Name: Jessica Koch's review of Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Item: Then She Was Gone
Rating: 5
Author: Jessica Koch

Lisa Jewell

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Nominated for a 2018 Goodreads Choice Award “An acutely observed family drama with bone-chilling suspense.” —People “Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Her multilayered characters are sheer perfection, and even the most astute thriller reader won’t see where everything is going until the final threads are unknotted.” —Booklist, starred review “Sharply written with twists and turns, Jewell’s latest will please fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, or Luckiest Girl Alive." —Library Journal Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone. Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away. Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

A Novel

Then She Was Gone

BESTSELLING PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE, AND A TOP RICHARD & JUDY SELECTION _____________________________ OVER 1,000 5* REVIEWS – this is why readers love this book: 'Grips to the point of OBSESSION' 'My life STOPPED while I read this book' 'My heart was THUMPING in my chest' 'This is EDGE OF YOUR SEAT reading' 'This book left me BREATHLESS' 'Cancel all plans and BUY THIS BOOK' _____________________________ She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. Ten years on, Laurel has never given up hope of finding Ellie. And then she meets a charming and charismatic stranger who sweeps her off her feet. But what really takes her breath away is when she meets his nine-year-old daughter. Because his daughter is the image of Ellie. Now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back. What really happened to Ellie? And who still has secrets to hide?

From the number one bestselling author of The Family Upstairs

blue

Als jij beweert dat een vrouw wettelijk haar borsten en flamoes moet bedekken, hoe kun je dan een andere vrouw verbieden om haar armen en benen te bedekken? 

Jessica Koch

the start of this book felt so lifeless to me. maybe the author was trying to portray to readers how laurel's life became lifeless without her daughter but god the pacing was dreadfully boring for half the book. luckily the different povs were interesting

32% wow i just read the most boring phone sex ever - the tone of the phone conversation was sexual but the content was boring like wtf a cardigan

50% snoozefest - no i literally can't stop falling asleep - tremendously slow buildup, the banter is giving nothing

the book does pick up later on. the mystery was disturbing.

i wish we got to see laurel and her daughter hannah’s relationship evolve especially when a small portion of the story (and tiny plot twist) involves her strained relationship with hannah

why does noelle want to get pregnant for a situationship who clearly hates her also she said so herself that she doesn’t even want kids - it’s so frustrating that she just wants to get pregnant for the approval of a MAN???? to the extent of kidnapping a child????

also kinda of annoying and irrelevant that during his confession, floyd starts talking about himself like i understand he’s trying to gain empathy and understanding from laurel about his character blah blah but why did he start talking about changing his clothing style and haircut like ofc this man makes this about himself UGH

the start of this book felt so lifeless to me. maybe the author was trying to portray to readers how laurel's life became lifeless without her daughter but god the pacing was dreadfully boring for half the book. luckily the different povs were interesting

32% wow i just read the most boring phone sex ever - the tone of the phone conversation was sexual but the content was boring like wtf a cardigan

50% snoozefest - no i literally can't stop falling asleep - tremendously slow buildup, the banter is giving nothing

the book does pick up later on. the mystery was disturbing.

i wish we got to see laurel and her daughter hannah’s relationship evolve especially when a small portion of the story (and tiny plot twist) involves her strained relationship with hannah

mini rant incoming aka spoilers
why does noelle want to get pregnant for a situationship who clearly hates her also she said so herself that she doesn’t even want kids - it’s so frustrating that she just wants to get pregnant for the approval of a MAN???? to the extent of kidnapping a child????

also kinda of annoying and irrelevant that during his confession, floyd starts talking about himself like i understand he’s trying to gain empathy and understanding from laurel about his character blah blah but why did he start talking about changing his clothing style and haircut like ofc this man makes this about himself UGH

I blazed through this book, it was a really good thriller. A bit predictable once you get stuck in though. 

Saffia

A 2018 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist--Top 5 Best Mystery & Thriller * A Suspense Magazine "Best of 2018" Thriller/Suspense Pick "An acutely observed family drama with bone-chilling suspense." --People "Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Her multilayered characters are sheer perfection, and even the most astute thriller reader won't see where everything is going until the final threads are unknotted." --Booklist, starred review "Sharply written with twists and turns, Jewell's latest will please fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, or Luckiest Girl Alive." --Library Journal Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone. Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It's been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie's case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a caf , no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she's meeting Floyd's daughters--and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel's breath away. Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she's tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

I’ve had this book in my TBR for a while and finally got around to reading it. Let me tell you that this book was actually really good. There was an insane amount of twist and turns that made me not want to put this book down

Lauren Dale

This was really good and sad.Realllly good writing.

Mehul Sharma

I figured this out fairly early, but watching it unfold as the characters figure it out was highly entertaining. Fast-paced, disturbing without being gory, and interesting characters. 

Kristen Savage

Not my fav, but it was good. Extremely predictable but still interesting to see the story unfold. 

Jessica Roberts

I fear my experience with this book was fastly different to many other people who have read it. To be honest this read like a Dateline 20/20 episode, commercials included, that stretched out for too long. Like there wasn’t anything twisty to it. Everything played out in what was the most obvious manner. And while I feel bad for the charcters involved my reading experience just wasn’t my favorite. But there are many people who love this book so maybe something is wrong with me. 

