The premise sounded interesting, but I couldn't get into it.

I'm going over my backlog that I forgot to post on netgalley, sorry for the late posts.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. Great book! Well written, great premise and interesting characters. This book checks every box for a psychological thriller. I will be recommending this book. Thanks again for letting have a chance to read it.

Zoe has a perfect life - wealthy, with a successful husband and a perfect social live- but her past life is so different that no one would suspect. When her past history catches up with her, the suspense begins. The book has a deliciously creepy ending, in the manner of a horror story.

The synopsis of this book sounded great and it started off well but then for me it fell flat and I lost interest.

If you are looking for an emotional roller coast this is the book for you. I started this book loving how Zoe was able to take a rough start to life and turn into a successful and happy life. As I continued reading I was shocked at all the secrets she was having to hide to be able to live this life. Everyone has secrets but most are not as shocking as Zoe’s. From the beginning I knew those secrets would have a major effect on her life. Being on the edge of my seat, turning page after page, having to keep reading just to know what was going to happen.

Now onto her relationship with her husband. Oh Henry Whittaker, I wanted to like you for taking Zoe into your world and letting her live the life that most women dream of. The parties, the dresses, the jewelry, and the homes are all stuff made in dreams. Yet, there was never any show of true love. He was controlling, violent, and just scary. Yet, I never saw where this relationship was going. I had ideas and I was so wrong.

There is also the search for Zoe’s biological mother and what she finds from her search that brings so much to the story. Her relationship with Lydia and Cash were my favorites. There is nothing in this book that I did not love. Kate Moretti has quickly earned her spot as a go-to author for me.

I definitely recommend picking up your copy ASAP.

Just when you think you know what's going on the author twists and turns it around on you! I loved this book and all the secrets it held. Totally worth taking the time to relate to the characters and read.

This is by far one of my favorite books of 2017. Its wonderfully written, a true thrilling read that grabs the reader from page one. You will find yourself unable to put it down. The author has a masterful complex set of clues that draw you into keep reading. I will not give the story away but will say this is highly recommended !

Thank you for the ARC and I look forward to further books by this great author.

Zoe Whittaker never thought that she would be married to a Wall Street tycoon, but here she is. Married to Henry Whittaker, a man that she never thought she would be lucky enough to find. Zoe hasn't had an easy life - she was adopted and when her mother was dying she turned to drugs and a life of crime. When that fell apart Zoe testified against some scary men, changed her name and moved across the country, where she met Henry. Now that she has gotten settled into a life of luxury Zoe wants to find her real mother, but the closer she gets to finding the truth the weirder things get with Henry. He is becoming more and more controlling. Throwing accusations around like confetti and won't let Zoe into locked rooms at their cabin. When their home is broken into, Zoe is convinced that the men she testified against have come to get their revenge or does it have something to do with the secrets that Henry has been keeping.

I almost gave up on The Vanishing Year a couple of times. It wasn't gripping me in the way that I had hoped. I think I am just a bit weary of the controlling, abusive, jerky husband character that has been so popular with this year's crop of books. Henry was a jerk. A big jerk and Zoe let him get away with being a jerk. But at the same time, she would go behind his back to meet up with the handsome reporter who was helping her find her mother. None of that makes for a healthy marriage. Then there is Zoe's past behavior that has her constantly looking over her shoulder. Not exactly the pillar of society that she is projecting. Zoe gets herself into a pretty precarious situation but is saved by the least likely person. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.

Bottom line - I was hoping for a great psychological thriller and I had a hard time connecting with the story, the characters. I have been hearing a lot of good things about this book, so maybe it is just me.


Details:
The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti
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Pages: 304
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 9/27/2016
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The Vanishing Year
Kate Moretti
Atria Books, September 2016
ISBN 978-1-5011-1843-2
Trade Paperback

From the publisher—

Zoe Whittaker is living a charmed life. She is the beautiful young wife to handsome, charming Wall Street tycoon Henry Whittaker. She is a member of Manhattan’s social elite. She is on the board of one of the city’s most prestigious philanthropic organizations. She has a perfect Tribeca penthouse in the city and a gorgeous lake house in the country. The finest wine, the most up-to-date fashion, and the most luxurious vacations are all at her fingertips.

What no one knows is that five years ago, Zoe’s life was in danger. Back then, Zoe wasn’t Zoe at all. Now her secrets are coming back to haunt her.

As the past and present collide, Zoe must decide who she can trust before she—whoever she is—vanishes completely.

From the opening lines, we learn that Zoe has lived with uncertainty her whole life. Yes, she had a true mother who fills her thoughts every day but it’s the girl who left her behind at birth that Zoe dreams about now, wondering about what might have happened. Sometimes, these dreams are violent, and it’s a far cry from such a start in life to the world she inhabits now of wealth and prestige. Zoe’s husband, Henry, expects her to take her place in society and she does, reluctantly, that reluctance perhaps coming from more than just shyness.

