A fairly mediocre thriller. Can't remember much about it too long post-reading, which is not a good sign for me. Thrillers do need something to snag me and I didn't feel this one had it.

This is a great psychological thriller by an author new to me. I will definitely try to find more of her books as this was quite the ride and I loved it

Emyln lives a lonely life, a fishing and river guide in Idaho, she lives in her airstream trailer, trying not to think of Tyler, the boyfriend who ghosted her, and her best friend. Janessa, who she had a falling out with. Emyln likes to categorize people by their behavior, and often uses it as a coping mechanism to avoid getting close to anyone after her boyfriend ditched her. Her rich annoying client is 'Patronizing', the owner of the company where she works, whom she may or may not be in love with is 'Decent', Janessa is 'Capricious', and her nosey neighbor Mrs. Boyer is indeed 'Meddlesome'. 
While having lunch with 'Patronizing', she overhears a news report discussing the search that is on for a missing famous podcaster, Janessa. She goes back through her last communications with Janessa and is scared and surprised at what is unfolding. She relives how she and Janessa met, and how she got her out of many a tricky situation in college, and how their friendship fell apart. She soon gets a call from Tyler, who worked with Janessa on the travel podcast, and they team up together to try to uncover what happened to her by tracing her steps via social media.The book then goes back and forth between the present and the past and describes in detail the relationship between Janessa and Emyln, and Emyln and Tyler. This part could have been tightened up a bit. You know it's leading up to a big reveal, and it takes a bit too long to get there. Was Janessa right about Tyler not being who he says he is, and does he have something to do with her disappearance? 
It's not until 80% into the book that the thrilling part starts, and when it does it's not that much of a surprise.This isn't a unique plot and has been done many times before. The author is a talented writer and the landscape and nature descriptions are spot on. I'd heard great things about 'These Fallen Woods', so I was expecting a bit more.

🌲 Kimi Cunningham Grant is the queen of the slow burn suspense novel! I absolutely love how she develops her stories, how they wrap around you like a warm blanket and draw you in to the narrative. Her writing encompasses all your senses, creating an utterly engaging experience.

🌲 While her books may not fit neatly into the thriller genre, they are undeniably suspenseful and atmospheric. Grant’s inclusion of spiritual elements adds depth to her novels, and her ability to make nature a vivid character is truly astounding. She clearly has an appreciation for our natural world, and she captivates readers with the beautiful landscapes her stories are set in.

🌲 The Nature of Disappearing is a multifaceted tale that seamlessly blends introspection with mystery. The protagonist, Emlyn, grapples with her personal issues while desperately seeking answers about her missing friend, Janessa. The interplay between mystery and self-reflection creates a captivating narrative.

🌲 This author is an auto-read for me. Her precise pacing and ability to blend suspense, emotion, and nature makes her work truly captivating! I absolutely loved this book, and I will definitely read every book she ever publishes in the future. By the way, if you haven’t read These Silent Woods by this author, I highly recommend that one, too!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress @minotaur_books for copy of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This book for me was stolen the beginning and never really seemed to move much faster. I did not dislike the story however I just became bored with it and kept going thinking it would get speed. The characters were interesting and I love the cover.

Thank you to the publisher and for NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this title.

This is probably more of a 3.5 stars for me. I enjoyed it, but the beginning is very slow. I really enjoyed the writing style. It was very atmospheric and I loved the setting of this one. I think this author does a great job really immersing the reader in the story. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and thought the ending was pretty satisfying. I would have liked the action to start happening a little sooner in the story though.

This had a promising premise - Emlyn flees a bad break up and starts a new life as a nature guide. Things go awry many years later when the ex shows up and asks for help finding a mutual missing friend. I love a good moody mystery in a remote local. Unfortunately, the characters were pretty one dimensional and the story seemed to stall. Some may like this one, but it just was not for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book!

Emlyn is starting to heal from a disastrous relationship that ended with her nearly dead. But suddenly, her best friend, Janessa, has disappeared, and her old boyfriend has asked her to help him find her.

This is a beautiful story that is a great thriller set in a beautiful Idaho landscape. But it’s also a novel about grief, hope, moving on,, and allowing the goodness of others in to your life. If you like Peter Heller, you need to read Kimmi Cunningham Grant.

