I wanted this to be more than it was. It's a fluffy romance, rather than a literary/romance crossover. Very interesting premise, just not quite living up to it. I haven't finished it and I'm not sure if I"ll go back to it.

I was so excited to receive an ARC from NetGalley and the publishers for this novel, as I've been following the author's journey of writing The Art of Vanishing on her Instagram account for some time now.

The premise of this novel was really intriguing to me: A young woman is working as a janitor at an art museum, when her love of art and her interest in what lay beyond the frames turns into the adventure of a lifetime. Claire "falls" into the world of the paintings on the wall and falls in love with what (and who) she finds there.

I enjoyed the element of magical realism, as well as the themes Pager explores throughout the novel, including the struggles of single-motherhood, social isolation in its many forms, and the value of art in our lives. I found the pacing early in the story a bit slow, but things picked up when we start learning more about Claire's life outside of the museum. I would have loved a bit more character development, especially where the "work of art" love interest, Jean, was concerned, but overall I found this an enjoyable story and was pleasantly surprised by the ending.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the free eARC and for the opportunity to read and review this lovely novel!

When Claire gets a job at a museum (the Barnes, maybe?), she develops a crush on one of the subjects of a painting in the gallery she cleans. Jean, the object of her affections, as well as the object of many guides’ monologues, is trapped his a painting by his father, Matisse. He becomes enamored with Claire, until she discovers she can enter into paintings, and this quickly becomes love. Their relationship is challenged by the pandemic and museum’s closure, as well as by Claire’s walls she has built up.

This was such a fun book, peppered as it was with serious moments, like Claire’s struggles as a single-ish mom, making ends meet, and dealing with an absent father to her child. I’m not much of a fantasy reader, but I loved the taste here, and getting to see Pager’s imagination at work, as she created Jean’s world inside his painting, as well as the larger world “behind the scenes” of the paintings. This debut novel - like Claire - crosses boundaries and embraces several genres, and I think it would appeal to readers of many different persuasions.

There’s definitely a message here to continue to embrace childhood wonder and fanciful thoughts as we grow into adulthood. Claire, Jean, and Odette wonder if other people are capable of Claire’s power of entering paintings, and if they don’t do it because they don’t imagine that this could even be possible. So, if you continue to indulge and foster your imagine, the world really could be your oyster!

Pager must’ve done an incredible amount of research in order to flesh out the museum, the paintings, and the scenes inside them. She really brought it all to life (literally and figuratively)! The art aspect was really appealing to me, as well as Pager’s treatment of the pandemic as a mystery to the occupants of the paintings. Another wonderful moment showcasing her imagination.

I thought this novel had a definite “romance” genre aspect (especially with regards to how quickly the relationship formed), but I appreciated that the book didn’t end on a perfect note with everything tied up in a bow. Jean remains in the painting, while Claire remains in the “real world.” Another message, perhaps, that great, transformational relationships or situations don’t have to last forever to be special or meaningful. Amidst the (unfortunately) unrealistic possibility of entering paintings (or maybe that’s just because I don’t have a vivid enough imagination!), this definitely felt like a realistic ending to a story of love. The wistfulness and nostalgia that I was left with when I finished this book was refreshing, and definitely something that could be sat with for a bit.

One thing I learned about myself while reading The Art of Vanishing was that my inclination that I’m not much of a fantasy reader was correct. I was always asking questions about how moving between paintings - floors of the museum, landscapes, countries, time periods, etc. - worked, and was never satisfied enough with the explanations! I can’t tell if this is a total failing on my part, being too analytical, or if Pager might have benefitted from fleshing out this kind of magical world a bit more.

Thank you for the ARC!

This was a lovely, immersive journey with great prose and settings that popped off the page. Unfortunately, I wasn't completely won over by the romance, but this was still a delight.

Pager creates a unique world familiar to anyone who’s gone to an art museum with a magical twist. Claire gets her dream job of working at an art museum - well she’s a janitor which isn’t necessarily the dream but she gets half the museum all to herself every night. While admiring the art each night, she starts to think the paintings may be alive. Jean - the subject of one of the paintings in the museum - is pleasantly surprised to think that Claire might be able to see him, know him. We follow Claire and Jean’s relationship as it grows within the frames of the paintings Claire can jump into.

The novel’s strengths lie in its uniqueness and creativity. The subjects living in the world of the painting feel as familiar as our own. The sense of escape both Claire and Jean feel being together is earnest and familiar. I felt Jean was more well rounded as a character than Claire but I think that’s due to us getting more of Jean’s POV throughout. In that sense, I almost wish the whole story was told from Jean’s POV.

