Thank you Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the ARC of this book; I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was especially interested in this book as I had heard good things about the author and had been interested in their work in the past, despite not yet having read any of their stuff.
The beginning is great, it jumps straight in and I was immediately ready to be hooked (which I was). Pretty quickly I started to draw similarities between this book and Lock Every Door by Riley Sager and the Daughter by Michelle Frances - which was my favourite book last year - due to the conspiracy element. I don't want to say too much at risk of giving anything away but I can tell you that this book was nail-bitingly gripping and had me checking over my shoulders.
The characters and relationships were expertly crafted. My heart ached for them all constantly and without going into detail I will say that I cried at the end, and I am no easy crier! I've teared up before but never actually cried until now.
One thing that did annoy me was the behaviour of the main characters. It was sometimes so infuriating I wanted to yell at them, but it was valuable as it effectively conveyed the toll it was having on them. I will say I found the conspiracy a little less believable than some I've read before - I'm not sure exactly what was wrong and it could just be me. This, though, didn't have a massive influence on my rating as I felt the family dynamics and relationship exploration was more in the forefront which I thoroughly enjoyed anyway. I have no knowledge of witness protection but I found it believable and made a lot of sense.
With all of this in mind, I've decided to give this book a 4/4.5 out of 5. It was an excellent read, gripping, thrilling, fun, both heart-aching and heart-warming - just truly great. Read it, I urge you; you will not regret it.

I was a little disappointed in the book. It's a great story and the potential for it to be a real page turner was huge however I found myself skimming pages, not to find out what was happening but to make the book go faster as it was painstakingly slow in places. The twist at the end was good and I hadn't anticipated it at all. The characters were all a bit one dimensional and I did get fed up with the constant reference to 'hot bath' and the need for one by one of the characters. One thing it does do is make you think about those who are in witness protection and how awful their lives must be.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for an advance copy in return for an honest review

This is in my top five of the year, brilliantly written with great characters that go so well. This keeps you reading and gripped to the story. Super ending that was so unexpected. I really loved this book.

Wow what a fantastic thriller, and another fantastic read from Gillian McAllister!

I loved this book, it was so tense all the way through. There were so many characters that I didn’t trust, even ones that seemed very trustworthy.

I really liked Lauren, Aidan, Zara and Poppy. They felt like real people, people that I could be friends with. Oh and Bill Gates was so perfect!

I must admit that I thought what Aidan did was very irresponsible, although I could sort of understand why he did it. I really felt for Lauren and Zara going into hiding, and having to start new lives all by themselves. I don’t think I could do it, leaving my husband behind, but maybe, to protect my son I could. A choice I hope I never have to make!

I don’t want to say any more, as I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone. This book definitely confirms why I love Gillian McAllister’s books and beautiful writing. I highly recommend it if you enjoy psychological thrillers.

This was a hard book for me. I didn't find any of the characters themselves engaging enough for me and I didn't really like any of them. They all had character flaws that grated on me. I found myself picking the book up and happily reading but once put down there wasn't the pull to draw me back. It was a slow paced intermittent with fast pace storyline and the slow for me could drag. I never felt a consistent fear believable with the situation with Lauren and Zara. They easily fell into bad habits without too much afterthought. I liked the premise of the book tremendously. The 'what if' scenario was unique to anything I had previously read and enjoyed the side of law enforcement you never really read in books. However the plot itself made me drift away from it in parts. Overall I feel the book is an interesting thriller but lacked a pace to keep me gripped and ending with a love story that wasn't your usual romance.

Wow !! Gillian McAllister is one of my favourite authors and I must admit that her books keep getting better and better.

Zara, a teenage schoolgirl, witnesses the death of a homeless man. She is the key witness in the trial of two up and coming football players and her identity is to be kept secret, for her own protection. But the identity of Zara is posted online and suddenly her life is at risk.

Zara and her Mum, Lauren, go into witness protection leaving behind all their family and friends including Zara’s step-dad, Aidan, and step-sister,Poppy. One moment they are loving their lives in London the next they are in the middle of the countryside and know no-one.

How easy is it to start your life again with a new identity ? Could you leave all your friends and family ? One slip and their identities could be discovered.

The story is told from the perspectives of Zara, Lauren, Aidan and Poppy. All of which deal with the events in their own way. This is a fantastic fast paced book that will have you questioning everything that happens. The characters are brilliant and you will find yourself completely immersed in their lives, hoping for justice to prevail !! This is a must read book and if you haven’t read any of Gillian’s previous books you are really missing out !!

