The characters really came alive in this unusual cold case thriller. Dark and dangerous protagonists moved the story swiftly on, surprising and shocking the reader at every turn. Trying to outwit the author by guessing the next turn became a cat and mouse game. Thankfully, all the loose ends were tied up unlike a lot books so it was a satisfactory end to a carefully crafted plot. Lisa Jewell is added to my favourite authors

An intriguing novel with a story almost plausible. Floyd who was suspected as having a bad aura turned out to be a decent chap despite killing his lover (manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility would be the worst he'd get). Not exactly a happy ever after ending but the sun set, the dog barked and at least one child laughed.

I have read Lisa's books in the past and always loved her style of writing so I was delighted to be given a chance to read and review her last book .. and wow I'm so glad I was ! Read in two sittings with little sleep and full of jetlag I could not put this down . A gripping storyline of laurel and her missing daughter Ellie , Then She Was Gone had me hooked from the first chapter . An easy 5 stars and a book I will remember for a. Long time to come . Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read

This was a cracking good read. It was the ultimate page turner: I loved every stolen moment reading it and I was sad when I finished.

The mystery is intriguing: What happened to Laurel's daughter Ellie? The secondary mystery is also compelling: Do you ever get over such a tragedy? (The short answer appears to be no, but you figure out a way to carry on.) Answers to the first question are slowly revealed in a very deft manner.

This is a thriller of the highest order and well deserving of its best selling status. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Century Publishers for giving me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was impossible to put down. It had suspense from the first page and with plenty of emotional moments plus a scattering of romance I'm giving this book a well deserved 5 star review. I would highly recommend this easy read book.

Oh my goodness, I totally loved this book. Floyd creeped me out, Poppy creeped me out lol and the story had me from the start, I was totally gripped with the secrets and storyline and I could relate to all the characters. The ending made me cry! Can't give too much away but honestly this book will have you on the edge of your seat and up half the night with that infamous "just one more chapter" love Lisa Jewell and this book didn't disappoint a must read for all

A very good book, well written. Ellen, a clever 15 years old disappears. Her parents and sister struggle to come to terms with it. Will there be closure when some of her bones are found 10 years later? The book mainly centre's around Ellen's mother, but also tells the story through the eyes of the kidnapper. Although the author gradually reveals what has happened to Ellen, there are a few twists on the way. Have a tissue ready for the ending.

I held my breath almost the whole way through. Read it in two settings and absolutely loved it!

Back of the book :

She was fifteen, her mother’s golden girl.

She had her whole life in front of her.

And then, in the blink of an eye she was gone …

Ten years on, Laurel has never given up hope of finding Ellie. And then she meets a charming and charismatic stranger who sweeps her off her feet.

But what really takes her breath away is when she meets his nine-year-old daughter.

Because his daughter is the image of Ellie.

Now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back …

What really happened to Ellie ?

And who still has secrets to hide ?



What I think :

When Laurel’s daughter Ellie went missing, she wasn’t sure whether she ran away or something more sinister has happened to her. But, almost 10 years later Laurel still holds on to the hope that, one day Ellie might just come back …. I mean, she only left to go to the library, she hadn’t packed any clothes or taken any of her other belongings so she obviously was meaning to come home again …

Then Laurel meets Floyd, she’s just sat in a coffee shop eating cake and there he is. They start to chat. Finally Laurel feels strong enough to move on and maybe have a life.

Floyd has 2 Daughters, one from his ex-wife, who’s all but grown now, and he also has a nine-year-old called Poppy from a relationship that went rather bad. Poppy’s mother isn’t around anymore so Floyd is a single parent.

When Lauren meets Poppy she has a bit of a shock, for Poppy looks just like her lost daughter Ellie …

Is it all just a huge coincidence ?

Or does Floyd know more than he’s telling ?

I absolutely loved this brilliant novel !

The characters are fabulous, Laurel has two other children, that are older than Ellie. Her relationships with both of her remaining children are pretty strained. I think this is because of what happened when Ellie went missing, also her marriage to Ellie’s father Paul has broken down, which nine times out of ten happens when something like this happens to a family. Both of theses things are perfectly described in this book.