Priscilla Stanfield

2.75/5⭐️

I fear my experience with this book was fastly different to many other people who have read it. To be honest this read like a Dateline 20/20 episode, commercials included, that stretched out for too long. Like there wasn’t anything twisty to it. Everything played out in what was the most obvious manner. And while I feel bad for the charcters involved my reading experience just wasn’t my favorite. But there are many people who love this book so maybe something is wrong with me. 

I liked that it kept me on my toesies but it also felt really predictable. Though, it was a fun and quick read!

Krisna Martinez

Cate

Abbie Duggan

Wow! What a fast read. I really liked this story, even though the ending was fairly obvious about halfway through the book. I do think the ending was a bit over the top and unnecessary, it also left a lot of large character changes at the end that didn’t exactly add up to the character development throughout. But overall it was a great quick read.

Bria

** spoiler alert **
           This was so good. The killer was expected but the boyfriend angle surprised me.

Elisavet Rozaki 

I enjoyed this but the Big Reveal was predictable from the first few chapters.

I was expecting more. This book was very predictable from the beginning, and I kept thinking it was the author's intention so that the reveal would hit all the better. Unfortunately, the reveal wasn't that big of a reveal for me. I didn't predict it to the t but my guess came very close. What I did like were the relationship dynamics, the character development and the writing! The plot was nice as well. I would've preferred if we didn't get the multiple timelines. I'm guessing the author wanted to create a tense atmosphere by letting us in on what happened before Laurel made her discoveries, but to me, this killed the suspense. 

Wow. This is the most interesting book I have ever read. Although it is heartbreaking in so many aspects. I kind of guessed what had really happened by about the first 1/4 but the end threw me for a loop. READ IT! I stayed up til 2 the other night for it. Yeah, it's one of those. 

Payton Washer

Bella Koch

Kept my attention but was fairly predictable — ended up skimming some and don’t feel like I missed much

Jonathan Garcia

all I have to say is what the fuck was that. Such a good read with the most unexpected twist I would of never expected

A good old fast paced thriller! Definetely recommend this one. Be warned, heart wrenching and tragic!

Aims

Much more than your typical missing daughter plot. Scattered with hints of some shocking revelations to come. There’s an emotional punch as tension builds towards dramatic ending. 

Edna Aviles

Suyash Goylit

Darker than my expectation

A great read. It dragged a little bit in the middle, but the introduction was interesting, and the climax was just perfect. Well written characters, even if some of the character motivations felt a bit hollow. I don't think I've ever hated any character from a book this much. Overall, a nice written immersive mystery novel.

Tragic, page-turning story. Well written though tough to read at times. 

Juliana Bayley

destiny

3.5 ..maybe. i’ll be real this was kinda scary to read because situations like this happen all the time…..

A 2018 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist—Top 5 Best Mystery & Thriller * A Suspense Magazine “Best of 2018” Thriller/Suspense Pick “An acutely observed family drama with bone-chilling suspense.” —People “Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Her multilayered characters are sheer perfection, and even the most astute thriller reader won’t see where everything is going until the final threads are unknotted.” —Booklist, starred review “Sharply written with twists and turns, Jewell’s latest will please fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, or Luckiest Girl Alive." —Library Journal Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone. Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away. Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

marj

The book is very interesting and the writing is very straightforward! I always love me a book where I'm not very fond of the main character. While she is a good mom (towards one child at least) she's not very likable, so reading through her journey and disagreeing with her for most of the time was interesting! I liked it a lot it was a good plot and good writing.

l ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

** spoiler alert **
           loving this as much as i did was a total shock. i started the book and i immediately disliked the writing style, but i stuck with it! i’ve seen it at tons of stores and it always caught my attention so i NEEDED to read and get through it.

i was very pleasantly surprised! the story kept me hooked and the book didn’t leave my hand unless i HAD to go to something else. i finished the majority of it in one day yall 😭 it shocked me. 

i love a good sad cry & this ending came through. i was SOBBING and felt my heart physically hurt!! i did not expect that at ALL. both of my little theories were very wrong LOL i was extremely surprised. i noticed that a lot of people thought floyd’s death at the end was really unnecessary but i think it kind of makes the story better? i hated his death so much, but i did understand. however, it would’ve been cool to see him stay and grow his family with laurel’s. i think poppy and floyd deserved better. 


in conclusion ,,, i absolutely loved then she was gone and i see myself picking some other lisa jewell books in the future <3 this definitely became one of my 2023 favs! plz read

Laurianne

I thought about giving the book 4 stars, but it made me shed a tear, actually. So it happens that I jump up the rating to 4,5. The thing that happened was horrible, and the closure.... well, it doesn't make everything okay, but it's a start, I guess. The writing is less descriptive than what I would have liked my books to be, but it's not bad. I guessed the plot twist correctly every time, but I don't really mind.

Jessica Koch &
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

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Jessica Koch &Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

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Jessica Koch &
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell