"If she could unwind the timeline, untwist it and roll it back the other way like a ball of wool, she'd see the knots in the yarn, the warning signs. Looking at it backward it was obvious all along." Brilliant! Lisa Jewells writing is addictive. The plot was nothing entirely new, but she knows how to take something that should be predictable and put her own twisted spin on it. The well developed characters, atmosphere and raw emotions makes her novels so great. Especially the well written psychopaths. There is also a blend of different genres in her stories that makes them appealing to a wide variety of readers. The suspension builds steadily throughout the book and the more I read, the more unputdownable it became. There is an emotional punch to the gut as the tension builds toward a dramatic end. It got really dark and I felt so...weird? after finishing this book. This certainly hit different.

This was my second Lisa Jewell book in just a few weeks, and I’m sure it won’t be my last. I’ve really fallen in love with her writing style and how she builds her stories. Compared to ‘None of This Is True’, the plot of 'Then She Was Gone’ felt more shallow. As readers, we’re always a step ahead of the characters thanks to hints and foreshadowing, but this time it took some of the tension out of the story. Still, it was an entertaining, well-paced and easy read!

Overall I did quite enjoy this. I liked the characters and enjoyed to watch the story unravel and the use of the different timelines which gave you more insight. However, I do have to say that I did guess the main twist quite early on. I didn't know the exact details so it was still interesting to find out what actually happened and who was involved in Ellie's disappearance. Together with Lisa Jewels writing style which I did quite enjoy, this was still a 3.5/4 star read for me!

SPOILERS: Okayyy so idk where even to start. I didn’t read a book like this yet. It’s my first book by Lisa Jewell, but it’s definitely not gonna be the last one. I found this book very interesting. It was quite a dark mystery. I liked the writing style and I had fun reading the book !! Let’s just say, I didn’t expect the dark truth to be like that😀. I read mystery’s/thrillers where the content is much more brutal etc but somehow this book disturbed me on a different level. But I didn’t even really have a favorite character at all to be honest. Firstly, Laurel, she had an interesting personality but from the moment in the beginning where she thought about Hanna 'I wish you went missing instead of Ellie' I was like hell na who thinks something like that abt their own daughter you have left 💀. Floyd was like the perfect boyfriend but I understand why he did what he did. I felt sorry for him like girl Laurel didn’t even tell on you why did you kill yourself, I was hoping for a kind of family happy ending but we never got one😔.Noelle was the biggest psycho there is 😀 like bro in what world did she live she was so sick like hello ???. I hated her, like reallyyyyy hated her. Not going to lie i liked it that Floyd killed her 🤣 in that moment I was just like 'LMAO, deserved' so ye he slayed. But Hanna, girlie… sorry but I JUST CANT UNDERSTAND how you can date the past boyfriend of your missing/dead sister AND MARRY HIM ?? . Sorry but I can’t understand that behavior at allll like girl nah, same goes for Theo btw. Poor Ellie tho, she lived through so much and the letter at the end made me very sad too like poor girl ☹️☹️. At first I hoped that she was somehow alive somewhere but yeah I sadly lost that hope pretty quickly😭. And the way Noelle tried to justify her behavior like bro who are you trying to fool, such a bitch. So yeah, enough abt the characters HAHA. Overall, this book was great and would recommend to read it.

Overall I did quite enjoy this. I liked the characters and enjoyed to watch the story unravel and the use of the different timelines which gave you more insight. However, I do have to say that I did guess the main twist quite early on. I didn't know the exact details so it was still interesting to find out what actually happened and who was involved in Ellie's disappearance. Together with Lisa Jewels writing style which I did quite enjoy, this was still a 3.5/4 star read for me!

Es un libro raro te deja pensando en todo y creo que la cosa no está en adivinar quien lo hizo porque eso lo logré adivinar desde que Noelle salió y también que Floyd tenia algo que ver. Lo que verdaderamente sorprende es ver lo qué pasó y cómo pasó, Noelle encerrando a Ellie en su sótano y embarazándola es muy perturbador pero es lo que hace que el libro funciones. Enseñanzas de este libro nunca despides a tu profesora particular rara de matemáticas

Ganz oke’es Buch, kann man lesen- muss man aber nicht. Wenn man intensiver drüber nachdenkt ist der Plot klar ( thanks to my mom). Was ich nicht so mochte waren die Wechsel der pov’s weil sie nicht angesagt wurden. Es war Erzähler pov und dann von insgesamt 3 Charakteren und man musste halt selbst schauen wessen pov man gerade liest.

This was heart-breaking and haunting, the characterization was very well done, as was the switching in perspectives. I enjoyed the emphasis put on family and the dysfunctional dynamics that escalate after Elli goes missing. I especially enjoyed Laurel as a character. She's not there just for exposition, she's not only a grieving mother but a flawed human being with petty grudges, but deep down she truly loves her family and I loved seeing her journey of acceptance. The mystery aspect was cleared up fairly quickly but does not take away from the story.

I can't. Then She Was Gone made me sob like five times at least. This is perhaps the quickest book I have read in recent memory. Lisa Jewell is a masterful writer. Her word flow is ludicrously smooth. She makes me feel things she intends. It's just so visceral. I love it. I realized something about myself as I'm contemplating my review. I love books that make me feel something and when the writing spreads like freshly whipped butter. The plot or any holes for that matter are secondary. The story itself is simple and satisfying. A lot of it is set during the Christmas season, my favorite holiday. Well who wouldn't cry if the story was about a family reforming themselves after a massive tragedy? And during Christmas? With a little girl at the center? You would have to be Scrooge himself not to catch any feels! Anyways, I may have been a victim of expertly woven tear tropes but I don't care. There is a reason why I space Lisa Jewell books. I read them when I fear I may be getting into a reading slump. I don't know if I really was but felt glad that I picked this up and finished it. Read the trade paper back while listening to the audiobook. The audiobook was spectacularly narrated. I'm very late to the party, but I must say to all the people who haven't read this yet, do yourself a favor and do! Miss Jewell, I'm a fan.