Another gripping page turner from Lisa Jewell. She really does write superb psychological thrillers. The plot unfolds steadily and intriguingly, giving you clues but keeping you guessing. You are willing good to prevail over evil, but never quite sure if it will. All of the characters are interesting, with their own personal dramas playing out alongside the main plot. A thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying read. It was particularly interesting to read how she worked on this novel during lockdown. I can imagine how difficult it must have been, but she certainly succeeded. Totally recommended.

What a twisty plot of a book! Full of mystery and intrigue with rounded and believable characters..... what did really happen on that June night when Zach and Tallulah seemingly disappeared into thin air after leaving a friend’s pool party? Why does everyone who was there, at the pool party that night appear to be hiding something? These are the questions that Sophie, a published mystery author asks herself, when she moves into her new home in the grounds of a posh with her headteacher boyfriend, and stumbles across a cardboard sign pinned to her gate with the words ‘Dig Here’ written in marker pen and discovers the year old mystery.
Fabulous and kept me guessing right to the end.

Lisa Jewell did it again! The Night she Disappeared gripped me from the outset. I just loved Kim and her honest struggle with her grandson. Her conflict about finally having a life and having to give it up yet loving little Noah so deeply. The other characters came to life quickly and with substance, helped greatly by the use of the split storyline. There are strong female leads throughout and Lisa covers so many facets of life, ranging from coercive control to sexuality, peer pressure, and loyalty. Sophie was very authentic with her honest reflections about her relationship and relocation. I loved how she immediately got sucked into the mystery of Tallulah and Zach’s disappearance which was totally in keeping with her career as a writer of detective novels. There are just enough red herrings (aka people) in the storyline to keep you guessing. Lisa manages to convey Scarlet’s brokenness as tragic yet also as manipulative. Both are done really well by Lisa. I really found myself sucked into the narrative and kept reading long after I should have been making dinner, sleeping, watching a tv programme-but then again that really is what I look for in the best kind of book! That and leaving you wanting more and missing the characters. I’d love to know how Noah gets on and whether Kim & Dom spend more time together. Will Sophie stay with Shaun? What will Liam do next?
I’ve no hesitation in giving this mystery five solid stars. Loved it

Rating: 3.4/5

With "The Night She Disappeared" Lisa Jewell has produced another captivating novel that is sure to appeal to many people. For the most part I really enjoyed the experience of reading this, but I couldn't help feeling that the overall impact was let down by elements that just seemed too unlikely to really ring true, even after making allowance for dramatic licence.

Young mum, Tallulah, goes for a night out with her boyfriend, Zach. They leave their baby child, Noah, with Tallulah's mother, Kim. The young parents have Kim's blessing to make a night of it and not to worry about rushing home early. But when the morning comes and the pair have still not returned, it becomes clear that all is not well.

The story takes place across a variety of points in time between 2016 and 2018. The time frame does jump around quite a bit, but the particular point when the events are taking place is always clearly signposted. It just means that you do need to pay proper attention and make a mental note as you are reading particular sections.

Lisa Jewell certainly knows how to craft a page turner of a novel that makes you want to keep reading just one more chapter, so that you can find out what happens next. That said, there were a number of elements that, for me, didn't quite bear scrutiny and felt a little slapdash, which is not becoming of Lisa Jewell, who is a better writer than that. I won't mention everything, nor will I go into great detail, because I am always conscious of spoilers, but here is a quick example: Sophie, the new head teacher's girlfriend, is a published author of cosy crime novels ... but she couldn't recall, without prompting, that a significant event in this mystery was borrowed directly from her own debut novel. Really?

Nonetheless, this was still an engaging and captivating read that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. I just felt that it could have been even better, if a few aspects of the plotting and characterisation had been a little tighter.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

spine tingling suspense! a brilliant offering from Lisa Jewell to keep you on the edge of your seat. The story is told across 3 different periods of time. The Past, the incident and the current unfolding of events. its one of those books were the chapter ends and you are dying to know what happens next... but you have to go to the other period of time first.

its a breeze to read, purely on adrenaline to get to the gritty details and this book is gritty... wow. a work of suspense action yet again by Jewell. She is formidable in her writing style, with ideas you cannot guess, keeping you hooked.

