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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Thanks to the publisher, via Netgalley, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
I can't remember why I requested this on Netgalley- whether I saw good reviews and was intrigued, or if it was just because it's being published by Crooked Lane and I've been really loving what they have been publishing lately. Whatever the reason, I'm so glad that I did read it, as it was a fast paced, thrilling ride.
When Emily's boyfriend disappears on a boat trip, she's devastated and concerned. However, in the days following his death, her life spirals more out of control, which is concerning for her and those around her as she's worked hard in the past to manage her bipolar disorder. As evidence mounts that Paolo may not have suffered an accidental death and suspicion for that and other events moves to Emily, she has to fight to prove her innocence and that something much more sinister is going on.
Emily is a great character, and R.J. Jacobs did an excellent job writing her mindset. Timelines seem compressed as she stays awake for days at a time at the end, forgetting her medication and working to figure out the answers before she finds herself arrested. I worried for her as she got herself wrapped up into increasingly more danger, but rooted for her to clear her name and right wrongs. It's a quick and relatively short story, and I honestly would have read even more. Here's hoping this is just the beginning from this author!
I can't remember why I requested this on Netgalley- whether I saw good reviews and was intrigued, or if it was just because it's being published by Crooked Lane and I've been really loving what they have been publishing lately. Whatever the reason, I'm so glad that I did read it, as it was a fast paced, thrilling ride.
When Emily's boyfriend disappears on a boat trip, she's devastated and concerned. However, in the days following his death, her life spirals more out of control, which is concerning for her and those around her as she's worked hard in the past to manage her bipolar disorder. As evidence mounts that Paolo may not have suffered an accidental death and suspicion for that and other events moves to Emily, she has to fight to prove her innocence and that something much more sinister is going on.
Emily is a great character, and R.J. Jacobs did an excellent job writing her mindset. Timelines seem compressed as she stays awake for days at a time at the end, forgetting her medication and working to figure out the answers before she finds herself arrested. I worried for her as she got herself wrapped up into increasingly more danger, but rooted for her to clear her name and right wrongs. It's a quick and relatively short story, and I honestly would have read even more. Here's hoping this is just the beginning from this author!
Meet Emily, who has a sincere fear of water and goes on an overnight boat outing with her Argentinean, medical researcher boyfriend Paolo. She has a laid back, fun evening in which some wine was involved. She wakes up on the boat in the middle of the lake the next morning and...
This one was a disappointment to me after reading Somewhere In the Dark. Part of it may have been the reader as I listened to the audio book and didn't care for her voice. It started soooo slow and didn't develop the relationship between Paolo & Emily. The whole thing was just really anti climatic to me.
Emily is looking forward to spending an entire weekend with her busy boyfriend Paolo, even though they will go sailing and sleep on a boat while she cannot swim. But Paolo will take care of her. The trip starts lightly, but she is quickly feeling sick and just after a bit of wine, she falls into a very deep sleep. When she wakes up the next morning, Paolo is gone. He could hardly be fallen overboard, and even if so, he was a coast guard and is a strong swimmer. So: where is he? The police also cannot find any trace and the longer Paolo is absent, the surer Emily gets that he has been murdered. Especially when she is contacted by one of his former colleagues who tells her about strange doings in their lab. But the investigators simply won’t believe her, understandably since in their eyes, she is acting very strangely and with a bipolar disorder, they doubt her sanity. Yet, the question remains: what happened to Paolo?
The fact that the author himself is a psychologist with practical experience can easily be seen in the novel. “And then you were gone” is playing on all facets of the human mind: Emily’s bipolar disorder and the different states she gets in when she forgets to take her pills, but also on question about what you remember and how you remember, different ways of judging a situation depending on with which eyes you look at it. This certainly keeps you alert as a reader and you never really trust any of the characters since you never know what they are up to.
Apart from the psychological aspect, it is also a very classical crime novel in which the capital vices motivate the characters’ actions. Pride and greed drive them to cross borders that are never meant to cross and that make them forget all ethics for fame and reputation. The case is actually not too complicated which makes perfectly sense since the stress is clearly on Emily and her deteriorating mind. There are many different clues to follow and since you only get the story from Emily’s perspective it is quite obvious that she is also missing some. A thriller which did not absolutely make me get goose bumps but that I enjoyed a lot.
The fact that the author himself is a psychologist with practical experience can easily be seen in the novel. “And then you were gone” is playing on all facets of the human mind: Emily’s bipolar disorder and the different states she gets in when she forgets to take her pills, but also on question about what you remember and how you remember, different ways of judging a situation depending on with which eyes you look at it. This certainly keeps you alert as a reader and you never really trust any of the characters since you never know what they are up to.
Apart from the psychological aspect, it is also a very classical crime novel in which the capital vices motivate the characters’ actions. Pride and greed drive them to cross borders that are never meant to cross and that make them forget all ethics for fame and reputation. The case is actually not too complicated which makes perfectly sense since the stress is clearly on Emily and her deteriorating mind. There are many different clues to follow and since you only get the story from Emily’s perspective it is quite obvious that she is also missing some. A thriller which did not absolutely make me get goose bumps but that I enjoyed a lot.
