Scan barcode
nlh1108's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
ashme's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I think the book definitely picked up middle way through and I enjoyed the ending more than I thought I would. Made me emotional actually. However, there was a lot of this that was completely predictable which I usually don’t like but I did like the video explanation in the book. Not my favorite book but think it deserved more than 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
alibeanxela's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Interesting storyline but becomes somewhat predictable by the middle of the book. Not exactly a suspense read. But still a decent enough read. Not bad but not extraordinary.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicide, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy
kt314's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy
pumaliontiger's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Pregnancy
j_lynne's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
afterplague's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I was in a bit of a reading slump when this book came in from my library, and I’m so grateful that it was good enough to pull me out of the slump. I really enjoyed None of This Is True, and I also gave it four stars, so I think that means Lisa Jewell is a pretty solid bet for me right now!
Then She Was Gone is about Laurel, a woman whose daughter went missing ten years prior. Ellie was a very smart, very beautiful girl who never really got in trouble, but when no evidence arises from her case, it’s assumed that she was simply a runaway who never returned home. Laurel is finally able to begin moving on with her life when remains are found that are identified as Ellie’s. She meets a charming man named Floyd who has a nine year old daughter who looks extremely like Ellie.
I think this book is… really predictable in some ways. I don’t really think that’s a bad thing in a thriller necessarily. Sometimes I just need to read something easy, and this fit the bill perfectly. The writing style is really quick, and it keeps the story moving at an excellent pace. So, it doesn’t really matter that I immediately knew what happened to Ellie. I knew what Poppy’s deal was.
That’s not to say that the details of how everything played out weren’t interesting. I especially liked seeing the events unfold from different perspectives. We were able to get deeper into Noelle’s head or Floyd’s head and see how their backgrounds and experiences affected the way they thought and the actions they took. I also found them distinct from Laurel’s perspective.
I do think there was the insinuation of a further mystery with Poppy that remained a little unresolved. Why was she so isolated from her family? Why was she homeschooled? Why was she so, for lack of a better word, weird? I was expecting more of a confession from Floyd on that point, but it wasn’t really important in the end. I think Poppy was just weird to create a bit of discomfort in the reader. There were other small things that didn’t really matter, like SJ’s boyfriend. There was just a bit of unnecessary fat that could be trimmed.
I liked the characters well enough. Laurel is a compelling character who evolves and grows over the course of the story, and it was nice to see her reconnecting and rebuilding her family after a devastating loss. Floyd plays his part well as the “too good to be true” new boyfriend. He was just suspicious enough to be interesting, but not so much so that he became an unrealistic character. I surprisingly also really appreciated the ex-husband Paul. It was a refreshing take on this kind of dynamic because of the lack of bitterness and blame after their separation. Noelle, too, had some depth to her that created a more interesting story than what was on the surface.
I was a little surprised with how sad the story concluded. I never really believed that the remains found were Ellie’s, but I was really surprised how that ended up. I still think it was a good ending, but definitely sad.
I would recommend Then She Was Gone if you don’t mind a thriller that’s not particularly twisty. It’s an easy read, and I enjoyed it!
Then She Was Gone is about Laurel, a woman whose daughter went missing ten years prior. Ellie was a very smart, very beautiful girl who never really got in trouble, but when no evidence arises from her case, it’s assumed that she was simply a runaway who never returned home. Laurel is finally able to begin moving on with her life when remains are found that are identified as Ellie’s. She meets a charming man named Floyd who has a nine year old daughter who looks extremely like Ellie.
I think this book is… really predictable in some ways. I don’t really think that’s a bad thing in a thriller necessarily. Sometimes I just need to read something easy, and this fit the bill perfectly. The writing style is really quick, and it keeps the story moving at an excellent pace. So, it doesn’t really matter that I immediately knew what happened to Ellie. I knew what Poppy’s deal was.
That’s not to say that the details of how everything played out weren’t interesting. I especially liked seeing the events unfold from different perspectives. We were able to get deeper into Noelle’s head or Floyd’s head and see how their backgrounds and experiences affected the way they thought and the actions they took. I also found them distinct from Laurel’s perspective.
I do think there was the insinuation of a further mystery with Poppy that remained a little unresolved. Why was she so isolated from her family? Why was she homeschooled? Why was she so, for lack of a better word, weird? I was expecting more of a confession from Floyd on that point, but it wasn’t really important in the end. I think Poppy was just weird to create a bit of discomfort in the reader. There were other small things that didn’t really matter, like SJ’s boyfriend. There was just a bit of unnecessary fat that could be trimmed.
I liked the characters well enough. Laurel is a compelling character who evolves and grows over the course of the story, and it was nice to see her reconnecting and rebuilding her family after a devastating loss. Floyd plays his part well as the “too good to be true” new boyfriend. He was just suspicious enough to be interesting, but not so much so that he became an unrealistic character. I surprisingly also really appreciated the ex-husband Paul. It was a refreshing take on this kind of dynamic because of the lack of bitterness and blame after their separation. Noelle, too, had some depth to her that created a more interesting story than what was on the surface.
I was a little surprised with how sad the story concluded. I never really believed that the remains found were Ellie’s, but I was really surprised how that ended up. I still think it was a good ending, but definitely sad.
I would recommend Then She Was Gone if you don’t mind a thriller that’s not particularly twisty. It’s an easy read, and I enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
jasmine0705's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Stalking, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death
rachelranelli's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Mental illness, and Alcohol
hgootz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
I initially picked this book to be my last book of 2024, but instead ended up my first finished read of 2025. This was not a bad read to begin 2025 with. Then She Was Gone was a book that had moments of predictability, times where I “I knew it” as a revelation happened, as well as “I should have seen that coming”, but also moments where I was on the edge of my seat, or feeling of shock where I had to take a moment to soak in what happened before I could continue reading. It was also so interesting to have the different POVs presented in this book and get the different perspectives as pieces of the story were lining up together. Towards the end it definitely gave me vibes similar to the Netflix show You. This book in the end kept pulling me in and made me stay up until after midnight on a work night to finish it, so I can’t say it didn’t hook me. I don’t think I’ll go back to re-read it personally, but would recommend it to others. I’m glad to have chosen this as my second psychological thriller and can’t wait to explore more of this genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Dementia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault