I feel bad giving this work only one star, but based on the marketing hype before it was published, I was under the impression I might love this novel for it being a gripping psychological thriller. Sadly, it did not grip me at all, and after 4 or 5 attempts at getting to become absorbed, I failed and gave up.

I'm not sure whether it was the narrative style, my lack of empathy for the characters, or just that it I wasn't convinced by the depiction of the true crime genre, but I never got past the 35% mark, and have decided to give up and archive the book.

This book was a great read
It was very addictive and the final twist - I really did not see that coming!
I highly recommend this book

I read the author's IN THE DARK, IN THE WOODS (published under the name Eliza Wass). It had a great concept, but the execution of it... There was room for improvement.

Reading IF I DISAPPEAR (published under the name Eliza Jane Brazier), I am so proud of the author. Her efforts improving her craft have paid off massively here. This is an excellent novel, and I'm very much looking forward to reading GOOD RICH PEOPLE and the author's other future works.

Wow, what a thrilling gripping read. I enjoyed the book until the very end, and can't wait to read some more by this new (to me anyways) author. Recommended.

I had a lot of fun reading If I Disappaear. It starts rather abruptly following Sera as she is already most of the way to the ranch the book is set on and explains the reasoning behind her choice to come and check on her favourite podcaster. I think this opening scene could have done with a bit more set up as I found it to be fairly unbelievable. Otherwise, the plot moves fast and kept me engaged. I liked the unreliable characters and how it kept me guessing thoughout the book.

The exposition style re-write of the “final” reveal was not my cup of tea. I think it would have been a stronger ending if the twist had been incorporated into the narrative rather than feel like I was reading it removed from the story.

Sera was missing something to make her stand out as a character. I felt like we were missing some backstory or character building moments to understand her decisions. I also thought the sudden inclusion of the anti-men narrative was so randomly placed in to the story especially since Sera’s closest friends from her backstory are both men.

Thanks to Netgalley for this preview of the book. It was an exciting read and the,podcast element added an unusual but enjoyable element the book. Its the perfect accompaniment to a stormy winter afternoon and will definitely keep your attention

If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier is an excellent, if unconventional, atmospheric psychological thriller.

Recently divorced Sera Fleece spends her time lying in bed depressed and feeling lonely, watching true crime podcasts for entertainment. Looking to escape from life's problems, she becomes fascinated with a podcast hosted by Rachel Bard. 'Murder, She Spoke' is keeping Sera going each day and it soon becomes an obsession. When 'Murder, She Spoke' abruptly ends for no apparent reason, Sera decides something must be done and heads out to search for Rachel, who appears to have vanished under mysterious circumstances. Rachel's hometown of Happy Camp in Northern California where Rachel's parents have a ranch known as 'Fountain Creek' seems like a good place to begin her hunt...

Eliza Jane Brazier has written a fascinating début that drew me in right from the very first pages. There were so many dubious characters in this dark, slick tale, including Sera herself. The interesting and unusual plot and great pacing by the author also contributed to my enjoyment of the story. I suspected many of the characters in this disturbing, riveting and creepy novel. A very, good, chilling read with some brilliant twists. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Little, Brown Book Group/ Constable via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Sera loves true crime podcasts (who doesn't?!) and Rachel is the host of her favourite podcast - one that concentrates on missing women. But then Rachel goes missing. Sera is distraught and is pulled into the story, finding herself in Rachel's home town to try and see if she can find some clues to what has happened.

The way this story is written is really smart. Because Sera is such a huge fan of Rachels podcast, we find ourselves reading parts of episodes as she investigates Rachel's disappearance. Using these to help her. I loved this aspect.

I can't say much more or I will ruin the story. You will love this book!

This was such an amazing book. It really made me feel the feels. It gave me the chills and thrills. Would definitely recommend it to others. It was quite enjoyable

I liked the true crime podcast angle, but I struggled with the narrative style of Sera telling the story to the missing girl Rachel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book UK for the arc of If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier.

4 Stars- This follows Sera whom is addicted to listening to true crime podcasts and Theres Rachel whom is the host of her favourite podcast, and that podcast is about missing women. Sera ends up listening to each episode and knows the cases by heart. Rachel ends up disappearing and Sera feels extremely lost... she is drawn to Rachel's town to search for clues of the woman who is searching for all these missing women is now shockingly missing herself...

This was such an amazing debut for Eliza Jane Brazier!! I loved how it twisted to rachel then disappearing and sera actually looking... I love how she Portrays Sera what an outstanding strong character whom she is , This debut thriller puts podcast elements with narrative together brilliantly and it flowed perfectly oh how I loved this!!

4 Stars!⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a truly captivating, intriguing thriller. Following the story of Frankie, an Investigator, who focuses on cases of missing persons. She does this free of charge, in an attempt to make amends for her past.
The characters were interesting and detailed, and the storyline itself was well constructed and had depth as the story progressed.
The plot is complex, with a steady level of suspense throughout. The tension builds up gradually as the story reaches its conclusion, and the ending finishes this book off brilliantly.
An enjoyable read.

Sera is obsessed with true crime podcasts and when her favourite host Rachel goes missing, she takes it upon herself to find her. 

I loved the concept of the true crime podcast and how the host could have left clues should they ever go missing. The setting was immersive and atmospheric - almost as if I was really there. 

It was written in the second person as if Sera was telling the story to Rachel (the missing woman) which I found really jarring and removed me from the story. 

