You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
I only give 5 stars to books that I know I want to read again someday. Unfortunately, with mystery/thriller books, the excitement factor won't be there the second time around, so I gave it a very solid 4.75!
Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Pregnancy
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse
Graphic: Confinement, Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Pregnancy
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Murder
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence