Then She Was Gone was an extremely fast-paced read, I couldn't put it down!

I don't want to say too much about this one, because I don't want to spoil it.

It's been ten years since Laurel's youngest child, Ellie, has disappeared. There are virtually no leads on her whereabouts, the best the investigators could come up with is that she ran away and didn't want to be found. Laurel spends most of her time in a grey funk, mourning and always wondering where her beautiful, bright, golden child has gone. Then she meets Floyd, a single father who homeschools his precocious, lovely, 9 year old daughter, Poppy, and Laurel quickly finds herself swept into a relationship where she begins to remember what it was like to feel happy. Not everything is as it seems with Floyd and Poppy, however, and Laurel quickly begins to question what is real.

The characters were written beautifully, you could feel their emotions (particularly Laurel's) oozing off of the page, straight into your heart. I loved the complexities of her different relationships, they were portrayed very realistically.

My only complaint was the predictability of it. From almost the very beginning, I could see how it was going to play out. Perhaps not all of the little details, but the main plot points. Other than that it was a wonderful read.

Gripping tale about a teen, Ellie Mack, that disappears at the age of 15. The police believe that she has run away from home, even though everything points to her being happy with her life. This wonderful story is told from the mother's point of view, and brings you through all the difficulties that the mother is going through trying to put the disappearance to rest. Finding Ellie's bones causes more questions. What could have happened to her? A spellbinding story that will have you hooked from page 1.

A compelling, easy read. There’s no big twist at the end, as the author gives things away in pieces as the story progresses, but even so I found myself intrigued and wanting to get to the end of the book.

Ellie, beloved by all - teachers, parents, friends, boyfriend, disappears mysteriously one night. The police are convinced she ran away. Laurel's marriage fails and she, even a decade later, has not put the rest of her life back together.

Until she meets a charming single father. His daughter reminds Laurel so much of Ellie. Is Poppy really Ellie? What happened to Ellie all those years ago? There's something about Floyd that Laurel doesn't entirely trust - what secrets is he hiding?

I have mixed feelings about this. There is like no reason the police have to believe that she ran away other than Ellie is a teenager. She lived a low-risk life and didn't tell ANYONE. The police not taking action other than to basically give up just seems so unrealistic. There's also the fact that the whole mystery could have been solved immediately when Ellie disappeared by questions like one of the super obvious people that the police or even mother should have spoken to.

The writing of the thriller aspect was pretty awesome. Suspenseful and compelling. However, there are a number of 'plot holes' you sort of have to overlook. You'll get sucked into the narrative, so you likely won't notice them at first, but the longer I think about this book, the more I notice that there are issues with the mystery aspect of it.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, I thought it was going to be just a typical mystery book. It had really great twists and turns, and it took me a while to figure out where the story was headed. A very unique concept, the characters were very detailed and interesting. An interesting take on human nature and what people will do to get what they want.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. Sorry its a tad late.

This book was highly predictable. It reads well and I had high hopes for story but it was not very exciting. Noelle was weird but the story line was odd. From the beginning you knew who took her and you could figure it out why. I dont know. It was ok, but not good or great. Sorry

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you to the Author, to the Publisher, and to Netgalley. This is the first book that I have read from Lisa Jewell, and I really enjoyed it. I would describe it as a psychological thriller. It was fast paced and kept me guessing. I would definitely recommend this book and this author to others.

This just-can't-put-it-down book is so good. Laurel, the mother, is an endearing character. When she starts dating, the book comes unputdownable. I recommend.

Many thanks to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, and NetGalley for my review copy.

Thank you NetGallet and the publisher for an advanced copy. This book had me hooked from the start. It was impossible to put down. This will be the perfect book to gift my bookworm friends!

