Great opening but then for me it seemed to lose momentum a little thereafter. Not a bad read but took a while to get through

After a shaky start when I thought this was yet another book about a family moving from London to the countryside combined with something troubling in the attic of an old house, I warmed to this story. It turned out to be a well written tale of loss, secrets, sisters and shaping families.

I did finish this book, but didn't find it easy. It was a bit of a labour of love. I found it difficult to switch between the 2 time frames. The part set in the 1950s was harder to get on with. If I hadn't been doing a review I would probably have given up. However, I persevered and enjoyed the twists at the end and thought it was well concluded.

I really enjoyed this book. The modern day story-line combined with the things that happened in the fifties made the story all the better. I'm not sure that a book without both thee storylines would have worked as well as it gave a lot more depth to the book and showed how much such a tragedy as a missing girl can haunt a place for so many years, even after everyone connected to the events is gone.

I liked Margot a lot. Her story was my favourite I think I liked how torn she was. How much she missed Audrey and wanted her back, but how much her aunt unsettled her with the things they did together in Audrey's room to feel close to her.

The mystery at the heart of the story was really compelling. With every thing of Audrey's that was found during the modern day construction work, with every new piece of evidence that Margot and her sisters found out I wanted more and more to know what happened. The conclusion of what happened as well was thrilling and interesting and it all came to a conclusion that was unexpected but that still made sense.

Eve Chase is definitely a mystery writer I will look out for in the future.

I really didn't warm to this novel despite trying. It started well but then seemed to lose its way and almost felt like a different author was writing it. Not for me unfortunately.

I opened the book and instantly felt at home with the story, I knew within a couple of pages that this book would suck me in, and it did. I adored the mystery of what happened to Audrey back in the fifties and I was equally enchanted by Jessie’s story in the present day, a life so different despite the earlier time period being easily within living memory.

So I suppose you want to know what it’s about? In the present day Jessie who has a teenage stepdaughter Bella, still so obviously grieving the loss of her mum and toddler Romy to contend with dreams of an uncomplicated country-life with her family. Her husband Will is more hesitant but can see that Jessie has fallen in love with Applecote Manor but will the house live up to Jessie’s hopes and dreams and build a better future away from dead Mandy’s ghost hovering in their London house?

Right from the start I warmed to Jessie who is honest about those gaps we all have between how we’d like life to be, and what the truth actually is. Later in the book she freely admits to posting pictures on Instagram portraying what she wants but there is something very dark and shadowy at Applecote Manor, a presence that Bella believes means that they will never be happy there. Is this teenage angst or does the house hold a secret? Well of course it does!

In the 1950s we meet four sisters, three born within a year of each other, the beautiful Flora, the athletic Pam and the serious Margot whose viewpoint dominates the past part of the storyline and these three are joined by the younger Dot who trails after her three elder sisters during a summer heatwave while they are staying at Applecote Manor. This is a summer that will have repercussions for years to come as innocence is lost.
And then there is Audrey who went missing five years before the summer we experience with the Wilde sisters and it is this that is the mystery that is the heart of this book.

There are so many themes packed into this deeply evocative story, from the bonds between sisters, the ghosts of the past who can cast shadows over lives, the difficulties in growing up, friendship and mothers all get an airing. Each storyline in the past is echoed in the present but not in an obvious way, it is the subtlety and the lightness of touch that makes this such an impressive read, with the beautiful Cotswold setting the pivot of the strands that paint the bright pictures from the hot summer in the past with the cold and wet days as Jessie struggles to build a future for her family.

Alongside the many themes this is also a difficult book to neatly fit into any one genre – it has a central mystery, a historical time period and there are times when the writing became so dark it could be considered domestic noir and it is a coming-of-age story. Whatever the genre, it is brilliant a book that I truly lived, I didn’t just picture the sleigh bed up under the port-hole window at the top of the house, I could swear I had lain down on it myself and I knew the characters, all of whom were honestly drawn, no-one was flawless and none were clichés and they were all distinct, even the secondary characters. All in all I feel sure enough to pronounce that Eve Chase is an author who has an enormous amount of talent so I have already ordered her debut novel Black Rabbit Hall which had high praise heaped upon it when it was published in 2015.

I’d like to thank the publishers Penguin who allowed me to read a copy of The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde, this review is my heartfelt thanks to them and Eve Chase for a wonderful journey that had me experience the full range of emotions and I closed the book with a tear rolling down my cheek. Readers in the US will find this book under the title The Wildling Sisters.

