The Night She Disappeared
The addictive, No 1 bestselling Richard and Judy book club pick
by Lisa Jewell
Narrated by Joanne Froggatt
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Jul 22 2021 | Archive Date Dec 09 2021
Penguin Random House UK Audio | Cornerstone Digital
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Description
Brought to you by Penguin.
"Mum, there's some people here from college, they asked me back to theirs. Just for an hour or so. Is that OK?"
Midsummer 2017: teenage mum Tallulah heads out on a date, leaving her baby son at home with her mother, Kim.
At 11pm she sends her mum a text message. At 4.30am Kim awakens to discover that Tallulah has not come home.
Friends tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a pool party at a house in the woods nearby called Dark Place.
Tallulah never returns.
2018: walking in the woods behind the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started as a head-teacher, Sophie sees a sign nailed to a fence.
A sign that says: DIG HERE . . .
A cold case. An abandoned mansion. A family hiding a terrible secret.
Prepare to be hooked. Lisa Jewell's latest thriller is her best yet.
'I love all Lisa's books, but The Night She Disappeared is by far her best thriller yet.' HARLAN COBEN
'Mother of God, Lisa Jewell's on fire. The Night She Disappeared is UNBELIEVABLY good. I was utterly utterly agog.' MARIAN KEYES
'No-one tells stories like this better than Lisa Jewell ... she gets right into it, doesn't mess about, puts real-seeming characters with rich interior lives through 350 pages of insane suspense - and then hits us with an ending we never saw coming. I love it.' LEE CHILD
'I'm calling it early. This is Lisa's best book yet, and she always sets that bar high! Stayed up so late because I couldn't put it down.' ADELE PARKS, author of Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck
'Oh my God, so good. A head-scratching, heart-racing, page-turning triumph - I think this might be my favourite Lisa Jewell yet.' LOUISE CANDLISH
'No one thickens a plot like Lisa Jewell. I couldn't put this book down. Jewell just keeps getting better. It's SO GOOD!' SHARI LAPENA
'Masterly. Gripping from start to finish.' JOANNE HARRIS
'I swear her books are masterclasses for authors. Every time I read one, I'm in awe. I loved this one so much - clever, slick and so intriguing. Lots of emotion and I love how all the sub-plots come together. #bowdowntoLisa' MEL SHERRATT
'Another first class mystery . . . Totally enthralling.' HARRIET TYCE, author of Blood Orange
'I predict another number one.' ERIN KELLY, author of He Said, She Said
'Once again Lisa Jewell has knocked it out of the park. Another masterclass in thriller writing from one of the world's most consistently brilliant authors. I was superglued to the pages' MARK EDWARDS, author of Here to Stay
'Totally absorbing. I felt as though I'd slipped into the book and lived there for a few days, heart pounding. So so so amazing!' KATHERINE HEINY, author of Early Morning Riser
'Absolutely loved this one by Lisa Jewell - compelling, deep, surprising, tense, modern. Most thrillers are in black and white to me in terms of character and Lisa is blazing saturated technicolour.' GILLIAN MCALLISTER, author of Everything But the Truth
'I'm passionately attached to Lisa Jewell, whose novels somehow manage to be good-natured, creepy and tense all at once.' SARAH PERRY, author of The Essex Serpent
'Nail-biting. Left me reeling' JANE CORRY
© Lisa Jewell 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
Advance Praise
'Mother of God, Lisa Jewell's on fire. The Night She Disappeared is UNBELIEVABLY good. I was utterly utterly agog.' MARIAN KEYES
'No-one tells stories like this better than Lisa Jewell ... she gets right into it, doesn't mess about, puts real-seeming characters with rich interior lives through 350 pages of insane suspense - and then hits us with an ending we never saw coming. I love it.' LEE CHILD
'I'm calling it early. This is Lisa's best book yet, and she always sets that bar high! Stayed up so late because I couldn't put it down.' ADELE PARKS, author of Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck
'Oh my God, so good. A head-scratching, heart-racing, page-turning triumph - I think this might be my favourite Lisa Jewell yet.' LOUISE CANDLISH
'No one thickens a plot like Lisa Jewell. I couldn't put this book down. Jewell just keeps getting better. It's SO GOOD!' SHARI LAPENA
'Masterly. Gripping from start to finish.' JOANNE HARRIS
'I swear her books are masterclasses for authors. Every time I read one, I'm in awe. I loved this one so much - clever, slick and so intriguing. Lots of emotion and I love how all the sub-plots come together. #bowdowntoLisa' MEL SHERRATT
'Another first class mystery . . . Totally enthralling.' HARRIET TYCE, author of Blood Orange