When I sat down to read this book I didn't know what to expect . I was pleasantly surprised . I sat down and started reading , I was engrossed by the third chapter . The story has an eerie feeling to it that can send shivers up your spine . The main character Laurel is reeling from a devastating trauma of her life . Her daughter has supposedly run away but she feels that some one took her. After ten years she is trying to put her life back together and when she meets a man in a café . Things start to get serious until the day she meets his daughters . Old wounds open up and questions arise . Will she be able to put the past behind her and will she figure out why and where her daughter is .
The author writes a good story with characters that are strong . The main character Laurel has been through hell and back . She is broken but also doesn't give up. She is put through the ringer so many times . You really start to feel sorry for her , you want to wrap her up and tell her everything will be ok. As you read though you see her as a stronger woman when she has to be . I like how the author makes us feel for the villains in this book . Not going to give you names because it will spoil the book for you . You do kind of feel for them and what they did . They did it for the wrong reasons but the aftermath is right . You will have so many different feeling for them and trust me you will go OMG a few times .
This is a dark read and will keep you on the edge of your seat most of the time . There is also a sadness that runs through this book . A sadness for Ellie and a sadness for Laurel and what they went through . Ellie at the hands of her capture and what she had to go through and Laurel for what happened afterwards and the pieces of her life after Ellie was taken. The book had some good twists and turns but I did kind of figured out what was happening about 30 percent of the way through the book . Over all I enjoyed this dark emotional read . So if you like books that are dark and emotional this will be the book for you

Damn you Lisa Jewell for writing such an amazing story that ripped my heart right out of my chest! Damn you for making me bawl and sob into the wee hours of the night! Damn you for making me feel the pain and grief of all of the characters long after I finished the last sentence of the story! This book was one of the best that I've read in a long time. It was right up my alley!! The writing, the story, the characters....everything was perfect!

We meet Laurel, a woman who has been broken and hollowed out from the sudden loss of her daughter 10 years ago. Her daughter was 15 years old and the youngest of 3 children when she left one day to study at the library and never came home. After 10 years of grief, Laurel has pretty much lost everything - her marriage, her home, a quality relationship with her two surviving kids - and lives an empty shell of a life until she meets Floyd and his daughter Poppy. What happened that fateful day when Ellie never returned? Is it possible for a parent to ever get over such a loss? How does one start to put the pieces back together and heal? This book delves into all of these questions and more. It is about transformation, learning to let go of the past and mending relationships. It will break your heart but it will also fill it with love until it bursts.

I can honestly say I've discovered a new favourite author. I plan to read more from Lisa Jewell. Then She Was Gone is certainly being categorized as a favorite. Folks who enjoy an emotional mystery thriller will adore this book. Just be sure to have a box of tissues near by...

Laurel Mack, mother of three, suddenly loses her identity as her favourite little girl, disappears without a trace.

Ellie Mack is nearly 16 years old and the only thing on her mind is spending the summer with her boyfriend Theo. She’s a positive sunshine girl. Her mother Laurel’s life has no meaning without her daughter, she neglects her other two children and can’t seem to get on with her life. Her marriage did not survive the loss of her child.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Laurel meets Floyd and the connection is immediate as it is with his daughter Poppy. Poppy reminds Lauren of her lost child a lot and there’s something good in that. Floyd’s a bit weird, he knows too much about Laurel’s likes and dislikes, there’s just something strange going on.

Though the story is incredibly creepy and sad, the writing is engaging. I liked it though have to say I had it figured out a bit early.

Lisa Jewell's latest novel "Then She Was Gone" is an expertly written novel about a mother whose youngest child goes missing when she is 15. Although I figured out what happened quite quickly I was still hooked, I needed to find out the how and the why. Watch out for curve balls, because this book is full of them. "Then She was Gone" will keep you wondering until the very end. Expertly written, you will not want to put it down until you unravel it all. 4.5 Stars!

I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down!

I was hooked right from the beginning. Ellie’s disappearance was so mysterious. Even though we get a hint of who was involved in her disappearance early on in the book, the details of what happened are saved until the end. I didn’t want to stop reading because I really wanted to find out what happened to her!

I found Floyd so creepy right from the moment he was introduced. He was a little too good to be true. He seemed like the perfect guy for Laurel, which was too convenient. His daughter was a little odd too. Poppy is very mature for her age and she looks just like Laurel’s daughter. Their appearance in Laurel’s life was suspicious.

Though the novel was very suspenseful, the ending was so emotional that it made me cry. If you’re looking for a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, go read this book!

Another gripping story from Lisa Jewell. This story had just the right mix of murder mystery, family drama, and love interest to keep my attention the whole way through. I was hooked on this one right from the very first page, and actually ending up putting aside sleep to finish it all in one sitting. I'm not even kidding. I will definitely be recommending this book to all my thriller-loving friends, and they will love it like I did. I have no doubts!