#TheNightSheDissappeared #LisaJewell #NetGalley #newin2021 #bookreview

I am yet to read anything written by Lisa Jewell that I do not love and this one is no different. I absolutely love her writing style and use of dual narrative that makes everything appear so effortlessly brought together at the end.

2017: Tallulah, a teenage mum goes on a ‘date night’ with her baby’s father and the pair of them never return. Kim, Tallulah’s mum is torn apart by the events and knows her daughter would never intentionally leave her baby, Noah. Despite what others say, she knows something has happened.

2018: Sophie, a crime novelist and her husband move into the cottage of a boarding school where he has been appointed head teacher. Once they arrive clues surrounding the disappearance of Tallulah and her boyfriend start to emerge.

Why now? And who has been keeping a secret for so long?

Thank you for the ARC of this amazing novel!

Mmmm. Interesting, different and a great piece of writing.
This book turned into something completely different to what I expected. Original storyline and intriguing book.
It moves between different time periods and starts with the disappearance of Tallulah and her boyfriend Zach - leaving their baby with Tallulah’s mother Kim who seems to be the only person worried.
Told from different POV and times it all comes together at the end.
It is a little unrealistic, particularly at the end but I can highly recommend this.
4.5 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of this new novel by one of my favourite authors; Lisa Jewell. What an amazing book it is!

A twisty, gripping story that had me hooked from the beginning, I could not wait to see how it would end. All the characters were great and the intertwining storylines kept it interesting and suspenseful, I was kept guessing throughout.

Another wonderful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book by Lisa Jewell, I’ll be recommending this one to everyone!

Thank you so much for allowing me an advanced copy of this book. I was so excited to read this after reading Lisa’s books in the past.
Sophie and Shaun have moved to a quiet village for Shaun to take up a headmasters post. Sophie is a novelist writing detective stories. When they arrive in the village Sophie finds herself being involved in a real life investigation. Sophie hears about two teenagers Tallulah and zach who went missing the previous summer and finds herself being drawn into the case when she finds a clue buried in her garden. I loved how the chapters were written both presently and the year before leading up to their disappearance. Culminating in what actually happen d on that fateful summer night. Lisa’s portrayal of a controlling and coercing relationship was brilliant. I could really feel for Tallulah. I adored the relationship between her and her mum Kim. An absolutely brilliant story I was so surprised by ending. I’d highly recommend this.

Lisa Jewell is back on thrilling and captivating form with her latest novel 'The Night She Disappeared'. The twisted, pacey story at its centre is an irresistible mystery, kicking off with young parents Tallulah and Zach leaving the house for date night. They leave baby Noah with his grandmother Kim... before they disappear off the face of the earth. Dual timelines of leading up to the disappearance and the year after the young couple vanished unravel across the course of the novel. Lucky for the reader, there is definitely more to the situation and every character than meets the eye.

At the beginning, this seemed like a straightforward mystery to me. Tallulah and Zach disappear next to some creepy woods. Over a year later, Sophie, girlfriend to the new headmaster of the local private school, finds a sign ordering her to 'dig here'. Obvious what she will find right? No, I arrogantly thought I had it all figured out from the start but there are layers upon layers beyond the initial story. Lisa Jewell once again proves why she is the Queen of writing thrillers - clever twists, hidden clues and unexpected revelations abound!

I particularly enjoyed the timeline where we see events from Tallulah's perspective. We build a nuanced appreciation of her actions as a young mother and her relationship with Zach. I also appreciated Sophie's amateur sleuthing as her persistence really drove the story.

