Wow! What a beautiful and heart-wrenching story!

Crosby weaves a tale of a mother’s unyielding love and devotion in Emily, Gone. When 6 month old Emily gets kidnapped from her crib one August evening, it leaves her parents, Rachel and George distraught. The story takes you through all of the emotions and experiences that follow and all I can say is, have some tissues ready.

The way the novel resolved was absolutely beautiful! I loved how Rachel and George are able to get some semblance of peace after so many years wondering what happened to their beloved Emmy.

There is also a beauty mother in law/daughter in law relationship that develops so earnestly and I so enjoyed reading how Mama Dixon helps Rachel through the most difficult years of her life.

Bravo Betty Lee Crosby, 5 stars!

I received an ARC through NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an honest review.

Loved the story. Loved the good that came out of it. In having to deal with this situation, I think Rachel and Mama Dixon grew the most. It was awesome seeing their relationship take a turn for the better. Sometimes it takes a crisis, along with someone who will give you tough love. George was the rock who did the best he could for both the women he loved. So much truth in this fictional story. The writing was such that I had vivid pictures in my mind of not only the happenings, but the people involved. There are often times more that one way for prayers to be answered and I think you’ll see that in this story. I have enjoyed every story I have read by this author. I can’t wait to read another one. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Awesome book that Bette Lee Crosby did amazing job writing. It kept me right from the beginning to the end.heartwarming and tears comes to your eyes.I would recommend this to anyone who likes twist and turs.

What a fantastic story! I absolutely loved it! Bette Lee Crosby gives you a story packed with so many different emotions. I needed the tissues by my side. Bette's characters are so real that you feel like you know them. I loved the way that you followed each of the main characters as the story progressed. This is one story that you shouldn't miss! Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for an advance reader copy of this book. I have voluntarily written my honest review.

This is such an emotional read. Losing a child is a mother’s worst nightmare, but what if you put the child to bed and woke up the next morning and found your child gone? The Hesterville Music Festival rolled into town with thousands of strangers and loud music at all hours. By the time it wound down, the Dixons were exhausted and finally able to sleep. Rachel put Emily to bed and gave In to sleep, never imagining that by the next morning her life would be torn apart. Vicki had spent the festival doing what she could to forget the ache of losing her baby. As the festival ends, she convinces her boyfriend to stop at a house on the way out of town so she could forage for food. Her actions after entering the house would change more than just her life.
Full of emotion and definitely a tear-jerker in many ways, Bette Lee Crosby delivers a novel that will burrow its way into your heart. Rachel is mired in guilt and heart-break, not sure how she will live without Emily, but with help from an unlikely source, she starts to live again. Vicky is determined to be the best Mom she can, walking away from the man she loves to ensure she can.
One baby, two families, and the repercussions, both good and bad, of one rash move are handled with a deft hand and compassion.
I adored these characters and the way Crosby wove their lives into the story. I loved this story and could not put it down. Settle into a cozy spot, and enjoy. Don’t be surprised if there are tears, as novel will take you on an emotional journey.
#EmilyGone #LakeUnionPublishers @betteleecrosbyauthor

I am never disappointed in a book written by this author and this one is no different. In Emily, Gone there is not only family drama (an infant is kidnapped) but also mystery. Who did it? Is the child safe and will she ever be found?
Crosby is such a gifted author that reading her books is like coming home to an friend. She develops characters and settings that you understand and care about. She can write heartwrenching novels like nobody else.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it's a bit different from her last two novels which were excellent as well, however, this one may be my favorite.
Read this one with a box of tissues handy. I received an Advance Review Copy. All opinions are my own.
@betteleecrosby @lakeunionauthors #bookstagram

A story that had me staying up late to finish it! Beautiful writing especially in tugging on the heartstrings throughout the story while at the same time making the reader feel some responsibility for the heartbreak happening. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley

Wow. Just wow. I think Bette Lee Crosby just gets better. I love everything I read from her. This book is heart wrenching and unputdownable. Crosby is a master and one of my favorite authors. I’m so grateful to be one of her early reviewers.

Emily Gone is the story of a kidnapped baby and the impact it has on the lives of the three women who love baby Emily. Bette Lee Crosby has written an amazing and beautiful story of resilience, love, hope, and family. As you read this story you can’t help but have your heart break for each of the women who consider Emily her respective baby. They are very sympathetic characters. The story takes place in a small town and Ms. Crosby’s characters belong there, as it was was a tightly knit community.

It was quite an emotional ride. I did not know whom to root for. At times, I felt I was being disloyal to Emily’s birth family, when I felt badly for the other women. I kept turning the pages because I needed to know if Emily was ever returned to her family. This possibility kept me on the edge much like a thriller.

Bette Lee Crosby has written an incredible ending to this story. It was not what I expected, but Ms. Crosby knew what was best for her characters and stayed true both to them and to her story. Ms. Crosby has worked out what it means to be family.

I loved this book. It was an emotional rollercoaster from the start and kept me wondering what conclusion the story would come to, but made sure I was prepared to be devastated. The story had a very different ending than I expected, but it was definitely the right one.

Thank you #Netgalley, #LakeUnionPublishing for approving my request for an advanced readers copy. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Bette Lee Crosby has outdone herself with this awesome, heartfelt, loving, heartbreaking, beautiful book.

It’s the story of a loss so great you won’t be able to read without many tears. I mean big ugly faced tears. How to you deal with waking up to an empty crib. A baby gone. You don’t have a clue what happened or where that baby is. If it’s being loved or hurt. That is exactly what happened to Rachel and George Dixon. They put their baby girl down for the night and went to bed like always. They had been awake for a couple of nights because of a concert so close that it was impossible to sleep. But this night they slept. What they found the next morning changed their lives forever.

