"The Nature of Disappearing" by Kimi Cunningham Grant is a captivating novel of suspense.

Here you will meet Emlyn, a wilderness guide, who must team up with Tyler—the man who ruined her life years ago—when their mutual friend Janessa goes missing. Emlyn’s new life is simple and safe, but Janessa’s disappearance propels her back into the world she worked hard to forget.

As they trace Janessa’s path through Idaho’s wild country, chemistry crackles between Emlyn and Tyler. Yet, deeper in the wilderness, Emlyn begins to suspect a darker truth.

“The Nature of Disappearing” explores starting over and the cost of letting the past pull you back in. Now i was completely immersed in this author's previous book - "These Silent Woods" - it was terrifying in ALL the right ways. Sadly, "The Nature of Disappearing" left me thinking back to her previous novel and wishing for that more desperate feeling I get from so many thrillers. In this novel, I felt some of the outdoorsy themes/decisions here were not researched well enough. Due to that, I had a difficult time connecting with the main characters.

All that being said, f you enjoy suspenseful mysteries with character who posses questionable motives and atmospheric settings, check this book out. Remember, reading is all about place and time. So although this didn't hit for me, it could be a winner for you!

Thank you to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ALC copy to listen to along with my print copy.

I'm a hiker. I like outdoor adventures. So I was drawn to the blurb about this one. I liked the wilderness aspect of this book. The hiking, the planning for being out in the backcountry. The amount of detail the author was able to use was impressive.

But the mystery part of it didn't really engage me. It seemed to take a backseat a bit and there was a lot of focus on the prior romance between Emlyn and Tyler.

Overall, this was OK if only because of the detail and the hiking. But I'm not sure it was enough to really make it a book that I loved. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to others.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a fabulous title! I not only loved the setting, but I loved the characters and the roles we fall into...how history has a way of luring us in, even when we know better. What a great weekend read!

4.5 stars- Another great book by Kimi Cunningham Grant! I LOVED These Silent Woods and was eagerly anticipating this book. I will say the synopsis didn't really pull me, which is why the more I read the more I try not to read synopsis. Kimi does such an EXCELLENT job of describing the setting and characters that I could easily visualize what was going on. Her writing is not too descriptive though that it bogs down the story. I can relate to certain aspects of friendship that Kimi describes and can relate to the main character, Emlyn. The pacing is fantastic as it jumps from the present to past. She weaves the stories of the past in with the present so well, it just worked for me. I personally don't think this is a thriller, I would say its a Suspense with almost like a literary fiction vibe as there is more of a character driven element. I read this in 2 days, but I had to go to sleep! I could have read this in one sitting easily! If you love the outdoors, nature and solitary/survival themes.
I do wish there was more Vader :)
The audiobook narrator is Fantastic!

Thank you netgalley and Minotaur books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading Kimi Cunningham Grant's books because they are so well written. I love her descriptions of nature and how well the characters are developed. In The Nature of Disappearing I especially enjoyed and related to Emlyn's character and enjoyed the nuance that Tyler's character brought.

While I loved the writing style and characters, I was left wanting more from the plot. With no spoilers, the problem/climax of the story didn't feel authentic or believable to me. And while the ending of the book was ultimately satisfying, I was left wanting just a little bit more! More explanation, more details on the relationships, more of what happened next!

Overall, I still really enjoyed reading it and will continue to read all of Grant's future work (These Silent Woods was a favorite!).

Emlyn is used to not getting what she wants, and settling for what she gets. After starting her life over again without her college friend, Janessa, or the man she thought may be the grand love of her life, she isn’t sure that she should risk it all helping the two of them again.

Emlyn has found herself pretty content in her new life. She was rescued from the side of the road, near death, and nursed back to health by the members of a close knit community who make most of their living off of the tourists and the forest. She quickly finds her skills make her an excellent fishing and hunting guide.

When her past comes back, she isn’t sure if she should help out, but she knows things are unlikely to end well otherwise. She consults with Rev, whose great insight with people could give her answers, but Rev of course can’t give her clear answers of what she should or should not do. Emlyn reluctantly tries to help the two people who practically turned their backs on her.

Emlyn and the characters from her past were so clear and engaging. While they started out seeming like they’d all be close forever, they each had their secrets even then. Their stories when they all meet up again are suspenseful, especially with the addition of a character who was never mentioned in their earlier lives. The unpredictable story earned 4 out of 5 stars and would be great for those who enjoy outdoorsy stories and thrillers.

Idk what this woman puts in her books but it’s gonna hit every time for me. The way she presents her settings, the vibes, the characters it’s so good. I love the descriptions of the wilderness and nature it was so atmospheric.

I can understand that her books might be for everyone because 75% of the book is character development and the rest is plot driven. It’s one of those slow burns that don’t feel slow.

I must admit i had no clue where this was going and it kept me guessing all the way to the end. I feel this book was a tad different than her last book which was a huge tear jerker.

