The Nature of Disappearing is an amazing blend of suspense and emotional depth, set against the majestic backdrop of Idaho’s wilderness. This book explores the themes of trauma, reconciliation, and the complexities of human connection, making it a compelling read from start to finish.

Emlyn, the story’s resilient FMC, lives a life of quiet seclusion, distancing herself from the painful memories of her past. Her world is abruptly disrupted when Tyler, her ex-husband, reappears with alarming news about their estranged friend, Janessa. Janessa's sudden disappearance from her #vanlife adventures propels Emlyn back into a tumultuous journey she thought she had left behind. Grant's portrayal of Emlyn's struggle between clinging to her hard-won stability and facing her unresolved past is both heart-wrenching and relatable.

The author excels in crafting a narrative that is both character-driven and suspenseful. Emlyn’s reluctant partnership with Tyler as they track Janessa’s last known movements adds layers of tension and unresolved chemistry to the story. Their interactions are charged with the weight of shared history and unspoken emotions, which keeps readers invested in their evolving relationship. The depiction of their journey through the wild landscapes of Idaho is immersive and vividly detailed, reflecting both the beauty and the peril of the natural world.

Grant’s ability to interweave the external adventure with Emlyn’s internal struggles is one of the novel's strongest aspects. The mystery of Janessa’s disappearance is gripping, with every clue and twist building a sense of foreboding. As Emlyn and Tyler delve deeper into the wilderness, the narrative deftly shifts from a quest for answers to a deeper exploration of trust, redemption, and the lingering shadows of the past.

The only minor drawback is that some of the secondary characters and their motivations could have been fleshed out more fully. However, this does not significantly detract from the books overall impact. The story's emotional depth and suspenseful progression keep the reader thoroughly engaged.

In summary, The Nature of Disappearing deserves 4.5 stars for its intricate character development, compelling plot, and the seamless integration of suspense with emotional storytelling.

Thank you NetGalley, Kimi Cunningham Grant, and Minotaur Books for this gifted ARC.

The internet categorizes The Nature of Disappearing and her previous novel, These Silent Woods, as suspense/thriller. While the undertones are there and very present in many scenes, they are more dark contemporary fictions that explores the complexity in human nature. I say this because some go in looking for the constant thrills and twists and subsequently complain of the “slow burn”. Mindset and mood are everything.

These Silent Woods was unquestionably a 5 star read for me and had me anxiously awaiting Grant’s next novel. It’s finally here. And it was everything I could have hoped and expected from her. I devoured this!

Told in dual timelines, I was so invested in the main protagonist’s story. Grant has such a beautiful ability to pull you in to deeply feel the emotions in every scene. There is a constant uneasiness because you know something just isn’t right in the present timeline. The past keeps you turning the pages to connect the breadcrumbs the present timeline drops. It was just so well done.

I highly recommend getting lost in this one! It is sure to stick with me as These Silent Woods has. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was lucky enough to have the ebook and audio for this one which allowed me to never put it down. The narrator, @emilypikestewart , did a fantastic job!

The Nature of Disappearing
By: Kimi Cunningham Grant

Emlyn’s life has not been easy. She was left by the love of her life, three years ago on the side of the road. She has not talked to her best friend in awhile either.

She is now living her life as a fishing and hunting guide in Idaho. She has few friends.

She finds out in the news that Janessa is missing. Janessa is a social media person and her adventures on the web had stopped.
Can Emlyn use her talents as a guide to find her friend? She is now working with Tyler to find Janessa. Could Tyler know more about the disappearance? Are they both in danger now? Was Janessa hiding something.

Buckle up for the adventure of a lifetime.

Thank you Macmillian Audio and your program for this gifted audio.

Wilderness guide, Emlyn, is living a simple life in Idaho when she is contacted by her ex, Tyler, to help her find her former best friend, Janessa, who has been documenting her #vanlife on social media and has gone missing. Emlyn is reluctant and for good reason. Tyler left her alone in the wilderness and she almost died bc of his actions. What unfolds is the backstory of these three friends as Emlyn and Tyler attempt to locate Janessa. What I want to say first is that I love wilderness fiction. I love being outdoors whether hiking, fly-fishing, or birding so this story really appealed to me. I felt that the author put in some really nice details regarding these things, including gear, flies, and safety measures. The setting was wonderful and I was happy that so much of it occurred in the wilderness. The plot was decent although I enjoyed the lead-up more than the reveal of what was happening (credit to strong pacing). The ending was very satisfying for me. The true winner here were the characters and writing. The main character, Emlyn, was smart and capable (thank you!). She clearly was still healing and she had a relatable backstory. Her mastery of several outdoors skills was so nice to read about. Janessa was an interesting addition to the story, as were Varden and Rev (Ruth). Appreciate strong secondary characters! I had mixed feelings about Tyler throughout the book which should not be a surprise given the premise. The writing stood out from other books with the vivid descriptions as well as the MC’s considerations of a word to sum up a person. Narration by Emily Pike Stewart was very pleasant and especially added to Emlyn’s voice and story. Just loved this and while I know this may be controversial, I enjoyed it more than her previous book. I already cannot wait to read more by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Emlyn, Janessa, and Tyler are three estranged friends. When one of them goes missing, the other two join together to find their friend.

