The Other Side of Disappearing combines stories of romance, mystery, and family drama in one. The main story is about siblings Jess and Tegan who were abandoned by their mom 10 years ago to run off with a con artist, Lynton Baltimore. Lynton is the subject of a true crime podcast that journalists Salem and Adam are researching on, and the four of them go on a road trip across the US to get answers for themselves.

I’ve read many of Kate Clayborn’s books, but this one felt unique even from the start. The romance between Jess and Adam is still central to the plot, but I also loved the mystery elements about Baltimore’s con and the mom’s disappearance, as well as the growth in the relationship between the sisters. It’s also refreshing to read about two introverted characters in a romance plot. We often see opposite personalities in these stories, so it was nice to have two characters who are quiet and reserved open up to each other.

This is my favorite Kate Clayborn book so far. It wasn’t as heavy or dark as I was expecting, but maybe because I enjoy true crime and mysteries in general. If you also enjoy these, then I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC!

Oh Kate Clayborn...I thought I had beat you at your game and made it through the whole book without shedding a single tear...but then with like 10% left you hit me with a swift uppercut right to the old sad box and then smuttybookreviews became sobbingbookreviews. She gets me every damn time.

Jess has been raising her little sister, Teagan, for the last decade after her fucktastic mother left them both (and the second time she’d peaced out on Jess) for a man. Not just any man, but a con artist named Lynton Baltimore who recently became the subject of a popular podcast, but also peaced out before it was concluded. Jess and Teagan get pulled into the search for their mother and Lynton by the podcast host, Salem and her assistant, Adam. The foursome make their way on a cross country adventure to search for clues to help find these two piece of shit humans so everyone can get some closure. This is a book about disappearing- literally and figuratively and then being found again. It’s about how even living out in the open, we can disappear within ourselves. Found love, found connection, found family, found peace...they even find a therapist!

I truly loved this book and while I wanted to smash it in my face like cake at a 1 year old’s birthday party, I also wanted to take it slowly and savor it so it would never end. This story was A+ complicated, textured, layered, sweet, with characters who were real and flawed and frustrating at times, but oh so wonderful. @kateclayborn.author is always an auto read for me (and also an auto cry read) and her books keep getting better.

Smut- 2.3 stars
Romance- 4.8 stars
Story- 5.0 stars: no notes, no snark
Therapy in romance books- 12.4 stars

The Other Side of Disappearing
What an understated, quiet, enjoyment this book was to read! With a mysterious plot including two podcasters looking to uncover the cold case of a con-man and two sisters who hold a very important piece to the puzzle; one who is keeping that piece quite guarded, I didn’t know how the whole story would come together but, I thoroughly enjoyed figuring it out.

Jess Greene has spent the better half of her life taking care of her younger sister Teagan and hiding the real reason she feels her mom left them so many years ago, likely with a con man. However, after finding some old postcards in Jess’s room, Teagan wants some answers and to get them she reaches out to the podcaster who, long ago, documented all things Lynton Baltimore. With a proposed road trip to uncover the truth, Jess, Teagan, Salem the podcaster, and her assistant Adam pile into a car to discover the truth. Along the way, they find answers and so much more.

This book leans more women’s fiction than contemporary romance, although the understated sweetness and support that Adam gave Jess was extra swoony. It was subtle and had a soft protectiveness that made my heart happy for a character so damaged by life. I also really liked the relationship dynamics between each of the characters and their development into something more…whether that was more independent, more mature, more trusting, more compassionate, each character journeyed throughout this story. This is my first Kate Clayborn, and I really enjoyed her writing style so, it definitely won’t be my last!


Thank you Netgalley and Kate Clayborn for this ARC. I was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.

✨ 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 ✨

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻
𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝟹/𝟸𝟼/𝟸𝟺 — 𝙾𝚞𝚝 𝙽𝚘𝚠!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
🧡 road trip romance
🧡 true crime podcast
🧡 he falls first & harder
🧡 navigation of grief, loss, & trauma
🧡 pinch of open door romance
🧡 dual POV

Jess & Tegan’s mom disappeared years ago to follow a con-man & Tegan sneakily reached out to Salem Durant who is the voice & star of a true crime podcast to be able to find their mom. Adam works for Salem, as he is a retired pro-football player and went back to school to become a journalist. Adam wants to be able to tell his story about his best friend Cope who passed away. Jess has grown up playing “mom” to her little sister Tegan & Jess has given everything she had to raise & love her sister, she hasn’t found room to let romantic love into her life. Jess has built up some incredibly strong walls but Adam is determined to break them all down.

Every time I think about this book, I instantly get chills. I am not surprised at all because I read Georgie, All Along last year & I absolutely loved that book. There is just something about the way Kate Clayborn is able to bring you into the mind’s of her characters. She seamlessly & effortlessly writes complex characters but does it in a way where you feel as if you know them in real life. The romance in this one was so incredibly beautiful! It didn’t come easy as Jess has walls built up but Adam is so patient & gentle with her. There’s a spicy back of a truck scene that has been living rent free in my head as well. You also get a mystery vibe too with the hunt to find Jess & Tegan’s mother. I absolutely loved this one & cannot wait to read Kate Clayborn’s backlist.

I absolutely loved this book. It was so different from other romance books I’ve read and that was one of the main reasons why I loved it so much. The mystery aspect made it so interesting to me. I really loved Jess and how strong of a caretaker/older sister she was to Tegan. Her relationship with Adam quickly became one of my favorite book relationships of all time. I loved how Adam really saw Jess for who she was. It was almost as if he knew what she was thinking at all times. I truly love Kate Clayborn and all of the books I’ve read by her thus far. Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for this e-galley in exchange of an honest review!

The Other Side of Disappearing is a romance, but it's also about all different kinds of love. Family, friends, coworkers. The kind that helps lift people up and the kind that threatens to smother them.

Jess Greene has spent the last 10 years hoping that no one realizes her connection to famous conman Lynton Baltimore. Or rather, her mother's connection. That's because 10 years ago, Jess's mother ran off with Baltimore, leaving Jess's younger half sister Tegan in her care. But it turns out that Tegan has been doing some digging into their past - and shared that digging with a famous podcaster and her new assistant. The four of them set off on a begrudging roadtrip following the clues Jess and Tegan's mother left behind when she disappeared, but not everyone may like what they find.

First things first, I have to say that Adam Hawkins is just an excellent book boyfriend. He's sweet and smart, with a tragedy in his past that he's still trying his best to process. Basically, the whole book boyfriend package. He and Jess have great chemistry together - first a push-pull dynamic and then a long slide into something wonderful. They both have their flaws and their traumas, and I felt like the way those interacted with their love story had a heft of realism.

The secondary characters, mainly Tegan and Salem, intrigued me more than I expected, too. My only complaint is that Salem's B plot with her daughter distracted a little bit from the main story. It didn't entirely fit and I could entirely wrap my mind around it. I also loved Adam's family and the way it both entranced Jess and terrified her.

Basically, I really loved this book, even though it wasn't entirely perfect. A lovely and emotional read!

4.5/5

I really enjoyed Georgie, All Along, so I was very excited to receive this arc! I do not think I liked it quite as well, but it was still well done. For a book centered on a road trip, I wish it *felt* more roadtrippy -- I don't think that makes sense but if you're a road trip trope person, I think you'll get what I am saying. I also think this book is marketed as a romance, and while it does have a love plot, it is definitely not the main focus. The main themes are coping with grief, family turbulence, sisterhood, etc.

Overall, while it took me a while to get through, I did like it and am happy to read more from Kate Clayborn.

4⭐

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc.

The Other Side of Disappearing is a clever title that the author does a great job giving meaning too. Unfortunately it is also a story that just didn’t do it for me. I was never invested in the plot. Two sister on a hunt for their mom with a podcast crew…. The story was much more about their trauma and relationship and the love story developing, and the roadtrip itself took a backseat to the deeper things going on. My favorite part of the story was the middle when they take a break at Hawk’s family’s home and they start acting on their feelings. This is probably why I finished the book. Salem’s reveal at the end is ridiculous and cemented that this book wasn’t for me.

