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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
His absence made life feel like a house without a floor.
This a debut from R.J. Jacobs. And Then You Were Gone has all the elements I love in a book: mystery, adventure, and strong characters. I love the fact that Jacobs kept the cast of characters small enough that I could relate to them and care about them. Over the past couple of months I've read a couple of books that had such a large cast of characters that I have needed to sketch a biographical flow chart to keep them all straight. R.J. Jacobs is a master story-teller. The writing is admirable. The characters are fully developed. They are woven together with twists, turns and secrets with such skill that I couldn’t stop reading.
I found the writing exceptional, some parts were so beautiful. Such as this:
She was already in the stairwell when I found her. Bright-yellow raincoat, sandy-brown hair in a tangle. Her eyes and mouth in a delighted, if slightly impish, smile. Her freckled cheeks, reddened by the cold, were the color of some tender flower.
Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and R.J. Jacobs for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#AndThenYouWereGone #NetGalley
All my reviews can be read here: https://shelleyann01.blogspot.com
This a debut from R.J. Jacobs. And Then You Were Gone has all the elements I love in a book: mystery, adventure, and strong characters. I love the fact that Jacobs kept the cast of characters small enough that I could relate to them and care about them. Over the past couple of months I've read a couple of books that had such a large cast of characters that I have needed to sketch a biographical flow chart to keep them all straight. R.J. Jacobs is a master story-teller. The writing is admirable. The characters are fully developed. They are woven together with twists, turns and secrets with such skill that I couldn’t stop reading.
I found the writing exceptional, some parts were so beautiful. Such as this:
She was already in the stairwell when I found her. Bright-yellow raincoat, sandy-brown hair in a tangle. Her eyes and mouth in a delighted, if slightly impish, smile. Her freckled cheeks, reddened by the cold, were the color of some tender flower.
Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and R.J. Jacobs for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#AndThenYouWereGone #NetGalley
All my reviews can be read here: https://shelleyann01.blogspot.com
3-3.5 Stars This book started off good, but then it got pretty slow. I really liked the premise and was interested in knowing how it played out so I had to finish.
And Then You Were Gone is a wonderfully mesmerizing and suspenseful read.
Emily Firestone, a woman diagnosed as bipolar, has struggled for years to get and keep herself on track. Now, for the first time in a long time, everything seems to be running smoothly; she has a job she loves, a home of her own, and a boyfriend, Paolo, that she finds herself falling in love with.
When Paolo suggests taking a break from their busy work lives (he is a medical researcher working on the virus that killed Emily’s father, she is a child psychologist), Emily is all in. To have a weekend alone with Paolo, who promises to keep his phone OFF the entire time, is impossible to resist! She is so excited that when he suggests sailing, Emily decides to put her fear of open water (she doesn’t know how to swim) aside and go for it. They enjoy a wonderful night together, talking and laughing over several glasses of wine. The perfect start to an awesome getaway so Emily thinks.
Emily wakens the next morning to find that Paolo is not on board. Thinking he must be swimming, she calls his name repeatedly. When there is no response, and she doesn’t see any sign of him in the water, she begins to panic. What happened to him? He’s an excellent swimmer, and she heard nothing overnight. But she slept surprisingly deeply – would she have heard anything? Her heart now racing, she steers the boat back to the marina to report Paolo missing. The police soon arrive to take her statement, and it doesn’t take her long to realize she is the main suspect in his disappearance.
With stress abounding, Emily starts to spiral out of control – she’s not sleeping and can’t remember when/if she took her meds. Emily begins to see clues everywhere and becomes convinced that Paolo was murdered, but how can she get the police to believe her when she’s not sure her thoughts are clear?
This book was stunning and well written. I find myself waiting for the next book by R.J. Jacobs because if it is anything like this one and as well written I am in! New authors who can give me a fresh take on a thriller are always welcome to join my reading list.
Emily Firestone, a woman diagnosed as bipolar, has struggled for years to get and keep herself on track. Now, for the first time in a long time, everything seems to be running smoothly; she has a job she loves, a home of her own, and a boyfriend, Paolo, that she finds herself falling in love with.
When Paolo suggests taking a break from their busy work lives (he is a medical researcher working on the virus that killed Emily’s father, she is a child psychologist), Emily is all in. To have a weekend alone with Paolo, who promises to keep his phone OFF the entire time, is impossible to resist! She is so excited that when he suggests sailing, Emily decides to put her fear of open water (she doesn’t know how to swim) aside and go for it. They enjoy a wonderful night together, talking and laughing over several glasses of wine. The perfect start to an awesome getaway so Emily thinks.
Emily wakens the next morning to find that Paolo is not on board. Thinking he must be swimming, she calls his name repeatedly. When there is no response, and she doesn’t see any sign of him in the water, she begins to panic. What happened to him? He’s an excellent swimmer, and she heard nothing overnight. But she slept surprisingly deeply – would she have heard anything? Her heart now racing, she steers the boat back to the marina to report Paolo missing. The police soon arrive to take her statement, and it doesn’t take her long to realize she is the main suspect in his disappearance.
With stress abounding, Emily starts to spiral out of control – she’s not sleeping and can’t remember when/if she took her meds. Emily begins to see clues everywhere and becomes convinced that Paolo was murdered, but how can she get the police to believe her when she’s not sure her thoughts are clear?
This book was stunning and well written. I find myself waiting for the next book by R.J. Jacobs because if it is anything like this one and as well written I am in! New authors who can give me a fresh take on a thriller are always welcome to join my reading list.
“Memory is an interesting thing. It’s woefully inaccurate. People think they capture moments perfectly, but they don’t. Images fade and change over time. When a person remembers something, they remember the last time they remembered it, a copy of a copy. Then the next time is a copy of that. Each time, a little less of the original.
A N D
T H E N
Y O U
W E R E
G O N E.
This book has me shook. But in a good way. I’m struggling with the can’t-put-it-down-but-don’t-want-it-to-end-but-I-need-to-know-what-the-f-is-going-on.
I’m a sucker for books that highlight mental health topics. This gal in the book has wrestled with her bipolar disorder. She is finally well managed, has a boyfriend that wants to take her sailing on the lake for a date. When she wakes up the next morning SHES ALONE ON THE BOAT.
Damnit, Paolo.
.
.
*Trigger warning (maybe): drowning.
My brother in law drowned and so this has been a roller coaster of emotions personally. But in a weird way I feel okay. He loved to swim. We swam alllllll the time. I’ll never stop wondering what happened that day.
A N D
T H E N
Y O U
W E R E
G O N E.
This book has me shook. But in a good way. I’m struggling with the can’t-put-it-down-but-don’t-want-it-to-end-but-I-need-to-know-what-the-f-is-going-on.
I’m a sucker for books that highlight mental health topics. This gal in the book has wrestled with her bipolar disorder. She is finally well managed, has a boyfriend that wants to take her sailing on the lake for a date. When she wakes up the next morning SHES ALONE ON THE BOAT.
Damnit, Paolo.
.
.
*Trigger warning (maybe): drowning.
My brother in law drowned and so this has been a roller coaster of emotions personally. But in a weird way I feel okay. He loved to swim. We swam alllllll the time. I’ll never stop wondering what happened that day.
I received this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
This book was so...random. Though the plot clearly sets an aim for the story, the storytelling itselfis haphazard and vague, to the point where it just gets boring waiting for development. It almost feels like this is the first draft, unfleshed out and raw.
I spent the whole first half of the book waiting for the story make some progress on the plot, but no such luck. The main character is so two dimensional and forgettable, I can't even remember her name anymore. Her being bipolar just seems to be a characteristic given to her to make her more interesting, and that's not something that sits well with me.
By the end of the book, the story has done a complete 180, (no, there's no brilliant twist or anything) almost like the author changed their mind halfway through and decided to write another story altogether. The chapters feel disjointed and so do the characters.
I've been on quite the thriller binge lately, and this turned out to be quite disappointing.
This book was so...random. Though the plot clearly sets an aim for the story, the storytelling itselfis haphazard and vague, to the point where it just gets boring waiting for development. It almost feels like this is the first draft, unfleshed out and raw.
I spent the whole first half of the book waiting for the story make some progress on the plot, but no such luck. The main character is so two dimensional and forgettable, I can't even remember her name anymore. Her being bipolar just seems to be a characteristic given to her to make her more interesting, and that's not something that sits well with me.
By the end of the book, the story has done a complete 180, (no, there's no brilliant twist or anything) almost like the author changed their mind halfway through and decided to write another story altogether. The chapters feel disjointed and so do the characters.
I've been on quite the thriller binge lately, and this turned out to be quite disappointing.
You all probably know by now that I have a weakness for audiobook thrillers. So it is no surprise that I picked And Then You Were Gone by R.J. Jacobs and read by Amy McFadden. The story introduces Emily Firestone, a child psychologist and who is also bipolar. One weekend, she and her boyfriend Paolo go sailing. When she wakes up after a deep sleep, Paolo is gone. There is no way he drowned, but then what happened to him. His assumed death is linked to his work as a scientist coming up with a vaccination for a deadly disease that had taken the life of Emily’s father when she was younger. However, due to her instability, she immediately becomes a suspect. She recruits the help of Paolo’s best friend, but more mysterious deaths begin to happen. Can they find answers before it is too late?