The main MC was likeable. I loved how this book mostly focused on female relationships, character evolution, and trust.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that Kimi Cunningham Grant had a new book out (and it was available to Read Now for a certain amount of time) I jumped at the chance to read it without even reading what it was about because I loved These Silent Woods so much! I also love stories that involve hiking or camping so this was right up my alley!

The Nature of Disappearing definitely had a slow start but was still able to keep it interesting and the story progressing. I usually don't do well with books that time hop like this one does and at times the flashbacks did seem to interrupt the flow of the story. As the story progressed it did seem to flow better. I really liked Emlyn and her character and watching her growth throughout the story. The story really didn't play out as I thought it would and there were a couple of times that I was surprised by the twists. Definitely worth a read!

Emily is normally easy going but her life has been turned upside down. After her boyfriend leaving her alone in the woods with no explanation she decides to escape and start a new path. But all of a sudden her ex shows up and says her former best friend is missing and off the grid. Emily becomes concerned and decides to track and find Janessa. As she gets further into the woods she starts to discover Janessa might not be the only one in danger. Will they find Janessa and will everyone make it out alive?

From start to finish this book kept me on my toes! I thought I would be able to figure out after about halfway through but I had literally no idea what was going to happen. The characters were full of mystery and thrill and I was able to fall in love with some of them and really dispise the others. It felt like I was right there in the story! I loved it!

I was so pleasantly surprised with this story! Grant is masterful in her literary style. I thought this would be just another contemporary mystery/thriller heavy on the action but with less depth. On the contrary, the character development and vivid scenery descriptions added beautifully to the overall plot. Emlyn is somewhat complicated and humble but draws others to her, in negative and positive ways. After recovering from a crisis, she begins to find herself again when a friend disappears. She comfortably immerses herself in nature to try and find her. What unfolds is both unexpected and poignant. I also appreciate that a captivating story can be told without excessive language and spice. Grant handled that with grace as well.
My first objective is to go and read These Silent Woods. I am intrigued by this new-to-me writer.
Thanks to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC.

We start The Nature of Disappearing as Emlyn is living a life estranged from her best friend, Janessa, and ex-boyfriend, Tyler. She had a dropped call from Janessa and hasn’t been in contact with her since. Then she learns from a news report that Janessa and her boyfriend are potentially missing. When Tyler, also a childhood friend of Janessa, shows up to ask Emlyn for help finding Janessa I was hooked. I immediately thought of how this story could go, but boy was I wrong. Kimi Cunningham Grant takes us through the wilderness in this story and vividly shows us what it’s like to hike and survive treacherous hikes. This was definitely more of a “slow burn” story. I would have really enjoyed more focus on the relationships and maybe less on the wilderness aspect. Read this if you are a hiker or love reading about the outdoors! Overall 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur books for this ARC through NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

The nature of relationships set in a wilderness setting, this book was not a thriller but had a mystery element. I very much enjoyed the author's previous book "These Silent Woods' which featured themes of man versus man and man versus nature and was at heart about the love between a father and his child. This book tackles friendship but was not as successful in creating a meaningful story. Emlyn is a young woman who lives in a Airstream trailer and serves as a hunting and fishing guide. Emlyn had a best friend named Janessa who she hasn't heard from in awhile until one day she receives a dropped call which worried her. When Emlyn receives a message from her ex-boyfriend Tyler, she realizes she isn't the only one worried about her friend. It seems Janessa has become an Instagram influencer and has been traveling with her boyfriend Bush doing a "van life" series, but hasn't posted in several days. Janessa and Tyler grew up together and were best friends.

This sounded like an exciting set-up but the majority of the book is about flashbacks and I felt there were too many which didn't further the story. The flashbacks show how Emlyn was a shy, directionless girl who was taken under he wing of beautiful, rich and outgoing Janessa. Janessa directed Emlyn's life even telling her who to date, what clothes to wear and where she should live. That all changed when Emlyn began to date Tyler who knew Janessa since childhood. After Janessa forbids Emlyn from dating Tyler, their relationship fell apart. Later we find out Tyler had a lot of issues which resulted in him leaving Emlyn abandoned in the wilderness which almost cost her her life. Is Janessa really missing and can Emlyn trust Tyler who she is still attracted to? The mystery portion of the book begins when Emlyn and Tyler set out to track Janessa in the wilds of Idaho. .

I enjoyed the mystery part but didn't feel that any of the characters were all that interesting. Vardan, a local forest ranger who has feelings for Emlyn seemed like he was a lot older than he was because of his name and the only thing we know about him is he reads Amish romance stories and spends all his free time with Rev, an elderly woman who holds church services in her cottage. There is a story about addiction to pain pills but it is not written in an accurate way. At one point Emlyn has a ruptured appendix and after taking one pill she is filled with some kind of joyous energy when in reality she would be feeling relief from her pain. It is wrong to suggest that people cannot accept pain relief after surgery because they will immediately become addicted. I wanted to like Janessa but she seemed very overbearing and she seemed to exist only to react to Emlyn and Tyler. Beautiful nature descriptions but the relationship story left me unsatisfied. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

In The Nature of Disappearing, the main character, Emlyn, sets off with her ex-boyfriend to find out what happened to her best friend, who has recently gone missing on a van life expedition. Through flashbacks, the reader uncovers the tumultuous backstory of what led to these strained relationships in present day as Emlyn and her ex close in on what’s really going on with the friend’s disappearance.

