This one took a bit to get where it was going. The theme of "where is Emily" is repeated over and over, perhaps a bit too often. But the author does a great job building up the creepy factor. I was not expecting it to end the way it did, which is what we are looking for in this type of book, no? I think this one would make a great beach read, as it can be read in a couple sittings and it keeps you hanging on.

I received an ARC for my honest review.

Well, here’s a weird little coincidence. Two stories in the past week which have included the story about the 1920s actress that did a head dive off the Hollywood sign. Anyway…
The Disappearing Act follows actress Mia Elliot when she leaves London for LA. She’s just starred in a remake of Jane Eyre, about to be nominated for a BAFTA, but her personal life is in shambles and it seems like a good time to vamoose. Plus, her agent has all these upcoming shows to audition for. At one audition, she helps out a fellow actress and ends up with her belongings. When the gal comes to collect her stuff, it’s not the same woman.
Catherine Steadman is an actress and it shows. I felt like I got a real taste of casting calls, screen tests and all the hoopla that goes into being cast for a role. She also put together what seemed to be a pretty accurate portrayal of Hollywood. But I just couldn’t believe the premise of the story. Ok, yes I could believe that Mia tried to help Emily. But I couldn’t believe that she wouldn’t let it go. And then it takes a turn towards the unbelievable, because Mia is just so bloody gullible and naive. The book goes on for a while with minimum tension or real suspense. It picks up at the end, but the entire time, I was shaking my head. Credit where credit is due, I had no clue who the villain in the piece was or how it would play out.
This is decent entertainment and doesn’t really tax the brain.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for an advance copy of this book.

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🎬 After being nominated in her home country for a BAFTA, Mia Eliot travels to Hollywood to find her next big break. At one audition, Mia meets another actress, Emily, who hands over her car keys and wallet when Mia offers to refill her parking while she auditions. When Mia returns, she finds that Emily has vanished.

🎬 Catherine Steadman, a British actress herself (Downton Abbey), has captured the glittery glamour of Hollywood as well as the competitive drama of auditioning. I have always been intrigued by the acting world and this book was thoroughly entertaining. Full of unpredictable twists, I highly recommend this one!

4.5 stars!

After not finishing a previous Catherine Steadman book, I went into The Disappearing Act with an open mind. Starting off in London following an already successful actress, we journey with her to film-makings mecca: Hollywood. Mia stumbles to get herself situated before she finds herself in a somewhat annoying predicament. She's offered to do a nice thing for a stranger and now she's left to track that stranger down and return notably valuable items - their wallet and keys. The story that unfolds is a bit chaotic, annoying, and eye roll worthy.

I found Mia's character to be extremely unlikeable in that she is so naive and just not smart. Her choices don't seem to be authentic choices a person in her situation would make so it felt pushed onto us by the author. The foreshadowing is definitely done well, as I had a "duh" lightbulb moment when things came full circle.

I don't think the author did a very good job of characterizing Americans, most noticeably with their vernacular and "text messaging behavior" - if we are lead to believe these are American actors thriving in LA I don't think they would be signing off on texts with their Name after each one with a polarizing British x or xx!!

The way Mia was weaved into this already happening story also didn't feel natural, more like a convenient wrap up to just end the book.

Another thing that irritated me was how some simple details just didn't match up. In particular, this sentence: "There are nine executives working for the company and three executive assistants. Of the executives, five are male and one is female." uhhh.. okay, so what were the other 3? Cats? What was the purpose of including a sum that didn't add up!

As a whole, I wanted to know what happened to Emily so I continued reading on. The ending was a bit far fetched but most thrillers are these days.

Mia Eliot is an actress on the way to stardom. Then, her boyfriend leaves her. Leaving London for LA seems to be the perfect way to get over him. LA is perfect an expensive car, a beautiful apartment, and star maker auditions. She meets Emily at an audition and does her a favor. But then Emily disappears leaving Mia with her car keys and wallet. Soon things are misplaced or missing. Mia starts to look for answers . I thought I had it figured out, but I was wrong. My anxiety grew over what Mia was heading into on her search. A good book. You won't see it coming. Thank you net galley.!!

Mia, an up and coming British actress heads to Hollywood for editions and meets “Emily” only to find her missing shortly after. This book didn’t hold my interest like I was hoping. I was bored at 60% in. If I’m not into it by then, it’s not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Will definitely look for more books by this author as I really enjoyed Something in the Water.

4.5 stars
I have read the author's previous two books, and I liked them but didn't LOVE them. I can say for certain that this one is her best yet. I. Loved. It.
The story is interesting, the main character is well-developed and the book itself is fast-paced. Plenty of twists and turns, and it messed with my head in the best possible way. I could not put this down. Mia is a good character, who consistently makes the same kind of decisions that I would make- in other words, at no point at the book was I screaming, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?" This is an underrated quality in a main character.
A psychological thriller with Hollywood glamour. This would be the perfect book to devour poolside.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House / Ballantine Books for the ARC!

Thank you to @atRandom and #NetGalley for the digital ARC #TheDisappearingAct. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I read Catherine Steadman's first book "Something in the Water" and thought it was just OK. The plot seemed a little far-fetched to me. But the description for The Disappearing Act intrigued me and I was NOT disappointed. This book grabs you from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens. While I don't have a lot in common with the main character (she's a british actress in LA during pilot season to find her"big break"), I found her really relatable and understood what motivated her behavior. It also enjoyed the "insiders" peek at Hollywood and celebrity and just how far some will go to succeed at any cost.

This book was a fun, page-turning read, perfect for poolside. Definitely recommend.

This expose about what it takes to become a Hollywood star (or maybe about the shallowness of Hollywood) was obviously written by someone in the know. The suspense was okay, but the real plus of the novel was the insight into Fantasyland.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Mia is a British actress who heads to LA after a horrible breakup and finds herself in the heart of a mystery involving the disappearance of a missing woman.

4 solid stars!! I really enjoyed this book! The LA/Hollywood theme was so fun to read. I loved the additions of the swag bag party and the tour of the Hollywood hills.

The characters were all well-written and they all sort of cast suspicion and doubt well enough that the book wasnt predictable.

I would highly recommend this book for a fun vacation or beach read - its a great page turner!

Thank you very much to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reviews posted at #Netgalley, #Facebook and #Goodreads.

This book was interesting from the first pages to the last. An English actress is in Hollywood for auditions during the few weeks when pilots are begun. There is a crazy bit when she walks into an audition waiting room and realized that all the actresses look weirdly simi!ar, including her.

There was a time when I thought I was having trouble concentrating and then realized I was as confused as the protagonist, trying to make sense where nothing seemed to be what it was. The author did an amazing job on this seemingly simple but complex mystery. This is a great mystery worthy of a five star rating.

I recieved an Advanced Reader's Copy from Random House through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entire!y my own.
#TheDisappearingAct #NetGalley

This is the story of a young actress who comes to California in search of fame, but finds something else. Mia is waiting for a call when she meets Emily who is also waiting. Emily asks Mia to feed her car meter and gives Mia her wallet and keys. When Mia returns, there is no Emily. So begins the search for Emily.

After reading “ Something in the Water” I was excited to jump into the The Disappearing act. Catherine Steadman delivers captivating storytelling with this whodunit mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.  Her writing is evenly paced and engaging.  An inside looks at an up and coming IT girl in Hollywood who finds herself in the middle of a missing persons mystery- surrounded by people she doesn’t know or trust. Unpredictable, page turning mystery that will appeal to a broad range of audiences

I've been a huge fan of Catherine Steadman ever since reading her debut novel, Something in the Water. Her newest novel, The Disappearing Act, introduces us to Mia Elliot. Mia is an extremely talented British actress, who most recently starred in Jane Eyre and is up for a BAFTA for that role. She's a hot property now, and her manager wants to strike while the iron is hot, so she sends Mia off to Hollywood for a week of auditions and interviews. At her first audition, Mia meets another actress named Emily. While they're striking up a conversation, the receptionist calls for Emily as it's her turn to audition. Emily is reluctant to go in because her car is parked in a nearby lot and the time is up so she's afraid of being towed. Mia offers to help her out by putting money in the meter for Emily while she's auditioning; she takes Emily's keys and wallet in order to do so. Once done, Mia goes back into the audition space for her own turn. She doesn't see Emily right off the bat, but she assumes Emily is still in the audition or is in the rest room. When she's called in for her own audition, Mia goes in figuring she'll catch up with Emily afterwards. However, Emily is nowhere to be found, no one has any idea where she is, and the receptionist at the audition office refuses to hold Emily's keys and wallet, leaving Mia stuck with them. As she searches for Emily, Mia meets a handsome businessman in the parking lot. His name is Nick, and of course he's also involved in the movie biz.

