I listened to the audio version of The night she disappeared which was narrated by Joanne Froggatt. THank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Audio

19 year old Tallulah is going out on a date, leaving her baby with her mother, Kim. She watches her daughter leave and waits for her return. And waits.

The next morning, Kim phones Tallulah's friends who tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a party at a house in the nearby woods called Dark Place.

The parents Tallulah and Zach were having a rare evening out when they disappeared. Both devoted to their baby son Noah, Tallulah’s mother Kim,(who they live with) refused to believe they could have run away and suspects something terrible has happened to them. Scarlett, the college friend of Tallulah’s, who invited them to her family’s house after they all met up in the pub, said that they planned to call a taxi, but the taxi companies have no records of this.

It's also written from Sophie's point of view in the future, which I wasn't sure it really needed, but it helped the story along.

It got a bit confusing if I didn't concentrate properly as was jumping back and forth quite a bit at the beginning.

I enjoyed the book, the more I got into it and was keen to find out what had happened Tallulah and Zach. Although I didn't find the characters very likeable and didn't like the "rich kids" at all, and although I didn't like the voices that the narrator used for some of the characters, she probably got them spot on as would be the same voice I would expect if I read a copy of the book rather than listen to it. I would give this book a 3.5 - 4 star rating.

This was my first Lisa Jewell book that was gifted to me on audio.

It was quite good, full of excitement and questions. However, I wasn’t blown away and I don’t think it was anything particularly special. I enjoyed it for what it was though.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW⚠️: Toxic & abusive relationship, murder, rape, abduction, drug use.

This was probably my first ever audiobook I physically couldn’t stop myself from listening too.
It’s my first Lisa Jewell book & it didn’t disappoint.
Thank you so so much to @instabooktours @penguinukbooks & @lisajewelluk for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

I went into this book without even reading the blurb, I wanted to just experience the ride without any idea of the plot & it was absolutely incredible.
Joanne Froggart narrates the entire thing & her voice is just perfectly suited, she made the entire experience so so fun at times I had to remind myself I wasn’t watching a tv show as that’s exactly what it felts like, her use of different accents and voices for each character just really made this extra special.

Lisa’s writing is fantastic it was the perfect mix or murder mystery & drama & I really did get the creeps when I listened late at night, I honestly was kept guessing the entire way through this & the twists and turn of events was brilliant.
I loved how it ended & I feel like each character was described in perfect depth & I was never bored when the chapters switched between.

Normally I would listen to an audiobook whilst doing bits around the house or whilst I’m out for a walk but I was so invested in this one I actually enjoyed just sitting down with a snack and listening along especially since the weather was so lovely outside!

Regular visitors will know I love getting lost in a new audiobook. Sometimes however, the day job can get a bit chaotic and I need to give full focus to that and an audiobook takes longer than expected to complete.

Not being able to listen to The Night She Disappeared as frequently as I wanted has been extremely frustrating. I was delighted this week’s holiday gave me the chance to finally spend some quality time with this cracking audiobook production.

In 2017 Kim’s daughter Tallulah left her infant son with Kim in order to go out for an evening with her boyfriend and her college friends. The pair did not return home that evening and in the morning Kim is becoming increasingly worried.

A jump ahead to 2019 sees crime writer Sophie moving to the same village as Kim and Tallulah lived. She realises that she recognises Kim and recalls the story of her missing daughter, there are still appeals for help in finding Tallulah. Her curiosity is raised and even more so while exploring the area she finds an abandoned house and a sign suggesting someone should “Dig Here”.

That drew me in. Dual timeline stories are a bit of a favourite of mine at the moment. In the right hands an author can tease out reveals, drop red herring and keep vital information back from the reader (listener in my case). This means my perception of different characters will swing wildly from supportive to distrusting and will almost certainly ensure I have no clue where the journey will take us. Lisa Jewell is clearly an author that revels in this position of power – she had me second guessing everything!

Getting to know Tallulah in when she was the focus of the narrative POV was a bittersweet experience as we know she disappeared after a night out. Is she AWOL? Dead? Hiding from her mother and son?

