𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
First off, this book has a lot of trigger warnings-so make sure to check those out before you dive in, and because of that-this book may not be for everyone. Can you really trust those closest to you? This book had me questioning exactly that! I love how this book gripped me from the very start and had me flipping through the pages, although it was a slow burn, there was definitely the right amount of suspense throughout to keep me from wanting to put this book down. I enjoyed the dual timelines, one told from the past as we follow the MC, Beatrice “Beans”, as she struggles with the aftermath of her mother’s death; whereas in the present day we follow Beans as she digs deeper into her mother’s death and to get to the bottom of what really happened. Not only was this thriller suspenseful and thrilling, but it was rather emotional at times too. I thought that this was unique for a thriller to have that emotional effect on its reader, but I liked that unique aspect of this book and admire the author for being able to combine the emotions with the thrills and suspense. I also really enjoyed the characters, especially Beans, and I found myself having a soft spot for her. The author touched on some really difficult subject matter throughout this book, but I think that she portrayed the sensitive material well for readers which made the story more realistic and relatable for many. Overall, I think that Schwartz knocked it out of the park with this debut and she is definitely an author to keep on your radar! I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next🙌🏻

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Books that touch on realistic and relatable issues and subject matter
✦Characters that you find yourself rooting for
✦Plenty of suspense
✦A bingeable read



𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.25/5

I'm going to warn you, it's been a long time since I've felt so many emotions reading a book. It's best to be prepared by keeping a box of tissues close to you at all times while reading this.

"Since She's Been Gone" by Sagit Schwartz is a powerful, multilayered, emotionally driven, and suspenseful thriller with heavy topics such as eating disorders (ED), drug addiction, the death of parents, and miscarriage. Thank you, Sagit Schwartz, for the eARC for review considerations. All opinions expressed below are mine alone.

"Since She's Been Gone" is written in dual timelines, with the main character, Bean's, teenage years and her current adult life.

A quick note about books written in a dual timeline format: I usually find that I'm only interested in one of the timelines. It's a rarity for me to find a dual timeline story where both are equally interesting. If one of the timelines is utterly boring or used as filler, it will ultimately affect the rating I give.

With that being said, I'm pleased to tell you with sincerity that this is not the case with "Since She's Been Gone." Both timelines hooked my attention and were valuable to the overall story. Bean's current timeline was suspenseful, powerful, fast-paced, and the love that her mother had for her is a bond no one can break. That's right! Cue tissues, please!

Now let's move on to the second timeline: the teenage years. Bean's teenage years had a large impact on me and opened my eyes to the demons that patients with ED have to endure on a daily basis. It's heartbreaking, but the childhood experience with recovery was very educational and made me dedicated to her character. With Schwartz's background as a licensed psychotherapist and having experienced ED and the loss of her own mother, she was able to capture and share in her writing exactly what someone would experience while going through the same. In other words, the character development was phenomenal.

Let's not forget that this book is classified as a thriller, and it certainly delivers that thrill. It's intense, suspenseful, and it will blow your socks off.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to both thriller lovers and contemporary fiction lovers. Especially if you are interested in learning more about eating disorders. Just remember to have a box of tissues handy.

Thank you so much to Sagit and the publisher for an early copy of both the ebook and the physical arc!

This is a psychological thriller/mystery following a clinical psychologist within a dual timeline and set between LA and NYC (two of my favorite locations to read about). I absolutely love books like this where we are right along for the main character's ride in uncovering deep rooted secrets, and the secrets in this book can change not only our character's lives but the lives of so many others.

Two of my favorite things about this book were the conversations about grief and eating disorders. As a mental health clinician myself as well as someone who has experienced the death of a parent, I think the topics discussed in this book were written both sensitively and informationally, as the author is also a psychologist.

Overall, I am very impressed with this debut, and can't wait to see what else is in store for this author!

