Reading 2025
Book 13: When She's Gone by Rea Frey

Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for my Kindle in exchange for a review.

Synopsis: In this haunting story that spans three decades, a young gymnast escapes a kidnapping. Years later, she’s forced to face the past when her own daughter disappears.

Review: A popcorn thriller that will keep the reader turning the pages. Not sure that this book is going to stand out in my mind amidst the 2025 year of thrillers to come. It was over the top, and predictable. It was a bit different as the theme of Olympic level sports was portrayed with actual names from the 1996 Atlanta games. The reader knows from the jump the two possible perpetrators, and that pans out as the story reaches it ending. There were elements from other thrillers I have read that caused me to roll my eyes as well as the teen drama of it all. My rating 3⭐️

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer books for this ARC for review. This is my 2nd book by Rea Frey, but will definitely not be my last!! This author knows how to write a good story! Cora Valentine is an amazing gymnast and then she is kidnapped on Halloween and all she is known for is being a is victim. She is returned safely, but she is still known as a kidnapping victim from that night. Cora is still haunted by that night as they never found who kidnapped her. Years later, Cora has her own daughter and she is reliving the nightmare again. Cora’s daughter has been taken and now Cora is being forced to taken someone’s else’s daughter to get hers back. Who took her that Halloween night and why are torturing her again?? This thriller was engaging and kept me guessing until the very end! This is an author that I will need to read more it and they can definitely deliver an excellent story

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Rea Fray for this read!

ANOTHER thrilling read from Rea. Honestly I love her work - no matter which genre she writes.

This book was totally bingeable. I was without a doubt enthralled by the story. The plot was twisted and had a few surprises along the way. It was told through THEN and NOW timelines, which I loved. I felt so much for Cora, our protagonist, and felt nervous as the book got further and further along.

The letters and messages were spooky and the book had many possible suspects! The ending was wild and I think Rea tied it up amazingly.

Fast paced, unsettling, nerve wracking and at times spooky - this book ties together gymnastics, old friendships, unsolved cases & twists!

BOOK: WHEN SHE'S GONE
AUTHOR: REA FREY
PUB DATE: JANUARY, 2025
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I'm so sorry, but this book was a disappointment. It was like a B-rate, cheap flick movie and kinda stupid. I had high hopes coming into this book, but I was really, really disappointed.
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I liked the setting of the book with the FMC being a gymnast and everything. The beginning was okay because I was just getting the hang of the book. But, it fell really short when the culprit was revealed and what Cora herself was doing during that time.
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It was unrealistic and somehow. But, I was able to finish it

When She's Gone by Rea Frey is a very intense, suspenseful thriller. The book follows two timelines, one in the present day as Cora searches for her daughter and another in the past when she was kidnapped as a young teenager. It was very fast paced, very intense. I could not put it down. This was an entertaining read, I really enjoyed it.
Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

When She's Gone by Rea Frey is a completely addictive thriller and cured me of my reading slump!
It was amazing. The writing incredible. The story line was wild. The ending phenomenal

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Mercer Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of When She's Gone by Rea Frey; it is my pleasure to post an honest review. It is a very interesting story in which history seems to repeat itself in Cora Valentine's life. Cora trained daily and dilligently from the time she was a small child with the goal of being selected for the 1996 Olympic gymnastics team. Her dedication and determination negatively impacted her ability to make sustaining friendships, even with her teammates. Therefore, as much as she hated Halloween and haunted houses she decided to join her team on a haunted house excursion in Atlanta. From the beginning Cora was uncomfortable and jittery; she even had harsh words with the very domineering team captain Jessica Bateman. As the girls were going through the house one of the "monsters" with a paddle started brutally wacking Jessica's knees. It was beyond frightening; everyone just knew Jessica's days of competing would be over. Cora was elected to go seek help; after informing the man in charge, and while waiting for her parents, she was abducted by 2 men. Fast forward five years: Cora is living a quiet and rather isolated life happily raising her precious four year old daughter Lulu. It's Halloween night and Cora has reluctantly taken Lulu to the small annual Halloween parade. One minute they are holding hands; the next Lulu is gone. That's the backdrop for the story, however there are so many twists and turns along the way it was difficult to stop reading. There were somethings that stretched my imagination and seemed over the top, yet all in all When She's Gone is a captivating thriller. 4 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing Thomas & Mercer for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Rea Frey. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!!

Cora Valentine, a gymnastics Olympic hopeful, is kidnapped from a haunted house on Halloween. She finally escaped but no one was ever charged. In the present, Cora has a young daughter and lives a quiet life, desperate to protect Lulu from harm. But her worst fears come true when Lulu goes missing on Halloween.

