I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

"Before I disappear" is about a town disappearing along with everyone in it. That sounded like my kind of book. I love to read books that have mystery involved. I loved the writing and the creepy vibe of this book. All the characters are well written. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks Netgalley for the preview!

I really wanted to like this book! The premise was interesting and hooked me, however, I had a heard time staying engaged. The science seemed to meld with fantasy and the story seemed to get away from the science. I did like the characters. Rose was fierce but stubborn and very loyal. I didn't think the romantic component needed to be added but it made for a sweet ending nevertheless.

'Before I Disappear' is probably one of the best books that I've read so far this year, and I definitely don't take that lightly. I was initially intrigued by the mystery surrounding the town going missing and the rest of the description, but almost immediately after I started reading I fell in love with every aspect of this story. And my love for it only grew from there. Every single thing about this book was amazing and I still can't believe it's the author's debut.

Since this is a mysterious science fiction type novel, I won't go into much detail about the plot so I don't give anything away. All I can say was that it was both fascinating and magnificent - and there wasn't any part that didn't blow me away. I loved the creepy mystery surrounding what happens along with the science fiction aspect (not to mention the actual science part of it!). The author blends several genres together to create a book that breaks label barriers of any kind. The characters were all well rounded and complex, even the secondary ones. Of course the main character, Rose, was the most realistic and in depth. She's amazing in so many ways. She's tough, incredibly loving, dedicated, hard working, and will literally do anything for her family. She's had a really tough life, but somehow doesn't become jaded by it - probably due to her little brother Charlie. I loved his character too - he was sweet and unique and very intriguing. Aside from figuring out why the town disappeared and how to get it and the people back, there's a lot of attention on the personal relationships between characters. Not just in the romance department - although that does take place - but mostly love between a family. More specifically, Rose's love for Charlie and her mom. This book has several layers interwoven to create a truly unique story that will appeal to fans of all genres and ages. Very highly recommended!

Before I Disappear was a beautifully written dark and mystery novel. Rose was a great character that was just trying to keep her family safe and together after everything they had been through. Moving to Fort Glory was supposed to change everything for her family but they got more than they bargained for when everyone in the town disappears.
I loved this story as the reader started to piece together the clues as to why all the strange things are happening in this sleepy little town. The atmosphere was rich with so many secrets and each of these characters made this story absolutely amazing. Before I Disappear is Ms. Stinson first novel and I’m so excited to read what is next for her.

I went into this book not really knowing too much about it and was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the character development in Before I Disappear. I would recommend this book to fans of Stranger Things.

Before I Disappear was an interesting book that I don’t think I was quite expecting. I wanted to read it because as a kid I loved a movie called Brigadoon, which is about a disappearing town. This book is absolutely nothing like that, except the town disappears, ha ha.

I did really like the story. At first I wasn’t so sure because there were things, about Charlie especially, that confused me. If you stick with it though, the story becomes really intriguing. Especially as the characters deal with the darkness, which has a lot of connection to the darkness inside themselves.

I would definitely call this book Sci-Fi because it deals a lot with Atom Smashing, Alternate Universes and Wormholes. There is actually a place by me called Fermilab that used to have an Atom Smasher. So I really liked this idea of a program that was built under the town, shut down and recently revived for another use that was affecting the town. So even though the book is Sci-Fi, I felt like it has that thriller aspect that I really love in stories like this. So some of my confusion was good confusion. Like what is happening with this town!! Kind of good way. Plus once you get more and more into the book, things start to make more sense.

I absolutely love the sibling bond between Rosie and Charlie.Charlie is full of wisdom that he gives to her in tid bits and she is his protector. The way they work together is sweet and is a major part of the story. The most important part of the story.

Rosie is a character that has been through a lot. Her history is not pretty and it has made her very skeptical of everyone. She keeps people at arms distance but she also realizes she can't live like this forever. You get to see her struggle with finding a home in the world. She truly loves her brother and mother and would do anything for them. So even though she seems way to prideful at times, she is really trying and that is commendable.

We do end up with a band of characters that work together. Rosie, Ian, Jeremy, Blaine and Becca. I’m always a big fan of having a strong group of characters that work together and play off each other.

