WOAH…WHAT a great Roller Coaster ride this book was! I’m definitely checking out more of this author’s books! Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review!!

Yikes. I’m not sure how I feel about this book. On one hand it kept me hooked and I read it in about 24 hours. On the other hand once I made it to the halfway point I was so confused by what was happening. The story had about a thousand twists and turns, and the multiple POV’s without telling us whose pov we were reading made it hard to follow.

I also felt like a lot of the behavior was as not on par for the age of the characters. Every time I thought I was caught up with what was going on things changed again. Definitely not a book for anyone who struggled with any kind of attention span issues.

Give it a try if you can devote 100% of your attention to the book and you’re not a mom who has kids interrupting you for a snack every ten minutes.

Thanks NetGalley and The Book Folks for the chance to read and review this book!

If you are looking for your next read full of twists, turns, mystery, suspense, and family drama grab a copy of Gone But Not and buckle up because you are guaranteed to be taken for a ride. There’s a lot going on in this book. Duel time lines keeps you on your toes as you try to figure out who’s who and what actually happened. Just when you think you have it all figured out, guess again!

Thank you Net Galley and The Book Folks for providing an ARC of Gone But Not by Shane Spyre for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

‘GONE BUT NOT’ is a gripping and intense thriller. It has been two years since Charlotte disappeared. She has been located, but she adamantly claims her name is Iris and denies any connection to the people who say they are her family. Each character presents their own perspective on Charlotte’s disappearance, leaving the reader uncertain about whom to believe. With each chapter, the plot takes unexpected twists and turns, leaving you in a constant state of amazement and confusion. I loved the ending of the book, and the writing was superbly executed. Some of the actions in the story were hard to believe, and that bothered me.

Overall, it was cleverly crafted and had a distinctiveness to it. If you’re looking for a gripping and intense thriller that will leave you wanting more, I definitely recommend it!

Many thanks to @ShaneSpyre @thebookfolks & @netgalley

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I couldn't finish once I got to 42 percent. This book was crazy and just too hard to follow. A little girl goes missing for two years and she is found and comes back home. But the woman who took her, Marci, keeps coming back to get her. The timelines are so messed up and the little girl, Charlotte/Iris narrates the first part of the book and she is only 10 but it comes across as an adult. It was just to weird for me.

You may call this book many things, but boring is not one of them. From the off, the storytakes off quickly and it doesn't slow down to take a breath. While this made this book fun and easy to read, I found the plot a bit over the top and at times hard to keep up with (which I assume was intentional). Overall, Gone But Not was an engaging read, but I think it would have found it even more enjoyable if it had been based a bit closer to reality. I'm giving 3.5 stars rounded down.

The cover definitely gives the creepy vibes for this book!

There are different POV's in this book. You have Charlotte, Iris, Dove and Rae. This deals with dark pasts, mysterious pasts and family with lots of secrets and the people not in the family with their own thinking

Any book with short chapters i love. The character build up through those short chapters is great. As the story goes on and you get into the book it leaves you with HOLY CRAP what a ride.

When you start to get to the end all the back and forth gets confusing but once you get to the end you understand why.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Fast paced and full of suspense!! Loved the timelines and all of the different POVs!! I was on the edge of my seat the entire book but the last sentence - WHOA!!! So many twists you will be guessing the entire book!

I should have listened to my gut and DNF'ed this one when I originally opened it, and saw that it was 109 chapters long. Because seriously? There is absolutely no reason for that kind of nonsense as far as I'm concerned. But I kept swiping anyway.

Yes, for anyone wondering, they were short chapters which is how I made it as far as I did before I just gave up.

Here is the thing, this book absolutely has the potential to be great. Yes, the first third story is told in a very immature way, BUT I brushed that aside since you are seeing things from the point-of-view of a child so it makes sense that it would be presented that way. In fact, I liked being inside the head of the child because it made things interesting.

Until it didn't.

How many times are people going to get shot over this one child? Why if money was exchanged is this person still involved? How can this child have memories of two different people? Why is EVERYONE SO DRAMATIC (and I meant this most sincerely, there was so much drama going on inside the Gallagher household that it was no wonder Charsis (as I began calling her) had problems fitting in. Everyone keeps secrets, the sisters pit one another against each other, "Mama Michelle" is just overbearing and irritating and the other one is just stupid. I also noticed that sometimes, Charlotte would speak in a way that was much older sounding that how old she was supposed to be.

The book then jumps to Charlotte as an adult, and as it would turn out, after a shocking turn of events a woman has been discovered. A woman who not only looks just like her, but who is also claiming to be Charlotte Gallagher, and she wants what is owed to her. Cue page upon pages where everyone has a secret, and it would seem that no one is who the seem to be. By this point, I was just hoping that it was all going to be over soon, because this was book was just such a train wreck. You know, where you want to look away, but can't? Especially when we get to the part about the families stay at the resort and all of the weird secrets of their parents start coming to light.

Finally, I got to the end, and while I'm sure the author meant for the ending to be some sort of shocking twist, not only did I see it coming from miles away, I was also just absolutely over this entire book and wondering why I wasted so much of my time on something so confusing. And also can we talk about the fact that the one "couple" mentioned during this part and the kinky things they were into was really kind of gross and inappropriate considering the age gap and the history not only between them, but between one of the adults and the Gallagher family as a whole.