I'm a huge Rea Frey fan and her latest is gripping, suspenseful, and twisty, as well as an inside look into the competitive gymnastic world. Told in dual timelines, this book shows you the underbelly of sports and humankind - greed, jealousy, revenge, stress. Cora was such a realistic character and I felt for her the entire book, as she struggled with coping with her past trauma, family issues, and fear. This one hit all the marks for me and I couldn't put it down. Bravo!

The reigning queen of mother/child stories, domestic suspense, and Book Doula, author Rea Frey (favorite) returns following Don't Forget Me with WHEN SHE'S GONE — a haunting, intense story of revenge and obsession that spans three decades, where a young gymnast escapes a kidnapping and years later she must face the past when her daughter disappears.

About...

Cora Valentine, a young woman with a dream and a shot at the Olympics, is abruptly thrust into a nightmare. A tragic event on Halloween transforms her from a hopeful athlete into a victim of a high-profile kidnapping.

She was finally captured after living through a traumatic experience, but no one was ever charged with the crime.

Cora was a member of the Magnificient Eight (Olympics gymnasts team), and its many stresses, hounded by the public. Now, years later, she has a daughter and is determined to protect her.

But her nightmare comes true when four years later, on Halloween, the past comes back to haunt her when her daughter, Lulu, goes missing, and to get her back, she must take someone else's child.

Who was her captor all those years ago, and could it be the same person who now has her daughter? What sinister and dangerous game is being played, and what could be the motive behind it all?

TRUST NO ONE!

My thoughts...

WHEN SHE'S GONE takes readers into the world of competitive gymnastics and the intense fear and every parent's worst nightmare—a missing child and trauma from the past.

It is an emotionally charged psychological thriller of obsession, greed, envy, and deceit with a twisted, terrifying kidnapping plot gone wrong and the dangerous work of competitive sports.

With a narrative that unfolds in dual timelines, the author skillfully guides you through Cora's life's dark and twisted road, keeping you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages.

INTENSE, GRIPPING, AND UNSETTLING.

The tensions ratchet up as nefarious motives and twisted allegiances come to light in this riveting novel of psychological suspense on the road to healing and hope. I appreciated the Author's note with the personal tie-in and her love of Gymnastics, the 90s, and Halloween.

I am a huge fan of the author and have read all her books. She always surprises you with her unique storytelling and creative mind.

Recs...

This book would have been perfect for Halloween! This is for fans of the author and Megan Abbott's You Will Know Me and Jennifer Hillier's Little Secrets.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pub Date: Jan 14, 2025
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📚: When She’s Gone by Rea Frey
⭐️: 4/5

Cora Valentine: Former Olympic gymnast and kidnapping survivor. (Yup, you read that right.) After a Halloween kidnapping as a teenager, Cora hates Halloween. But now, with a four year old daughter, Lulu, she finds herself at her hometown’s Halloween parade. Cora takes her eyes off of Lulu for just a second, and suddenly her worst deja vu fear comes to life.

Single sitting popcorn thriller read - this had me turning pages fast and furiously. I ate this story up, enjoyed the then and now narratives, and, as a parent, I felt true fear for Lulu and Cora’s desperation.

While I guessed the major twist very early on (nearly giving this read a 3.5 instead of a 4), I didn’t assume another piece of the twisty ending.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. When She’s Gone is out today!

This was a fast paced, action packed, and suspenseful thriller! It hooked me from the beginning and had me riveted until the end. I loved the nostalgia- the 90’s and the US Olympic womens gymnastics team are prominent throughout. I could NOT put it down! The dual timelines worked fabulously to keep me engaged. This is a short book that really packs a punch!

When She's Gone by Rea Frey is a fast-paced, intriguing psychological / mystery thriller. Cora Valentine won a gold medal in gymnastics at the 1996 Olympics. Then her life changed forever when she survived being kidnapped on Halloween. Still haunted by that harrowing event she is determined to protect her daughter at all costs. Cora's world is rocked once again when years later, on Halloween her child gets abducted. The unthinkable has happened and now Cora is forced to confront her past and make an unbelievable choice while uncovering a connection to her own kidnapping.
This book was a fast-paced gripping read that had me hooked from the beginning! I really liked the dual timelines shifting from Cora's kidnapping to her search today for her daughter. The tension and suspense continue to build as you discover why Cora's daughter was abducted.
This book is full of twists, secrets, and drama and is an absolute must read for psychological thriller lovers!
Thank you to NetGalley, Rea Frey, and Thomas Mercer for an ARC. Expected publishing date is January 14th 2025.

"When She's Gone" was a thrillingly good book. Frey did a great job builing up the suspense throughout the story. The characters felt real, and I found myself caring about what happened to them. Each page had new surprises that kept me interested - the twists and turns were great in this book.

Frey's writing style is easy to read. She mixes suspense and character development well, so you get invested in both the story and the characters. The main character's inner struggles and growth adds extra depth to the story. The book deals with themes like trust, betrayal, and identity.

Overall, "When She's Gone" is a fantastic book if you like psychological thrillers. Rea Frey has created a memorable story with twists and turns.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Thomas&Mercer for the book #WhenShesGone by #ReaFrey. This book centers around kidnapping, revenge and jealousy and is the perfect read. Cora used to be a gymnast who was in the Olympics. But right before her tryouts for the team, she is kidnapped. Even now, she never found out who was behind the kidnapping. Present day and someone has kidnapped her daughter and insists that she kidnap another child. Can she save her daughter before it’s too late?

3.5 stars, rounded up. A very fast paced, intriguing mystery thriller.

Cora Valentine is very well known--she won a gold medal in gymnastics at the 1996 Olympics. She tries to live a very quiet life now, because she is raising her young daughter Lulu on her own. During the town's Halloween festivities, Lulu disappears, and Cora receives a note that someone has kidnapped her daughter and not to call the police. Cora is frantic and wonders--does this have anything to do with her own kidnapping as a teenager?

This book does require the reader to suspend a lot of disbelief, but if you can just go with the story it is exciting and engaging. My own daughter was a competitive gymnast (as was the author) and setting the story in that gymnastics world made it all the more captivating for me. I was on the lookout for gymnastics inconsistencies and didn't find very many.

I did call a couple of the twists before they were revealed, but there were definitely quite a few surprises. If you don't read as many thrillers as I do you will probably be able to go with the flow a bit better. The book is very entertaining and I read it very quickly because I wanted to know what was going to happen.

In a world saturated with thrillers, this is a refreshingly different take due to its gymnastics focus.

4.5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read early and review!
Rea is an Auto-Buy author for me and when she started branching into the thriller genre, I was ready for it!

The book starts off with Cora taking her daughter trick or treating. (I know -- it's a Jan release)
This is already a difficult day for her, as she was kidnapped on Halloween, many years ago, her name splashed across headlines. Hounded by the public, Cora’s time as a missing girl and member of the Magnificent Eight has its consequences (she was to be a part of the 90's olympic gymnastics team)-- would her dreams be smashed?
Flash forward to TorT in the present - and her daughter was taken! History repeating itself...
Each chapter alternated to show her capture and escape, to the present blackmail scenario to get her daughter back.

I loved all the real references to the actual Olympic team at the time (fictitious only in timeline of it being fall and not summer). I loved that there were elements of being in the gym, floor, beam, bars -- all of this was right up my alley!

I had suspected the culprit early on, but I started to doubt myself almost immediately - so many curveballs! In traditional Rea fashion, the ending was a climactic one with someone getting shot and a race against the clock. to find her daughter. All in all, I really enjoyed it! It was a fast read

Even though I figured it out pretty early on, I still couldn't put it down and kept reading. With that said, it was not the best book by Rea Frey that I've read, but it was a good, solid read.

Thank you #netgalley and #thomasandmercer #apub for the eARC.

When She's Gone spans three decades when a young gymnast ends up escaping a kidnapping but what happens when years later she is forced to face the past when her daughter disappears? This had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I could not stop turning pages until the end. The author was new to me and I look forward to reading more books by this author. All of the twists and turns in this were so good and I was guessing who did it until the very end. It was a fast paced story that you do not want to miss and the characters in this were great. Overall, this was one that I highly enjoyed and would recommend to any reader who loves thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review of When She's Gone by Rea Frey.

Another killer book by Rea Frey! The book bounces between past and present flawlessly and was easy to follow. This book made me want to keep reading to figure out what happened and it left the end of chapters on a cliffhanger. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you NetGalley, Rea Frey, and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for the ARC!

SYNOPSIS:
In When She’s Gone by Rea Frey, former Olympian hopeful Cora Valentine’s life was forever changed when she survived being kidnapped on Halloween—a trauma that haunts her even after becoming a mother. Determined to shield her daughter from the same fears, Cora’s resolve is shattered when her child is abducted on Halloween years later. To save her, Cora is forced to confront her past and make an unthinkable choice, uncovering a chilling connection to her own abduction.

MY THOUGHTS:
When She’s Gone by Rea Frey is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that kept me captivated from page one! The dual timelines, blending Cora’s harrowing kidnapping in the ’90s with her present-day search for her missing daughter, create a gripping narrative you won’t want to put down. Set against the high-stakes world of competitive gymnastics, the story is fast-paced, with short chapters that make it a binge-worthy read.

The suspense builds as you unravel the mystery of Cora’s daughter’s disappearance, and while some twists were predictable, they didn’t take away from the adrenaline-fueled ride. Yes, there are moments where you’ll need to suspend disbelief, but that only adds to the fun! If you loved the intensity of The Chain by Adrian McKinty, this book will absolutely hook you—it delivers that same pulse-pounding tension and emotional depth.

Full of drama, secrets, and shocking twists, When She’s Gone is a must-read for fans of fast-paced popcorn thrillers.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley.for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.