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amberlfaris's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide
jove64's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Mental illness
ghostingarden's review
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Vomit
greatestheights's review against another edition
emotional
slow-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness
danireadsthings's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
If I could give this book ten stars I would.
Kate is a master of measured emotional pacing, creating characters with beating hearts and situations that feel true to life and never contrived.
The characters felt raw and real, showing all the complexity of their frayed edges and best efforts and shortcomings and strengths.
The FMC Jess refers to their group as a four points of a compass, and truly the supporting characters were just as integral as the MCs.
This isn't just a romance. It's a family drama, a mystery, and an emotional reckoning.
With every book Kate has written I've been astounded at her ability to write characters that feel layered and true, and this book shows how she continues to hone and master her craft.
Kate is a master of measured emotional pacing, creating characters with beating hearts and situations that feel true to life and never contrived.
The characters felt raw and real, showing all the complexity of their frayed edges and best efforts and shortcomings and strengths.
The FMC Jess refers to their group as a four points of a compass, and truly the supporting characters were just as integral as the MCs.
This isn't just a romance. It's a family drama, a mystery, and an emotional reckoning.
With every book Kate has written I've been astounded at her ability to write characters that feel layered and true, and this book shows how she continues to hone and master her craft.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Mental illness
vickie0326's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide
annaforthebooks's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
The Other Side of Disappearing combines stories of romance, mystery, and family drama in one. The main story is about siblings Jess and Tegan who were abandoned by their mom 10 years ago to run off with a con artist, Lynton Baltimore. Lynton is the subject of a true crime podcast that journalists Salem and Adam are researching on, and the four of them go on a road trip across the US to get answers for themselves.
I’ve read many of Kate Clayborn’s books, but this one felt unique even from the start. The romance between Jess and Adam is still central to the plot, but I also loved the mystery elements about Baltimore’s con and the mom’s disappearance, as well as the growth in the relationship between the sisters. It’s also refreshing to read about two introverted characters in a romance plot. We often see opposite personalities in these stories, so it was nice to have two characters who are quiet and reserved open up to each other.
This is my favorite Kate Clayborn book so far. It wasn’t as heavy or dark as I was expecting, but maybe because I enjoy true crime and mysteries in general. If you also enjoy these, then I would highly recommend this book!
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness
leann0330's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
This story follows two sisters (15 years age difference) as they travel with a popular true-crime podcaster and her producer to investigate the disappearance of their mother who was last seen with her con-artist boyfriend 10 years prior. The group travels to five different locations where postcards containing vague clues had been mailed from Charlotte (mom) to the sisters, Jess and Tegan. Along the way, the older sister, Jess, and the producer, Adam, become close—Adam (a former college football player) is able to break through Jess’s hard exterior and provides the first safe place for her in over a decade. Tegan, an 18yo headed to college soon, just wants to know why their mom left and what happened to her, while Jess just wants to protect Tegan’s heart from being destroyed. The podcaster, Salem, has been obsessed with finding the con man, Lyndon Baltimore, for the last 10 years and wants closure ever since he promised her one last interview then bailed.
This was a 5-star read for me, as most of Kate Clayborn’s books are! This is not a light-hearted rom-com… it’s an emotional rollercoaster that shows the trauma associated with abandonment and the difficulties in opening up yourself to love when you have done everything in your power to raise a sibling with as “normal” a life as possible. This book also goes into mental illness/bi-polar disorder/TBI, grifting, and terminal illness. But take heart! It is a happily ever after and if any two people deserve that, it’s Jess and Adam. Adam is patient, kind, protective, and just wants to be Jess’s person.
“I realize, with a startling sort of clarity, that I’d cut out my own heart before I treated hers carelessly.”
Jess is lonely, strong, selfless, and eventually learns to trust Adam and herself.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe against her neck. “I know I’m too—“
“You’re not too anything. You’ve never been too anything, for me.”
The story wraps up nicely although it could have gone into a little more podcast info at the end. I just always have a lot of questions when I’m done reading and I know I’ll think about this one for awhile!
This was a 5-star read for me, as most of Kate Clayborn’s books are! This is not a light-hearted rom-com… it’s an emotional rollercoaster that shows the trauma associated with abandonment and the difficulties in opening up yourself to love when you have done everything in your power to raise a sibling with as “normal” a life as possible. This book also goes into mental illness/bi-polar disorder/TBI, grifting, and terminal illness. But take heart! It is a happily ever after and if any two people deserve that, it’s Jess and Adam. Adam is patient, kind, protective, and just wants to be Jess’s person.
“I realize, with a startling sort of clarity, that I’d cut out my own heart before I treated hers carelessly.”
Jess is lonely, strong, selfless, and eventually learns to trust Adam and herself.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe against her neck. “I know I’m too—“
“You’re not too anything. You’ve never been too anything, for me.”
The story wraps up nicely although it could have gone into a little more podcast info at the end. I just always have a lot of questions when I’m done reading and I know I’ll think about this one for awhile!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Car accident
emslitlibrary's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS IS MY PERSONALITY NOW (aka ♾️⭐️)
I knew within the first couple of chapters of reading this that I was going to love it. It’s hard to describe when a book just speaks to something in you that is bone-deep but I just instantly knew this would be a longtime favorite.
I absolutely loved everything in this book. The writing, characters, and relationship development was all beautiful and there was humor & wit laced in where you least expected it. The mystery aspect of it served as a vehicle to bring the characters together but also added in a layer of intrigue that kept the story fresh and interesting.
I relate so much to black cat heroines and when you get a hero who understands just somehow KNOWS how to become a soft and gentle place for her to land? It’s exquisite. Adam is protective but doesn’t overstep and his POV was filled with some of the most soft & romantic notions you could imagine.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Cancer, Death, and Mental illness
sacrill's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Mental illness
Minor: Cancer