"Unmissing" is a crazy, creepy story, much darker and more twisted than I expected. Once you start reading, you will not want to stop. Newlyweds Lydia and Luca Coletto moved to his hometown of Bent Creek, Oregon and were working on getting their new life together started, with Luca pursuing his dream of owning and operating a restaurant. One summer evening, while Luca was shopping, Lydia decided to go for a hike, a habit of hers, but she never returned. She was kidnapped by a "Monster", who would keep her imprisoned for nine-and-a-half years, torturing and abusing her. Ten years after her disappearance, and long since she was declared dead, Lydia has returned to Bent Creek with plans to confront her husband. She knows that since her "death", he has remarried and opened a series of successful restaurants, living the high life. She has nothing against his second wife, Merritt, and has no desire to make things difficult for her, but she needs assistance from Luca in order to get her new life started in a more comfortable fashion than her old life. However, Luca and Merritt's life is not as golden as it appears -- they are expecting their second child very soon, a glorious event, but they are struggling financially, having to lay off staff and close some of their restaurants, and are trying to sell their remaining restaurants to a franchise, so they can remain financially secure and start over. Merritt is determined to not let anything disrupt the life she has built, even if that means befriending Lydia and assisting her in getting her new start. However, Luca is becoming more distant and secretive, and is unwilling to discuss Lydia. Luca, Merritt, and Lydia all have plans for how to deal with the situation they find themselves in, but each one has secrets they are hiding that will disrupt the plans of the others.

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

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: February 15, 2022

SUMMARY:
This is the story of Lydia and Merritt - Luca’s former wife and his new wife. Merritt and Luca have the perfect marriage and family - until his former wife Lydia, who has been missing for 10 years and presumed dead, shows up at their front door. Obviously in need of help, Merritt and Luca agree to do so…but what truths will be told when they learn of her story? Will they be able to return to their young family and their beloved way of life? Or will hidden secrets threaten to destroy them all…

PROS and CONS:
Ooh - this is a good one! Twists, turns, alternating POV’s - I loved it all!! Great characters in Merritt and Lydia, a lightning quick story with a clear and concise plot - well done!!!

READ IT?
Yes definitely - the new year is off to a great start with a fun little thriller like this one!

4 Stars

Having recently discovered Minka Kent as an author I was very excited to read a copy of her newest book. Unmissing goes between Lydia and Merritt’s Point of view, both women who were married to the same man. LYdia has been missing and presumed dead years before and when she suddenly appears back into her husbands new families life. This book was filled with so many twists and so well written I couldn’t put it down. Kent had quickly become one of my new favorites. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for a chance to read this book for my opinion.

I’d round this up to 4 stars. The storyline sucked me in but I’m not going to lie I got kind of bored until about half way through then BAM the first twist hits and i ended reading the rest of the book in one sitting. Merritt opens the door to find her husbands late wife Lydia standing there. How can that be if she was declared dead 10 years ago? why she’d come back? What does she want? Who was behind all of this?

If you find it slow like I did, don’t put it down, push through it, i promise it’s worth it! this game me some type of gone girl vibes.

I read this book in a day. It was such an easy and fun read! I love when a book literally makes me gasp in surprise and this book certainly did that for me! The main character Lydia is kidnapped but after 10 years escapes her captor. Minka Kent tells a captivating story with so many twists and turns, I could not put it down! I will definitely be recommending this!

Lydia went missing nearly a decade ago. Her husband, Luca, urged the police to look for her but eventually the case went cold, and Luca had Lydia declared dead. Luca moved on and remarried, had children, became an entrepreneurial success. But one day while Luca is out of town, and his current (pregnant) wife, Merritt, is home alone, a woman shows up at her door claiming to be his deceased first wife Lydia. What really happened all those years ago and how does someone just become Unmissing?

This book was wonderful! There were three major twists throughout the story, and I was floored by them! I finished the book in just a few days because I couldn’t put it down! Unmissing is definitely a page-turner. I absolutely LOVED it!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Minka Kent for providing me with an advanced reading copy. This ARC was in exchange for my honest review.

