The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

Tallulah is a perfect mother despite being only 18 years old. And her boyfriend Zach, is a perfect father. So it comes as a big surprise when they don’t come home after a night out one day. And Tallulah’s mum, Kim, is absolutely freaking out, expecting the worst.

My first Lisa Jewell novel… and boy did it not disappoint! I absolutely loved every bit of it, despite mostly guessing what happened halfway through the book. The time jumps were fantastic, the change of POVs kept me on edge, and the character of Sophie who is a crime writer is a really nice touch that I personally extremely enjoyed. Overall, all the characters were created very well, some of them layered which was fantastic, overall a great read!

I found Lisa Jewell’s writing extremely easy to follow. I was basically gliding through the chapters and before I knew it, the book was finished! The fact that chapters were left on cliffhangers made even easier to keep reading. Everything seemed well thought-through, no thing left unsaid and it was plotted really nicely towards the end.

I absolutely loved the character development in the book! They were layered, we find out something new about at least one of them in each chapter and it adds to the reading experience. I found Tallulah extremely likeable, same as Kim. I loved their bond, and the way they depended on each other which made the ending even more emotional. Nothing was missed about them, I especially loved the scene where Kim was drawing Tallulah’s eye lines, it showed how love can expressed in the simplest things. The way Zach was portrayed was really smart, he kept evolving and unveiling more and more features and it made me doubt if he really did kill Tallulah or not. And Scarlett! The more I read, the more I hated her, which I bet was Lisa Jewell’s goal, to make her the villain, and she did it extremely well. As we find out more about her relationship with Tallulah as well as with others, she evolves from a spoiled brat into an actual monster. I also really enjoyed how motivated Sophie was to help and find out what happened to Zach and Tallulah. And all the other characters made the story fuller and real, which made it a lot more enjoyable to read.

I think the third person POV really suited this story. While I’d like to get into Tallulah’s or Kim’s head and find out what they were thinking, I think leaving this distance between the reader and the character allowed us to see the full picture and not be biased against any of the characters. It also helped with the non-linear plot in a way, as it made it easier to read the third person POV chapters that were set in different timeframes.

The plot itself was great. From the first chapter, I was instantly hooked and wanted to carry on. With every chapter, I kept wondering what actually happened and as the story evolved, I was more and more confused, but in a good way. Everything was unravelling crazily but smoothly and jut got better and better. What I especially like about this book was that I could fully believe that something like this could happen. Everything was written extremely believably and relatably, including the emotional ending.

I’d like to give an extram mention to Lisa Jewell’s world-building skills. The description of the Dark Place really added depth to the story and made it more dark which was a big plus. The small village setting was done perfectly, with a lot of people knowing each other and it felt like the whole village was shocked by Tallulah’s and Zach’s disappearance. It also felt like a perfect place to set a story like that, making it more secluded and a little bit of a ‘closed doors’ situation.

I would definitely recommend the book to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller with strong female characters. Looking forward to reading more of Lisa Jewell’s books!

Rating: 4.5/5