“All gymnasts, when you come down to it, are the same. Endless hard workers. Tough. Sometimes superstitious. And usually there’s a world of physical and mental hurt lurking beneath those bright leotards and tight ponytails.”

There is just something about Rea Frey’s writing that keeps me coming back for more. I have read her most recent three books as they came out and plan to go back and read her backlist, but I will also continue to pick up whatever she writes as soon as it’s available.

I have always been a fan of gymnastics so that plot line was going to be an automatic winner for me. I was concerned about the abuse towards gymnasts, but it was written differently than the actual abuse at the hands of Larry Nassar, thankfully.

I really enjoyed this book, although I would have labeled this as suspense rather than thriller because the pacing didn’t have my heart racing.

Rating:
I really enjoyed it

What you’ll find:
Short chapters
Dual timelines
Missing daughter
1996 Summer Olympics gymnastics
Halloween

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for the digital ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is my first read from Frey but not my last. This is thriller done right! The plot is as important as the twists and the characters have depth to them. It's not predictable at all and I spent almost half an hour thinkning bakc to where I went wrong in my search for clues. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Did you ever dream of being a gymnast? I was over thinking I could be one but fondly remember watching the 1996 Olympics and the excitement from the women’s team.

Cora was in the Olympics after a harrowing kidnapping. Fast forward to today when she’s pulled back into the gymnastics world to save her daughter.

I’ve read a few of the authors books and they have been more family drama than thriller, but she’s done a good job of adding a little adrenaline and suspense to the drama this time. Cora is in a race against time to find out who kidnapped her daughter and rescue her before the unthinkable can happen.

Told in dual timelines, the past unravels what happened when Cora was kidnapped and the present is her trying to save her daughter. I was equally invested in both timelines and found Cora to be a compelling character.

What I suspected did end up being true, but the journey of getting to know Cora’s story and unraveling what really happened kept me reading.

I also enjoyed the scattered pieces of gymnastics culture and icons in the past timeline.

A good read if you like character driven domestic thrillers or have a secret love of gymnastics.

An absolute delight! I loved not only the pacing of the story, but the telling of it as well. From start to end, I was given an adventure!

Rea Frey is a new-to-me author, I am glad that I saw someone showing that this book was on @netgalley to review as an ARC.

I’m trying to jump back into my mystery/thriller era. This was a great way to start it!

I really enjoyed this one! This one is dual timeline between NOW and the PAST. I didn’t pick up on who was the who until pretty much the reveal WHICH for a thriller reader is close to perfect.
I will say I did get kind of bored with the past timeline a little after halfway through and found myself skimming those chapters. BUT other than that, really liked it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rea Frey and publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This is fast paced and entertaining. I was drawn in from beginning to end. I liked how many twists there were and the ending was unexpected. This is one of my favorite thrillers I've read this year! Special Thank You to Rea Frey, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author, and I really enjoyed it! It was twisty and kept me intrigued! Looking forward to reading other books by her.

Fast paced read!
Cora was a promising gymnast who would have made it to the Olympics had she not have been kidnapped. She gets rescued and then years later her daughter gets kidnapped!
With twists to keep you wanting more this is a thriller you will enjoy reading!

Rea Frey masterfully blends the raw fear of a parent’s worst nightmare with the lingering trauma of a past that refuses to stay buried. When She’s Gone weaves a haunting narrative of guilt, resilience, and the lengths we go to for those we love. Cora’s story is gripping and heartbreakingly real, with every twist peeling back another layer of her pain and determination. The way Frey ties the past and present is seamless, making the stakes feel sky-high from the first page. This is a chilling, emotional rollercoaster you won’t want to stop reading.

There are thrilling thrillers and then there are those that hook a little tighter and dig a little deeper. This is one of them. A definite emotional boost and depth to these which are my favourite. A psychological thriller is my favourite type. And this had all that those genre encompasses.
And they leave ypu with your own frustrations,rage and knowledge of what you feel you.yourself would do for a loved one, in this case your daughter. And the answer is a super human...anything. everything.
Our lead Cora had a truama to her past. A rising star in athletics turned into a horrific victim of a kidnapping.
Years later having tried to move on she now has a daughter herself. And then her own daughter is taken. And she quickly realises her own traumatised past didn't end when she returned and now she must face her demons and find her strength to get her daughter back.

When She’s Gone by Rea Frey is an emotionally gripping, and fast-paced psychological thriller. This novel follows the intertwined lives of two women—Anna, a wife and mother, and her best friend, Grace—whose worlds collide in unexpected and heartbreaking ways after Anna goes missing.

What really stood out to me about When She’s Gone was the emotional depth that Frey weaves into the mystery. From the start, there’s an underlying tension as the story flips between Anna’s disappearance and the secrets surrounding Grace’s own complicated life. The book isn’t just about figuring out where Anna went or what happened to her—it’s also about the emotional toll on everyone involved, especially Grace, who’s torn between guilt, grief, and a desperate need to understand the truth.

The pacing of the novel is excellent. Frey builds suspense gradually, pulling you deeper into the story with each chapter. The alternating perspectives—between Anna’s voice before she went missing and Grace’s present-day narrative—create a sense of urgency and intrigue. As you get to know both women, you start questioning the nature of their friendship, the secrets they’ve been hiding, and whether anyone is truly who they seem to be.

What I really loved was how Frey doesn’t just focus on the “whodunit” aspect of the thriller; she also explores the complexities of relationships, the lies we tell ourselves and others, and the pain of trying to come to terms with loss. There are plenty of twists and red herrings along the way, but what really kept me turning pages was the emotional rollercoaster. The end, while satisfying, still left me reflecting on the themes of the book—trust, forgiveness, and the shadows we cast over the people we love.