I really enjoy the way Grant writes slow burn suspense and weaves in nature and wilderness themes! While this book didn’t have the emotional punch I loved about her debut, These Silent Woods, I still appreciated Grant’s ability to tell an entertaining story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Through the past and present, this book tells the story of a wilderness guide who must team up with the man who ruined her life many years ago when their mutual friend goes missing.


I really liked this one by Cunningham Grant. The suspense and pacing was addicting, the main character was likable, and the setting was really fun for me. I was genuinely surprised a few times with how the story turned out. I loved the character development and how Emlyn grew throughout the story.

The ending felt very abrupt to me and I wish we had more story there - that was really the main thing I didn’t like!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the free copy in exchange for honest review!

My rating: 4/5

This is the second story I have read by this author and I enjoyed it immensely. There was a lot of action and adventure and a lot of suspense. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Grant is bringing us next.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

2.75ish

The synopsis for this really should've been: "two people walk through the woods". Ok, so that's oversimplifying it a bit, but I cannot get over how much of the book was devoted to following two characters as they hiked. And I realize that the author was going for a character-driven story, but I felt that, being that this is marketed as a mystery/thriller, the overarching mystery should have been a lot stronger. In the end, the mysterious elements of this story were pretty lackluster. The reveal of what was going on and a certain character's plan made very little sense, and one of the main twists was very obvious to me.

To be clear, I think this is a well-written book. The prose is nice. It's the plot that's lacking. Ultimately, I think this is one of those books I have no strong feelings about. Thanks to Minotaur Books for granting me access!!

This was a bit of a letdown. I found it moved way too slowly and the characters weren’t likeable or interesting enough for this. The slow burn worked in “These Silent Woods” but sadly, not in this novel. It was all a little obvious as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was eager - and nervous - to read The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant because her previous novel, These Silent Woods, was one of my favorite books of 2021. How would the author follow up a near-perfect novel? I’m thankful that early reviews tempered my expectations because Nature was good ... but not nearly as engaging as Woods. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Set in rural Idaho, the contemporary storyline follows Emilyn, a skilled wilderness guide, whose life is small and secluded by choice. It’s disrupted when former boyfriend Tyler suddenly appears with concerns that their mutual friend Janessa is missing. Emilyn agrees to use her tracking skills to help Tyler search for Janessa, and segments of their trek alternate with flashbacks to moments in Emilyn’s past, from her childhood and meeting Janessa to the good and bad times with Tyler. Their discoveries increase in tension until the full truth is revealed.

I had the rare opportunity to consume this audiobook, narrated by Emily Pike Stewart, in a single day while doing mundane spreadsheet work at the office. As a result, I had no issues following the non-chronological story, but I may have if I read or listened over several sessions. The story has a small cast of characters, several of whom are unlikeable, but I really liked Rev and Varden. I’m not familiar with the Idaho wilderness or trekking through it so any plot issues regarding these topics were lost on me.

One of the most meaningful things in my reading life is finding unexpected elements of faith woven into “general market” novels. I love that Ms. Grant does this so well; it was my favorite aspect of this tale. I was also intrigued by Emilyn’s early fascination with a dictionary which fostered her practice of choosing a single word to describe people, including herself.

I’m grateful to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for review copies of this novel.

When you have high-level tracking skills & your ex-best friend goes missing in the woods, you basically have to go find her; even if that means teaming up with the ex-boyfriend who almost got you killed…

Emlyn’s life imploded a few years back, but thanks to the kindness of the forest ranger who found her & the local reverend-type person who took her in, she’s now a relatively happy & more confident wilderness guide who loves getting to enjoy all the natural beauty Idaho has to offer. But she hasn’t completely moved on from her past, & she’s less than thrilled when her ex shows up at her place of work, begging her to help him locate someone she used to be bosom friends with (a la Anne of Green Gables). Emlyn reluctantly agrees, but the deeper the search goes the more she wonders what this trip will ultimately end up costing her…

I loved the appreciation for the great outdoors I felt in this book, & enjoyed Emlyn’s quirk of thinking of one word to encompass a person’s essence. Emlyn’s character growth was slow but hard-won & authentic, & the female friendship dynamic between her & Janessa was very relatable. This is my first time reading this author’s work & I’m looking forward to enjoying more from her in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are in the mood for a book about Forrest Rangers…..this is a book you should read.
I really enjoyed the wilderness aspect in the story. Lots and lots of information shared about plants that are poisonous, how to trap animals and just general, how to survive in the wilderness.
The mystery was pretty intense and sinister.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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