Review: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Title: Then She Was Gone 

Author: Lisa Jewell 
Publisher: Atria Books
Publishing Date: April 17th, 2018

Pages: 358
Genre: Adult Mystery Thriller

Series:  Stand Alone
Source:  Audio

 

THEN
She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?

Another psychological thriller added to my list and then read. I can't remember where I found this book. Probably another audible cruise I am always on the lookout for another great psychological thriller. I just love it when I come across one that just makes my world turn upside down. This book did that to me. I felt empty when I was done. I didn't know what to do with my life. This book was so dang good! This was the first book I have read by this author, it will not be the last. This book totally changed my life. (not really but kind of yes.)


Ten years ago, Ellie walked out the door and never came back. She was 15 years old, she was the youngest of three, she was sweet, she had dreams, now there is nothing.

Ellie's mother, Laurel, hasn't been able to move on. She doesn't have high hopes of Ellie returning, but she is determined to find out what happened to Ellie...did she runaway, did someone hurt her, she just needs to have closure. It's been ten years and she has no answers.

Ellie's remains are found, Laurel decides it's time to move on. She meets a man who has a daughter that reminds Laurel of Ellie. Ellie doesn't know why she wants to be with this man, whether it's him or his daughter... but the relationship moves fast. The only issue is that this man, Floyd, he has secrets. Laurel feels she might finally find out what happened to her daughter Ellie.

My thoughts will hopefully be a little more coherent typed out then they are in my head. It's been a little while since I read this and my head is still spinning. This book was really that good. It started out a little slow, but it was a build up that set the entire story into motion. It was slow but was not boring. I was hooked from the first page until the last. There were times I couldn't focus on anything but this book. Listening with my mouth hanging open, staring at nothing, oblivious to the world going on around me. It takes a lot for a book to hook me like this one did and it hooked me good. 

I can't say it was one thing that blew me away with this book, I mean obviously the writing did it all. The author did an amazing job on weaving it all together so beautifully and perfectly. The story, the characters, the emotion, the mystery, how everything was connected, how all the relationships worked. It was just pretty freaking amazing. 

The characters were well developed. I can't say that any necessarily stood out for me but they were all well developed enough to feel them and understand them and connect with them. They weren't too special on the outside but many were multi-layered and brought so much depth to the cast. Every one of them brought something special and unique to the story. 

I have to say I started to figure out some of the mystery before it was revealed, but only parts I was correct on, some things were still a shocker to me that I never saw coming. SO well done for sure. The mystery was good but the mystery wasn't the full story. This story was built with so much depth and power. I mean it just took me over. The rawness, the emotion, it was hard to really get through at times. But well worth it. 

The story is written in dual time lines from Ellie's point of view and Laurel's point of view. Pieces of what happened slowly leak out but the entire truth isn't revealed until the end. 

The ending was just killer. I just... I can't... I am speechless. I mean the ending was just wow. 

So I hope that made sense.. Hard to put something like this into words. Just WOW

This book basically made me a blathering fool and left speechless and empty inside. 
IT WAS SUPER AMAZING! 

Lisa was born in London in 1968. Her mother was a secretary and her father was a textile agent and she was brought up in the northernmost reaches of London with her two younger sisters. She was educated at a Catholic girls’ Grammar school in Finchley. After leaving school at sixteen she spent two years at Barnet College doing an arts foundation course and then two years at Epsom School of Art & Design studying Fashion Illustration and Communication.

She worked for the fashion chain Warehouse for three years as a PR assistant and then for Thomas Pink, the Jermyn Street shirt company for four years as a receptionist and PA. She started her first novel, Ralph’s Party, for a bet in 1996. She finished it in 1997 and it was published by Penguin books in May 1998. It went on to become the best-selling debut novel of that year.

She has since written a further nine novels, as is currently at work on her eleventh.

She now lives in an innermost part of north London with her husband Jascha, an IT consultant, her daughters, Amelie and Evie and her silver tabbies, Jack and Milly.

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