UGHHHHHHH! I had high hopes for this book. I saw that fans of Alice Feeney would enjoy this book. Welp. I did not enjoy it. Where to begin? First of all, I love when authors discuss mental illness to reduce the stigma. When they first mention that Emily is bipolar, I was thrilled. They discuss what she experiences and how everyone is different. That is absolutely wonderful. I started listening to the book thinking that this book will be phenomenal. As the book went on, I discovered that Emily’s bipolar disorder is the only thing that defines her. I feel that discussing mental illness is one thing, but those who suffer from any mental illness are not defined by it. It felt like she mentioned bipolar every single time she spoke. I struggle with OCD and anxiety. It wreaks havoc on my life daily. But it is not the only thing about me. Emily is not the only character that lacks dimension. It seems like all the characters in the story are very similar. Also, for how much Emily claims she isn’t an alcoholic, she sure drinks a lot. She seems like she is always drinking and even gets a DUI. But nope, alcohol is not a problem. (sarcasm)
I have not quite decided what the problem is with my next issue. I can’t tell if it is the dialogue, the narration, or perhaps both? The author was trying to give Emily wit and sarcasm and it just came off cheesy and cringeworthy. The narration did not help it. I can’t quite describe it but the way Emily’s voice was portrayed, came off annoying.
Lastly, the pace of this novel is unbelievably slow. And the twist? Predictable. So, unfortunately, I have to rate this book 2 out of 5 stars. I appreciate what the author was trying to do with shedding light on mental illness but it was not executed well.
Oh! Merry Christmas! Sorry, this is not a more positive and happy blog post! I hope you all have a wonderful time filled with happiness and joy beyond measure!
UGHHHHHHH! I had high hopes for this book. I saw that fans of Alice Feeney would enjoy this book. Welp. I did not enjoy it. Where to begin? First of all, I love when authors discuss mental illness to reduce the stigma. When they first mention that Emily is bipolar, I was thrilled. They discuss what she experiences and how everyone is different. That is absolutely wonderful. I started listening to the book thinking that this book will be phenomenal. As the book went on, I discovered that Emily’s bipolar disorder is the only thing that defines her. I feel that discussing mental illness is one thing, but those who suffer from any mental illness are not defined by it. It felt like she mentioned bipolar every single time she spoke. I struggle with OCD and anxiety. It wreaks havoc on my life daily. But it is not the only thing about me. Emily is not the only character that lacks dimension. It seems like all the characters in the story are very similar. Also, for how much Emily claims she isn’t an alcoholic, she sure drinks a lot. She seems like she is always drinking and even gets a DUI. But nope, alcohol is not a problem. (sarcasm)
I have not quite decided what the problem is with my next issue. I can’t tell if it is the dialogue, the narration, or perhaps both? The author was trying to give Emily wit and sarcasm and it just came off cheesy and cringeworthy. The narration did not help it. I can’t quite describe it but the way Emily’s voice was portrayed, came off annoying.
Lastly, the pace of this novel is unbelievably slow. And the twist? Predictable. So, unfortunately, I have to rate this book 2 out of 5 stars. I appreciate what the author was trying to do with shedding light on mental illness but it was not executed well.
Oh! Merry Christmas! Sorry, this is not a more positive and happy blog post! I hope you all have a wonderful time filled with happiness and joy beyond measure!
Rating-3/5 Stars
Emily has bipolar disorder, but she tends to manage it with medicine and lives a pretty normal life. She has a handsome boyfriend and works as a psychologist with children.
One day, her boyfriend convinces her to sleep on a sailboat with him. When she wakes up, he is gone and no where to be found. The police either think she killed him in a rage or he somehow drowned.
But, Emily does not think he is dead or drowned. What could have happened to him though?
I really love the concept of this book and I thought it had a good start of a foundation for an amazing book. I found this one to run flat though. There was really no anticipation or oh my gosh moments. It felt mundane. I enjoyed reading through Emily’s perspective and seeing her go from great to terrible, back to sane. But, the action and the pacing was just not doing it for me.
Emily has bipolar disorder, but she tends to manage it with medicine and lives a pretty normal life. She has a handsome boyfriend and works as a psychologist with children.
One day, her boyfriend convinces her to sleep on a sailboat with him. When she wakes up, he is gone and no where to be found. The police either think she killed him in a rage or he somehow drowned.
But, Emily does not think he is dead or drowned. What could have happened to him though?
I really love the concept of this book and I thought it had a good start of a foundation for an amazing book. I found this one to run flat though. There was really no anticipation or oh my gosh moments. It felt mundane. I enjoyed reading through Emily’s perspective and seeing her go from great to terrible, back to sane. But, the action and the pacing was just not doing it for me.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For me, this book was just okay. I enjoy reading books with a semi-unreliable narrator. That said, she continuously questioned the motives of those around her. “Are they saying this because they believe me?” “Are they really doing what they say they’re going to do” etc. But then that story line doesn’t go anywhere. I don’t mind my mysteries being somewhat predictable/being able to guess what’s going to happen if the twists are well executed. This one just fell flat for me
This was a fantastic quick and easy read!
The main character, Emily has been managing her bipolar disorder for years. However, when her boyfriend disappears one night, her disorder management comes into question. Due to this, I was suspicious of unreliable character narration, but R.J. Jacobs did an excellent job at not focusing too much on that aspect and letting the story play out in an interesting, nail-biting fashion!
Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop! There were many twists and surprises in this unpredictable thriller!
If you lost fast-paced thrillers, this one is for you! Highly recommend.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.