A review by ellenoell
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 "I want you to tell them all that I’m sorry and that I love them more than anything in the world and that none of them must feel bad about what happened to me because I am brave and I am brilliant and I am strong. Yours sincerely, Ellie Mack"

Absolutely devastating, fucked up, heartbreaking read. I absolutely cannot fathom that Jewell sat down and created this plot and put out this book with ease. Just when you thought it couldn't get more screwed up, it did. The worst part is, there are so many books & movies (ex. Room) that have this same plot, which means that this is something that people have experienced before. This, something that should stay fiction and never be experienced in real life, has happened to real people. It makes me sick to my stomach.

The only reason this book lost a star was because Laurel was almost TOO irritating of a character. Maybe it's because I'm not a writer, but I felt she didn't need to be this insufferable. But at the same time, if she wasn't, the book probably would've ended 10 chapters earlier.

 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings