Family Secrets and Disappearance

The Night They Vanished is a well-crafted thriller that excels in building suspense and exploring dark family dynamics. Vanessa Savage's ability to weave a complex narrative with compelling characters makes this book a standout in the genre. While some readers may find certain aspects needing more depth, the novel's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses, making it a highly recommended read for fans of psychological thrillers.

I wanted to love this book but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I ended up not finishing it about halfway through. It just didn’t keep my internet.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The premise of this book is so intriguing. Hanna has been estranged from her family for over a decade, yet one day she comes across an article that leads her to believe her family was brutally murdered. Of course, she is frantic to find her family and the truth about what happened to them--but will that journey take her into even more danger? This wasn't my favorite thriller of the year, but it is interesting and kept me reading until the end.

The Night They Vanished
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounded to 4 ⭐️)
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 5/3/22
Author: Vanessa Savage
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 384
Goodreads Rating: 3.65

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: A family with a secret. A past about to catch up with them. Hanna has barely spoken to her family since the tragedy that rocked their lives fourteen years ago. The tragedy for which they held Hanna responsible. Then she sees her family home listed as the scene of a horrific crime. Number of victims: three. Date of crime: today. Frantic, Hanna tries to contact her family, only to find they have disappeared. To find them, Hanna will have to confront what happened all those years ago. And the person determined to make her pay for it  . .

My Thoughts: The story is narrated by Sasha and Hanna, in dual timelines, Sasha is from the past and Hanna in the current time. The characters are well developed, have depth, mystery, and relatable. I really connected with Hanna, but not Sasha so much. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, tense, dark, and disturbing. While this is dark, it is not too far fetched and makes the story enjoyable. I love how the author built on the tension, building up the plot, it started with a little twist here or there, then building up to bigger twists. My only con was the story felt too long, I think if it was a bit shorter, it would have wrapped up better. This story is classified as a thriller but I felt it was more of a mystery. Still a good story that I enjoyed and would recommend if you like a slower burn thriller.

This was a good read. I found it interesting for the most part. The story line is well written & there are several twists & turns. This one touches on a lot of darker themes but doesn't go over the edge

I was fascinated by the idea of dark tourism as it was portrayed in this book. The dual POV were well done and I never quite knew who to trust. If you are a fan of true crime, this is a great fiction option.

For the most part, I loved this book. I was intrigued by the dark tourism angle and wish it would have been explored more. Hanna having to confront her past certainly made it an interesting journey, but i felt the ending was somewhat predictable!

Savage gives me big Lisa Jewell vibes, which I love as well!

Hanna hasn’t been home for any length of time in fourteen years. She left at sixteen and hasn’t looked back. Living with a strict father, Hanna rebelled and became a wild child, but after tragedy struck, there was no longer any reason to stay at home. On the verge of being happy a picture of her former home shows up on the dark tourist website, suggesting that the occupants were missing and later insinuating that they were killed, Hanna immediately starts searching for her fourteen year old half sister, Sasha, and her father and step mother. Where are they and who is posting on the website? Hanna has recently started dating someone new and is having second thoughts about trusting him, he just seems too nice. Could he somehow be involved? As Hanna races to find her family, secrets emerge, secrets that will change all of their lives, but will she figure out who has her family and why before it’s too late?

I received this particular copy after the review date- hence why the review is published late.

I’ve read a few of Vanessa’s books and they always make for decent reads. They are really popular with the high schoolers at the library so I like to read them to be able to discuss or recommend them. This particular one was based upon dark tourism- which is tourism that focuses on places where deaths or things related to suffering have happened. That sounded like an exciting and new storyline and I wish it had or been focused on a bit more in the book.

Written with dual timelines and POV, Hannas was my favorite. She is pretty much estranged from her family. She’s on a dark tourism website one day and notices her family home is listed as a site of murder. She very obviously freaks out and has the police check it out but nothing seems to be wrong, besides that it’s abandoned. Hanna has no idea where they have gone but she’s determined to find them, even though that means she has to delve into her past to do so.

The book could of been a bit more concise, it seemed to repeat itself and drag out a bit, and I would of loved to see more of the dark tourism in it, along with some extra twists, but overall it was pretty entertaining. I will be recommending to her current fans and teens.

This was suspenseful and entertaining. It was a solid thriller that kept me on my toes. I do recommend this to thriller lovers.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions and review.

Hanna has been estranged from her family, so when she hasn’t heard from them there is nothing to alarm her. But when looking at a website about dark mysteries, she sees her childhood home. And realizes that her family is missing, and the house abandoned. But is she really shocked? Did her history come back to rear it’s ugly head? Hannah must return to her hometown to unravel long held secrets.

Vanessa Savage is a great story teller. The dark side of this book is done well. You won’t want to put it down.
Great character build up and twists and turns.
A must read.

This is my first book from this author. If you like Lisa Jewell’s style like I do, you will enjoy this book. This domestic thriller will keep you up all night. I couldn’t put it down. This book was fantastic!

