I thought the characters were interesting, but the story was slow moving for me. First time reading this author and would give it another shot at one of her books, 3.5 stars
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Thanks NetGally for the advance copy

THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING

Mystery — 4⭐️

When I say I loved the author’s previous novel, THESE SILENT WOODS, I mean I loved it so much that I’ve read it not once but three times and is one of my all time favorites. I was ecstatic to read the author’s newest but knew my expectations were set high.

Emlyn and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore and the love of her life, Tyler, left her alone in the woods years ago. But when Tyler calls Emlyn because Janessa might be list in the backcountry, the two team up to find her.

I am far from an outdoors guru but books set off the grid are my all time favorite settings, when nature becomes its own character. This genre-bending novel has a little bit of everything—suspense, drama, and survival. I was captivated from the start by this slow-burn mystery.

There were parts of the ending that I loved and some that didn’t quite work for me keeping me from a five star rating. However, I definitely recommend for the suspense novel set in the wilderness that the author does so well. Ashley and I buddy read this one together and binged it in a day!

Self-discovery, friendships, atmospheric writing.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Nature of Disappearing.

I've never read a book by this author before so I went into this with an open mind especially since I liked the premise.

Emlyn is a talented fishing and hunting guide in scenic Idaho. When her former BFF, Janessa, goes missing, Em's ex-boyfriend, Tyler, enlists her help in finding Janessa.

But things are not always what they seem and sometimes the worst predators are the two-legged kind.

The premise is intriguing but lacked suspense and urgency.

Also, Emlyn and Janessa were familiar tropes; the former lacks confidence and self-esteem and comes from a single parent home and the latter is charming, attractive and comes from wealth and privilege.

Naturally, Tyler is a hottie because only hot guys show up in books.

The narrative is slow, bogged down with the past timeline that details how Janessa and Em met, how Em and Tyler met and what led to the end of their troubled relationship.

The story was more romance-y than I expected and the pace is a tedious, boring slog.

The author did capture the beauty and wildness of the setting well but this was all about Em and Tyler trekking together, Em unable to let go of her feelings for Tyler (understandable), and their shared past.

I didn't like or connect with anyone, much less Emlyn. I know she's young but there was something very immature and naive about her. Maybe she wears her heart on her sleeve because of her daddy abandonment issues.

Either way, I didn't like anyone. I didn't dislike Em but I don't want to hang out with her.

And that ending was just too hard to suspend disbelief for.

Janessa is an influencer and working undercover to bust a drug running operation?

Yeah, right. I don't think so.

4.5⭐️ Grant’s writing is so atmospheric and that’s what made me fall in love with THESE SILENT WOODS when I read it last year! It is one of my favorites, so I knew immediately that I had to pick this one up. I felt like I was in the woods with the characters. I felt the wonder in the beauty of the wilderness and I felt the danger and fear that came along with it as well. Grant paints such a vivid picture!

The characters are flawed and the plot was fast moving and kept my attention the whole time! I didn’t want to stop turning the pages. I loved how she developed the main character as strong and resilient on the outside, while also letting us see her broken and vulnerable side.

With themes of loneliness, friendship, and self-doubt, Grant tells a beautiful, mysterious, and addictive story!

The Nature of Disappearing is the perfect wilderness mystery. With a flawed but loveable protagonist, incredible atmosphere, female friendship and a hint of romance, it will hook you from the very first page and keep you guessing right up to the end.

This was an interesting book. It pops back and forth between the past and the present. It’s twisty and takes turns in many directions. I kept hoping throughout the book I wouldn’t be disappointed in who the main character ultimately chooses. I wasn’t disappointed. There is a lot of lies and deception throughout this book. The author keeps us in the dark about what is really going on throughout most of the book. It is worth reading.

Emlyn has left her painful past behind and is starting anew as a mountain guide in Idaho. Her tentative peace is broken by a visit from her ex-boyfriend who needs help finding their missing mutual friend.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a great story with just the right amount of mystery and suspense for me. (Maybe not enough if you’re a hard-core thriller reader though.) I liked Emlyn and was rooting for her to find her way back to happiness. The dual timeline worked well and the pacing was great. I would have liked to get to know present-day Emlyn better though. More detail about her and her new life would have added more depth, in my opinion. I also would have liked an epilogue.

