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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
If I Disappeared begins on a compelling premise: a true-crime podcaster goes missing, but not before planting a subtle call for help in her final episode. Sera Fleece’s subsequent search leads her deep into the remote wilderness of Northern California, where she must contend with an unwelcoming cast of creepy characters. Suspicions swirl in this propulsive debut, a clever, sinister read with a surprising sting in the tail.
Very twisty turny. I do not like how it is in second person. But it makes the narrator seem crazier so it works. I struggled to get into it but the second half of the book was extremely engaging!
This was trippy and confusing but also not super „shock plot twist“ ... fine but I didn’t love it
QUICK TAKE: when a true crime podcaster goes missing, her biggest fan decides to make herself part of the story by trying to track her down and finds herself working for the podcaster's family on their isolated and mysterious dude ranch. As Sera gets to know the family and other members of the community, she finds herself part of a dark and dangerous mystery. This one was a bizarre blast...part I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK, part SHARP OBJECTS, the author does a brilliant job leaning into the macabre and mysterious while writing whip-smart, crackling dialogue and introducing readers to some of the strangest characters I've ever read on the page. Definitely worth prioritizing when this one is out next year.
Overall, a compelling story. There are a lot of themes here - about the ways we ignore people teetering on the edge of coming apart. About the way those who are ignored can be victimized. And about how women learn to hate each each other by first hating themselves. But ultimately, it is a mystery and a pretty good one at that. I sort of suspected where the plot was headed, but it was still interesting. I felt like some of the middle dragged a little, and we lost some of the tension for a bit, but it was a good story.
DNF @ 19%
Just didn’t like this at all. The narration is very confusing and the plot felt a bit grubby. Wasn’t my cup of tea at all and I had no interest at all in continuing with it.
Just didn’t like this at all. The narration is very confusing and the plot felt a bit grubby. Wasn’t my cup of tea at all and I had no interest at all in continuing with it.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wanted to like this book, but it just didn't hit the mark for me. The attempts at a feminist argument bleed too much into Sera's obsessive tendencies, making her arguments against being the "crazy woman" pretty weak. After all, she literally drove out to the middle of nowhere because a podcast host she liked stopped posting and was much too obvious about her investigation in the process. She might not be a crazy woman in the way other people treat her, but she certainly wasn't right in the head for doing all this. To sum it up, Sera isn't a terribly likable character and isn't very easy to feel sorry for, seeing as she could have just...not put herself in danger.
The last couple chapters of the book also leave a few threads dangling even now. I know Homer was supposed to be suspicious from the start, but then it turns out he did nothing at all. Red herrings are good, especially in true crime-based books, but this felt sort of cheap. The characters outside of Sera are pretty weird to begin with, but I felt like using the brother as a prop was just an okay plot point instead of a stronger one.
I won't go on too much about how I dislike the way this book talks about men, but it genuinely felt like it was trying to be progressive and ultimately fell flat. By a lot. For example: Sera could have been ashamed for sleeping with Jed because she suspected him of murder, but instead she chooses to hate herself for sleeping with him...because he's a man? It just felt a bit out of place, since her main focus is technically the murder/disappearance investigation.
Overall, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The atmosphere was pretty tense, though, and I plowed through the last 40 or so pages to figure out what was happening. I also didn't mind the writing style, despite the fact that it could get repetitive. This book isn't irredeemably bad by any means, but the main character and the surprise twists at the end made it one of my least favorite reads this year. I hope that other people enjoy this book more than I did, because it wasn't really for me.
The last couple chapters of the book also leave a few threads dangling even now. I know Homer was supposed to be suspicious from the start, but then it turns out he did nothing at all. Red herrings are good, especially in true crime-based books, but this felt sort of cheap. The characters outside of Sera are pretty weird to begin with, but I felt like using the brother as a prop was just an okay plot point instead of a stronger one.
I won't go on too much about how I dislike the way this book talks about men, but it genuinely felt like it was trying to be progressive and ultimately fell flat. By a lot. For example: Sera could have been ashamed for sleeping with Jed because she suspected him of murder, but instead she chooses to hate herself for sleeping with him...because he's a man? It just felt a bit out of place, since her main focus is technically the murder/disappearance investigation.
Overall, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The atmosphere was pretty tense, though, and I plowed through the last 40 or so pages to figure out what was happening. I also didn't mind the writing style, despite the fact that it could get repetitive. This book isn't irredeemably bad by any means, but the main character and the surprise twists at the end made it one of my least favorite reads this year. I hope that other people enjoy this book more than I did, because it wasn't really for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Vomit, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Suicide, Blood
Minor: Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Torture, Pregnancy
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes