The book is about the exploration of loss, identity, and the search for truth. Sanford creates a story that keeps the readers HOOKED with a balance in suspense with an exploration of complex emotional themes. Lorena and her husband are forcibly separated from their home leaving behind their son with her mom during Argentina's military dictatorship. Featuring a dual timeline that I found to be quite captivating. Powerful read!

"𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩, 𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥, 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜."

Bookish thoughts: The Disappeared is a historical fiction book about a time in history, sadly, I knew anything about. This debut novel was inspired by true events regarding Argentina’s military dictatorship. I enjoyed the dual timeline. Both stories kept me on the edge of my seat. If you enjoy stories about family secrets, identify and political history, this book is for you!

I received an advanced electronic copy from Blackstone Publishing publisher and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

I loved the dual timelines and the pacing. The past timeline was full of emotion and some scary experiences depending on who it was following. The present connected to the past well and helped fill in some missing pieces. It showed every side of this war from the prison camps, the grandmothers protesting, and the work being done to find the missing people years after the war has ended. A quick but impactful read.

Thank you @rebeccajsanford @suzyapprovedbooktours for the #gifted copy.

Thank you @rebeccajsanford @suzyapprovedbooktours @blackstonepublishing and @netgalley for a copy of the book and this is my honest review.

Inspired by the real mothers and grandmothers who spoke out against Argentina's military dictatorship, The Disappeared is an award-winning debut about identity, family secrets, and those who endured decades of hardship to expose the truth.

THE DISAPPEARED is a well researched and heartbreaking debut taking place in 1976 during The Dirty War in Argentina. Lorena and her husband Jose are taken from their son by Argentina's military dictatorship. Their two year old son is left with Lorena 's mother Esme. When Esme cannot find where they were taken, she joins a group of mothers searching for their missing children. Esme finds out Lorena gave birth in prison. Now she also wants to find her missing grandchild.

In 2005 american Rachel knows she was adopted and searches for her parents using a DNA test. She is contacted by Mari telling her she thinks she has a sibling in Argentina. When she meets with her sibling she questions her adoption and secrets are revealed.

I learned so much about the Dirty War and what the people of Argentina went through during the military dictatorship. Lorena was brave for going against the dictatorship but also put herself and her family at risk. Approximately 30,000 people were killed or disappeared during this time. My heart broke for Esme and the other mothers who were searching for their missing children. I cannot even imagine their anguish. Rebecca is a new voice in historical fiction and I look forward to her next book.

Heart-wrenching is the right word for this story that unfortunately is based on a true story. I had no idea this had ever happened in history. I couldn’t imagine watching as my daughter and son-in-law were ripped from the safety of their home, in front of their small child. Lorena’s grit was remarkable but at the same time her husband’s view of “we have a child to protect” hits home. What would one do in this situation? My heart bled for Esme and the others whose children were just gone with no trace. Unfathomable. I cheered for Rachel as the truth came out and she was able to find out about her heritage and family. This one will stay with you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of The Disappeared!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🇦🇷 enjoy learning about historical events
👀 love different POVs
📖 like quick reads
♥️ have ever had to leave behind a loved one

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

In 1976 Buenos Aires, Lorena Ledesma is a housewife with dangerous secrets living under Argentina's rising military dictatorship. When she and her husband are torn from their home by the paramilitary in the middle of the night, their two-year-old son is left behind with Lorena's mother, Esme. There's never any record of the arrest. Desperate to locate Lorena, Esme joins an underground group of mothers who are investigating the disappearances of their own missing children. But when they make a devastating discovery--that several of their kidnapped daughters have given birth in prison--a new kind of pursuit begins: the search for their stolen grandchildren.

