I love books that have podcast elements and so was intrigued by the premise of this book but I have to say I was a tiny bit disappointed.

The whole book is told in an unusual narrative where Sera is talking to Rachel and I found that a little off putting. There were also odd paragraphs every now and then from the podcast in the book but I feel like the whole podcast element wasn’t used to it’s full potential and it didn’t really add anything to the overall story.

My main issue with the book is a lack of character development, we don’t really know that much about Sera and why she is so obsessed with Rachel. I just didn’t feel as attached to the characters as I like to be in thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller had a unique storyline, it’s what drew me in!

Sera is obsessed with Rachel’s podcasts about missing girls and murders! But when Rachel goes missing, Sera is determined to find out what happened and why she disappeared!

An enjoyable read, with plenty of twists and turns. It definitely kept me hooked and I was eager to find out what was going on!

I didn’t predict the ending and it was a clever one.

I found at times it hard to keep up with the dialogue, I got confused at times and it seemed to jump from one thing to the next quite quickly but overall a good read!

I was expecting a lot more from If I Disappear but unfortunately it let me down. Marketed as a thriller, I would actually say this is more of a suspense novel. That's not a bad thing, I'm just saying the marketing was slightly off for this book.

The beginning dragged on very slowly, and I wasn't a fan of the drifting and lowkey writing style. I was interested in Rachel's disappearance, but I didn't understand why Sera cared so much. I also didn't like the second person point of view.

Ultimately, I'm mildly intrigued by this one but not enough to continue reading it while I'm in the mood for something more fast paced, so I'm DNFing the book at 100 pages.

This review is hard to write as I don’t want to spoil any of the reading experience. If netgalley get 0.5 star ratings I would give this book 3.5. The whole story has a very unreliable narrator feel too it. So I think you must like that story telling device to like this story.

Before I jump in, I just want to be clear that these are my personal opinions and are not intended as a criticism of the author’s hard work. I thought the synopsis sounded incredible, I was so excited to read it but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. There were a few things that especially hindered my enjoyment. These included:

- The narrative which felt a bit jarring at times.

- The lack of mystery. There was a distinct lack of traditional mystery elements; no evidence, no suspicion from others, no suspects, no leads. And so it felt like it was going nowhere for a long time. Then all of a sudden, things happened and that was the moment that certain characters wanted to be forthcoming. I think that last minute information, given much sooner, would have made the book more thrilling for me personally.

- The animal cruelty/neglect. I wasn’t expecting it nor for there to be as much as there was and these scenes in particular made me quite uncomfortable.

However, there were some things that I did enjoy about this book. Some of the plot twists were brilliant and gave me that “wow did not see that coming” reaction that you desperately want from this genre. I also thought that the setting was very well done. The world building was solid and I genuinely felt like I was there, in the story. In particular, I enjoyed how the claustrophobia of the wilderness and small town America radiated through Sera’s narrative.

Overall, I’m not disappointed that I read this book. Just that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would’ve liked to.

I liked the premise of this book; a true crime podcast fan trying to solve a crime. However I found the style quite irritating with odd paragraphs from podcasts thrown in and I found the characters difficult to get to know. It did feel at times like the author had relied on stereotypes of "crazy" people living out in the wild from other books and films. The ending was ok but I'm not sure stood up to scrutiny of motives and methods.
Thank you to netgalley and Little Brown for an advance copy of this book

I enjoyed this book a lot. Its about a woman named Sera who is obsessed with a true crime podcast. She listens to the host Rachel constantly, but when Rachel stops updating the podcast, Sera starts to worry. What if this time it's Rachel in trouble and she needs Sera's help.

She sets off to fin out what's happened to her heroine, but getting answers proves harder than she imagine when she arrives in Rachel's home town!

This is full of twists and turns and the authors writing style is very different so it was a refreshing read. I enjoyed the ending too. I'd highly recommend this book.

I love true crime podcasts so found the premise of this book very intriguing. It follows Sera a true-crime podcast fanatic whos favourite podcast host Rachel suddenly disappears. Sera makes it her mission to find out what happened to Rachel, in the process infiltrating Rachels family ranch meeting a cast of strange characters.

There were a lot of true crime nuggets throughout that I'm sure a lot of true crime fanatics will recognise. This book was full of very strange and interesting characters which constantly made you question who can be trusted. I liked the podcast element but felt sometimes the format of chapters felt confusing when it was incorporated. I thought the ending was quite rushed and would have enjoyed maybe a longer resolution.

Definitely pick this up if you are a lover of thrillers/podcasts/ true crime!

This was a gripping read but the end left me puzzled & I felt that Sera was left in a form of Limbo ! #NetGalley, #Goodreads,# Instagram, #FB, #Amazon.co.uk, #Waterstones, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/11bc11d0026952991f96874534f30a6fb6dbed74" width="80" height="80" alt="25 Book Reviews" title="25 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

A really good thriller mystery story with loads of twists and turns. A good and current story. I really enjoyed it x

I was really surprised by how much I actually enjoyed this book. The plot seemed a bit strange to begin with but I really got invested in what was going on. I'm unsure how I felt about the ending as I'm not sure what Sera's response would be.

