When a seemingly happy wife and mother disappears on a wilderness hike alone, every one presumes she died on the hike. After a year goes by the financial pressures are on Jonathon and he decides to seek a court declaration of death. However their teenage daughter Olive has been having visions that have convinced her that her mom is still alive. Together they investigate and begin to learn just how little they knew about Billie the mother..
This is a slow moving examination of a family coping with an unthinkable loss and about a 15-year-old girl growing up without her mother and struggling with her identity. I liked the book but could only give it 3 stars. Just a little to slow moving for me.
I would read another book by this author.

Janelle Brown has written another page turner. Complex characters with a complex storyline.
4 solid stars.

2.5 sad stars for Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown. I so wanted to like this book. The description hooked me right away and I couldn't wait to read it, but my excitement turned to disappointment.

I think Janelle Brown is a good writer, don't get me wrong. I just think she needed someone to really let her know that a book almost entirely plotted around red herrings won't please too many people.

The red herring is great, if used properly, but in Watch Me Disappear, that's literally all there was. All kinds of things pop up, only to find out that no, that was another dead end. Then you have poor Olive, having hallucinations, thinking that these are real visions of where her mother is or could be and Jonathan, drinking to try to escape his pain.

The characters of Olive and Jonathan were well rounded and I liked them as well as sympathized with them. As for the character of the mother, of course we don't know much about her, but what a selfish jerk.

I think I would read another book by this author although this one obviously wasn't the one for me. I'm not sure who she was writing for, maybe the YA or NA crowd?

Thanks go to Netgalley, the publisher and Ms. Brown for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I just wish I had enjoyed it.

More than anything else, I think, this is a character study; what I KNOW is that it was riveting to watch the threads that hold together three close-knit characters - a father, a mother and a teenage daughter - begin to twist, unravel and, depending on what you read into it, come together again.

The story begins about a year after the disappearance of Billie Flanagan, who went for a solo hike in a California wilderness area and never came back. She left behind a loving, trusting husband, Jonathan, and their teenage daughter, Olive; because her body never turned up, their lives have been turned upside down. On one hand, they hold out the hope that she'll turn up - apparently, she's always been a bit of a "hippie" who disappears for a day or two on a whim. On the other, they want the whole thing to be over. Jonathan and his attorney have petitioned the court to declare Billie legally dead - partly to bring some measure of closure and partly so Jonathan can collect the somewhat hefty life insurance settlement. He quit a high-stress job to concentrate on writing, and he's already behind in tuition payments to his daughter's pricey all-girl private school.

He's also run through the advance he got from a publisher for rights to his as-yet-unfinished book detailing life with the offbeat (to say the least) Billie. This book is interspersed with bits and pieces of what he's written that reflect not only his feelings for her and their life together, but how those feelings evolve as new information comes to light.

Suddenly, for instance, Olive begins to "see" visions of her mother, who passes on cryptic messages that convince the girl that her mother is still alive. Jonathan, needless to say, thinks Olive is heading off the deep end - especially since the visions are interfering with her schoolwork and relationship with him. Still, his curiosity is piqued enough that he sets out to look for other clues as to what really happened (including digging into files hidden in Billie's laptop). As the story progresses, he learns - much to his dismay - that Billie has lied to him and Olive. But the question is, were those lies simply omissions of a past events that are too painful for Billie to share or to cover up a more insidious life that came before her husband and daughter?

Helping to console him is next-door neighbor Harmony, a caterer who was Billie's best friend. That complicates the situation by eliciting quite different emotions from Jonathan, who leans toward going with the flow, and Olive, who (quite understandably) resents the intrusion. Adding to her angst is that she's just beginning to come to terms with her own sexuality as awareness of what her mother really was about begins, for better or worse, to grow.

"Who you want people to be makes you blind to who they really are" is a tagline in the book's official description - and it's right on target. This is a don't-miss book that grabbed and held my attention from the start, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for a review.

This book had great character development. It was however a bit contrived. Mom disappears on a solo trail walk. Daughter has " visions". Is she dead? Alive? Kidnapped? Husband finds out that his wife is not all that he thought, and there had been secrets. While I think the author can write, I just found this a bit too long and convoluted. Loved the very end though.

