The writing is great, but this story was not for me. I DNF because I could not connect with the characters.

Emlyn and Janessa were the best of friends until they weren't. Tyler was childhood friends with Janessa but fell for and started dating Emlyn. Janessa tried to warn Emlyn about Tyler, but she didn't listen, and it almost cost Emlyn her life. This was a fairly fast-paced book and it kept my attention throughout the book. I won't lie, I was freakin' impatient and wanted to know why they weren’t friends anymore. 😆 I really like the names she chose for the female characters. They are unique and pretty.  

This was a good book where the FMC (or is it MFC. I never remember which one to use 😆) doesn't know her strength within but learned it throughout the story. I really enjoy stories like that!

Also, this book reminds me of the Casey Duncan series by Kelley Armstrong. If you read/listened to that series, definitely give this book a go!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced and interesting. The religious aspect was a little much for me, but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

I want to start off by saying a great thanks to NetGalley, author, and publisher for this e-Arc.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the idea of the plot, and the mystery. The authors writing style flowed really well and I liked the time that she took to describe the scenery. It didnt feel like it got lost in the plot. The biggest downfall of this book was the characters and plot. The characters fell flat in different aspects, so I didn't connect too well with them. The plot was very slow and underwhelming. The romance didn't pull me in and I didnt get much chemistry between the two. I've heard great things about her other novel, so despite this book, I am interested in reading her other novels. Overall, I would rate this a 2/5.

This book was a great premise. A woman's estranged best friend vanishes off the face of the Earth, even though she is a social media personality, and the woman is the only person that can find her. I found the plots of the story to be entertaining and engaging, and I found the twists to be realistic. The writing style was engaging and kept me guessing, and it kept my brain engaged with the story. Although I didn't like this one quite as much as the last book that I read by this author, it was a solid novel, and I would recommend it to friends that enjoy a twisty, contemporary mystery.

Thank you to the Author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good. So, so good, even if you aren't an outdoorsy person.

I was so worried about Emlyn searching for Janessa and all of the obstacles and flashbacks with Tyler and gah, you have to read it to understand. Also, I'm trying not to give spoilers.

The pace was a tad bit slower than I liked because of the flashbacks, and overall, I think it worked fine. I was so worried for all of these people and I kept waiting for the worst to happen.

I liked how Emlyn had such a positive growth over the years from where she came from. Life is just ... hard.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING to review.

I rate THE NATURE OF DISAPPERING five out of five stars.

Do you like hiking and nature? This book is for you. I thought the mystery was fun but the culmination at the end fell a little flat for me. Also, I am not a very outdoorsy person so I was a bit lost on the jargon. Still, a nice slow burn.

This is my second book by this author. It follows Emlyn in third person with a now and then format going back six years to describe events and relationships that she has developed with her best friend, Janessa, who is currently missing, and other characters that include family, friends and romantic entanglements. I switched between the audiobook and the e-book. The audiobook is narrated by Emily Pike Stewart who did a fantastic job portraying the personality of Emlyn, as well as describing the beauty of the natural surroundings and the suspenseful moments leading to the conclusion of the story. It was the perfect read for my current hiking vacation.

I really enjoyed Emlyn’s complexity of character, from her low self-esteem due to her abandonment issues and her resilience for survival despite her subsequent experiences that only contributed to those issues as an adult. She is currently working as a wilderness guide in Idaho when her ex Tyler approaches her with information indicating their mutual friend, Janessa, is missing and needs her expertise in tracking to search for her. At times I was a little frustrated with the ambiguity of the events leading to their breakup, but in the end I felt the story developed at the appropriate pacing for the situation and I especially enjoyed reading about the development of her friendship with Janessa in the alternate “then” chapters.

Recommended to readers who enjoy a combination of nature and suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and MacMillan audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one for the quick, mysterious read but it fell short of my expectations after loving These Silent Woods so much.

Emlyn, Janessa, and Tyler - a trio of friends thrust into chaos and fighting when Emlyn and Tyler decide to date each other. Prior to meeting Tyler, Emlyn and Janessa were inseparable, and the destruction of their friendship was painful for me because Kimi Cunningham Grant has a way with words and phrases that left me feeling raw, as if I was the one who had lost her best friend. Turns out Tyler couldn't stay with Emlyn and she finds herself alone and navigating life by herself. The story is told entirely from Emlyn's POV, and it jumps back and forth in time from the present to the past in a non-linear fashion. This left me feeling disjointed as my brain worked overtime trying to piece together her history with her boyfriend and former best friend. When Janessa turns up missing, Tyler re-emerges in Emlyn's life and convinces her to search for Janessa with him. What should have been an escalating tension read was broken up by trips into the past to help explain where and how they all ended up where they did. I liked the story, and I really liked Emlyn's character as I found her in the present day to be intelligent, of strong mind, and also intuitive, but the timeline jumping de-escalated the suspense for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

(Rounded up from 3.5 stars)

The friendship between Emlyn and Janessa was most surprising to me. I honestly kept waiting for Janessa to reveal that she had just been using Emlyn or viewed her as a project. To know that she sincerely cared about Emlyn was quite heartwarming. Tyler, on the other hand, I just wanted to punch. His actions are unbelievable, and they go to show that people really don't change. I loved the hint of a happily-ever-after at the end for Emlyn.