This was the epitome of a 5 star read for me. A long presumed dead wife comes back after mysteriously vanishing 9 years ago... Where was she? And who took her? Adjusting to this new world where her husband has moved on, Lydia is determined to right the wrongs that have traumatised her all these years.

This novel had twists and turns and had me hooked from the start. If you love a fast paced, can't-put-down thriller then this is DEFINITELY the book for you!

I can't say the basic story is all that unique - a woman goes missing, is declared dead but turns up very much alive a decade later - but the details, including a couple of gobsmacking twists, give this one an edge that makes it quite entertaining and hard to put down. The victim is Lydia Coletto, who got married a relatively short time before her abduction; after 10 years of being held captive and tortured, she escapes - and shows up on her husband's doorstep. Problem is, that same husband had her declared dead years ago and is now married to another woman, Merritt, with whom he has a young daughter and a son on the way. Can you say oops?

For her part, Lydia insists she's just looking for some kind of closure; understandably, Luca and Merritt are shaken to the core, but they vow to do what they can to help Lydia (except, of course, anything that would seriously damage their marriage). Over the years, they've built a successful business in the restaurant industry, in the process becoming rather wealthy and able to live a cushy lifestyle. They're not sure exactly what Lydia wants from them, but they decide to befriend her for the time being (figuring, I suppose, that it's easier to catch a fly with honey than vinegar).

Chapters alternate from the perspectives of Lydia and Merritt, so readers get a look inside their heads as the story builds. I must say I was never fond of Merritt, who seems quite a controlling (but a bit paranoid) woman. Similarly, I never quite trusted Lydia, especially when she ignored solid advice from a new friend and sets off in her own direction. But as the book description hints, more than one character has a secret - and let me tell you, a couple of them are doozies.

My only disappointment is the ending; it seemed a bit abrupt, and I would like to have learned more about what happens to a couple of the characters. But that said, it was quite enjoyable and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

I really enjoyed this plot. I was intrigued with how it just jumped into missing wife on new wife's doorstep! Say what? Then, it slowed down for me. It took until about 60% for me to get into it again. So, while I enjoyed it, I think it could have been about 100 pages shorter to make it a real page turner. Overall, I still enjoyed the story and am glad I finished it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy!

I have enjoyed other books by Minka Kent, and this one -- her newest -- did not disappoint! It is very difficult to discuss this book without giving much away. It is the story of a first wife who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, was declared legally dead, and then suddenly appeared on the second wife's doorstep many years later. Told from alternating points of view of the two wives, this is so suspenseful and has so many twists and turns that it is easily read in one sitting. And, what an ending! I am definitely looking forward to Minka Kent's next novel.

Lydia appears on the doorstep of her husband's home after being missing for 10 years....so now she is unmissing? She seeks out her husband first to get her life back and finds that he has the perfect life with her left behind and forgotten-perfect wife, perfect job, perfect child with another on the way.... Lydia has a plan to get her life back but she doesn't know that there are other plans waiting for her.

This book started off with a bang and then repeated what we already knew as a reader, and then repeated it again, and maybe again BUT I do believe it was setting the scene for the second half of the book because from about 60% on the book was BONKERS! I did not see a few things coming AT ALL! Thoroughly enjoyed this one and have heard nothing but good things about it. I was super excited when I got an ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in return for a honest review. I have already recommended this book and look forward to reading more from Minka Kent as this was my first read from her.

This was my favorite of the Minka Kent books I've read. It absolutely flew by, even though it became a bit too absurd in the final 20% or so. Great premise, but the landing wasn't entirely stuck for me.

I was very happy with this book! Rated it a 4. I love how it switched between two time periods for the perspective smoothly. The details really made you feel like you were there.

Minka Kent has provided readers with yet another “can’t put it down” psychological roller-coaster ride that has so many twists and turns it will have readers turning the pages so fast it’s a wonder we don’t all end up with paper cuts .

