Take a photo of a barcode or cover
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
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 abuse, Child death, Death, Kidnapping
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Dementia, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Car accident, Death of parent
Graphic: Body horror, Violence
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Suicide
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pregnancy
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Sexual harassment