Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the arc of When I Disappear by Amanda McKinney.

After losing her twin sister at a young age and then having her mother brutally stabbed to death Sylvia Stone is all alone in life. Her only friends her hairless cat and her hairdresser. Sylvia loses her job at the local paper, is slowly draining her inheritance, and is becoming a lonely alcoholic with impending debt.

Twenty years after the murder and another chance at parole for crime he knows he didn’t commit Rhett gets a chance at freedom. Being paroled back to the community with nothing he’s on a mission to clear his name and seek justice.

A missing teen and letters left at Sylvia’s door indicating: “you are next” bring Sylvia and Rhett together. Helping Rhett seek justice she begins to fall for him while they uncover their towns dirty little secrets. That is until Sylvia disappears and once again Rhett is in the spot light.

McKinney sets this novel up perfectly for a shocking end. This was a quick read with an ending that is shocking and predictable all in one. This was great first read for 2025 if you’re looking for a whodunit with a twist.

Pub Date: January 24, 2025
🌟🌟🌟.5

I spent my Saturday reading this ARC I received from NetGalley, unfortunately the description promised a lot more than it delivered.

It was a quick and light read but the twist was pretty obvious quite early on, there were plot points that weren’t ever followed up and it was told across multiple POV’s - one of which added absolutely nothing to the story.

I can see why some people enjoyed this but didn’t hit the spot for me!

When I Disappear is another book told on a dual timeline, it seems to be a theme with todays writers, The main character Sylvia is a recluse, most likely alcholic with no friends and only her cat for company, 20 years previously she found her mother murdered, A local carpenter Rhett Cohen was charged and sentenced for the killing but when Sylvia starts getting cryptic letters in the middle of the night and Rhett is realeased from prison, doubts start to form as Rhett has always maintained his innocence.
The story was okay and it quickly occured to me what had happened but I felt it was lacking something within the story to truly pull me in.

I really enjoyed this book! It had a good plot, a fast pace and short chapters! It was twisty and you really don’t know who to believe in this book psychological thriller lovers will love. I wasn’t able to untangle the mystery and even if I had the the story was told was very enjoyable.

Twenty years ago Sylvia’s mother Marjorie was stabbed to death in her home and her jewellery stolen. Rhett Cohen, a carpenter carrying out work for her, was found guilty of her murder and imprisoned. He has just been released. This coincides with letters arriving through Sylvia’s letterbox, the first three puzzling, the fourth sinister. Surprisingly, Rhett contacts Sylvia and insists he was innocent. He wants to find out who framed him. He’s looking for vengeance.
Sylvia is also convinced he didn't do it and motivated by guilt and a growing attraction to this ex-convict, decides to help him track down the culprit..

I was divided on this one. Whilst it was a good plot with many twists and turns, there was something about the way the story was structured that made it easy to guess the ending. Also, I found it difficult to empathise with the characters. I really didn’t care about them at all, particularly Sylvia, who wasn't at all likeable. There was huge potential in this story, the synopsis pulled me in, but the outcome sadly ended up a bit of a disappointment, hence the three stars..

I would like to thank Storm, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of When I Disappear in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely fantastic book! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

A bit of a slow burner and not as thrilling as the premise alluded to. There were some interesting parts but it was just an ok read for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Enjoyed this book. Found it full of suspense with lots of twists and turns. Was quite unbelievable in some parts but just ignored that!

The premise of this story was very interesting and intriguing. Sylvia's mother was murdered 20 years ago. She was a witness, and Rhett Cohen was convicted based on her testimony. Now she begins receiving anonymous notes under her door revealing details of the crime that only the murderer would know. Rhett is released from prison on the day that she receives the 4th note, and then Sylvia disappears.

This is told in multiple POV's. I can't say that I really liked, or even rooted for any character. Sylvia is so distracting and Rhett seemed rather bland. The motive is vague, and I figured out the killer early into the book. I am finding that thrillers are starting to have the same type of "twists", and you begin to see the signs early into a book. Some of the plot has holes and just doesn't make sense in the narrative of the story. There is lots of information given to the reader, and then it goes nowhere and isn't brought up again. (Detective Stroud!). And many of the characters actions- well I needed to suspend belief to continue reading.

There are many reviewers who liked this book, and so please read those reviews. This simply did not work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced mystery plot with building suspense and a quick read this might be one worth looking into.

I enjoyed all the twists and turns – most I had sussed early on but there was one in particular I didn’t clock until right before the reveal which was really interesting.

I also really enjoyed all the flawed characters, every single character that was introduced had something going on (no cookie-cutter characters here!). The multiple POVs were also interesting and really added to the suspense, particularly as the story went along these multiple POVs stood out as a strength.

My biggest gripe was that I felt like I had to suspend some disbelief for a good chunk of the book and that made it tricky to really get into it. Overall it’s a solid read though.

