For my personal preferences, the love story with Vander developed a bit late and caught me off guard, but I appreciated Emlyn's character development. Through the flashbacks and present-day events, we learn more about her relationship with Janessa, Tyler, and Rev. The focus on addiction and drug use is a much-needed topic in fiction, and I am curious to see how people will react to Tyler and Bush as characters. The Nature of Disappearing is a solid read that I will recommend to patrons looking for a mystery with a more easygoing pace, with a wholesome ending.

The title of the book caught my attention. A wilderness guide in Idaho, Emlyn, teams up with an ex, Tyler, to find their missing/disappeared friend Janessa who had been on a mountain trek with her boyfriend.

Enjoyed the writing, nature setting, and the character of tracker Emlyn, The novel's suspense builds during the search for Janessa and when the true nature of Emlyn's friends gradually come to light.

I posted this review on Goodreads on 1.28.24:

After loving THESE SILENT WOODS, I was all in for another novel by Kimi Cunningham Grant. I love a wilderness survival story, especially when it's combined with a compelling mystery, so the premise of THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING appealed to me. As far as characters go, I liked Emlyn well enough, even if I didn't feel a whole lot of connection to her. Her crew of found family in Heart was a likable and interesting bunch; in fact, I probably would have liked the story better if it had been more focused on them. Neither Tyler nor Janessa appealed to me. They're both flat, stereotypical, and not complex enough to feel real. The dialogue between them and Emlyn always felt juvenile, like they were teenagers (and simple ones at that) instead of independent adults in their late 20s. Surprisingly, this book is less of a wilderness survival tale and more of a romantic suspense novel, with more emphasis on character relationships than action. Since I didn't love the story's cast, this was a disappointing focus for me. Without enough tension, suspense, and action to keep it moving along, THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING was a bit of a slog, much duller than I was expecting it to be. I also had a hard time understanding why Janessa didn't just tell Emlyn the things she needed to know. Her secret keeping was such a big part of the story and it never really made any sense to me.

There are some things I appreciate about this novel. Since it's Christian fiction, the book is faith-affirming, even if it's not exactly uplifting. It's also clean, which is always nice. Like I mentioned, I did like the Heart folks and would have liked to get to know them better.

All considered, I found this book to be only an okay read for me, which is a bummer because I was really excited to read it. Darn.

I had really high expectations after reading These Silent Woods, and this one did NOT disappoint!

Best friends that have a falling out over a guy... Adventures in nature with skilled foragers that carry heavy secrets... Life and death rescue missions... oh my!

I loved every part of this. The ending felt a bit abrupt, and I wish I could have seen more summation at the end, but it's just because I was greedy for more.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Nature of Disappearing" is atmospheric, and has well developed characters. It's central themes of love and relationships balance well with the central mystery. Recommended for readers who love atmospheric, character-driven mysteries set in the outdoors. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. My second book from this author. The first was a hit for me but this one was lacking. Although the story line was not bad, it missed a mark for me. I won't write the author off as I really liked the first. This one is a good read, I am sure. Just not for me.

Thank you @netgalley for the advance copy of this novel. The Nature of Disappearing begins with Emlyn, our main character finding out her former best friend, a social media influencer is missing in the Idaho wilderness. Emilyns ex boyfriend Tyler, shows up to beg Emily’s to help him track their mutual friend down. The premise of this story intrigued me. I love a survival story and a thriller and this seemed to be both. All I could think when I finished it though was that I wanted more. I wanted more of the characters back stories. I wanted more of Varden and Emlyns history and interactions. And I wanted more plot and action. I absolutely adored Kimi Cunningham Grants last novel, These Silent Woods and was so excited to get an advanced readers copy of this new novel. It just didn’t meet my expectations. I also think that the author’s original title “Wilderness” would have been a much better and more relevant title to this work. I will be reviewing this book on my podcast, Southern Girls Guide to Books

Emlyn’s estranged friend, Janessa, has gone missing. Janessa is a social media influencer (#vanlife) and hasn’t posted in several days and failed to check in at the next wilderness check point. Maybe she just wants to take a break from publicly posting her life. Or maybe she is injured, lost, or worse.

I felt this was very well written. I liked the way the present and past intertwined throughout the whole book. The suspense and mystery were great! The only thing I felt fell short was the reveals and action scenes. They seemed dull compared to the suspense building parts.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kimi Cunningham Grant, and St. Martins Press-Minotaur Books for providing this ARC. This review is being shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date 18 Jun 2024

I really enjoyed the author's style of writing. Her characters are really captivating. I wanted to read more about Rev and Varden. The big reveal was very underwhelming.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I love when a book is atmospheric, and this was definitely it. It caught my attention right away and held on until the end. I try not to guess endings of books, and this one I definitely did not see coming. Thank you for letting me review! I will be recommending this to everyone!

Emlyn is a wilderness tour guide living in her Airstream in Idaho. She ended up there after her boyfriend left her for dead on the side of the road in the wilderness. Emlyn has worked hard to build friendships and a new life while recovering. Life is good until Tyler, the man who left her on the side of the road, finds her and asks her to help him locate their mutual friend who seems to be missing. Her feelings for Tyler are still there even after everything that happened and she reluctantly agrees to help him locate their friend Janessa. All is not as it seems though and Emlyn soon realizes that she and Janessa are in danger from the man Janessa is traveling with and possibly Tyler himself.

