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maddie_0930's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual content, Torture, Child death, and Stalking
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Grief, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Murder
kimveach's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
kccool12255's review
- 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
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: Kidnapping and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, Murder, Infertility, Child abuse, and Child death
Minor: Violence and Physical abuse
purple_elephant's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Minor: Sexual content
fifteenthjessica's review
- 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
4.0
This is another book club book that didn't look like what I normally read (contemporary mystery vs fantasy, sci fi, and historic fiction) but decided to read anyways. My specific thoughts when reading the synopsis was "this looks so messed up, I want to read it." It did not disappoint on that front.
The story is told in short chapters in a mix of third person limited and first person PoV, following Laurel in the story's present, Ellie around the time of her disappearance,
Characters are OK. Most of Laurel's family are likable enough and don't overstay their welcome, but I'm not sure if I would have been as attached to Ellie if she wasn't so similar to me at that age. For better or worse, Lisa Jewell does not shy away from the more unpleasant side of someone coping with a parent's worst nightmare, and at times Laurel's PoV can be frustrating to read about. The worst though, is probably Floyd. Maybe it's the fact that the synopsis hints at a connection with Ellie's disappearance, but it was obvious that something was off with him. However, my big issue is that while Laurel finds him charming, I never did. He comes off as a clingy sex pest with a weirdly clingy relationship with his younger daughter, and the climax revelations make him even worse in retrospect.
Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence, Stalking, Physical abuse, Murder, Classism, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Body horror
mysterymom40's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Pregnancy, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Violence, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Torture, Sexual content, and Death
Minor: Suicide
samantha_bt15's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Abandonment, Body horror, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
cdoubet's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Confinement, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Child death, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: April 24, 2018
T H R E E • W O R D S
Suspenseful • Compelling • Dark
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Ellie Mack has been missing for ten years. Her mother, Laurel, has been gripped by the hands of grief ever since, resulting in the dissolution of her marriage and a strained relationship with her other two children. Despite everything, she still holds out hope that Ellie will return one day.
When a handsome stranger named Floyd sweeps her off her feet. Before too long things have gotten pretty serious, and she is meeting his daughter, Poppy. When she sees Poppy for the first time, it takes her breath away as she has a striking resemblance to Ellie. The meeting stirs up all the unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel all these years.
💭 T H O U G H T S
After reading The House We Grew Up In I vowed to never read another Lisa Jewell book. Yet with a little encouragement from a friend and the opportunity of buddy reading it with her, I knew it was the ideal time to try again. Turns out I am glad I did.
It's been quite some time since I've picked up a thriller that held my attention beyond the first third, but this was definitely it! Lisa Jewell delivers a psychological thriller with emotional depth, and flawed, believable and well written characters. It kept me intrigued and guessing from start to finish, and I particularly valued the mother/daughter relationship. She constantly drops little hints throughout the story that eventually allows the plots to intersect flawlessly.
I don't know if it's my psychology/neuropsychology background but I always love trying to decipher the psychological aspects and how the characters brains work and the motivations behind their behaviours.
My one issue was the structure jumping around so much. The voice switched from one person to another at various parts, making it feel a tad disjointed at time. However, I admit there may not have been another option to properly flush out the narrative.
The icing on the top was Ellie's letter to help wrap things up, and leave me satisfied with the ending. The only thing I'd have wanted to change was Floyd's fate. Then She Was Gone helped me realized I like my thrillers with depth, and I'd consider for Lisa Jewell thrillers in the future.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of Ruth Ware and Liane Moriarty
• readers who like the missing person trope
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"When I read a book it feels like real life and when I put the book down it's like I go back into the dream."
"Cooking doesn’t just nurture the recipient, it nurtures the chef."
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Stalking, Sexual content, Grief, and Suicide
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
beth_s98's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Infertility, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Stalking, Violence, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content