The real action and suspense get started later on when, after finding a telephone number for Emily on her rental car contract, Mia contacts Emily about retrieving her keys and wallet. When she shows up at Mia's rental that night, Mia realizes that the woman at her door is not the same woman she met at the audition. Yes, they look a lot alike, but Mia is fairly certain that it's not the same Emily. The remainder of the novel takes the reader on a wild ride to find out the truth about Emily.

Now at this point, I have to acknowledge that this set up -- Mia and Emily meeting, Emily needing to immediately feed the meter, Emily handing over her wallet and keys to a complete stranger, and oh, Mia leaving her own bag unattended throughout all of this -- requires a huge leap of logic. And yet, it all worked for me. What I love about books is the storytelling. It takes massive talent to weave a story that grabs my attention immediately and keeps it gripped for three or four hundred pages. It takes even greater talent to do that with a story that isn't necessarily plausible. Stephen King is the GOAT in this regard, and, while in a completely different genre, I think Catherine Steadman has that same story telling magic. For three novels now, Steadman has kept me staying up late fervently reading every word she writes. The Disappearing Act is another roller coaster of a ride, and I loved it. Her characters are always well developed, and in this novel, she did a fabulous job bringing the good, bad, and ugly of Hollywood to life. I especially appreciated the factoids about the famous Hollywood sign.

Special thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an advance e-book in exchange for an honest review. I'll be recommending it to all my friends as soon as it is published on June 8, 2021.

3.5/4 stars. Interesting story about an actress out in LA that finds herself searching for a fellow actress she recently met that has disappeared.

The writing was good and it keep me hooked but there were some plot lines that didn’t seem realistic or seemed to be lacking more detail. If the book was a bit longer to build out on those details, including more detail with the book ending, it would have enhanced the story for me.

Oh my goodness. This book takes off and as you flip through pages you are struck by the unraveling of the mystery. Starting from the beginning there is so much going on that keeps your attention and diverts it from the underlying story that you just stay up late to finish the book. Heart pounding action and characters you will enjoy this book has it. British actress who comes to America for a short visit, hoping to land some new and exciting roles that will ensure a successful career. We like Mia Eliot from the start. She’s down-to-earth, goodhearted, hard-working, and a bit too trustworthy. It’s this last trait that makes you a nervous wreck while reading; you want to scream at her to run, don’t trust, don’t be nice. But that’s what makes her endearing. Mia meets Emily, another actress at an audition, and through an odd chain of events, she ends up with Emily’s wallet and keys. This sets off a chain reaction of super fast-paced events where Mia just can’t convince herself to be quiet and walk away. Very enjoyable, very entertaining and lots of fun. LA after dark proves to be a great stage and one of the most famous signs ever makes for an especially striking finale. There are morals and lessons, but in the end it’s all about the high cost of and the irresistible siren song of fame. The mystery of Emily Bryant is well done and creative. The author does a good job of keeping Mia and the reader off-balance. What you think is going on is probably not correct, or at least not entirely correct. The ending seems like it is going to be disappointing, but the author throws in a satisfying twist.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Loved this book!! It was so perfect with the twists it made you question everyone in here. Great read that I got through in one sitting.

Thank you so much for this ARC! I was so beyond thrilled to receive this book. I was completely obsessed and still rave about Something In The Water. Mr. Nobody was a bit of a miss for me, but I now have a new obsession! The Disappearing Act is definitely another 5 star read.

What I loved about this book was that the mystery had so many layers! You think you know, then you're wrong, then you think you have it figured out again, but guess what? You don't. I totally enjoyed the setting, even the choice of Audi (ha!), and the storyline. At times I felt like I was part of the twisted script.

Total win here!

I really wanted to like this book, but I had a hard time with it. The premise is not very believable and the execution falls short. The pacing feels a little off and there's an overall sense that the writer is simply moving cardboard cut-outs around on a stage. I didn't buy Emily giving Mia her wallet and keys simply because she was concerned about a parking ticket -- and honestly, Mia shouldn't have bought into it either. I kept shaking my head in disbelief and was never able to immerse myself in the world of the story. The plot and character motivations come across as so unrealistic. Some readers will enjoy the inside look at Hollywood and will keep turning the pages to find out what happened to Emily. Unfortunately, I couldn't work myself up to anything more than a passing curiosity about her fate or that of our main character, Mia.

This book was a quick read for me. I enjoyed the idea of a thriller about a missing person, wrapped with vague undertones of second guessing oneself and everyone around you. Technically, everyone was a stranger to Mia, so she could only count on herself for her memories, but even those were skewed, as she haphazardly tries to piece the puzzle together as to what really happened and perhaps more importantly, why is this happening to her.