And yet it's ALMOST convincing even so. The author is so brilliant at character creation, and so gifted with words, that the story grabs you and never lets go, even when the impossible plot is revealed. Blue tells a critical statement related to men and their concept of love in this book. This shows the importance of mutual love. Love is about putting equal effort into relationships. If a person who beholds the concept of unconditional love falls in love with a Narcissist, then the first person's life will be totally destroyed. Even though unconditional love is one of the ideal forms of love, it will be practical only with ideal individuals. Otherwise, we will be able to love unconditionally while others are only ready to accept that love and not to give anything in return. It will turn into a toxic parasitic relationship in no time. Ellie is not a character headed for oblivion. She will definitely stay in our hearts for a long time. The author created her character flawlessly, and the amount of hardships she had to suffer makes our hearts numb for some time. The amount of courage and character she showed during the challenging experiences will make us love her more. Laurel is your standard grieving mother. I neither liked nor disliked her. In fact, I found her kind of annoying. As Laurel continued to dig more, she will reach to a dangerous point of no return and she’ll wish to stop before taking more steps.

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone Arrow for providing a digital ARC of Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. I found it a suspenseful story, but too predictable. I certainly wasn’t bored reading it, but the twists and turns weren’t twisty enough for my liking.Ginger writes a poem for a competition called " And She Was Gone", about a girl that wants to disappear. When Ms. Zorski reads it, she becomes concerned with the strong feelings put into it and forces Ginger to visit the school psychologist out of worry. It's only a matter of time before the student body becomes convinced she's depressed. Meanwhile, Carl tests his disappearing potion on Noelle Sussman, who he thinks is a nobody. But when Noelle really does disappear, Carl deeply regrets it. From Laurel's perspective, in the present) Laurel calls an old number she has for Noelle. Joshua Donnelly answers. Noelle is his aunt, but no one has heard from her in a while. He's never even met her, even though he lives in her old house now. Joshua shows Laurel the basement, where there's a sofa, tv and a bunch of hamster cages where they found a bunch of dead hamsters. Laurel also finds a tube of lip balm that matches ones Ellie had.

I read a Lisa Jewell novel last year and connected immediately with her writing style, tone, and voice. When Then She Was Gone showed up on NetGalley last month, I immediately requested it and added it to my reading queue for April. I really find myself enamored with Jewell's characters, plots, and settings, so much that I've added ten of her other books to my TBR and hope to read a few more later this year. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Table of Contents

I don't know whether I can call this book a thriller. There are not many unexpected twists in this story. So can I call it a book coming under the gentle of "acutely observed family drama"? I think that it is a mixture of both genres. The vacillating between the past and the present is done perfectly by the author. The mendacious mercurial nature of some characters in this book will rattle you to the extent of even making you nihilistic. Critical reception of Then She Was Gone was mostly positive. Many reviewers agreed that major characters are for the most part well-drawn. Noelle, for example, is nicely marked by a telling olfactory detail: she smells of “cooking oil and unwashed hair.” Younger characters, like Ellie, Poppy, and Sara-Jade come to life through their words, attitudes and behavior. Laurel, however, at times seems overly gullible. She acts so passively at the beginning it may be difficult for readers to fully accept her as a doting mother whose child has disappeared, and she is so blinded by her new love interest that she does not notice, until late in the game, inconsistencies that should have been obvious. Similarly, some critics noted plot points that seem too coincidental. But, as the Publishers Weekly review put it, the novel ultimately “transcends its plot improbabilities to connect with an emotionally resonant story of loss, grief, and renewal.” Review Sources He makes mention about what a schlub he is and how incredible Laurel is just for giving him the time of day. Ellie, a conscientious teenager, and the apple of her mother's eye, left to visit the library and was never seen or heard from again. Laurel, Ellie's mother, couldn’t understand how her other children and her husband were able to move on with their lives without knowing what happened to Ellie. Laurel's life stalled, her marriage fell apart and the relationship with her two remaining children is strained. Well, this was the refreshing change I’d been looking for! Though some give-away clues are revealed early on, you’re still taken on a journey that will most definitely pull your heart in many directions.

If you loved “Girls in the Garden” and “I Found You” you will definitely love this book. For me this one was a little difficult to read because the behavior of this probable psychopath was just so twisted and ugly. After starting this novel I couldn’t quit, her writing is just so compelling, those of the words I would use to describe it! It sort of feels like I've read a hundred different variations of the missing daughter/grieving mother plot, and Then She Was Gone doesn't really do anything new with it. The writing is strong, but it's disappointing when you figure out all the major reveals in the first few chapters and even get the reasons behind them. As soon as certain characters are introduced, I was thinking “ah, got it” and, unfortunately, I was right. I kept hoping something exciting would happen to prove me wrong, but it really is as obvious as it seems. Even though most parts and big twist are predictable, it was well written, breathtaking, fast pacing, captivating reading which ended in 5 hours. My heart truly hurt for ... yes the readers know which character I’m talking about. That character’s heart wrenching story will haunt me for a long time.There will be tendencies to compare this book to The Girl On The Train and its various imitators, but don’t be fooled: This is better than those. Jewell’s forte is the good old-fashioned novel of psychological suspense, the kind that keeps you reading deep into the night. The Globe and Mail From Noelle's perspective, in the past) Noelle grew up with two older brothers, two younger brothers and a younger sister who died when she was eight. Noelle comes upon Floyd's book, and goes to a signing. It turns out they both live in the same neighborhood (Stroud Green), a few roads apart. They run into each other later, and eventually go to dinner at a Eritrean restaurant. They see each other for over a year. Noelle does not get along well with SJ.