Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a free copy of this ebook. I enjoyed this well written thriller very much, although it isn't the sort of book I'd normally read. Based on real events the book is written in a pacy style and the characters are well developed. It's a shocking story, well told without sensationalism. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story well told.

This is a well plotted thriller filled with twists and turns to keep you guessing. When Cara begrudgingly agrees to go around to her old friends house to drop some clothes off, she doesn't expect to walk in on a scene that will haunt her nightmares. A low ominous buzzing pulls her toward the bedrooms after finding Grace's wheelchair askew, but even then she can't expect the brutal murder she walks in on. With Meg dead and her severely disabled, wheelchair bound daughter missing, the hunt is on. It is not known how long Grace will survive without her vital medications, but it adds a time constraint that the police cannot avoid.

You get the story from the perspective of Cara who found the body and Jon, a reporter who lost his career over an article he wrote about Meg and Grace six months previously, and is now struggling to keep his marriage together. Both of them are fighting with the guilt they feel over how they have previously treated Grace or Meg; Cara from how she abandoned the younger girl to spend so much time with her boyfriend, Jon for his behaviour following the article. Both characters have their own reasons for wanting to find and help Grace and as they begin to work together, the missing links start to unravel before them. I admit, I guess what was going on quite a way before the big reveal but it touches on psychological issues that I have been interested in since I was a teenager and so have quite a breadth of knowledge to begin with. This is obviously helpful in terms of putting together the pieces.

Even knowing what was going on though, I still really enjoyed the rest of the novel. Elgar writes clearly and you can't help but engage with the narrative and with the characters. In fact, the reason for my knocking a star off has nothing to do with the fact that I figured out what was going on. Instead, it is more down to how two dimensional many of the background characters are. There could have been significantly more depth to several of these and this would have added an additional layer of complexity to the novel and potentially increased the suspect pool. Instead, whilst there is a wide range of individuals, the only real suspect thrown out for consideration is the father. This does make the narrative rather linear and there could have been significantly more depth here.

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable and fast paced read that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was invested in knowing what happened with Grace and interested even when I had a good idea what the big reveal was going to be.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my free ARC copy of this title.

As an addict of the Gypsy Rose case, I was anxiously awaiting this book! And it didn’t disappoint. A great story with a few twists I didn’t see coming. Excellent!

When Meg is found dead and her 17 year old daughter is missing singers point to the woman’s ex husband. The local community are distraught as Meg was the sole carer for her very sick daughter, Grace. Their neighbour, Cara, doesn’t believe that everything is what it seems and enlists the local journalist to help. Inspired by Dee Dee and Gypsy Blanchard’s story this is a good book but I felt it lacked something to give it an edge.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my god I just loved this book it’s brilliant and so damn hard to describe without giving anything away. It’s based on a true story which in itself is just gobsmacking and it’s a read that lives up to all expectations with lots of OMG moments it really is a cracking read and I am in serious danger of just going on and on about just how much I loved it so read it, read it, read it !!!
So you have maybe read the blurb and know a bit about the premise of the book so I’m not going to rehash all that, the writing and the characters are incredibly well done all credit to Emily Elgar for making this a book I just couldn’t put down.
So just grab a copy and once again read this book!! don’t miss out because I’m pretty sure this is going to be a big hit and a well deserved one at that , 100% well recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I picked up this book because it's based on the story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and I am glad I did. While it's weird reading a story based on facts you know already, Emily Elgar absolutely nailed making this into a thriller that has some twists and turns that the real life version doesn't.

This fiction version isn't just the story of the ill daughter and the overbearing mum though, we have other characters involved, a complicated but well written so easy to follow storyline and my favourite 'OHHHHHH of course how did I miss that?!' moment.

This book kept me engaged from start to finish and after reading this, I'll definitely be looking up the author and seeking out more of their work. 5/5.

Based on a true story a book that plays with your mind keeps you guessing till the last page.Will be highly recommending a very well written entertaining read.#netgalley#littlebrownuk.

As good as a thriller gets with every page turning you away from where you think the story is going to a place that becomes darker each time. As the plot unveils each new interpretation of what has happened, you begin to doubt not just the characters' judgement but also your own.

Based on a real-life case this book tells the story of Megan and her daughter, Grace. Before Grace was born Megan and her husband Simon lost their son in a drowning accident. Megan blamed her husband who is a troubled man. When Grace was younger she contracted meningitis leading her to be disabled and bed bound. When Megan is found dead and Grace disappears without her medication local journalist, Jon and Grace's next door neighbour and friend, Cara, set out to find what happened.
I really enjoyed the story and the twists and turns along the way. I did feel that the book could have done with a bit of editing as it was a bit rambling in places.

As soon as I read “The gripping psychological thriller inspired by a shocking real-life story” I knew what event this book was inspired by but my god it doesn’t take away from the book at all.

Grace is Gone is a one in a million book, perfectly written with excellent characters and a plot you will be talking about for days! I am so thankful i read this and you I’ll be too. Highly recommended and a clear 5/5.

This was a wonderful story about Grace and her mother Megan.
Megan will do anything to protect her daughter, anything. And Grace adores her mother for looking after her so well.
But when Grace disappears a journalist and Cara discover facts about Grace that do not add up.
The story really gets exciting and found it difficult to put down.
Well done Emily Elgar for this great book, and thank you net galley for giving me the opportunity to give an honest opinion about Grace is Gone.
Do read this book it’s a subject I have not read before.

