Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell DIY Mom Book Review and Reader Warning

Oh, dear, how I hate when I believe the hype about a book and go out of my way to read it. I'd seen the rave reviews for Then She Was Gone and nearly rushed out to buy it. I have to say that I'm glad I decided to borrow the book from my local library instead. I was that disappointed.

There's no denying that Then She Was Gone is super popular at the moment. My library request was on hold for weeks before the book became available and I could at long last dive in. I read it in a day, not because it was good, but because I wanted to get it done and over with so I could give it a fair and honest review.

Let me just say upfront that I HATE giving a book a bad review. This is an author's life we're talking about here and it takes tons of courage to put yourself out there for all to see. Yet, as a book reviewer, it's important for me to be as honest as possible when it comes to my book reviews. Clearly, my book reviews reflect my opinions. Some readers might love the book, I just couldn't get there. So here goes...

Susan Barton, DIY Mom Blog 

Ellie Mack was a fifteen year old girl when she mysteriously disappeared without a trace on her way to the library. Everyone who knew her was impressed with the beautiful and intelligent teen, especially her mother Laurel. Ten years go by and Laurel’s life hasn’t advanced much, even though her remaining two children and now ex-husband have managed to moved on, Laurel remains stuck. Police seem to have written Ellie off as a runaway. Her mother knows better. 

When new evidence is discovered, the pain of having lost her golden child is a reopened wound for Laurel. When she meets charismatic and distinguished Floyd, Laurel is smitten. Despite repeated warning signs, Laurel finds herself delving deeper into a fast-moving relationship with Floyd and his precocious, and truly odd nine year old daughter Poppy, who happens to look eerily like Ellie.

I decided to put a hold on this book at my local library, just in case. I’ve been duped by raving reviews before and I’m tired of plunking down nearly thirty bucks just to end up being disappointed. So glad I turned to the library for this one.

“More than a whiff of The Lovely Bones wafts through this domestic noir…,” touts Publishers Weekly. I can agree there’s a whiff of something here, but it’s certainly not The Lovely Bones, which is a truly fantastic and beautifully written story. Then She Was Gone doesn’t even come close to the quality of Alice Sebold’s beloved book.

Then She Was Gone was all over the place. POV, tense, time – it all bounced from place to place and I honestly found that the author spoke in the same voice regardless of whose POV I was reading. The majority of the book was written in present tense, which I HATE. I almost stopped reading for that reason alone. In fact, I soon found that my one motivation to continue reading was so I could write a proper book review to warn other readers.

This book, as so many other readers have mentioned, is extremely sad and dark, Dark, DARK. So bizarrely, disgustingly dark I really had to wonder about the author’s mindset. She even mentions at the end of the book that she knew the book was bizarre and apparently, her editors agreed to the point that they proposed a suggestion that “was indeed radical”. I shudder to think what the book was before this “radical change” was made.

Laurel’s character was completely and utterly unlikable. In fact, the phrase dumber than a box of rocks comes to mind. All clues point to some very dastardly doings, but Laurel plows ahead full on with her new relationship with Floyd and the odd little Poppy. And the way Laurel treated and spoke to her family was appalling. She literally had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I never once felt any compassion for her. On the other hand, I was heartbroken for Ellie.

I figured out the What very, very early on in the book. There was absolutely no suspenseful buildup as promised. I just didn’t quite get the How as soon. I do have to say that when we discover the How it ends up being only slightly less disgusting than the How I had begun to imagine in this dysfunctional mess.

If I read one more book about some mess of a nutcase woman who goes around destroying everyone else around her because she’s just that darn self-centered and broken I think I’ll scream. The only thing that surprised me here was that the author and publisher didn’t title this book Then THE GIRL Was Gone.

1 of 5 Stars, Susan Barton, DIY Mom Blog