Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - Then She Was Gone

Original (3.25 stars):

I kid you not when I say this is literally one of the most messed-up books I have ever read. The Liars series had bad stuff like this IN those books, BUT THE PLOT TWISTS MADE SENSE. This book literally feels like a fever dream. I can’t even put it into words. The only thing I can say is that it spellbound me. I literally COULD NOT put it down, I HAD to know how it ended. Just…I can’t. I don’t know what else to say. This book sucked.

Although it’s SO CUTE how Poppy calls Laurel Mama.

Still bad, though.

Revisited (4.0 stars):

Yes, I reread it. And BOY OH BOY, I was READY for it this time.

I think that for books like this, you really have to know what you're getting into. You need to know what level of disgusting, messed-up crap is gonna be in these types of books before

you're reading about a girl who gets kidnapped and unknowingly, WITHOUT HER CONSENT, gets inseminated with some random dude's sperm bought on the dark web. This book is MESSED. UP.

you dive straight in. There needs to be DISCLAIMERS. I know that there's content warnings on here, but they should have something actually IN the book before you read it, so you don't go in blind. I don't know, that's just my personal thoughts.

That being said, for this genre? Then She Was Gone is MASTERFUL in its storytelling, and I think it paved the way for a lot more books like it, like I Invited Her In by Adele Parks. I'll have to fact-check that, but the two fall in the same category. However, where I Invited Her In is basically just a bunch of things happening in quick succession, Then She Was Gone is actually a narrative that is woven through multiple different time frames, and just about EVERYTHING ties together in the end. It's very smart, and honestly just very good writing.

However, I still take issue for the multiple side character storylines that were unnecessary and kind of stupid. WHY did Hanna have to get with and MARRY Ellie's old boyfriend? That is...a lot, and frankly, it's disrespectful to Ellie on both of their parts. With Theo, WHY would you date your missing girlfriend's SISTER? With Hanna, WHY would you date your missing sister's BOYFRIEND? It's VERY unrealistic, and I do not like the storyline any way you slice it up. It's weird, and kind of gross. And WHY did Sara-Jade need to be having an affair with a MARRIED man TWICE HER AGE? And did she need to be a nude model, or whatever the heck she is? She's just a really weird character, she could've been much better but Lisa Jewell held back.

Ellie is very well-written for being a teenager, and no one can fault her for the mistakes she makes that lead to her downfall. You can feel genuinely bad for her and what she goes through down in that basement.

Floyd, Laurel, and Poppy are all VERY well-rounded characters, and I liked them a lot. Not much to say on that front. Laurel and Poppy's relationship is very sweet, especially in the end.

Laurel gets to be the mother Poppy never had! *sob* Floyd is very well-written in his confessional, I love how his like entire personality is really just a facade, built up to please Laurel. He was in a BAD situation, and you can give him a lot of blame for that, but honestly, he did what he could. I can't believe he KILLED himself, THAT had me shook, but honestly, what else was he gonna do in his life? Noelle screwed up a LOT of people, and I STILL can't believe he killed her. That was just...wow.

I would probably rate this book higher, but we have history. Maybe I'll revisit it sometime in the future for a higher rating, but for now, I'm satisfied with what we have.

Content Warnings

gaby_readsss's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

3.75

This was a very sad book. It is a fake mystery but it truly felt like this happened to someone real. I can’t even think how someone can be so evil and ruin so many people’s lives like that. :(

While I was reading this book, I kept waiting for a revelation that Ellie was still alive. I figured out by page 80 that she was Poppy’s mother but I had no idea how twisted everything was. Learning what led to it was terrible and heartbreaking. I felt like I was reading a true crime story because of how upsetting everything was. Since there are different pov’s, I kept saying “please notice” or “please mention this because it could change everything”. One part that hurt me was when Ellie kept pounding on the window and the walls but nobody heard her. It was so frustrating. I hated Donnelly so much for what she did to Ellie. She was mentally ill.

Yes, there was some predictability to this book but the plot was so well executed that it didn’t make reading it feel like a boring task. I enjoyed unveiling all the parts of this mystery.

I thought that Floyd would be much worse. I was expecting for an ultimate twist in his reveal, but it felt like I already knew what he did. I don’t think he should have died. What he did was terrible but Donnelly deserved that and more.

I was so sad to learn Ellie’s actually dead. I know early on we find out that her remains were found, but deep down I still had hope for her. :(

It was heartbreaking that Poppy lost her mom and Laurel lost her daughter. But I did like how Poppy is giving Laurel a second chance at being a mom after she lost Ellie. The ending is so bittersweet.

Overall, I give this a 3.5/5 rating.

Content Warnings

mftraveller3500's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

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