3★
“NOELLE
‘Now’
There are rules to survival:
Always agree with him.
Never stop smiling.
Don’t mention anyone you care about—'anyone’—because they might become his next victim.
But soon, I’ll be able to forget these rules. Soon, I’ll have my life back.
‘I’ll be free.’”

That is the opening of the book, Noelle’s point of view, and the time is NOW. She is a cardiac nurse. “He” is Dr. Daniel Ashcroft, an anaesthesiologist, handsome, popular, and rich. He’s also a darling of many charities.

So what does he see in her? She doesn’t know, but he seems truly smitten, keen to know what she’s doing and where she goes. She’s beginning to think he may be a little too keen. She had an abusive boyfriend in the past, which makes her wary now.

The story is told in first person from both Noelle’s and Daniel’s points of view. I was pleased that the author introduced each chapter with the character’s name and the timeline. The timeline goes back to 14 months ago and moves forward a month or so in subsequent chapters, alternating with now, today.

It is easy to follow, because of the introductions, and the content of their internal monologues.

Her best friend, Kari, is another nurse and she has no time for Daniel at all. They talk and text all the time, so Kari is always up to speed with what is happening in the relationship.

“Kari’s been right all along. ‘He’s bad news, Noelle’, and ‘Why would a man like him be interested in a woman like you?’ She hadn’t meant it to be mean. She’d been honest. And she knows men better than I do, knows that a woman once a victim is twice as easy to victimize again. But my aunt had adored Daniel, and I adored him, and he was so perfect in the beginning.”

Daniel lives in a glamorous, ultra-modern house, unlike Noelle’s tiny apartment and Kari’s small, cluttered house. When he first began earning big money, he bought his mother, Eve, a house on Puget Sound. [Incidentally, it is always referred to here as “the” Puget Sound, a phrase I’ve never heard, although I have family living there. I must ask them about that.]

Daniel’s early interest is attractive, so Noelle takes with good grace his suggestions on what to wear when visiting his mother: conservative, modest, but smart clothing. No jeans and sandals. He takes her to dinner every Friday night at “their” restaurant (his favourite, not hers) to sit in their booth.

She starts getting annoyed when he greets her with a frown because of her casual look, even if she has just come off duty at the hospital where they both work. She tells Kari everything.

Daniel begins taking her to Sunday dinners with his mother – the pressure is on to name the date.

“DANIEL . . .
My mother has already given me my grandmother’s ring. I have a plan to keep you close.
Soon, Noelle, you’ll be mine.”

Daniel’s monologues get creepier as the book goes on, while Noelle’s get more anxious. There are some suspicious deaths, disappearances, and then a kidnapping.

“The tea falls from my hand, splattering on the ground. I turn around. I walk away. There is nowhere I am safe.
. . .
The reality is I cannot escape Daniel. This knowledge settles inside me with certainty. He knows too many people. He has too much money, has his claws sunk too far, too deep for me to get away.”

This isn’t my kind of read, but I’m sure it will find many fans. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted (so quotes may have changed).

I was very intrigued by the premise of this one and enjoyed some elements, however I did find the storyline quite convoluted in parts. Whilst it didn’t quite work for me, I understand why it will for many other thriller readers.

Noelle is planning her escape from her abusive boyfriend in this thrilling novel by Jessica Payne. I was captivated throughout the entire story and I felt that the plot moved in a natural and interesting way while still keeping that element of excitement and mystery throughout. I thought that the plot twist was very well done and there are definitely enough clues for the reader to guess the twist without it being too obvious.

4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this copy to review.

Make me Disappear is told in dual narrative by Noelle and Daniel, it's a fast paced read with short chapters and, even though parts of it beggar belief, that somehow made me more intrigued as to what the outcome would be. I took an instant dislike to Daniel, but could see why he was like that as soon as the author introduced his mother, so I also felt a little sorry for him by the end of the story. I loved the cat and mouse game that ensued between Noelle and Daniel and the twists that the author threw into the mix to keep the reader hooked. The story is very well written and hard to believe that this is the authors debut novel, I think Jessica Payne is definitely one to watch out for in the future

I could not put this one down! This is a read where you're trying to not let your eyes skim the words too fast because you're trying so hard to know what's happening!

I found this to be a fresh take on a domestic thriller. The book kept me interested but I did figure out what was going on quite quickly. Overall, I enjoyed it and will read more books from this author.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

This is a solid debut novel. The story flowed well, was quick paced, interesting, and kept you hooked. A few small parts felt repetitive but not enough to turn me off from the book. Definitely adding this author to the favorites list between this and her other novel The Lucky One-5 star read!).

Wow this was a good debut novel!