Thank you to the author, publish and NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘When I Disappear’ written by Amanda McKinney in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Sylvia Stone is having mysterious letters put through her letter-box during the night and from the contents they appear to be connected to the murder of her mother Marjorie twenty years ago. The carpenter Rhett Cohen who was fitting new cupboards in Marjorie’s kitchen was jailed for her murder and is still in prison so it wouldn’t have been possible for him to deliver the letters. Could someone else have killed Marjorie and he was innocent all along?

‘When I Disappear’ is an intriguing thriller written in the dual timelines of what happened to Marjorie twenty years ago and Sylvia at the present time. I got confused at the beginning as the chapters moved from Marjorie to Sylvia but the story soon got me hooked as Rhett is released and returns to Thorncrest to try and clear his name while Sylvia disappears. The story didn’t have the suspense I’d expected but the twists and turns were enough to keep me involved and wanting to keep reading.

Sylvia Stone starts getting anonymous letters implying her mother’s murderer is innocent. Just as he’s released from prison, she receives the final letter that states “you’re next.”

It took me about halfway to really get hooked on this one, but once those hooks got me, I couldn’t put it down. Despite the fact that I liked both main characters, I was worried it would turn into a “romantic suspense”, but it went in a different direction… and I was shocked, despite some hints throughout.

“I don’t need a halfway house, friends or family, I need a goal. One that does not allow for murdering another human being.”

When I Disappear comes out 1/24.

Another great read by Amanda McKinney! I could not put this book down, I read it in one afternoon. Filled with secrets, lies and family ties. Lots of tension.
Thank you NetGalley, Amanda McKinney and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this gem of a book.

Secrets, murder, and deception made for a gripping, intriguing, and shocking book! When I Disappear tells the story of Sylvia Stone who begins receiving letters twenty years after her mother Marjorie's murder. It also tells the story of Rhett Cohen, the man who spent twenty years in jail after being convicted for murdering Sylvia's mother, Marjorie. Rhett has always stated that he is innocent and never hurt anyone. If he is not the killer, then who is? When Sylvia receives the last letter informing her that she is next, Rhett is determined to unveil the real killer before he takes the blame once again.

I thought I knew where this book was going. I had my list of suspects lined up and changed my mind on whodunit throughout the book. Many may have guessed the final reveal, but it was a shocker for me. I enjoyed reading the POV's of both Sylvia and Rhett. This kept the story going at a nice pace, my interest piqued and had me turning the pages. I also enjoyed the tension, the sense of dread, the twist, the turns and the suspense that grew throughout the book.

Well written, well thought out, thrilling, shocking, and hard to put down!

I absolutely loved A Marriage of Lies and I was super excited about getting my hands on this one! This book was well written and had me second guessing everything I thought I knew. I loved the well placed red herrings that caused me to think I was unraveling the mystery. Told in multiple POV’s and dual timelines, you get a look into the characters’ lives to try and out the pieces together. This was a good one my friends!!! Make sure to check out When I Disappear on January 24th!!!

4 stars ⭐️ I was hooked early on! It's a really good fast-paced book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good fast paced thriller although I worked out the plot. It’s very difficult these days not to but maybe that’s because I’m so suspicious.
Written over two timelines about a killer released from jail and a woman who goes missing after receiving anonymous notes.
Pretty sure you will enjoy this tucked up on a cold day staying cosy.

Thank you for an advanced copy.

When I Disappear had me hooked from the first chapter! I loved the fast-paced writing and found myself staying up late to get a few more chapters in. Sometimes I struggle with dual timelines and multiple POVs but these were so well-written! The red herrings and side plot were just as compelling as the main storyline. One of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while! Will definitely be reading more from Amanda McKinney. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rhett Cohen is imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. Sylvia Stone is the daughter of the murder victim. She gets hand delivered letters, the last one said "You are next". Sylvia disappears and everyone is looking at Rhett. A page turning psychological thriller with a twist in the conclusion.

First of all Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the chance to read this for my review.

So i was looking around to see if everyone kind of thought the same thing i did, after i finished and yes it seems everyone else predicted the plot pretty early on as well, I wonder what makes the book so predictable!? I mean I read a lot of mystery thrillers, so I am pretty good at figuring what is going on, but either way this one just has all the perfect ingredients for being a pretty easy but still a fast paced, very enjoyable thriller.

Do not read this book if you have anything to do for the day, because let me tell you, predictable or not, I could not put it down until I fell asleep with my kindle on my face! The second I woke up this morning I was back up at it again reading as fast as i could to figure out If i was right on my prediction! Predicting the plot DOES NOT take away from the book at all, I was still just as interested the entire time and it was a hell of a wild ride. First few chapters with the POV switching was a little confusing until I figured out who everyone was then i got the hang of it and it then it really was getting good. Def kept me hooked all the way up until the last word!