This is a different type of story for Kate Clayborn. It leans much more on the side of women’s fiction with a slice of mystery and a lot of atmospheric angst. Jess’s mother took off with an infamous con man ten years ago. Jess was only 21 and put her life on hold to become guardian and raise her younger half sister Tegan. Now two podcast journalists, Salem and Adam, show up at their door because Tegan made contact with them. They want to finish a popular series about the con man. Tegan wants a chance to find her mother before she heads off to college in a few weeks. Jess agrees to come along wanting to protect Tegan. Adam, a giant former college football star is instantly smitten, and wants to be a protector to Jess. They agree to a three week road trip, following a trail of five postcards that were sent to Jess from her mom.

The tone is broody or melancholy. There are very few light moments in the story. But I was drawn in. It is the first book in ages where I had to actively resist skipping to the back to see how things turn out. After finishing, I was very satisfied with the story. Adam is great as a protective teddy bear of a man, but his whole backstory seems to build around one storyline. But I liked the romance building between him and Jess. And I love the relationship between the sisters. The wanting to love and protect each other goes both ways. It is a strong bond.

The focus of the story is on the sister’s relationship and finding their missing mother. The romance is a bonus on the side. It is interesting that Clayborn alternates POVs between Adam and Jess when romance isn’t the biggest part of the novel. I think if you know what you are getting you will enjoy the story and Clayborn’s writing. If you want something lighter try some of her other novels, most of which I have read. (4.5 Stars)

4.5⭐️ 3🌶

This book exceeded my expectations! I wasn’t sure how to feel about the plot of the mom disappearing with a con man and going on a roadtrip to find her. I usually enjoy a romance with a plot outside of just personal relationships, but a mystery plot line like this one can break an otherwise good romance. In this case, it made it so much better. The emotional depth is this story had me crying by the end of it. Not just with Jess and Tegan, but with Adam as well. The characters were very well developed, even the minor characters that showed up throughout the roadtrip. I also was very invested in the mystery of where their mother went and what she was up to with Lynton Baltimore. It had me guessing the entire time. Overall I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it!

Read if you like:
🐌 Slow Paced Reads
🎙️ True Crime Podcasts
👯‍♀️ Stories about sisters
👩‍👧‍👧 Difficult family Dynamics
❤️ Romances

This book is slow paced and truly the heart of the story is around the mystery of where Jess’ mom has been since she left her to raise her little sister 10 years ago when she up and left with a conman.

When a podcast that featured his story finds out about their connection to the con man through their mom a roadtrip ensues to find Teagan and Jess’ mom and the conman she left with.

Adam was such a softie and fell instantly and hard for Jess even with her tough shell and it was beautiful to see Jess finally let her guard down for someone with Adam.

All in all, this is so much more than a romance but has so many themes of mystery, healing, and family too.

Thank you Kensington for my ARC in exchange for my review!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Georgie, All Along so as soon as I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I am so glad that I did because I absolutely loved this too. Kate Clayborn is now on my list of authors on auto-read.

The relationships in this book are so good. The one between Jess and Adam and the one between Jess and Tegan. I loved how you could feel the attraction and chemistry between Jess and Adam from the first meeting even though nothing was acted for a little while. I think they are so good together.

Kate Clayborn does it again - this book was amazing. She writes characters that are so human and so real. I'm not a true crime girlie, but that aspect of the book was fascinating to me, and I really enjoyed it. Adam was perfect, Jess was perfect, everyone should read this book.

⭐️✨
3.5 rounded to 4 stars

If the female main character, Jess, had done six months of therapy prior to entering into this road trip, I think I would have liked this book a lot more. I can see why other reads love this book, but it wasn’t for me.

First, the good things. Kate Clayborn is an excellent writer. Her writing is just… effective. You feel “in it” in her stories, and this is no exception. The plot is compelling, you feel engaged in the mystery through the book.