Nearly three decades later, thousands of miles away, American adoptee Rachel Sprague learns she has a biological brother from another country--somewhere she has never visited. But the truth goes far deeper than the results of a DNA test, and revealing her origins will expose painful family secrets that could put Rachel's loved ones in jeopardy.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a very emotional read. I always feel that way when reading historical fiction that is based on true events. I had never heard about this civil war in Argentina before, so it was nice to see it being talked about. I really enjoyed the different timelines and the POVs. They were all well done and unique enough to make me remember each character. My favorite was Esme because of all she had to do to try and find her daughter and son-in-law while taking care of her grandson. I think this would make a fantastic movie and would really help spread more awareness about this time in history.

Lorena is a housewife in Argentina in 1976. One evening the military comes to her home and kidnaps her and her husband, leaving behind her young child. Nearly 3 decades later, her mother, Esme, is still searching for her.

A heart-wrenching drama that spans thirty years, The Disappeared is inspired by the true stories of the mothers and grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an extraordinary group of women who, for more than forty-five years, have been searching for children of the “disappeared”—those captured as dissidents during Argentina’s Dirty War.

After Lorena was taken, Esme raised her son. Esme never gave up looking for Lorena. And when she discovered that Lorena had another child in captivity, she was determined to find that child. And what she discovered will surprise you!

Y’all! This tale will have you crying, screaming and wanting to scratch someone’s eyes out. I had no idea this actually happened. And some of these families never knew what happened to their loved ones.

Need a story which will have all your feelings in a jumble…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

This historical fiction book is based on real events that happened in Argentina in the late 1970s and its very thought provoking.

There are many that are known as the disappeared during this time in Argentina as the tyrannical government are taking those from their homes they see as a threat. The people in this book, Lorena and her husband, Jose, are torn from their home.

The book follows some of what happens to them but really focuses on Lorena’s mom, Esme, who works for decades to find out what happened.

The book goes back and forth between that timeline and 2005.

In the 2005 timeline, Rachel has a visitor that changes the way she sees her father as well as her origin story.

This book does a great job of shedding light on a piece of real history that I never knew existed as well as tying in fictional family drama.

This novel was really eye opening! I had no idea about this happening in Argentina in the 1970's. Every day they hear about another person or family disappearing. The police won't help, the government won't help and they are pretty much told that their loved ones took off. But many know there is something more sinister going on. Lorena knows she is walking a very close line of danger and with a child at home she knows she needs to try to distance herself. But one night it all changes in a split second when her and her husband are taken. Esme is left with her grandson and wondering what has happened to her daughter and son-in-law. She knows the one person who may have put them all in danger, but she is also quickly learning that by searching and making noise she is putting herself and her grandson in danger as well. As she forms friendship with other women whose families have also gone missing, they do all that they can as quietly as they can but the years and soon decades have stretched on with thousands still missing and still no answers. Just as time has quickly moved on, so has technology changed and now three decades later there is hope with DNA kits quickly becoming easily accessible for those who want to know who they are and where they came from. Will Esma ever get answers to what really happened to her daughter and son-in-law and will her grandson ever have closure about his parents disappearance? This novel was really interesting and heartbreaking. Thank you to the author for the complementary ebook and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

Do not miss this book! I enjoyed the characters amd how they developed over time. This is an author to watch!

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

What a powerful debut novel about the power of love, loss, family, conviction, advocacy, and hope! Through two continents (North and South America) and two timelines (1976 and 2005), Sanford gave me a window into a world I knew little of – the time period in Argentina know as ‘The Dirty Wars’, and the subsequent illegal adoption of hundreds of children born to those who had “disappeared” (those captured by Argentina’s military under the dictatorship of Jorge Videla).

I found myself immediately immersed as I read the story of Rachel Sprague, and how she came to find out she was one of the desaparecidos (children born to the “disappeared). Sanford took every emotion into consideration as she crafted a way to open the reader’s eyes to the plight (and resolve) of the Abuelas de Playa de Mayo (the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo), as well as the heartache felt on each and all sides of adoption, and the desires for family as well as self-identification. Balancing the trauma and heartbreak with beautiful and vivid prose: “people who loved her roamed the earth like ingredients for a unique and complicated dish with no recipe”, this well-written, well-researched, and highly recommended novel, The Disappeared, will be staying with me for a long time to come. So thankful to @rebeccajsanford, @netgalley and @suzyapprovedbooktours for my gifted epub copy.

