The Day We Disappeared

I knew from the moment I finished The Greatest Love Story of All Time, Lucy's debut, that Lucy Robinson was gonna be huge. But with every book, she keeps blowing me away even more and The Day We Disappeared is no exception. I think it's her best book yet and if The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me was my book of the year of 2014, I am quite sure The Day We Disappeared will be my book of the Year of 2015.

This story is about two friends who are undergoing major changes in their lives, new job, new love interest, new life style. I really liked both characters. Annie seemed fragile like a petal, hunted by her horrific past, but was actually strong and ready to fight for a better life. And I loved Kate from the first page. Lively, always smiling and with her own secrets. The book alternates their stories by chapters, and I just wanted to read it all at once, when I was reading Kate's story I missed Annie and viceversa. And then, boom! Lucy left me speechless. Really, you need to read the book to know what I am talking about but there was a twist (multiple, actually) that I didn't see coming at all and was just wow! Lucy, I take off my hat and salute you. You clever cookie.

The Day We Disappeared is a compelling and gripping tale that will capture you and won't let you go until you've devoured the story rather than read it. Lucy is one of those epic story tellers who gets in your head, her stories always remain with me and each and every one of her books has been an instant favourite.

Plus, Lucy has the ability to make you laugh and snort so easily. I loved how Kate always had the Bad Shit under control (more or less) or how Annie's group of friends was called Le Cloob (because it sounded French-ish). But this book has a dark side too. Beautifully written and handled.

I have no doubt that The Day We Disappeared will be one of the books of 2015. A true work or art that you can't miss.

I started reading this by thinking I had made a mistake in getting a book that seemed rather "romance" and "chick lit" which are not really my thing. Fairly quickly I realised that, even if that was the case the writing was very good indeed and that I was enjoying the read. The book follows the stories of Kate, mostly at a riding establishment on Exmoor, and Annie, mostly in London. Both of these characters are very well drawn and engaging even if, frankly, their lives are rather a mess. Not only are most of the characters very well written the settings and life events are well worked too which certainly meant that I was fully engaged with this book throughout.

This is not a easy book to review without giving too much away and I would far rather the reader went on the same journey of discovery that I did so let's say that the sugar coating of this story covers something considerably darker and that there really is a well worked twist in this story. Read it as a very well written tale of girls lives, enjoy it for the surprises it contains. I'll certainly read another by Lucy Robinson.

This was my first novel I have read by Lucy Robinson and OMG WOW what a Novel It one of those books where you finish it last week and its still on your mind 7 days later.

The Story is splendidly told and very well written. I really enjoyed that each chapter was set in alternative chapters between Kate and Annie with little cliff hangers at the end of each chapter which forced you to keep going to get more information and try to piece the jigsaw together.

The twist in the story totally blew me away I did not see it coming and still thinking about it now. So VERY clever.

This was a gripping and a very exciting read.

This review will be live on the 9th of April on the link below Firstly a massive thank you to Penguin for approving me for a copy of this title via NetGalley. I read this very early on in 2015 even though publication date is TODAY! I just hope this review does this book the justice it deserves!
The story is all about two friends Annie Mulholland and Kate Brady. Both girls are on the brink of something new in their lives but both are haunted by their past.
I was totally intrigued by the blurb! I love a bit of mystery and there is definitely plenty of this in the story. Both Kate and Annie narrate throughout the story and going by the title I knew that something was brewing for both girls I just didn’t have a clue what or how it was going to happen!
Annie is feeling run down after her alternative therapy business becomes more demanding. She has a rather nervous disposition and the cause of that isn’t revealed until later in the story. She’s surrounded by a group of friends who all look out for her, her sister and their friends Tim and Claudine. I loved their group meetings and the contrasting personalities in the group. It felt so realistic and simply as if you are acting as a voyeur during their meals together rather than reading the story.
Annie’s knight in shining armour appears in the form of Stephen Flint who pulls her up out of her mildly depressed state and appears to transform her life in a whirlwind of opportunities. Throughout, something niggled in my mind about Stephen, like he wasn’t all he was cut out to be, but at every turn he continued to surprise and be there for Annie.
Kate’s new adventure seems to be at the other end of the extreme to Annie’s. She’s taken herself off for a new start at a new job, and like Annie she seems to suffer from anxiety. Her anxiety is palpable and she tries to reveal as little about herself as possible which has you as the reader questioning every possibility. I absolutely loved her new job and all of the friends she meets. Each of them seem to soothe her soul in exactly the way she needs and I loved seeing her relax a little and there is almost a complete transformation in her character.
After about 2/3s of the story Lucy basically takes everything you’ve ever been sure of and throws it all up in the air! Talk about a mind blowing plot twist. I have real respect for her writing skill after reading this. Both Kate and Annie’s stories appear to run parallel with each other throughout interwoven with flash back scenes to the life a seven year old girl. I was guessing at every turn the entire way through this story and so totally did not see the ending coming! When the story is revealed you will also have a newfound respect for Lucy for her research and approach to the issues she writes about in this story.
This is without a doubt one of the most gripping and enthralling reads of 2015. Lucy Robinson has hit the nail on the head with this novel, a big well done!