You may know this author from her previous book, These Silent Woods, which was very popular on bookstagram. I liked this one even better! I look forward to more books from this author. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.

Along the same vein of These Silent Woods, but slightly more slow moving. Loved the descriptions of nature and the suspense that carries throughout the story. Not quite as good as her previous work, but still worth the read!

The first half of this book hooked me. I enjoyed the writing, learning about some of the outdoorsy Idaho lifestyle. I was excited about where this thriller was going. Then it felt like it slowed down to a halt and wrapped up in a disappointing ending that seemed really farfetched.

I loved These Silent Woods, and for the most part I just liked The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant. For a book marketed as a suspense thriller, it was very slow moving and by the time it got where it was going it felt too late. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC.

I loved the author's last novel (These Silent Woods) and was so excited to receive an ARC from NetGalley and Minotaur Books. This was a beautifully written exploration of friendship, loss, and what it means to truly move forward from a past that anchors you but also threatens to drown you. There is a mystery at the heart of this story, but it's primarily a character study. The setting and the author's knowledge of the outdoors added to the richness of the reading experience, and the conclusion was satisfying and ultimately hopeful. I will gladly read anything else this author writes, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest review.

Another captivating read by Kimi Cunningham Grant! I loved These Silent Woods so I was excited to pick this one up asap and it did not disappoint! Great setting, great characters, great story, great writing. I devoured this in one day. This author is definitely on my auto-buy list.
4.5* Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy for review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant for an honest review due to be published June 18, 2024.
Emlyn and Janessa were once best friends, and Tyler was the love of her life. Now she lives in in Airstream trailer with her new friends Rev and Varden. When Janessa, a social media star, goes missing with her traveling companion, Bush, Tyler and Emlyn team up to find them both. Are they in trouble or trying to hide?
I absolutely loved These Silent Woods so I was excited to get this one! It did not disappoint.
I finished it in one day - it was that good. Emlyn and Tyler’s trek through the woods was filled with suspense that kept me entertained. There were lots of twists and turns and secrets that everyone held. The author’s descriptions had me picturing the wilderness and all its beauty – her descriptions are on point.
Looking forward to another one of her books!
#NetGalley #KimiCunninghamGrant #StMartinsPress #TheNatureofDisappearing

For me going into this book I had my expectations set extremely high because of how much I loved “These Silent Woods” and that is a fault of my own. This author is extremely talented and has an ability to transport you into the environment and elements the book has taken place.
We meet Emily, who is transformed her life into a place and career that brings her peace, which is all something we crave. She was devastated by her past relationship with Tyler, who she met through her friend, Janessa. Unfortunately the downfall ruined both relationships and set her on a new path. Her past has come back when Tyler resurfaces needing her help to find missing Janessa, who at this time has become big in the social media world….. haven’t we all been there when we should listen to our gut and say no, but can’t help the curiosity and need to find answers we may not need. This is told in different timelines (1. The current ongoings of Emily and Tyler and 2. The past relationships of Emily and Janessa and the introduction of Tyler into their relationship). This did give some insight, but not enough to hook me in.

Unfortunately I found this book to be very slow paced, I wasn’t fully invested in the characters and lacked a sense of connection, and was underwhelmed by the ending. As I stated my expectations were too high from the beginning. However I will never take away from this Author’s ability build the beautiful nature of this book’s setting and atmosphere. An added note do not skip the author’s note at the end because it does add insight I would have otherwise overlooked. I also want to add I am and will continue to be a fan of this Author’s books and will be ready when the next book comes out. This is one of those books that will be an absolute hit for some and a possible miss for others.
3.5
Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur books for the ARC!

Read if you like:
- A wilderness setting
- Past and present chapters
- Camping and isolation

After a traumatic incident with her ex-boyfriend, Emlyn is rebuilding her life in the Idaho wilderness as a nature guide. Until her ex reaches out to her again with the news that their mutual friend Janessa and her boyfriend have gone missing from their camper van trip.

I was so excited to read Kimi Cunningham Grant’s latest novel after loving her last one, These Silent Woods. Similar to that one, The Nature of Disappearing does an amazing job with the setting descriptions and the suspense that comes with it. I enjoyed this story overall, it was a good mystery while being less intense than These Silent Woods (honestly I wouldn’t even classify this one as a thriller). I think I liked These Silent Woods better, but I still recommend this one!

