Having heard other readers sing Ms Clayborn’s praises, I had been gunshy about trying it myself. Hype, you see, far too often just doesn’t match my reading reality. And there’s the matter of narrative voice: alternating narration by the two main characters, in first person, present tense, is by far my least favorite.

The joke, of course, is on me: I was hooked from page two.

This is such a good book! Itis a really good genre romance, but it’s also just such a good book, raising important issues, developing all the characters so well, without falling into the trap of preachily answering all the questions it raises.

Beware: parental abandonment; mental health issues; suicide; explicit sex on page.

From the first page, it’s obvious that there’s something off with Jess; it’s not only that she became the de facto single parent of her then-eight years old sister, when she herself was barely 21–though that is burden enough to put on someone so young. She is incredibly emotionally repressed; she essentially shut off her own life to take care of Tegan, the one person she loves. That’s it. Jess hasn’t even allowed room in her heart for her father, who did stay, who did love her, who took care of her–however begrudgingly.

Because when her mother abandoned *her*, Jess at least had had her father. Tegan, the product of that first adandonment, had no one–no one but Jess. Jess, who doesn’t know how to bend, because bending would have broken her ten years ago, and now, she can’t.

“I think of bending over, of setting my hands on my knees to recover. … I push my fingers through my hair, clasp them together on top of my head. Surely staying upright is better. Staying upright is what I’ve always done” (chapter 3)

That love for Tegan, fierce and absolute, hasn’t quite allowed for Tegan’s ultimate growth and independence; for the time when she won’t need Jess’s protection. Intellectually, Jess knows she needs to start letting go, but it’s been ten years of holding on with everything she is, for Tegan’s sake, and now she can’t really let go.

“When she paid attention to you–really paid attention to you, for however many moments you could catch her attention–you though you were the most important person in the world….I’ve spent so many years never talking to Tegan about how I feel about Mom that I don’t know how to start, and anyway, I don’t know if I should. It’s Tegan who hurts the most from what Mom did, not me.” (Jess, thinking about her mother, chapter 9)

Adam is immediately drawn to Jess, and from the first moment he feels her pain, despair and fear. He’s both disconcerted by the strength of his feelings toward her, and conflicted, because he too has a past, a history, and a reason to be there,

A former college football star who disconcerted everyone from family to fans by refusing to go pro, Adam has just gotten his degree in journalism; at thirty three, he’s finally starting the career he wants. For most of his life, most everyone around him–teachers, fellow students, the press–always considered him the ultimate “all brawn, no brain” athlete, and treated him accordingly. To this day, most people he meet automatically assume the same, including Jess.

“You must have loved football” “You’d think that. … I loved parts of it. But really, it was sort of that I was build for it, at least around these parts. When I was a kid, it was a given. I was tall from a young age. I put on muscle easily; I was fast. Of course I’d play football, everyone knew that. So I did.” (Jess, Adam, chapter 13)

Adam has deep scars from losing his closest friend to suicide a few years prior; the entire world watched Copeland Frederick struggle, and looked away. Because there’s a big, ever present stigma that says that suffering from any mental health issue is to have a weakness. And that kind of guy–a big, manly man performing manly men sports–can’t be weak.

Adam is determined to do a story about sports exploitation and abuse of young athletes, about how society is willingly complicit, trading so many young men’s health, mental and physical, for entertainment value. He needs to tell Cope’s story so that other young men know they’re not alone, that they don’t have to suffer in silence until there’s nothing left to give.

Adam has always been a very empathetic, perceptive and generous person, but with Jess it goes up a level. He wants to protect her from everything, including himself; he’s there to give Jess what she wants and needs, regardless of what he wants and needs. Which, of course, conflicts with the very reason he can be there for her: his job.

“Everything about me is too big right now. My body, my boss, my job. Most of all, my feelings for her.” (Adam, chapter 25)

I appreciated very much that while Jess’s and Adam’s relationship turns physical in just over a week, a lot of emotional work happens during those days. And it helps a lot that Jess gets to see Adam with his family, in the house he grew up in, helping her see that he is indeed the good man she perceives him to be.