Kate Clayborn is an auto-buy author for me and she NEVER disappoints. The way she writes characters with depth and perceived flaws is magical. This story tells the story of two sisters who struggle with who they are, due to each of their relationships with their mother. When given the opportunity to take a road trip to learn more about their mom there are break throughs and catharsis and HAWK, our MMC who is smitten with Jess from their first meeting. Will he be able to break down her walls and help her be vulnerable and will she fall for this wonderful hero?

The heroine of The Other Side of Disappearing is Jess. She’s been bringing up her half sister Tegan on her own for the last decade, since their mum ran off with a boyfriend she had only know for a few months. She’s also been keeping a secret - that her mum’s boyfriend was a con man who was the subject of a true crime podcast. At the start of the book she discovers that not only has Tegan worked out the secret, but she’s contacted the podcast’s producers and is planning to go and search for their mother. Jess isn’t going to let Tegan face whatever is out there without her, so she joins her on the road trip with the podcast host and her producer Adam. Adam is a former college football star and recent journalism graduate. He’s working on this podcast for reasons of his own, but when he meets Jess he has to rethink what he has planned.

This is a road trip book, but with a larger cast than you usually get on road trip romances. And it is still a romance, but this is probably edging closer to what you might call Women’s Fiction than Clayborn has before. Because as well as being the story of Jess and Adam it’s also about Jess and Tegan and their relationship, the way they have built their own sort of family together - and the damage that their mother’s disappearance has done to them. But now I’ve written that I realise that I’ve made it sound like it’s a sad and miserable book, but it’s not! It’s actually pretty uplifting and as well as the romance you’re dying to know what happened to the con man and if they’re going to find their mum. So that’s a romance, a mystery, a road trip and a side of self discovery. It’s a really lovely read.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc!


This was a cute fast paced read. I loved the discussions about trauma and mental health. But I wasn’t sadly blown away by the romance

This book/story was many things and all aspects unique in its own sense. But the romance was something else entirely.

Just like Adam & Jess were blown away with each other, I was blown away with them, too. The intensity of their connection was unbelievable. Normally, I don't believe in love at first sight, but damn this proved me wrong.
Jess & Adam were the epitome of perfection. I loved how gentle, caring, & soft they were with each other. I mean, they noticed the smallest detail about the other & made sure to incorporate those things when the time came. Ugh, Adam's concern for Jess, especially on the beginning, melted my heart.

More than romance, this story was packed with so many other intense moments, feelings, & revelations. The podcast at the end of each chapter was genius. I loved how balanced every aspect of the plot was.
Don't know how else to describe it, but you need to read this for sure.

Georgie, All Along is my favorite by Kate, & this follows close second.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks y’all for the review copy. It took me a little while to get into this one but I’m glad I stuck with it. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

✨ Review ✨ The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

Thanks to Kensington Books and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

I picked this up after a friend raved about it, and I had liked her previous book Georgie All Along. There's something refreshing about Clayborn's romances because they feel like they break from the mold a bit in exciting ways.

This one blends a true crime podcast with a romance where sisters Jess and Tegan end up on the hunt for their long lost mom who ran off her boyfriend a decade before. Podcaster Salem, star of the famous podcast" The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore" and Adam (aka "Hawk"), an ex-football player and aspiring podcaster lead the girls on this search.

Jess, however, is extremely private, and only reluctantly joins the search Tegan set up behind her back. Adam instantly feels something for her and works to protect her and keep her safe along the way. The book is emotionally raw and rocky as they navigate their feelings.

The book has a variety of fun elements including:
✅ a roadtrip
✅ family conflict
✅ true crime podcasts
✅ a flower farm
✅ lots of soul searching and emotional connection

Overall, this was such a lovely read, and I really enjoyed the journey!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: f/m contemporary romance
Setting: road trip from East Coast to West
Pub Date: March 26, 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ emotional connections and clear communication
⭕️ sister stories and family dramas
⭕️ true crime and podcasts
⭕️ adventures + searching for clues

I loved this story! I loved each of the characters & how they came together. Jess & Adam were both characters that I loved & appreciated their stories.

