The Night She Disappeared: A Novel

I only recently discovered Lisa Jewell. As someone who loves all kinds of thrillers and true crime, it surprises me in retrospect that I didn't discover her until recently; the first book of hers that I read was "None Of This Is True", which I loved. Then, of course, I had to look up all her books. "Then She Was Gone" was next; loved it. THEN I ordered THIS book. Wow. WOW! It's SO well written, and so well constructed. I love that Jewell really takes the time to develop the characters and through her style of storytelling puts you inside their minds, with chapters jumping back and forth in time from before crime/crime/aftermath. It builds suspense because you know something terrible happened, and it involved and impacted lots of people, and you're on the edge of your seat waiting to see how it's all going to come together. I know a lot of people will write a review and say, "I read it in one night", or, "I couldn't put it down". I find that I have to read Jewell's books a few chapters at a time. I need a chance, just like the characters in the books, to sit and absorb what I've learned, and process what it all means. It makes the endings so satisfying because unlike a lot of writers Jewell doesn't rely on formulaic storytelling or hard-to-believe plot points; she makes sure to play all of the beats insofar as the thoughts and reactions of everyone involved in the story, which in turn ensures that the plot is character-driven. Much more satisfying. The suspense in this one is SO engrossing! The story is relatable in the sense we've all known toxic people who leave lots of irreparable damage in their wake, either directly or through the unfortunate souls in their orbit. This is one of my must-reads on my "thriller" bookshelf and I'll be giving it as a gift for Christmas to lots of people this year, along with "Ask for Andrea", the other hugely gripping novel I've read in recent months.

This book is definitely one to read. It has it all, slow burn yet page turning, build up and excitement, twists and turns, a murder, a mystery that grows into more than one possibility. The only reason I knocked off a star is bc of the untied strings in the ending. Yet still worthy of a read. This story is impactful & if you’re anything like me, it will sit with you replaying what you read and trying to connect the dots. The story begins about a mother (young grandmother) remembering her missing daughter on the night she disappeared. The mother Kim is left raising her toddler grandson and it’s not going so well. She’s stressed beyond measure living a life she no longer finds joy in bc her sweet 19 year old daughter has been missing for over a year. She doesn’t know much about Tallulah’s social circle as she has always been a quiet more ordinary girl. She became pregnant with her boyfriends baby - that she wasn’t planning on at 18. Decided to keep the baby and still attend college. Her mother is very supportive. Tallulah is a wonderful young mother who takes amazing care of her son. The boyfriend was out of the picture the entire pregnancy bc he wasn’t sure he wanted to be a dad and also wasn’t sure it was his even though Tallulaha and he has been together for so long. Lula realizes she is not in love with Zach but decides to let him back in her life and in their home bc he seems to truly want to be involved with their baby. Lula isn’t one to put her own needs or wants first. Zach full on knows this and takes advantage. Slowly but surely she starts to pull away from him. Her mother is blind to her daughter not wanting Zach anymore. She thinks it’s sweet how much he adores Lula and their baby. She does notice that he is much more affectionate towards her daughter than her daughter is towards him but since Lula doesn’t open up about her true feelings she’s left to believe all is well and soon the three of them will move into their own place. She even finds a ring in Zach’s pocket and knows he’s going to propose to her daughter. The night the two of them go out for a date night - which they never ask for - Kim the mother is more than happy to take care of the baby and let them have a special night. She’s sure her daughter will come home engaged and all will be well……only she and Zach never come home. Lula did call her mother while they were out and let her know she ran into a friend from college & they were going back to her house. But then she wakes up at 4am and realizes the couple never returned. What on earths could’ve happened and who was involved? Her mother knows that Lula never would’ve left the baby as some suggested as he was her whole world. The story goes back and forth of before Lula went missing and to present year of which the mother Kim and others are still trying to find any evidence, clues, answers. SPOILER: On a personal observation in regards to Lula’s “sexual awakening”, I’m not sure I believe she is gay for her attraction to Scarlett. She lived a quit mundane life and had to grow up fast at only 18 after she had a baby. Then she let the ex boyfriend back into her life against her better judgment. An interesting person comes into her life with such force she couldn’t help but be attracted to the light, similar to Dory 😉 She got swept up in a very sticky spider web and didn’t realize it bc at the time it was new, exciting, she felt alive in a way she never had before. Yet it was more proof that she simply hadn’t truly lived yet. I’m not saying she’s not gay nor and I saying it’s bad if she is. I’m only speaking through the lens of someone whose lived enough life at 51 years old to remember those transitional years and witnessing people experiment with different things to find out who they truly are until they find themselves. I’d love an update about Tullulah, her son and her mother. Bravo to this author for such a thought provoking story. I’ll definitely read more by her.

As someone who has been a voracious reader for more than 7 decades my interests have ranged from A to Z and from the classics to well-written thrillers. This is why while browsing on Amazon when I came across this 416-page hardcover book (The night she disappeared by Lisa Jewell) I decided to purchase it. I have read quite a few of this author's novels in the past and I found this one to be one of the best thrillers I have read lately. The many twists and turns and the unusual characters made this a page-turning read. I never give away too much information when reviewing any novel, but if you enjoy reading the novels by Lisa Jewell you may want to check out this one. A great read. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: The Samurai Soul: An old warrior's poetic tribute).

This was a really well-constructed thriller. The multiple timelines were easy to follow and built tension in a way that kept me turning pages. I especially appreciated how small details early on ended up mattering later. That kind of payoff always works for me. The emotional stakes felt real, and the ending tied things together in a satisfying way without feeling over the top. One thematic thread didn’t fully land for me, but it was minor compared to how strong the overall story was. Definitely one of the better thrillers I’ve read lately.

I like all of LJ's thrillers (especially Watching You, which is a masterpiece) but this might be the best of all. Intricately constructed plot and a real puzzler, a great read. Hats off!

Love Lisa Jewells book, her writing superb, you will be hooked from the very beginning and just can not put the book down, if you enjoy thriller/suspense novels you will love this

From beginning to end, a great mystery that grabs you from page one. I've read many books of Jewell and loved them all, but this one leapt to number one favorite. Don't miss it!

Love her books ❤️👍🏻

Das Buch hatte ich an einem Tag durch. Wahnsinnig spannend!