It’s hard to talk about the plot because it would ruin the mystery. I definitely found it intriguing though and it is a quick read because the pacing keeps you moving. If you enjoy Sci-Fi thrillers this would be one to check out.

Before I Disappear
by Danielle Stinson
Pub Date: 23 Jul 2019
This one is for fans of Stranger Things. Rose's little brother Charlie has always been special. He feels things no one else does and sees the good in everyone. Rose will do anything to protect Charlie from this cruel world. When she, Charlie, and their mom move to Ft. Glory, Oregon to escape their mom's latest abuse boyfriend. It seems like the perfect town and Rose is determined they will finally be able to settle down here. As Rose is coming back into town from securing a possible lead on housing, the town simply disappears...completely gone. In its place is an untouched forest. Rose can feel Charlie still in this place and goes on a hunt to bring him and anyone else who has disappeared back. The underlying story is about finding yourself and forgiving yourself for your shortcomings before you disappear under your guilt. Different and engaging. I liked it. #BeforeIDisappear #DanielleStinson #NetGalley

*Received via NetGalley for review*

Straddles the line between YA and adult: while it's pretty clearly influenced by A Wrinkle in Time (the strange younger brother, the fiercely protective sister, the darkness, love conquering all, etc.), the tone is a little confused.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, Feiwel & Friends, Fantastic Flying Book Club and Danielle Stinson for this free copy.

First, I wanted to say I’m so sorry for the delay in posting this review. My goal was to have it up at the same time as my interview, but alas life happened. I only recently finished it in its entirety and I didn’t feel right writing a lackluster review without reading this entire thing.

Gosh, this book seriously broke me. It made me think about my brother, and how I would do just about anything for him. This book really tests that theory, because Rose literally has to crawl through Hell to get to him before he and the rest of the world disappear forever. She has to remember every thing that Charlie has ever told her, when it seems like he’s not completely here listening to her, and how he rarely asks her anything but asked her to remember, to protect them. To save them.

Do you hear the music, Rosie?
-Charlie Montgomery

I think having the opportunity to interview Stinson prior to finishing this novel really gave me an insight to what may have been going through her mind when writing this. I won’t claim to say I know exactly what it was, but I could just feel how much Rose and Charlie really lived in her until she was able to pour their souls into these words. I honestly really felt for them, and sometimes I don’t get like that for characters in the contemporary world.

I also need to say that the concept of The Fold, and The DARC are scary as hell, and I hope to heck that nothing like this happens in our real world. You need to read it to figure out why The Fold freaked me out. It’s spoiler worthy so I don’t want to say much, but it definitely has to do with fears, negative thoughts… stuff like that.

The bond that Rose and Charlie had was amazing. Like, it was almost otherworldly how much Rose could feel what was happening with Charlie. If he hurt, she hurt. She felt his pain, and he was so selfless that he never complained about it. I feel like Charlie was the strongest character in this novel, despite being the youngest and separated from the main group for the majority of this whole journey. I still think that he’s not from our world. He has to be some sort of angel or other higher being. There’s no way that he’s just a kid. I can’t accept that.

Clearly I love Charlie so much and I officially adopted him into my makeshift family.

I think another one of my favorite things about this book is that we know that Rose has dealt with some issues. I don’t even think she really trusts herself after what her and her family have been running from. But she still puts others first. She will do anything for Charlie. She will do anything she can for her mother. She will save a stranger from drowning because she thinks about what Charlie would think, what he would say if he was there. But sometimes I also feel like she would have done that anyway, because I don’t think she would want to see someone suffer if they didn’t have to. She could have ditched the group she was with and tried to find Charlie on her own, but she didn’t. She could have left [redacted] to suffer from the darkness, but she didn’t.

She could have let Charlie disappear forever – I mean there was no way she could have known he was really alive and that she was able to rescue him – but she didn’t.

Actually, I don’t think she would have done that anyway, because she would move mountains for her brother. He’s the one thing that kept her going for so long.

Wow I feel like I could love on this book forever. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to read this book and participate in the epic blog tour with Fantastic Flying Book Club. I absolutely love Stinson’s writing, and I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next.

