Then She Was Gone

This book was very predictable, as in I had figured out almost every twist by chapter 10, but it was still a really fun read. There was one part that I did not see coming** This book is really about the journey, not about the destination, so I would still recommend reading it






***Floyd actually killed Noelle in the end and then killed himself. That was unexpected.

I enjoy a book that can set a character up to be the villain, and then quickly rug that out from under me and wondering if they too are just a victim. Books like this always make me question my judgment and morals of right and wrong.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

A myriad of emotions ran through me as I dive along in the story of the mysterious disappearance of a 15-year old girl, Ellie Mack, who had the world in the palm of her hand. The pain the disappearance put in her mother who loves her dearly, who thinks the world of her broke her family apart. For 10 years, her mother went on autopilot, trying to survive the remnant of the life where her precious daughter wasn't a part of. And then she met Floyd. And his little girl, Poppy, who looks exactly like her own precious girl. And thus, the guessing game begins.

Of course I would've guessed that one of the unfavorable characters had had a hand in Ellie's disappearance. What I did not expect is the motive, the drive behind that very motive. I felt immense anger at the way how Ellie was treated, how terrifying and how sick it all was. The way some part of the stories were told from Noelle's POV was nothing short of brilliant. I did not expect to see it all unfolds from Noelle's eyes, that we're given the glimpse of how sick and deranged Noelle was. She is truly one of the most despised characters I've encountered for a long time.

This book will blow your mind, will break your heart and will certainly keeps you up at night, wondering just how many Noelles are out there, and if you're indeed safe from them.

While I enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be somewhat predictable.

Ellie Mack typical teenage daughter has boyfriend, getting ready for exams. Struggling a little so mom brings in tutor for Ellie. Tutor was a little strange so after awhile Ellie just too mom she didn't need help anymore.

Ellie turns up missing police seem to think Ellie must have just ran away due to all the stress of being a teenager.

Then Ellie's mom, years later meets a man who has a daughter who looks just like Ellie.

Coincidence?.......

Well written. Enticing. It's easy to figure out the ending early on, but not every book needs to be twisty and crazy. It was a good quick read.

I finished this book in one day- and I never do that. The story kept me hooked the entire time, begging me to keep reading. The characters were deep with complex relationships, and I really did feel shock at the resolution. I will definitely be checking out more Lisa Jewell novels!

2/5 stars

This book just wasn't surprising at all. I lowkey could have guessed the plot twists from the beginning I just didn't have the energy to think about it

*

This story caused me anxiety as I read it. The mother's trauma was well written and well thought out. I loved hearing from the victim and the kidnapper. The varying POVs added depth to the story. I enjoyed this book and was pleased with the ending. I actually teared up on the very last page. That last page was an excellent finishing touch.

It took me way too long to read this book, I actually started it a few weeks ago and then I put it on hold around chapter 28. The POV changes at some point which is a big pet peeve of mine with some books and I simply did not feel like picking it up again. Yet, I was really curious to know what exactly happened to Ellie, so I picked it up again as an audiobook.

The book does a great job at setting up the scene, it intrigued me from the first pages. Only that, I would have preferred it without some of the character's own voice. I see why Lisa Jewell made this choice and I would normally say that it's a great idea, but I really didn't care about Noelle enough to know the story from her perspective. I would have much rather had it be told in 3rd person.

About the plot itself, it was really good. I felt so sorry for Ellie and so much contempt for Noelle. In broad lines, I also figured out what happened, like many other readers did, but there were some details I just couldn't figure out and I am glad for that, it kept me engaged in the story.

There are some other things in the book I could have done without, like entire chapters, but it was a good read, overall I can say I enjoyed it.

Neutral 2.5 rounded up.
Laurel was annoying, Poppy was insufferably annoying, Floyd was cloyingly annoying and I ended up having a very hard time getting invested in what happened to any of them. Everything seemed so predictable. To be honest I think I really just don't vibe with Jewell's writing style so really take my review with a grain of salt unless we have very similar tastes.

2.5 stars rounded up because of the writing. This was less of a thriller and more of a very disturbing and unsettling drama.

Again, this is really not my favorite plot/trope either so this wasn't my favorite by any means. Looking forward to seeing what else this author has.

Heartbreaking and suspenseful.

“A man who can't love but desperately needs to be loved is a dangerous thing indeed.”

Read this if you love;
-Short chapters
-Multiple povs
-Past and present timelines
-A plot that is not very twisty but shocking in a WTF kinda way
-Mother daughter relationships
-The writing style is soo easy to read(its a 440+ page book but read like a 220 pages)


So other than the above I loved how the character development of Laurel felt so raw and real and at times it was just so hard to read because it felt like you were in that situation with her.

Throughout the book it takes you on a wild roller-coaster of emotions curiousness,sadness then anger, shock, sadness again, happy,hopeful and the last page; an emotional punch.
I don't think the book was meant to be twisty but like I said before it was very shocking.

I have a small tip for you if you haven't read the blurb for this yet, then go into the book blind coz you might have a better experience with it than I did at being even more shocked:) Hope that makes sense.

Wow! This was the first book I've read in a long time that I couldn't put down! I've never read anything by this author before...now I need to read more from her!

Ellie Mack goes missing and what follows is what happens 10 years later. Laurel, Ellie's mom, is trying to put her life back together and meets a man and his daughter. Something is not right about them the girl reminds her so much of Ellie. A little more than halfway through it flashes back and you find out the mystery of what happened to Ellie. I couldn't put this down at that point!

