Then She Was Gone: From the number one bestselling author of The Family Upstairs

Product Information

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would listen to a friend's concerns, regardless if she believed in Mother Nature or the Great Pumpkin.

I think Lisa Jewell has written a chilling novel of suspense, but it is also a book about the power of maternal love, forgiveness and healing and never giving up. Hanna pays Laurel to clean her apartment, so Laurel knows that Hanna has not been sleeping at home. Hanna claims she's out partying, but that's not really her personality. Laurel finds some flowers given to Hanna by someone named "T". Laurel also visits her elderly mom who had a stroke many years ago. Her mother Ruby is old, but seems to be holding on hoping for Ellie to be found. You know, how you get to forty and you suddenly stop giving a sh** about all the stupid things you worried about your whole life. Well, nine year old Poppy is already there." A dark, compulsive psychological thriller, yet one which is also uplifting and tender. I absolutely loved Then She Was Gone." author of Dangerous Crossing Rachel Rhys A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

The absence of twists might irritate some of the readers. But the author's writing skills, narrative style, and the way Ellie was crafted will compensate for it easily. From the New York Times bestselling author of Invisible Girl and The Truth About Melody Browne comes a “riveting” ( PopSugar ) and “acutely observed family drama” ( People ) that delves into the lingering aftermath of a young girl’s disappearance. Floyd is the second loser in this lovely cast; when he discovers the true origins of his daughter, Poppy, he stalks Laurel, engineers a meeting with her and eventually falls for her. What are the odds of that?

So, whilst Then She Was Gone is a decent read and far better than some of the more recent and frankly ridiculous psychological thrillers saturating the market place, it holds very little in the way of surprises for any savvy reader and relies on a sequence of unlikely coincidences. I didn’t find this an emotional read as it all felt a little too artificial and implausible for me, from the sentimental ending through to the good grace with which the unfolding revelations seemed to be received. All in all Then She Was Good is an immersive and very readable character driven family drama and offers an insightful look at a family reuniting after the tragic disappearance of one of their number. Given the wealth of editorial support at Lisa Jewell’s behest, I do think that advising her on the scientific specifics of aspects of this book would have proved beneficial (rate of decomposition of a human body to skeleton form being just one of them). Then there's Floyd & Poppy. Floyd who treasures Poppy but his first child SJ? Nah forget her, apparently. I didn't mind SJ but what was that random rant about people being sheep? Very much felt like the author had something to say & that's the only place she could slot it in. Also I'm sorry but Poppy unsettled me so many times, and she was not coming across as a child in any way until it was necessary for the plot. And again with Floyd it seemed like one too many things there that I'm not entirely sure how we should feel about it.

Epilogue

Everything is going to plan until Stacy Shaw disappears one evening. Leaving work, her car wouldn't start, so she made the decision to walk home ... through the park. Somewhere along the way she went missing. For this review and our full Traveling Sister review please visit Brenda and Norma’s fabulous blog: Once again, I am impressed with Lisa Jewell’s storytelling. I thought this was a terrific story. Told from multiple points of view, alternating between ‘then’ and ‘now’, I was enthralled as everything was revealed. Miranda: (talking to Ginger) Man, if I had known you were, like, clinically depressed, I might have gone a little easier on you. Miranda: I mean, there were days I really wished you would disappear, but I had no idea you felt that way too! Ginger: I don't.