A review by james1star
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Ugh this was going so well. Like full on 4-5 star potential. But then it just went so down hill and so quickly. Why?!? 

Anywho, in this we follow a tri-POV from Kim, a woman who’s teenage daughter goes missing one night after going out with her boyfriend at the time it happened, Sophie an author who’s recently moved to the village as the girlfriend of the new headmaster at a school for rich kids who have no where else to go in the most up to date time, and finally Tallulah the teenage mother who goes missing in the further time frame as she tells her story of what went down. After she goes missing, Kim is certain her daughter wouldn’t abandon her young son Noah so is determined to did what happened. Sophie sees a sign saying to ‘dig here’ when she arrives and in doing so the case of the missing teenagers is reopened so she leaves her crime writing to do some irl investigating. Tallulah is dealing with being a new, young mum but also wants what the other girls her age have and maybe she finds this in Scarlett, a girl who knows what she wants and how to get it. She starts a relationship back with her baby daddy Zach and his hopes of a new life as a family but becomes ever more controlling. So yh I think that’s all of the plot I’ll say. 

The writing and suspense was definitely there, I was intrigued and just had to read on. It is very slow paced but I was still interested in what was happening, mostly Tallulah’s parts despite my huge hatred of Scarlett, but I guess as it went along the pacing was just getting a bit jarring. Like I said, it started so well and it made me feel panicky and rather claustrophobic too which was probably the best part: the way it made me feel I mean. Things are rehashed so many times which is just annoying making it drag on and on. The emotional/domestic abuse storyline I think was portrayed well in how things slowly add up but things to do with it just didn’t make sense - I think I’ll post a whole YouTube review soon which’ll contain spoilers and I can fully share my thoughts. In a similar vein, ugh the last 20-ish% and ending was soooo bad and unbelievable like just what? Huh? How? Lisaaaa what was that? And for what? 

Anyways I’m done with this for the moment, I don’t care to review anymore of this. I liked it but then I hated it, do with that as you wish. I wouldn’t recommend it but I am intrigued to pick up another Jewell read in the future. 
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