'I predict another number one.' ERIN KELLY, author of He Said, She Said
'Once again Lisa Jewell has knocked it out of the park. Another masterclass in thriller writing from one of the world's most consistently brilliant authors. I was superglued to the pages' MARK EDWARDS, author of Here to Stay
'Totally absorbing. I felt as though I'd slipped into the book and lived there for a few days, heart pounding. So so so amazing!' KATHERINE HEINY, author of Early Morning Riser
'Absolutely loved this one by Lisa Jewell - compelling, deep, surprising, tense, modern. Most thrillers are in black and white to me in terms of character and Lisa is blazing saturated technicolour.' GILLIAN MCALLISTER, author of Everything But the Truth
'I'm passionately attached to Lisa Jewell, whose novels somehow manage to be good-natured, creepy and tense all at once.' SARAH PERRY, author of The Essex Serpent
'Nail-biting. Left me reeling' JANE CORRY
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format, Unabridged |
ISBN | 9781473593183 |
PRICE | £10.83 (GBP) |
DURATION | 11 Hours, 55 Minutes |
Links
Featured Reviews
Wow this audiobook was amazing! I was hooked right from the beginning and didn’t want to stop listening.
I love Lisa’s books and have been reading them for years. I usually like to read a new library hardback, but when I saw the NetGalley audiobook I couldn’t resist it.
I definitely made the right decision as it was soo good! It’s a mystery, a thriller, and a domestic drama, it’s brilliant!
There was such a good mix of characters in the two timelines, some I loved some I didn’t and some I wasn’t too sure about. I got caught up with this story that I was even thinking about it when I was going off to sleep wondering where it was headed, and what had happened to Tallulah? I loved the two timelines and how they came together at the end to reveal what had happened on that fatal night. Oh and that epilogue is great!
Joanne Froggatt’s narration was absolutely amazing. She became all the different characters for me, and had me marvelling at her incredible voice talents. She is definitely on my favourite narrators list now!
I’m not saying any more except that I reckon that this is Lisa Jewell’s best thriller yet and I really can’t wait for her next book!
#TheNightSheDisappeared is another cracker by #LisaJewell. The author is a master of utilising multiple points of view and in this #mystery she also presents three timelines. However, I was at no time confused following along. I was itching to find out what happened, and despite multiple theories I just didn’t get it…. I’m glad I was listening to the audio so I couldn’t flick to the end as tension and suspense were built. The story is centred around a young couple who disappear leaving behind a young child. As the story progresses things are not what they seem. Nothing can be taken at face value. I couldn’t put this down.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouseUKAudio for gifting me this #ARC in exchange for an honest review.
OMG!!! WHAT A BRILLIANT AUDIOBOOK!!! EASY FIVE STAR REVIEW - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
This latest book by Lisa Jewell is everything I knew it would be from her and a whole lot more. I have been a fan of this authors for years, and I was so thrilled when I was allocated a slot on Penguin's first audio book tour via Insta Book Tours. This has left me wanting to go on a Lisa Jewell binge and re-read her books again, and read the ones I haven't. I have already downloaded another audio book written by her into my audio library. I can not express how much I enjoyed this.
The narrator brings this story to life to a superb standard and although I recognised almost straight away who it was, but I don't want to say here and spoil anything for future listeners.
Concluding the story on the very last page, this quite me engaged and invested from the very beginning, fast plot with twists and turns all the way and a jaw dropping ending that was so unforeseen! A few sensitive issues that are handled really well, and the characters really realistic and believable. Ideal read/listen for anyone who like domestic thrillers.
Another great success by Lisa Jewell that needs to be at the top of your bookish shopping list!!.
The Night She Disappeared will keep you on your toes until long into the night.
Talulah is a young mother who has recently returned to College. She lives in a small village where everyone knows everyone else. When she goes for a rare night to the pub with her boyfriend, neither of them come home. The police can find no leads. Until Sophie, recently arrived as the partner of the headmaster at a local boarding school, finds a clue at the bottom of her garden. All roads seem to lead to a mysterious house called Dark Wood and the family who live there.