I really enjoy survival tales and this was a good one! I'm looking forward to her next book!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant!

3.5 stars. Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Pub 6/18

The Nature of Disappearing follows wilderness guide Emlyn as she joins her ex to search the Idaho wilderness for her missing estranged friend, Janessa. Janessa has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife along with her boyfriend. While the plot seems familiarl it takes a number of unexpected turns, some of which seemed a bit out there.

I was a big fan of Grant's previous book, These Silent Woods, and like that novel, I found this one to be beautifully written and engaging. The flasbacks were useful in fulling creating the characters and their motivations. Ultimately, however, the plot, particularly the ending fell a bit flat for me.

<b><I>But, truth is, I always found the most dangerous animal of all - that’s gotta be the two-legged kind. </b></I>

The Nature of Disappearing follows Emlyn and as she teams up with her ex-boyfriend Tyler (who abandoned her in the woods years earlier, almost freezing to death) as they search for their friend, Janessa. Janessa is a #vanlife influencer who they believe is in the woods in danger.

I absolutely adored Kimi Cunningham Grants last book These Silent Woods so this one had huge shoes to fill - and it filled them! I ate this book up and couldn’t go to sleep without finishing it.

The way Kimi Cunningham Grant sucks you into the wilderness setting is unmatched. You feel like you’re on the journey with the main characters observing from above. Her writing is so beautiful and immersive.

My one slight criticism would be that the ending wrapped up too quickly and left me wanting a little more (which was also the case for me in These Silent Woods).

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored These Silent Woods and was so excited to get this novel. While I t huh ink it’s a good book it just didn’t hit the same way as her previous book. Three characters, while interesting, didn’t feel fleshed out enough for me and I never quite felt bought in on each of their stories. The mystery parts felt a bit convoluted and strained. I really really wish I liked this more but I still will read whatever this writer puts out next.
3.5 stars

Emlyn is at her best in the wild—she has rarely been as much at peace with people than she is out in the wilderness. Her friend Janessa was an exception, but that relationship is over; her boyfriend Tyler was another exception, but that too is over. At least—those relationships were over until Tyler reaches out, asking for help. Janessa is missing...and Emlyn is his best bet to find her again.

This is something of a slow burn of a book, sliding between the here-and-now of Emlyn and Tyler's hunt for Janessa and the years beforehand—before Janessa took Emlyn under her wing, before Emlyn and Tyler found each other, before it all fell apart. Parts of the mystery are hinted at for the reader to guess before Emlyn does, but there are a lot of ways the story could turn out, which is satisfying; I guessed at some of it, especially as the story went on, but several other outcomes would have been realistic too.

The characters are satisfying, and there's something about Janessa and Emlyn's friendship that I think will resonate with a lot of readers—loving each other fiercely but Emlyn feeling that she's always in Janessa's shadow. (Their relationship is *way* more interesting than Emlyn's more predictable route with Tyler.) In places I'd have liked more from Janessa, who pretty much does everything with a bang but whom we of course only understand from Emlyn's perspective.

I'll leave it there because the details of the relationships are best unfolded with the pages of the book—but this was a satisfying read.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

I finished this book in a day. I literally couldn't put it down. I felt like the story flowed so easily between past and present so that the reader could understand what happened in the past that fueled present situations. Such an easy thriller read!

Emlyn and Janessa meet in college and strike up a friendship, Janessa the domineering outgoing one and Emlyn the quieter one. Emlyn starts dating Tyler, Janessa's best friend from childhood but it doesn't sit well with Janessa. After months of dating Tyler does something horrible to Emlyn. Finally getting over him and moving on he stumbles back into her life to ask Emlyn to help find Janessa who has disappeared. However, Emlyn starts to realize things aren't quite as they seem.

This story was written so well with great character development. While Janessa was a little overbearing she ended up being someone that Emlyn truly could depend on. Varden should Emlyn how it should feel to be cared for and Rev accepted Emlyn wholeheartedly. Emlyn triumphed in the end and it was a great read!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press Minotaur books and Kimi Cunningham Grant for allowing me to review this ARC!

Overall I really enjoyed this read and it kept me engaged and wanting to learn more about each character.

My only complaint is my small disappointment in the ending; I hoped it would have been a little more thrilling and less rushed.

Overall, I enjoy the author’s writing both here and in These Silent Woods, I will continue reading more!

I stated January of 2023 reading These Silent Woods and fell in love with Kimi Grants writing. Was so excited for an ARC of The Nature of Disappearing and starting it January 2024, and I was not let down one bit. I loved every moment and thought of Emlyn. Emlyn’s word? Strength. Highly recommend this read!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Reminded me of the Gabi Petino (spelling) case in the beginning and I was hesitant however it definitely created its own way and storyline. Two girls find their way to eachother and become best friends. However as with any friendship there’s usually an imbalance. It’s watching this imbalance play out that gives us the storyline. Definitely was action packed towards the end with some twists I didn’t see coming. Would highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Couldn't get into this one as much as I hoped it would be impressive. I think it had all the makings of a book I'd love, but for some reason, it wasn't the outcome. The cover is gorgeous though! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.