I enjoyed this one to a point. I thought it was a little slow moving at points, as someone who doesn’t normally read domestic thrillers. I heard that this one was described for fans of Lisa Jewel and I can definitely see that comparison. I enjoyed the dark aspects of the book but like I said it was a bit slow for me. Still recommend for those who are fans of the genre

I enjoyed Vanessa Savage's first two books and happily picked up her latest - The Night They Vanished.

"A family with a secret. A past about to catch up with them."

Hanna has had a very rocky relationship with her family over the years and now barely sees her dad, step-mom and younger sister Sasha. But when she sees a picture of their home alongside a horrific headline on a 'dark tourism' website, she tries immediately to get in touch with them....and can't reach them. And so begins a roller coaster of a read.

Savage plays her clues close to her vest, eking out the details of the reason why Hanna is so unwelcome in her family home and village. And fair enough, it goes both ways. Her father is very unlikable. That thread runs parallel to what's happening in the present. Has her family been harmed? Where are they?

The supporting players give us a wide group of suspects, with each one with something to hide, to lie about. Who can Hanna trust? I honestly had no idea of who was going to be the culprit until the last few chapters.

I thought the dark tourism plot device was a unique and frightening idea. Savage's carefully given clues, twists and revelations kept me reading 'just one more' chapter 'til the late hours. Both Sasha and Hanna have voices. As a reader we can see the danger in Sasha's actions and what might unfold. My attention was held through to the final pages. There are a few bits that ask the user to suspend disbelief, but they didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. Another great read from Savage.

The Night They Vanished has one of the creepiest covers I’ve seen lately; you should definitely judge this book by its cover 😎

This book gave me some Lisa Jewell and Tana French vibes (two favorite authors of mine). Something about the creepy atmosphere she created; needing to return to your small hometown that’s haunted with memories; and the way she teased out twists and reveals…all of these things came together in a way that made TNYV feel comfortingly familiar yet entirely its own 🙌🏻

By the time I was reading this ARC I’d forgotten the synopsis, but was actually excited to go in blind! And I loved Savage’s writing style - I was immediately drawn in. The voices she created for Hanna and Sasha were really well done and resonated with me both as an adult and a once-teenage girl.

2.5 stars

Standard fare domestic thriller; I thought the Dark Tourism website angle (which is how the book started) would've been more at play but it's a minor plot device in the grand scheme and a silly motivation in another (meaning it's no better or worse or different than any other true crime doc that exists). Hanna is certainly likeable as is Sasha. It's a dark Nancy Drew kind of tale, with the most frustrating part being how adults in small towns can really muck things up. This doesn't tread new ground but Lisa Jewell fans should like it.

It's, always secrets!

"Hanna is thirty now and making it on her own. She doesn't need her family. They blame her for ruining their lives for something that happened fourteen years ago. Hanna stumbles across a photo of her house on a true crime website with an article about a brutal murder.The police investigate but Hanna's family has disappeared. To find them, Hanna must confront what happened fourteen years ago."

This is slow-burn, suspense from Savage. Hanna is a character paying for mistakes made as a teenager. People in her hometown despise her and blame her for a young man's death. She just wants a normal life and normal relationships.
Hanna's family - father, step-mother, sister. You will definitely have a strong opinion about the father. And what happens when you isolate a teenager by forbidding all technology - Bad decisions happen.
There are plenty of clues about what happened and who is responsible. You'll probably guess some.

It takes a while to get there but the ending is wild. I like that Savage gives us a bit of epilogue - always nice to know how the characters ended up.

Interesting story from Savage.

Every family seems to harbor a secret. This family has a big one and the past is about to catch up with them.
Hanna has barely spoken to her family since the tragedy that rocked their lives fourteen years ago. Hanna was blamed for the tragedy. She’s been estranged almost completely from her mom, dad and sister for 14 years.

Through a website which specialises in ‘Dark Tourism’, urban exploration of murder sites with a literary twist, she finds a breaking story about the death of Hanna’s entire family, complete with pictures, with a date which is actually today. This throws Hanna into a panic so she’s frantic to contact her family to see if this is true. What she learns is that they have disappeared with no trace.

To find answers, Hanna will have to confront the incident from all those years ago. And the person determined to make her pay for it . . .

In this domestic thriller, there are two main protagonists, Hanna and her sister Sasha. Hanna has re-invented herself, upon leaving her home at 16. Her mother sends Christmas cards which remain unopened, voicemails not returned until one day she summons up the strength to read them.
Hanna’s parents viewed her as the daughter who had everything and threw it all away. In fact they use her act of turning her back on the family as a cautionary tale of the damage that drinks and drugs can do to a young girl on her sister Sasha. What they don’t understand is that this is creating resentment in Sasha. She is not allowed her own cell phone, no social media, basically has no friends. This backfires and Sasha hopes one day she will find the courage to be like Hanna and leave of her own free will, and never look back.
But for now, she must risk unveiling her past find the truth.
This is a dark and twisted story and I was not able to predict even a little bit how the story would resolve.