Additional Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Disclaimer: I received this book on NetGalley and from the publisher. I was also given a copy from Fantastic Flying Book Club. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: July 23, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (disappearing people and spooky happenings)

Publisher: Feiwel Friends

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Rose Montgomery parks her family’s trailer in Fort Glory, Oregon with one goal: to carve out a new life for herself and her little brother, Charlie. They need a fresh start for their family, and she thinks she’s finally found it in a town where nobody knows them.

But Rose’s plans come crashing down when, in an instant, Fort Glory disappears and every person in town vanishes into thin air—including Charlie.

Rose and four other teens become trapped in the Fold, a patch of woods caught halfway between the real world and the lost town. In the Fold, a mysterious force suspends the laws of physics, and everyone’s inner darkness has the power to kill.

To survive the Fold, Rose must unravel the clues Charlie sends her from the missing town. And Rose has to find Charlie soon—or he’ll be gone forever

Review: I thought the writing was amazing in this book, you can tell the author is well mastered in this book. The characters are well developed, the story is amazingly vibrant, and the whole book just feels you with this eerie feeling. It’s a good book for thrill seekers.

However, I did think that the book was very hard to get into and the pacing is really slow. The book can be confusing at times too and it demands absolute attention.

Verdict: If you can devote yourself to this book it’s amazing!

I read the synopsis of Before I disappear and as soon as I read the part about the town disappearing along with everyone in it I knew it was my kind of book. I love a read that has mystery involved. I loved the writing and the creepy vibe of this book. All the characters are well written. I really enjoyed it!

Rose and her family have been on the run for a while. She thinks that they've finally gotten to a safe location, but a new danger connected to the old danger follows her. She's trying to make a better life for them, only to have the town they're living in, and all the residents, disappear from existence. She finds her way into the Fold and joins up with some other stragglers as they try to find her missing brother and the rest of the town.

While this book does have a lot of science fiction elements, this is really a novel about growing as a person and understanding that while the past can guide you, it doesn't need to be your defining factor. Rose and Ian's relationship develops a lot faster than I feel it should have, but I guess when you're trying to survive before the wormhole that is eating your town eats you feelings develop quicker. I love that everyone has a chance for redemption in this story. It's also fast paced and keeps you interested, though some of the chapters seem to leap instead of glide into the next. Also, for all the wormholes, alternate dimensions, and string theory that is talked about, it's not so scientific heavy that the reader gets lost. I definitely enjoyed this book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

What I liked

I really enjoyed reading Before I disappear. The writing style was fluid and simply perfect. It was easy to get through the chapters and you didn’t see the time fly past.
The idea of this novel was great as well. At some parts it reminded me a lot of Under the Dome by Stephen King and I loved that book. And Under the Dome was messed up as well. (In a good way of course!)
Before I Disappear has a great storyline and I’m interested in reading more by Danielle Stinson in the future. And who knows maybe we get more of Rosie? But I do think that the ending was great as it was and that there won’t be a second book coming out.

What I didn’t like

I thought that the last few chapters were a bit strange. The atmosphere changed and the whole story started to become strange and I had some troubles to follow.
I also thought that it started to drag a lot after 70% which was a bit annoying at some times and this is also one of the reasons why I didn’t give it 5 stars.

Overall, it was a great book with some flaws but definitely a great and quick read. If you liked Under the dome then you will like this one too.

Before I Disappear is the perfect book to fill the void of Stranger Things minus the 80s nostalgia and snarkiness. I am usually not a huge sci-fi fan but when it’s kids trying to figure out alternate planes then I’m on board. This book was like the Breakfast Club of YA Sci-fi. There were multiple characters with different backgrounds and other than Rose all of them had crossed paths prior to the mess they are in.

The premise of the story is just insane. A whole town just disappearing!! Just that fact alone is what drew me to this book because I had to know how this happened and how it all played out. I really liked the message the book portrayed as well. We are not our past and we have to learn to forgive ourselves.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 (4 out of 5 stars) As much as I liked this book the sudden ending really left me with so many questions. After getting that invested with these characters to not know how it all turns out really disappointed me. This book is worth the read and I recommend it for any fans of Stranger Things.

