Wow, wow, wow!!! What a debut novel! The premise of the novel is so unique, and I immensely enjoyed reading it. We follow Claire and Jean on their adventure to meet and fall in love, but in the most unusual way! Claire is a single mother who finds a job on the janitorial staff at a small art museum. During her shifts, she continues to be enthralled with Jean, a figure in a Matisse painting. One night, Claire gets so close to the painting she is transported into the painting, and it is there she begins her relationship with Jean.

As an art lover, especially of Matisse and of the Barnes Museum in Philadelphia, I was completely enthralled with the idea that we could fall into a painting (think Mary Poppins and Bert coming alive in the sidewalk chalk scenes). The magical realism juxtaposed with the very real events of single motherhood (among other things I will avoid mentioning in order to prevent spoilers), really brought this story (and painting) to life. Although the love story was one of the main plots, I felt as though all the other plot points drew me in more and kept me reading. Again, I won’t mention them to avoid spoilers, but the big “twist” halfway through should not have been as shocking to me as it was. In fact, I would love to chat with the author about what made her choose certain themes and plots over others. I could tell that a lot of research went into the writing and development of this book, and it is much appreciated.

With that said, The Art of Vanishing has a bit of everything for everyone: magical realism, love, and mystery are just some. I would recommend it to those who are art lovers, or those who want a twist on a traditional love story. As for me, you can catch me at the Barnes hopelessly staring at paintings, hoping I can fall into one.

The Art of Vanishing is one of my favorite books I have read in a long time. The premise alone is both unique & nostalgic - a difficult balance to strike but is accomplished expertly. It brings me back to my childhood love of the Magic Tree House series and The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler where my love of reading sprouted, filling me with joy every moment.

This type of story sticks with you - Wondering as you go through your life what the main characters (and other characters) might think of a situation you encounter.

The writing is witty and sharp, the story fun & heartening, and it is a truly magical book. I can't wait to re-read it!

Loved this book! So creative, an original love story, beautiful writing and characters you fall in love with. The story was as beautiful as a painting and I will be recommending this one to everyone this summer! A must read for 2025!

The storyline was unique and there were many surprises in the book. I love the combination of art and history and romance.

A lovely original story, reminiscent of a stand alone episode of Doctor Who or The Twilight Zone. Claire gets a great job cleaning an art museum and can't stop staring at the artwork, painting in the early 20th century. The tour guides are able to give people the background of the artists, painting their families, and the symbolism of the objects within the paintings. Claire has a good trainer, Linda, and takes a bit longer cleaning at night, until she realizes that she can see the people in the paintings move, which will remind you of the Harry Potter paintings at Hogwarts.

Like the magical paintings, the subjects are pulled into a painting world, do not sleep, and freeze in place during the day. But at night they come alive and can even visit worlds in the other paintings on the walls. Claire is unique in that she can step into the painting, and will fall in love with 19 year old Jean. She has some family secrets she isn't sure she wants to reveal about herself. But just as she is willing to open up, the covid pandemic happens and the painting subjects are completely confused as to why they have been abandoned, left in the dark. They surmise that the country is at war.

This debut novel is such a creative romantic premise, written simply and accessibly, for those that enjoy the magical realism and romantic genre. This is lighter on the romance and heavier on contemporary fiction and characterization. There are 3 storylines, Claire finding out about Jean in his world, the pandemic and what happens with Claire and her family during the 4 months they are apart, and a bit of a suspense/crime storyline at the end.

While some reviewers may not like the change in plot direction, I found it to be whimsical and clever. Jean is a relatable character, and Claire bringing her iPhone into the paintings and conversations about how different their worlds are is very humorous, smoking, technology, art and the appreciation thereof.

It is a bit of a doomed relationship for obvious reasons, but the best relationships teach us more about ourselves, even when they don't last forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC. Book to be published July 1, 2025.

Tbqh, these last few weeks, and <gestures wildly>, you know, everything, have felt like a lot and really made me want to be on social media as little as possible. Luckily that made for a great excuse to read more, including anything that could take me out of the brain space of current events in the U.S. Enter: The Art of Vanishing, a debut by Morgan Pager.

This book’s premise is SO fun and unusual — set in an art museum, one of the main characters - Claire - is able to literally jump into paintings and explore their worlds. Perfect for what I needed right now — a great escape. I also really adore books that infuse magical realism.

