What a beautifully written book! I felt such a deep connection to the characters and often could relate to them. Lots of profound experiences and commentary on grief and loneliness and connection. Thought-provoking, sad, but beautiful. Four stars, highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the format and style of this book but I think it won’t be for everyone. The story is addressed to ‘you,’ the missing sister. I know that can be a format that some people do not like but I found the writing itself, story, and character work more than made up for the odd format.

This was a slow burn story told over such a long period of years that I sometimes struggled with the jumps of time. There was some drag near the end but I never felt like putting it down. The book wasn’t plot driven at all, and just followed the characters' lives with the focus and endgame of the story being fairly unclear until the very last little bit to me which made it feel slightly directionless by then. This all could have been a problem for a plot focused reader like myself but I very much still enjoyed the ride and writing I was on and felt completely enmeshed in the character’s lives and curious to see what happens.

I would have liked to have gotten to know Billy a little more but I kind of liked the use of him as a childhood fantasy, too hard to really know even years later. Sally was likable as our main character. She felt very real to me.

This is a sort of coming-of-age story, as told by Sally to her older - and deceased - sister, Kathy. Even though the girls were more than a few years apart in age, they were close, and they spent much of their childhood in the thrall of Billy, a fascinating kid who grows into a local basketball superstar - and Kathy's boyfriend. When Kathy dies tragically, Sally starts talking to her about her life - much of which involves Billy - and that's what most of the book is about. Once Kathy's gone and Sally starts growing up, the book dragged a bit for me; there just didn't seem to be enough happening. The title and the cover led me to believe this was more of a thriller, but it was really a slow-building narration of one girl's growing up and coming to terms with her sister's death and her ongoing crush on her boyfriend. I was also not a fan of the ending. Many thanks to NetGalley, Ms. Espach, and Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC of this title.

2 sisters share a room and their dreams, their stories until it all comes crashing down.

Kathy likes a boy named Billy as the story starts and younger sister Sally listens and tries to understand such grown up things as boyfriends and kissing and can't quite understand the big deal. Yes, he's gorgeous, but he is also a huge cause of her heartache. The story is told through Sally's eyes and at times I felt she would be on the autism spectrum since she didn't seem to understand what a lot of things meant. She was always watching others to see how they acted which is common for girls on the spectrum.

Chapters go back to "then" and then jump to "now" so we sometimes know what is going on before the characters know. The sisters are close and the loss of Kathy severely affects everything about Sally. The mother's grief is in need of counseling and yet she gets help for Sally, but not herself. Ditto for the husband. I wanted them all in counseling.

I felt it was much too long and many of the stories Sally shared really didn't add to the story and could easily have been left out. A shorter book would have been better..

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a mystery, but the sudden disappearance is much more straightforward than that. This is a story about a young girl and her family grappling with (and failing to grapple with) death and grief and anger and pain. This is not just a coming of age story, but the slow transformation of a young life that was meant to be following a completely different trajectory. Actually, that's true for all four of the survivors. The tone was melancholy and yet also could be beautiful and deep. The plot and timeline jumped around a bit, making this novel somewhat jarring to read. The pacing felt uneven and could drag a bit at times, but not enough to make me put it down. Personally, I disliked the ending, but I am certain that other readers may feel differently.

I received this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a contender for my favorite book of the year and we aren't even halfway through. The kind of writing in this book is the type that just sucks me in and doesn't let go. I find it so reading and compelling to read like it's someone's stream of thought and to feel like I'm completely inside their brain. I was hooked from page one. I kept highlighting until the end...it wasn't even anything deeply profound but just I was so entranced by how things were written.

One interesting thing that happened while reading this book is that I read the trigger warnings beforehand and because of this, I was really expecting the book to go a different route than it did. In order to keep things spoiler free, I'll just say I assumed some of the trigger warnings to happen to other characters due to the focus of the perspective we were reading. This didn't really take away at all though, I was just surprised with how things turned out.

I also struggled a little with the tense of the perspective...I think most of it was meant to be a reflection but it seemed present tense. I was honestly wondering for the first part of this book how it wasn't labeled YA because it seemed like we were getting the juvenile perspective in a very juvenile sounding voice. This didn't take away from the story at all for me, it was just something I wondered while reading.

While reading, I was just hypnotized. The way everything was written was so raw and uninhibited. I would find myself laughing or crying at the most mundane things. It struck so many chords in me. I loved it. This book will stay with me for a very long time.

Expectations can make or break a reading experience and they were critical for this book in particular. Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is a character-driven meditation on grief with a bit of family drama and coming of age mixed in (Note: it is NOT a romance in any traditional way, nor is it a mystery, despite what some reviewers and marketers are saying!). Once I understood what this book was, I was able to settle in and enjoy it for what it was. The summer before Sally’s 8th grade year, her older sister (Kathy) begins dating a basketball star who both sisters had been obsessed with from afar. Not too long after, Kathy is dead and the story follows Sally grieving the loss of her sister over the next 15 years. The biggest reason I loved this book was the voice...it’s chuckle funny and full of dry humor, despite covering heavy topics. The story is told in second person, with Sally addressing Kathy after her death. And, I loved the 1990's nostalgia weaved throughout Sally and Kathy's childhoods. This isn't the right book for everyone, but I recommend seeing if you like the voice to determine whether this book is for you.

I love family dramas and books that explore grief and loss. I had no idea what this book was about when I started it, based on the title I expected a mystery or thriller, so I was pleasantly surprised by the storyline. Loss of a sibling or child is unimaginable. I thought the author did an excellent job of establishing the family relationships prior to the death and then showing how a family falls apart after the loss. Everyone obviously reacts differently, and I thought it was so well done here. I'm not sure if this is classified as YA but I think it's important to note that the bulk of the story is told from a teenagers perspective.