Thank you to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Gillian McAllister just keeps getting better and better! A new book from this author is always eagerly awaited and then I like to savour it but this was so difficult with How to Disappear...I wanted to know what the outcome was going to be!

Lauren is put in an unimaginable position when she and her daughter Zara have to go into witness protection. Zara was a witness to a horrific crime and the court case is not as straight forward as it seems. They have to up roots, change their identity and leave behind their loved ones including husband Aidan and step daughter Poppy. Aidan makes the heart wrenching decision to stay at home as he can't bear to leave Poppy who is a carer for her mum. It turns out it's a lot easier to promise to cut off ties to everyone you know then actually follow through on that which leads to the threat on Zara's life increasing; there's a group dedicated to tracking her down and making her pay...

I have to say that I have never been as emotionally manipulated by a book as much as this one, after finishing I just sat there with goosebumps after being in tears moments earlier. Go buy this book!!!

Loved this book, great story. Couldnt put it down, emotional, very tense, gripping, unpredictable,
Loved it will recommend to everyone

A dark and gritty tale of lives damaged, more than one, by a lie driven by youth and insecurity. Superbly plotted crime thriller, which had me stumped. My first book by this writer but not the last.

Oh what a book! This was a real thriller in every sense. I didn't see where it was going, lots of twists, plenty frustration. To be honest, I couldn't make up my mind who was good and who was bad; what was right, what was wrong. Terrifying - I'm wrung out like a rag today as it took me until 1.30am to finish - and there was no way I was going to sleep not knowing how it all worked out. If you've ever wondered about witness protection this showed the very real, very personal cost of leaving your life behind. And the lengths people will go to when they think they, or their family, is being wronged. The adult middle class gang culture was terrifying. Plenty of gasps from me, especially at the end. Highly recommended. #netgalley #HowToDisappear

I was sent a copy of How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister to read and review by NetGalley.
At the beginning I really didn’t think that I could continue with this book! I was so frustrated by the continuity errors and style of writing (who proof-read this novel anyway?) that I really didn’t think I could carry on. It was only the comment ‘jaw-dropping’ from Author Rosamund Lupton on the cover that made me persevere (as I absolutely loved her novel ‘Three Hours’). I did knuckle down and soon the story moved up a gear and became more engrossing. The subject matter is really interesting, witness protection is not something that most people think about in every day life, and it’s interesting to consider whether you would react/behave in a similar fashion to the characters if it happened to you. On the whole it was a reasonable read – I almost gave it 4 stars but I’m afraid all the little annoyances I had with the writing has dropped it down to a 3.

You can run, you can hide, but can you disappear for good?

Could you walk away from everything you've ever known; your family, friends, loved ones, your life? If it meant protecting your flesh and blood, your child, from certain death, then I'm sure you would, I'm certain I would! This is the dilemma that Lauren is faced with when her teenage daughter, Zara is witness to a terrible crime, speaking out in court, albeit as Girl A because of her age, doesn't turn out as expected and now the accused want revenge. Their only option is to disappear, but Lauren's husband Aidan has a daughter, Poppy from a previous marriage, he can't leave her. Lauren and Zara must go it alone, leaving behind everything they've ever loved, to remain safe, but as they soon learn, it's easy to disappear, staying hidden is so much harder.

This latest book by Gillian McAllister is again based around courtroom drama, but this time it takes us into the world of witness protection. It opens the readers eyes to what would happen should you need to disappear from the life you know and the people you love. It's a tense, action packed story that kept me on the edge of my seat, desperate for a happy ending but fearing it wouldn't be, nothing prepared me for THAT ending though, just WOW!!! I think this is the first book by this author that has made me cry, so emotional and definitely her best yet, by far. Huge 5 stars.

I'd like to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

When Zara sees the murder of a homeless man one night and falsely testifies in court her life is out in danger and she and her mother enter the witness protection scheme.

Auden and Poppy are left behind floundering in the aftermath of what has happened and trying to live their lives without Zara and Lauren in it.

A great twisty turning book, with a fab ending. I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait for the next one.

This book tells the story of Zara who sees an awful crime,where a homeless man dies, two aspiring footballers are charged with the murder, the case goes to court and falls apart, as a result Zara goes into a witness protection scheme with her Mum, Lauren.

