Emlyn has a complicated past she worked hard to leave behind. But, when her ex, Tyler, comes looking for her help to save their friend, Emlyn puts her expertise as a wilderness guide to use to try and find her.

Thoughts 💭
This novel has a lot of suspense with twists and turns I didn't completely see coming. The then and now timelines helped add to the suspense and the drama. No one was really what they seemed. The story was very engaging and fun to read from the start. Bonus points from me for having the setting in the wilderness as I love to hike.

I didn't rate this higher because I was occasionally frustrated with Emlyn's choices. Her willingness to listen to her ex and ignore safety protocols was contradictory to her strong, smart character. Some plot points were a little outrageous and random as well. Overall, this was a quick and fun read for me, and I loved the setting in the wilderness.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you, Minotaur for the digital ARC.

let me start by saying that i loved THESE SILENT WOODS, so maybe i had high expectations going into this book.

While I enjoyed the beautiful writing and how atmospheric it was, i really struggled with the past timeline. I felt like it didn't let the story unfold seamlessly.

Overall, a good read, but not one that i remember months from now.

3.5 stars

Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the arc copy of this. This book was wonderful. Emlyn has created a new life after being left in the wilderness by her drug addled boyfriend Tyler. One day Tyler tracks her now to let her know to seek her help finding their mutual best friend who’s gone missing Tyler now clean is leaning on her to unravel the mystery while old feelings begin to resurface, but can she ever trust him again? Beautifully written and fast paced this was such a solid story. 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant in exchange for an honest review. Another amazing book by Grant. Her books are so relatable and it's because her characters are people you feel like you know or how I feel sometimes. I love the crafting of the storyline with immense attention to the words on each page. You can tell that Grant puts a lot of heart and soul in her books, and they are inspirational because of it. Thank you for another wonderful book.

3.5 ⭐

Kimi Cunningham Grant has been hot on my radar since I read the masterpiece that is These Silent Woods a few months back. And while this book doesn't quite live up to the experience of the other (that's a lot to ask of a book), it is still thoroughly enjoying. This author does a great job crafting complex, emotional characters, vast worlds, and endlessly tense scenes. I was on my toes for the majority of this book, my mind spinning.

Setting the majority of this story in the woods really worked for me, the whole thing felt both claustrophobic and horrifyingly remote. I liked the amount of detail that went into the sections about hiking, trapping, fly fishing etc. It really felt like the author knew their stuff (at least to me, someone who knows nothing about anything woodsy).

Like I said before, the characters were complex and realistic. I felt that Emlyn's character was a bit 'pick me' at times, and she sometimes got on my nerves because of this, but her struggles with feeling like she belongs and her abandonment issues were really well done in my opinion. The author did a great job with handling the conflict between Janessa and Emlyn, and I appreciate that both characters were able to acknowledge how they mishandled the situation without brushing the issue under the rug.

When it came to the love triangle, I was left wanting a bit. I honestly didn't realize that the ranger boy was a potential love interest untill halfway through. I thought he just had unreciprocated feelings for Emlyn, but then she starts talking about having fantasies of them having kids together, and the whole thing sort of threw me off. I wish we had more time to build their connection, especially since he is gone for most of the story. I thought Tyler's character was written very well, as an unpredictable addict character. I appreciate that the author touched on how their can be good moments mixed in with the bad times in a relationship, and it felt very understandable as to why Emlyn stayed with him for so long. That being said I am SO GLAD they did not end up together and have some BS forgive and forget moment. I thought the story was headed that way for a minute and am really glad it did not.

Overall a very solid read from Kimi Cunningham Grant. I look forward to reading anything else this author puts out, and encourage others to do the same!

I enjoyed this slow burn suspense (NOT thriller), as I had the expectation that it would be slow. Full of wonderful nature/survival writing, we follow Emlyn as she tries to figure out what happened to her friend who has disappeared in the wilderness. Following a dual timeline, we slowly discover her history with her friend and exboyfriend, putting puzzle pieces slowly together. Some may lament the slowness of the novel, so please have that expectation going in. This would be a great one to read on a nature-filled vacation, as the nature writing is really the star here, rather than the mystery of it all. Worth a read!

