For a story with such a great premise, this was surprisingly dull. I don’t mind morally grey characters, but I struggle with stories where none of the characters are likable. Unfortunately, the slow build didn’t pay off in the end.

When You Disappear promised a thrilling unraveling of a domestic mystery, and as an audiobook, I dove in hoping for a captivating listen. But for me, it just didn't quite hit the mark. As my third foray into Marrs's work, I'm still scratching my head about the widespread hype surrounding his novels, and this audio experience didn't change that.
The premise here is certainly intriguing: Catherine wakes up to find her husband, Simon, gone without a trace. Her belief that he's in trouble is quickly upended by the revelation that Simon has deliberately vanished, harboring dark secrets about their marriage. The idea of him thriving halfway across the world while Catherine grapples with a "dark new reality" is ripe for psychological tension. And the twenty-five-year jump to his reappearance, promising a shocking truth, definitely piqued my interest.
However, the execution, even with the benefit of narration, felt a bit flat. While the concept of hidden truths and a husband's calculated disappearance is compelling, the pacing seemed to drag in places, which can be particularly noticeable in an audiobook format. You're waiting for that big reveal, and the journey there felt less gripping than it could have. The voice acting was competent, but it couldn't quite elevate what felt like a somewhat drawn-out narrative. The "truth" Catherine uncovers, which she'll "wish she'd stayed in the dark" to learn, needs to be truly earth-shattering to justify the long wait and the dramatic build-up. Without that sustained intensity and a truly shocking payoff, the story risks feeling anticlimactic, especially when you're committing hours of listening time.
Ultimately, When You Disappear has a strong hook, but the audiobook experience, while not bad, didn't quite make it a standout listen. It's a decent enough thriller, but it doesn't quite elevate itself above the crowd in an audio format.

Definitely not my favorite John Marrs book.
It was meh, it drug on forever and wasn't overly shocking or twisty.

WOW! What a ride. One of the characters in this book goes up there with my most hated characters. They had me FUMING. I love John Marrs, really everything he has written and this is no different. It has great pacing, real and flawed characters, completely twisted, and an absolute page turner.

I find that John Marrs is best at writing dystopian fiction - absolutely love all of his books with that genre but in general, I find his thrillers just okay.

DNF at 36%.

I received this book through NetGalley—I didn’t even have to request it. I just saw it was a John Marrs novel, and since I’ve been curious about his books for a long time, I took it as a sign (especially if I’d get approved) that it was finally time to read something by him. I’m usually drawn to his stories because of their unusual, high-concept ideas, and I assumed this would be the same—without even reading the blurb.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. It turned out to be a domestic thriller, which is a genre I generally don’t enjoy—and if I had paid more attention to the synopsis, I probably would’ve realized that in advance.

Still, I wanted to give it a fair chance and made up my mind to finish it, even if I suspected it wouldn’t be my style. But at 36%, there was a scene that completely crossed the line for me: the mother, drunk, accidentally pricks her children with a needle while muttering how much they’re annoying her. That scene just broke me. As a mother myself, I found it deeply upsetting and unacceptable. I know it might not sound that bad when described like this, but reading it in the moment—it was too much, and I couldn’t go on.

To be honest, the story hadn’t really grabbed me up until that point either. The tone felt overly bleak, the characters were selfish and unlikeable—perhaps typical for the genre, but not something I personally enjoy. And the mystery element hadn’t really taken shape yet; it was mostly about the husband’s disappearance, with alternating perspectives recounting their past. I just didn’t care enough about two characters I found entirely unrelatable.

I regret picking this up so carelessly without reading the blurb more closely—but now I know for sure that domestic thrillers simply aren’t for me.

I love a good John Marrs book and this one did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the switching of POV's but in the beginning you really have to be attentive in order not to get the characters mixed up. I was so intrigued with this story and glued to the pages. The ending definitely shocked me. Loved how in depth the characters were as well.

WHAT DID I JUST READ??

WHEN YOU DISAPPEARED started slow for me. That's not to say that there wasn't anything going on in the first chunk of the book -- there was, including the husband in this family drama making his "disappearing act". However, it still took a while for me to get into the story. It's a more character-driven thriller and I think I needed to hit that point of really feeling in the lead characters heads to get into the book.

But once I did... WOW. The dual point of view, mixed timeline approach of the husband and wife each going through their sides of the last 20+ years hit a point where I couldn't stop listening. Even though the husband, Simon, was.. unlikeable (to put it mildly) I couldn't stop listening to see what terrible decisions he would make next... The cat-and-mouse style game of the two of them coming back together in the present was also compelling, as I couldn't get a handle on who was playing who.

You all know I like thrillers and don't get too squeamish at darker elements (with some exceptions), but WHEN YOU DISAPPEARED gets *DARK* and there were time I found myself uncomfortable with where the story went. 

If you like slower burn, domestic suspense that take some disturbing turns: add WHEN YOU DISAPPEARED to your to-read-pile. The newly released audio is top notch and worth a listen if you're an audio fan!

Ah John Marrs. I love everything that he does, but this one wasn't my favorite. Maybe if this had been my first John Marrs book or if I had read it a bit earlier into my thriller days, I would have enjoyed more, but unfortunately it just didn't hit the same for me as his usual books. Regardless, I will read everything that John Marrs writes!

Received this with new bonus chapter as an audiobook. Excellent narration by all. Prefect speed, tone, volume and emotion. The story is a slow burn with so much drama and tragedy. Well thought out twists. The bonus chapter gives great closure.