Rose together with her mother and brother Charlie moves from the city to the city. They are running and trying to find a safe place to live. Their next stop is Fort Glory. Rose wants this city to be their final destination. She works at Rusty where she meets people from the city and a lot of journalists who are trying to gain more information about DARC scientific organization. Rose is trying to fit in and ask her family to do the same. Her brother is very different from other kids. He is absent most of the time living in his own world but also he is very sensitive on sounds that no one hears and their environment. He hears the song of coming darkness and warns his sister about it. Rose is too busy to understand what he means and thinks it’s all just his weird way of expressing his feelings. She changes her mind when she leaves the city for an interview in another city and there no way back home as the city disappeared together with people inside including her brother and mother. She is trying to find her way to find her family and bring them back.

The unique story of unexpected events, full of science and unbreakable love. The characters in the book have a wide told past. They are also developing with each chapter of the book.

Rose is a caring good person who does everything for her family without thinking about herself. She is ready to sacrifice her life to save her younger brother from the darkness. She meets Ian, Blaine, Jeremy, and Becca in the forest where they stuck and without a way to go out. They become friends and care for each other. With the time they all together need to face dangerousness of the forest they are in.

One of the most interesting characters in the book is Charlie, the younger brother of Rose. He acts differently from the beginning of the book. I like the way he sees the world. He would never leave a single soul to suffer. Charlie feels the world more intensive. Thanks to this, he is able to save lives during the dark times which met the city.

I didn’t finish a book yet because I’m on the vacation right now and didn’t have as much time to read it. I have 50 more pages to go so I’m very close to the end. However, I can already say how good is this book. I didn’t expect the events of the book and the relationships in it. The book is a fast read because when you start you can’t put the book down. I highly recommend it to people who like to read a book where fantasy meets science. You will love this book and all the characters in it.

Seventeen-year-old Rose Montgomery, her mom Helen and her little brother Charlie have been living on the run for a long time. Rose and Charlie’s father disappeared when Charlie was still a baby and after that, things fell apart. Helen became depressed, and entered into a relationship with an abusive piece of shit referred to only as the Monster. Rose, Helen and Charlie fled the Monster, but he kept pursuing them farther and farther West. At the beginning of the novel, the Montgomerys are lying low in Nevada when Charlie, who has always been a bit strange, insists that the family move West to Fort Glory, Oregon for reasons Rose doesn’t quite understand. When she sees that the charity Hands for Hearths (a definite Habitat for Humanity expy) has an affiliate office in Fort Glory, she decides to go for it. All Rose wants for her family is a permanent home - someplace better than the ramshackle trailer in which they crossed the country. Hands for Hearths is her best hope.

Fort Glory isn’t just your average town on the Oregon Coast - it’s the site of DARC, the Deep Atomic Research Collider, Oregon’s answer to the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. The facility had been shut down, until three weeks ago when it was brought back online...at practically the same moment Charlie started telling Rose that they needed to move to Fort Glory. Spoooooky....

While the Montgomerys adjust to life in Fort Glory, including the influx of tourists, journalists and conspiracy theorists drawn in by DARC, weird things start happening in the town. Crime rises. People randomly go crazy. Rumors are that the DARC is messing with things it shouldn’t be messing with, like poking holes into other dimensions. Because it worked so well on Stranger Things.

Rose just shrugs all this weirdness off - she has bigger problems, like earning a paycheck, helping her family get a house, keeping their ancient truck running and making sure there’s enough food to eat. Charlie, who is clearly some sort of Kid Hero capable of seeing things most other people can’t, tries repeatedly to warn Rose that something bad is about to happen, but, again, she just brushes it off. Rose drives to the nearby town of Maple to the Hands for Hearths office when the whole world goes crazy. The sky turns green, people start attacking each other, even Labrador retrievers turn against their humans! So Rose heads back to Fort Glory as she can as fast only to find that the road literally stops just outside of town. There’s nothing beyond it except old growth forest.

The whole town is gone, along with everyone in it.

Rose, desperate to find her mom and Charlie, runs into the woods. After some shenanigans, she feels this weird tugging...suddenly she’s yanked sideways into a place known as the Fold. The Fold looks like the woods around Fort Glory, but something is wrong. Really, really wrong. Rose quickly teams up with four other teens who have found themselves stuck in the Fold - including the hunky ex-con Ian, whose dark past has made him an outcast in Fort Glory, but as Rose gets to know him, he really doesn’t seem so bad...plus it’s nice to not be alone in the Fold, where the laws of physics don’t apply and your inner demons can physically hurt you. But wormholes and darkness monsters be damned, Rose is going to find Charlie, damn it!

