Emlyn is in a delima. Her old boyfriend who, in a drug-hazed state, dumped her lost in the wilds and has asked her to help him find her best friend Janessa. To do so they must go on a remote hike in the Idaho mountains. It took her years to get over him and she is just now finding solace for that lost relationship and her feelings of self-worth with a handsome forest ranger. He and her elder friend Rev helped her recover not just her feelings, but enabled her to find out what she really loves and what is important. Should she risk all and go look for her missing friend? Read this exciting novel and you will find the answers in the twisty turn of events. Well written with a compelling plot and great characters...I truly enjoyed this book. Thanks to #netgalley#TheNatureofDisappearing for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book.

It’s hard not to go into a book with expectations when their previous book was so beloved and I think I suffered a bit of that here.

I what I liked:

The setting, woods, nature, hiking and trailing
The bit of mystery at the beginning felt a little like a Gabbi Penito fan fic type thing going on and I still think that’s a super compelling story to tell.

What didn’t work:
The main character I had a really hard time liking her or any of the characters really, they all felt a bit narcissistic and I didn’t really root for any of them or come to care for them
The ending was a fizzle

Enjoyed and an easy enough read but not super memorable.

This was a slow burn character driven literary suspense novel that was just a tad too slow for me. And while we really got to know our main character Emerly, and kind of got to know Tyler, everyone else was a bit of a mystery. An expert tracker, Emerly has left her left her old life behind after her boyfriend Tyler abandoned her in the forest three years ago. Tyler is now a recovering addict and she has agreed to go with him to search for her once best friend Janessa has gone missing. Janessa is an influencer caught up in the van-life and has suddenly stopped posting, making Tyler very worried. This one had some moments, and was entertaining enough to keep going but not much more.

I absolutely adored These Silent Woods and eagerly anticipated reading this book. Although I enjoyed it, it did fall somewhat flat for me. The storyline is an interesting one, one that involves a missing person mystery, and the Idaho setting is quite apropos for the atmospherics surrounding the plot, but I found it to move way too slowly, and the last portion of the novel seemed sort of contrived and pretty unbelievable. Nonetheless, I look forward to other works by this author.

3.5 stars
This was such an interesting tale from start to finish with great narration and writing! I found These Silent Woods to be very compelling (even though I didn’t like the ending) so I was excited to start The Nature of Disappearing. The book starts with Emlyn struggling to reconcile events from her past. When an old friend goes missing in the woods, Emlyn has to work with her ex to try to track her down. The timeline went back and forth a lot in order to assemble all the details to come full circle with the story. I did get confused a few times about what was going on so I rounded down. It was probably just me though so I definitely recommend!
Thanks to St Martin’s, Minotaur and NetGalley for the advance review copies

Grant has a truly beautiful way of writing and she really brought a it the raw beauty of the Idaho wilderness in this one. In both of her books she creates an entire world in the way a fantastic fantasy is written. Every little detail provides a kind of moodiness that captures everything from the characters emotions to the picturesque scenery. This might not have packed the emotional punch like the end of These Silent Woods but it had me hooked and totally invested from beginning to end!

If you loved her debut then you should definitely give this one a try!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc and Minotaur Books for the arc via Netgalley!

I really enjoyed this! Fantastic character development and the setting in the wilderness was beautiful. Definitely reading more by this author.

Kimi Cunningham Grants book These Silent Woods is one of my favorite books of all time. So naturally, The Nature of Disappearing was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I have to say, her writing is incredible. I love the way she describes her settings and her characters. It almost feels like you are right there with them. She also makes you fall for her characters which is so important if you are a character-driven reader. This story was very well-paced, I loved the flashback chapters in between the current story and the mystery kept building without revealing too much too soon. I will forever pick up anything Kimi writes, as long as she keeps putting them out!

Emlyn has made a home in the mountains to escape from the hurt of a broken relationship. She is working as a guide in the for fishermen and hikers and beginning to heal with the help of the people who live in her tiny community. Then suddenly she gets a message from her ex Tyler about her very best friend Janessa who is lost in the mountains and Tyler convinces Emlyn that she is the one t0 find Janessa. This is a good story about the benefits of healing in the our of doors, about the meaning of friendship, and the possibility of moving on from the past, and the hope of a new beginning. I was cheering her on the whole way. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc and no pressure for a positive review.

I read and really liked These Silent Woods by Grant so was excited to read another of her novels.
The Nature of Disappearing is an interesting and slow-burn novel. The timeline goes back and forth between the past with the main characters and how they met/what they went through together, and present day. The twist wasn't what I was expecting but it kept me guessing and I wasn't quite sure where the storyline was headed.
It was also really atmospheric, where I felt I was in the Idaho wilderness with the characters.
A great Summer read!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING centers around Emlyn who is a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho. Before that she was the child of a depressed mother and a father who disappeared from her life. And she was a poor college student who kept to herself for fear of being a person easy to leave behind.

She met Janessa as a college freshman when Janessa saved her from some overaggressive college boys at a local diner. The two become inseparable with Janessa as the charismatic leader and Emlyn the quiet follower. Emlyn is mostly content to let Janessa make her decisions for her.

At least she is until she meets Tyler, Janessa's childhood friend. Emlyn and Tyler become a couple but Tyler's addiction to drugs leads to their breakup which comes to a head when he leaves her for dead in the wilderness.

Rescued by a forest ranger and cared for by an older woman, Emlyn decides to leave her past behind and build a new life. She's doing well until a couple of years later when Tyler comes to find her because Janessa, who has become a social media darling, is missing in the wilderness.

