Then She Was Gone: A Novel

This author is not in need of yet another review. This novel has well over 122,000 of them, so I am well aware of the fact that one more will not make a difference—either good or bad—and normally I wouldn’t take the time to write a review for a book with this many reviews … but I was deeply affected by this novel, so I decided I needed to write some of my thoughts and feelings about it down. After going through and reading some of the reviews other readers left, I was spurred on even further to share my own. Then She Was Gone is the first novel I’ve read by Lisa Jewell. I am a fan of mysteries and thrillers, and this book was one that was recommended by Amazon because of other books in my Kindle library. It also happened to be on sale—just to be honest—and the synopsis grabbed me. It sounded interesting, so I bought it. I am much like other readers … I don’t always finish every book I pick up. I am a writer myself, so I do for other authors what I hope readers will do for me and push into a book as far as I can before I stop reading. Not every book is for every reader, but this novel by Lisa Jewell was one I found enormously gripping. This story was sad and uncomfortable. It was heartbreaking, and while it wasn’t what one might categorize a typical thriller as some other reviewers stated, it was definitely mysterious and twisty, and I was propelled through the story because I had to know all of the sordid details. To be fair, as I write this review, the categories this novel is listed in are Women’s New Adult & College Fiction, Women’s Divorce Fiction and Women’s Literary Fiction. It isn’t listed in Mystery, or Suspense, or Crime. Even People Magazine says it’s an “acutely observed family drama”. While maybe not a typical mystery novel, it was recommended to me because there are elements of suspense and yes, mystery. Truthfully, I felt that Ms. Jewell delivered a book that was described perfectly by the synopsis, and it was definitely one I had a hard time putting down. There’s no way around it. Then She Was Gone is creepy. It’s gloomy. There were so many things about many of these characters that I didn’t like, that made me angry. I believe that’s one of the many reasons I kept reading—because they were all human. They were real. They did things that were annoying. I questioned them. For instance, I struggled with Laurel because I, too, am a mom to more than one child and cannot fathom loving one of them more than the other. But I’ve known other mothers in real life that are very much like Laurel. None of us are one-dimensional, and Ms. Jewell’s characters certainly weren’t. I wanted to learn more about why they were the way they were or made the decisions that they made, and the story—which is told over a ten-year time span—takes the reader on a journey and shows how the characters change and develop over that time. I believe Ms. Jewell knew the story was an emotionally exhausting one, and I think she wrote it brilliantly. Then She Was Gone made me incredibly sad, as it was meant to. It was not a book that was easy to read. As I stated before, it was emotionally taxing. It was twisted and evil, and yet utterly captivating in ways that are difficult to describe. I am more than happy to rate this book all five stars and will definitely read more from this author—although I do believe I’ll need some time for this novel to settle before I am able to jump into another written by this talented author.

This book is based in the UK and is about a teenage girl who goes missing. There were lots of twist and turns and it did keep my attention pretty well. The only issue I had was that I didn't realize the author was British before reading the book and there were several words I did not know what they meant. I do recommend this book as the story is definitely wild. It did become a bit predictable to me but not a let down. The other thing that bothered me was the chapters were not labeled with the character name who was speaking and you just basically had to read and then figure it out lol. But all in all its a good story and has a HEA.

Everything that you need a thriller to be, simply put. The whole I-am-on-the-edge-of-my-seat thing really plays out, and also the belief that you know who did it and why, and then nope, and then OK well now I know, and then nope. Plot twists and turns, and the desire to shout, "No, don't do that! It's a trap!" abounds. Frustrating in the way that good thrillers are in that you want to reach inside the book and start directing traffic, to save the doomed, to free the enslaved, to warn the obtuse. But then you must remind yourself that these are not, in fact, real people, but rather characters on a page, and as such are both completely irredeemable, and poetically perfect at the same exact time. If you are a fan of escapism, then this book will well serve to take you utterly out of your banal existence for the duration. Would recommend. You simply can't go wrong by picking up a Lisa Jewell book, and this one is no exception.

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!