I wanted to love this book. The premise definitely had my attention. But while beautifully written, it was just so slow moving. I loved how descriptive Grant was with her wilderness scenes. I could picture myself in those mountains. As well, Emlyn was such a strong female character. I really liked her strong love of, and connection to, nature. And how she turned that into a successful career in a male dominated field. But it wasn't enough to get past the slow pacing. Which I couldn't even reasonably call a slow burn.

In the end I did enjoy the book. And there was nice little twist near the end. I just didn't love it like I wanted to.

I loved These Silent Woods, so I’m not surprised that I enjoyed this one. The writing is wonderful and the plot is unique. It’s definitely a slow burn story. It’s told from Emlyn’s POV and switches back and forth between two different timelines. I’ll be eagerly waiting for the next book!

I loved These Silent Woods and bought it for everyone I knew. Grant has a great way of creating suspense that simmers throughout her novels. Although this one didn't capture my attention like the previous novel did, I enjoyed the characters the plot kept me turning pages.. The dual timeline didn't flow as well as I would have liked but the characters were well thought out and multi-dimensional. I wanted a little more literary complexity and thought it relied too heavily on "who dunnit" but am glad I read it. A good summer beach read. Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy!

Decided to DNF at 21%. It was so slow and it is not holding my attention. This may just be me since I am a mood reader and I want to be reading romance books right now.

3 out of 5 stars!

Emlyn has a simple life, working as a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho. She lives in an Airstream trailer, along the scenic river. She has 2 best friends, a local ranger and the makeshift community reverend. But nothing is that simple. Emlyn may live the simple life now, but she is about to get pulled back into a life she is trying to forget. When Tyler, the love of her life, finds her, he comes with unexpected news. Janessa, Emlyn’s best friend, is missing. Are they considered best friends, even if they haven’t talked in years? The jury is still out, but Emlyn knows this is serious, and her help is needed in finding her. Janessa, now an influencer, lives a completely different life than before. She is traveling across America with her boyfriend, promoting van life. When she stops posting, Tyler is sure that she is in danger and needs help. As Emlyn and Tyler search the woods trying to find Janessa, they start to find themselves in a dangerous spot. There are lies out there in the woods, and Emlyn is soon going to find out.

“The Nature of Disappearing” by Kimi Cunningham Grant is the first for me by this author! I was really drawn to the title of this novel, as well as the synopsis. I love the outdoors and exploring, so the synopsis sent a shiver down my spine about the things that can go wrong out in the woods. This book held a lot of suspense, but kind of fell apart towards the end of the book. The book kept building up, uncovering secrets and having twists, but the ending felt it was lacking something. I feel like Grant could have expanded more and explained better.

I loved the main character, Emlyn. She was a very smart main character who took cues from what was going on. She was good at solving mysteries and developed a lot throughout the novel. Another thing I loved was the chapters. They flipped between the past and the present, which really propelled the book forward. You learned a lot of valuable information about Emlyn’s past as it pertains to the present. There was also some romance in this book, which is a hard thing to bring into a thriller novel. But the author did a great job incorporating it!

Pick up “The Nature of Disappearing” by Kimi Cunningham Grant on June 18th, 2024!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Kimi Cunningham Grant, and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the setting of this book and felt myself getting completely absorbed into the Idaho wilderness. It was a slow burn, switching off between the last and present POVs. The big reveal wasn’t anything super exciting, just an okay end to the book. That said, it was a quick read and did keep my attention throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Kimi Cunningham Grant's previous book, These Silent Woods, so when I got a chance to read an advanced copy of The Nature of Disappearing, I jumped on it.

We follow Emlyn as she and her past boyfriend Tyler search for Janessa, their friend who has gone off the grid under suspicious circumstances. We also have a series of flashbacks to the past five years that explain why Emlyn is living in an off-the-grid Airstream trailer and her complicated relationships with Tyler and Janessa. The tension ratchets up as the book moves along with higher stakes than I expected.