Overall, this is up there with Lisa Jewell's best novels once again. Strap in and get ready to be thrilled! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell, The Night She Disappeared, Century (Penguin Random House), 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy of The night She Disappeared for review.

In this latest novel, Lisa Jewell uses a device that is new to me in her work – a detective story writer who becomes an investigator. Sophie Beck has left London for the countryside when her partner, Shaun Gray, takes a position of head teacher at Maypole House. The change from a London secondary school to the private boarding school for young adults is at his former wife’s behest – more money must be found for their twins to attend a private school rather than the local primary. This secondary story line underpins Jewell’s subtle but strong method of developing the way in which class differences impact upon personal relationships with devastating effect. The main storyline also adopts the theme of class differences. Although functioning less powerfully in The Night She Disappeared than in Jewell’s I Found You, class is central to the characters’ behaviour and understanding of how the world can operate for them. The poignancy and heartbreak at the heart of I Found You are moderated by the more worldly approach of the missing girl and her mother, Tallulah and Kim, but nevertheless influence the way in which they experience Scarlett Jaques, her privileged family and friends.

The story opens with Kim’s perspective on the baby she is caring for while she waits for his parents, Tallulah and Zack, to return home. In this brief chapter a vast amount of information is provided. Kim does not really like babies and feels this one has arrived too soon in her life, only marginally free from the cares and responsibilities for her two children, Tallulah and her brother, Ryan. Contrasting with this, Kim loves her daughter and wants her to enjoy the short respite from being responsible for her son, Noah. Kim is happy that Tallulah and Zack are having a ‘date night’ (although she sees the term as rather middle aged) and has agreed that they should party with friends met by chance at the pub later than planned. The couple do not return.

The disappearance brings together disparate characters in their search for the missing couple. Kim continues to care for Noah and worry endlessly about the disappearance. Zack’s parents are oblivious to the concerns she raises, share little of the responsibility for Noah, and raise alternative positive reasons for the couples’ disappearance. Sophie is the recipient of a clue and becomes involved with figures from the school as she investigates the disappearance. Shaun is on the periphery of this activity, but his association with the school and the issues there are subtle pointers to the way in which class dominates the village and possibly the disappearance. DI Dominic McCoy is the detective in charge, and becomes a comforting, while unsuccessful, presence.

Past and present are described, building up knowledge of characters’ emotions as well as their actions. Misunderstandings, secrets, and clues work together to provide excellent characterisation with a particularly complex picture of Tallulah and her motivations emerging. Past events are briefly mentioned, providing possible red herrings in familiar detective style, Sophie’s career subtly underscoring the way in which the detection element of the story builds.

I came to Lisa Jewell as a writer slowly, enjoying but no more than that, some of her earlier novels. However, as I have grown to know her writing I am continually impressed with the sheer professionalism of each novel. There are no short cuts, manufactured twists, poor character development or lack of motivation for each feature of her plots. Rather, Jewell respects her readers, providing us with excellence each time we start on the journey she puts before us. I have thought hard about whether to give this Jewell novel five stars, as I am unsure about the resolution. However, when I think about the theme of class as a motivator I am persuaded. The Night She Disappeared is another example of Jewell’s authenticity as a writer who acknowledges her readers as deserving the best.

Lisa Jewell has done it again!!! Wow!!! This was an excellent psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. I loved the plot, the writing and the characters. The story is written from two different timelines as well as two different points of views, this added so much more intrigue and mystery to the story, the whole story flows seamlessly together giving the reader an excellent portrayal of what is happening but still having a sense of mystery and intrigue that keeps you guessing until the end.

Tallulah and her boyfriend Zach are last seen at a party in a friends house before they disappear. Tallulah's mother Kim doesn't believe that they have just ran off together like so many others and wants answers. She knows that her daughter is young but she loves her one year old son Noah and would never just leave him. A year passes however and the case has gone cold with no word of sight of the young couple. Then Sophie and her husband move to a boarding school where her husband is the new headmaster, upon examining the grounds outside their cottage Sophie finds a cardboard sign saying Dig Here with an arrow pointing down. Soon the case of the missing teenagers is re-opened and it seems like everyone has something to hide.

