Mysteries and suspense novels aren’t usually my favorite thing to read, but after reading Lisa Jewell’s The Girls in the Garden back in 2016, I knew I wanted to read her new release, Then She Was Gone. I was hearing about it absolutely everywhere and it had great reviews on Goodreads, so I just had to read it. It was definitely more thrilling/suspenseful than The Girls in the Garden was, but I’m starting to get more into books like that, and I think this was a great one to work on that with.

First of all, I read Then She Was Gone in two days, so it’s clear that I didn’t want to put it down. It definitely held my attention and kept me wanting to know what comes next, which I think is an indication of a good suspense novel!

The story centers around the disappearance of a young teenage girl, Ellie. When the story begins, the mystery of her disappearance remains unsolved, and narration varies between herself and her mother. In a nutshell, the story is about what happens to Ellie and the profound effects it has on her mother and her own relationships after the disappearance. There are a couple crazy twists that I didn’t see coming, so I enjoyed the experience of reading those.

I enjoyed the fact that this book was suspenseful, but also well-written and about families and relationships. I need my mystery/suspense with some sustenance, and this provided that for me. There were a couple times where I had “oh, of course that’s how it was” moments where I rolled my eyes a little, but for the most part, it was really enjoyable.

However, I do have to include that I did not like this one quite as much as I did The Girls in the Garden (review here). If you’ve read both of these Lisa Jewell books, I’d love to know what you thought, too!

I’m giving Then She Was Gone 3.5 stars. If you’re looking for a fun, suspenseful summer mystery with some interesting characters and some emotional depth, this is a great choice!

Man, what a twisty and suspenful novel!!!😁 This book was a great read to read on a rainy day and J found it quite chilling at moments but honestly I figured out a lot ahead of time but still found it a good read!❤📚

There's a fine line between psychological thriller and horror and I think Then She Was Gone crossed that line. The characters are lacking dimension to me, and that caused me not to connect to their struggles, actions and the outcome of their story. I thought a lot of the scenarios were included for shock value and didnt move the story along. In fact, the novel seemed rather predictable. The creep factor in this book is high, almost high enough for me not to be interested in completing it. I did read to the end, and everything wrapped up neatly, but Then She Was Gone wasnt a riveting read.

Not thinking Lisa Jewell could outpace her previous book, “I See You”, she does so and more by taking the reader to the day when Laurel Mack’s life stopped – the day ten years prior when her daughter went missing.

Fifteen-year-old Ellie Mack was preparing for her upcoming exams, she was a bit nervous about the math portion, but as a gifted student, she could handle it. Maybe the help of a tutor would not be so bad, but after a bit, she realized the sessions were not going to work out. She would get through this on her own. While taking a break from her studies, she wanders out only to never return. People wanted to believe she was a runaway, the stress was too much, yet that was not the answer. An answer confirmed years later with the discovery of her bones, clothes, and backpack.

Ellie was Laurel’s golden child, she had two others, but in her mind, they were not Ellie and she found herself drifting away from them and from her own marriage. It was not their fault they could not measure up to the idealized Ellie. They were who they were and when Ellie disappeared, her extraordinary light went with her.

While sitting in a café, Floyd Dunn approaches Laurel and quickly the two begin a relationship. He is charming, but what unnerves Laurel is how much Floyd’s daughter Poppy looks like Ellie. How could the two not only shared physical characteristic, but also have the same mannerisms?

Maybe it is seeing Poppy that triggered Laurel to begin a relentless search for answers, yet it is not until the reader jumps ahead of Laurel that a connection is made and the twisted puzzle comes together. With the final piece in place, she will have her answers and hopefully, one by one, her family will forgive her and allow her to be in their lives again.

Told in alternating accounts, the reader bounces back and forth between Ellie, Laurel, Floyd’s wife, and Floyd himself. The narratives are not difficult to follow as Lisa Jewel is a master at giving each their own voice. Voices that will both disturb and satisfy you.

*Big thank you to both the publisher and NetGalley for granting me access to an ARC of this title!*

I have been on a bit of a thriller kick this year, and the synopsis of Then She Was Gone sounded both terrifying and incredibly intriguing. I'm happy to report that it is one of those reads that you will find yourself staying up way too late to finish.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I don't want to give anything away, so I won't get too into this, but there were some aspects of the story that I found a bit far-fetched. There were also some parts of the story-line that were too vague for me.

WHAT I LIKED:
What makes this different from some of the other thrillers I have been indulging in lately is the fact that the story is told by many different characters. I LOVED this. I often find myself wondering about other characters intentions and perspectives and this tale had all of that.

I think some readers may not enjoy that this isn't quite a mystery. It's fairly obvious where the tale is going, but if you enjoy seeing characters develop then you'll be able to let that go.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS?
I think anyone who enjoys a character-driven, suspenseful tale will really find themselves enjoying this tale.

Wow! This is one of the best books I’ve read in ages. I love how there are multiple narrators that pick up the story at various points in the timeline. It’s an amazing and unique premise that hooks you in from the start!