While I did enjoy the book for the distraction it provided and the interesting concept, I have to rate it 3 stars. Most of the chapters are written from the other main character’s POV, a man featured in one of the paintings, and he and Claire fall in love. Even loving magical realism, it was hard for me to suspend reality enough for that. I also unfortunately didn’t love the writing in those parts as much as I would have hoped.

The book takes a turn toward the last quarter or so, though, with a mini mystery injected, which was a fun added layer! And the ending was not at all what I expected.

This book comes out in July and I still recommend checking it out then - probably a great beach read! I also am looking forward to more from this author. 🤍

*Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine for an advance reader copy!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Fairly solid romance book that uses the hook of "what if the paintings all came to life at the art museum after hours, and one fell in love with a lady who's a janitor there?", adds in the twist of the pandemic, single motherhood, and a heist, and doesn't entirely deal with the fantasy part of things (not mechanics wise, that was never really the interest, but in terms of "hey this guy is going to remain forever unchanging in a painting and you are going to age"), but does fit the overall themes of the book. This was still a fun, enjoyable read, and is definitely worth your time to distract from how much everything kinda is terrible rn.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!
This was such a cool concept, but unfortunately, it just didn't quite live up to my expectations. I felt that the characters, relationships, and magic system were unfortunately lacking in the depth that I expected from this concept. Additionally, the two sources of conflict added in the middle and toward the end of the book took me out of the story a bit. Aside from some personal preferences, they unfortunately did not feel fully cohesive with the rest of the story. All that being said, I'm not sure that I would necessarily recommend this book. However, I do want to credit the author for her unique concept and for writing some very sweet and genuine moments.

I was really intrigued by this book and was really happy to receive an eARC! This book was wild in the best way and was really thought provoking. It was a really fun read and was something that I couldn't put down. I wish we got more closure on the MFCs ending - if she ended back up with her baby daddy or what happened in her life in the epilogue.

This was a lovely story with a satisfying ending. There is a dual connected timeline (which I am a sucker for) and there is also a touch of magical realism.. I loved the themes of women overcoming circumstances of control and abuse in both of the timelines. There are also some beautiful passages in this book that you'll want to read more than once just because they deserve to be. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I genuinely loved the magical realism of this book! I think this book is perfect for fans of Ashley Poston! The art aspect of this book was also done so well, and I finished the book with a newfound appreciate for art! I was a having such a great time reading this story, but the introduction of Covid into the plot kind of took me out of the story a little bit. Besides that though, I did really enjoy this book. The connection between the characters was entertaining to read and the premise was so original and entertaining. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!

The concept of this book was unique and left me with an appreciation for art and museums. However, I felt like it was a slow read for me. I didn’t particularly care for the characters, and some of the back story was confusing or fell flat. The dialogue at times felt forced. I think maybe I just wasn’t the right reader for this style of book as I can see how others could really enjoy it.

OK WOW this book was amazing! I was so excited to receive this arc not only is the cover art STUNNING but this was such a beautiful romance story. I honestly never thought of a book like this before but I loved everything about it! Truly I am obsessed and I can't wait to read more from this author!

I really loved this book, but I ran out of time to read it in it! I highly rec her debut novel of love and romance in the museum! 5 stars

Loved the concept of this! I do feel like there were maybe too many plot lines happening and the heist threw me for a loop along with the pandemic. But the idea of Claire and Jean never being able to be together was heartbreaking but made me keep reading to see how they would part.

An interesting take with a main character who can enter paintings. Overall, there were moments when the story dragged, then there was an abrupt detour to reference the pandemic these characters had to navigate through and then the ending left you wanting more.

It was an okay magical realism read. Art lovers will be obsessed with the first half of this book.

eARC Netgalley

this book was a really great read! i think the way it flowed, and how people developed. I did enjoy the themes of love, relationships, and science fiction. Everything was great, i highly recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Like Night at the Museum but if it was a romcom. This was a cute, fun read but I don't really love books that have a covid plotline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for sending me this ARC!

A refreshing debut novel by Morgan Pager. "The Art of Vanishing" is a magical realism novel where two unlikely people fall in love, Jean from a painting by Henri Matisse; Claire a nighttime museum employee with a secret and is able to move between her world and into paintings. The novel is told from a dual point of view, set primarily in an art museum in NYC. They both know that their love affair may not last, but are happier together, even for a moment. Despite this, readers will want to root for Jean and Claire despite the ups and downs. I have not read a novel like Morgan Pager's and the storyline is unique with plot twists that keep you reading. I would recommend the novel to others and I cannot wait to see what is next for the author.