I loved the whole concept of this book and the characters really came alive. The book touches you and stabs you right in the heart at the choices the main characters have to make. Something so seemingly innocent—a lie told-that upends the characters life as they know it. I am not going to talk about the plot here, because if I do, it will spoil the book but oh my goodness, it's just brilliantly done.
Gillian's writing in this book is her best yet: immersive, believable and consuming. She really knows how to tug at the heartstrings and the sub plot is so brilliantly done. I turned the pages furiously, my mouth open, tears streaming down my face one minute, angry the next, wanting to get to the end to see what would happen next. This book will really make you think about relationships and family, but mainly the things and the people we take for granted every day.
Imagine not being able to see friends or family? Imagine not being able to live in the house you own or even take photographs of your past life with you? Imagine leaving everything behind—having your identity replaced—at the drop of a hat. Imagine leaving the love of your life, having to choose between your husband and a child?
I can't recommend this book highly enough and sorry my review isn't more eloquently done with plot examples and excerpts of prose. If I do that, I will spoil the experience for you.
Read this book.
Thank you to the NetGalley, publisher and to the author for an arc of this book.

Thoroughly enjoyable book full of twists and turns. It was a unique storyline and so interesting it kept me hooked from start to finish and I would highly recommend it

Wow wow wow!!!!

I have to say that I think this is one of the best books I've read this year!!! I absolutely consumed it from start to finish, and for a day, the outside world didnt exist, I was so wrapped up in this book.

The book revolves around a mother and daughter going into witness protection due to the 16 year old daughter witnessing a murder. But it's not as easy as that is it? How do you leave your whole life and family behind? Can you stick to the rules when you so desperately miss your family even though the slightest slip up, could result in you getting found and killed?

All the way through this book, I kept thinking, 'what would I do'. And I still dont really know.

Absolutely loved it. 5*

A very clever, beautifully written thriller cum love story. Very original, couldn't put it down! Another triumph from this author

This might just be my favourite book of 2020. So much more than a whodunnit mystery, How to Disappear is about a blended family dealing with being split in two when half of them have to go into witness protection. In fact, there's no element of whodunnit at all, but there's still enough drama and intrigue to keep you hooked throughout.

Told from four different points of view, we get into the head of each family member as Zara witnessing a cruel and callous crime is sent into witness protection with her mum. This leaves her step-dad and step-sister behind in London. You know who committed the crime from the beginning, but the idea that something bigger is going on, and whether or not they will get away with it are what keeps you turning the page. That, and the way in which Gillian McAllister draws such great, believable characters. You're rooting for all of them.

And the ending. Wow. There was a twist that I didn't see coming at all. There was a point where I was nearly in tears reading the end.

I love this author’s novels so have been eagerly anticipating this new one and it didn’t disappoint. This book follows teenager Zara who witnesses a crime and the repercussions mean her and her mum Lauren have to go into witness protection for their own safety. Lauren’s husband Aidan doesn’t go with them as he needs to stay near his own daughter Poppy. The first part of this book is so fast-paced and I couldn’t read it quick enough. Then the tension starts to build and I had to keep putting the book down, I was so anxious about the rules that kept being broken and what the consequences might be. And yet the book kept pulling me back because I just needed to know! This is a rollercoaster ride of a book and it definitely keeps you on your toes. I really enjoyed this one and I recommend it!

When is a lie not a lie. Convinced that telling a lie meant she was doing the right thing. How wrong was Zara. Families torn apart. How long until they can be normal again. Enjoyable with underlying tension.

I enjoyed this - the dilemma it raised and how the characters dealt with it was really brought to life. Recommended.

Gillian McAllister takes the reader to a different level with this complex exploration of the fallout from a crime.

After witnessing two youngsters apparently beat and kick a homeless man to death, the key witness is compelled to tell what she saw. It’s an appalling crime, but one which is entirely plausible and McAllister’s skill lies in looking in detail at what happens thereafter. The central characters have substance and the ambiguity if right and wrong, truth and reality and what happens when a key witness is identified raises some difficult issues; for those in the tale and the reader. It’s involving, emotive and a genuinely twisted tale.

We all at some time would love to disappear for a while but what if you have no choice but to pack up your whole life and relocate to a different location and have a whole new identity .

This is what Zara and her mum Lauren have to do after she has witnessed a horrendous crime . I’m not going to elaborate on the plot because I think this is one book you should read for yourself.

The characters and plots in this book are amazing. I related so much to Lauren and constantly thought of how I would feel if I was in her position.

Be prepared to be shocked and heartbroken in equal measures as you turn the pages. The only word to describe the ending of this book is perfect. Not what I seen coming so had me in suspense right until the end .

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this five star read .

An intriguing and gripping crime thriller delving into the hidden world of witness protection. Explores the complexities of both the characters in protection as well as those left behind. A superbly plotted must read page-turner.

How to Disappear, the latest novel by Gillian McAllister, is a totally riveting, twisty, suspenseful and tense novel.

When fourteen- year-old Zara witnesses the murder of homeless man, Jamie, by two members of Holloway Football Club youth team, her own and her family's lives are turned upside-down. A year later she is the key witness in their trial. Known only as Girl A and giving her evidence anonymously, the trial collapses, thus freeing the defendants. There is outrage in the media directed against Girl A, resulting in Zara being identified on social media and putting her in real danger. Consequently, Zara and her impetuous mother, Lauren go into witness protection...

The story follows Lauren and Zara as they struggle to adjust to their new lives and identities. Gillian McAllister's storytelling is first-class, mesmerising and riveting. With the tension at a dizzying height and the abundant twists, I was well and truly kept on my toes. The author's wonderful characterisation was the icing on the cake, particularly in case of anxious and moralistic Zara who demonstrated her admirable inner strength. The whole cast of characters were appealing or engaging in some form, and I found myself rooting for them all the way.