Lauren's husband Aiden is Zara's stepfather, Aiden also has a daughter from his first marriage, Poppy, who is a carer for her Mum, The story unfolds and the effects this has on the other members of the family when Aiden decides he must stay with Poppy whilst still wanting to protect Lauren and Zara in an impossible situation.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't put it down, the ending totally surprised me and it was a great read, like when you are watching a film and your heart starts beating and you hide behind the cushion as you want to know what happens next but are a little bit scared to watch!

I would thoroughly recommend this book and would like to thank Penguin and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Lauren & Aiden are happily married. Their blended family get on. Totally different in personality Aiden's daughter, Poppy, & Lauren's daughter, Zara, made friends from when the couple got together when the girls were six. When Zara witnesses a crime & testifies against the perpetrators, who are up & coming footballers she puts a target on her back. As 'Girl A' there is a group of people out to do her harm. The only thing to do is to go into witness protection, but with their blended family it means Lauren & Zara must go whilst Aiden stays.

I have never really thought about witness protection really means. This book brings the heart rending decisions people make into sharp relief. My heart went out to Lauren & Aiden who were so perfect together & yet had to do the right thing for their daughters. Apart from wanting to shake Aiden for some of the things he got up to, I warmed to the characters & couldn't wait to find out how it ended up.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this terrific book.

Gillian McAllister is an author I haven’t read before, but I will be seeking out more of her work since reading this!

As a 14-year-old girl, Zara witnesses a murder of her homeless friend and testifies against his killers in court with her identity protected as ‘Girl A’. When it all goes wrong, the prosecution fails, and her name is found out the police advise that she goes into a witness protection programme. As a blended family, her mum will obviously go with her but her stepdad (the only father she has known) has to consider his other daughter (Poppy) and his terminally ill ex-wife.

This is a really good plot, given the subject, it’s difficult to research and find information, understandably, however, McAllister has done a great job with this, how much is true I guess will only ever be known by those who have been in the situation but none of it feels far-fetched or unbelievable. This is a harsh life for Zara and her mother, Lauren to follow.

The story is told from four perspectives, Zara, Laura, stepdad Aiden and stepsister Poppy’s. this provides a more interesting read and shows us from lots of perspectives the views and issues surrounding the witness protection scheme and how easily it can be broken when the rules aren’t followed and just how easily done it is.

While enjoyable, the first three-quarters of the book are of a slower pace than the final part, this didn’t ruin the book for me at all though and the final part was brilliant though a little rushed in my opinion.

The characters are well developed, so much so that I found I was getting frustrated at times with some of them, particularly Lauren and he seemingly innocent little mistakes though being in that situation must be unbearably difficult.

Overall this was a great read, really interesting and really made me think about what I would have done in a similar situation.

This was such an addictive book, one that I couldn't put down.
From the quick pacing, that kept my interest the whole way through, to the realistic characters, this was definitely a 5 star book for me.
The way in which the witness protection story was told was also very believable.
I liked how each chapter was told from a different perspective. This added to the way in which the story progressed and how much I got from it.
I also really enjoyed the unexpected ending, with it having a real twist.
I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author and will be seeking out some of her previous work to read next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A page turner that allows you to imagine a parallel life, who you might be and whether you could really cope in a new life without any links to the old, Gillian McAllister's How to Disappear is escapism on every level. A book to submerge yourself into and leave the real world behind, a book about leaving the world you know behind, this is the tale of a family, the consequences of a horrible crime and the limits of witness protection. It's about loyalty, identity, and how far you would to support and defend your children.

McAllister acknowledges how difficult it is to research witness protection and therefore to be confident of the authenticity of the experience she fictionalises but the world she has built is - for a reader who remembers the cases of the James Bulger, or more recently Ched Evans - compelling.

Thank you for my ARC Sorry but unfortunately due to recent events I have lost my reading mojo. When it returns this book will be top of my list and I will leave my review in the usual places

Wow! What a novel loved it, couldn't put it down. Lauren will do anything for her daughter Zara even go into witness protection for her and leave her husband Aiden. New names and identities, but how long can they stay hidden? One-stop is all it takes they can't use their social media or keep in touch with their family. It's hard but it must be done or it could be extremely costly.

Thank you Net galley for letting me read this novel.