Told over 2 timelines (the time leading up to the disappearance and the present day unravelling of what happened, this is a hugely satisfying thriller. Each chapter leads to another and there are numerous knotty twists and turns along the way. I listened to the excellent audiobook narrated by the brilliant Joanne Froggatt. 4.5*
Thanks to PRH and Netgalley for the ARC.
Yet another Lisa Jewell book that easily earns 5 stars. This story was very original and the swapping from past to present time really worked. The characters were real which was helped enormously by Joanne Froggat as narrator. I wouldn’t want to give any plot away but just have to say the scenes with Tallukah and Zak had me on the edge of my seat some of the times.
This is bound to be a big hit I’m sure and so we’ll deserved. Look forward to her next offering.
What a great thriller by Lisa Jewell, kept me guessing until the end... And when I say end, I mean literally the end!
The narrator was great, conveying the emotional elements very clearly, and using different voices for the different characters, which made the audiobook very easy to follow.
The story was told from many point of views and kept going back and forth in time. I was a bit nervous at the beginning that it would be difficult to follow as an audiobook but it was actually quite easy to keep up, and the story was so enticing I just wanted to keep listening.
Thank you to NetGallery and Penguin Random House UK Audio for sending this ARC in exchange fo an honest review.
Totally gripped from start to finish by this mystery thriller. Lisa Jewell tells a story and then some! Each chapter adds to the drama and suspense and I had no idea how this would all unravel as the layers not only started to fall away, but build at the same time. It’s extraordinary!
The narrative follows a past and present timeline. Two young people disappear without trace after meeting up with a group of friends. They seemingly vanish off the face of the earth and no one knows what happened to them. In the current timeline, a novelist ( with her own backstory) becomes intrigued by the case and starts to put bits of the jigsaw together. From the reader or listener perspective, we learn about a range of diverse characters and then, as the story develops, our belief in the truth of those people is challenged. It’s a real roller coaster with such plausible people, brought very vividly to life by Joanne Froggat’s amazing narration. She has distinct voice for every character and I couldn’t stop listening. This is a brilliant mystery thriller which takes you in to the heart of the story and doesn’t let you out until it’s resolved. Loved it and my thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.
I have a sort of love/hate thing going on with Lisa Jewell books. (Well I wouldn’t say hate – just disappointment perhaps).
Books I’ve loved:
THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS – 4 wonderful stars for this one.
WATCHING YOU – again 4 fab stars.
Then there are the couple I didn’t gel with:
THEN SHE WAS GONE – I read that one super quick, within a day, but it just fell a little flat for me.
INVISIBLE GIRL – just wasn’t for me.
So, I had mixed feelings about this one going in, however I shouldn’t have worried. I really enjoyed it. 😊
Tallulah and her boyfriend go to the pub once night, leaving her baby with her mum. They don’t come home and her mum, Kim, starts to get worried. Fast forward 2 years and Sophie is new to the village and stumbles across a sign in the woods saying ‘DIG HERE’. What follows is an investigation into a cold case to find out what really happened that night to Tallulah.
Really intriguing mystery by Jewell, it was so interesting and unique. I really enjoyed the writing style, which was fast paced and flowing. The dual timeline worked well and I always knew where I was in time and in the investigation.
I listened to this via audio and the narration was fantastic. Really well done. I’m glad I have lots more Lisa Jewell to discover, as this book has renewed my interest in her novels.
The Night She Disappeared is a slow burning mystery with an atmospheric setting and interesting characters. I particularly liked Sophie and hope that she may appear in the next book, investigating a different crime. I listened to some of the story on audio and Joanne Froggatt’s narration was absolutely brilliant, and definitely added to my enjoyment of the book.
I love Lisa Jewell books. There aren’t many I’ve not read and this one didn’t disappoint. Lisa is queen of last chapter discoveries. She keeps you guessing, twisting and turning through possible solutions until the very end. I listen to this as an audio book ans can honestly say the narrator was amazing. All her voices kept the characters all clear in my mind. A great who done it! .