But, the book felt interminably sad to me. Jess was just SO sad. It was an unrelenting heaviness, tinged with helplessness. I felt a persistent sense of inertia as I read the book. Even though a lot happens in the plot, the book still had a sluggish feel to me.

I also frequently felt like- jeez, Adam is giving up a little too much of himself to this person who is so boundaried as to be closed off- to an extent that sometimes seemed unintentionally unkind.

All things considered, I would say this is an objectively good book. It just wasn’t for me. I’d recommend this for readers who like their romance with a lot of additional plot, and don’t mind heaviness.

I love all of Ms. Clayborn’s books and this is no exception. This story is a mystery that includes a missing mother, a podcaster who is searching for a con man, daughters who have been left behind and a man with his own losses. This is not only a mystery, but it didn’t seem to dwell as much on the crimes, but on the various relationships between Jess, Teagan, Adam and Salem.

Jess is guarded and private, locked behind walls after being left by her mother and needing to take care of and protect her much younger sister, Teagan. With Jess is a parent-type role, there are the usual conflicts between her and Teagan. At eighteen, Teagan thinks she knows everything, wants to know more about her mother and puts some major events into motion without warning Jess.

When podcaster Salem comes knocking on her door along with her assistant journalist, Adam, Jess is stunned. She has worked to keep her life as quiet as possible so that the media won’t hound her for a sensational story.

As they agree to travel to various locations trying to locate the con man and the missing mother, their stops are interesting, and more and more clues begin to come to light. When Jess and Teagan go to stay with Adam’s family for a few days, it was such a touching part of the story where Jess could relax and enjoy herself. She and Adam start to become close while he does all that he can to protect her. His family are nothing like anything she has experienced and so good for her and Teagan.

The events that happen at the end of the travels were heartbreaking and left me wondering how all four main characters would find their way forward. This story covers grief, loss, relationships and not often seen, where the male character falls first and hard. He knows he has to be so careful with Jess as you would with a wounded animal and not scare her. He has so much he wants to say and do but he’s observant and knows not to rush Jess.

The ending was a sweet and loving one with all that you could wish for and highly enjoyable. I recommend to anyone who enjoys romance and a bit of mystery.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this new work.

thanks so much for the ARC!!

4 stars for me
one of my all time favorite books is Luck of the Draw and i've been waiting for another Clayborn couple w as much chemistry as zoe and aiden. jess and adam are a close second!!

what didn't work for me what that i didn't fully understand the premise/context behind jess' extreme need for privacy - that didn't really click for me so it made some of the plot frustrating. but i really really love clayborn's writing, i loved the secondary characters, and the premise of the book was really engaging. i finished this in an afternoon

also weird to send me an arc 6 days before release but i'm not complaining!!

Kate Clayborn's books consistently offer gorgeous writing and vivid, layered characters that always speak to my condition—I consider LOVE AT FIRST one of my top three romances. That said, I must admit that I went into THE OTHER SIDE OF DISAPPEARING a bit concerned how I'd like it; it sounded more mystery-driven than her earlier books, more women's fiction than romance-oriented. Shouldn't have worried: TOSOD is perhaps Clayborn's strongest and most ambitious book to date (though LOVE AT FIRST remains my fave). Yes, there's a suspenseful, mystery component, but it's interwoven with a touching romance between two deeply wounded and sensitive people. The podcast component is handled extremely well. I tore through TOSOD in two sittings, caught NEEDING to know how the mystery would be resolved and invested in the characters.

TL;DR: Kate Clayborn can do no wrong. Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the early read.

I’ll always read this author, but I didn’t like this one as much as I recall liking others. It felt overly-wordy. And it was depressing but without earning that depression. Joyless - it was joyless. I like joy.

Jess’s mother abandoned her and her younger sister 10 years ago. She ran off with a con man who’s the subject of a podcast. The younger sister is now 18, curious about her mom, and gets in contact with the podcast people. Jess, her sister, the podcast host, and the hot producer embark on a road trip to try to get the whole story.