"The Nature of Disappearing" was an engrossing story that drew me right in.

Emlyn has worked hard to put her life back together and to feel safe, but that's come at a cost. When the best friend that she's drifted away from goes missing, she knows she has to go after Janessa, to make sure she's alright. But she also knows she can't do it alone. Tracking down Janessa will require her to team up with the man who broke her heart and left her for dead three years earlier; the man Janessa had warned her away from years earlier and the cause of her fall-out with her best friend.

As Emlyn fights her demons and leaves behind the peaceful life she's built for herself, it turns out that the path to finding Janessa will be even more fraught with danger than she realized at first. And the question becomes, does Janessa even want to be found and who can they trust when the dust settles again?

I highly enjoyed this book with its rich character development and intriguing storyline.

Thank you to Kimi Cunningham Grant, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I was so excited to hear that Kimi was releasing a new book as THESE SILENT WOODS still lives on as one of my all-time favorite books. I’m happy to report that THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING was wonderful! I love the way Kimi writes her characters and develops their relationships. Emlyn was such a great character and I loved following her along in the story, rooting for her the entire time. The best part about Kimi’s books is how beautifully she writes the settings. The woods and nature become a character all their own and it’s wonderful to read.

Let me say that when I saw she wrote another book I knew I had to read it. Her debut novel, In These Silent Woods was my favorite book of 2023! This book was slightly different but it was just as wonderfully written and made you feel like you were right there in the wilderness with the characters. I look forward to reading everything else she writes

"The Nature of Disappearing" by Kimi Cunningham Grant is a thriller that, while not entirely my usual genre, captivated me with its compelling storyline, rich character development, and atmospheric setting.

Set against a backdrop of intrigue and mystery, the novel unfolds as a slow burn, gradually revealing its secrets through a series of unexpected twists. The author skillfully weaves together multiple narratives, each contributing to the overall tension and sense of unease that permeates the story.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its well-crafted characters, each with their own complexities and motivations. As the plot unfolds, so too do the layers of each character, revealing deeper truths and unexpected connections that add depth to the narrative.

The atmosphere of the novel is another standout feature. Grant's descriptive prose brings the settings vividly to life, whether it's the eerie quiet of a small town or the haunting beauty of remote landscapes. This atmospheric quality enhances the suspense and keeps the reader engaged throughout.

While "The Nature of Disappearing" may not have been my typical choice of thriller, I found it to be a highly satisfying read. It blends elements of mystery and psychological suspense with a keen eye for human relationships and the intricacies of secrets. For anyone who enjoys a thought-provoking thriller with a slow-building intensity and unexpected twists, this novel is definitely worth picking up.

Overall, Kimi Cunningham Grant has delivered a gripping tale that lingers in the mind, offering both suspense and substance in equal measure.

3.5 stars, rounded up.
I did not get that ooomph for this novel like her debut (soph slump?)
It still had an excellent outdoor wilderness setting but to be perfectly honest, I skipped entire chapters and still it felt too long and dragged out. I wanted more mystery and less character background.

For the drama that was playing out in the backstory, it did not match the anticipation for the reveal towards the end. This does not mean I didn’t enjoy what I DID end up reading and the writing and atmospheric prose was on point — it was just too much of the wrong combinations of details for my taste.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

I was late to The Silent Woods party but it was a five star read for me, so I had high hopes for this new book from KCG. In this one, we get a new story set in the wilderness. Emlyn is a nature guide who becomes embroiled in a hunt through the woods for her former friend Janessa who is an influencer. When she goes missing, Emlyn notices on a video of her a distress signal they used to use for one another. Even though their friendship is estranged she feels she needs to get involved and ends up working with her ex to track Janessa. We get chapters flipping back and forth between their present search and the timeline of their friendship slowly revealing what pulled them apart.

This was a like and not a love for me. It's definitely an atmospheric and more character driven story. Emlyn was quite likable but as is true in a lot of these modern thriller stories, literally no one else was. I started this one with the Netgalley copy but lost a little momentum switching over to an audio version and that helped me keep momentum up.

3.5/5 — This is my first time reading a book by this author and it was really well written, I would definitely pick up another book by her. I really appreciated her love of nature & the outdoors, it was apparent in her writing. I also enjoyed our main character and the parallels of being lost in the literal wilderness as well as emotional & personal wilderness and how to navigate those challenges.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

This was interesting and kept my attention. I would recommend!

"This is the moment Emlyn will play over and over in her mind. The moment where her life swivels from its course and heads in an entirely different direction. Life is full of these moments. Little points like those connect-the-dots activities from grade school. Each speck building on the next to form the shape of a person's story."⁣
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Two for two. I loved These Silent Hills and I really enjoyed this one (even if I didn't love the ending).⁣
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I went in blind because of how much I enjoyed These Silent Hills and I think that led to the propulsiveness for me. The only thing I'd say is there is a person that goes missing...⁣
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Do you read full summaries for mystery/thrillers? I find they can give too much away so the most I'll read is the first, short paragraph of a summary.⁣
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Thank you @netgalley for this free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.⁣
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