It took me a good 25% of the book to really get into it, but once I did, I was invested. Like the other Kimi Cunningham Grant novel that I read, the setting is very atmospheric and almost a character in itself.

I love the wilderness and damaged people, which are the two main features of this book. So I was surprised and disappointed that the book didn't really work for me.

I was turned off in the early going of this tale of a van-living social media poster gone missing by the mention that they'd last been in the particular national forest where the real life van-living social media poster was found murdered a few years ago. I thought that was in poor taste.

The switching back and forth in time didn't seem to add much for me, and the book was a little more religious than I like.

I do prefer the author's original title mentioned in her note at the end of the book, but this one likely is more marketable.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thanks again to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read the advanced reader copy for this book that releases June 18th!

Anyone who loves the Wilderness will likely love this book. This is the third Kimi Cunningham Grant book I've read, and overall, I absolutely love the way she writes. This book flowed back and forth between the past and present for Emlyn, who works as a wilderness guide for people who visit Idaho and want to fish or hunt. The past shows some troubling things that have happened to Emlyn and has ultimately shaped who she is. Because of this back and forth the past is playing out to the reader the same time as the present, where she has teamed up with a no good ex in order to find her best friend who's lost in the woods. Kimi Cunningham Grant is great at slow burns. She will set you up with all the back story to make you care about the character, and then about 60-70% of the way in, she'll take you on a roller coaster ride of twists and turns. This is a solid 4 ⭐️ read for me. Again, it releases June 18th but if you can't wait, check out These Silent Woods which was a 5⭐️ read from Kimi Cunningham Grant for me last year.

This one was just okay for me. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters. The ending fell flat and the build up to it didn’t really make sense to me. These Silent Woods was one of my favorite reads last year and it’s possible that I am unfairly comparing the two and not realizing it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this arc.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC!
Spoiler alert 🚨🚨🚨
I honestly was expecting more out of this book. The location, fantastic. Characters, fine. Minus the bad guys. But the fact that there was so much build up, that led up to practically nothing, was extremely disappointing. For them to have all this build up, hike 15 miles through the forest, for Janessa to be fine, and then for Bush and Tyler to disappear, to be caught again, with a small fight, and then be tied up, was not it for me. The ending was pretty abrupt. Like “yep, they got caught,” and that was it. I was expecting more and just needed more out of this than what was given to me. Severely underwhelming and I’m honestly upset about it because I wanted this to be better than it was. I needed it to be better than it was.

She does it again!!! I can’t get enough of her writing. I believe she has mastered the art of mixing mystery and nature perfectly. I felt that I was hiking right alongside them and dipping my toes in the lake while they fished.

She writes strong females that I can get behind!!

If you are a fan of van life I think you’d really enjoy this book.

Right off the bat, as an Idaho resident, I was excited to see a book placed in our state, it does not seem to happen often. I went into this book, somewhat blindly, I had read These Silent Woods and wanted more from this author. The beginning of this book had me hooked, and it definitely took a turn in a direction I was not expecting. The ending fell a bit flat for me but overall, I was happy with this read.

Emlyn has spent the last three years healing from a terrible trauma, and she's doing all right, thank you very much. After an injury and then being abandoned in the wood by her drug-addicted boyfriend Tyler, she has managed reclaim her life and to cobble out a career as a fishing and hunting guide in the central Idaho wilderness. She has new friends and a spiritual mentor, and lives in an Airstream trailer. Life is life until the past comes calling. Tyler contacts her to let her know her former best friend Janessa has gone missing. A popular Instagram influencer, Janessa travels wilderness areas with her boyfriend, but she hasn't posted in a week. Something is very wrong. Emlyn has been working at patching up her relationship with Janessa, and she will do anything to help. So she and Tyler embark on a wilderness journey of their own--to find the missing Janessa. THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING. takes the reader on a wild ride through the beautiful and challenging central Idaho landscape. As Emlyn and Tyler forge deeper into the wild, disturbing signs warn of dangers ahead. And Emlyn realizes she never quite got over Tyler. And then, the reckoning! It's an exciting read set against a thrilling backdrop with a twisty, turny ending!

What a ride! This book grabs you from page one. You are take along Emlyn’s journey as she navigates relationships and the wilderness. A wonderful main character, and a great mystery.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

This read a lot like a product placement advertising gambit….

Or am I just cynical?

Well.

It wasn’t a bad book. But it was weirdly…..ummm…flat?

I would give it 2.5 stars if I could. BUT WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THAT YOU MUTHA-FUCKAS.

Ahem.

So, rounding down. Mostly because (left alone with adult supervision) I’ve also finished a 4-star book today, and read a 3-star one. So the competition is stiff.

Probably won’t read anything else by this author.

DESCRIPTION
In this captivating novel of suspense from the USA Today bestselling author of These Silent Woods, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing.

Emlyn doesn't let herself think about the past.

How she and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore. How Tyler, the love of her life, left her half dead on the side of the road three years ago.