Oh, and her mom. Her, too. It’s not like she forgot her mom was missing, too...

Before I Disappear is a quick, exciting read - it’s also a standalone, which, having read nothing but the first of serieses for a long while, is very refreshing. I love the setting - as a native Oregonian, I am a sucker for stories set in my beloved, bizarre home state.

Character-wise, the one character we get to know best is Rose, which makes sense as the novel is written from her first-person perspective. Unfortunately, we don’t get to know the side characters as well - Blaine, Becca, and Jeremy aren’t nearly as well-developed. Charlie, aside from being a mysterious child who can see into other dimensions, doesn’t have much of a personality. He’s just an odd kid and Rose absolutely adores him. Rose’s mom falls by the wayside entirely - most of the novel has Rose laser-focused on finding Charlie, while her mom is a bit of an afterthought. But, again, that’s the limitation of the first-person perspective. Aside from Rose, the most developed character is Ian, who apparently has starburst eyes. Both he and Rose are on the run from their pasts, and being in the Fold is forcing them to confront some pretty harsh truths about themselves and their lives.

My biggest complaint concerning Before I Disappear would be the ending. The story just ends. I would’ve loved a denouement or an epilogue or something where we could see what happens to the characters after the end of the main action...but instead we get action action action action end. So many stories end that way, I wanna know what people get up to when they get home after the adventure, damn it! I’m guessing lots of people, as soon as the adventure is over, just go home, shower, stuff food into their faces and then sleep for the next three straight days. Or maybe go to a hospital. Or immediately get arrested, like in Keanu. Either way, I wish we could’ve gotten more than just “hey it’s over!”

You know how sometimes you start reading a book, and within just a few pages, you're already saying, "I LOVE this!"? That was Before I Disappear for me. Right away, I could tell there was going to be something special in these pages---I was immediately wrapped up in the intrigue: What's so odd about Charlie? What's this music he's hearing? Why have they had to move so much? What are they running from? What dangers are lurking in Fort Glory?

Well, I'm happy to say that the book never let me down. I was riveted throughout. I don't want to say too much about what happens because I think it will be more fun to discover on your own, but I will say that a whole lot of craziness ensues when Fort Glory disappears. But I also loved these characters. Both Ian and Rose are obviously broken in many ways, but you can tell that both of them want something more out of life. I was definitely hoping these two would end up together in the end. Then there's sweet Becca, nerdy Blaine and Jeremy, who has his own role to play, but I don't want to say much about it. And Charlie. Ah, Charlie: full of mystery and wonder. And poetry! His short sections are written in verse (and I couldn't have loved them more!!). I will say, I had pretty much figured out Rose's secret long before the big reveal at the end, but that didn't ruin the emotional impact of it. Honestly, I can't think of much to say as far as negatives go. This book was pure perfection!

Perfect for fans of Stranger Things or A Wrinkle in Time (the book distinctly reminded me of both of those at some points---even while it stood very much on its own), this mind-bending sci-fi is sure to set your imagination racing!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley and FFBC blog tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

WOW Before I Disappear was a fantastic novel. I was hooked from page one and it was full of non stop action. I was flying through every chapter to find out what would happen to Rose and her gang of misfits. Great book for everyone.

I decided to DNF this one, sadly. I feel like I dont care at all about these characters and what’s happening. I’m just not feeling any emotions. It’s like I’m being told how to feel about the mystery and about the characters instead of pulling me in. In one part the MC is reminding herself she can’t trust anyone, not even anything she’s seeing, like its supposed to make it so mysterious but it feels like the author is trying to force me to feel it. As if that reminder was meant for me - to make sure I had the correct amount of suspicion in the right places towards this story.

Plus it also has a lot more sci-fi mumbo jumbo than I care for. Stuff about atoms and black holes, which, so early on, feels like it’s wanting me to already form theories and make educated guesses on what happened. (Likely so it can have a big “unexpected” twist, but that’s just my assumption.) I’m just not feeling it, but I’m sure some who are more into these kinds of stories could enjoy it. Hence the lack of an actual rating. It did have a Stranger Things feel to it which could be compelling to the right reader.