“He kisses like Adam: this huge, hard slab of a man who is somehow the most gentle person I’ve ever met. … it is so fully the best kiss of my life that it must be the only kiss I’ve ever had, and I guess, in a way, it is–ten years since my last one, and ten years ago I was a different Jess. This kiss is a choice.” (Jess, chapter 15)

The other two characters in the story are seen exclusively through Adam’s and Jess’s eyes, and at first each of them focus on the one person they know best, so we see Tegan mostly as Jess sees her: so young, a teenager still; someone who needs to be protected from everything and everyone, and most of all, from their mother’s rashness.

But of course, being young doesn’t mean that Tegan doesn’t understand Jess or wants to protect her as much as Jess wants to protect her.

“I want to find my mom for my own sake, of course I do. … But I want to find her for Jess’s sake too. Because in a couple of months when I’m not home every day, when she doesn’t have me to take care of, I have a feeling that a bunch of stuff she’s ignored for a lot of years is going to catch up with her. … a person doesn’t hide five postcards in a freaking curtain rod if they have a healthy relationship to their trauma.” (Tegan, chapter 16)

For his part, Adam sees Salem Durant as the epitome of ethical journalism, while acknowledging that she has professional ambitions and personal goals tangled in this particular story. However, Salem is also a woman with a teenaged daughter and a husband who isn’t particularly thrilled to see her return to the Lyndon Baltimore story all these years later.

“Don’t ever get married…. I don’t mean that. And anyway, you’d never have this problem. No one’s saying anything about you going on a three-week business trip. No one would text you to ask where we keep the snack packs for recital days. No one would expect you to remember where the drop-off area is.” (Salem, chapter 10)

The focus of the narrative is on Jess and Adam, and the growing feelings between them, but there is also space given to both Tegan and her growth as a person, and, unexpectedly at first, Salem’s. Ms Clayborn is very clever in how these two emotional arcs are presented; Jess, after all, knows Tegan quite well, and as a teenager, she’s easier for Adam to read. Salem, however, is a grown person with a well-established professional reputation and Adam’s boss during this assignment; his understanding of her is limited, and she is almost entirely opaque to Jess at the beginning of the fateful road trip.

The events of the story cover just over a month, including a brief third act separation; I am on record saying that I’m not a fan of this narrative device, but I have to accept that sometimes it’s the right choice. This is one of those cases in which it works really well, because Jess, as Adam’s father put it, “has problems” that require her focusing on herself before she can be an equal part of a romantic relationship.

Aside: I’m stealing this quote, because, holy gog, truer words:

“Worrying about a hundred other things that have nothing to do with all this, because worrying is a runaway train.” (Adam, chapter 20)

Finally: I don’t believe I’ve ever cried before over an author’s aknowledgment that mentions readers (and bloggers) who ” take the time to post and share and review and participate in the reading community”, but I did here. Because I, too, am glad “we can all disappear together, for a little while, into the pages of the books we love.”

As I said at the top, this is a really good book, and a most excellent romance; my only complaint is the dearth of people of color, but given the main cast and that it’s a road trip, it makes sense.

The Other Side of Disappearing gets a 9.25 out o 10

This is a slightly new subject area for Clayborn, but her signature gentle, thoughtful writing style shines through.

With the backdrop of a mystery to solve, this seems like a major departure from the swoony love stories that she is a master of telling. And the first chapter leaked dread from the page, but the story is in the hands of a master romance writer. The big emotions in quiet moments still take center stage and the well developed characters are still recognizable as belonging to Clayborn.

This may be my favorite of her books, but I am biased, because I say that about each one as I finish them.

I had a hard time getting into this story. It was a slow start with lots of hinting and teasing at the characters' backgrounds but without a lot of movement. I was expecting an engaging story with the podcast investigation, but the writing is all in their heads. There is little action or conversation. The story moves a little better about halfway in, but overall the pacing is off. The plot is slow and the romance is much too fast.

I did appreciate the conversations surrounding sports injury and mental health treatment. And the epilogue was nice, too.

There are some Kate Clayborn books where specific scenes and quotes have stuck with me for a long time. This isn't one of them. I would recommend "Love Lettering" and will continue to look forward to Kate Clayborn's new releases.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

I loved their journey, I loved the characters, and I love Clayborn's style. This is more general fiction than romance to me, but I hugely enjoyed it all the same.

Kate Clayborn is a master at writing rich, emotional characters and The Other Side of Disappearing is a wonderful example of that. The setup is a bit different from typical romance (if there is such a thing as "typical") but this book reflects the overall move to mashup (thriller/myster romance). But make no mistake-- the couple is the bottom line here and Clayborn deftly handles the emotions and trauma for our lead characters with her signature depth.