This book is broken down into four parts, before, the beginning, the middle and the after. Also some of the chapters are narrated by the main characters, so you always know what is going on.

But, what I liked the most was the way that Lisa has effortlessly crossed over from women’s fiction to thriller/crime writing. This book had me hooked from the very first page to the last. I absolutely loved the way it had me on the edge of my seat with all its twists and turns.

Although I pretty much guessed the twist, it was Lisa’s brilliant writing that had me hooked until its brilliant conclusion.

I really loved this book and I’m looking forward to more from Lisa in this genre.

I give this book a very well-earned 10/10.

Ellie Mack is a much-loved 15-year-old approaching her GCSEs with confidence and enjoying her romance with a special boyfriend. She gets on with her family and is popular at school, so it is a major shock when she leaves home one morning to visit the library and fails to return.

Her parents, Laurel and Paul are devastated, not least because despite a full investigation there are no clues to her disappearance. In time, in the absence of any leads and without a body, the police are forced to put the case on hold.

The family are torn apart by accusations and guilt; Laurel cannot forgive Paul for his inability to understand her despair and loss, and Ellie's siblings, Jake and Hanna suffer emotional neglect as Laurel finds it impossible to move on with life and becomes more and more obsessive and distant. She and Paul divorce.

Ten years after Ellie's disappearance Laurel stops at a local cafe one day where she meets Theo and with a mutual attraction, they start a relationship. She is introduced to Theo's nine-year-old daughter Poppy and feels she seems to bear a close resemblance to Ellie.

Laurel finally re-enters the world of the living but there are unanswered questions around Theo and Poppy, not least the disappearance of Poppy's mother five years before, and Laurel is forced to confront the nature of her relationship with Theo.

This is an interesting novel with aspects of the story being told by different voices as the reader unravels the twists and turns of a complex and original plot. The lead characters are well drawn and evoke strong emotions in the reader, some of sympathy and others of distrust and disgust.

Lisa Jewell has created a truly original story which is difficult to put down, and whilst as a reader, you may feel you have worked out what has happened, it isn't until the final few pages that you get the full shocking truth.


Pashtpaws


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I’m a HUGE Lisa Jewell fan. She’s the most reviewed author on this site and I’ve loved every single book I’ve read of hers. I started reading her books when I was bought One Hit Wonder for Christmas fifteen years ago, and up until a couple of years ago, had read every single book she’d written. Lisa’s writing seemed to grow with my own tastes and age through my twenties and thirties. However, I missed out on her new direction of writing domestic thrillers, simply because I was so caught up and busy with life and I barely read a thing in that time. It was definitely time to change that, but would Then She Was Gone live up to all my expectations

In short … YES! From the first line, I slipped straight back into Lisa’s wonderfully engaging writing style and was hooked. Then She Was Gone tells the story of fifty something, Laurel. Ten years ago Laurel’s daughter went out to the library and never returned. Now, Laurel is coming to terms with the knowledge she won’t ever see Ellie again, that it’s time for her to move on and heal the rifts in her family following the fall out of the devastating loss of her child. When she meets Floyd, she thinks it’s time to put herself first and begin enjoying life again. But when Floyd introduces her to his nine year old daughter, Poppy, there’s something eerily familiar about her.

I love, love, LOVE Lisa Jewell’s fantastically accurate and vivid characterisation. It’s a skill I think sets her writing apart and is no less apparent in Then She Was Gone. I have no idea how she does it, but when I’m reading, her characters become so absolutely real and solid to me. I hear them distinctly and clearly- Noelle’s up and down at times naive/ at times menacing voice, Poppy’s precocious, disconcertingly arrogant personality with hints of vulnerability. It’s like audio in written form! And it’s not just the voices, Jewell manages to add nuance to every movement, look and reaction, meaning her character’s are animated and incredibly believable. The result is that shifts in tension and emotions are picked up effortlessly by the reader and I became fully involved in this story.