Reading this I had some idea of what was going to happen, but I never expected the ending to turn out like it did. Lisa has a great way of making you fell like you are right there with Laurel as she learns what happened to her daughter. I have so many emotions after reading this...so many that it's hard to write them all down. 100% I'd recommend this book for anyone that likes psychological thrillers. What a great book to start off the year with!

I really liked it, it was thrilling. The book kept you wondering what was next and how the events would happen. It gave you a lot of clues in the beginning which was different from other thrillers/mysteries. Interesting ending, I didn't see the ending coming like that. Lots of different perspectives.

My 1st Lisa Jewell book and won't be my last.

4 out of 5 stars.

An entertaining read, but one I will probably never pick up again and forget in short order. I enjoyed the main character and the twists, but not the format of the book. Because it jumps between times and perspectives so frequently, it can be very entertaining but also really boring at times. This format also has it so that the reader learns things long before the main character does, so when the big reveal finally comes, you've known for awhile, so it loses some impact. You also learn some things that the main character never does, making you feel like the book is left unfinished even when the book ends. More drama than mystery, but if you're looking for an easy and quick read, this would be fine.

This was very good but the creepiest book I've ever read.

Gripping


I have a few Lisa Jewell under my belt now and I am happy to say that this is just as good as everything else I have picked up. I love a good thriller that has twists and turns and this sure delivers both twists and turns.

“Then She Was Gone” is a novel about a fifteen-year-old girl named Ellie Mack who disappears in 2005.

Much of the book takes place in 2015 and is narrated by Laurel Mack, the missing girl's mother. Ellie was Laurel's youngest daughter. Ellie's remains have finally been discovered, so maybe the family can now have some closure. Not that the family unit is still intact. Laurel was so filled with grief over the last ten years that she had nothing left of herself for her husband or her other children. Now Laurel is divorced and is estranged from her older daughter and son.

The book alternates between 2015, back to 2005, when the story is told from Ellie's point of view. The reader learns what happened to this fifteen-year girl. And, eventually, Laurel learns the truth also.

This is the fifth book I have read by Lisa Jewell, and I'm giving it five stars like I did the others. But, unlike the others, I'm not recommending it for everybody. Something awful happens in this book. Those who don't like reading disturbing things should move on to something else. Not that it's all that graphic. It's just so heartbreaking and hard to get out of your head.

Why do I like this author so much? Because, once I start one of her books, it's hard to put down. Sometimes books, even good books, feel a bit like “homework” to me. But not Lisa Jewell's books. She makes me want to know more about the characters and about what I will discover next. There's a lot of nuance in her characters. Also, I think the fact that Lisa Jewell is British it's part of the charm. I love the settings, the strange brand names, the unfamiliar expressions, and words not commonly used in the U.S. I love the amount of detail, not too much and not too little.
Lisa Jewell's writing style reminds me a little of Liane Moriorty, although this book has some of the darkness of Gillian Flynn and is as disturbing as a Karin Slaughter book.

Book was pretty good, but I did have it figured out about halfway through the book

3.5 stars It's sort of a weird thriller. And what I mean by weird is that I figured out all the ‘twists' not even 50% through the book (and I don't know if that was the author's intention?), but I still really enjoyed the story for the characters.

This book CHILLED me to the bone, that's how shocking and deep and monumental it was for me! When I started reading this book, I almost stopped due to the mere topic that this book centers around: abduction, but I literally for the life of me could NOT PUT THE DANG THING DOWN! This book will probably give me nightmares for some months to come because as a young mom of two, I love my children more then anything and the whole storyline was heartbreaking but what I got out of this book is irreplaceable, a fresh perspective on life and just how short and unpredictable it is and how everything could change at any moment so we have to embrace the now.

First of, the storyline was gripping and very well thought out and developed. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested and the chapters were short at to the point, my favorite kinds. Also, in most instances the change in perspective between characters every chapter would annoy the crap out of me but in this book it made sense and fit very well with every other aspect of it. The book was divided into five terrifying parts and I felt as though I inhaled it reading it in a matter of days.

Further on, the characters were all very complicated and came alive within the story itself. And since the story jumped between perspectives of different characters, we got to see into the mind of most of them and got to experience their psyche, even the most terrifying one.

The writing style was impeccable, literally can't think of anything I would want to change. All the jumping around from perspective to perspective and from first person to second person didn't take away from the story at all, it only made it that much more exciting and memorable. This is something that in my opinion doesn't work in majority of books this book is an exception to the rule.

In conclusion, there is nothing about this book that I didn't like. It grabbed my heart from the moment I first started reading it and will not let go for as long as I live. From the storyline to the gripping characters, this book is beyond extraordinary and even though it was hard to read due to the topic, it was also impossible not to read it and feel as though it has impacted my life in every aspect of it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery with a lot of twists and turns but also wants something deeper from their reads, something that can seep into their very soul and stay there.

So good I finished it in a day!!

This book was very predictable, as in I had figured out almost every twist by chapter 10, but it was still a really fun read. There was one part that I did not see coming** This book is really about the journey, not about the destination, so I would still recommend reading it






***Floyd actually killed Noelle in the end and then killed himself. That was unexpected.

Wow...just, wow. It drew me in immediately, I stayed up waaaay too late reading and finished it less than 24h later. It's been years since I've found a book that compelling. Definitely recommend it if you like the suspense genre.