The tone set by Ms. Moretti is just slightly ominous in those first pages but, in her capable hands, the tension ratchets up until I started getting those creepy crawlies, the kind that ripple up and down your spine, and I couldn’t sleep for needing to know what was coming next. The secrets and lies, the twists and turns, kept showing up without warning and leaving little time to contemplate their true meaning before the next surprise. It’s the unknown that really frightens, isn’t it? And, yet, here the known will become even darker. more of a morass, than Zoe could possibly imagine.

It all begins when someone calls her “Hilary”.

If I have anything negative to say at all, it’s that a cast of characters would have been welcome, considering the plethora of players. Kate Moretti is a writer to be reckoned with, one who wrapped her story around me until I could barely breathe but, when all was said and done, she left me with good feelings and wanting more. This is a writer who knows how to tell a tale 😉

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2016.

The Vanishing Year was a page-turner. A new author to me, I didn't know what to expect from Kate Moretti.. Since reading the book, I have met her and she is truly wonderful. I bought a handful of copies for her to sign so that I could gift to family/friends. Each and every person who read the book loved it as much as me.

WOW. Kate writes with excellent detail and imagery! I loved the story and surprised myself that I figured out the twist! the main character was well developed and the villain was too, and done in such a way as to even make the reader question their perceptions and thoughts! It was well paced, not too fast, but steady until the climax, then it moved faster - that or I was just anxious to see how things ended! Bravo! I can't wait to read what Kate writes next!

Zoe Whittaker is living the life with a rich husband and a penthouse. She's at a society charity event with her husband, Henry, when she runs into someone from her past. It's revealed that Zoe had another name and another life that has nothing to do with her current one. From that point on the story jumps to the past then back to the present until her two lives converge.

It's obvious that though she believes everything is fine, Zoe isn't comfortable in her new life. Her husband is not quite the perfect person she wants him to be and she's good at rationalizing his behavior. But as her story unfolds it shows why she's hesitant to rock the boat. She needs protection and she's willing to overlook at lot to get it.

Even though this is a suspenseful read, I figured out what was going on about 2/3's of the way through. That doesn't detract from the story at all, and there were a couple of twists at the end that I didn't expect. Overall I enjoyed the story, though the jumping back and forth between past and present was a bit jarring at times.

Actually Zoe's old identity seemed like a much more interesting person, but we don't get to see as much of her. When Zoe is finally is able to connect her past and present, she takes charge of her life and becomes much more compelling.

An engaging and absorbing read! I was drawn in from the first page and couldn't stop turning the pages with my curiosity! I found the protagonist to be interesting and I wanted to know more of her story--that was what really kept me reading! None of the other characters really pulled me in, but I'm also not sure if they were supposed to. I guessed a good portion of the ending, but was also pleasantly surprised by a few twists I didn't quite see coming! The book kept reminding me of Rebecca, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it (and I'm not sure if this was inspired by, or supposed to be a modern retelling of the classic, but the threads were definitely there). All in all, I recommend to fans of suspense! The Vanishing Year became a vanishing day for me as I couldn't stop reading. A fun read!


*I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This was a decent enough story but I expected more due to all the hype. I thought it was a bit slow moving at times but overall an enjoyable story.

I read a lot of thrillers, so it's very hard to impress me with this genre. This book is good, don't get me wrong, but it took a long time to finally get interesting. This book is only 290 pages and it took me a month and a half to finish it. A month and a freaking half. It never takes me that long to finish books, especially thrillers. So it's safe to say the premise and story wasn't holding my interest. I read the last 150 pages all in one sitting tonight because I desperately just wanted to finish it, and luckily it did get better by the ending.

This story follows a woman named Zoe living in New York City, married to a wall street rich man named Henry Whittaker, and her life seems perfect. But years ago Zoe was involved in an incident that endangered her life and she was forced to leave and change her name and run away basically. Her past unexpectedly catches up with her and all of her secrets from the past come crashing down on her. Zoe is an interesting narrator, but at the end of the day she's very forgettable. Nothing about her voice makes her stand out from any other protagonist I've read form in the past.

The pacing of this book was ridiculously slow until about the 200 page mark. However, the ending did start to pick up the pace and a few plot twists were thrown in that I did not see coming, so I definitely enjoyed the book more after that. The ending was a little too cheesy for my taste, but I didn't hate it. I personally think this story line has so much potential and could've been built up a lot better than it was. But the end result was pretty good and pretty intense and by the last few chapters I was flying through the pages so that's a good sign.

Overall, this book was okay. If you're in the mood for a thriller then this will definitely give you your fix but it isn't necessarily one I would personally recommend.