I love the title of this book - Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance. It totally embodies what the book is about Sally writes of her older sister Kathy's death, and the events leading up to it as well as what happened afterward.
It's a beautiful, grief-laden, funny, and charming remembrance of sisterhood and everything shared and lost during the growing-up years.

Sally tells of the sisters' double crush on Billy, who eventually becomes Kathy's boyfriend, and the tragedy that ensues during a ride in Billy's car. Sally talks to Kathy through her writing of her own guilt, of her parents' devastation, and of her own continuing thoughts of Billy and what he's going through.

A touching, sweet, and beautiful book about grief and family love between sisters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy. I did not love this one at all. The writing style (2nd person POV) was just not for me. There were no clear chapters, it just felt like a long run on sentence/thought from Sally. I think if it was written in 1st person narrative, I might have enjoyed it more.

This story tells of heartbreak, family, love, and sisterhood. The sisterhood part speaks to me on a deep level. Their kinship made the book for me. Otherwise, I found it to be slow. Billy ain’t even all that groove. Particularly in the beginning and that’s all it spoke about. Some humor too.

Wow. I loved this book so much.
Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance was an intense and captivating read. The characters are engaging, and the story is so beautifully written. It is one of those books that stick with you for a long time.

This book was devastatingly beautiful. I can not recommend it enough.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is a journey through grief that really gives you all the feels as it's both raw and real. You will be pulled into the story and it will keep you there all the way through the book. You will feel for all the characters. I found this to be a very good read.

This book was not what I expected, but in a beautiful and devastating way. I loved the author's writing style during this book and the story was told through a years long narrative. It was a tragic book for me, diving into the grief and darkness of losing a loved one. This is a book that you don't rush through and immediately pick up another book. This one took me some time- to reflect on the character's story, savoring and truly feeling each word.
I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Despite an intriguing premise, this book really didn’t land for me. I found it interesting how Sally talked to Kathy directly, even after she died. However, I didn’t really connect with the characters. Yes, I felt for them, especially the mother, who clearly struggled the most, but this book wasn’t what I had hoped it would be. Sally was also such an unlikable MC- she doesn’t show any signs of growth, and her infatuation with Billy is so “middle school crush,” even as an adult…. Also NOTHING really happened… I kept waiting…In fact, I thought about not finishing it and kind of regret sticking with it.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is a beautifully written coming of age story that balances a tragic incident with relatable life moments and humor, making you feel like a member of this grieving frailly. A book on loss and growing up and navigating life without the person who you couldn't imagine living without. Breathtaking and unforgettable. Honestly, a must read.

A coming of age story and a study in how a family deals with loss...Sally's older sister's sudden death divides the family's life into before and after, and the waves of grief never really cease. This could have been a depressing book, but it really always had a feeling of hopefulness. While the ending was not a surprise, it was very satisfying.

I love a good coming-of-age book and this one did not disappoint me. Sally is a young teenager who adores her older sister Kathy. When Kathy dies tragically, Sally has to grow up without the navigation that her older sister provided. Sally's parents leave her alone as they deal with their own grief. While the topic is sad, the book itself isn't as sad as you'd think. The story spans over 15 years with reflections back to Sally's childhood with Kathy and forwards into the future. The writing style is simply beautiful. This is such a good book and I took my time, savoring the story. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for the E-arc!

Wow! This literary novel is heart wrenching, and yet sometimes funny. It follows Sally Holt as she grows up, learning about sex and boys, to navigating more adult relationships, all colored by the death of her sister. She also navigates through the sudden change of her parents. Before, they were kind and quirky, and after her sister’s death, now are irreversibly changed by grief.

The prose is sparse and punchy, and the dialog can be witty and painful. I found the mother’s dialog to be particularly funny!

Sally as a character took things literally, and that showed up how she processed grief. While her mother and father dealt with it through anger or through superstition, Sally dealt with it with the bare facts. But Billy was still Kathy’s boyfriend, as if Sally could not move past that fact, even after her sister passed.

The ending made me think on it for hours after finishing.

This is a novel that held my interest throughout but left me a little disappointed. It deals with grief and loss, and how the death of a child and sister breaks down any previous dynamic or solidity that exists in a family.

Kathy is a popular high school student and her younger sister Sally adores and looks up to her. More importantly, Sally is enamored of Billy, Kathy's boyfriend. Sally is late to school one day and asks Billy and Kathy for a ride in Billy's car. Kathy and Billy are running late and Kathy asks Billy to drive fast. A tragedy occurs. Kathy dies in the accident and Billy is badly injured.

Sally becomes obsessed with Billy in the abstract . They develop a real-life relationship of their own, separate from Kathy. Kathy's mother is never the same after the accident and turns to booze and pills to keep her above water. Her husband distances himself from the family and keeps a hatred of Billy close to his chest.

