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ashleyfrechette's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.75
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 after inhaling Kate Clayborn’s entire back catalog last year and it did not disappoint.
I loved the character development of not just our main character Jess, but also her sister Tegan. You’re quite literally on an emotional road trip as they travel to unravel the mystery of why their mother abandoned them and why she would do so with a criminal and the subject of the true crime podcast The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore.
Salem Durant is on a mission to finish the story she started telling over a decade ago on her podcast, and her assistant Adam Hawkins is there to learn from the master of podcasts to better tell his best friends story. Each one of these characters goes through significant growth and while they’re an odd group to stick together, they play well off of one another.
This book is part mystery, part romance, and part family drama. That can be a large challenge for an author to tackle all three in a compelling story, but Clayborn does it with ease. You find yourself rooting for the characters and deeply invested in all elements of this story. There are no loose strings at the end that you’re still questioning, it ties together nicely and every characters story has a satisfying ending. I loved the snippets of podcast transcripts scattered throughout the story. It provided just enough background to set the scene and drive the plot without feeling out of place. Instead of telling information, the picture was painted so you could draw your own conclusions.
In true Kate Clayborn fashion, there were moments that brought me to tears and moments of pure delight. She has a way of crafting a story that’s compelling and every character truly has their own journey but they all connect beautifully. This will definitely stand as one of my favorite reads of the year.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I loved the character development of not just our main character Jess, but also her sister Tegan. You’re quite literally on an emotional road trip as they travel to unravel the mystery of why their mother abandoned them and why she would do so with a criminal and the subject of the true crime podcast The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore.
Salem Durant is on a mission to finish the story she started telling over a decade ago on her podcast, and her assistant Adam Hawkins is there to learn from the master of podcasts to better tell his best friends story. Each one of these characters goes through significant growth and while they’re an odd group to stick together, they play well off of one another.
This book is part mystery, part romance, and part family drama. That can be a large challenge for an author to tackle all three in a compelling story, but Clayborn does it with ease. You find yourself rooting for the characters and deeply invested in all elements of this story. There are no loose strings at the end that you’re still questioning, it ties together nicely and every characters story has a satisfying ending. I loved the snippets of podcast transcripts scattered throughout the story. It provided just enough background to set the scene and drive the plot without feeling out of place. Instead of telling information, the picture was painted so you could draw your own conclusions.
In true Kate Clayborn fashion, there were moments that brought me to tears and moments of pure delight. She has a way of crafting a story that’s compelling and every character truly has their own journey but they all connect beautifully. This will definitely stand as one of my favorite reads of the year.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Suicide
anapsc's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Suicide
balletbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Once again, Kate Clayborn has excavated my heart and then tenderly put it back together.
SO good. A prickly (but with reasons, oh Jess, honey) FMC plus Gentle Giant MMC (to you like Zaf from Dani Brown? You'll like Adam). Plus ROADTRIP. Definitely a little sexier (imo) than previous KCs (I'll just say: field of flowers, hehe).
Out in March.
SO good. A prickly (but with reasons, oh Jess, honey) FMC plus Gentle Giant MMC (to you like Zaf from Dani Brown? You'll like Adam). Plus ROADTRIP. Definitely a little sexier (imo) than previous KCs (I'll just say: field of flowers, hehe).
Out in March.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness
The FMC and her sister were abandoned by their mom who ran off with a con man, leaving a 21 yo to care for an 8 yo. This is a major source of trauma for them and also the driver for this roadtrip. The MMC has a former teammate who struggled with having bipolar disorder while also being a high-profile football player, who since lost his life in an accident. (this is not a spoiler) The MMC does detail briefly how people treated his friend and denigrated his mental illness.aimee_not_amy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really loved this book. This is my first Kate Clayborn book, but I went to my libby app and borrowed her other books before I even finished this one. For some reason, I've been reading a lot of romance novels that are slightly tinged with grief and The Other Side of Disappearing definitely has a tinge of grief. Jess is our FMC and has stepped up to raise her half-sister after their mother left them to run off with a con man. That con man was the subject of a Serial type podcast hosted by Salem Durant. Now, 10 years later, Jess reluctantly goes along with her sister, Salem, and Salem's producer Adam to go on a road trip to find her mom.
I took my time reading this book because I knew I was going to want to let it soak in. I enjoyed being alongside Jess and Tegan as we learned new snippets about their mom. I celebrated every time Jess trusted Adam enough to let him just a little more. I was even glad when (spoiler):Salem opened up about the true nature of her relationship with the con man, Lynton Baltimore. Adam was a real sweetheart and his story was just heartbreaking, as well. I can totally understand why he went scorched earth on social media prior to the events of the book.
I can't wait for everyone to read this book and Kate Clayborn has a new fan in me!
I took my time reading this book because I knew I was going to want to let it soak in. I enjoyed being alongside Jess and Tegan as we learned new snippets about their mom. I celebrated every time Jess trusted Adam enough to let him just a little more. I was even glad when (spoiler):
I can't wait for everyone to read this book and Kate Clayborn has a new fan in me!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Suicide and Mental illness
This book deals a lot with child abandonment and coming to terms with it.
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