Her relationship with her boyfriend (who is also father to her son) is “complicated” and he is also missing. Is he a victim too or does the fact he has a bit of a temper mean we need to treat him with suspicion? What about Scarlet? She is at Tallulah’s college and the pair have little in common yet seem to be bonding – at Scarlet’s decision.

So many questions. And through Sophie in 2019 we feel we may be seeing some of our questions answered. Or not. More secrets and mystery will follow here and Lisa Jewell is toying with us as readers.

It’s a story which does give a satisfying resolution. Having being wrong with many of my predicted outcomes I felt I was given a fair reward for the investment in the story.

All audiobook reviews need to include reference to the narrator too. A good book is too frequently let down by a listeners niggle with the voice they choose to listen to for over ten hours.

The good news here is that Joanne Froggatt delivers The Night She Disappeared brilliantly. I knew she had nailed it when early in proceedings Kim visits some of Scarlet’s friends and Joanne Froggatt nailed their disinterested vague attitudes. Oh I was raging at them!

My first time listening (or reading) Lisa Jewell. The Night She Disappeared ensures I will be back for more.

This novel has a very interesting structure, three people are telling the story, and they are all participating in different times. Tallulah’s mother is telling her story and the actions she took to try and find Tallulah, she is a very nice and caring woman, that really loves her children as well as her grandson. Sophie is a crime author that moved to the country to live with her boyfriend, and she is the one who is finding the clues and kind of investigating this disappearance. The best protagonist for me was Tallulah and her story, that is messed up on so many levels. 😀 These three different perspectives allowed me to get to know the characters and how they are feeling. They are all completely different personalities that are very complex and full of inner turmoil. I loved how the author described the characters and allowed the reader to see their nature. My favourite character has to be Tallulah, her story is the most absorbing and intriguing, for me.

The narrative starts a little bit slow and I was confused of what was going on, but the more I listened, the more I got sucked in. This story is full of suspense, character development, twists and unexpected discoveries. For me, the narrative was full of emotion, intrigue and has kept me glued to my device. The topics discussed in this book were teenage pregnancy, controlling behaviour, serious manipulation and behavioural issues, homosexuality, secret desires, motherly love, relationship issues, curiosity, and many, many more. This book was pretty heavy when it comes to the variety of topics.

I absolutely loved the writing style of this book. The prose is so very well thought through, creatively delivered and it was an absolute joy to listen to this book. The setting of this novel is constantly changing, depending on the characters, and I really enjoyed that. This audiobook was narrated by Joanne Froggatt and I loved how she brought this book to life. Her voice and intonations were truly magnificent. 🙂 The chapters of this book seemed medium length and I was absorbed by the story, so for me, this book went quite quickly. I absolutely loved the ending of this book, it was so unexpected and concluded this story brilliantly.

So, to conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters are very unique, flawed, and very engrossing and the plot is filled with mystery, secrecy and unexpected twists and turns. This book is going to my Top 10 of this year and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a surprising psychological thriller.

‘The Night She Disappeared 👨‍👩‍👧 ‘ by Lisa Jewell
🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5
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'Mum, there's some people here from college, they asked me back to theirs. Just for an hour or so. Is that OK?'

Midsummer 2017: teenage mum Tallulah heads out on a date, leaving her baby son at home with her mother, Kim.

At 11 p.m. she sends her mum a text message. At 4.30 a.m. Kim awakens to discover that Tallulah has not come home.

Friends tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a pool party at a house in the woods nearby called Dark Place.

Tallulah never returns.

2018: walking in the woods behind the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started as a head teacher, Sophie sees a sign nailed to a fence.

A sign that says: DIG HERE . . .
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Oh my god. If you want a heart racing, blood thumping, page turner, then this thriller is for you! @lisajewelluk does it again 🤩

I was hooked from the start and didn’t want the book to end. It was gripping, haunting and chilling! All the things you want in a decent thriller. Were some parts a bit far fetched? Yes. But thrillers always have some bits that you think that couldn’t possibly happen!

