Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas
Published in: 2019
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★]

Compulsive reading but stretches credulity.

This ARC was provided by Penguin UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Everything changed the night Flora Powell disappeared.

Heather and Jess were best friends – until the night Heather’s sister vanished.

Jess has never forgiven herself for the lie she told that night. Nor has Heather.

But now Heather is accused of an awful crime.

And Jess is forced to return to the sleepy seaside town where they grew up, to ask the question she’s avoided for so long:

What really happened the night Flora disappeared?

Book Worm’s Thoughts: I really liked the premise of this book and from the start I was hooked by the story. I whizzed through this almost in one sitting, I had to interrupt it for things like dinner and life stuff but other than that my nose was in the book constantly from beginning to end.

While it is compelling reading and while I really loved the focus on a strong female character I felt the actual mystery really stretched credulity. Without giving away any spoilers I personally couldn’t buy into the idea that the events that happened could have actually happened the way they are described.

The strongest part of the novel for me were the flashbacks to the summer of 1994 where we learn about the fierce intense friendship between Heather and Jess and what actually happened the night Flora disappears.

In the modern day I like the fact that there are diverse characters, the inclusion of real life events that did occur in the UK, the fact that the characters are not stereotypical and the social commentary about mental health and relationships.

Who would like this? I would recommend this to anyone who wants some quick reading escapism and who doesn’t mind suspending belief for the duration of the story.

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