A crime podcast, two sisters, and a roadtrip - what more could you want in a book!? If you're looking for a fun + twisty plot, a little romance and a whole lot of love, this is the book for you! I can't wait to read what Clayborn writes next.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book with the premise of a true crime podcast. I am not one if those girls (respectively) that lives true crime let alone podcasts lol.

And yet, this book surprised me and I enjoyed it a lot lot more than I thought.

The connection and tension between Jess and Adam was a slow burn, but once it was set aflame, you could t tell me nothing. This was a different kind of romance, but a good change of pace for me.

The plot itself unfolded in a way I did not even anricipsye and it did not end the way I thought. But, it was still a very satisfying ending.

I think the heavy stuff both Adam and Jess had to work through were presented in a decent way and while it was a lot at times, I personally didn't feel overly triggered.

I found Tegan and Salem both likes me, dare I say lovable and thought the added to the dynamic for a good balance.

4 stars, 3 peppers.

This was a great! I loved the mystery elements. I loved the romance. And I really loved the writing and how easy it was to binge in a single sitting.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Book: The Other Side of Disappearing
Author: Kate Clayborn
Genre: Fiction, Crime/Mystery, Drama, Romance
Places Featured: Road Trip
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: I was a huge fan of Kate Clayborn’s after “Georgie All the Way.” I saw her give an author talk about this book where she said she “wanted to do something different,” so I probably should have known that I’d be getting something…different.

The Other Side of Disappearing is a romance, but it’s much more than that. The story is mostly about two sisters whose mother disappeared years ago with a believed conman–a podcast has dredged up the past and is helping them trace their mother.

So that means it’s a complicated story about complicated relationships–it actually took me a little bit to fully understand what was happening and I don’t think I ever really warmed up to the characters or really ever cared what happened to them. It’s too bad because there was potential in the chemistry between Jess and Adam, but it just wasn’t enough to carry the book for me. (Though I will give Kate Clayborn another try!)

Reviews posted on Instagram (@travelbooksandmovies) and sometimes on blog (www.travelbooksandmovies.com)

I would read Kate Clayborn’s grocery list. Her masterful grasp of blending external plot, internal conflict, character, and brilliant setting is once again on fill display in THE OTHER SIDE OF DISAPPEARING. I found Jess and Adam’s developing relationship to be soft, tender and also hot, founded on mutual respect as they learned more about each other. And as always Clayborn’s side characters are such stand outs (especially Salem). I also loved the multi-media element introduced through the podcast.

This was a fun book, and I really appreciated the opportunity to read it! I will recommend this book.

If you need a good read that will hit you in the feels, then grab this one! I loved reading this book! The character development and relationships sought out, built, and/or broken throughout are worth every minute.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

After reading and loving *Georgie, All Along*, I was curious to dive into more of Kate Clayborn’s work, and *The Other Side of Disappearing* did not disappoint.

This book is more than your typical romance novel. It delves deep into themes of self-discovery and trauma processing, all while taking readers on a road trip with a mystery to solve.

While it may seem like a lot to juggle, the themes are interwoven seamlessly. The subject matter is heavy, but the author handles it with her signature wisdom and respect for human emotions. I was particularly drawn to Jess and the bond she shared with her sister, Tegan. Their relationship was complex but beautiful, and perhaps even more central to the story than the romance itself.

The romance was good, but it wasn’t the kind that gives you butterflies or makes you wish for a similar love story in your own life. Both main characters were working through some heavy issues, and it was a lot to process at times. However, it was heartwarming to see how they found solace in each other. I loved how Adam patiently earned Jess’s trust and how he protected her, and how Jess was willing to step out of her comfort zone for him.

Kate Clayborn’s The Other Side of Disappearing is a poignant and emotionally resonant contemporary romance that delves into themes of identity, loss, and rediscovery. Clayborn’s writing is both lyrical and evocative, capturing the complexities of her characters with great sensitivity. The Other Side of Disappearing is a beautifully written exploration of personal transformation and the search for belonging. It’s a moving and thoughtful read for fans of contemporary romance and women’s fiction who appreciate a story with emotional depth and well-drawn characters.

Kate Clayborn has a writing style that will lure the read until the very last page. The Other Side of Disappearing is part mystery part romance. Both aspects come together beautifully to tell the story of Jess and her difficulty with relationships both familial and romantic.

I really enjoyed this. I liked Jess a lot, and the story was really compelling. I’ve already recommended the book to others, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to reread it soon!

Jess Greene has been raising her younger sister, Tegan, on her own since their mother ran off with a well known con-man. He and she have been the focus of a popular podcast series, and Jess has been trying to lay low and fly under the radar ever since. Her sister wants to know more about their mother, and reaches out to the produce of the podcast and her assistant, Adam, to go on a trip to learn more. Jess and Adam begin to fall for each other, while questions like journalistic ethics, privacy, letting others in, challenge them along the way. I really enjoyed this book for the romance piece and the added element of a true crime journey.