This book was both emotionally gripping and incredibly suspenseful. The mystery surrounding the disappearance kept me fully invested, while the story slowly revealed shocking secrets and complicated relationships beneath the surface. I really enjoyed the emotional depth mixed with the psychological tension throughout the story. The pacing steadily builds suspense, making it difficult to stop reading because every chapter adds another layer to the mystery. The twists were unexpected and kept me questioning what truly happened until the very end. Readers who enjoy emotional psychological thrillers, missing person mysteries, family secrets, and character-driven suspense will definitely enjoy this read.

I liked this book, but I didn't quite love it. The story initially grabbed me. The disappearance of Ellie Mack is heartbreaking, and the way her family's lives unravel in the absence of answers feels authentic. The uncertainty of not knowing what happened—and not even having the chance to lay a loved one to rest—is portrayed with real emotional weight. For me, though, the plot became harder to believe as the story unfolded. Once Laurel meets a man whose young daughter bears an uncanny resemblance to Ellie, the story took a turn that stretched my suspension of disbelief a little too far. That said, the novel has redeeming qualities. Lisa Jewell does an excellent job exploring grief, the pain of unanswered questions, and the ways unimaginable loss can fracture even the closest families. I also appreciated the nuanced look at sibling rivalry, parental favoritism, and the difficult work of healing after tragedy. Those emotional themes resonated with me even if the central plot did not. Overall, this was a good read with strong character development and meaningful emotional depth. If you enjoy character-driven mysteries and don't mind a premise that asks for a bit of suspension of disbelief, you'll likely enjoy this one more than I did.

I enjoyed this book. It certainly was different and I got totally absorbed in the plot, characters and couldn't really put it down for long. I was compelled to finish the story. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good plot twister of gruesome proportions. Gives you that, "huh" moment. Thank you!

Wow!!! What a tear jerker!!! I really enjoyed this book. It has love, suspense & murder, without being scary and spooky. Definitely a page turner that had me reading throughout the night. It’s a good read!

This book catch up out attention from beginning to the end. Awesome. I was just wondering a different endpoint but that was a incredible experience to read this book

I didn’t think Lisa Jewell could surpass the stunning I Found You so I admit to being totally amazed by how much I adored Then She Was Gone. Not only did it surprise me by being a completely different storyline to the one that I had been expecting but it also brought some rather unexpected emotions to the surface and made me a blubbering, snotty mess at times! It had an intriguing plot and was beautifully written with some engaging character creations, especially Laurel with whom I shared a great deal of empathy right from the start. Laurels teenage daughter Ellie goes missing at the age of 15 leaving behind no clues as to what has happened to her. She also leaves behind a devastated family, possibly fractured beyond repair, so that years later Laurel appears to be living a very lonely life with limited and often awkward contact with her ex husband and grown up children. She seems shut off from life itself so will a chance encounter with an attractive stranger lead to an a new start for Laurel? But upon meeting his nine year old daughter Poppy, she is shocked to see in her a strong resemblance to Ellie. Is the truth about what happened to Ellie about to come out? I became heavily involved in this family drama remarkably quickly as I felt a huge amount of sympathy for this poor family. Ellie’s disappearance had affected each of them in very different ways but had ultimately also affected their relationships both within their family and with outsiders. As a parent myself I could only imagine the feelings of loss that must have faced Laurel and so felt pleased that she seemed to have found some happiness at last. But Lisa Jewell has bitten into the psychological thriller genre, taking a chunk out of our preconceived notions of plot development and chewed them up before spitting them back out again! Honestly, I was shocked at some of the twists that came along and tried to veer towards explainable reasons for what had occurred but nothing could have prepared me for what fate had in store for everyone. This book had a powerful and deeply emotional impact on me and I have to admit that I think it’s her best book yet. You will not be able to put it down until that very last word has been read and digested, leaving behind a small piece of your heart within those pages. So it comes highly recommended by me. I loved it!

Mystery, romance,thriller all in one book! Amazing author A MUST READ THRILLER ROMANCE BOOK

Great reading. It got me engaged right from the start. Highly recommend.

Read this book in under 24 hours. Found it to grab my attention from beginning to end. Highly recommend for those who enjoy thriller/mystery