3.25 stars
First of all can we all just enjoy that lovely cover! It's just beautiful!
I really liked this novel and although there was a mystery aspect involved, it felt a little more like a drama to me.
Paola and Emily go on a vacation and one day Emily wakes up on the boat and finds Paolo gone. Since Paola knows how to swim, he couldn't have drowned but Emily cannot seem to find any other explanation. Where did he go? But when evidence surfaces, Emily thinks he could have been murder. But by whom? And why?
This was an intriguing synopsis which is what made me want to read it. Emily and Cal (Paolo's best friend) work together to try and uncover what really happened to Paolo and if he really was murdered. I did think that it was interesting since Jacobs was a psychologist and he created Emily's character as one as well. One thing I would've liked to see a little more of was Emily in action. I wuold have loved to see Emily with a patient and just how she would work as a psychologist, but sadly we didn't get to see that.
We got to see Emily struggle with Paolo's disappearance and see how far she would go to uncover what really happened to him. I think the novel wrapped up very well, and the twist was solid enough to make the whole novel come together.
Many thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
First of all can we all just enjoy that lovely cover! It's just beautiful!
I really liked this novel and although there was a mystery aspect involved, it felt a little more like a drama to me.
Paola and Emily go on a vacation and one day Emily wakes up on the boat and finds Paolo gone. Since Paola knows how to swim, he couldn't have drowned but Emily cannot seem to find any other explanation. Where did he go? But when evidence surfaces, Emily thinks he could have been murder. But by whom? And why?
This was an intriguing synopsis which is what made me want to read it. Emily and Cal (Paolo's best friend) work together to try and uncover what really happened to Paolo and if he really was murdered. I did think that it was interesting since Jacobs was a psychologist and he created Emily's character as one as well. One thing I would've liked to see a little more of was Emily in action. I wuold have loved to see Emily with a patient and just how she would work as a psychologist, but sadly we didn't get to see that.
We got to see Emily struggle with Paolo's disappearance and see how far she would go to uncover what really happened to him. I think the novel wrapped up very well, and the twist was solid enough to make the whole novel come together.
Many thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
feeling so grateful R. J. Jacobs shared with me a bit about his book, because it is one of those psychological thrillers you absolutely cannot put down. binged this in two days and feel no regrets.
.
And Then You Were Gone ignites a terrifying fear... being somewhere special (in this case, on a boat, in the middle of a lake) with the person you love, just to wake up and find they have completely disappeared. Emily is a psychologist, who is also being treated for a diagnosis of Bipolar Type II, and before this incident, really seems to have it all together. the disappearance of her boyfriend leads to accusations, unraveling, and unveiling of the completely unexpected. for fear of spoiling anything, this is about all I can tell you, as I assure you, once you’ve delved a little bit in, you’ll be hooked. if you’re interested in psychological thrillers, with a hint of mystery and intrigue, this one is for you.
.
And Then You Were Gone ignites a terrifying fear... being somewhere special (in this case, on a boat, in the middle of a lake) with the person you love, just to wake up and find they have completely disappeared. Emily is a psychologist, who is also being treated for a diagnosis of Bipolar Type II, and before this incident, really seems to have it all together. the disappearance of her boyfriend leads to accusations, unraveling, and unveiling of the completely unexpected. for fear of spoiling anything, this is about all I can tell you, as I assure you, once you’ve delved a little bit in, you’ll be hooked. if you’re interested in psychological thrillers, with a hint of mystery and intrigue, this one is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this book was intriguing, and telling the story from Emily's POV sounded like a great hook. However, I had problems not becoming irritated with the fractured, splintered randomness of the narrative - the pace seemed incredibly fast, but going nowhere. This may be an accurate portrayal of someone with bipolar disorder, I don't know, but it made reading a chore rather than a pleasure.
Continuity suffered, and the repetition of certain key concepts got annoying - and yes, the ending was very foreseeable and not a big surprise.
All in all, something different and an interesting premise, but IMO needed to be edited more stringently.
The premise of this book was intriguing, and telling the story from Emily's POV sounded like a great hook. However, I had problems not becoming irritated with the fractured, splintered randomness of the narrative - the pace seemed incredibly fast, but going nowhere. This may be an accurate portrayal of someone with bipolar disorder, I don't know, but it made reading a chore rather than a pleasure.
Continuity suffered, and the repetition of certain key concepts got annoying - and yes, the ending was very foreseeable and not a big surprise.
All in all, something different and an interesting premise, but IMO needed to be edited more stringently.
The main character is annoying and she makes terrible mistakes only a teenager can do. The fact that she is supposed to be a psychiatrist who acts irrationally and doesn't take her bills regularly, like come on!!
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.