This was a solid psychological suspense story. I felt like the biggest mystery wasn't really what happened to Ellie as there were clues early on as to what happened, but more you were trying to figure out the why. I gave this 4 stars on goodreads.

Atria Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Then She Was Gone. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Fifteen year old Ellie Mack disappeared without a trace, leaving her loving family to wonder what happened. In the ten years since, Ellie's family has dismantled: her parents divorced and her siblings off in their adult lives. When an unexpected clue is revealed, will her mother Laurel be able to finally put the past behind her. After Laurel meets a charming man and his very familiar looking daughter, will she allow herself some happiness at long last?

There were elements of this story that I found suspenseful, but the plot was too telegraphed and predictable from the start. The most compelling parts were Ellie's, but their placement in the book left her story disjointed. Laurel is the shell of a person for much of the book, a very realistic portrayal of a woman who has lost so much. The problem is that her grief and wonder does not translate very well to the reader, leaving her flat and one dimensional. The rest of the characters in the book are not much better, as their quirks and traits seem to exist only to push the plot in a particular direction. Then She Was Gone had the potential to be a great mystery/suspense thriller, but the author just did not take the concept far enough. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend the novel to other readers.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a copy of Lisa Jewell's novel, Then She Was Gone, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Ellie Mack is a beautiful, smart, popular teenager, who seems to have everything going for her. One day, on her way to the library, she disappears and her case goes cold. A decade later. Ellie's mother, Laurel, begins to date a man named Floyd, whose daughter, Poppy, bears a striking resemblance to Ellie. Laurel begins to revisit her daughter's disappearance and discovers new facts of the case. Can Laurel finally find out what happened to daughter? Does Poppy hold the key?

LIKE- I've read several of Lisa Jewell's other novels and I was very excited to be granted a copy of Then She Was Gone. Jewell is masterful at crafting great suspense and mysteries. However, where she really shines is with her characters. She has a gift at tapping into the human psyche and creating relatable, multi-deminisional characters. 

Characters are what shine in Then She Was Gone. I was most drawn to Laurel, the grieving mother who not only lost her daughter, but also saw her marriage collapse under the weight of a missing child. Laurel is just getting her life back together when she meets Floyd and is shoved back down the rabbit hole of her daughter's case. Her anxiety and grief is palpable.  

We do not learn Ellie's fate until late in the story, but she is the narrator in some of the flashback chapters. Of course as a reader, our bond with Ellie is not going to be strong, like her mother's, however these chapters do serve to give us a clearer picture of Ellie and give us a chance to connect with her. Jewell is equally great at writing adults and children, letting us see Ellie's frame of mind and motivations. 

Then She Was Gone heads to some very dark places and is a story that made me anxious. I saw a blurb comparing it to Gone Girl, which was a little misleading. When I think of comparisons to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, I think that the story must have an unreliable narrator. Then She Was Gone has narrators under duress, but they are not unreliable. I read another that compared it to Alice Sebold's novel, The Lovely Bones, which is a much better comparison with regard to both theme and tone. 

DISLIKE- I anticipated the twist early on and kept hoping that it would not be what I was expecting. It's not that the story wasn't intriguing, but it's always a little bit of a let down when you manage to figure out the twist early on. I did not anticipate the creepy, disturbing aspects of the twist. It gave me chills. 

RECOMMEND- Yes! Jewell is such a marvelous writer that I have to recommend all of her novels, including Then She Was Gone.

A teenage girl disappears and for ten years, her mother Laurel lives life in limbo not knowing if her daughter is dead or alive. But when the girl's remains are discovered, Laurel can move on and begins seeing a man whose daughter bears an eerie resemblance to her dead daughter.

A bit predictable and unbelievable but would make a good quick beach read.

15 year old Ellie Mack disappears without a trace one afternoon on her way to the library. An intensive search for her turns up fruitless leaving her family in shambles. Her parents Laurel and Paul end up divorcing and the relationship Lauren has with her other two children becomes strained as she struggles to cope with the loss of her golden child. Ten years later Lauren meets and becomes involved with a man named Floyd whose daughter looks eerily like Ellie and the events that transpire next will change all of their lives forever. The author does an excellent job of winding this dark and twisted tale.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It kept me gripped until the end. A girl goes missing at the age of 16 and the story toggles between what happened to her and her mother and the rest of the family and what happens 10 years later. Some unusual twists. Fast read.

Then She Was Gone sounded like an amazing book. Unfortunately, it was a bit predictable. I figured out what the end was going to be pretty early on in the book. After that, it was just a waiting game to see if I was right (I was). That pretty much ruined the suspense for me, particularly because I could also see the smaller reveals coming.

While I didn’t think the novel had a lot of tension, I did enjoy the characters. Jewell has a way of creating vibrant characters that feel so realistic and relatable. Both Ellie and Laurel were great characters. Had this book’s plot been a bit more suspenseful and less predictable, I think it could have been great. I think I’ll check out some of Jewell’s other books, I liked her characters and writing style enough to give her another shot.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book was so good!