This was so good! But, its Kate Clayborn so what do you expect. This one had a little bit of everything. Mystery, sisterhood and bonding, romance. I couldnt wait to find out what happened to their mother and I wasn't disappointed. Highly recommend! Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for approving me to read and review this ARC. I cant wait to read more from this author.

Kate Clayborn's "The Other Side of Disappearing" presents a captivating plot that draws readers in from the start. While I found myself intrigued by the storyline, I couldn't fully connect with the characters, which made it difficult to empathize with their experiences. However, the novel's conclusion was satisfying and tied up loose ends nicely.
Thanks Kensington Books and Netgalley for the arc.

3.5 stars

As has probably been evident from the sparseness of my postings in recent weeks, I’ve been a bit behind on my leisure reading lately. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve definitely been reading a lot, everyday in fact, it’s just that most of it is stuff I need to read for class so that I can complete my assignments. With that said however, in not wanting to sacrifice my leisure reading too much, I’ve been trying to find a better balance between work, family, and grad school obligations so that I can get to as many of the books on my teetering TBR as possible (albeit at a slower pace than usual).

One of the books on my list from last month is Kate Clayborn’s newest romance The Other Side of Disappearing. Since I don’t read a lot of romance overall, I usually go off recommendations from friends when it comes to this genre and Clayborn came highly recommended. I can definitely see why, as Clayborn’s romance feels different from ones that I’ve read in the past — it’s written in a way that leaves much food for thought. The story is narrated in the first person and alternates between the perspectives of the main couple, Jess Greene and Adam Hawkins. Adam is employed by Broadside Media, where he is assigned to work with veteran journalist Salem Durant, whose popular podcast about con artist Lynton Baltimore catapulted her to fame over a decade ago. That podcast resulted in some unfinished business and Salem wants nothing more than to track Baltimore down in order to tie up that particular loose end. The opportunity arises when they are contacted by Tegan Caulfield, whose mother Charlotte abandoned her 10 years ago when she ran away with her then-boyfriend (whom Tegan finds out is actually con man Baltimore). With some clues Tegan provides, they arrange to go on a search for Charlotte, which they hope will also lead them to Baltimore. When Tegan’s half-sister Jess finds out about the plans, she insists on going along so she can protect the sister whom she has raised since their mother’s abandonment. On this road trip “adventure,” all four characters end up discovering things about themselves that ultimately change the course of their lives.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and a fun way to take a break from so much heavy academic reading. One of the things that stood out to me with this story is the interesting angle that Clayborn took with the main theme of “disappearing” — she goes beyond the literal definition of the word and instead goes deeper to explore the various forms that “disappearing” can take (not just the physical, but also the emotional, mental, spiritual, etc). The nuanced way that some of the themes were explored added a little bit of a philosophical bent to the story, which I appreciated.

My one complaint would be that I found it difficult to connect with the characters for some reason. I liked the characters for the most part and Adam and Jess as a couple was one I could stand behind and root for (which I did, of course), but I didn’t feel as much of an emotional connection as I was expecting. Regardless though, I would definitely read more by this author if the opportunity were to arise.

Received ARC from Kensington via NetGalley.

The Other Side of Disappearing-- what a beautiful title and cover!-- will likely (and rightly) appeal to many readers, but I struggled to connect with the characters and as a result, found it mostly forgettable. There are so many books having to do with podcasts right now, and especially those of the true crime nature, that I think it's difficult to truly stand out. I liked that the book as a whole was more of a family drama about interpersonal development, with mystery and romance interwoven rather than center stage, but I readers should be aware going in, so as not to be surprised.

There’s a road trip.
And a podcast about a con man.
And an older sister who has become a maternal figure to her sister following the disappearance of their mother.
And a charming, vulnerable love story.

Kate Clayborn has delivered a beautiful coming of age story mixed with a sweet, sweet romance in The Other Side of Disappearing. I loved how all the pieces of the story came together and the relationships that ensue. Getting both Jess and Adam’s perspective on how the story unfolds was great. I appreciated how Clayborn explored the complexity of the relationships and personalities of each character, delving into their histories.

Thanks to Kensington + NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.