I was drawn in to the mystery right from the start of The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde and I found it quite haunting and a great piece of story telling.
The story is told between past and present and the summer heat of August 1959 feels very oppressive and adds to the intense atmosphere. The plotting is intricate as layer after layer of secrets and lies are revealed. The writing is very beautiful and wonderfully descriptive and the last few chapters are full of suspense. I enjoyed the book enormously, would absolutely recommend it and I thank Penguin for an early review copy via Netgalley.

Set in the late 1950s and the present day, this is a tale told through two narrators: 50s teenager, Margot Wilde, and twenty first century recently married Jessie, whose widower husband Will comes complete with difficult teenage daughter, Bella, from his first marriage. Their stories are linked by way of Applecote, a country house bought by Jessie and Will from which Margot’s cousin, the eponymous fourteen-year-old Audrey, disappeared in the mid-50s. The plot builds to reveal, finally, what actually happened to Audrey. However, by the time this point is reached, I really couldn’t have cared less. There has already been a false ‘big reveal’ but the ‘truth’ differs only marginally.
The theme of loss runs throughout the novel: loss of a parent, loss of a child, loss of self-esteem, loss of identity. The author evokes character vividly and we have a clear sense of the difference between the bohemian Wilde sisters, stressed out Jessie and angry Bella. However, the novel is overwritten. The author clearly comes from the school of ‘Why use one metaphor in a sentence when you could use three!’ This becomes really tedious. This story might have worked better if the focus had been purely on the modern family group, exploring through all parties’ eyes the difficulties of becoming a loving and supportive unit when the spectre of the deceased wife and mother is still keenly felt.

I enjoyed The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde, it flits between the 1950s and present day and the two families that occupied the house at these times. What happened to Audrey Wilde who vanished in 1954? What secrets and history is the house hiding? A great book.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book. I have not really been able to get into it, I don't know if it is down to the writing style or I am unable to give the story my full concentration...My husband died unexpectedly a few weeks ago, and i am grieving. I will probably try to read it again at some point in the future.

If you follow me on social media then there’s a good chance you’ve heard me shouting my love for this book over the last couple of days. I make no apologies – I adored it. You know that feeling when you settle down with a book and immediately know you’re going to love it? The Vanishing Of Audrey Wilde is one of those books and I savoured every single word.

The book is told in two, alternating time frames. Jessie in the present day is the second wife to a man who lost his wife in tragic circumstances and step mother to resentful and distant Bella. She’s never felt good enough as a replacement for Bella’s mother but hopes a move to the country will cement them as a family and banish the ghosts of the past. Bewitched by the stunning but derelict Applecote Manor, Jessie is convinced this is the place to bring them all together. But Applecote Manor has ghosts of it’s own…

The second time frame is 1959. Margot Wilde and her three sisters have been sent to live with their Aunt and Uncle at Applecote. The girls are intent on enjoying one last, glorious summer together before the eldest, Flora, leaves for Paris. But a sadness hangs over Applecote, in the memory of Audrey Wilde – the sisters beloved cousin who vanished mysteriously several years ago.

The alternating chapters of past and present compliment each other so well in this book. In the present, both Jessie and Bella are struggling to lay the ghost of her mother to rest, while in the past it’s the conspicuous absence of Audrey who haunts the Wilde sisters. The theme of loss and grief holding back and impacting the living runs throughout both periods, as does the need to let go to allow moving on. There’s also a strong sense of coming of age in both era’s as well. Margot, ever overshadowed by her vivacious sisters struggles with her own identity, while Bella is caught up in grief at the loss of her mother and unable to forgive Jessie for taking her place. Despite there being sixty years between them, both girls are mesmerised by the missing Audrey and what happened to her.

The mystery surrounding Audrey is fascinating and had me gripped, I desperately wanted to know what had happened to her. Eve Chase’s beautifully, descriptive writing is so evocative that I could feel the heat and atmosphere of the scorching 1959 summer, almost see the haze of the sun and feel the excitement and nervous tension in the air as the Wilde sisters attempt to make this the summer of their lives, while the secrets and fate of their cousin hangs over them oppressively. In the present, there’s a tangibly cold, eerie and empty feeling to the house as Jessie tries to bring it back to life, with the suggestion of secrets being revealed around every corner.

The Vanishing Of Audrey Wilde is quite simply, stunning. It has that deliciously gothic vibe of family secrets with a haunting house at it’s center. It envolopes you in beautiful prose and transports you completely to a different time, while the mystery of what happened to Audrey will keep you gripped. I was captivated by this book, snatching any chance I could to loose myself in it. One of my favourite books this year, I can’t recommend it enough and will continue to do so to everyone I know!

