrical but sharp, and full of this quiet dread that builds until it explodes. I especially loved how she weaved together past and present, trauma and healing. The emotional payoff at the end hit.

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Final Thoughts:
If you’re into psychological thrillers with heart, complicated family dynamics, and a strong sense of place, The Vanishing Place is so worth picking up. It’s gripping, eerie, and genuinely powerful. Can’t wait to see what Zoë Rankin writes next 🖤🌿

On vibes alone this was amazing. This is dark and unsettling.

It has been a long time since Effie ran from her life in the New Zealand bush, where she and her siblings were kept from civilization. They had always thought it was for their own good, but one night, Effie sees something that changes everything. She left and never looked back, until now…

A little girl living in the bush is the only witness to a crime and she looks just like Effie. Effie goes home, reliving old memories, tying up loose ends and uncovering truths that she never expected.

This has such a creepy feel overall. The characters can be misleading, leaving you always on your toes. There is a constant level of unsettled, blurring the lines between human and monster. I really enjoyed this story.

Effie left New Zealand seventeen years ago and has since been living in Scotland...that all changes when an old friend begs her to come back. A little girl has emerged from the bush covered in blood and looking alot like Effie as a young girl. Thus ensues a story going back in time and establishing an outcome that merges into one hell of an ending. Well thought out story that had me glued to this book. Excellent writing.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for a chance to read and give an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was an edgy thriller novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

This is a multi layered mystery where the characters and their relationships to each other are interconnected. A young girl shows up in town, looking emaciated and barely talking. What some of the townspeople realize is that she looks just like another girl who had left town 20 years before. Someone convinces her (she is now a police detective) to return and help discover the girl's identity.
The novel also flips back and forth in time, to the extent I felt a written time line would have helped me maintain some clarity. Also, the number of characters proved difficult to keep track of, especially in how they were connected to each other.
Mystery lovers and puzzel aficionados should have
a grand time trying to piece it all together!

In the Vanishing Place, Scottish police officer, Effie, is compelled to return to the New Zealand bush she escaped 17 years earlier to aid a child who looks exactly like she did at that age. The child leads Effie back into the bush—to a place she never wanted to see again—and she is shocked and heartbroken by what she finds there. Solving the present day mystery requires digging back into her painful past.

The book moves back and forth from Effie’s childhood to the present day. There are many references to a trauma that led Effie to leave her younger siblings and move across the world. However, that event is not explained till late in the book. In fact, there are a number of out-of-the-blue revelations late in the book. Unfortunately, the thing that had vanished by that time was my interest.

Thank you for the ARC !
This book got me from the very beginning . Lots of twists and I thought I had it figured out but I didn’t. Really great story following Effie’s life through her different timelines. Definitely recommend

3.5 stars

This was a fantastic, spooky debut novel. There were multiple points where I thought to myself, maybe I shouldn’t read this while camping in the woods!

This follows Effie, who previously escaped her family, who was living in the bush in Australia away from society. Almost 20 years later, a young girl shows up who looks exactly like Effie, and Effie returns to her hometown to help answer the question of where did this girl come from?

Alternating between Effie’s past and current POVs, this was a fast-paced novel with a lot of questions left unanswered until the last few chapters. I really enjoyed the quick pace and how each chapter ended on a mini-cliffhanger since I feel like that always makes a book go by quicker.

I think the ending was a little confusing since so much happened in the span of about 15% of the book, but I do like how I didn’t have many unanswered questions (the very last paragraph is still a big ole question mark to me, but it is ok lol). I can’t say much without spoiling the fun, so I will leave you with this: if you are looking for a fast paced, chilling novel with some messed up people that do messed up things- this book is for you!

I will definitely be checking out this author’s other books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Amazing read! Fast paced and thrilling. I didn’t want to put this book down. It literally kept me guessing until the very end. The setting is not typical and it’s hard to imagine people live this way but I was not disappointed. Highly recommend!

The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin is an excellent debut novel! I give it 4.5 stars.

This was definitely a dark, emotional and atmospheric thriller. The story does contain two timelines and both had twists thrown in. The characters and descriptive scenery were written beautifully! Rankin’s imagery really set the tone and created an immersive reading experience.

My only issue was that in a few places, the switching back and forth got a little confusing. The story did have a slow start as well, but I did get sucked in as things were progressing. It was hard to put down after that. I also enjoyed the ending and how everything came together.

I would absolutely recommend reading The Vanishing Place. I believe this is going to be a story that sticks with me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and Zoe Rankin for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin is a twisty, atmospheric read that kept me guessing from beginning to end. I loved how complex the story was, nothing felt predictable, and just when I thought I had it figured out, it took another unexpected turn. Rankin does an excellent job building tension and slowly revealing the truth, which made the final chapters especially satisfying.

The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that there were a few moments where I wished the pacing had been a bit tighter, but overall, it was a gripping, thought provoking read. Highly recommend if you enjoy psychological thrillers that keep you on your toes!

3.5 stars

I love a good dark and atmospheric thriller, and this one was just that. I loved the alternating timelines and the New Zealand setting. There was something of a slow start for me, but once the action started, it never let up. Very suspenseful with emotional depth as well. I enjoyed it.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I've read a lot of mysteries and thrillers that were on the dark side, so that by itself isn't a problem. But there's something about "The Vanishing Place" that bothered me so much that I couldn't finish it. I've read books that included domestic violence and harm to children. But there's something about this book that raised up such strong emotions in me that I had to stop. Who knows, maybe I have some buried past trauma that this book was getting too close to. Others may well really enjoy it. It is well-written; I have no complaints about the writing, the style, or the characters. But I had to quit at about 56%.

I really enjoyed this book. I was fortunate to have received an advance ebook copy through BookBrowse. Once I was part way through the story, I had a hard time putting it down! The story is haunting, for sure.

Wow, I'm pretty sure i have whiplash from all of the twists and turns this book had! This fast paced and heartbreaking story kept me engaged and intrigued all throughout. I grew to love the main characters- Effie and Anya as well as the siblings. It's told in a duel timeline which i enjoyed, and there was an extra POV thrown in here and there which really helped to flesh the story out and added to the amazing twists. This seems to be a debut novel from this author but you would never know it with the amazing and intricate story telling. I hope its not her last book because I'll definitely read anything she writes!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!