The plot is certainly intriguing and different! I had no idea how twisted it was actually going to be- it’s shockingly sinister and disturbing. I did guess some of the twists fairly early on, but it’s the journey the characters themselves take which make this book so unputdownable. It’s layered and complex, so you become conflicted and switch from sympathy to deep dislike while being completely horrified as the past unfurls in alternating chapters.

I read Then She Was Gone in one greedy, obsessive gulp. I couldn’t go to bed until I’d read every last word, and believe me I’m not one to easily keep awake (usually falling asleep with my glasses on and a book over my face despite my best efforts!) Lisa Jewell continues to be my very favourite of authors – I know I can rely on her every time and there’s just something so intensely personal about her writing that I absolutely love. I can’t wait to catch up on the books I’ve missed out on, I Found You and The Girls, and continue to recommend Lisa’s books to all.

I thought this book was fantastic, it's the first I've read from Jewell and I will be seeking her out from now on. The creeping sense of dread and disturbing twists and turns made this a thoroughly enjoyable- and at times devastating- read, I will be recommending this to everyone!

10 years ago Ellie Mack, the bright and pretty daughter of Laurel and Paul set off to the library to revise. But she never arrived at the library nor did she ever come home. She seems to vanish without a trace. The police are convinced she ran away but her Laurel can't accept this. But now her remains have been found and the evidence seems to back up the police theory. In the intervening 10 years Ellie's family has become fractured. Paul now has a new partner whilst Laurel has been just existing in that time, disconnected from both her ex and her two older children. That is until Floyd sweeps into her life. He's charming and charismatic and seems smitten with Laurel. He introduces Laurel to his nine year old daughter Poppy. She's pretty, clever and the absolute spitting image of Ellie. Just as begins to find closure Laurel is suddenly presented with more questions about her daughter's disappearance and death.

 

Word of advice.....do not start this book at night. I made this mistake. I finished one book at just before 11 and thought I'll just dip in, maybe a chapter or two.....At about 60% in I realised my error....this is one of those books that grabs you by the ears and says READ READ READ......and who can argue in an earlock? The mystery of this book isn't so much what has happened, it's more how did it happen. And it's a tale that is both scary and emotional. It's very well written  and even in it's quieter moments it kept me enthralled. Five well deserved stars.

 

I received this from Netgalley for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I thoroughly enjoyed this book and although I had worked out early on what had happened it didn't detract from my experience. I particularly liked the use of different voices and timelines. Lisa Jewell is a very talented author and I'm already looking forward to her next book.

Lisa Jewell has a way of pulling you in at the most unexpected moments and then leaving you dangling. Sometimes it annoys you. Not because you think it is wrong...but because you are desperate to find out why and how.
Then she pulls you in a bit further.
Excellent

Very disappointed not to be able to review but it has been archived before I could download it

A wonderful book., so complex and yet so addictive. Lisa Jewell writes a truely disturbing psychological story full of secrets, twists and turns. The story centralises about the missing girl Ellie and her family, but interspersed with Ellie telling her story about what is happening to her. This is such an emotive story that it brought tears to my eyes. Well written, loved all the characters but especially Laurel, Ellie's Mum, who is the main stay of the story. There were a couple of parts that I really wondered if they were feasible but consider that I am not sure of what level modern day medical science has managed to reach. A book that I would highly recommend to my friends and anyone else who likes this genre

Decent summer reading. An enjoyable domestic thriller.

This is a face-value story and also a much darker web running underneath. It is really clever to write of the nice family which is torn apart when the younger daughter disappears. As one often discovers her parents subsequently divorce and one is glad for the mother when she finds a new love.
Underneath this is a glimpse of hte selfish, shallow woman she is and how unthinking she was during the disapearace and before.
Noelle is a repulsive/pitiful figure. Comments from her parents expose why.. Her awful actions are almost to be expected, but it is the nice people who are really shocking.
As usual with Lisa Jewel the details are so well written that we can see exactly the family's life and also that of the less-fortunate Noelle.