The main thing I had issues with was the pacing, specifically the portion of the book focused on COVID lockdown. I didn’t think we even needed a lockdown to progress the story forward and that the book could have transitioned straight to the mystery journal’s arrival in the museum. It didn’t help that I personally am not interested in reading about COVID times since it feels like we just lived it.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves magical realism, romance, or art. I adored the ending and I can’t wait to discuss this world with other readers!

I received an advanced ebook copy of this book from Net Galley.

This was such a delightfully and warm story. I have been a fan of Morgan’s bookstagram for many years and her personality shines through in this debut.

The way she writes instantly drew me in with whimsical and lush descriptions of this magical world. Claire and Jean 4ever. I absolutely devoured The Art of Vanishing. Bravo, Morgan!!

Thank you for the ARC!

This had a really interesting premise and the author’s love for art and museums is infused into every page. However, the dialogue seemed a little YA-ish and the romance did not completely win me over.

“The Art of Vanishing” is a stunning debut - immersing the reader in the world of art, intrigue, and romance. I was swept into the world of this story and life at the museum. I will be thinking about the magical realism in this story for many days to come. I loved learning more about art history. Have you ever dreamed of going into a painting? I definitely have. This book brings that idea to life.

I will say that covid is a part of this story. It’s a difficult thing to come across in narrative, because the effects of the pandemic are still so near and real to us. While in some cases this would steer me away from a book, it fit really well into this one and was necessary part to enhance the story.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.5 rounded up to a 4, 100%

Rounded up to 4 because I woke up at 8am and started this book and finished it by 5pm the same day.

This book follows Claire, a new employee at a museum and Jean, a man within one of the portraits that has been hanging in there for years. Claire finds herself able to move through the painting and is thrown into the world within the art on the wall.

I was so drawn into the characters and their stories,though I wish we had a BIT more depth there. But the imagery had me hooked. The idea and concept of having this "what if" kind of magic. What if I just tried to put my hand it? What would happen? They spend a lot of time together over the course of 3 months before they're hit with real life challenges.

My literal only gripe with this book is how much it slowed down in the middle and got a bit repetitive. Given the subject matter, that makes total sense. But I felt it was too drawn out, though that could have been on purpose!

Overall I would totally read this book again. Really incredible debut.
I'll post more thoughts closer to release.

As always an adoring loving thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC <3

The Art of Vanishing is a sparkling debut by Morgan Pager. I found myself utterly captivated by Jean’s world, a space of wonder and magic.

Claire felt so human, moving through her world and his as best as she could. Their love is sweeping and magnetic amidst the most enigmatic of situations. Morgan stunned with this multi-genre story — one of love between characters and for the art of museums as a whole. One of familial love and friendship.

I adored this story and it was perfect as-is, though I could have spent another 200 pages in that museum with them. I can’t wait to visit the museum that inspired their story.

10/10! ♥️

Thank you for my advanced reader copy. I devoured it in two days. A true treat of a book!

The Art of Vanishing

Down on her luck, Claire stumbles into a job as a museum janitor. Later, she stumbles into a painting.

A cozy and whimsical exploration of magical realism, the Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager offers a new perspective on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers. We are introduced to Jean - the son of Henry Matisse who was immortalized in the 1917 painting “The Music Lesson,” which hangs on the wall of a prestigious museum (in reality, it’s on display at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia). The author’s imagination is vivid- the writing all but tells you the name of the various paintings explored through the story in its colorful and pointed descriptions. The Pager’s appreciation for art and museums shines passionately in this story, saving the storyline from failing into the category of “just another insta-romance.”

The plot centers on Claire’s extraordinary ability to “jump” into paintings, that is - to be pulled into the two-dimensional world of the art. There, she meets Jean, and they develop a swift attraction to one another. They spend their nights exploring neighboring paintings until Claire is obligated to jump back into reality. It’s implausible, but that’s not the point; the means are not as important as the end. While Jean spends his days frozen in time re-reading the same book, Claire’s life is rapidly unraveling as a pandemic unfolds in real time.

As the museum abruptly shutters its doors, both Clarie and Jean are confronted with a new reality. The pandemic is described tastefully- and while some readers may feel sorely to this topic it wasn’t overdone or over dramatized. Rather, Pager offers a very humane perspective on this time in history, exploring many of the common struggles faced during this era.

A heartwarming and enjoyable debut from Pager - I recommend The Art of Vanishing to fans of magical realism and anyone who wants a cozy escape! I am excited to see more from this author and look forward to the conversation around this novel.