Thanks to the publisher Random House for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review via NetGalley.

I was deeply divided in my feelings about Brown’s characters. While Jonathan and Olive were very likable, I thought throughout that Billie was self-absorbed and putting on an act of being a good Berkeley wife and mother. I found myself hoping that she really was dead, and not about to come back into her husband’s and daughter’s life like she had done years before when she ran away from them.

I was surprised by the several late-book plot twists. Overall I enjoyed this book.

I fell in love with this book during the Prologue when the family of three visits a preserve for monarch butterflies during the start of the monarch migration to the eucalyptus trees of Northern California. I knew the family was one that would grab my interest and hold it. This was a lovely family moment, but one of their last because the mother is soon missing and presumed dead after a solo hiking trip from which she never returned.

Then it is a year later and the father Jonathan and daughter Olive are still in a tailspin over the death, and barely coping. When Olive thinks she is having visions of her mother, Billie, Olive thinks her mom is trying to tell her that she is not really dead and in fact is in need of rescue. Jonathan, a writer working on a memoir of grief over the loss of Billie, discovers some incongruities of his own and begins to wonder the same thing. Only he really needs Billie's life insurance policy to pay out so, what to do? He decides to do what's best for Olive, but there are many twists in the story to come, many secrets that Billie held close.

This is one of those books where you won't want to read ahead because there are so many surprises. The last sentence -- well, just wait!

I was happy to have been an ebook copy from the publisher through NetGalley, and an ARC from LibraryThings.

Great reading about unique characters. Never could figure out how it would end!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The different viewpoints were great to see. And the story kept you guessing as to what happened to Billie the entire time! But I'm so glad that the book tied everything together at the end.

While I enjoyed Brown's writing style, I found Billie such an incredibly unlikable character that it was hard for me fully immerse myself in the story. Was it Brown's intention to make Billie so completely unlikable that the reader was supposed to believe that her family was truly better off without her? I am reluctant to take such a stark view. Billie was realistically portrayed in that readers witnessed her mean streak, how judgmental she was towards others and especially her daughter, how selfish and manipulative she could be. But I did not find that theses traits, the very same traits that readers will recognize in themselves, to be balanced out by any semblance of kindness or warmth. Although I think Brown worked hard to create a 3-dimensional character in Billie, the negative side of her personality shown through a little too strongly. Aside from Billie, Brown did an excellent job with creating a steady, fast-paced plot that picked up in the last half of the book. I think this book would also make a great book club selection.

Watch Me Disappear left me wanting more or possibly different. The book is a slow read. It plods along as circumstances unfold. Has Billie been abducted, committed suicide, murdered, or just walked away? How are her daughter, Olive, and her husband, Jonathan, coping a year later?

Jonathan has quit his job and is writing the story of his life with Billie. There is no explanation as to why anyone would want to publish the book let alone read it. Olive is having visions of her mother. Are they real or is there another reason? Why should we care? There are twists and turns but they seem contrived and forced.

As I started with there is a story here. Janelle Brown has a good premise. The realization of that premise does fall short.

I wish to thank the Author, the Publisher, and NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Initially I was skeptical about this novel as I wasn't sure I liked many of the characters, but as I got farther into it, I couldn't put it down. When a young mother simply disappears on a lone hiking trip, what are her husband and young daughter to do? Evidence suggests she is dead but then why does her daughter continue to see visions of her mother asking her to "find" her. Suspenseful with lots of twists and surprises, I didn't see the end coming...and I love that in a book! Bravo!

I thought I knew what had happened. I was wrong! Great read!

Great read, in the vein of Girl in Cabin 10. Quick pacing make the book go by quickly. The characters are interesting enough to want to continue reading.

This story starts out with a family enjoying a day on the beach. Mom Billie goes out hiking and does not come back. Her daughter starts to see visions of her mother and feels that she is still alive. The husband starts to investigate and the story unfolds.