I found the means of denoument a little awkward, but doesn't detract from the power of the book.
I am still ruminating on the clever details such as as the choice of cordial offered. So tiny an aspect but so much of hte story depends upon seeing exactly how each character lives and thinks, so the quality of beverage illustrates the setting of the "Pleasant Mother" so well.

The loss of a child is something that no parent ever recovers from. Laurel Mack knows this only too well after the disappearance of her 15 year old daughter, Ellie, 10 years ago.
When Ellie went on a trip to her local library do to some revision for her GCSE’s all those years ago she was never seen or heard from again.
Ellie’s disappearance affected the whole of the Mack family, causing the breakdown of her parents’ marriage and completely changing the dynamics of the relationship between Laurel and her two other children.
Laurel goes on to live a solitary life, with Ellie’s disappearance always at the forefront of her mind. But then she has a chance meeting with a mysterious man called Floyd. The pair gradually get to know one another and before she knows it Laurel finds herself falling for Floyd’s apparent charms.
However things take a slightly more sinister turn when Laurel is introduced to Floyd’s daughter, Poppy. Despite her unusual way of dressing and her sophisticated vocabulary for a ten year old there’s something else that unsettles Laurel…the fact that Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie. Is this purely a coincidence or is there more to Floyd and his daughter than meets the eye?




I’ve always been a fan of Lisa Jewell. Her books have always been a go-to for me because they ticked so many boxes; they were chick-lit but with real depth and they always had a compelling story at their heart. However, her novels have slowly been travelling in a different direction over the past year or two, taking on a slightly darker undertone.
With Then She Was Gone Lisa has finally fully smashed into the psychological thriller genre and BOY OH BOY has she into smashed it.
This novel left me breathless, uneasy and in a red-mist of desperation to find out exactly what was going to happen.
I love all of Lisa’s books, new and old, but the way she had made the transition into writing thrillers has been seamless and she has lost none of her brilliance along the way. I’m a massive fan of psychological thrillers, but I’ll be the first to admit that since the days of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, the genre is pretty much everywhere. There are just SO many amazing-sounding thrillers out there at the moment, but the question is – are they any good? In the case of Then She Was Gone…Yes. YES, YES, YES, YES! A bazillion yeses, in fact. If you only read one thriller this summer then make sure it's this one.

I’ve already edited this review multiple times because I realised that I was giving away MASSIVE spoilers (I can’t help it! I just want to talk about this book so badly.)
The novel is told from four different viewpoints, obviously we get to hear from Laurel and Ellie, but I won’t reveal too much about the other narrators in fear of giving something away. Needless to say the format in which the story is written is really effective and helps the reader to gradually piece together the puzzle and reach their own conclusion as to what happened.
The way in which the story comes together is really clever, switching from past to present day as the narrator changes. There were points when I thought I could sense what was going to happen, but the story nearly always took on another unexpected twist and I questioned all that I thought I knew. I have read thrillers in the past where the ever-changing tense gets confusing and tricky to keep up with, but I had no such problems with Then She Was Gone. The story flows incredibly well and is cleverly written so as not to give too much away. Lisa Jewell has an amazing talent for building up suspense and she did a fantastic job of keeping me on my toes.




Lisa is also very clever with the creation of her characters and they all felt very real to me. Noelle was one who absolutely fascinated me and I was intrigued to find out more about her. She scared me and I was never quite sure what to make of her. Through the finer details Lisa uses to describe her I had built up a pretty accurate picture of her in my mind (I think it was the grease that did it…Ick) I also had a clear image of Ellie in my mind. I grew to like her immediately and the events that followed shocked and upset me much more than I was expecting, which is credit to Lisa’s wonderful storytelling.




All I can day is that I DESPERATELY hope that Lisa writes more novels in this genre because she has pulled off the move into psychological thrillers so well. The thing I loved most about this novel is how it is not written purely to shock, unsettle and intrigue (although it does all of those things.) It’s also a novel with family at its heart; whether that is exploring the dynamics of a broken family or examining the secrets that families can hold. It’s a story full of emotion, depth and is frighteningly gripping.