This compulsive thriller is an electrifying read with a superbly paced plot that will have you turning the pages as quickly as possible. Genuinely unpredictable, it has believable dialogue, characters you can invest in and some real bombshells, all making for a highly satisfying and fascinating read. I am extremely keen to read more from this talented author.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

3.5 stars.
How to Disappear is a well written book, with original premise, fast-paced story line and flawed characters. Unfortunately, from the start it’s not very believable. Yes, this is fiction and as a reader, I am prepared to suspend belief (especially in the context of this story). However, the whole reason for the characters going into the witness protection and their subsequent actions seemed unjustified and unrealistic. Preposterous ending only added to the overall frustration I experienced when reading this book.

Preapre yourself for angst, shock and ugly crying. This book is a rollercoaster ride, of love, doing the right thing and evil mixed together to make a thriller that has you questioning every charachter.
Ive read this slowly building the well written charachters in my mind. You champion , you hate and you most certainly suffer as you read but it is worth it.
Gillian McAllister just seems to get better and better.

Unfortunately, I found the book disappointing despite mostly 5 star ratings. Lauren and Zara end up in witness protection but despite all the rules for secrecy they keep breaking them. Even Lauren's husband Aiden and his daughter, Poppy continue contact and expose their location. When Poppy is attacked, the police are not informed and she is still allowed out on her own. It is very slow in places and I did skim several pages to get to the promised twist at the end. Personally, I thought the final twist was unnecessary.

How to disappear tells a story none of us would want to experience. After Lauren’s daughter Zara anonymously testifies in court, her identity is leaked online and an Osman warning is issued as the police believe her life is in danger. The family are offered the opportunity to enter the witness protection programme but Zara’s step father doesn’t want to leave behind his daughter Poppy. The family agree to separate and the novel continues to follow their individual lives.
I had high hopes for this novel after reading positive reviews, but despite the fast pace and interesting storyline, I found some aspects to be unbelievable.

I enjoyed this book, but I did find it very annoying at times. The constant references to cups of tea and hot baths really wound me up. There is more to life than that, albeit very comforting items. Also there was a good deal of name dropping of cosmetics, candles etc, which I felt was not needed.
The story of people who end up in witness protection as an interesting one, I am sure anyone who reads it will find that intriguing as not many people know of the full magnitude of such a step.
I had to feel for the family torn apart by honesty or lack of it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. Gillian McAllister is an author, whose books I’ve read and highly recommend, who’s next read is always high on my list. So I was excited to read this, and like everyone else can attest that indeed How to Disappear is hands down the best of McAllister’s books so far. Well plotted, engaging characters and dripping with tension.
This follows Aiden and Lauren, a married couple who have daughters from previous relationships and are the same age - Poppy, who’s a carer for her mum suffering from MS and Zara. Zara is naive and idealistic, so when she sees two footballers assaulting a homeless man who testifies in the court. However upon questioning it emerges that to ensure the footballers are sentenced Zara has tweaked the truth. The footballers are let off, proven not guilty. And this is where the troubles begin...The fans are angry; these two promising young men have had their careers ruined by a lie and they’re determined to find the teenage girl who testified. They do, and soon Zara and her family’s life is in danger. To protect them the police put Zara and her mother in witness protection. Aiden decides not to go because he can’t leave his sick ex-wife and his daughter. Instead he infiltrates the Facebook group that is set on revenge against Zara in the hopes of gathering information and put these men in jail so his family can come home...

This is was an absolute cracking read. Filled with dread and suspense. Like always I enjoyed the characters and their complicated relationships and interactions with one another; this messy yet wonderful blended family of Aiden and Lauren that gets ripped apart due to one part of the family going into witness protection. I also really enjoyed the way attention to drawn to the homeless community and the horrific treatment and entitlement of the footballers. My only gripe was I didn’t like the change in Zara’s character when they move to Lake District and wanted her to be more fleshed out and found her character unlikeable. However on the whole this was a gripping, suspenseful read. 4.5/5.

A tense, well-crafted read that kept me turning the pages until the end! Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC,

Thank you Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the ARC of this book; I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was especially interested in this book as I had heard good things about the author and had been interested in their work in the past, despite not yet having read any of their stuff.
The beginning is great, it jumps straight in and I was immediately ready to be hooked (which I was). Pretty quickly I started to draw similarities between this book and Lock Every Door by Riley Sager and the Daughter by Michelle Frances - which was my favourite book last year - due to the conspiracy element. I don't want to say too much at risk of giving anything away but I can tell you that this book was nail-bitingly gripping and had me checking over my shoulders.
The characters and relationships were expertly crafted. My heart ached for them all constantly and without going into detail I will say that I cried at the end, and I am no easy crier! I've teared up before but never actually cried until now.
One thing that did annoy me was the behaviour of the main characters. It was sometimes so infuriating I wanted to yell at them, but it was valuable as it effectively conveyed the toll it was having on them. I will say I found the conspiracy a little less believable than some I've read before - I'm not sure exactly what was wrong and it could just be me. This, though, didn't have a massive influence on my rating as I felt the family dynamics and relationship exploration was more in the forefront which I thoroughly enjoyed anyway. I have no knowledge of witness protection but I found it believable and made a lot of sense.
With all of this in mind, I've decided to give this book a 4/4.5 out of 5. It was an excellent read, gripping, thrilling, fun, both heart-aching and heart-warming - just truly great. Read it, I urge you; you will not regret it.