Laurel's daughter, Ellie, disappeared off a street on her way to the library. 10 years later and Laurel still has no closure. She is trying to get on with her life and is pleasantly surprised when she meets a man who she actually quite likes. When Laurel meets his daughter, however, she is blown away by how much Poppy looks like her own missing daughter. This meeting pushes Laurel to investigate further into what happened to Ellie, and to try to find out what her new beau knows about Ellie's disappearance, if anything at all.

I had an idea of where the story was going from the beginning, but all of the pieces coming together at the end was still shocking. There were so many levels to the plot and the characters that I couldn't stop turning pages. I loved reading about Laurel's developing romance, the pieces of Ellie's puzzle, and the pieces of the past that were scattered throughout the story.

I feel like I should have more to say, but I'm so overwhelmed with how much i loved this book. I devoured it and definitely recommend it to all other readers!

Wow.  This book was absolutely gripping and one of my favorite reads so far this year.  Laurel Mack has been reeling from the disappearance of her teenage daughter, Ellie, for the last ten years.  Ellie's disappearance destroyed Laurel in so many ways.  She's grieving as a heartbroken mother would.  She divorced her sweet husband.  She chose to fixate on Ellie's disappearance at the expense of her relationship with her older daughter.  At the end of the day, nothing served as replacement for the light that Ellie emanated into Laurel's life.  That is, until the day she met a handsome stranger named Paul in a cafe. 

From the moment Laurel meets Paul, the reader has no doubt that he is somehow connected to Ellie's disappearance.  However, the story really starts taking shape when Laurel meets Paul's daughter, Poppy, who has a striking resemblance to Ellie.  It's at this point that Laurel's infatuation with Paul starts wavering between an unhealthy desire to be with him and a sort of undefined repulsion toward him.  Laurel's internal suspicion is always there, but it takes her a good portion of the book to acknowledge it.

Throughout this book, I thought I had the ending figured out about five times.  While some of those assumptions turned out to be correct, I think there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the end.  Please be aware that there is some detailed violence in this book, and some of it might be hard for some people to read.  However, if you are looking for a gripping book to read poolside this summer, I definitely recommend "Then She Was Gone."  4/5 Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell, and Atria Books for a free electronic version of this book.

In the somewhat flooded genre of domestic-psychological-thriller, Lisa Jewell's latest novel does a good job of standing out. Twisty and readable, a perfect summer read. Will recommend to those looking for a page-turner for the beach or camping.

4.5 stars - just for the fact this kept me reading and reading and I got it done in one day, which is pretty amazing.

This was quite the little thriller. You basically learn early off what actually happened to the daughter who disappeared, although there are some pretty gruesome details and twists as to the why of it. And there are a lot of twists as to how all the players tie together.

I absolutely loved the writing, the storyline, and the characters, and I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Ellie is a young girl who goes missing without a trace. She had it all: a loving family, a caring boyfriend, and great grades. Ellie was the golden girl, until she disappeared. Days turn into weeks that turn into years. There is still no sign of beautiful Ellie. Ten years pass, everyone has moved on, but her mother still seeks answers. It is the not knowing what happened to her child that has kept her begging for answers.

I devoured this book in 2 days. I just had to know what happened to Ellie, and if Laurel would ever find out. This book was beautifully written. I loved how everything was concluded.

I was really surprised by this book. I had formed my conclusions early on as the read is easy to follow and fairly predictable. I was wrong. Jewell weaves her story through past and present, grief and hope wrapped up in suspense. I could not put this book down.

We follow the journey of Laurel, mother of a golden child gone missing, Ellie. 10 years following her disappearance, we follow Laurel as she is informed of her child's whereabouts, a shallow grave on the side of the road.

Now this story unfolds in an interesting way. We move through memories of the past whilst the present moves forward for Laurel and her family. There's mystery, coincidences, and healing. A twist and a confession.

Again, it took me by surprise.

I've just finished this and my heart hurts. Ugh. I guessed it all from the beginning, and yet, I was so invested as if hoping to have been proved wrong. But honestly, this was just so fucking sad and my emotions are everywhere right now.

A quick-paced read that wouldn't let go and left me utterly devastated.

Trigger warning for rape and thoughts of suicide.

UPDATE:
I guess because I already knew what was going to happen, this one read to me much like women's fiction. And I guess because of this, I felt more emotion. Laurel really places herself in a state of self-doubt, she looks back at her family and what went wrong, and assesses her life after the death of her daughter. We get to see her start new relationships and try to fix older ones.

We also get to see Laurel's hopefulness and complete devastation upon learning new information as she goes. So because we get so much of a mother's POV, by the end, I was a MESS. Actually, that's an understatement.

I loved, loved, loved this story so much. Its pace, its writing, its choosing of character POVs, EVERYTHING was just on the spot and I couldn't recommend this one enough!