Together the two of them head into the wilderness to try to find Janessa. Along the way, Emlyn learns things Tyler doesn't want her to know about himself. And she learns that she is much stronger and competent than she has ever thought she was.

There is a mystery here with moments of danger, but for me this was mostly Emlyn's story showing her growth and the changes she has gone through. Fans of thrillers will be engaged and so will fans of people exploring their lives.

I really enjoyed this book! Grant really amerces you in the wilderness. The flashbacks are placed well throughout and I loved the suspense! Highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! I devoured this story! I discovered this story when I read a Minotaur Sampler, which if you have the opportunity to read one of those I recommend it. I have never read anything by this author before and look forward to reading more by her!

We meet Emlyn in the beautiful wild of Idaho, who is a fishing guide. Although we don't know at first what trauma has happened, it fairly obvious that Emlyn has been hurt deeply. She has a carefully curated life that only involves a few select people.

But, when she hears from Tyler, the one person who she cares for most in the world but no longer talks to, she hesitates to answer. Tyler was, and clearly is not longer, the love of her life. He suddenly shows up at her work asking that she help him find their mutual best friend who has disappeared. Emlyn decides to help Tyler search for their friend, and this is that story.

I loved how the author weaves the character stories and development through the alternating narrative of past and present. The descriptions of the wildlife, nature, and rivers is so well done. Its easy to submerse yourself in the beautiful setting. The pacing is fast and the ending is a little twisty, which I love. All in all, a wonderful read!

Highly recommend!!!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and St Martin's Press for the amazingly good The Nature of Disappearing from Kimi Cunningham Grant. I loved this book, the writing is excellent and the audiobook performance has made me a big fan of Emily Pike Stewart (she really nailed the emotional tones, the self reflection dialogue and the whole mood of the story). I love writing that is immersive in a character and setting and Cunningham clearly knows how to write about nature and people who live a little off the grid.

I love this character driven mystery that is as much an examination of the main character's life as much as a story about her missing friend. The story moves between the past, when Emlyn and Janessa meet in college and become friends and the years around that time into the present day when Emlyn, somewhat out of touch with Janessa goes on a mission, with her ex Tyler, to find Janessa when she goes missing in the wilderness. The time frames weave together elegantly, as the past timeline provides needed context to Emlyn in present day and helps pull in pieces of the puzzle underneath the mystery and their relationships. The missing person story was well done and a powerful way to present a story of self growth for Emlyn; the mission to find Janessa becoming the context for her to reflect on the past few years and where and who she is now. The title itself is a powerful statement, who was disappearing, what leads to disappearing,... it is more than a missing person story, it is a story of finding oneself through tough times.


Recommended for fans of Hannah Morrisey and similar authors

An excellent wilderness adventure with a well written storyline and complicated realistic characters. Contains a great wilderness setting with plenty of suspense, action, and romance. The main characters have to deal with their friendships and betrayals. A real page turner that I highly recommend.

2.25 Stars

I think the core of the story may have been there — a woman who’s an expert tracker (Emlyn) goes into the forest with her ex-boyfriend to search for her lost friend (Janessa) who may have disappeared under suspicious circumstances — but there was just a lot keeping me from really liking this. I wanted less chapters about Emlyn’s past (so many seemed irrelevant or didn’t move the plot forward). I wanted more suspense and mystery (I loved the few moments where they popped up). I would have like better research done on subjects such as tracking and Oxy use to name a few.

An example: Emlyn, who more than once is touted as a great tracker, relies mostly on a tracking app and mostly just wanders the forest in the same way I would (a very non-experienced hiker). At one point when being asked how she knows if they’re going the same direction as who they’re following, she responds “Where else could he have gone?” Like, what? If you’re tracking him, shouldn’t you have evidence of his direction? (Side note, I want her phone. It lasted for days without her battery dying.)

With all this being said, I did think it was well-written, and I would try another book by this author.

2.5 rounded up
Beautiful cover and title. There is a lot going in and it confused me at times. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Adored this psychological, missing person thriller. The setting was so alive and wild, and made the whole story of these two friends feel the same!

Thank you Minotaur for my free ARC of The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant — available Jun 18!

Read this if you:
🏕️ hate camping (same, but reading this kind of made me want to?)
😮 love books that keep you in suspense the entire time
☘️ are looking for excellent plot, characters, and writing

Emlyn made the drastic decision to cut all ties to her old life, and she's pretty happy living out in the forest and working as a guide. But when she sees a news story about her best friend Janessa going missing in the wilderness, she feels compelled to help. Even the arrival of the man who left her to die doesn't deter Emlyn from wanting to find Janessa, so they set out on the trail together. But things quickly become unsettling, and Emlyn starts to wonder if she's tracking something much more dangerous than her lost friend...

Okay so, I absolutely loved Kimi Cunningham Grant's first book ([book:These Silent Woods|56268973] ) and I worried that my expectations for this second book were too high. Fortunately for me, they were met! An absolute devotion to the beauty of nature just drips from these pages — I completely hate even the mere idea of camping, but after reading this book I was considering a trip. Grant's writing is just so compelling! Anyway, the story itself also had me in suspense the entire time. This isn't a thriller in my opinion, but it's an excellent example of suspense, and I simply could not put it down. Loved the plot, loved the pacing, loved the characters, loved the ending! I will read anything else she writes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book 53 of 2024.
[ARC/Mystery]
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read this book if you enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, made a best friend in college, or like rollercoaster edging thrills.

I really enjoyed the world building and atmosphere. My only critique per se is that it was a slow start.