Noelle needs to escape her controlling and abusive boyfriend Daniel. She knows he won’t let go of her easily, he knows her every move and is always watching her when she isn’t with him and also always using the ultimate threat of hurting Noelle’s loved ones when or if she disobeys him. One day, by chance, she comes across an advert for “Extreme Kidnapping” and Noelle sees her chance to get free of Daniel. Extreme kidnapping is actually a thing and people pay for the experience, so Noelle decides the only way to get free from Daniel is to arrange her own kidnapping. However, things do not go to plan and Noelle quickly finds herself in danger and starts to wonder who she can trust.

This story was written so well I can’t believe it is the authors debut novel. Already in the first chapter I was feeling dread and suspense and that carried on throughout the entire story. I really enjoyed hearing from both characters (even though Daniel was scary and insane!) and I really loved seeing Noelle’s awakening and strength in the second half of the book. I must admit I did figure out the twist before it happened but this by no means ruined the story for me.

As I said above, this really was a good debut and whilst reading it I was looking forward to reading more books by Jessica Payne. Happily, I have seen her next book is already on NetGalley, I have requested it and am looking forward to reading it.

I would recommend this book for any fans of psychological thrillers; you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Payne and Bookouture books for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

Oh what a wonderfully thrilling roller coaster of a book.This amazing story kept me on tenterhooks until the last page. I did not want it to end even as I kept turning the pages. Loved this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for this read. This is the debut novel by Jessica Payne. As a debut, it was quite good. It was entertaining but I could seen the inexperience but that is not a bad thing because it was still good. Relationships goon wrong books are always a good read and it kept my interest.

This was my first time reading something by this author and I can say that I definitely like her work. Although I did figure the story line out I didn't figure it out right away nor did I figure it out completely. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I really tried to get into this book. I 'met' the author online, and I see a lot of potential here, but it just didn't work for me. She says she is writing another book, and I will definitely be reading it. I think this is a just a case of a first book and an inexperienced writer.

An absolutely wonderful domestic thriller about a relationship gone sour when the protagonist discovers some very troubling facts as to her lover’s past and realizes her chances of survival are not quite high…

I got a free copy from Netgalley- thanks for that! I was not familiar with this author. I was skeptical when I heard that the main character wanted to stage her own kidnapping. But the turn and twist in the end was so worth reading this book that’s why I recommend it. The main characters are well described and and you keep guessing until the end what actually happens loved that.

A thrilling story that kept me on the edge of my seat while I tried to figure out the twist. The concept of someone trying to disappear on purpose that went wrong was a fresh story plot I haven't read before, along with nodes to familiar characters and writing styles such as Joe from YOU for example. I finished this book in two days because I just needed to know what happened next. The changes of POV between the two main characters keeps the reader attention and has fast paced chapters. A few plot areas did feel not believable at times or kept dragging on with the same issues the protagonist kept circling around which made parts feel it could have been left out. The twist at the end was smart however I did figure it out early on of who, just not the why. This is a story I would recommend for readers that want a quick paced thriller story and enjoyed similar antagonists.

written well and the author has really good writing style but it wasn;t for me.... I wish it was for me but it wasn't... there was something that I wanted more out of it and I still cannot seem to figure where or what it was...

Noelle can't believe her luck when the perfect and handsome Dr. Daniel Ashcroft sweeps her off her feet. However, as time goes on Noelle learns of the darker and more controlling side of Dr. Ashcroft. As she looks further into his past, she realizes that this man is someone to fear. Noelle does not believe that he will just let her go that easily, and so she fakes her own kidnapping to get away. But has she entangled herself with the wrong people?

This book has a great premise, and I really liked the idea. The author did an excellent job of setting up the scenario so that the reader, as Noelle, believes that she must take drastic measures to get away from the handsome doctor. But how far with Dr. Ashcroft go to keep Jessica from learning the truth? And is there someone more sinister involved now, more than just Dr. Ashcroft?

This book is wildly page-turning and a fun read. However, I put it in the "liked it" category of three stars because of the crazy plot holes and outrageousness of some points of the books. Several things would never happen in a million years. Sometimes, I am willing to suspend disbelief. In this case, it was so blatant it was distracting and took away from my enjoyment of the book.

I would recommend this book to people who like to read mindless thrillers with cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. Just don't think too hard about this one.

Special thank you to Netgalley and Bookoutre for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, it was written well and flowed well, but it wasn't one i couldn't put down. It was OK but not gripping enough for me

This was an engrossing read that kept me interested from start to finish. It was a gripping and disturbing exploration of domestic violence and manipulative relationships. There were twists and turns constantly but not so much that I had to suspend my disbelief. All of the plot holes were also resolved, which is not a quality that all thriller novels have. Although the ending was rather predictable, that did not dampen my enjoyment. This was a solid debut novel and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from Jessica Payne.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Daniel seems like the perfect guy. Brilliant, handsome and a very successful doctor. It's no surprise when Noelle falls hard for him. But then everything is not quite so wonderful. Is Daniel really a control freak? Certainly seems to be. This was such a fun book. I literally gasped out loud more than once! Kept me riveted the whole way through! Thank you so much!