This has been my favorite thriller I have read in a long time. The author had an incredible way of intertwining several past and present events that just worked like nothing else I have read in a long time.

I read this book cover to cover over the course of an evening because I couldn't put it down.

Plot -
Beatrice "Beans" Bennett is a psychiatrist, in a relationship, and living her life. She lost her mother in a hit-and-run accident, which launched her life into chaos, and she developed a life-threatening eating disorder. One day, a woman walks into Beatrice's practice, tells her that her mother is still alive and in trouble again, and then disappears. Beatrice loses herself in a web of lies and deceit, trying to figure out if her mother is still alive, where she could be, and why she would fake her own death and abandon her family.
The book is told in two timelines. We have Beatrice now, dealing with the devastating news that her mother may be alive, and Beatrice in the 90's, dealing with her mother's death and fighting an eating disorder.

Thoughts -
The past timeline when Beatrice was institutionalized due to her ED was phenomenally written with care and precision. The struggle that Beatrice went through, hating herself, and lashing out against everyone around her was so raw and full of emotion.
I loved how the author wove in bits of the past. As true with eating die it is a lifelong battle and it began to rear its ugly head in the present time. Even as an adult, Beatrice struggles a lot with self-doubt and almost jeopardizes her relationship with the man she loves and his daughter because she doesn't feel good enough.
As for the thriller plotline, I loved how it was tied in with the big pharma scandals. No spoilers, but Beatrice quickly discovers ties to the family who owns one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies and facing repercussions due to the addictive nature of their drug. They will stop at nothing to cover up their wrongdoing.

There are several trigger warnings in this book, but they are handled delicately and with care. However, I would advise everyone to check them out before reading, just to make sure the material is something you are comfortable with.

4.5/5 stars

This is an emotional psychological thriller told in a past/present timeline.

The book is divided into four parts and starts with an important content warning re: eating disorders.

The narrator is 41 year old Beatrice. She is a psychologist who goes on a quest to find out the truth about her mom who died when she was 15.

The past timeline gives us a first hand account of a teen struggling with an eating disorder. I've actually never read a book with such a raw detailed account of this disorder. This is something that I know very little about. But I still found these chapters to be quite disturbing and difficult to read. But it was still very interesting. It felt super real and very educational.

I really enjoyed the present timeline. Beatrice/Beans finds out some shocking news about her mom. The story goes back and forth between the riveting present and her troubled life as a teenager. Beatrice is Jewish. However there are only brief mentions of this in the book.

My favorite part of this book was definitely the last half. The story got super intense as more was happening. I also really enjoyed her relationship with Eddie and his daughter Sarah. And I thought that the last chapter was perfection. Overall this was a very good debut thriller that will stick with me for a long time.


Thanks to netgalley and Crooked Lane books for allowing me to read this amazing debut novel.

First 5 star book of 2024 for me! The first chapter immediately pulled me in. I didn’t want to put it down. I read it 2 sittings. I would have read in 1 but had to work. The back story is so heartbreaking and such a roller coaster of a read! There are many trigger warnings listed at the beginning. I highly recommend checking those out before diving into it.
This story is so full of suspense and twists. Being told in dual timelines gives even more depth to an already deep book. There is so much to process with this book. Things happen so quickly! I just had the keep going because I NEEDED to know how things turned out! I really loved how we got such close insight to Beatrice and all that she went through. I didn’t expect most of what ended up unfolding so that was awesome.
An amazing debut that is well written. (It’s hard to believe this is a debut!!!!!)

This book. It had potential but it was just too much in the end. Too many unrealistic things happened - Googling and finding addresses if the famous and not so famous, hospital records from 50 years ago. And, as others have mentioned, WAY too much about eating disorders. Establishing her history of addiction was one thing, but it made up half the book. I would skip it.

With the emotional depth, breakneck pacing, and powerfully satisfying ending, I can't believe this is Sagit Schwartz's debut novel!