I have received a much appreciated digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Laurel's teenage daughter went missing 10 years ago and since then she's just been going through the motions. Eventually she finds closure and a new boyfriend and finds herself moving on, finally happy. But Laurel's new boyfriend's young daughter reminds her a lot of her missing one - so much so that she can't help but wondering, again, what happened 10 years ago to her golden child. The past keeps being dredged up - or dredging itself up - causing Laurel to question everything she knows.


I severely enjoyed this novel. I guessed every plot point correctly but it was still a page-turner. Jewell's writing for the most part is good; it keeps you engaged and interested in the story so well that you just keep flipping the page until boom - you're done.

I really liked Laurel. Her grief made sense. The way she acted towards her family - her husband, particularly - made so much sense to me. You could tell she was struggling still after ten years and how much her family "moving on" affected her. I think her relationship with Floyd, while quick, was written well. It was quite obvious they were both definitely into each other and it helped the novel progress quickly.

My only critique of the novel is that the first person POVs felt really juvenile. Laurel's third person POV fit well and was written perfectly fine, but every so often when the chapters slipped into first person for other characters I felt annoyed at how they spoke despite them being adults.

This novel definitely made me a fan. I look forward to getting into Jewell's other novels!

4 stars
A gripping mystery . There is a lot of foreshadowing in the book but still a lot of surprises thrown in - so a very fine balance and keeps the reader engaged. I enjoyed the various different perspectives used to tell the story .
This is my first Lisa Jewell novel and I would definitely read another one ( or two ...)

4 1/2 thrilling, but heartbreaking stars!

Ellie Mach was a 15-year old girl to had it all ... she was smart, was beautiful (inside and out), had a wonderful boyfriend and a loving family. It was all taken away from her one morning ... when she went missing. After Ellie's disappearance, her family falls apart ... her older brother going off to college hardly ever returning home, her older sister becoming a shell of her former self and her parents divorce because her mother cannot get over Ellie being gone. Ten years later, Laurel (Ellie's mother) meets a man that brings out feelings in her that she hasn't had for a long time. But when Laurel meets Floyd's 9-year old daughter, Poppy ... all the feelings from 10 years previous come back because this little girl looks just like Ellie.

This is the first book that I have read by Lisa Jewel and WOW ... it took me on an emotional roller coaster ride. Even though I knew that some of the characters are not nice people, I couldn't help but feel sorry for them because they all had their troubles and Ms. Jewel was very good at giving you all sides to the story. I cried and I laughed ... but mostly I sobbed! I'd have to stop reading for awhile just to give my eyes a rest. Ecen now, there are tears still falling while I'm writing this. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time, just because of the nature of the story and how it was told. I recommend you have a box of tissue handy when you go to read this book.

I received an ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This was a psychological thriller that I had a hard time putting down. I finished it quickly because I just wanted to see what was going to happen. This story has not violence per se, which is a great way to set the stage for a great read. Ellie was a fifteen year old who wants to do better in Math. She convinces her mother to hire a tutor for her that produces great results. Heading off to the library on morning, she disappears. It is determined by the police that she is a runaway and 10 years later when this story takes place, there has been no sign of her or her body. Her disappearance takes a huge toll on the family. Laurel and Paul divorce and Laurel has difficult relationships with her two surviving children. Will they ever find out what really happened to Ellie?

This was a very suspenseful story. It was told in the past and the present with Laurel as the main narrator. The story was a bit creepy and dark, with some characters that definitely had some major character flaws as well as mental health issues. I was able to figure out what had happened to Ellie pretty early as most other reviewers also said. That being said, the story still captured my interest as I wanted to know if Laurel would figure it out, as well as what had happened to the kidnapper. The author is a great storyteller and structures her plots very well. The minor narrators played a very important role in the story and the revealing of the crime. I will definitely look for more books by Lisa Jewell.

4 stars! This was a spine-tingling and addictive story!

This novel follows Laurel whose teenage daughter, Ellie, went missing ten years ago. Laurel has been battling her grief since the day Ellie disappeared with the hope that she may one day come home. After Ellie’s disappearance, being swallowed up in her sadness and grief, Laurel’s marriage falls apart and she loses her connection with her two other children.

The story is narrated by various characters in Laurel’s life through a Now and Then perspective, each character adding a new layer of suspense and appeal as the novel brilliantly unfolds.

The author, Lisa Jewell, has a fantastic ability to pull you in right from the start. Her writing is strong, compelling and addictive. I look forward to reading more from her!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Lisa Jewell for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!