Emlyn’s former best friend Janessa has gone missing in the Idaho wilderness. Tyler, Emlyn’s ex-boyfriend and Janessa’s business partner, coaxes the reluctant Emlyn to join the backwoods search. Rich with details of the natural world this mystery felt more about the journey than the destination. Alternating between past and present timelines, we get a full picture of the character’s motivations and backstories. This is a slow-burn story of friendship, sacrifice, and losing yourself only to be found once again.

Read this if you:
-prefer a slow build mystery with a focus on character development rather than jaw-dropping twists
-have ever found yourself in a metaphorical wilderness
-are drawn to atmospheric stories with a strong sense of place
-are willing to pick up a very different story than These Silent Woods

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my second Kimi Cunningham Grant book. I read These Silent Woods a few years ago and it remains one of my top thrillers of all time. I really love her writing style and how she creates complex character relationships while feasting the readers senses with the natural world. The characters in this book are complex and I enjoyed how she unraveled their pasts through the non linear timelines. Highly recommend.

This book touches heavily on addiction and while this story is more of a slower climb, my emotional investment really snuck up on me when things started to come to light. This author has a way of writing wonderfully complex characters and relationships that you really have to look into to understand. Her storytelling is atmospheric and I was intrigued and instantly suspicious as this mysterious story goes back and forth from a few years into the past to present day as Emlyn tries to figure out what happened to her old best friend when she goes missing.

I love the author’s obvious knowledge surrounding the outdoors, fishing, hunting etc. The accuracy of it all only made the book more enjoyable to read. But the thing I loved the absolute most about this story was the “wilderness” being a physical thing to survive but also metaphorical/spiritual in regards to hardships in life and getting through struggles and then finding hope and eventually healing.

A beautifully written escape from the wilderness.

4.5 stars

Three years ago, Emlyn nearly died in the wilderness when her boyfriend Tyler left her behind. Since then, she’s been trying to rebuild her life, working as a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho. But then Tyler returns, claiming their best friend, Janessa, has gone missing in the mountains while documenting her #vanlife. As she reluctantly agrees to use her tracking skills to help find Janessa, Emlyn is forced to confront not only her past, but her growing suspicion that there is more to Janessa’s disappearance than meets the eye.

Having loved „These Silent Woods“, I was excited to dive into Kimi Cunningham Grant’s latest novel. The writing is just as beautiful, particularly concerning the description of the wilderness, both literally and figuratively. Nature is its own atmospheric character in the novel, both vividly beautiful and menacingly threatening. On top of that, Emlyn in particular is an intriguing protagonist, having reinvented herself after hitting rock bottom and finding new purpose in life following tragedy and trauma. The parts of the book detailing her work and survival skills are particularly mesmerizing. I also adored Janessa and the friendship between the two women.

While the resolution as to what happened to Janessa was underwhelming and required some suspension of disbelief, I was more annoyed by the fact that Emlyn was still drawn to Tyler after what had happened, even more so because it had been three years and they had only been dating for two.

Despite these slight misgivings, the stellar writing more than made up for some plot holes for me. „The Nature of Disappearing“ cements the author as one of my must-reads from here on out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

„The Nature of Disappearing““ is slated to be released on June 18, 2024.

I had so many theories about where this plot was headed, and it honestly went in the most lackluster direction possible. Coming off of These Silent Woods, my expectations were through the roof for this book.

I loved These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant, so I was very excited to read this one! The Nature of Disappearing is about two friends Emlyn and Janessa. When Janessa goes missing, Emlyn's ex Tyler enlists her help to hike into the wilderness and look for Janessa.

I thought this story was very engaging, and I really didn't have any idea what direction it was going for much of the book. I read it quickly because I needed to know what happened. As the story progressed, I did think some of the things that happened were far-fetched and unbelievable. However, I was engaged with the story enough that I still enjoyed it and would recommend it as a quick and easy read.

🍷 TGIF - one day read edition 🍷featuring “The Nature of Disappearing” by Kimi Cunningham Grant!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Emlyn Anthony is a fishing/wilderness guide who has found total refuge in the wilderness after years of feeling abandonment and self loathing. The wilderness helps to keep her at peace and has helped to regain her self confidence and courage.

However, her tainted past comes knocking when her ex-boyfriend asks for help in finding their mutual bestfriend who has gone missing in the wilderness. Together they must work together to track where Janessa went … but the deeper they get into the woods, the darker the secrets get and begin to unravel!