Beatrice, or "Beans" to her close friends, struggled as a teen in the aftermath of her mother's death, and developed a crippling eating disorder in the midst of her grief. Now, as an adult, she is a psychotherapist who helps others work through their struggles, and when a new patient arrives at her office to tell her her mother is in danger, everything Beans thought she knew about her mom and her childhood is thrown into question. After the mysterious stranger runs out of her office, Beans tries to pull at what little threads she has to unravel the truth of her mother's death - or not death. The more threads she pulls, the higher the stakes become, and the more danger she finds herself in.

Told in alternating timelines, this book shares an empathetic and harrowing perspective of battling eating disorders in Beans' past, and maintains a quickly moving pace in Beans' present as she tries to find answers. You'll want to check the trigger warnings on this one, but if you can handle a jarring depiction of eating disorders, this book is a powerfully emotional thriller that delivers a thoroughly satisfying and healing ending.

This book gave me The Last Thing He Told Me feels for sure.

Beatrice or Beans, had a very different life experience at the age of 15 when her mother was killed in a hit-and-run which started Beans' eating disorder. She struggled for years and that eventually led to her becoming a clinical psychologist years later. She has a new patient arrive who claims that Beans' mother is still alive, but in lots of danger. This stirs something in Beans and she goes looking for her mother. She uncovers more and more secrets and isn't sure what is the truth or not anymore.

This story was such an emotional rollercoaster. I would have done the same thing searching for my mother if someone told me after she died that she was alive. The eating disorder portion was different than others books that I have read and it really showed how easy it is to relapse when other things in your life get difficult. I really enjoyed her deciding that her boyfriend and his daughter were more important than giving in to her eating disorder and how he gave her the space to figure that out on her own instead of making her choose when she was not ready. This story was phenomenal for a debut.

This was a really good read. It was suspenseful and kept me guessing until the end. I was appreciative that the author gave trigger warnings. It has some heavy content, but I liked reading how the FMC dealt with her past and how it had an impact on the present and future.

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers Promotions, Crooked Lane Books, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of Since She’s Been Gone in exchange for my honest review.

It’s not too often that I read a thriller, and a debut at that, that also has me emotionally wrecked by the end. Yet, that is exactly what this one managed to do. I do want to preface this review by saying the author begins this book with a note and a content warning…please take the time to read it. This is not an easy book to read by any means and there many triggers, so proceed with caution.

Now that that’s out of the way, I can’t tell you how much I loved this book! It grabbed me right from the beginning and did not let up until the very end. I have never been as invested in a character as I was with Beatrice “Beans” Bennett. And I loved how we got to be part of her life both in the now and then sections. The dual timeline works so well here, as the past sections where Beans is dealing with the aftermath of losing her mother and her eating disorder is just such an emotional journey, where the present sections are full of suspense as Beans tries to find the truth about what really happened to her mother.

What really strikes me about this book is the deep dive we get into the psychological aspects of eating disorders and I loved how the author does that here. Told from Beans’ point of view, we are privy to her internal dialog throughout the book, seeing how she handles different struggles throughout her life, especially during her most challenging times. It is here that we are able to see what it is like to live with the eating disorder, or ED, as it is referred to in the book, and how it often takes over her life. This is just so powerful. I feel like I learned so much from this book.

I finished this one with tears in my eyes…it was just so good. This is such a great debut and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to Thriller Book Lover Promotions, Crooked Lane Books and Sagit Schwartz for the ARC!

Starting off, this book has a note from the author along with a list of trigger warnings; I think its important to read those before getting into this book.

Beatrice “Beans” Bennett lost her mother nearly twenty five years ago. In the aftermath of her mother’s car accident, Beans developed a devastating eating disorder. Though she spent time in treatment, she still struggles to keep it at bay. Now a clinical psychologist, she helps others with their own various recoveries. When a new patient visits her office early in the morning, insists Beans’ mother is still alive then leaves, Beans is forced to confront the past that caused her so much pain.