Watch Me Disappear read more like a YA novel to me. I didn't like Gone Girl or The Girl On The Train so I guess it's no surprise that I didn't like this either (although I hoped I would). The situations and plot twists seemed contrived and flimsy. Everything was overly explained at the end, which became boring. The characters were in denial the whole way through, they didn't feel real and didn't seem to live in real world or know how to interact with other people.

I received this book "Watch Me Disappear" from Netgalley for my honest review.

I did enjoy this book. There are twists and turns and I am so glad that the author wrote a great ending. The ending really surprised me. The story is about Billie the mom who is a free spirit, her husband Jonathan and their daughter Olive. Although I felt the beginning was dragging for me I'm glad that I kept reading. How well do you really know someone? No one really knows the real you, everyone has secrets and things that they keep to themselves. Because of the surprise ending I need to give this a 5 even though it started off slow for me.

I devoured this psychological thriller/suspense novel in less than 24 hours. Once I started reading, I could not stop!

“Watch Me Disappear” by Janelle Brown is the story of Billie, a seemingly perfect wife and mother who was able to “spin magic... to be such a terrific parent when she’d had such bad ones”. Billie disappears and is presumed dead during a solo hike in Desolation Wilderness. Making the story even sadder is that the family was just about as close to perfect as you could get. Johnathan, Billie’s husband, is a senior editor at a flourishing magazine/web site and Olive, her daughter, is a student at a prestigious private school. Everyone seems to love Billie and want to be around her. She is beautiful and a great wife and mother. The author had me loving her; she reads Tana French… how could I not! However, as the story progresses, we realize all is not as it seems.

Most of the story takes place a few weeks shy of the year anniversary of Billie’s death. It makes us question how well we know those around us.

The author writes a perfect story that leaves you guessing what truly happens until the last few paragraphs. She answers every question that is raised throughout the book. Often, with suspense/thrillers, an author throws out bait to make several characters seem guilty or to make the reader question different characters and their motives. Often, some of those little nagging tidbits are never addressed. The author addressed each and every one!

The book did drag a tiny bit in the first few chapters, but the reader needed to get a feel for the characters, their backgrounds and personalities. I felt like a time or two the author got out the dictionary and added some big words (I had to look up a few like ennui, ineffably, nascent, fugging, carapace). Neither of these is a deal breaker… just pointing out.

I enjoyed this book so much that after finishing this review, I plan to purchase and read her previous novels.

Release/Publication Date: July 11, 2017

Genre: Psychological, thriller, suspense

Cover: Perfect. I liked how the text disappears into the water. At first, I did not care for the cover as the mountains play such a large part in this book. However, upon finishing the novel, I realize that the ocean is a perfect depiction.

Source: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thanks you!

Rating: 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an ARC of Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown.
Billie Finnigan is a bit of a free spirit. She bucks tradition and values independence and freedom. She sets out for a solo hike, telling her husband and daughter, she'll return in a few days time. Billie never returns. Her family is left wondering did Billie die,did she intentionally disappear or was she taken? Daughter Olive is convinced her mom is still alive and in trouble. Olive insists Billie has been visiting her in dreams, requesting help. Husband Jonathan, would like to put the past behind him and learn to begin again. Billie was certainly his soul mate, but chasing ghosts is not healthy. When father and daughter begin to piece together the past and present, certain events begin to haunt them.
This was my first time reading Janelle Brown and I was not sure what to expect. The beginning started slow for me and I was having trouble connecting with all the characters. The first third of the book, I found myself questioning the author's plot devices and decisions. It wasn't until the last third, that this story really picked up speed and became a full on twisty unexpected thriller. While I still never learned to care for the characters, I did become a fan of Janelle Brown. I would recommend this book, as a good beach read!

I enjoyed the story and learning more about Billie and her family. It was an interesting take on a mom who disappears and how those who love her won't give up. You learn about the family dynamic of a grieving dad and daughter who have their different lives, opinions on their loved one, and how they are all managing to move on (or not).

It dragged on at times, and I was hoping for a bit more suspense. Instead, everything interesting happened toward the end of the book. And at that point it felt rushed and late - especially with a long Epilogue.

It was an interesting take on family life and personal investigation, but I was hoping for more of a gripping, page-turner.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC, for which I have given an honest and unbiased review*