Thank you to Kensington Books for the ARC of this book. CW: parent abandoning children, football head injuries, discussion of a character's death by suicide

Kate Clayborn does it again. If you are a fan of Kennedy Ryan, Emily Henry or romances where there is another significant plot of self-discovery for the protagonists, she's an author for you. There's so much tenderness here in the relationships. There's so much hurt and necessary healing and discussion of mental health.

Jess is a hairstylist and guardian to her sister Tegan after their mother abandoned them to run off with an infamous con artist, Lynton Baltimore. Jess has disappeared into herself to take care of Tegan and tries not to make any connections. This is changed when her sister Tegan impersonates her to contact a true crime podcast journalist, Salem Durant, and her partner Adam Hawkins, because she found some postcards their mother sent and Jess kept secret.

The four embark on a road trip to find out what became of Lynton Baltimore. There are twists and turns and stops along the way where there are emotional gut-punches as you learn about how Adam Hawkins got into journalism after a football career, meet his family, and they continue to try to find traces of Baltimore and Jess and Tegan's mother, Charlotte.

It's beautiful seeing Jess and Adam open up to each other and how all of the relationships develop over the course of the story. If you love sister dynamics, family stories and want a steamy, tender romance, this is the book for you.

I adored Georgie, All Along, so I was ecstatic when I saw the author was releasing another book, and this cover is stunning. Unfortunately, it took me all I had to finish this. I struggled from the beginning. I am so sad that this book did not work for me.

Unfortunately, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the female main character's mother and the romance results in a disjointed story. I never felt like the two plotlines came together cohesively, resulting in poor pacing.

My other issue was the romance. It was so awkward. I have read several reviews stating how emotional the romance was, and I never once felt that way. I thought the speed at which the romance took place was completely out of character for the female lead.

I will note that the parts on the farm are fantastic. I was dying for a small-town, life-on-a-farm storyline instead of everything else that happened.

I will continue to read Clayborn's books. I love her writing, even when I don't love the stories.

This book was good…ish. I didn’t really find myself getting into it until about the 60% mark (this was after I put it down and read two other books in between 😂)

The writing was BEAUTIFUL. I absolutely loved how this book was written. The first half of this book was just slow moving.

Once more characters were introduced and things started happening, I found myself really enjoying it. I loved the message of self discovery and the title of the book fits so well.

I’d read this if you like:
✨roadtrips
✨podcasts
✨tension filled romance
✨ messages of self discovery

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to read The Other Side of Disappearing and over the moon when I was approved for it but sadly it didn't work for me for a few reasons. I couldn't understand why the hero, Adam was so taken with the heroine, Jess and the magnitude of his feelings for her. It just didn't make any sense nor was it believable. It really bothered me. I didn't really care for the heroine's attitude. I wasn't a fan of her sister, Tegan either. This book didn't pull me in nor did it keep my attention. I wasn't invested in any of the characters. I found it hard to connect with them and what they were going through. I wanted to love this book but just couldn't. The premise sounded amazing and like something I'd really enjoy but alas it didn't work out that way which is why I'm dnfing at 39%.

Jess and Adam had chemistry in the book but Jess‘ standoffishness was grating at times even though I understood it was a large part of the character and why she was like that. Too much of the book was reiterating why Jess didn’t get close to people for me. I understood it the first time.

I didn’t like Salem‘s character much. Even after she decided to protect Jess and Tegan by giving an interview about her own past we didn’t really learn much about who she was as a person and I couldn’t seem to her as a character.

Tegan seemed ungrateful for a lot of the book given how much Jess had done for her. A bit too much a stereotypical stroppy teenager with little other character development. I would’ve liked to learn more about her interests and what made her tick as a person. It was nice to see her push Jess to Adam at the end though and to recognise how often Jess put Tegan first and that maybe as her sister that wasn’t always healthy for her.

First romance I’ve read in a few months and such a breath of fresh air! I’ve read quite a few thrillers with podcast elements but enjoyed this being a central point of the plot for this romance. I loved the characters and found the story line to be sympathetic and believable, particularly for a genre that sometimes irks me for unlikely scenarios.