Overall, When She’s Gone is a poignant and suspenseful psychological thriller that offers a strong blend of mystery and emotional complexity. If you enjoy character-driven thrillers with unexpected twists and a deeply human exploration of grief and friendship, this book is definitely worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. A heart pounding suspense that will keep you turning the pages. Well written.

This is the 2nd book by Rea Frey I've read and boy was it a totally different read!
This one's a suspense thriller about a former Olympic champion gymnast who was once kidnapped on Halloween night as a teenager and has PTSD from it. Fast forward 30yrs and her young daughter goes missing right in front of her on Halloween. The story is a dual timeline with the 'then' all about the past kidnapping and the 'now' in which we follow Cora as she follows the clues in order to find her daughter.
I very much found the 'now' to be far more interesting than the 'then'. The former was engaging and kept you engaged as she follows the clues and slowly starts to unravel the onion. I did find it unrealistic how much they cram into just the one night though
All in all an engaging and twisty read (although none were shockers tbh) but the pace of the book kept it interesting and if you enjoy gymnastics then there's quite a bit of it in this. Bonus fact the author was a competitive gymnast so it's quite factually correct.

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of the book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is one where I had to suspend disbelief in order to fully enjoy the story. The description reminded me a bit of "The Chain," a woman's child is kidnapped, and in order to get her child back, she has to kidnap another. That is where the similarities ended, and this took a completely different turn. While this was unrealistic at times, it didn't bother me like it might others. I really liked how this conveyed how strong a mother's bond with her child is and the lengths they will go to in order to protect them. This was page-turning, engaging, and shocking. I give this one three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas, and Mercer for this ARC.

When She’s Gone by Rea Frey is a gripping psychological thriller that dives deep into trauma, motherhood, and the long-lasting effects of a past that refuses to stay buried. Cora Valentine, once a rising star in athletics, is kidnapped on Halloween and becomes a symbol of victimhood. Years later, after attempting to move on with her daughter, the past resurfaces with a devastating twist. When her own child is taken, Cora must face her worst fears and take extreme measures to get her back. Frey expertly weaves tension, emotional depth, and unexpected twists in this fast-paced, heart-pounding read that explores the lengths a mother will go to for her child.

When She's Gone by Rea Frey is a thriller set against the backdrop of Olympic gymnastics in the 90s. Based on that alone, I am apt to forgive many, many weaknesses the book might have and be entertained by this popcorn thriller. It's basically a compendium of my favorite things, and I am willing to suspend believe for some of the weaker plot elements for the entertainment factor.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

🤸Book Review🤸
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Summary- Cora Valentine has her whole life—and a shot at the Olympics—ahead of her. But when she’s kidnapped on Halloween, her name is splashed across headlines not as an athlete but as a victim. Not even her safe return changes that, especially since no one is caught for the crime.
Hounded by the public, Cora’s time as a missing girl and member of the Magnificent Eight has its consequences. Years later, when Cora has her own daughter, she’s determined to leave the past behind for a better life. Her daughter will never face those fears. And Cora will never face them again.
But four years later, on Halloween, the past comes knocking.
Now, Cora’s daughter is gone, and to get her back, Cora must take someone else’s child.
Clearly, whoever took her all those years ago isn’t done with her yet…but as long as they have her daughter, Cora’s not done with them either.
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Rating- ⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts- I read this one chasing the Olympics high from the favorites, boy was I a bit disappointed. This one started off really strong but quickly fell off the rails. It’s based on her trauma of being kidnapped at a haunted house ? How and why? Never answered lol. She escapes her kidnapping in day, a pretty amazing feat. Then her daughter also gets kidnapped in a revenge kidnapping, and she is forced to kidnap another child of her former teammate. It’s just wildly preposterous but I did finish it. Sorry for the unhinged review, I’m nothing if not honest! 🤣
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QOTD- what was your last read that disappointed you ?
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A book that takes place in the 90s and is about gymnastics and is a psychological thriller? YES PLEASE!!! All of my favorite things. This was an incredibly easy read -= and I was unable to figure out what the mystery twist was. I kept saying, "one more chapter, one more chapter" because this book was VERY effective at going back and forth in time (one chapter for one chapter) and the reader was left trying to figure out the thread that might connect the two times.

I definitely enjoyed this easy read! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank youThomas & Mercer / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced copy of When She’s Gone in exchange for my honest review.

Another winner from Rea Frey!!! There is something about books that focus on elite athletes that I cannot walk away from. This time it’s gymnastics and fun fact – it’s one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since seeing a movie about Nadia Comaneci when I slept at my Nana’s after my own gymnastics class. ⁣
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This book was not at all what I expected, but in such a good way. I loved the dual-timeline and how it helped put the pieces together of Cora’s past with that of what was happening in the present. The story moves at a breakneck pace and you cannot help but binge this popcorn thriller, needing to know how it all resolves. The suspense is high and with the story being set around Halloween, it only adds to the tension.

This story about a mother's worst fears are coming true was fast paced and enjoyable, even though you do need to suspend disbelief for part of it. I loved the tie-in of the 90s and gymnastics, and the Halloween setting added a bit more to the creepy factor of the story overall. The author sheds a little light on the competitive world of athletes, specifically gymnasts, and may leave the weirder questioning just how far a parent would go for their child. There are a number of suspects, as well as twists, to keep the reader guessing.