I was gripped right from the very beginning of this. Absolutely chilling and such a great read. Works great as an audiobook
I liked this book from Lisa Jewell. It’s a good mystery that had me gripped, I couldn’t put it down. There’s multiple points of view and multiple timelines. I liked the twists and that she kept you guessing, however I did guess the ending about half way through but it was still enjoyable.
I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell's writing so i was very excited to listen to The Night She Disappeared. Joanne Froggatt does an amazing job narrating the audiobook- she narrates in a range of different accents and makes a clear differentiation between the various characters. This is a novel told in 2 timelines of 2017 and 2018 telling of the disappearance of 19 year old Tallulah and her boyfriend Zac. I loved the synopsis but for me the novel didn't live up to Jewell's best work. This was partly due to the dual timelines not working well for me on audio but I also felt the novel lacked pace and suspense and I didn't feel overly invested.
Sadly a 3.5 rating which I've rounded up to 4 stars for the narration.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to and review this digital audiobook.
My first Lisa Jewell and yes please to more of the same’ I have found thrillers to be the ultimate literary distraction right now and the minute I started listening to The Night She Disappeared I was completely hooked.
Kim lives with her daughter, Tallulah (what a wonderful name), her boyfriend Zack and their baby, Noah. Tallulah is a young Mum, juggling parenting duties whilst trying to study to be a social worker. Zack has dreams of buying his little family their own home. Kim props them all up. One night Zack and Tallulah go for a night out and never return. A year on and there are no clues to their disappearance. Sophie. a writer moves into the neighbourhood and finds a sign saying Dig Here..
Joanna froggatt was exceptional as the narrator - she manages the various voices, tones and accents capably, moving seamlessly between characters. In particular her voicing of Kim draws out the desperation and heartache of a mother who has lost her beloved daughter. Froggatt has now been added to my top three narrators.
This is a compulsive read, the tension is sustained throughout the story and at just the right level of frustration- frustration at the police who are under resourced and fairly useless, frustration at the protagonists who are clearly holding back. The desperation to find out what had happened to a girl who has literally disappeared takes hold of you and does not let go. Absolutely thrilling! With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House U.K. Audio for a digital copy of this exciting read.
My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. Audio for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition, via NetGalley, of ‘The Night She Disappeared’ by Lisa Jewell in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is narrated by Joanne Froggatt and has a running time of 11 hours, 55 minutes at 1x speed.
I can always count on Lisa Jewell to deliver a cracking psychological thriller/domestic noir. I found her latest book almost impossible to put down. So in order to avoid spoilers I won’t say too much about the plot.
The story is set primarily in Upfield Common, a picturesque Surrey village, and emerges through two timelines separated by fourteen months. In June 2017 Tallulah, a teenage mum, heads out on a date leaving her baby son at home with her mother, Kim. Yet when Kim wakes in the early hours she discovers that Tallulah has not come home.
Kim learns from Tallulah’s friends that she and her boyfriend, Zach, were last seen heading to a pool party at a house in the nearby woods called Dark Place. Yet neither Tallulah and Zach return. There is some investigation by the police but the case quickly goes cold.
In August 2018: Sophie Beck is walking in the woods behind Maypole House, the private boarding school in the Surrey hills where her boyfriend has just started as head-teacher. She sees a sign nailed to a fence: ‘Dig Here’. Sophie is a writer of cosy mysteries and cannot ignore such an invitation. What she uncovers throws light on the missing teenagers.
The structure of the narrative does demand close attention to avoid confusion even though each chapter heading states the date. This is especially so when Kim appears in both timelines. I do feel that the audiobook edition helped with this as it was clearly announced at the start of each chapter.
With respect to the audiobook, Joanne Froggatt is an actor who I fell in love with for her portrayal of Anna Bates on ‘Downton Abbey’. She hasn’t narrated many audiobooks to date and so it was a treat to have her as the reader of this novel. Her voice was like honey to my ears, very soft yet clear and powerful. It really was a wonderful aural experience.
Overall, I feel that ‘The Night She Disappeared’ will not only prove a success with existing fans of Lisa Jewell but also win her enthusiastic new readers.
Within the sub genre of psychological thrillers/mysteries, this novel ticks all my boxes and so happy to recommend.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
The Night She Disappeared was a book that I listened to and thought it was simply fantastic. The narrator of the book was an absolute pleasure to listen to. It was a slow burn of a read at times but I think that it suited the book. I loved the way the story was told in the different timelines, I really can’t recommend this book highly enough..