Her new life is simple and safe. She lives alone in her Airstream trailer and works as a fishing and hunting guide in scenic Idaho. Her closest friends are the community's makeshift reverend and a handsome Forest Service ranger who took her in at her lowest.

But when Tyler shows up with the news that Janessa is missing, Emlyn is propelled back into the world she worked so hard to forget. Janessa has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife adventures with her rugged boyfriend. She hasn't posted lately, though, and when Emlyn realizes the most recent photo doesn't match up with its caption, she reluctantly joins Tyler to find her old friend. As the two trace Janessa's path through miles of wild country, Emlyn can't deny the chemistry still crackling between them. But the deeper they press into the wilderness, the more she begins to suspect that a darker truth lies in the woods—and that Janessa isn't the only one in danger.

Poignant, suspenseful, and unforgettable, Kimi Cunningham Grant's THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING explores what it takes to start over—and the cost of letting the past pull you back in.

Kimi Cunningham Grant always does a an outstanding and vivid job describing nature and making it both fierce and enticing. This story is about exes that go on the hint in search of a missing friend. It weaves together many stories and themes about friendships, relationships and finding yourself. It was an entertaining read that kept me flipping pages.

Thank you once again NetGalley for the chance to read this before it gets released!

I have read one other book from this author (these silent woods) and didn’t like it nearly as much as I thought I would, because I expected it to be more of a thriller. Coming into this book expecting the same type of experience that I got from These Silent Woods, actually made me enjoy the plot a lot more. I do love the way Kimi writes about her characters losing themselves in the wilderness. It’s a feeling and comfort I can relate to, and it makes it a very interesting read. I can see why some reviews have this pegged as a slow read.. A lot of the action doesn’t happen until the last 80 pages or so, but I enjoyed the whole set up.

Also I think the main character Em’s progression through letting go of things that no longer serve her and navigating trust again in a healthier way was incredibly well told. I loved her character development.

Only giving it a 4/5 because I didn’t love the whole Janessa plot line, she annoyed the fuck out of me haha. All in all this was a win for me! I enjoyed this more than These Silent Woods and I look forward to more things from this author 😊

I devoured this book. The Nature of Disappearing is one of those wonderfully well-crafted thrill rides that constantly keeps the reader guessing about where the story is going and how. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

3.5 stars. This author wrote one of my favorite books a couple of years ago (THESE SILENT WOODS), and I was so excited to read her new one!

Unfortunately this one wasn’t as big of a success for me, but there was still so much that I loved about this story.

What I loved:
•As always with Cunningham Grant, I adore the overall themes and messages of her stories. In this case, wilderness both literally and when one’s life feels like you’re wandering in a wilderness.

•Speaking of the literal of wilderness, the writing was so beautiful. I fully felt like I was in the mountains and hiking and seeing the rivers and trees. So picturesque without distracting from the plot moving forward.

•VARDEN❤️

What didn’t work for me:
•Unfortunately I just didn’t fully enjoy some the actual story/turns the plot took and the ending felt so sudden!

Very suspenseful and page turning thriller. Mimi Cunning Grant really knows how to write the wilderness. lol, I actually wanted to go hiking in the woods after reading this.

I loved These Silent Woods, and this was another winner from this author! Now, I did struggle a bit in the beginning. The story seemed to start slow, and I didn't connect with Emlyn right away. After a few chapters, though I was really into this story of survival in the Idaho wilderness. It's funny because I just finished a book about a character surviving in the Idaho wilderness. What are the odds? I didn't even realize this when I picked this one up. I loved the descriptions and am now dying to see that part of the country. The picture is painted just as vividly as in the author's previous book. Emlyn, a hunting/fishing guide, is searching for her missing friend in the wilderness with the help of her ex-boyfriend. This story is more of a character-driven drama with some suspense thrown in though than a hard-core survival thriller, but I enjoyed it and look forward to more!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kimi Cunningham Grant and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

surviving the elements/thriller in one!!!! wow this book was absolutely so well done! i love work from this author, and this book was one of her best!!!!

Though I have loved other books by this author, I struggled with this one. I found myself a bit bored and not able to really connect with any of the characters. I loved the descriptions of the wilderness and the premise of the story was promising, however, it never came together in a believable way.

I did like the book, though I didn’t love it, hence the 3-star rating. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

Kimi Cunningham Grant hits all the right spots in,her newest book. This book has great pacing and suspense and you really feel like you know each character. There is a,great mix of suspense, drama, and heartache that will keep you turning the pages. Excellent story by an incredible author.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher St Martins Press for giving me a look at this new slow burn suspense from Kimi Cunningham Grant! I wish it had been more of a success. I loved the descriptions and narrative about the Idaho wilderness…seriously I’m dying to go hike in Idaho now. The descriptions were beautiful, and on that note the author’s original title Wilderness was apropos. The negative was sadly the big reveal. At 70% book became absurd, and just didn’t do anything for me. I loved the character Varden, and in fact wish more had delved into him and into Rev!