I was genuinely so excited to dive into this book. The premise of a museum janitor falling in love with the man in a famous painting is a great one, and I really was enjoying everything so much until the story ground to a COVID-induced halt. While I generally don't have qualms about pandemic-adjacent plots in books, this one felt almost claustrophobic in the way that it drew parallels between social isolation and the strange life those in the paintings were forced to live. This is a smart thing to do, but it just really made it hard for me to read, even though I genuinely tried before setting this one aside for good.

While this ultimately wasn't for me, I loved the magical aspects and both main characters, so I am confident that this will work well for many.

I've been following Morgan Pager, aka NYCbookgirl, for several years and was thrilled to receive an ARC of her debut novel The Art of Vanishing. A love story both TO art and about art (literally, a romance between a character in a painting and a janitor at the museum), set amidst the backdrop of COVID, The Art of Vanishing started as a slow burn and really grew on me throughout. The book bounces back and forth between the perspectives of Jean, Matisse's son and one of the subjects of a painting hung in a gallery, and Claire, who was hired as a museum janitor as a side-job and has always been fascinated by the idea of just stepping into art, quite literally.

When Claire realizes Jean has some sort of LIFE inside his painting, she takes a chance and is able to step into his world. Claire teaches Jean about the modern day while giving her a brief respite from her hard life as a single, impoverished mom. When COVID hits, Jean and the other paintings have no idea why the museum shutters overnight, and Claire is thrown back into her home life with her grandmother and daughter, stuck in a small apartment. When the museum reopens, things are different, and a mysterious new journal is put on display near Jean's painting. As Clair and Jean's relationship deepens, they are both thrust into a series of events that will change the course of their futures.

Though The Art of Vanishing started slow, the story crescendos towards the end and finalizes with a heartwarming conclusion. My favorite part of this book was how it treated COVID - I've read several books with COVID as a secondary plot-line, but Morgan filters the storyline through a really intelligent lens here. The art pieces learn what the pandemic means in a piecemeal way, with only the Influenza epidemic as a background, and there's nods to collective hobbies and spare time passion projects that I've not seen before. It presents such a dark time in our history in a way that feels compassionate, not depressing. I also greatly appreciated Claire's perspective as a young mom going through this time with her young daughter.

I love that the magic here isn't questioned with any seriousness, it just IS. Looking forward to Morgan's future books, and thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager was an okay read. I thought the concept was very interesting and it seems like something I would love but I couldn't get over how forced the dialogue felt and how rushed the story felt. I couldn't force myself to care about the characters because they felt very two dimensional. The romance was very insta-love and the chemistry simply did not exist. It just felt incomplete and lacking in substance.

Pleasantly surprised! I was a little wary based on the description of the novel but ended up enjoying myself.

I enjoyed the genre-blending and concept of this book. I could also really tell that the author has an appreciation for art and museums, and thought that translated well into the story! I will definitely think of this book the next time I’m at a museum.

However, the dialogue did not work for me (felt forced/overcompensating) and many pieces of the magical realism aspect left me confused. I felt that the relationship and characters were also underdeveloped/rushed and left me wanting more from each, Personally, the direction the plot went in during the last 40% (covid, burglary) was not for me either.

The impact of art, creativity, and boundless love+
/connection was what stood out in this one! I think many readers will appreciate the escape this book provides.

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader, and I will still look forward to this author’s next book!

This was super sweet and cozy. It was a good page-turner that kept me interested and I liked the characters. As someone who enjoys art and museums, it was right up my alley.

dnf at ~50%
I had really high hopes going into this book because the premise sounded so interesting to me. However, as the book started I was a bit confused almost about the reality of this book. I know that it’s magical realism but it seemed a bit too hard to believe. There also wasn’t a lot of chemistry between the two main characters for me. It left me somewhat disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine Books, as well as NetGalley for the eGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was an original, inventive, and romance-filled debut! I am really impressed with Morgan Pager's ability to weave the two perspectives together to create a fascinating love story based on an appreciation for art.

I didn't know quite what to expect going into this one, I do not always take well to the cheesy rom-coms, but this had a lot of depth and I had a blast getting lost in the story. While the premise is not realistic, the story is told in a way that makes you want to believe that it is, and take a running start at the next painting you see.

I loved this and look forward to reading more by Pager in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book is not for me. The love story is way too rushed, even for insta-love and this makes both Jean and Claire seem ridiculous and immature. The dialogue is too stilted. And the worldbuilding aspect of this book is nonexistent. Perhaps another round of editing could have helped.