I mean wow!!! That premise alone had me drawn into this story and trust me it did not disappoint. I couldn't put this book down and read it in one sitting. I was kept guessing until the very end. It was a nail-biting, thrilling roller coaster of a book that was filled with twists and turns at the turn of every page. I love how it alternates between Sophie's point of view in the present and Tallulah's point of view in the past. It gave a great insight into all the characters as well as a detailed description of what happened in the lead up to Tallulah's and Zach's disappearance.
This was a compelling and enthralling read that had me captivated from the first chapter. I would highly recommend it.
5 Stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A mostly riveting mystery with dual timelines and multiple POVs? Sounds like a Lisa Jewell novel, and it is.

In 2017, 19-year old Tallulah is going out for a date night with her boyfriend, Zach, while leaving their 1-year old son at home with her mom, Kim. Kim wakes up the next day, and they are still not home. She reaches out to many people, and it is determined that Tallulah and Zach went to a pool party at a house through the surrounding woods after leaving the bar that they were at. They are never seen again.

In 2019, cozy mystery author Sophie moves with her boyfriend to a cottage near a boarding school where he is the head teacher. The cottage lies near the school, and is surrounded by the woods. One day while leaving their garden and locking the fence that leads to the thick wilderness, Sophie sees a note stapled to the post: DIG HERE, with an arrow pointing to the ground.

The less said, the better...but this did not turn out the way I thought it would. It’s a gripping mystery that kept me intrigued throughout. Given the synopsis and the prologue, I thought this would be a terrifying read that would present some of my greatest fears. While it didn’t end up touching too much on those, it was still an enjoyable mystery that I couldn’t wait to figure out.

Lisa Jewell is one of the most talented writers to utilize multiple POVs and timelines, and she is mostly successful with it here. She manages to leave you hanging after each chapter, eager to learn more. She’s also proficient at wrapping up all loose ends and giving a plausible ending. I so appreciate that as a reader, and I think many others will as well.

While I feel this book could’ve been a little darker, I thoroughly enjoyed the nuances and surprises in store. The back and forth worked so well in creating a compelling plot and making this reader skip his Sunday nap.

All in all, I recommend this to those who won’t be disappointed if it’s not quite as dark as it initially sounds. It’s still a satisfying mystery, and Jewell fans should eat it up! I expected a bit more, and didn’t love the lengthy epilogue, but it is certainly as compelling as you’d expect from the author.

Thank you to Random House UK/Cornerstone and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released in the US on: 9/7/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

4.5 stars
The night she disappeared was such an intriguing read.

While I rarely enjoy stories told in multiple timelines, this one worked just perfect. As a mother myself, I always felt unsettled about my children’s whereabouts and could connect with Kim in every aspect of her search for her daughter.

It builds up slowly, and it’s so interesting to see how everyone lived what happened that night and what happened before and after those moments. So many twists and turns, so many puzzle pieces left by the author throughout the book, everything just to be tied up perfectly in the end.

Another must-read book from a long-time favourite author.

In 2017, teen parents Tullulah and Zach go out one night and never return home. Tullulah’s mum Kim knows that they would never just abandon their baby boy but there is no evidence of foul play and nobody seems to know what happened to them.

In 2018, Sophie, who has recently moved into the village, discovers a sign which says “Dig Here”. Will what Sophie finds finally help Kim discover what happened to her daughter?

Compelling. Suspenseful. Brilliant.

BRB off to go get the rest of Lisa Jewell’s books, because this was bloody excellent.

2017: young parents Tallulah and Zach go missing, leaving Tallulah’s mother Kim to pick up the pieces and raise their son Noah.
2018: Detective novelist Sophie and her partner Shaun move to the area to take up residence at the headteacher’s cottage for an independent school in the Surrey Hills. As she is walking in the woods behind the school, Sophie sees a sign nailed to a fence, that says DIG HERE….