I love the unlikely duo of Cara and Jon. They both make a great investigative team and being able to see each of their thought processes and narratives was so gripping and enjoyable for me. The writing was superb and did justice to the character of Grace.

Grace is Gone is a beautifully written page turner and if you know nothing of the case it is based on you will devour it- it's a twisty plot that is hugely compelling. 

For me though the issue came with the fact that I am highly aware of the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case, a fascinating real life incident so for me ultimately Grace is Gone held no surprises- although I continued to the end because I was enjoying the writing and there were minor adjustments to the reality to be fair but nothing major enough to add anything new.

Overall this is a great book for anyone unaware of the outcome in Gypsy's case and you'll want to look it up at the end. Don't look it up before though or this will go from an utterly riveting story and become, like it was for me, a generally interesting look at the various nuances.

Absolutely recommended though just with the above in mind.

I'll look forward to more from Emily Elgar.

A real mystery, a great 'who done it' book, a page turner that will leave you shocked and asking many questions. Great characters, great storyline. I will be recommending.

This story is all the more shocking because it was inspired by real events. Everyone believes Meg is nothing less than an angel, caring for her chronically ill daughter, Grace. Everyone in town knows the family and cares deeply for them. Then Meg is found brutally murdered and Grace is nowhere to be found. Did someone kill Meg and kidnap Grace? The truth, when it finally comes out is even more shocking and says a lot about how we see and deal with mental illness

WOW, OMG and WTAF are the 3 main thoughts I had whilst reading Grace is Gone and the day after I finished the book my feelings haven’t changed that much except I realise that YOU will expect a little more detail from me in my review so bear with me.. I might start rambling:

Grace is Gone is inspired by a shocking true story, however I didn’t know that when I started reading it, so I went in “oblivious” to what the story is based on and started reading without a clue what was to come.

Grace is a 17 year old wheelchair bound, seriously ill young lady who is cared for by her devoted single mother Megan. They are both adored and respected in the small community they live in. With an absent and violent father and a tragic past Grace and Meg are protected and supported by their neighbours, so when Cara, their next door neighbour discovers Meg’s battered body and Grace’s empty wheelchair the town is left in turmoil and the race to find Grace begins.

This story has several narrators which I personally LOVE, because the story starts to unfold layer by layer. We find out more about Meg and Grace through a disgraced and ostracised journalist Jon, who published an article on the family and was publicly shunned and issued with a restraining order against the family. Jon is now estranged from his beloved wife and son and becomes obsessed with finding out where Grace has gone.

Cara, the young neighbour and one of Grace’s only friends is still in shock after discovering Meg’s murder and becomes focused on discovering the truth about the family even if it means her own life is in danger.

With Grace’s diary to help Cara and Jon dig deeper into the murder and missing teenager, Grace is Gone tells a sad and disturbingly dark tale of mental illness. I will admit that because I wasn’t aware it was based on a true event I thought I was extremely clever to “work out the twist” almost immediately, however this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this addictive and brilliantly written story.

Grace is gone, first there's Megan, devoted Mum to Grace and the late Danny. Brutally murdered in her own home.

Grace who's been a sickly child since having meningitis years ago, goes missing the night her Mum was murdered.

Cara, neighbor/Graces friend, as time passed found her friendship more difficult due to Cara not wanting to appear thoughtless going on about her life, which moves on, whilst Grace's illness restricts her from going out.

Jon, reporter who previously interviewed the family, but due to an article/incident after, at Megan's home, had a restraining order against him, hears about body being taken by police from a friends text.
Endeavouring to salvage his own marriage, when job/time keeping, potentially ruining any chance.

Cara discovers Megan's body, but there's no sign of Grace, but Grace kept a diary which Cara found. Then came an unlikely pairing where Jon and Cara join together in efforts to help find Grace, using the diary to try and find her. it turns out there are many secrets, do you ever really know your neighbors?

The chapters alternate between Jon and Cara's perspective of how events unfold. For Jon, wondering whether his original article was accurate or was his judgement clouded by his personal troubles.

All is not as it first appears. This book is well written, the fact that it is inspired by true events I don't feel it appropriate to say a great read, but a poignant read. Addictive reading, definitely a page turner.

17-year-old Grace went missing. The same day her mother was murdered. What the heck happened? This was a very interesting look into a real-life story about a mental disorder. I was drawn to so many aspects that made the story stand out, especially Grace’s character. Oh, what a character. And then I got to the reveal 70% in, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages until I found out what happened the night of the murder in the crazy final chapter.

The story’s told from the perspectives of Grace and the characters that are endeavoring to find her - Her next-door neighbor/friend Cara and Jon, a journalist. So much tragedy and evil in this book.

Engaging, well-plotted and deserves a read!

A dark storyline focused on the damage very messed up people can cause. Would have preferred a stronger conclusion but overall a decent read

A genuine page-turner based on real events, and the twists keep coming. One or two you may suspect, but others .........
Would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who likes a good thriller and most of the important characters are women!! So a definite plus. Lots of modern dilemmas are addressed, and the characters are realistic.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sphere for an advance copy.