The cinnamon roll producer is hot, sweet, hot, considerate, hot, and has a painful past, as a cinnamon roll does.

The setup was overcomplicated and dense (and not that interesting). There’s a lot of longing, as he falls into insta-love and she is closed-off AF. (I do like an emotionally-closed-off FMC though.)

At some point, I realized what was making it feel overcomplicated: 2 characters would have a conversation. A full page would be what they were thinking… and then they’d speak and it would be 7 words. And then another page of what they were thinking… and then another 7 words. Someone would say “Sure” and I’d legit have to go back a full page to see what question they were asked because I couldn’t remember and they had just spent all that time thinking. Not sure why that bothered me here or what made it so noticeable… cuz isn’t that how most books work?

Or maybe it was these characters… they seemed to overthink everything. And, again, it wasn’t all that interesting.

I love a romance with depth. Abby Jimenez is an author that does this really well to me, and Kate Clayborn is right up there with her after this one! From feelings of abandonment and having to grow up too fast to mental health and losing a loved one, this book covers some heavy topics in a very intentional way with great care.

While Jess and Adam’s journey to love is at the forefront of this story, told from both of their perspectives, there’s so much more to unpack here. I absolutely loved the mystery of a con man and a mother who left her children for him. It was riveting, and kept me guessing until the end. But more than that, this is a story of sisterhood. And it’s a beautiful look at Jess and Tegan’s relationship, which was honestly my favorite part of the whole book.

While Clayborn struck the perfect balance between all these themes and plot lines early on, that carefully built foundation started to sway a bit for me in the back half. When the mystery took a back seat and the romance came to the forefront, it did lull for me a bit. The romance is so sweet (and spicy!), but I did miss the faster pace that the mystery elements brought out.

Overall, this was a fantastic book that I highly recommend. Especially if you like romance and want to try dipping your toes into mystery (or vice versa!) - it’s a great genre cross-over!

Part mystery, part family drama, part romance. Can Jess learn to trust? Will Adam do the right thing? Will Jess and Tegan find their mother? A very complex novel about two sisters abandoned by their mother. A search for truth and reconciliation.

Kate Clayborn is a master of romance. However, this is not just a romance. It is a romance but the characters feel real, have experienced life and are living with trauma. The way that this novel deals with trauma and family is tender and beautiful. The relationships form in a way that I am not sure I would have understood until trauma dug its claws in.

This book is a book about mental health and takes the reader into a roadtrip to uncover a past that the characters may not be ready to explore.

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington Books for the eARC.

📚 Read if you like: contemporary romance, true crime podcasts, forced proximity, dual pov, sweet spice

I really liked the premise of this one - it’s part contemporary romance and part true crime podcast about a con man. Jess and Tegan’s mother ran away with a conman a decade ago and now they’re trying to track them down with a couple podcasters based on five post cards her mother sent years ago. I thought it was an interesting angle but I never thought it really went anywhere.

I thought Adams was sweet in a gentle giant kind of way. Jess was locked down tight and over went an emotional journey during this story. But I never really felt the connection between the two of them. There were a couple spicy moments but it was that sweet kind of spice that doesn’t feel particularly spicy, more emotional? It was done well, I just found myself wanting more. I did really respond to Tegan and Salem and would have preferred to get some of the story from their POV.

I do recommend this to romance readers who are more on the sweet, emotional side than spice lovers. Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The book is out this week - March 26

• Acts of Disappearing •

‘Georgie, All Along’ is one of my favorite romances ever, and I have impatiently been waiting for Kate Clayborn’s next novel since.

‘The Other Side of Disappearing’ is quite different from her previous novels. Yes, it’s a love story; however, it is equally a mystery and a narrative about family and loss.

You will find the following tropes:
- Road trip
- Forced proximity
- Parenting a sibling
- True crime podcast
- Slow-burn romance

Jess and Adam have suffered great losses that, in many ways, have defined their lives. Both have been trying to cope by fixating upon specific goals while keeping their emotions in check and walls intact.