I am kind of in love with the books of Kate Clayborn. She seldom disappoints and ‘The Other Side of Disappearing’ was just as lovely. From the first page the story, the characters and the emotions had me by the throat and I even almost cried a view times. It was so emotional, so vulnerable, so tender, I felt it, deep inside.

However, during the second part of the book, sometimes those emotions became a little bit too much? Yes, the story goes deep and is sometimes heartbroken, but at some moments it just felt too much. It cost the book a star, because in the first half I was sure this was going to be another 5-star read for me this year.

But even with that, it’s one of my favorite reads this year and another sign that Kate Clayborn is another to read, whatever she writes. Must read!
Rating: ****
Thanks NetGalley and Kensington Books for this E-ARC. This has not affected my opinion whatsoever.

I have heard amazing things about Kate Clayborn’s previous books, so I was thrilled to receive an e-ARC of this. But, I’m sad to say I simply could not get into this story.

We have two elements going on: the mystery aspect with some suspense as the reader follows along as this group of four attempts to track Jess and Tegan’s mom across the US through postcards she sent Jess many years ago, and the romance aspect between Adam and Jess as they both confront some long-standing issues and allow themselves to be vulnerable with each other.

I was far more interested in the mystery aspect, despite the fact that this wild goose chase had very little in the way of substantial clues and was just so far fetched. And tbh, the conclusion felt like a huge letdown. The romance aspect, which I believe to be the part that’s been so appealing to others, was just too insta-lovey for me. We do see a lot of character growth from each individual which I liked, and I especially enjoyed Tegan.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5

This isn't a bad book I just didn't vibe with it. I liked the writing style and I will definitely read more of her books. I liked Jess' character and the journey that she went through.

If you a have of romance and true crime podcasts, this is for you. I really enjoyed the story. I don't think it was my cup of tea honestly, but I can see a vast majority of people loving this. It kept me captivated all throughout the plot.

I have been a fan of Kate Clayborn's for a while. Georgie, All Along was one of my favorite books last year, so whenever I see she's coming out with a new book, I just HAVE to read it. This was no exception.

It's definitely different from what I've read of her previously. This had a big element of mystery to it, and a familial relationship was at its front and center, but still was predominately a romance.

There's so much angst in this one, but it's mostly between the sisters and is broken up by the swooniness of the growing relationship between the two MCs. You can't not feel for what Jess and Tegan are both going through and I loved how supportive Adam was of Jess from the get go.

It had a lot of twists and turns, ups and downs, and I was there for the ride. I never really knew where it was going to go.

I really LOVED this one and will continue to devour anything Kate Clayborn writes.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

This is my first book by Kate and it won’t be my last. It was one of those stories that hooks you from the first page. There is mystery, romance, adventure, sisterly bonds. It has everything! I loved it.

The Other Side of Disappearing is a unique blend of genres. It is listed as Romance and Women's Fiction, but is also mixed with True Crime and Mystery. This about two sisters who were abandoned by their mother ten years prior, when she ran off with her latest boyfriend. Jess was only 21 when she became the mother figure for her then 8 year old sister, Tegan. Tegan and Jess take a road trip with two True Crime podcasters, Adam and Salem, to find out what really happened to their mother. On the journey, the sisters begin to heal their sibling relationship and later begin their individual healing journeys. Jess finds herself willing to let down some of her walls for Adam.

Although I liked this story, I didn’t love it. I was excited to see how Kate Clayborn was going to write this fresh genre mash-up. However, I thought the book was slow paced. It didn’t make sense to me that Jess, who was very prickly and closed off, was able to confide in and begin an intimate relationship with Adam, so quickly. I also couldn’t buy into the Instalove Adam had for Jess, risking his career for someone he’d known for a few days. The mystery part of the story wasn’t as exciting as I thought it might be. I was happy that the sisters found the answers they were searching for and did get some closure, allowing them to be open to future happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for gifting me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Clayborn has done it again. She has written a beautiful story that had both love and heartbreak that I couldn’t put down. I loved all the characters in this book even though they were far from perfect, and feel they were written perfectly. I also liked that I really wanted to know what happened to her mother and why she disappeared from her daughters’ lives. If you like books about finding love, dealing with family relationships with some mystery thrown in this book is for you!

What a gorgeous book! I absolutely loved it and enjoyed the read. The characters were so well written--definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Kate Clayborn!