Overall, the POV wasn’t my favourite, and I struggled to connect to the story and characters. However, there were some decent twists thrown in and it kept guessing until the end.

A twisty and intriguing thriller but a bit conventional. I enjoyed the narrative style and the podcast angle lent a lot of realism.

Before She Disappeared focuses on an investigator, Frankie, who focuses on missing person cases, trying to track down people who have gone missing free of charge. Frankie arrives in Mattapan, Boston, where teenager Angelique lived with her aunt and brother, before she went missing 11 months ago.

Author Lisa Gardner has written an atmospheric story which kept me wanting to read on. The characters are interesting, although I struggled to really connect with Frankie until quite far into the novel. She is, overall, a likable character though and she is really trying to atone for her past. She feels well developed as a character as the novel continues.

I didn’t find myself hugely addicted to the plot but I did find it intriguing and enjoyable.

The plot is complex enough without being too complicated, and the story builds up the tension nicely. I enjoyed this atmospheric read and, although it seems Lisa Gardner hasn’t released a standalone novel for a long time before this one, I really enjoyed this book – it makes me want to read more by her, and try some of her other, very well known, series.

This book has had a lot of hype, and based on the description it seemed right up my street.
However, it really missed the mark for me.
I was left super disappointed, and I feel like I have wasted time on a book that I didn't enjoy.

The pacing of this book was incredibly slow, and it didn't come to a decent ending, so I didn't even feel that the slow pacing paid off.
I enjoyed Tess Sharpe's writing, and I enjoyed the imagery that she created. I really felt like I was in that remote farm-like location.

I would definitely like to read another Tess Sharpe book, but I really didn't enjoy this one. Too slow. Terrible ending. Left feeling deflated.

Really sorry to say that this one isn't for me. I really liked the premise of the book - someone getting so caught up in a true crime podcast host that when they go missing they set out to find out what happened to them.

But second person narration just really bugs me in anything longer than a short story, I can't get into it at all. I found the main character's constant navel gazing to be annoying rather than pertinent.

It's a strong enough set up but the execution isn't to my taste at all so I've had to DNF. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review.

Sera is in her thirties, divorced, and recently jobless. She feels aimless, hopeless, and goalless. Her only passion still remaining is for true crime podcasts. When the host of her favourite series fails to upload at her usual time and her social media presence drops, Sera finds the purpose she has been looking for. With no ties remaining to tether her anywhere, she journeys to the host's home, found through much online detective work, and sets about finding what happened to the girl whose voice lulled her to sleep each night.

I found this such an intriguing premise and I remained engaged in the storyline throughout, as Sera fought against all odds to solve this mystery all others seemed eager to overlook. The entire cast quickly proved untrustworthy, with many becoming entirely unlikable after Sera's first meeting with them, and the mystery only became more muddied with every interaction. I did guess at some of the final grand reveals earlier on into the book but this was still a solidly enjoyable thriller, nonetheless.

If I Disappear is Brazier's first foray into the world of adult fiction with this compulsive and atmospheric psychological thriller. Sera Fleece's life is all but falling apart. After an emotional divorce and a recent miscarriage she is depressed and feels alone and useless and that if she was so longer here that no one would bat an eyelid. She's looking for an escape from her problems and so she becomes interested in a true crime podcast hosted by Rachel Bard. Focusing on the disappearances of young women, Murder, She Spoke is about the only thing keeping Sera going. But soon her enjoyment of the podcast becomes an obsession taking up vast amounts of her day. It has become an unhealthy addiction. When the podcast ceases abruptly with no announcement to listeners via social media Sera is concerned. By tirelessly and meticulously piecing together snippets of personal information Rachel had shared throughout the podcast episodes, Sera has enough to know which direction she should head to search for her. She believes something bad has happened to Rachel and sets out to find her utilising the investigation skills she had learned through her many, many hours of listening. She arrives at the town of Happy Camp in Northern California, Rachel's hometown, where her parents still run a guest house on their remote ranch known as Fountain Creek Guest Ranch.

In order to introduce herself to Rachel's family she pretends to be looking for work and despite how hard ranch work can be she knows how to handle horses. Addy and Emmett Bard offer her a job as head wrangler which gives Sera the perfect excuse to investigate without any suspicion. She finds the ranch quite unnerving as it's way out in the back end of nowhere and she finds it weird that Rachel's parents don't seem to be concerned that she's vanished. The ranch becomes ever more strange as Sera realises there are no guests, the horses look neglected and extremely disconcerting is the fact that there's no internet available either. When she discovers Rachel wasn't the only woman to go missing from Fountain Creek she knows she's in danger too. But despite her flight or fight response having activated telling her in no uncertain terms to run, she can't bring herself to leave without knowing what happened to Rachel. This is a compulsive and enthralling read with ample twists and turns and a unique writing style; I admit it takes a little longer to become fully immersed and absorbed due to the unusual structure, but it soon becomes second nature. I felt sorry for Sera as she is clearly very broken and desperate to escape her thoughts and her everyday life. It's a disturbing, riveting and creepy page-turner that surprised me with quite a few superb twists. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book but I will admit I was so confused at times when it keeps switching between Rachel and Sera. The book kept me guessing so many times. It was definitely a good read and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It is such a good thriller and keeps you on the edge of your seat constantly. But it wasn't the best thriller I have read therefore its a 4star instead of 5star.


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