What disappointed me is that Sally appears to be unable to move forward. The shadow of Billy is ever-present in her life and, as the years go by, he takes on a mystical quality for her. I wanted to see her live, to thrive, even with all her grief and loss. I never got a clear picture of Billy and what the glue was for Sally. The author shows the lusty passion between Kathy and Billy but fails to explore Billy and Sally's relationship as deeply.

Wow...this one is setting very heavy on my heart. This is a story of a family that suffers a tragedy when one of their daughters is killed in a car accident. It is told from the point of view of the younger sister, also in the car but not harmed, over a period of 15 years. It is a story of grief, and how people deal with it (or fail to do so). It is a story about what we feel inside and what we show the world, about how we support each other as humans, and how we fail to do so. It is also funny at times, and sweet, and deeply sad and troubling, but ultimately uplifting. This novel felt so authentic, that I was left wondering if this author had experienced such a tragedy herself...I'm not sure that someone who had not could get it so right. I think those that have experienced such tragedies themselves may find this cathartic. Highly recommended. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

I kept thinking SOMETHING had to happen other than her crush on her dead sister's boyfriend but NOPE that was it. Like reading a bad middle school diary "oh I saw him at the gas station and he waved." Even as she gets older, she never matures in her thought process or writing. The beginning third was enjoyable; then it was just endless repetition of the same scene and poor choices

This poignant book is both tragic and hopeful. It’s a coming-of-age story centered around the themes of loss and grief. Told in the voice of the younger sister of the deceased, the reader is dropped right into the well of regret, anguish, despair of a family coping with the loss of a loved one. It’s a stirring and emotional story that really makes one thing about those we love and the connections we have with them. Beautifully written.

My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its publication date.

The darkest, most honest, rawest coming of age story I have read in a while. I read this book in one sitting—which I rarely do. I felt like I was reading someone's inner most personal journal entries. Sally's view of the world felt like my view when I was her age. I felt her trauma, heartache. Her anxiety—I felt. This is the purest book I have read in such a long time. Also, it's important to note that the way mental illness was handled in this story was perfect.

I love a dark coming-of-age novel, and this book seriously delivered. Reading what felt like diary entries to her late sister, I was mesmorized by Sally's changing view of the world around her. I personally felt her trauma, heartbreak, anxiety, and love along with her.

This novel touches on the effects of losing a loved one, mental illness, puberty, and the ties that hold a family together. Espach's writing style matured as Sally matured; a touch that was subtle, but made the novel a five star read for me.

Although the novel touches on dark and sensitive topics, it does not feel dreary or pretentious. The novel explores what it means to be human while navigating a family tragedy and how one moment can shape a person's life and memories.

I already had my eye on this one because I loved the cover art and title but when I saw it was compared to my favorite book (Ask Again, Yes), I knew I needed to read it ASAP. I was so excited to receive an advanced copy. This book did not disappoint. I love books that are so raw and relatable. The characters, especially Sally, think and say things that sometimes make the reader uncomfortable but it's real. They're things we think but don't say or admit to thinking. This is a coming of age story centered around grief, loss, guilt, pain and love. I found myself feeling their pain but it was never too heavy or depressing. I cried but also laughed many times throughout the book. Being around the same age as the main character and her sister, I related to setting of the story. Espach's writing is very clever and I would definitely recommend this book and read more by this author.
*Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt publishing for the advanced copy.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is a journey through grief that feels raw and real. Alison Espach pulls the reader into the story and holds you there to feel it all alongside the characters.

Sally and her older sister, Kathy, share more than just their childhood bedroom. They share secrets, stories, and jokes. Sally watches Kathy emerge as a teenager dating one of the most popular boys in school and is a bit jealous as she loses some of Kathy's attention. But then Kathy tragically dies, leaving Sally without an anchor. She is forced to grow up now as an only child while her parents are consumed by their own grief.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance hooks you immediately. You are entwined with Kathy and Sally as the story builds towards Kathy's death. Espach writes dialog well, giving the reader a strong sense of character through speech. After Kathy's death, the grief is palpable. It is awkward, painful, and consuming. While I found this first part compelling, the rest of the novel seemed to stagnate a bit. The grief remained, everyone struggled with it, and there isn't any real resolution or change. I felt stuck, just like the characters. It was an overall good read but not one that will stick with me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Different writing style. Story is told from the perspective of the younger sister, Sally. Story spans over her lifetime and starts when she is a child, describes her and her sisters relationship in depth and her feelings related to her sisters sudden death. Fiction, book club type feel. Wasn’t impressed with the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.