When they set out on a road trip, while making a podcast about Jess’ mother and con artist partner, their attraction blooms and walls start to crack.

As the title reveals, this story is about disappearing. Disappearing in its many senses, whether physically or emotionally, from oneself or each other - and even into each other.

I adored the caring but closed-off Jess and the sensitive and supportive Adam, as well as their road trip companions Tegan, Jess’ teenage sister, and (to some extent) Adam’s boss Salem. While the narrative was told from the two main characters' POV, I loved that it somehow portrayed a journey of disappearing and appearing for all four of them.

Kate Clayborn is an incredible writer, and I highly recommend ‘The Other Side of Disappearing’, but be prepared for heavier topics than most romances. If you loved ‘Georgia, All Along’ and novels by authors such as Alicia Thompson and Jessica Joyce, I’m positive you will love this as well.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy! 😊

Kate Clayborn writes with her whole heart. I how realistic and fully fleshed out her characters feel. I love how, while this is a romance, the love story isn’t necessarily the entire focus of the novel. How she tackles family dynamics and the relationship between the two sisters is just as big a part (if not a bigger part) than Jess finding love.

The concept of this was unique and compelling. I also really appreciate that, while it’s got all the hallmarks of a good romance (lots of banter, lots of heat), it makes sure to emphasis self-discovery. Yes, falling love is great, but it won’t save you - you need to save yourself first. But also, let’s be honest, I wouldn’t even care if it didn’t tackle deeper topics because Adam is just such a great love interest. I’d read 700000 pages of his inner thoughts.

In short, I loved this. Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the ARC. The Other Side of Disappearing is out 3/26!

"I realize, with a startling sorty of clarity, that I'd cut out my own heart before I treated hers carelessly."

Jess, now 31, took full custody of her half sister, Tegan, ten years ago when her mom ran off with her new boyfriend, Miles. Tegan is now ready to enter adulthood as a college freshman in the fall, and she has some big questions about her mom.

When famous podcaster, Salem Durant, and her handsome new protégé Adam come to Jess's door exposing their family's secret, it is Jess's worst nightmare. Their mom's boyfriend that she split with was actually famous true crime legend and conman Lynton Baltimore. Tegan had contacted the podcasting powerhouse behind Jess's back--hoping to find out why her mom left all those years ago.

Jess agrees to acompany them on a cross country road trip--picking at emotional scabs and testing loyalties between the sisters. This book is a real treat. What a gorgeous cast of characters and beautiful story with a fantastic romance built in to boot.

This book is such a departure for Clayborn. I have loved all of her books, but this one is more muted, raw, poignant. I hope we see more of this from her in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishers for an advanced copy. The Other Side of Disappearing debuts March 26, 2024!

The entire premise of "The Other Side of Disappearing" is interesting, engaging, and worthy of exploration. While I enjoyed the whole, I'm not sure I was quite sold on the romance, which was very much a center point of the story. It felt too 'insta-lovey' for my tastes, and if I'm being honest, I think I would have preferred it not be in the story at all. Many times it felt like a detraction from the most important material, which was the relationship between Jess and Tegan. I've loved some of Kate Clayborn's previous stories, but this isn't one that I think has exceeded any kind of expectations.

Kate Clayborn is an amazing author. Like her previous books, once again she's given us a story that is so real, with so much detail and so full of emotional impact, I wish I could have been there.

Jess and Tegan were abandoned by their mother 10 years ago. Jess has long known that the man she left them for was a con man she learned about from a true crime podcast, but Tegan has only just figured it out. Enter Adam and Salem, the journalists making a follow up story.

Every bit of Adam and Jess's characters were so perfectly nuanced, they feel like real people. I fell a little in love with them myself. While this is sold as a romance, it is mostly a story about people.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my unbiased review to NetGalley and the publisher.

News and Adam meet when she is almost forced by her sister to go on a road trip to search for her mother, who left the years before. He has his own reasons but is he the enemy? I liked how it was told from both points of view.