I LOVED how atmospheric and deeply rooted in nature this book was. The dual timelines had me completely invested in the storyline and relationships and I crushed this book in one afternoon!

Thank you kindly to @kimicgrant @minotaur_books @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on June 18, 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Kimi Cunningham Grant for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Nature of Disappearing.
This is a very atmospheric, slow burn .mystery/thriller. The writing is beautiful and descriptive.. I felt I was along for the ride through the beauty and dangers of the Idaho landscape. The characters are well developed, showing not always the best decisions made in youth along with the ups and downs of friendships and love relationships. The major question from start to finish is - Who do you trust?
There are multiple timelines and many stories going on at once which can be a bit confusing if you need to stop reading for awhile. Lots of puzzle pieces need to be organized and put in order. Also there are many pieces of the puzzle missing so the slow burn continues throughout the entire novel.
I loved the comparison of nature to everyday life. We never know how to be fully prepared, what decisions to make and what surprises are around the next corner.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story but it was not a quick read. There are many parts to think about and I love the roller coaster ride of danger and deception.

4.5 Stars —- Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC of The Nature of Disappearing. I was thrilled to get Kimi Cunningham Grant’s newest novel after falling in love with These Silent Woods.
The story takes us on a journey through the Idaho wilderness with Emlyn, who is a local guide unsuccessfully hiding from her past. When her friend Janessa goes missing, and suddenly her ex-boyfriend, Tyler, reappears, they set out on a journey together through the backwoods in search of Janessa.
Once again, Grant wove a delicate story of relationships, friendships, and an appreciation of nature that I adored reading. Without any spoilers, the final revelation of what happened to Janessa lacked a bit of plausibility in my opinion, so for that reason it fell just short of five stars for me.
Already looking forward to her next novel!

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant
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When Emlyn’s friend Janessa goes missing, she must team up with some one from her past who once abandoned her.
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What I liked:
-I learned a lot about surviving in the wilderness (in theory, obviously, I will not be trying it). I have a lot of respect for people who are wilderness guides.
-Also, I did not realize that being in the wilderness could create such amazing suspense. 😅 The last third of the book I was on edge.
-The gradual reveal of past events was geniusly timed. I love when a book has you feeling a certain way and by the end it has completely changed your mind.
-The ending made me very happy.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was my first by this author but I have been told that I MUST read her book These Silent Woods, so that is still on my list.

Emlyn finds herself trying to find her missing friend and she has to get help from the man who has ruined her life years ago. This went to present to flashbacks as you see how Tyler has ruined Emlyn's life. It also shows the friendship between Emlyn and Janessa.

The descriptions of the wilderness was very captivating and really made me feel like I was there. The story really had me hooked for most of it, however towards the end I kind of lost interest. I didn't really care for how the ending was revealed and it felt rushed. I was left feeling like I wanted more out of the story.

Overall I wasn't upset that I read it. I just think it was just okay.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy.

3.5/5 stars

Oh no! OH NO! I did not like this and I am struggling to come to terms with that.

I adored These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant. It was lyrical and thoughtfully written. It touched and broke my heart. I didn’t find those qualities in The Nature of Disappearing. This felt quite simple to me. The writing was uncomplicated and laced with overt telling, and the storyline, especially when considering what eventually transpired, seemed rather basic, whereas These Silent Woods felt like a fresh and shocking addition to the suspense genre.

At least that is how I remember it. Am I simply not the person I was when I read it? Have my tastes changed that dramatically? Because I’m concerned now that Grant’s previous book is not what I once thought it was. I’m not going to find out, though. I’ll let it sit in my memory unmarred. It is one story I will never reread.

I did, for the most part, like Emlyn’s character. I found some aspects of her personality relatable, although I was perturbed by the frequent reminders of her compromised self worth. This should have been illustrated through her actions instead of continually communicated to me. I would have appreciated her depiction more this way.

At first The Nature of Disappearing had a “torn from the headlines” vibe, slightly mirroring Gabby Petito’s sad tale, which bothered me, but it morphed into something of its own. It just wasn’t something I enjoyed. I’ll liken my overall experience to an ugly sweater: I could tell that it was stitched together well, but it really didn’t suit me.

I am immensely grateful to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.