This book started off with a bang - literally, within the first few pages, life-changing information was dropped on Beans. And the suspense in this book didn’t let up until the very end. Told in dual timelines, we see Beans’ past unfold as she struggled with an eating disorder after her mother died. Meanwhile, in the present day, she starts on the dangerous path to finding out what really happened to her mother. Is she still alive, after all this time? And if so, why has she disappeared from Beans’ life?

It’s no secret that thrillers are my favorite, but this one was special. I don’t usually come across thrillers that have such an emotional component to them. My heart went out to Beans at all stages of her life; she truly did not have an easy time. It was not difficult to root for her and I can honestly say I loved both parts of the book equally (the past as well as present day timelines). Sagit Schwartz handled a lot of very sensitive topics with the utmost respect and presented them in a way that was both informative and worked well in the story. I literally binged this book in two sittings; the pacing was excellent and I couldn’t put it down!

For a debut, Sagit Schwartz knocked this out of the park.

“Since She’s Been Gone” releases February 6, 2024. This review will be shared to y instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

I loved the author's writing style and it broke my heart to read everything beans went through as a teenager and still through adulthood. The ending was a bit bittersweet for me but still, I loved how it all ended for her.

Thanks to Netgalley and crooked lane books for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Dual timelines seem to always get me immediately invested and quick chapters in this one made for easy reading. The subject matter is heavy but well done.

Beatrice AKA Beans is now a psychologist. She lost her mother at 15 and then fell hard into an eating disorder.

The past timeline deals with teen Beans and much of it takes place in a treatment center for her ED. The also delves in deep and shows us what ED is truly like from all sides - the child, the parent and the professionals offering help.

Present day Beans is in recovery, dating a widow with a daughter and successful at her career. Until she gets some news that rocks her world and sends her off on an investigation that has her questioning everything she knows about her parents and her life. So many secrets. So much danger.

We go on a wild ride with Beans and this one definitely kept me guessing.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for an ARC and allowing me to be part of this tour!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of Since She’s Been Gone!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
💨 enjoy fast paced thrillers
🕵🏻‍♀️ like to play detective in your own life
📖 love short chapters
🗽 have never been to NYC

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Losing her mother to a hit-and-run at age 15 threw Beatrice “Beans” Bennett’s life into turmoil. Bereft, she developed a life-threatening eating disorder, and went through a challenging recovery process which paved the way for her work as a clinical psychologist decades later.

When a new patient arrives at her office and insists that Beans’s mother is still alive—and in danger—Beans is forced to revisit her past in order to uncover the truth. She learns the “patient” is a member of a notorious family that owns a drug company largely responsible for the national opioid epidemic, and that her mother was once tangled in their web. In a race against time—and her mother’s assailants—while once again facing the disorder she thought she’d put behind her, Beans discovers that, like herself, her mother had a devastating secret.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a fast paced thriller with a lot of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, but the fact that a psychologist with no experience in detective work was uncovering everything did feel a bit unbelievable. I also didn’t like that everyone she spoke to just automatically opened up to her with a few thinly veiled threats, though maybe her profession was shining through in that way ie she’s easy to talk to because it’s what she does for a living. Overall, I liked discovering all the new information along Beatrice (Beans). My favorite part was definitely the flashbacks to when she was a kid dealing with her ED. I felt that the author really did her research into EDs to get these scenes as accurate as possible!

“Since She's Been Gone”" is my second book of the year and second debut. It's an excellent novel by an author I highly recommend.

The book delves into mental health issues, which always fascinate me. Patricia, also known as Beans, is a therapist who battled a severe eating disorder as a teenager and continues to struggle with it as an adult. The author cautions readers about the trigger warnings associated with the book.

This is the first book I've read that explores eating disorders in such extraordinary detail, and I found it quite insightful. It highlights the fact that eating disorders are severe illnesses that are extremely difficult to control.