As you can see, this one didn't work for me for a lot of reasons. I think it could have been edited down to not be 109 chapters and maybe not have cliff-hangers every other paragraph, but I do believe there will be other people who will enjoy this one.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This book was quite good, but it did have some confusing elements. The constant shifting between perspectives made it difficult to keep track of who was speaking in each chapter. The characters Charlotte and Iris became so intertwined that it was hard to tell them apart. It would have been helpful to have a clearer indication of who was speaking in each chapter. Despite this, the book was well-written, and with some tweaks, it could be even better. 3.5⭐️

I was thoroughly engrossed in this book from page one!
Everytime I thought I knew what was going on I was thrown on another loop...so many twists, so many things uncovered!
What a thrilling ride! I would recommend this book!

GONE BUT NOT is a dark, complex, edge-of-your-seat thriller. I can honestly say that this was one of the most complicated and intelligently written books that I have read this year. Charlotte went missing two years ago. Now she has been found; however, she insists that her name is Iris and that she has no idea who these people are who claim to be her family. Each character has their own version of Charlotte's disappearance and the reader has no idea who to believe. To be honest, even the identity of the POV character is not always crystal clear. The book is expertly written, and I loved the ending. My only issues with the overall story were some of the more unbelievable actions (there was at least one too many deaths/murders), and I'm never a fan of animal cruelty. I know it explains one of the individual's character/personality; however, there was a bit too much detail. Again, overall, it was cleverly written and quite unique. I will definitely recommend GONE BUT NOT to anyone looking for an exciting but dark thriller that keeps the reader needing to turn pages.

The plot sounded so intriguing so I was excited to read the ARC provided by NetGalley!
It was, for the most part, everything I hoped for, dark, sinister and suspenseful. The plot was clever and kept me on my toes.

I found though that between the different points of view, and back and forth with different points in time, it felt like I was getting whiplash. It often left me very confused as to what was happening. I feel that the plot could have been written in a more streamlined way to keep things straight in the readers head.

Overall, it was definitely enjoyable though confusing at times.

Thank you NetGalley for the read!

Thank you NetGalley and The Book Folks for the opportunity to read an ARC of Gone But Not. I was really excited to read this book but I ended it with mixed feelings. It was very suspenseful and I found myself not wanting to put it down, but more often than not I was confused and not sure what was going on. The POV and timeline were all over the place and hard to follow.

What in the world? This had so many twists and turns it was crazy and good, I would love to see what is next from Shane. If you like thrillers that you can’t put down this is a great read!

The best way to describe this book is as follows. Imagine you're in a shipping container that's being driven by a semi. While in said semi, you're tasked with getting on a treadmill which is at about a level 4. So you try to get a running start and then there's potholes so you fall off get whiplash and then you chug some 150 proof instead of water.

Yeah.

So basically you're dropped into this story and trying to figure out who is who and what actually happened and people are dying left and right and people don't know who they are and oh there's a white dog named Toby?

The crazy thing is? I still read every page and was still somehow interested. I ended the book and still don't know what the heck was going on but. Yeah? Charlotte.

A

This was an amazing read!!! Omg ok my deat the whole time and finished in little over 3 days!!!! Love love love!!! Must read!!!

''Utterly gripping twisty psychological thriller'' indeed. I don't even have words for this book. Twisted? Wicked? Creepy? All the above? One thing is certain: This is the second book by Shane Spyre, and boy, he does know how to write about twisted pre-teen girls with wicked families and creepy scenes. Every chapter is a whirlwind, that even when you think you know what's going on, well not, and the whole plot is so mind blowing that it leaves you dizzy. I can't wait to read the next book by this author. And to say that I highly recommend his books is an understatement.

The book was a blend of intrigue and confusion, a potpourri of emotions that left me both fascinated and frustrated. The concept of the book was undeniably intriguing, and as a seasoned reader who has navigated numerous narratives with multiple points-of-view, this aspect of the book did not phase me. However, the constant lying that each character engaged in, it was difficult to discern the truth. Every character seemed to be shrouded in a cloak of dishonesty, each one hiding more than they revealed.

One of the glaring plot holes that stood out was the lack of a DNA test on the child. This simple procedure could have easily resolved the mystery surrounding her identity. The absence of this logical step was baffling and somewhat detracted from the credibility of the narrative.

Despite these shortcomings, the author's writing style was commendable. The narrative was gripping, the prose was eloquent, and the story was told in a manner that was compelling enough to keep me turning the pages. While the book was a captivating read with a fascinating concept and well-crafted prose, the convoluted narrative and the lack of logical progression were significant drawbacks. The constant deception and the confusing timeline made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. While I appreciated the author's writing style and the gripping nature of the story, the overall experience was somewhat marred by the book's complexity and confusion.

After a short outing with her mother, ten year old Iris finds herself picked up by the police, not knowing that her life is about to change drastically. The police explain that she is really Charlotte Gallagher, and has been missing from her family the past two years. The woman who she believes is her mother is truly her abductor. As she struggles to recall her abduction and piece together the mysteries surrounding it, Charlotte wonders--is she really Iris, or is she Charlotte?

After reading the description for this book, I was really excited because it seemed to have everything I want in a thriller--plot twists, deception, weird children, etc. But after reading, the execution was a little disappointing. I found the plot poorly structured, and almost thought there were too many crazy plot twists. The jumps back in forth in time were not executed in a way that was understandable to me, as well as the many shifts in POV towards the end. I also didn't feel connected to the characters.