This was quite good! I have read and enjoyed Joy Fielding in the past so I knew that I had a pretty good chance of enjoying this book as well. I have had a review copy for a while but for one reason or another never ended up actually picking it up. This is a story of a missing child so I knew that it might be a bit more emotional but when I saw that my library had a copy of the audiobook, I thought it was time to give this book a try. This book ended up being really hard to set aside because I just had to know what really happened to Samantha.

This book is told through several points in time. We see everything happening to Caroline and her family today and all those years ago during that fateful trip when Samantha disappeared. We do also see a few shorter scenes at different points during the fifteen years that have elapsed since the disappearance. I really thought that everything fit together very well and came together to tell a very sad tale.

I was completely invested in learning what happened all those years ago and felt really bad about everything that Caroline has been through over the years. Not only did Caroline lose her daughter, but she was also treated terribly by society. Everyone seemed to blame her for her daughter's disappearance. As the actual night that her daughter disappeared came together, my heart hurt for her. It didn't seem right that one bad decision should have such a devastating impact on her life.

The story that was set in the present was equally well done. I understood why Caroline had to find out if the girl on the other end of the phone could be her daughter. I did have some issues with her older daughter, Michelle. I couldn't understand why Caroline allowed her to have the control that she did and it got to be a bit much for me. I know that Michelle had also been through a lot and was dealing with things differently but Caroline, as her mother, should have stood up to her a bit more. Once everything was finally revealed, there were a few surprises.

Tanya Eby did a great job with the narration. I thought that she added a lot of emotion to the story and really brought the characters to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and had no problem listening to the book for hours at a time.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought it was a very well done and sometimes emotional mystery with plenty of twists to keep things interesting. I definitely plan to read more from Joy Fielding in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library via Overdrive.

Every mother's worst nightmare is the focus of this book. On what should be a joyous occasion, her 10th wedding anniversary, Caroline finds herself facing something no mother should ever face. Her 2 year old daughter goes missing without a trace. She finds her world turned upside down, and over the next 15 years must continually battle to make it through each day as she loses herself in the "what ifs".
This novel is well-written and is a true page-turner. Alternating between the present and different phases of time, the writer captures one's attention and holds it until the very end. A surprising plot twist was the perfect ending. This book did contain some explicit language, but overall was a good read. Characters were well-developed. I felt empathy for Caroline, sadness for her other daughter Michelle, and dislike for Hunter. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful novel with a well-written ending.

Joy Fielding writes a strong entertaining novel. She's Not There wasn't quite as suspenseful as I would have expected, nonetheless, it kept me reading way too late into the night. I appreciate the complexity of the characters, and the even but fast pacing of the story. It was a bit predictable, and I was able to solve the mystery myself. She's Not There made for an enjoyable evening's read.

This was a very compelling mystery with some wonderful characters. The storyline kept me riveted and will stay with me.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this publication.