Take one husband, add two wives (one abducted and supposedly dead for the past ten years who suddenly re-appears the other very pregnant and apparently welcoming) mix well with a kaleidoscope of multiple perspectives and a dark and clever story line and you have UNMISSING - a domestic thriller that sees Ms. Kent at her very best at offering her readers a suspense filled thriller that is as addictive as any narcotic on the market today.

It’s like Gone Girl meetsTheTalented Mr. Ripley. You’re sure to gobble up this tasty treat in one sitting.

Psychological thrillers aren't my normal genre, but when I pick up a good one like this one I am always reminded why I'm compelled to read the genre in the first place.

I look for two things in my thrillers:
1) Did I want to sit and read the entire book in one sitting because I couldn't stand not knowing?
2) Did the book make me gasp out loud at least once?

The answer to both questions above was yes! I stayed up way later than I should have trying to finish the book (I failed, but then immediately picked it back up and finished it the next morning). I also gasped not once but twice out loud -- that makes this a winner!

The former English teacher in me just loves an unreliable narrator, and this book gives you not one, but two of them. Lydia is a young wife who is completely infatuated with her husband Luca when she is kidnapped from a hiking trail and brought to a remote cabin. The author uses a fantastically placed time jump, choosing to have Lydia share details of her time as a captive in flashbacks rather than in current time (this is a bonus, I think, for readers who may be worried about triggers). The story is written in compelling, fast-paced chapters, alternating between Lydia's point of view and that of Merritt, Luca's new wife. Merritt, pregnant with her and Luca's second child, is equally as besotted with her husband and their perfect little family; her marriage is strong and she is supportive of the man who lost his first wife so tragically. Her world comes crashing down upon her when Lydia, the first wife presumed dead, shows up on her doorstep.

Unmissing is a captivating mix of thriller and introspection. It left me wondering what I would do if my husband's dead ex-wife were to suddenly reappear. This strange circumstance left me questioning the motives of each and every character, but even still I was surprised by the twists.

I've said this about this author's romances, and it's also true of her thrillers: this is the type of book I wish I could read again for the first time. Even still, a second read (now knowing the ending) would be warranted to see if I pick up any new clues the author masterfully wove throughout the plot.

A pacy, gripping read with some surprising twists, told from two viewpoints. I read it quickly and enjoyed getting to know both main characters, always sensing there was more going on than met the eye. I did have an idea, which turned out to be right, but it didn't spoil the story, and I didn't guess the ending!

Will look out for more by this author.

I was pretty sure I'd figured out the book, but it had some more surprises in store. That's that stuff I like. (I'm sorry; I'm still terrible at talking about books I enjoy.) Anyway, no, it's not the most believable story, but it's fun.

This is an amazing domestic psychological thriller! My first by Minka Kent but it definitely will not be my last! There were several unexpected twists and turns that make you just keep turning the pages.

Lydia went missing 10 years ago and randomly shows up at the door steps of her husband’s (Luca) house, when her husbands’ new wife, Merritt, answers the door. Since Lydia’s disappearance and declaration of death, Luca is well off and happily married with 1 child and a baby on the way. Trying to regain Lydia’s life is complicated and there are so many hidden secret that make it so intriguing.

*****Published 2/15/22. Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Minka Kent for this advanced reading copy. This ARC was provided for my honest opinion!

This is the first book I’ve read by Minka Kent and I absolutely loved it!

I was drawn in from the very beginning and was completely entertained through to the final twist!

I love the short and fast paced chapters which alternated between Lydia and Merritt. Lydia was Luca’s first wife who went missing 10 years ago and was declared dead. Then one night she shows up at Luca and Merritt’s door and then the craziness begins.

If you like domestic thrillers with unreliable narrators, I definitely recommend this one!

Uffffda, this is a wild psychological thriller. Lydia went missing and was presumed dead. Her husband, Luca, remarries and has a beautiful family with Merritt. One night Lydia reappears and tries to settle into portions of her old life with the help of Merritt and Luca. Merritt grows suspicous and wonders if there is more to Lydia and her tragic situation than she is aware of. I don't want to say more because I do not want to spoil it. This was such a fantasic read and I want to read more from Minka Kent. This is a tale of secrets and suspense.