This is the fifth book I’ve read by John Marrs and my least favorite of his. I felt it was very slow to the build up of the reason why the MMC disappeared and then I found the reason to be very underwhelming. That being said, I’m still a huge fan and will read everything he writes! Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the digital arc.

This was a slow burn, but I really enjoyed the ride. It’s not the fast-paced kind of thriller with big, dramatic reveals—it’s quieter, more psychological, and the tension builds gradually as pieces of the past fall into place. The dual POV and shifting timelines added a lot of depth, even if it took a little while to find the rhythm.

What really worked for me was the sense of unease that settled in early and just never let up. Even when not much was happening on the surface, I was invested, waiting for the truth to finally break through. It’s the kind of story that sneaks up on you, and by the end, I was glad I stuck with it. A solid, unsettling read.

A raw and emotional journey of grief, betrayal, and closure

When You Disappeared by John Marrs isn’t your typical twisty thriller—it’s a deeply emotional, character-driven story that leans more into domestic drama than psychological suspense. The audiobook, narrated brilliantly by Simon Mattacks and Elizabeth Knowelden, made for an especially immersive experience, capturing every layer of pain, guilt, and anger. Marrs’s storytelling is gripping and emotionally intense, taking readers on a rollercoaster of heartbreak and disbelief as Simon’s shocking reasons for abandoning his family are slowly revealed. While I found the "big twist" a bit underwhelming, the emotional fallout and the added epilogue brought the closure I didn’t know I needed. This is not a feel-good read, but it’s a powerful exploration of human choices, regret, and the long shadow of secrets. A strong recommendation for those who enjoy dark, realistic fiction with a gut-punch of emotion.

When You Disappeared by John Marrs was an audiobook for me and narrated by Simon Mattacks and Elizabeth Knowelden. The narrating was excellent and I highly recommend listening to this book.
It was realistic fiction that pulled back the curtain on people dealing with the raw reality of life. The plot was driven by a lot of intense emotions. I was shocked several times as the story took another sharp turn for the worst. John Marrs writes in a unique way that you don’t want to stop reading until the end. He has a talent for capturing an audience. This is not a happy story but a real/life feel of a story that’s was raw and tragic.
Thanks Brilliance Audio via NetGalley.

Just could not get into this story as much as others I've read like this. It was too much of a slow burn so then it felt like it just slogged along and I didn't enjoy it. It didn't seem believable, and also used a slur that shouldn't have been in here since it's 2025 and we know better and do better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC!

Very slow but the ending made it worth it! I would have never guessed that ending. In clear form John Marrs shocked me

John Marrs took me on an emotional rollercoaster I didn’t see coming. From the very first page, the story was dripping with intrigue. It's rare for a thriller to make me smile, fume with anger, and tear up, sometimes all in the same chapter, but somehow this one managed to stir all those emotions and then some. Marrs clearly knows how to craft a compelling story.
That said, this book leans more toward family drama than psychological thriller, which caught me a bit off guard. And while the big reveal behind everything felt a little anticlimactic, I was genuinely relieved that Marrs included an extra epilogue. It offered the closure that was missing from the original 2013 version of the book.

Fun fact: this was actually John Marrs’s debut novel, originally self-published in 2013 under the title The Wronged Sons. It was later revised and re-released in 2017 as When You Disappeared. I’m definitely planning to dive into more of Marrs’s backlist because if this was his first, I can’t wait to see what came next.
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When You Disappeared was a book I was eager to read. Expected to publish July 8, 2025.

This book immediately started off with a bang and drew me in. Catherine wakes up to find that her husband is out of the house, assumed to be on a run. After the business of the morning it occurs to Catherine that she has not heard from her husband, Simon.

The writing in this is jumps between Katherine and Simons POV 25 years prior and current year. Normally is fine for me but jumped between cycles of her, him, 25 years prior and now in no sequence. With 'flashbacks' to the past years I was expecting to learn more about Simon. The writing in this felt very slow and was not picking up in pace at all. At 50% I decided to put this audiobook down as I didn't want to end up in a reading slump.

This setup had me on edge and suspecting of the characters actions from the beginning. Didn't help that I went from immediately sad and then annoyed with Simon. This book left a lot of easter eggs with no growth in the story. Felt repetitive at this point in the book.

I was disappointed in this and expected more of a ride in the story. I don't know if the audiobooks had an effect with this but I wasn't intrigued by the plot or the characters.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer for the Audiobook.

I was first drawn to this book because of the mysterious cover and after reading the synopsis, I knew I needed to read it. Sadly, I just couldn’t get into this book no matter how hard I tried. I kept finding myself zoning out while listening to the audiobook. I kept having to rewind and listen to different parts again. Nothing about the story really grabbed me. I found myself disinterested in the characters and their motivations. I hate leaving reviews like this, but sadly this book just wasn’t for me.

What happens when the person you love vanishes without a trace—only to return years later with a story that shatters everything you believed?

John Marrs delivers a haunting, slow-burn psychological drama that explores the ripple effects of one man’s disappearance on the family he left behind. Told in alternating perspectives, When You Disappeared is less about the mystery of where he went and more about the emotional wreckage he caused—and the chilling reasons why.

Marrs unpacks themes of guilt, grief, and revenge, keeping you emotionally invested even when the characters make choices that are hard to stomach. It’s not a traditional thriller—it’s darker, more introspective, and deeply unsettling in the best way.

If you enjoy character-driven stories that peel back the layers of human behavior, this one will stay with you long after the final page.

Thank you NetGalley, John Marrs and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC.

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