Gone Again by Minka Kent was an okay thriller for me. I read a ton of them, and this was dragged a bit for me and the ending seemed rushed. I still will be reading more from this author.

This was an amazing book by an incredibly talented author, I enjoyed reading. Celia has everything she ever wanted, but a secret from her past may come back and destroy it all… I thought I had it figured out a few times…

3 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m late to the party on this one, so I’ll keep it brief.

This was my first Minka Kelly book. I’ve seen lots of good reviews for her books, so I was looking forward to diving in. I don’t have anything to compare it to, but this was just okay for me.

I really liked the dual timelines and alternating POVs. Big plus for me. There were just too many minuses for me to give more stars. No big twists, lots of unanswered questions and the ending was rushed. Once the “twist” happened it kinda fizzled out for me.

I will give this author another shot as it was entertaining enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my copy to read and review.

Another good thriller by Minka Kent featuring strong writing and excellent characterizations. The subject matter of this one was a little tough for me -- child abuse with the backdrop of an uber-religious cult type upbringing. Tough listen at times but the narrator did a great job with the material and Minka Kent as always brings the thrills.

I love Minka Kent books and this was no differenet. Full of suspense and mystery with such well developed characters, you truly miss them when it's over!

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

“In the novel o f escalating fear and suspense by Washington Post and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Minka Kent, a secret from a woman’s past unearths a lifetime of lies. How long can she run from the past?”

This book was so intriguing - as someone who is not religious and wasn’t really raised that way it is always interesting to see how religion and when people separate from religion, plays out in their lives.

The book starts with teenage Celia perspective. She is plotting to escape her family who is part of a cult and abusive. her younger sister Genevieve tells their father her sister’s intentions and he sends her to a “reformatory” operated by the cult. Cecilia is a good inmate and is sent back to her parents after a year. Cecilia gains a job at an accounting firm and falls for the boss’s son named Rob and after some time she ends up marrying him.

Celia has never truly forgiven Genevieve for the past. Her and her husband financially well off, but Genevieve and her family are struggling financially. Celia and Rob help Genevieve, her husband and daughter. Sadly the sisters don’t hold a great bond.

The two sisters have a much younger sister is a third sister, Celeste, who is much younger get but doesn’t get come up until later on but is still important to the story.

As the book progresses the truth about crime committed long ago comes to light.

It’s a fast and easy read I think many readers will enjoy.

While entertaining enough, Gone Again is not a super memorable book for me. The characters were fine, though I found some of their interactions a little simplified. I think there was a lot of potential with the storyline, but it fell a little flat. I enjoyed the ending, but the story getting there was a little disorganized at times. Despite all this, Gone Again was still a quick, entertaining read.

Fast paced thriller, Minka Kent does it again. Celia disappears after her lavish 40th birthday party. Her husband and sister are trying to find her while silently wondering if the other one has anything to do with her disappearance. A threatening note is found among the birthday cards but there’s no telling who it is from. Dark family secrets are revealed and absolutely shocked me. I devoured this book! Loved all the twists and turns!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Celia is living a nightmare in a religious home and runs away when she is 18, leaving her two sisters behind. Many years later she is married and celebrating her birthday when she receives an ominous note about her past. Hours later she is missing, and it might have something to do with her past.

Have always loved this author's books, but this one didn't do it for me. What started out as a thriller and seemed to have a lot of potential for suspense, it ended up with family drama. While the "twist" might have seemed unexpected, the resolution seemed rushed and boring, and I felt there were some questions left unanswered. I did enjoy the different points of view and timelines, and getting to know about the main characters.

More of a mystery than a thriller, it was good, but not great. Very heavy, but a lot of loose ends. And I found it hard to connect with any of the sisters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book via a gifted eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Minka Kent is an auto read author for me and once again she didn’t disappoint with Gone Again. I really enjoyed the alternating timeline and the sisters’ POVs. If you’re a fan of domestic thrillers, definitely add this to your list.

This is my first Minka Kent novel, and I found it okay, nothing amazing, but not completely horrible.

Told is POVS of sisters, Genevieve and Celia, in both present day and the past. Both have unresolved trauma from their childhood, though this is not explained very well. The trauma was touched on but not explained well as to why it followed the women around. Relationships were volatile and not explained as to why, its like the reader is to assume what is going on behind the scenes.

Hints about what is going on in present day are dropped throughout the flashback, making the big twist not that big in the end. There was lots of fluff and filler that had nothing to do with the plot and could have been left out. The ending was rushed and left lots of unresolved questions. It seemed as though I read a draft and not a final product.

I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an eARC of this book.

Published: 03/07/23

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer, Thomas & Mercer for accepting my request to read and review Gone Again.

Five stars and I'm going to confess I rounded up because Kent has other books: I checked and I'm looking forward to exploring them.

The synopsis is clear and I'm not repeating it. The book is a good story with highs and lows running seamlessly. There is a father and daughter relationship that I have not read before. There are sibling to sibling relationships that I haven't read before. As I write this, I remember a husband and wife relationship that I don't recall reading before.

The story is told really well. There are a lot of moving parts that Kent maneuvered to my liking. Every time I pick up a mystery/thriller, I cross my fingers for something fresh and exciting. Gone Again did it for me. This was a fast read. Per usual, at around 70%-ish things slow. This is where several friends are interviewed, and it was dry. I started to sense a flat ending. Fortunately, it doesn't come. The ending is quite satisfying. It's a tad wonky but not enough to dwell on. I reminded myself every family is different.

It took me a couple of chapters to really get into this book, but once it grabbed my attention, it continued to pull me in farther. This is a bitter sweet story of a couple that raised their daughters under the pretense of a God-fearing couple that proves to be anything but that. I love the parts where it went back to the past then present. I love the sister for helping at through things.

Really disappointed. 💔 Don’t expect a thriller.
A lot of unanswered questions and a lot of seemingly important details end up being totally irrelevant to the plot. The “mystery” comes to a halt about 80% through, then the truth is (unsurprisingly and plainly) revealed and everything leading up to that point just fizzles out without explanation. The rest of the book is just the characters having a heart-to-heart. Absolutely no action, suspense, shockers, crazy twists. More of a boring family drama than a thriller.

I had read Unmissing last year and absolutely loved it but I didn’t feel that way about this one. It was enjoyable enough but I didn’t love it for some reason. I can’t put my finger on why. I know that’s horrible when writing a review but it’s true.