Enjoyable thriller but the ending was a disappointment and not fully realised. There were some parts of Sera's past that I did not understand (such as her relationship with her ex-husband and parents) and Rachel was a complete enigma throughout. I did enjoy the use of real missing/murdered cases cited in the novel.

I enjoyed this thriller. It was atmospheric, thrilling. The plot and characters were interesting and it was well paced.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

3.5 stars

Rachel Bard, a podcaster of ‘Murder, she spoke’ which relates unsolved crimes disappears. Sera Fleece is obsessed with Rachel and the podcast. She’s lost in life and after a sequence of downward turns she decides she has nothing to lose by investigating, in fact it’s as if she’s been lured and drawn to do so. She sets off to Addy and Emmett Bard’s remote Northern California ranch who are Rachel’s parents and gets a job. So step on board the crazy train to Fountain Creek Ranch, who knows if you will arrive at your destination because oh boy, is the route ever circuitous, it’ll make your head spin!

I like the way this is written because it’s as if Sera is talking directly to Rachel and it also includes some of Rachel’s podcasts. However, you soon realise that Sera is a completely unreliable narrator and is surrounded by crazy people who wouldn’t know the truth if it jumped up and bit them on the nose. The whole are is quite creepy and it has a really strange twilight zone feel to it, if not teetering into ‘Deliverance’ country, I think I can hear those banjos. The nearest settlement inappropriately named Happy Camp have a dislike for the Bards to say the least. The place feels out of kilter, it’s full of weird, strange people who act nonchalantly as if nothing peculiar is happening which is mystifying but it does make you question Sera. Is she a fantasist? Is she an obsessive or is there a conspiracy of silence surrounding missing women in the area which includes Rachel.

To describe Rachel’s parents as odd doesn’t quite cut it. Her mum Addy is a better developed character than Emmett who just comes across as a stereotypical lunatic with accompanying crazy laughter. Addy is menacing, she makes you feel uncomfortable with her watching, her off the wall unemotional comments and peculiar behaviour. Why would anyone have 427 fully loaded guns? Oh yes, that’s right. Rachel’s parents, I rest my case!

For much of the storyline I’m fully invested as although it is weird it’s very intriguing. However, the further into the plot you go it feels like you have dropped into a world that is so convoluted and insane that it becomes frustrating. The conclusion is off the wall and as hard to pin down as fog and I don’t think I’m any the wiser!!!

Overall, I began by loving the book but the longer it goes on the choo choo to crazy town starts to pall and I just wanted to get off!

With thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group/Constable for the arc for an honest review.

Loved this! Stunning writing and a slow-burn story with one of the best 'oh my God' moments ever. A really original story with a complex and compelling central character, the novel explores the different attitudes towards men and women, and what happens when women choose a life outside the conventions of modern-day society. I hadn't heard of this author before but I'd certainly read more of her books. Intelligent and original - highly recommended.

This is a gripping and atmospheric chiller. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. The characters were had a good depth and were interesting. I don’t want to add any spoilers but I loved the plot!

Sometimes people are running away from things, and they’re not always honest about their reasons.
In this true-crime/mystery we follow our main character Sera as she decides to leave her life and go to solve a mystery she has become obsessed with...that of Rachel, a true-crime podcaster who has disappeared.
Sera finds herself in a remote ranch working under Rachel’s parents. Nobody wants to talk about Rachel and nobody seems willing to offer any clues as to what might have happened.
With her imagination running riot as she navigates her way through this small town Sera starts to unravel. She is struggling with the effect of her miscarriage and divorce, and is just as lost as the other girls mentioned.
While I thought this was an intriguing idea, the podcast didn't seem to be used in quite the way I thought. It seemed as if it were a device to lure a certain type of character in...and the lack of detail Sera was able to gather about the podcast made it feel less relevant as she investigated. In part because she recalls the excerpts of the tapes, I never felt we really got to hear the voice of Rachel - and for such an integral character she didn't register as that important.
We get answers...not always what we expected, and there remain some elements that I was uncertain of. I think this was intentional, and contributed - overall - to a claustrophobic atmosphere which explained well why some of these characters behaved as they did.
Thanks to the publishers for the ARC. An intriguing idea.

Obsession Takes Sinister Turn...
An obsession with true crime podcasts takes a sinister turn in this taut, atmospheric suspense. When, protagonist, Sera investigates the disappearance of a favoured podcast host from a small North Californian town she makes terrifying discoveries. Tense, sinister and engaging reading.

#IfIDisappear #NetGalley
A heart in mouth thriller. A must read.
Sera loves true crime podcasts. The mysteries becomes an unlikely comfort for her, and then an obsession.
So when Rachel, her favourite podcast host, goes missing from a small town in Northern California, Sera decides to act.
She heads to the isolated ranch where Rachel disappeared, determined to discover what's happened to her. But the more Sera digs into this unfamiliar world, the more off things start to feel.Because Rachel is not the first woman to vanish from the ranch, and she won't be the last . . .
I loved it's pacing, characters, narration and setting.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book UK Constable for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.