Notes on your sudden disappearance. I have to say, I was fully expecting a thriller, and this book was not that.

The story follows Sally, the younger of two sisters, as she addresses Kathy, her older sister, over the span of 15 years. We start with conversations about boys and friends, parents, sisterly love, and sometimes, angst.
But when a series of choices leads to a tragic accident that tears the sisters apart, Sally continues to talk to Kathy about life after. Grief, and parents, and life now, without you. Things are different, but life continues to move forward.

The writing style of Notes on Your Sudden disappearance was so different, and I actually really loved it, sort of like reading notes passed in class.

Grief is personal, and different for each person, and I feel like this book represented a lot of angles, and while it was heartbreaking to read at times, it was also beautiful.

Alison wrote a beautiful narrative on loss and grief from the standpoint of a less commonly heard family member. I loved how thr story u folded in the timeline it did, the ending was underwhelming but i enjoyed reading the book overall.

Thoughtful and sentimental. Conveys many of the different ways grief affects us throughout our lives. Untraditional narrative style works for this type of novel and makes for a quick read.

I received an ARC of this book and I made the mistake of not reading the description. Based on the title I assumed it was a thriller / mystery. Don't make the same mistake I did because it most definitely is not! I did not enjoy this book at all! The main character is 13 years old and is written from her perspective (which make for a long read). We follow Sally through the sudden loss her sister in a car accident, as she obsesses over her dead sister's boyfriend, and as she continues to grow through these experiences. There were a few heart felt moments and a few funny ones. I thought the book was a let down.

This book was really, really good. This was a book that I went into completely blind, simply being intrigued by the cover and title. It reminds me a lot of The Lovely Bones, only much better! I found myself trying to slow down because I didn't want to book to end. I really recommend this one! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am a huge fan of coming of age books and literary fiction, so requesting this one was an absolute no brainer. This book started off so strong for me. I was flipping through the pages and a mad speed and couldn’t get enough. However, about two-thirds of the way through as the main character is getting older I just wasn’t as connected as I was at the beginning. I wanted to give it all the stars and I would have if I had to rate the first part of the novel, but overall it ended up falling a little short for me. For those people who love a heartfelt story, a sister story, or like books with lots of emotion this is a good pick for you. 3.5 stars

Kathy is Sally's older sister, and she idolizes her. Kathy's first high school boyfriend is Billy Barnes. Billy is driving the girls to school, there is a car accident, and Kathy is killed. The story follows the years after her death, and how Sally, Billy and Sally's family deal with their grief and try to move on, and the relationship between Billy and Sally. It's very sad but has some funny and hopeful moments too. #notesonyoursuddendisappearance #alisonespach #bookstagram #booklover #readersofinstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendation #lovetoread #readallday #bookmagic #bookblogger #bookloversofinstagram #bookreviewsofinstagram

I went into this thinking it was more of a thriller/mystery when i think it would be better marketed as a literary fiction… the grief was heavy and emotions complicated. I really enjoyed - just went in thinking it was something else.

Some notes on a novel laden with heartache.
The book is narrated by Sally, who, after losing her sister, details what it’s like to continue living after a devastating, life-altering loss.
I was thoroughly immersed in this story which was so good at encompassing enormous grief, first love, last love, and broken families. But man, it was just so darn sad,
Thanks to #netgalley and #henryholtandco for this #arc of #notesonyoursuddendisappearance by #alisonespach in exchange for an honest review.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is a well-written, moving family drama that explores loss, love, and sisterhood. Author Alison Espach writes beautifully about grief and how people can be forever changed by tragedy.

Written entirely in second person, Sally talks directly to her older sister, Kathy, narrating her experiences before and after Kathy’s sudden death. Sally shares about her life as she grows from a new teen into adulthood, how her parents cope with the loss, and her complicated relationship with Billy, Kathy’s boyfriend.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the second person narration, but it really added to the intimacy of the story and kept the sister relationship in the forefront.

It’s important to understand that this is character-driven literary fiction. It seems that the title has led some readers to expect a thriller or mystery, which it is not. I like a quiet, slow-burn book, but I can imagine that it wouldn’t be for every reader.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the opportunity to review an advance e-book copy.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance is an emotional and moving book on how a death can effect friends and families for years to come. It’s a slow burn coming of age story that focuses on grief and loss, but somehow does this with a sense of humor, too. I really enjoyed the characters..

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the advanced copy of Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance.

This is an agonizing and loving reflection of grief and how it persists and changes overtime. We follow Sally’s relationship with her sister Kathy before, during and after her tragic death.

I’m not sure what the right headspace is for reading this incredible story but I can assure you that I was not in it or prepared for the deep melancholy I felt throughout. I had the feeling of conflict, that I didn’t want to put it down and similarly didn’t want to keep going because it was impacting me deeply. Alison Espach does an incredible job demonstrating the realities for grief from multiple experiences and relationships. Plot that felt mundane had the added layer of sadness and displeasure that grief often brings. The writing is beautiful and sharp and realistic. At times the story dragged a bit and I wanted to get on to the next point, which I think was the point and did such a great job of placing the reader directly into the simultaneous audacious and mundane experience of grief. That things feel small and huge at the same time, even if only to the person experiencing them.

I was so deeply connected to what this experience would feel like for me as both a mother and a sister and could not escape the important reflection and heaviness it brought to me. I was challenged in the best ways.

This is a meaningful story told in a heartbreaking and soul lifting way. I am so appreciative that it exists.