I listened to this as part of the audio book tour (arranged by @instabooktours & @penguinukbooks). I normally don’t enjoy audio books as I can’t ever focus on the story, but this one was narrated by @jofroggatt and was so easy to listen too and picture the setting at the same time! Thank

At first, it was slow to get into it. Once I realized there was three different timelines/storylines and I got used to it, the story flowed very well.

I did not like the narrators voice at first either, it grated on me. Sounded like a posh Jimmy Krankie.

Then I got into the story a little more. I realized the narrator had the perfect voice for the kind of story. She absolutely nails the "stuck up rich kid" voice. Her enthusiasm and clear interest in the story made it much easier to listen to.

So about the actual book.. I'm a 37 year old manly man, I like Jack Reacher and 80s action movies, dark beer and dinosaurs... This book had me blubbering like a baby. I'm usually quite good at predicting outcomes, I was wrong 3 times. Didn't see any of the twists coming.

Not been this sucked into a book for years, wholeheartedly recommend.

This a compelling amateur sleuth mystery focusing on the disappearance in 2017 of 19 year old Talullah and her boyfriend, Zach. In the present Talullah's mother, Kim, and the girlfriend of the headmaster of the local private school, start to investigate. The book is very well written, and although this is a slow-burn it certainly doesn't drag and I couldn't stop listening as I was totally invested in the investigation. Ms Jewell drip feeds her readers tantalising bits of info as we are led deeper and deeper into the mystery.

I loved the academic setting, along with the creepy old house (called Dark Place) and the dark foreboding woods. I liked the main characters, Kim, Sophie and Tallulah, and the other characters were all interesting and well written. This is definitely one of my favourite books by this author.

The narration by Joanne Froggat was superb, and she captured the tension perfectly.

Another corker from Lisa Jewell folks 🎉

The Night She Disappeared was a slow burn, nail biting thriller which kept me on my toes until the end. I was lucky enough to listen to the audiobook. Joanne Froggart narrated the book (yes from Downton Abbey 😉) and she was brilliant!

I’m a big Lisa Jewell fan so I had high expectations and it didn’t disappoint.
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Midsummer 2017: teenage mum Tallulah heads out on a date, leaving her baby son at home with her mother, Kim. At 11 p.m. she sends her mum a text message. At 4.30 a.m. Kim awakens to discover that Tallulah has not come home. Friends tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a pool party at a house in the woods nearby called Dark Place. Tallulah never returns.
2018: walking in the woods behind the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started as a head teacher, Sophie, a cosy crime writer, sees a sign nailed to a fence. A sign that says: DIG HERE . . .
.
Okay, for a start, a house called Dark Place doesn’t sound great does it?!!😂 This really got my heart racing and I was fully hooked after the first chapter. It’s so compelling and tense 😬 I got to about halfway and had so many questions. I don’t want to say too much about the plot for spoilers but what I loved was….👇

~ a proper page turner.
~ some characters who you will HATE! Brilliant 😅
~ the dual timeline worked really well at developing the story. So 2017 at the time Tallulah disappears and events leading up to it. And then 2018 when Sophie moves to the area and the case is reopened.
~ the setting was atmospheric and chilling. Again, who wants to go to a house called Dark Place which has a dark history and is surrounded by woods?! Come on!!! 😆 I do like secret tunnels and pool parties though 😜
~ all is not what it seems with the characters.
~ a few red herrings/twists which kept me guessing which I think it’s key with thrillers.
~ the ending was a surprise 😉

Once again, another cracking psychological crime thriller from Lisa Jewell. Highly recommend the book and the audiobook. 🤩

DO NOT MISS this book! I loved it so much as an audio book I had to bought it to read it too. It was superb. I have read all of Lisa's books over the last few years and this is her best yet. Cancel all plans, get in some takeaway and treat yourself to this gem of a book

The Night She Disappeared
by Lisa Jewell

An audiobook review - narrated by Joanne Frogatt.

When I saw that the lovely Vic at Insta Book Tours was hosting a Lisa Jewell book on her amazing blog tour platform I had to sign myself up - Lisa’s suspenseful thrillers with their complex and relatable characters are right up my street. And as a huge plus I am also LOVING an audiobook lately - I tend to listen while I’m washing up, cleaning, folding laundry or prepping dinner. I can’t stand doing housework but listening to a good book makes it so much better!