Thank you for the ARC ebook!

Could not put this one down. From beginning to the very end I was captivated by the story. A story that was flowy and easy to understand.

This book takes everything you love about a classic, suspenseful, mystery read and absolutely takes it to the next level. It’s tense and edgy, but it’s also filled with so much depth, hope and inspiration. If you love books that cross genres, this is the book for you.. mystery, romance, woman’s fiction and coming of age, it has it all and they were done WELL.

And the setting!! You can tell this author spends a lot of time in nature and she has a deep understanding of it. Her writing paints a vivid and lifelike picture of not only the beauty of the wilderness, but the power and vastness of it too. I can’t say enough good things about this author’s ability to set a scene, and I felt the same way when reading These Silent Woods.

Lastly, the characters. Wow. This author has a way of adding so many layers and so much depth to her characters. They feel real and palpable, and the character development for Emlyn was phenomenal. While she wasn’t perfect, you couldn’t help but root for her, and it only made her feel more authentic and relatable.

I will absolutely be recommending this book, and I can't wait to see what this author writes in the future!

Emlyn works as a guide and lives in an Airstream camper in the Idaho wilderness. One day after fishing with a client on the river, she sees a story on CNN about an influencer who has gone missing and recognizes her oldest friend Janessa. In order to discover what happened to her Emlyn must team up with Tyler, her first love who abandoned her in the woods to die 3 years ago, and once again follow him into the forest.
This book takes place both in the present and in flashbacks of Emlyn’s life showing how her relationships with Janessa and Tyler evolved and how she ended up halfway across the country from where she grew up. The forest is full of not only natural dangers, but human ones as well. The journey is both a literal physical one through the woods and also an emotional one and Emlyn will need to discover an inner strength and resilience in order to survive.
#NetGalley. #TheNatureofDisappearing

Many thanks to Kimi Cunningham Grant, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Nature of Disappearing. I couldn’t wait to read this book, as I loved These Silent Woods, and I was excited about a missing-person mystery set in Idaho. I was captivated by this book until around 2/3 of the way through, when things took a turn. No spoilers, but let’s just say that I found the explanation/resolution completely unbelievable on many levels. Even setting that aside, this novel just didn’t reasonate with me in the way that These Silent Woods did. Still, I will look forward to Grant’s next book.

Kimi Cunningham Grant's latest THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING is set in the wilderness and will enamor readers who particularly enjoy outdoor settings. The author's most recent backlist THESE SILENT WOODS focused on a father/daughter relationship, and this novel features a somewhat estranged friendship dynamic.

Emlyn is a wilderness and flyfishing guide in Idaho working with Vander. She has led a mostly loner lifestyle and has problems relating to others, particularly her clients that she works with as a guide. She met her good friend Janessa in college, and Janessa was the stronger personality. Emlyn was taken under Janessa's wing. When Emlyn became attracted to Janessa's good guy friend Tyler, things between Emlyn and Janessa started to deteriorate because Janessa didn't want Emlyn to date Tyler. When Emlyn and Tyler proceeded to date, the friendship fractured and they lost connection.

It's several years later, and Janessa has disappeared along with her boyfriend Bush while they were exploring the national parks by camper van. Emlyn and Tyler are no longer dating, but they reconnect when Tyler gets concerned about Janessa's disappearance and needs assistance. Then they try to find missing Janessa and Bush. This novel has some threads that very much remind me of last year's HAVE YOU SEEN HER by Catherine McKenzie. I did end up enjoying this one a bit more than that one.

This novel is told in dual rotating timelines - 1) the current timeline as Emlyn and Tyler are trying to find Janessa and Bush and 2) the past timeline that follows Emlyn meeting Janessa and then Tyler and the evolution of the friendship with Janessa and the relationship with Tyler.

PROS
* Outdoor wilderness setting and strong nature writing
* Resiliency of character Emlyn
* More plot-driven than her last novel THESE SILENT WOODS

CONS
* Could have more suspense/tension
* Characters at arm's length

IMPORTANT TO KNOW
* Focuses on new adult friendship dynamics

While I didn't fall in love with this book like I did with the same author's THESE SILENT WOODS, I did find it very enjoyable and loved the setting and ambiance of the novel. If you have read Catherine McKenzie's HAVE YOU SEEN HER, then you might not want to read this one or at least give some time in between the two.