This was an interesting storyline. I was intrigued from the get go. It’s told from multiple timelines which I love as I feel I’m getting fed the information from the beginning and the end and it’ll all come together when it meets in the middle. It was a slow burner and at times I felt it was a bit drawn out but it did offer up some great twists and turns. Totally could identify with Kim’s character as I think anyone with kids would. Some characters were truly unlikeable but that’s down to the authors great way of writing them. The narrator really suited this storyline and I could totally identify between the characters which is always a plus. Would recommend this listen.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC thats due to be published on the 22nd of July.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Review of the audiobook narrated by Joanne Froggatt, known for her Downton Abbey fame!
The narration was great, Froggatt captured the tension and drama perfectly.
This was a mixed bag for me, I was immediately drawn into the story of Kim and Tallulah, and then Sophie in the later timeline. It was a gripping and captivating start and I was so intrigued to see where the book would take me.
The dual timeline was great at first, but in the second half of the audiobook I began to lose track. There were more characters introduced that I forgot their role in the story, and although I enjoyed the ending I did have to keep rewinding it to follow what was happening.
I definitely enjoyed this more than Jewell's previous book and I would definitely recommend it to thriller fans!
I have heard lots of good things about Lisa Jewell but I've never read any of her books. I am only surprised by how long I've waited! I really enjoyed this slow burn, multi timeline mystery/thriller. When doting mum Tulluah goes for a night out with Zach they leave their son with her mum Kim. When they haven’t returned by the morning you are left wondering what happened to them. Had me hooked from the start and I enjoyed all the twists.
This audiobook is read by Joanne Froggatt. I remember her from her days in Corronation Street and have loved everything I've seen her in since so I knew I would be in for a treat and she didn't disappoint.
Lisa Jewell has a way of weaving together a story that draws the reader in so wholly that they don't want to put the book down because you need to know what happens next.
In The Night She Disappeared you think you know where the story is going, you think you've got it all sussed out then...hello twist! This is a book that keeps going all the way to the final paragraph. Written in a close dual timeline the story gets slowly revealed as the past & present come slowly to their dramatic conclusion. The mix of characters across the timelines works really well too as you follow the action & question who you can really trust.
I was lucky enough to get the audiobook of this which is narrated by Joanne Froggatt & I have now reserved another couple of books narrated by her. Her voice acting is brilliant, the way each character was voiced made them stand out as individuals and brought so much personality to them which made the story come alive even more. For me narrators are so important to audiobooks & I've given up on plenty because I couldn't get along with them.
This is a fantastic story, excellently narrated.
I was drawn in from the outset on this story of Tallulah and Zak, the missing teenagers who had left their young son in the care of Tallulah's mother gone out and never returned. Something was amiss and we felt for Tallulah's mum as she craved answers that for the first year never came. When Sophie moves to the village, the girlfriend of the new headteacher, clues start being left. Breadcrumbs for Sophie to follow, a crime novelist solving a real life case. Interwoven is the budding relationship between Scarlett and Tallulah, which has the latter questioning everything. I really enjoyed the narration and it was a book that left me wanting to get back to it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House UK and Lisa Jewell for an ARC in return for an honest review.
I was fortunate enough to receive an audiobook and written version of ‘The Night She Disappeared’. I absolutely adored this book but also loved the audio version. The audiobooks always make the characters feel more real. It left me just as gripped as the written version. I can’t wait for it to be released.
This is a multi-POV, multi-timeline, slow burn mystery that is impossible to put down. My second ever Lisa Jewell novel and absolutely not the last. Lisa has a writing style that engages and absorbs from the very beginning and encourages addictive reading behaviour as it is just impossible to put down until you know how it all works out.
In her latest novel we have teenage parents Tallulah/Lula and Zach who disappear after a night out with no trace leaving their 1 year old son in the care of Lula's mother Kim.
The chapters cover the disappearance from the POV of Kim and detective novelist Sophie who finds herself at the heart of the mystery after moving into a new home with her boyfriend and stumbling upon a clue... a sign nailed to the fence with "Dig Here" written on it.
