Laurel is struggling to move on with her life after the death of her daughter. Her marriage fell apart and her other children have grown up and moved out. She meets Floyd and feels a spark of attraction but his young daughter reminds her of her own lost child…
Then She Was Gone is a psychological thriller about the disappearance of a teenager and the impact it has had on her mother’s life.
The early part of the book shows Laurel as she grieves for her missing daughter. Ellie disappeared 10 years ago and Laurel’s life changed forever, every parent’s nightmare. A chance encounter leads to a new romantic scenario for Laurel as she finally feels ready to move on with her life.
The plot is intensely emotional and vividly depicted. The characters felt really authentic. Most of the book is written in the third person. Later parts of the book include other narrators that use the first person to show their emotional state of mind more clearly.
I did guess the twists but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the book. The ending of the book wrapped up all the plot threads and concluded on quite a sweet gentle note. I enjoyed the audio narration style by Gabrielle Glaister but I did listen at 3x speed.
Then She Was Gone is an emotional and intense psychological thriller.
Book blurb
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.