I was intrigued by the camping/backpacking part of this book. The tracking passages were fascinating. However, I had a hard time connecting with some of the characters. I think the flashbacks were a bit abrupt and the last few felt rushed. Overall, I loved the story and enjoyed Grant's writing. It's definitely worth reading!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC of The Nature of Disappearing.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this ALC!
Much like the first book I read by Grant, this one is a little bit slower, especially for the genre it’s classified in. But the writing is so beautiful and immersive that it just makes sense. Grant really has a way of captivating me and building beautiful atmospheres that give a creeping sense of dread. I had a feeling where this one was going, but kept hoping I was wrong. When it finally got the climax and I was right, I felt so disappointed because I had become so invested in the characters.
As for the audio version, the narrator did a great job. I usually prefer a full cast, but the narrator did such a great job encompassing all the characters.
Overall, for my second Grant book, I can safely say I’ll be reading more from her when the time comes!

This book suffers from the dual timeline dilemma. While Emlyn and Tyler are trying to track down Janessa in the present, there are constant flashbacks to when Emlyn and Janessa met and when Emlyn and Tyler met and had a relationship that blew up spectacularly (not in a good way). I didn't care about the past. Sure, it helped color in the characters but I didn't need that much and it was taking away from the present timeline of which could have used a lot more development. That whole section felt very rushed and rudimentary compared to all the time and detail spent in the past. I did really enjoy Emlyn's quirky habit of assigning everyone a specific word based on their personality. I kinda geeked out on that!

I love this book. It is so beautiful and complex. Our girl starts a new life when her boyfriend leaves her in the mountains with no survival gear. She ends up back in the mountains with him again because their mutual best friend has gone missing and Tyler might have a clue where she is.
It is both terrifying and tranquil.
I was hooked all the way through this one. That ending too!

Emlyn ends up facing her past when she is called upon to help an old friend who has disappeared in the Idaho wilderness. As an experienced guide and tracker ,You see her struggle with her past and comes to realize that she is happy with what she has. I enjoyed this book and loved getting to see what happened in her past and she rescues her friend .

THESE SILENT WOODS is one of my favorite books so my hopes were hiiigh for this one + it mostly succeeded!

✨dual timeline
✨slow burn mystery
✨great on audio🎧
✨the search for a missing friend - but who’s really in danger?
✨atmospheric - the wilderness plays a huge role (and was the original title of the book!)

This one was suspenseful and I binged it in a day because I really wanted to know what would happen next! Since it is a slower burn I think the audio was a huge help in my enjoyment of the story! I didn’t *love* the ending but if you enjoyed her other works I think you’ll enjoy this one too👏

This is a blend of what I call book club fiction and mystery/thriller. It is definitely a slow burn and really picks up at the end. The story goes back and forth between current events and past events that are directly shaping how the currently storyline plays out. The heart of the plot really centers around the relationships between the main characters, Emlyn, Janessa and Tyler, those core relationships help us understand why the characters do what they do in the present missing persons event.

This was my first book by this author, but I will be checking out the rest.

4.25 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


How does it feel to have your life pulled out from under you? To lose your way in life. To feel like you have to leave everything behind and start over. The Nature of Disappearing tackles this for one young woman.

Emlyn has run away from life more than once. She learned it well, from her mother. And then in college, Janessa befriends her and turns her life upside down. Suddenly the reclusive, shy Emlyn is wearing fancy clothes and visiting clubs and going to exclusive parties. All because of Janessa.

Then Emlyn meets Tyler. Who also turns her life upside down. It also causes Emlyn and Janessa to no longer speak. So when things go wrong with Tyler, Emlyn has nowhere to go but away and start her life over, yet again, this time as a wilderness guide in a small town.

Until Tyler shows up in Emlyn’s new life and begs her to help him find Janessa. Janessa has gone off grid and Tyler is thinking the worst. Because Emlyn is Emlyn, she agrees to help Tyler try to find Janessa in the wilderness. What Emlyn doesn’t expect is for things to go terribly wrong.

Loved this suspenseful novel about love and loss and fighting for your life - not only the physical life, but your heart and soul as well. Emlyn is someone that you want to fight for. She’s fought so hard in the past and present - as the novel does flip back and forth. Janessa is a wealthy social media star, but she has some very tough girl qualities that can make her endearing. This is a good one.