Then She Was Gone A Novel

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me interested the whole time and never once did I feel the author felt her readers were so dull that she had to bore us with repeating things over and over like some writers do!Thank you Lisa Jewell for the interesting characters & plot! I’m looking forward to more reading time with your stories!Kat~

I could not put this book down. The story was so captivating fright from the first page. You will not be disappointed if you read this book. I did not guess the entire ending which I love

Laurel experiences the unthinkable: her fourteen-year-old child goes missing. Not just her child — it is THE child, the one she favors over her three children. Ellie goes to school one day and never comes back. She’s there one moment, and then she’s gone. Ellie is a smart, carefree girl with a crush on a guy who shares her passion for academics and good grades, so she’s no runaway. The years go by, and just when the police give up, Laurel gets some rather devastating news…The years pass. Laurel trudges through her days, picking up the pieces of her broken life. She tries to make amends with her daughter Hannah and her son Jake, but they’re all grown now, with their own lives to worry about. Her marriage is long over, her ex now in a steady and loving relationship with a pleasant lady. Laurel’s life couldn’t be worse if she tried…And then she meets Floyd. It’s a chance encounter, a semi meet-cute at a café. He tells her about his books — academic books about math — and about his #1 fan: his nine-year-old daughter, Poppy. Hope flares for Laurel. Will she find happiness with Floyd? And then she meets his daughter — and it’s like taking a trip to the past. Poppy is almost the splitting image of Ellie. Laurel is floored. How is it possible? This is only the beginning though. She’s opened a Pandora’s Box of disturbing revelations that even she wouldn’t have been able to imagine.I’m not a fan of child abduction thrillers, but THEN SHE WAS GONE is one harrowing and amazing read! I couldn’t put it down. This book was on my TBR pile for over a year. I took it with me for my French Polynesian holiday because, why not? I’m so glad I did. The sea-salt breeze, the hammock, the sunset, this book — sweet memories are made of this! I took three books with me, and this one practically read itself. The writing is amazing, well crafted and riveting, with no over the top twists for shock value. Everything serves a purpose in this book. Many of us will guess the outcome, but that’s beside the point. There are so many surprises — so many “mini twists” — that you’ll love it for the character-driven piece of brilliant suspense that it is. The psychological aspects are amazing. There’s a character with Borderline Personality Disorder in this book, and the author touches on various subjects, like triangulation and toxic enmeshments. It’s all done in an organic, not-in-your-face way, which makes it more appealing. I’ve always loved Lisa Jewell, have loved her since her early “chick lit” days. I’m glad she now gets to write the genre she loves.Downsides? Just one. Floyd is a socially awkward mathematician, but he says “Brangelina” at one point. I can’t picture a man — let alone a middle-aged one — saying something like this. I’m surprised the editor didn’t pick up on it. Other than that, I love this novel. One of my favorites this year. Five solid Pecan and Toffee iced lattes, with extra vanilla-flavored oat milk!

“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 told from the point of view of Laurel Mack, the missing girl’s mother. Ellie was Laurel’s youngest daughter. Ellie’s remains have finally been found, 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 third book I’ve read by Lisa Jewell, and I’m giving it five stars like I did the other two. But, unlike the other two, 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 is 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 particular book has some of the darkness of Gillian Flynn and is as disturbing as a Karin Slaughter book.

Unbelievably amazing and the end…beautiful. The ending captured my whole being. Wow. Well written and very well executed. Worth more than 5 stars.