Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance looks at the fallout when Kathy is killed in a car accident. It’s told from the point of view of her younger sister Sally, and highlights the impact on Sally, their parents and the family unit as a whole, as well as on Billy, Kathy’s boyfriend who was driving at the time of the accident. A coming of age story that takes a realistic look at the sometimes messy legacy of grief. I thought it was solid but unremarkable. For some reason it didn’t make the impression on me that it did on many other readers.

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kportalareads's review

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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ainsley_j5's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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kitausu's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book isn't my normal genre, but I am absolutely in love with it. The voice of the narrator feels so intimate you can't help but be drawn in to her story, her feelings, her life. I loved everything about this.

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clairebonney's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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lcg527's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley.

This book is at the top of my favorites for 2022 so far. This is a conversation of grief
told by a younger sister mourning the devastating loss of her older sister, her hero and best friend. There is so much more to the story - how parents handle loss, the sister’s popular boyfriend, friendship, and forgiveness. Despite the tragedies that unfold, there are incredible moments of comedy that shine through in the storytelling. A wonderful emotional roller coaster with tears of both loss and laughter.

The narrator of the audiobook is perfect.

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chaptersofchase's review

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you, Henry Holt, for the gifted book! {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Trope: Coming-of-Age
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 5.17.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"All of a sudden, you want an answer for every question you never thought to ask them."

What a beautiful coming-of-age story!

There was something so cathartic about reading this book. It was filled with sadness, loss, and grief, but it was also full of everything that a teenager growing up in the 90s would experience. It took me back to my childhood, and I saw a lot of myself in Sally and Kathy.

While the story had a slower beginning, it really fit with the story's tone. Eventually, I was drawn in and couldn't put the book down. I felt like the entire novel was one long letter to Kathy after her death. You know that Kathy dies, but you aren't told how. Then slowly, in a countdown that only the reader is aware of, you wait for the inevitable moment when you know that no one will be the same again.

Alison Espach did a spectacular job of showing how grief can impact a family - it's a reminder that there is no right or wrong way to mourn the death of someone. In one part, Sally talks about not wanting to leave the funeral home because that's where Kathy is, and I related so much to this feeling. You don't want to just leave them there, alone. The book was full of several moments just like this, and although they were tough to read, they gave me a deeper connection to the characters.

📝 Felt like a letter written to her sister
🥺 Intimate look at grief within a family
👧🏽 Very relatable to growing up in the 90s

❌ - attempted suicide

I couldn't get enough of Espach's writing and how she could articulate so many emotions in such vivid detail. I felt like I was brought in on the most intimate and delicate moments of someone's life.

And the ending? Well, that was absolutely perfect.

Make sure you add this to your reading list when it publishes on May 17th!

____
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