This unusual thriller takes readers on an emotional roller coaster ride, resulting in a few moments of tears.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book through NetGalley from Crooked Lane Books. All opinions are my own and are left voluntary.

#SinceShesBeenGone #SagitSchwartz #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley #Debut #ARC #ReadersOfTheLateArc #TalkWordyToMe #UpcomingThriller #HonestReview #JustFinished #ComingSoon #ThrillerBookLoverPromotions ThrillerFriendsUnite #ThrillerObsessedBookishClub #LoveToRead #BookAddict #Bookstagrammer #BookReels #LoveBooks #ThrillerBookLovers #BookReview

This was a fast paced read. I kept wanting to know what would happen next. The dual time lines helped so much to understand the main character. I highly recommend you add this to your TBR.

What an incredible debut! I had been hearing such great things about this book and let me tell you, they are all true. This book is so bingeable, I just couldn’t put it down. Be warned though, there are some really tough subjects throughout the story. The author did such a great job writing them all with care and knowledge. It is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish, this so many twists and turns.

As a teenager, Beatrice lost her mother in a hit and run accident. It broke her completely and she ended up with an eating disorder, for which she was hospitalised. Years later, she is now a clinical psychologist. Her life is turned upside down when a new patient arrives and tells her that her mother is still alive and in danger.

This begins a wild and dangerous journey for Beatrice who is determined to learn the truth. She learns so much about her mother that she did not know, and finds herself up against some very powerful people.

This is a story of grief, family, mental health and so much more. You feel like you are on this emotional journey with the main character. My heart broke for her so many times and had me tearing up, which doesn’t happen very often in thrillers.

A book not to be missed, a massive thank you to Kristyn @delightfullybooked and Crooked Lane Books for seeing me an early copy of this book to read. Published on February 6th, you need to get this on your TBR.

This is a highly addicting, fast moving, bingeable read. That will have your mind spinning and your heart shattered over and over again for Beatrice aka Beans. Who lost her mom at the age of fifteen and really spun out her life. Leading to an all-encompassing eating disorder, which allowed her some type of control over her life. The characters opened themselves raw with their experiences and the inner demons that come along with this complex disease. Speaking of the characters, you are folded seamlessly into Beans life. A patient comes into her office one day, claiming that people in her life do not appear as they are. This leads Beans down a dark path into what actually happened to her mother and why. I do not want to give away too many details and ruin the book for anyone.

I tore through this book. I stayed up way too late and rose early to finish. It had such depth, emotion, with the mystery and thrills seamlessly threaded through. Thank you to Sagit Schwartz and Crooked Lane Books for this intense read.

This debut psychological thriller had me flying through the pages to find out what would happen next.

Dr. Beatrice Bennett, or 'Beans,' is shocked when a young woman comes to her office and tells her that not only is her mother alive, but that she is currently in danger. Beans' mother has been gone for years, but when Beans begins to pull at the threads of her past, the whole story starts to unravel in a new way.

The story alternates between two timelines- the present day where Beans is hunting down clues in multiple cities, and the past, when Beans lived at a residential treatment facility while struggling with anorexia. Anorexia and eating disorders are talked about in full, harrowing detail, including the facts that these disorders are incredibly difficult to treat and that recovery lasts a lifetime. If this is a sensitive topic for you, proceed with caution.

Beans' past is integral to the story in the present day, as her disorder begins to rear its ugly head while she focuses on the hunt for her mother. Things happen incredibly fast, with one source giving a clue that leads to the next in rapid succession. The short chapters and fast pace made this book incredibly binge worthy, and I finished it in two reading sessions. I didn't know who to trust, and every single person started to feel untrustworthy as Beans slowly pieced together her mother's past.

Suspenseful, captivating, and incredibly moving at times, Since She's Been Gone is a unique read that will definitely stick with me for awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.