In this book, you have the three main characters, but there’s really a fourth: the mountainous wilderness of Idaho, and area full of beauty and danger where to is easy to get lost by accident or choice.

Told in dual timelines it follows the development and the eventual break up of the friendships and the danger and tension filled hunt to find the missing g member of the trio.

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Enjoyed the mystery of the story, as well as the descriptive nature scenes. Characters were just ok. They won't stay with me. Great narration.

Emlyn has mostly moved on from the upsetting end of her relationship with Tyler several years ago, so when he suddenly turns up again she's not enthusiastic. Still, when it turns out he's come to her for helping finding a mutual friend who has gone missing in the Idaho back country, she doesn't hesitate. The two embark on a search through the wilderness and soon realize they're in over their heads.

I nearly DNF'd this one within the first five pages because the book starts with a scene where there's a totally inconsequential character- I don't even remember what the name was now, maybe John Thomas?- and the author uses the full name approximately one million times in that tiny little part of a chapter about him. I assume when you're reading it Thomas is clearly the last name, but the narrator reads it almost like it's one word (Johnthomas) and it's used a number of times, it was annoying to listen to. The narration of it isn't on the author, so I continued. The next few chapters were fine and moved much more seamlessly, except for the overuse of the Carhart brand. I get it, it's wilderness-y.

I enjoyed the bulk of this book and overall the narrator did a good job keeping things moving. The characters were pretty decent and mostly believable. I just struggled a bit because I generally love dual-time lines but several of the chapters from the past also involved the same rural, off the grid wilderness setting and I found it to be a little confusing. Additionally, the end was a little implausible felt like a bit of a stretch. It was still run to read just not my favorite.

There are two types of wildernesses in Ms. Grant’s new novel: the physical place she so eloquently describes, and the main character’s state of mind.
Emlyn is tethered to the past by unaddressed trauma and by bad actors drawing her back into an uncertain life she barely survived. Emyln’s friend Janessa is missing and she feels compelled to find her and resolve some serious unanswered questions.
In this case the best writing is reserved for two older friends back at “base camp” and they exist in stark contrast to the main characters who consume most of the story.

The bouncing back and forth of timelines took me out of the pace of the story and interfered with the propulsive pace I enjoyed in the author’s most recent book. The perhaps petty exchanges among the relationship triangle at the heart of the story diluted an interesting premise and left me feeling frustrated. Maybe my patience has worn thin for some of the themes (abandonment, addiction, social influence) and overall I was hoping for a less predictable read.

The narration by Emily Pike Stewart was outstanding and I will be drawn to future performances by her!

Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

When an old friend she no longer talks to anymore, goes missing, she is brought back into a world she so desperately wanted to forget. This was suspenseful and a really good narrated audiobook. I recommend listening to it.

Thank you to Macmillan audio for the opportunity to review an Advanced Listeners Copy of The Nature of Disappearing,

This book was good but not my favorite. I really enjoyed the setting and the premise of this book but I felt like a few things that occurred were a bit of a stretch. It had a really intriguing first half but the last half seemed to drag a little for me. I was losing interest in the story and it was really hard for me to remain focused on what was happening.

Overall, I felt like the narrator did a good job. The pacing was well done. They were easy to listen to and understand at any speed.

Although Emlyn remains guarded and isolative from experiencing past hurts, she has found a new group of friends and support in a small Idaho town. She may even be falling in love with the local forest ranger. But when she receives a call from her former best friend, Janessa and the call is dropped right before Janessa is about to tell her something important, Emlyn wants to find and reconnect with Janessa. Then Tyler, Emlyn’s former boyfriend and Janessa's best friend shows up to enlist Emlyn's help in finding Janessa, who has gone off the grid with her boyfriend, Bush. . Tyler and Emlyn determine that Janessa may be in danger and work together to find clues and track Janessa and Bush into the wilderness. But who is really in danger and will Emlyn and Tyler renew their romance while working together?
An enjoyable thriller with not a lot of mystery. The characters are too few to provide many unexpected twists although there are some surprises towards the end. The characters were fairly well developed and I did enjoy the way the author revealed more and more little tidbits about them as the story progressed. There was a little romance but not enough to ruin the thriller aspect. Overall, an enjoyable read.
I listened to the audio version of the book and thought the narrator was very good. The voice inflections were just right and what few accents were included were well done.