Love Lettering is one of my all time favs, and I never miss the opportunity to read more from Clayborn. This started out going one direction, took some unexpected turns, but I found myself immersed. The storyline between Jess and Tegan was intense and so well done. Afterward, it was what I will remember most. The romance between Jess and Adam was torture, but fitting given the circumstances. Overall, I found it to be a heart wrenching journey.

Kate Clayborn has become one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. I really enjoyed her previous novels Love Lettering and Georgie, All Along so I was excited to dive into this new book by her. The Other Side of Disappearing is different in that romance is more of a side plot, while the mystery in this story takes center stage.

The main plot in this story is about two sisters who go in search of their absent mother, who disappeared ten years ago with her boyfriend at the time. But there's a catch. The boyfriend was a serious con man going by the alias of Miles Davis. But his true name is Lynton Baltimore A true crime podcast did a series on him and now they want to do follow up - and then want the assistance of Jess and her younger sister Tegan.

If the girls can lead them to their mother, maybe they can find Lynton and finally interview him.

This story is heart wrenching. No child should have to go without their parents and Tegan didn't have either. But she had Jess, and the two share a great (although sometimes feisty) relationship. Even when they're fighting it's easy to see how much they love each other.

The story is filled secrets, twists, and turns. I will say that the true crime part of the story fell flat to me. I wish the author had given more backstory about Lynton Baltimore, or at least more backstory about their mom. In the end it just felt like crimes I didn't really care about.

I did really enjoy the relationships in this story. The sisterly relationship between Jess and Tegan, and the romantic relationship between Jess and Adam. Like all of Kate's books I have read previously, the main characters were flawed. But I was so happy for them to find each other in the end.

I love Kate Clayborn's books, and this was no exception. That said, it was not what I expected. It was quieter, with more reflection. A story of growth and connection and internal change. There were also themes of hope. There's a shift in the relationship between sisters Jess and Regan. There's an unexpected roadtrip with a podcast crew. All four of the primary characters are invested in the outcome for different reasons. Those reasons include understanding, healing, and opportunity. I loved watching Jess and Adam quietly connect. Watching Jess rediscover who she used to be. It's a hard story to capture in a review but definitely a story worth reading. Go in with an open mind- while there is a romance, this story has so much more.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me. All opinions are my own.

2.5*
(Dude this took me sooo long to finish, I really really wanted to LOVE this book)
The premise was really interesting to me and I read before about the author's previous books being really good so I was intrigued. Let me just start by saying how much I appreciate and like the depth of emotions discussed about Jess raising her little sister. I see how her character would annoy some people when all she's seen as is closed off but when I think about it, her being thrown into this parenting role and how consuming it must've been, how much it could change a person to take on that role of not only parenting a kid but also trying to protect them from the past that lead them to where they are aka her mother disappearing. The feelings were so raw and true; I loved reading about her fears and thoughts. I equally liked Adam's backstory and his feelings and thoughts about it.
While I appreciated the feelings in this, unfortunately, I had trouble with so many things. The first of them is the adventure of finding their mother. The adventure wasn't adventuring LOL, it felt unnecessarily dragged and slow, I didn't care about their mother or the con man. I think that came back to the writing which annoyed me a lot of times where scenes were told instead of shown, I would be interested in seeing how a scene would play out only for it to be summed up in a paragraph as a thought of Jess or Adam and those scenes that were shown were underwhelming, there was no tension to the information they find out or how they find it. It was visible how the writing was trying to have this gripping factor but it didn't succeed in doing it and the whole adventure felt like boring and annoying background noise which I didn't appreciate. Salem's character felt weird and sketchy to me from the start and her character growth towards the end made no sense to me. The romance also didn't make sense to me, it was fast-paced and for someone as closed off as Jess I expected it to be slow, even too slow cause how does a person who barely talks to their coworkers trust a man who came into her life the way Adam did that fast, it just didn't make sense to me. Also, when are we going to move past the whole "he's big. huge. so big"? Like, okay I get it, he's that huge human being but like can we move past it already? it's been so common in books lately and it's been getting on my nerves. Your MMC can look however you like but there's no need to mention how big he is every other page, it's infuriating really.

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

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was my second book by Kate Clayborn and I really enjoyed it! Kate writes absolutely beautifully and I enjoyed the mix of mystery and romance. I really enjoyed the aspect of how the FMC discovers herself and also how the author dealt with the topic of mental health.

This is a beautiful story.

4 stars

There are emotions on every page of this heartfelt romance with a dash of mystery. Definitely a writer to watch.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.