These chapters are really enjoyable and it is intriguing to try to figure out the mystery as the two team up and question friends from that night as well as using social media to find clues.
The chapter's told from Lula's POV were by far my favourites though not only because you actually get the experience the night in question playing out but also everything that leads up to it.
Her friendship with Scarlett, the edgy popular girl at college and her budding gay relationship with her as well as the domestic abuse storyline throughout with her boyfriend Zach too.
It is more than just a case of what happened that night and where did these kids go... so much more.
The story flows really well from one POV to another and is always written in a way that is completely clear and not at all confusing. There are lots of red herrings, twists and turns that you come to expect from this kind of novel and it really keeps you on your toes.
Overall I find it really difficult to criticise and I am really excited to read more of Lisa's novels.
As I listened to the Audiobook I will also say that the narration was top notch. Honestly, it was so easy to listen to and there was no point at all where I felt like I needed to go back and listen again because I was lost or confused.
It was brilliant and I really enjoyed it!
A truly immersive read by Lisa Jewell, an author I have always meant to read and never got around to.
I was lucky enough to be sent an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All that prevented this novel being a 5 star read was that the three different timelines were only a matter of months apart which meant they weren’t distinct enough to have any clear indicator of which timeline you were in and sometimes could cause a bit of confusion and restarting of the chapter to double check. Nothing major, still a stinking good read and highly recommended.
The Night She Disappeared is a psychological thriller and a detective story all in one. Tallulah (Lula) and her boyfriend boyfriend Zach go missing one night after a party at Tallulah‘s friend Scarlett‘s house.
There is a dual timeline running through the story that goes from night she went missing and the lead up to it and the present day. The present day storyline revolves around Lula’s mother Kim and her baby son Noah who are left wondering whatever happened to her.
A secondary character called Sophie, who is a crime novelist comes on board to help solve the mystery of what happened to Lula on that fateful night. As this is a mystery I won’t reveal anything in this review but let’s just say things did not turn out at all how I expected and I really enjoyed it.
The dual timeline works really well and I enjoyed the back-and-forth even though sometimes it was a little confusing. I listened to this on audio and the narration is top class. A thoroughly excellent performance. I would highly recommend this audiobook
Another amazing book from Lisa Jewell which has had me hooked from page 1! Listened to this on an audiobook version and the story is so intense, full of twists and turns and complete and utter surprises that kept me guessing and interested throughout. Absolutely loved this, perfect thriller read!
Dark Place - a very fancy house, with a great deal of history (some of it indeed very dark) - is where the posh people have been living and then nearby there is Maypole House, a crammer for largely posh types who have flunked their school exams. And then there is a Further Education establishment where Tallulah meets Scarlett (of Dark Place). Tallulah is only 19, living with her mother and boyfriend Zach, together their baby son, and she is trying to tie down being a partner, a daughter, a mother and a student and she's managing ok. That is back in 2017. One evening Tallulah and Zach go on a date night and never return.
Several months later Sophie, who happens to be an author (writing a series called The Little Hither Green Detective Agency) moves to Maypole House with her boyfriend who has taken up the headship there. She is out of her comfort zone, as London is her true home. She is now in a cottage on the edge of a rather foreboding wood and on the other side of all those trees is Dark Place. She has to muster all her sleuthing skills (honed whilst writing her novels) when she finds a hand-written sign that says "Dig Here" with an arrow pointing downwards. Of course she does dig and her discovery opens the way to looking into the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of Tallulah and Zach.
You can sense perhaps from my synopsis that there are a couple of time shifts and various strands to accommodate. The author, however, does a really good job of tying everything together and laying out the storyline so it feels cohesive and gripping. She focusses on wealth, entitlement and class divides and works it all these themes into a compelling story.
This was yet another audiobook experience. The narrator, Joanne Froggatt, has a lot of voices to contend with and does a pretty good job of differentiating between class and male/female (although the matron of the school does start to drone on like a female Michael Gove). Sometimes the moneyed classes sound a bit more like a parody of themselves - frayed bleating with a rise at the end of each sentence - which can be a little grating but overall a good listen.
When her daughter Tallulah doesn't return home from a rare night out, leaving her baby boy in her care, Kim knows something has happened to her. She was a devoted Mum and there is no way that she would just leave Noah.
The story then alternates timelines, unravelling the story slowly to reveal what happend in the run up to and during the nigh Tallulah went missing.