Emlyn, a wilderness guide in Idaho is trying hard to rebuild her life. Then her Ex Tyler shows up and asks for her help finding their mutual friend Janessa, who’s gone missing. Tyler did more than break her heart, he almost killed her. Hesitantly, she agrees to help and the two set off to unravel a mystery that will pull them into the wilderness and into danger.
I really enjoyed this. The characters are well developed. The story is unraveled by going back and forth between what happened in the past and what’s happening now. I found Emlyn’s story of rebuilding herself and learning to forgive and open her heart moving and heroic.
The overall mystery was a bit off for me as I found it a bit unbelievable that someone would put themselves in that kind of a situation. Seemed a little foolish and naive.
I’m still giving it four stars, because overall it’s a very enjoyable read and I loved the wilderness aspect and capability of the heroine.
Also, I listened to this in audiobook format and the narrator, Emily Park Stewart did a fantastic job and I highly recommend it.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for giving me the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Having eagerly awaited the release of this audiobook, I started listening with high expectations. The narrator's performance is, as always, skillful and engaging. The characters are brought to life vividly, and the plot unfolds at a steady pace, keeping me interested from beginning to end.

However, I must admit that, compared to the author’s previous audiobook, I found myself longing for a deeper emotional connection. While the story was well-crafted and the narration excellent, it didn't evoke the same level of emotional resonance for me as the last one did. The previous audiobook left a lasting impression on my heart, whereas this one, though enjoyable, didn’t quite touch me in the same way.

Overall, it’s a good listen, and fans of the author will appreciate the familiar style and quality. I look forward to the next release and hope for a return to the more emotive storytelling that I’ve come to love.

I highly recommend this book! I loved the storyline and the main characters. Both were well developed and well written. Once I started, I could barely put it down. I ended up both reading and listening to it just so I could continue and get other things done. I loved the writing style and how atmospheric it was. The narrator was wonderful too. I give this book a 5/5. In my opinion it is a must read.

3.5 rounded down. I loved the first half of this book. The second half got a tad slow for me. If you’re an outdoor adventure or hiker you’ll enjoy the premise of this book!

Having really liked These Silent Woods, I was thrilled to have been given an ALC of this book and was so excited to dive in. I’m all about a slow burn novel, however I found myself getting easily distracted and/or antsy for something to happen with this one. The author does a beautiful job with her descriptions of the setting, and the narrator did a great job bringing these characters to life, but it just wasn’t enough for me to look forward to picking it back up. Beware of quite a few trigger warnings. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant. This is the second book I read by this author. I really enjoyed the first book I read (These Silent Woods). This book was good too but the ending really threw me for a loop. I felt like it came a bit out of nowhere, it was rushed and that was that. I really did enjoy the first 80% of the book.

There was a lot I liked about this book. While the pacing was a bit slow (especially for a book labeled a thriller) I mostly enjoyed the flow. I thought the dual timelines worked really well to build some suspense between Emlyn, Ty, and Janessa. They felt like characters I could easily imagine in the real world.

I wish this book wasn’t described as being a thriller. I think the synopsis makes it out to be a much more exciting and mysterious story than what actually unfolds. It’s not a bad book by any measure I just think the expectation was somewhere it shouldn’t have been.

I really liked this book. I was hooked from the start and wanted to know more. It sounded like a recent real life story that was in the news so it got me sucked in from that. It was a quick and easy read that I didn't want to stop. It wasn't heart pounding thriller but it still left you wondering what's going on? What is going to happen? Where are they? The end result was not what I thought it was going to be so I always call that a win in my book if I can't figure out the ending. Thanks netgalley for the arc. I really enjoyed this book and will be looking into more books by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of this audiobook! I really enjoyed the premise, I thought the narration (both story & audio) was well done. The jumps in time helped the reader slowly piece together the full picture of our protagonist. The ending was a bit predictable, and therefore fell flat for me. I think this would make an excellent book club read as there are many conversation pieces and characters throughout the story. Kimi writes a strong character & gives the reader opportunity to develop their own opinions about each person. One of the aspects I wish was different (and without giving spoilers) was the progression of the protagonist’s relationship with one of the characters. It seems to come out of nowhere in the end, making the ending a bit hard to believe as realistic. Overall, a nicely written story/mystery and I would definitely recommend checking it out!