What a powerful story, I can’t believe this is a debut. I read about these events and it’s heartwrenching to imagine all the real mothers that are still searching for their children. Raw, emotional and moving, a must read for historical fiction readers.

A stunning debut!
I had heard about 'The Disappeared' people of Argentina but this fictional story really shines a much needed light on the subject. The author does an exceptional job of personalizing the horrors of having daughters, sons, and grandchildren taken by force without warning and with no accountability from the government. The story is heartfelt and the writing flows from one page to another making for an emotional and quick read. This is historical fiction at its best!

The Disappeared
Author Rebecca Sanford

Thank you, @suzyapprovedbooktours, @rebeccajsanford, @blackstonepublishing, and @netgalley, for my #geftedebook!

The Disappeared instantly captured my attention, and I was drawn right into this multiple point of view novel than began in 1976 Buenos Aires. Readers first learn about Lorena Ledesma, a wife and mother, who was abducted with her husband from her home in the middle of the night, leaving behind her two- year- old son with her mother, Esme. Esme is desperate to find her daughter and son- in- law and joins an illegal "underground" group of mothers who are also searching for their missing children. After months, years, and decades of her never losing hope, they come to learn that some of their "disappeared" children delivered babies while they were held captive. What happened to these babies of their own disappeared children? Fast forward almost thirty years, and in America, Rachel Sprague learns that she has a biological brother from Argentina. What follows is the back and forth of these three women, their stories, deepest secrets and truths, and their fight to hold on to a piece of who they are.

The Disappeared is a powerful novel that broke my heart and then put it back together again. I learned about a part of history that I knew nothing about, and my heart ached and then rejoiced with these resilient and brave women. Such a beautiful novel of identity and family love. Definitely not to be missed on this amazing publishing day!

3.5/5. Well-written and well-researched novel with a unique twist on the tale of the stolen grandchildren during Argentina's last military dictatorship. That being said, I would've liked to see deeper character work, especially with Rachel/Ana and Jonathan. But overall, an excellent introduction to this period for North American readers.

I love to learn anything new about a country's history that I never learned about in school. This book is based on real events that happened from the 1970s to about 1983 in Argentina where people were kidnapped to "prevent political and civil unrest". Many of these people that disappeared are never to be seen again. A group of mothers and grandmothers (that are STILL operating today) work timelessly to find these lost souls.

This book gives us a fictional woman Rachel who was adopted and she might be a baby of one of the disappeared. She gets to learn the truth about her life and finally makes some decisions for herself. She gets to find a family she didn't know about. This book was so sad and emotional.

Set partially in the unrest of Argentina during the 70s, it’s a story of one family’s ordeal and their daughter.

It’s hard to imagine the chaos others go through, but this one had me thinking and equating it to what is going on in the world today.

I quite often like the tropes of found family and finding out who you are but this is literally that story for Rachel. She’s adopted and has no idea about her parents. I’m not adopted but it’s like I could feel her unease in her person.

Such a compelling read. Not always easy, but thought provoking.

I enjoyed this one. The alternate timelines were effective for the plot but I ultimately didn’t feel connected to all of the characters and their motivations. I thought Esme and Lorena were the most well-crafted which was good because we get their perspectives by a third-person omniscient narrator frequently. This book did encourage me to look into a period of history in Argentina that I didn’t know anything about which I assume was one of the points of this author writing this book. So in that, it was successful! I did like what I read and enjoyed picking this one up overall. Recommended for people who liked The Berry Pickers!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel. This is an intimate family story of tragedy during Argentina's Dirty War, and how that tragedy is leveraged by others with misguided motives. I liked how the author portrayed the different characters. Some were truly evil, some were flawed and some were just too naive. She shows an incredible amount of empathy for her characters, despite their flaws. She carefully showcases their inner journeys and motives through this complex story. This novel is all about emotional journeys and it takes no shortcuts, and there are no easy endings.