As I have mentioned before, switching perspectives are not my favourite when it comes to authorial styles, but Jewell manages this exceptionally well, crafting the perspectives and intertwining them bit by bit. It was gripping and each new clue drew you deeper and deeper. The ending was satisfying and whilst outlandish, still completely within the realm of possibility.

I loved this and read it in a single sitting, finishing at about 2am as I just could not put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Lisa Jewell for this e-ARC, it was a huge amount of fun!

In true Lisa Jewell style, this is another corker!
I was delighted to be chosen to review this new book and was not disappointed. I was hooked from the opening pages and absolutely flew through it.
Twists, turns, great characters, suspense and just a joy to read as always!
Thank you to Lisa Jewell and Net Galley for the ARC x

‘The Night She Disappeared’ demonstrates that Lisa Jewell’s psychological thrillers go from strength to strength. A regular in the bestseller lists, some might dismiss her as a writer of ‘mere entertainment’, so well known is she for her intricate plots, her multi-layered characters, her red herrings and ‘didn’t see that coming’ twists. However, whilst these facets are clearly evident in her latest novel, her thoughtful focus on the family, and the ramifications of dysfunction within such units, is woven carefully and sensitively throughout the narrative.
Teenage mother, Tallulah, her boyfriend Zach and their baby son Noah live with Tallulah’s mother, Kim. The couple are devoted parents but, gradually, Tallulah understands that she doesn’t want to live with Zach. He is so attentive and so determined that his vision of their happy-ever-after is going to work, yet his devotion becomes stultifying. When Tallulah tries to step back, his emerging coercive behaviour takes a turn for the worse. After Tallulah and Ryan disappear following a night at the local pub, Kim is certain that something sinister has happened. She just knows that neither of them would ever abandon Noah.
A year later and the mystery is no closer to being solved. Sophie, well-known in Scandinavia as a writer of detective novels, (little authorial joke at the UK’s passion for Scandi-noir!) moves to the area with her partner, Shaun, newly appointed Head of a small independent school. When Sophie hears of the story and quite literally unearths a clue, she is determined to support Kim, now sole carer of Noah, in her quest for the truth.
The need to be lovingly parented and the damage done by poor parenting is seen over and over throughout the novel. Whilst to write in more detail about this theme might be to give away aspects of the plot, it is clear that poor decisions, rebellious behaviour, and coercive control emerge from years of feeling unloved, unsupported or unappreciated by those who should care for you most. Thankfully, the converse is true too.
‘Unputdownable’ is an over-used epithet: not in the case of ‘The Night She Disappeared’! My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

'The Night She Disappeared' is a great thriller. The story is told over three time periods, the present, the year before when Tallulah disappeared, and the months preceding it. I loved this style, it brought so much enjoyment to be able to see the event, the lead up to it, the investigation and the aftermath all unfolding together. You end up with all the pieces of the puzzle but can't put them together until the end. A great read that has sent me running off to read Lisa Jewell's other books because I want more.

In 2017, 19 year old Tallulah leaves her baby at home with her mum, Kim, for a date night with baby Noah’s father, Zach. Neither come home. In 2018, Sophie, a novelist, only met Shaun 6 months ago, but when he is offered a job in the country she goes with him, giving up her life and home. She can’t seem to settle but finds herself becoming intrigued by the story of the two teenagers who disappeared. Especially when she decides to do as the note nailed to the fence says - Dig here! What she finds leads her further along the trail.

This story is told from several perspectives and times. The tension builds up at quite a pace, as we are pulled further into the story with each snippet of information that comes to light, changing the readers mind about the characters and their motives. Sophie almost becomes her alter ego from her detective series of novels, chasing clues, researching background and generally investigating the mystery as it unfolds. As the background to the disappearance is laid out for the reader, things become darker and more intense. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.