This story is equal parts heartwarming and heart-breaking, which makes it addictive to readers or listeners alike. I was hooked on this storyline on three people (Sally, Kathy, and Billy) who are tied together and whose views of the world and life are so interconnected. I loved the unraveling of this story and the storytelling ability of the author. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was a much more complicated story than I had expected. In full transparency, I wasn’t entirely sure I would finish this one while listening to the first dozen or so chapters, but then I was hooked. At one point, Sally’s dad calls her “melancholic” and I think that perfectly sums up the tone of her narrative from beginning to end.

Somehow, it works. I ended up unable to stop listening to this audiobook and finished it in one day. It was a beautifully heartbreaking story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was great and maybe even better as an audio book. It dealt so well with grief and how everyone processes things differently while also telling a great story.

DNF😕 I started reading this a while ago, got 10% in, and just couldn't get myself interested in picking it up again. I actually thought the first 10% was really interesting and thought-provoking — how grief impacts a family — but I could feel it starting to drag and I can't make myself trudge through that much sadness for something that's not drawing me in with beautiful writing or a new topic. This is marketed as a thriller and I don't think it is, based on other reviews, which I fear could lead to bad press when it's actually quite a lovely work that just hasn't found its audience.

I’m always torn when I add a book because of a fellow book loving friend recommendation, and it ends up not being what I’d hoped it to be. Or maybe I just hype it up a bit too much.

NOTES ON YOUR SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE is a living story with themes of family, love, and the grief that comes from a loss.

Sally is left to grieve after tragically losing her high-school sister Kathy in a car accident. Kathy’s boyfriend Billy was driving, and he too is left grieving this unthinkable loss.

I enjoyed the audiobook, which was narrated by Jesse Vilinsky, who did a great job portraying the emotions brought on by such a loss and the guilt that comes from a tragedy like this.

*many thanks to Henry Holt & Company and Macmillan Audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

While I thought Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach was going to have a thriller-vibe (and I was not alone in this opinion), this is more of a drama set around the death of a young girl. Meandering in parts, the narration of this book elevates the story.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance drew me in from the get go. Unfortunately, that was all that REALLY held my attention. I loved the premise - just thought that it was pretty slow moving and I was totally turned off by some of the vulgarity. I believe that it had such tremendous potential and I"m sure that it will be a total 5stars for someone - just not me. This audio was provided by Netgalley and author, Alison Espach in return for an honest review of the story.

This was a very thought provoking book. It explores love, family bonds and death. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a wonderful job.

This is a lovely book about family, loss and grief, and love. It is at times very funny, but also quite moving.

Sally, whose sister Kathy died in a car accident when she was in high school, is the narrator. Sally was also in the car but was unhurt in the accident. Kathy's boyfriend Billy, was driving, and he too grapples with the loss of Kathy.

The narrator of the audiobook, Jesse Vilinsky, does a wonderful job capturing Sally's voice and both the humor and sadness in the novel.

Though the books covers difficult material--the loss of a young daughter, sister, friend and the impacts that loss can have over a lifetime--it is dealt with sensitively. I highly recommend this lovely story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙧𝙮𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜-𝙤𝙛-𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙟𝙤𝙮.

Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance was such a surprise. I went into it expecting a thriller for some reason, but it was more of a moving literary fiction.

This story does deal with the themes of loss, grief, and love. I enjoyed the audiobook and found that the narrator did a great job getting the messages across. I found this book to be very powerful and touching, especially following the perspective of Sally.

In this story, we follow Sally who has to deal with the loss of a sibling. I found the sister relationship to be very interesting and I felt for Sally at times, grief is always difficult to read about. Also, I just loved the way this author explained this story - I definitely need to reread the physical book in the future because I just know the writing style has to be very lyrical and tender.

I feel like the characters here were so well-developed. They each had to deal with the feeling of guilt and blame, but their traits are just so important to the story.

This is such an interesting and touching story. I would definitely look up trigger warnings if the idea of guilt and losing a loved one is something you don’t read. Although it was difficult to read at times, I still really connected with the characters and story. I think the audiobook was fantastic and really portrayed the true meaning behind the book. I would highly recommend this!

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

I normally enjoy YA suspense/mysteries but I just couldn’t get into this title. I tried multiple times on audio and e-book and had to DNF.

First off I thought this one was a little slow in the beginning. It was also a little too weird for me. I really don’t like how the younger sister and billy ended up dating. Definitely not my favourite, but it did approach the feelings of losing someone you love in a unique way.

What sounded like an interesting premise didn't work for me. I found the narrator boring and the use of the second person way of speaking annoying. The story evolved very slowly and I just didn't care about the sisters

It's difficult to write a review on Alison Espach's Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance. The writing was excellent, the narrator was very suited to the story, and the storyline, well, this is the hard part. The story was told very well, and the main character's voice was believable. So believable that the grief in the book bogged me down. I had to stop in the middle and go read something else. I am glad that I finished the book, but I found myself not wanting to listen as much. As an optimist, it was too much of a downer. But, don't get me wrong, it was a good story and told very well. Maybe it was just overwhelming as an audiobook. I have recommended it to certain people, but I warned them about the grief first.

I really liked this book! I found it to be a great thriller that kept me guessing the whole time. I never really thought I knew the ending, and I was definitely surprised! You won’t be disappointed!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I listened to about the halfway point but I couldn’t connect to either the characters or the story. It seemed to lack a cohesive plot and I would find myself drifting everything. I may try again to read ir in the future. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the copy.

I started to read this book in print but for some reason couldn't get into the story, but when I swapped that out for the audiobook, I was drawn in. I listened to this over the course of a weekend spent working in the garden and it made the time fly by and I was fully absorbed. Was it the best book I've ever read? No, probably not, but I'd definitely recommend it as a listen. I was hooked.

This book fell a little flat for me. It felt too long for the plot and the development took forever. I would recommend this to a select group of students/people, but it would not be first on my list of "MUST READ" books.

what a sad sad sad story but I kept listening to see where it was going. my only complaint is that the cover looks like a fun beach read (spoiler alert it was not)

This is an enjoyable enough read, especially on audio, but it didn't blow my mind and I don't think it will really stick with me. It's a story about grief and loss and how it can effect your entire life. But it's also a story about love and resilience and family.

The story begins when Sally is entering 8th grade. She idolizes her older sister Kathy and is especially infatuated by Kathy's budding relationship with basketball star and popular kid Billy. But when a car accident with Billy at the wheel kills Kathy, everything changes for Sally. The novel is basically a long letter from Sally to Kathy, updating her on all that's happened since her death.

Though every story of grief is unique, this felt like a realistic portrayal of what it might be like to lose a sister at a young age. We see how Sally's parents deal with the loss of Kathy and how Sally struggles with her totally changed relationship with Billy.

Not a lot happens in the book and it definitely feels more like a character study than a plot-driven novel. I actually much prefer character-driven books, but there was something about this one that didn't totally pull me in. I'm still happy I listened to it and I think many will enjoy it even if it wasn't truly my type of book!