The Night She Disappeared tells the story of teen mum, Tallulah Murray and her boyfriend Zach’s unexpected disappearance after a night out - told across a split timeline and following several key characters, this novel had me GRIPPED from the start. The location of a boarding school in a sleepy English town was the perfect backdrop for what became a deliciously dark and lusciously intriguing thriller.

Usually when listening to an audiobook I will switch it off when my jobs are finished but I found myself sat on the sofa, headphones still in and listening for ages after. The narration was perfect - Joanne Frogatt really helped to bring the book to life and really made me feel like I was right there with the characters.

Easily a 5 ⭐️ read!

Thanks so much to Penguin Books UK, Lisa Jewell and Insta Book Tours for having me on this amazing blog tour and also to all the lovely booksta people I read along with!

wow what a twisty ride! I didn’t work out the twist! This is my first Lisa Jewell but it won’t be my last.

And I also need to mention how perfect the narration is, Joanne Froggart was wonderful and really made the story for me.

This audiobook had me gripped from the start and I just couldn’t stop listening. The narrator made it easy to listen to and it was easy to follow the storyline as it jumped between two different time lines. It had me guessing to the end, and the ending didn’t disappoint.
This was an amazing story a definite must listen to audio book and I am sure a totally amazing read as well.

The Night She Disappeared - Lisa Jewell

Such a gripping read, so hard to put down. which is just what I love in a great suspense book! I liked how the plot is split between time periods and the characterisation of characters is just brilliant, I could really picture them and imagine them throughout. I don't think Lisa Jewell can really do any wrong....bring on her next book!

Thanks so much Netgalley and Random House UK for my chance to read this ARC

Great slow burn alternating present and past! Loved the unraveling of the backstory of Tallulah and her connection to Scarlet. I really enjoyed the character of the crime writer too! My first Jewell but not the last

Another great read from one of my favourite authors. This was a slow burn, but not one that I could put down easily. The story builds and builds and I found myself utterly hooked. I did not find it confusing to listen to due to it being over more than one timeline. Narrated brilliantly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Lisa Jewell and this did not disappoint, I was gripped from the get go. Joanne Froggatt narrates and she is very good, pace is fantastic, I literally couldn't put it down. If you love a mystery, if you love books that jump from one timeline to another then this is the book for you.
Each character is bought to life in a unique way, that only Jewell can achieve. You love them and hate them all at once. Fantastic. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC copy.

I really enjoyed the book, such an interesting storyline.

I really felt for Kim, it was heart breaking to read what she was going through during both timelines. I was shocked at Megs reaction, she didn’t seem like she was concerned at all.

The different settings were enjoyable, it was good to see Tallulah’s and Scarlett’s integration leading up to the event and how the group interacted with each other.

This is fast paced as always, it is the first audiobook I have listened to from the authors work and will be listening to more. This is in part due to the narrator, I am a massive fan of Joanne Froggart and she did not disappoint. I loved how she read each character and the subtle differences which enabled you to identify each one.

Instagram Review
A thriller that won’t disappoint, the perfect blend of intrigue, mystery and the unexpected.
This latest novel by Lisa Jewell is my second favourite of her novels only just pipped to the top by Then She Was Gone, another recommendation if it passed you by.

As the layers of each character were slowly revealed, I made some right and wrong assumptions. Some areas of the storyline were not as easy to predict as I thought. Classic dual timeline storytelling by Jewell, multiple points of view, but not so many that you may find confusing listening as an audiobook.

I love the immersive experience you get from hearing the story being told, done expertly by Joanne Frogatt aka Anna Bates Downtown Abbey. I thought her portrayal of Scarlett was spot on, I can still hear her saying “Lula” now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating

This was goooood! The narrator told the story with an element of danger and intrigue! I did guess what happened half way through but it didn't detract from the story. I admire any author who can go from writing comedy to writing psychological thrillers - I started the book a little confused about all the people but eventually it all made sense - same with the different time lines.