This is a slow-burn of a story, but the pace is nice and steady so keeps you intrigued and wanting to keep reading.
Joanna Froggatt is an excellent narrator bringing all the different characters to life perfectly.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House for approving me for an ARC of this book. I have read two of Lisa Jewell’s previous books and loved them so I was very excited to start this one. Once again I was blown away by the narration. Joanne Froggatt did an amazing job!
In true Lisa Jewell fashion the story was told from several POV and flicked between current events and the events of that night. By the end of the first chapter I was hooked! I had to know what happened to Tallulah, as a mother I know nothing would stop me from getting back to my child so something horrendous must of happened.
Tallulah had nothing but sympathy from me throughout the story. She was a genuine, kind hearted girl who didn’t want to hurt anyone. Being a mother at the age of nineteen had really taken its toll on her and whilst she had a very supportive mum I really couldn’t blame her for feeling confused. Her relationship with Zach was toxic and heading in a very dangerous direction. I’ve often thought the psychological torture can be worse than the physical because it is all that harder to prove. Unfortunately what Tallulah didn’t realise, until it was too late, was how manipulative the people in her life were.
We had a brilliant cast of character but I really enjoyed the role that Sophie played in the whole investigation, it was refreshing to have a character aid the police rather than make themselves a nuisance. The friendship she developed with Kim was very touching too and her final interview in Denmark was brilliant.
The entire story was impossible to put down. Secrets, lies, manipulation were all at the centre of this brilliant read and the final revelation was spine tingly! It’s very hard to review without giving too much away so you’ll just have to trust me when I say you need to read this book! This has got to be some of Lisa Jewell’s best work yet which only makes me excited for her next one!
**listened to the audio book**
Firstly, i'm a huge fan of Lisa Jewell and have read all of her books to date! From waaay back!! So I was super excited to have an early copy of this to review.
I really liked the narrator - and she did a great job at brining all of the characters to life - there are quite a few characters in this and a couple of different timelines so it would have been easy to get lost when following as audio. Joanne Froggatt was the narrator of this audiobook and she knocked it out of the park!
I immediately was sucked in by this book, but the more the book went on, the less interested I became. I think the book had some pacing issues. Despite this, I did enjoy listening/reading but it wasn't my favourite of Lisa Jewell's books. It's not one that will stay with me.
It's still a good thriller, just not my fav!
Tallulah Murray is a nineteen year old single mom to Noah, attending college, trying to figure out her relationship with Noah’s father, Zach, and craving to escape her life for something opposite. Her escape is in the form of Scarlett, a fearless rich popular girl on campus. Tallulah is so intrigued and soon they have a secret relationship, which leads to the night of her’s and Zach’s disappearance. A year later a detective novelist Sophie arrives with her boyfriend Sean, he’s the new head master at the school. Sophie finds a sign & an engagement ring box; she soon becomes obsessed with the disappearance of Tallulah & Zach. This is a slow burn murder mystery told in multiple POVs and in different timelines. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Audio for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.
The Night she disappeared tell the story following teenage mum Talulah going missing. Told from multiple POV and timelines.
We follow Kim, Talulah’s mum, after she wakes up to find her daughter didn’t return home from a night out with Zach, father of her baby Noah. Talulah would not leave her baby willingly of that Kim is sure, she is worried something bad has happened, where are they both?
We also follow Tallulah’s story in the months leading up to her going missing and we also follow mystery writer Sophia who moves into a cottage alongside the woods where the teenagers went missing 15months after their disappearance. We follow her story as she finds clues which lead her to Kim and helping her to solve the mystery of the missing teenagers
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and learning more about who Talulah was and what led to her disappearance. I felt every moment of Kim’s nightmare of not knowing what had happened to her child and I enjoyed the thrill of following the clues Sophia finds.
I found the narrator easy to listen to making this an enjoyable listen
Lisa Jewell once again did not disappoint with her writing and I recommend reading or listening this book. Thank go to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook
SUCH a good book!! I have really enjoyed the audio version of The Night She Disappeared - thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
This had me gripped from the beginning, gasping at the suspense and grumping every time I had to press pause. The narrator was great, I would highly recommend reading/listening to this if you enjoy a thriller. A big 5 stars.
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