This book will bring you so many tears. From the start to the very end you will keep turning pages to find out what happened to Emily. Will they ever find her and is she being cared for. Rachel prays that whoever kidnapped Emily is kind and loving. Is the kind of mother she is.

This book is so well written you feel all the heartache all the sadness and longing. You feel the loud music in your chest as if you was there. You will shed many many tears while unable to put this book down. It’s a bit different from most of Bette’s books. I think it just may be the very best so far. The characters are all so likable believe it or not. I could not find fault with any. Pity, sadness, heartbreak yes, but no dislike at all. My heart broke for all the mothers in this story of such great loss. There were a few tiny stories within this one about other women who had lost babies and were grieving. It’s one that will stay with you for a long long time.

I honestly loved this book with all the tears and joy. It’s full of love and happiness and so many tears. A book that all mothers should read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union publishers for the ARC of this book. I also bought it too. I highly recommend it.

A HUGE 5 STARS..... From the very first word to the last period!!

It was a decent book. Decent storyline. I skipped around quite a bit as I was reading. I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

From the moment you choose to read this heart-gripping novel, you can only imagine that that you will love it. Then when you start, believe me ~ you will be captivated by Bette’s charismatic way of engulfing you into the story. Without even realizing it, they become characters you think about when you don’t have the novel in your hand, and then they become people you think about moreso when the novel is done and they’ve left impressions on your heart. I was honoured to receive an early copy from Bette Lee Crosby and as a first novel of Bette’s that I’ve read, she has definitely now gained a fan & reader for life! I can’t wait to pick up another novel soon and dive in as I did with Emily, Gone. Thank you for sharing your stories with us Bette ♥️

Emily Gone by Bette Lee Crosby had me drawn in from the first page until the last. Bette is just such an awesome storyteller you feel you are right there living the book. You just don’t want to put it down once you start. The twists and turns keep you turning the pages well into the night. This book has it all heartbreak, grief, forgiveness, compassion and healing. This book just tugs at your heartstrings. I just sat there crying on the couch, good thing I didn’t read it at work. Thank you for another fantastic book Bette Lee Crosby, thank you also to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Emily, Gone By Bette Lee Crosby

5 Stars

Let me tell you that this book had me hook, line, and sinker on page one. A music festival noone wanted and a tragedy that changed so many lives. That is the basis of this story. I gave it a 5 stars, but it's worth so much more. This is not the first book by Bette I have read and it will not be my last.

This story was one of tragedy and heartbreak and also one of hope and forgiveness. This book was written with one thing in the center of the story, a mothers love. It's seen through the entire story. This story had a great set of characters. I loved them all even when at times it was hard too. This story was just great from start to finish. I started it at night which probably wasnt the best idea because I stayed up way to late trying to finish it. Of course I finally had to sleep, but I did finish it the next day.

This is a story that is unforgettable. It is not one that is always bright and chances are you will bawl more then once, but I can promise you will love it. By the end I was laughing and crying all at once. It is a very powerful story with an even more powerful message.

Reviewed By
Stormi Ellis

Bette Lee Crosby you have moved me beyond words! Emily, Gone is one of the best books I've read so far this year and I imagine it will stay with me for some time.

Rachel, Vicki and Angela are wonderful characters and they all love Emily; but only one of these women is her birth mother. One night a choice is made in a split second that changes the course of their lives. How will they deal with it? How will they go on? Emily, Gone is gripping from beginning to end and you won't want to put it down!

Thank you NetGalley and Bette Lee Crosby for this copy in exchange for my review. And thank you so much Bette for this treasured read and for naming the nurse after me! I'm honored!

I love all of Bette’s books and this was no exception!! You get attached to these characters right from the beginning of this story! Highly recommend!!

This wonderful author has written many books that I have thoroughly enjoyed! Emily Gone had me crying and trying to find a way to forgive , it was a great story and she make you feel like your part of the family and going through it all too! One of my favorites

I always feel like I'm coming home when I read one of Bette's books. She creates a family that you can be a part of while reading her beautiful stories. When an infant goes missing during a wild music festival in town, it greatly impacts many lives for many years. After her precious daughter is taken, Rachel is devastated and never gives up hope that she will find her daughter again. After her baby dies, Vicki, is empty and about to set into motion a series of events that will change many lives for years. Beautifully written and will tug at your heartstrings and have you crying throughout the book. Bette has a way of writing from the heart with wonderful characters and beautiful stories that never disappoint. This is absolutely my favorite book of Bette's so far.

This is a Winner!
Emily, Gone sounds to be simply a story about a girl that goes missing.
That is the true essence, but others love her and this is the story of that love.
The truth is that it cannot be that simple, can it? There would have to be forgiveness, and much more.
So, Bette Lee Crosby writes us a tale about how this can transpire in the life of a woman that loses her daughter one night during a music festival being held in her small town. And, what happens to all the others involved.
You will be so moved that you may wonder whose side you are on. Can that even happen? Can you actually have soft feelings towards the kidnappers? Compassion?
The character development is so strong that you feel like you really know each of them. You will fall in love with some and detest others. As always, you feel like you are in Hesterville, Wynn Bluffs and all the towns in between. I love Bette Lee Crosby’s storytelling, I cannot say that enough!
How this book wraps up is so stunning, it could not have been written any better.
Bette Lee Crosby always delivers exceptional books, but this goes beyond her typical scope! This book was Epic!!!
I really think that this book would make a great movie.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down. This author is new to me and I am hoping there are more books by her. Rachel and George had the most unimaginable thing happen to them, their baby was taken from her crib in the middle of the night. I felt the pain and anguish that they went through over the years. I loved all of the characters in this book. There were so many surprises and twists over the years. I highly recommend this book!