I have just finished this book within a day - I couldn't put it down. Flips from modern to post-war Britain expertly and I was enthralled by both eras. A mystery finally solved with such intrigue and innocence. Best book I have read on Net Galley yet!

There's a patter of small footsteps. A swing of a plait. A flick of yellow ribbon. Something pulls at the edges, a darkness that no one dare name.

In 1959, the four Wilde sisters - beautiful Flora, forthright Pam, Margot (the narrator) and little Dot - have been sent by their flighty but loving mother to spend the summer at Applecote Manor with Aunt Sybil and Uncle Perry while their mother Bunny is, as Perry puts it "hopping around the clubs of Cairo" (actually Marrakech). They used to spend holidays there, but haven't been for five years - not since Cousin Audrey mysteriously disappeared one day, aged twelve. "Simply vanished, the poor darling," as Ma told them, disclosing little further detail, and Margot - not really wanting to believe it to be true - didn't enquire further. But now she is back at Applecote, the matter suddenly seems more pressing and over a long hot summer, secrets begin to emerge.

In the present day, Jessie has moved to Applecote Manor with frequently absent husband Will, little daughter Romy, and reluctant stepdaughter Bella. She's hoping for a new start - especially for the troubled Bella, grieving for her dead mother and violently rejecting Jessie's right to even exist - but things aren't working out quite as she had hoped. As the past begins to seep into and perhaps even parallel the present, Jessie wonders if she has made a terrible mistake.

This is a wonderful book, beautifully written with a delicate touch. The characters - the four Wilde sisters, tragic Sybil, angry Bella and the rest - are so vividly drawn and there is a compelling sense of place.

I think ultimately this is about the bonds between sisters and the complicated grief of a mother for a daughter and a daughter for a mother. An enthralling read with a very satisfying and even uplifting ending. I loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde is a story of an old house and families with secrets.

The story is told in current day when a family move into Applecote trying to escape from London and an incident surrounding their teenage daughter. It is also told in the summer of 1959 when the Wilde daughters are sent there by their mother whilst she waltzes around Morocco.

I don't really like books that use flashbacks to reveal a shocking event that has affected the current day but this was different as the house was the subject of the timings. I found this really interesting and could see myself at the edge of the garden watching the families as they encountered trials, tribulations and shocking events.

I don't want to say too much more in case I give anything away but I really enjoyed it and would recommend.

i loved this book! from the 1950's to current day this is beautifully written with a nice twist at the end of the story.

A brilliantly written book that will have you gripped from the beginning to end. Beautifully written with characters that really came to life and a story line that is captivating, romantic and enthralling all in one. From the vivid descriptions and clever use of different generations you will not be able to put this book down.

I loved this book. Beautifully written, with evocative descriptions of a sweltering summer, contrasting brilliantly with the impending crisis of a family in turmoil. Utterly absorbing and a joy to read.

A magical recounting of two families living in one beautiful country house, though separated by several decades. Sisterhood is a recurring theme as sisters and cousins and half-sisters strengthen the special bonds which stay part of them for the rest of their lives. This is a beautifully written book with lyrical language and vivid scene-setting. The central mystery is perhaps less important than the characters developing and changing in the confusion of adolescence and the stresses of parenthood. However, the story and the mystery are not forgotten with several twists, some red herrings and a satisfying conclusion.

This is a book set in the Cotswolds, England. It is about people who live in a house called Applecote Manor. It is set in the present time and switches back to 1950’s when a different family lived in the house.

Jessie is married to Will, she has a 16 year old stepdaughter Bella and a young daughter Romy..

Bella does not want to move from London and live in the house. Bella discovers that a young girl went missing from the house in 1950’s and tries to scare Jessie into moving back to London.

The book switches back to the 1959 when the four Wilde sisters spend their summer holiday with their Aunt and Uncle. The girls are forbidden to go into the room that used to belong to their cousin Audrey who went missing five years earlier. Margot is drawn to the room and wants to find out the real story about what happened to Audrey.

This book is about an old manor house, family relationships and secrets.

Loved this book. It's a haunting mystery about the disappearance of a young girl called Audrey. The Novel has 2 interweaving stories - one in the 1950's and the other set in the present day . They connect in a lovely way. This is a comforting read best read whilst sitting in the garden on a summers day! Loved the 2 stories and it had me gripped.