Jessica Payne's unique twist on one woman's desire to escape her controlling and manipulative boyfriend had me instantly captivated by her debut thriller, 'Make Me Disappear'. Unfortunately, the book didn't end up thrilling me as much as the initial idea of it did.

When Noelle is backed into a corner in her relationship with her boyfriend Daniel, she is left with only one plan: to arrange for her own kidnapping. Daniel's control has spread to all aspects of Noelle's life and she fantasizes about her freedom when finally her moment comes and she is kidnapped as planned. But freedom is going to be a lot more difficult to reach than Noelle thought, and Daniel isn't going to give her up so easily.

I enjoyed the alternating time frame; looking back into the beginning stages of Noelle's relationship with Daniel and then getting both Noelle's and Daniel's views on the present events of her escape. As some surprising turns began to unfold, the thrill of the ride soon became just a bumpy road as more and more details were inserted and made for a messy and convoluted story. I never became invested in Noelle's character, nor did I feel as empathetic for her situation as I probably needed to be in order to invest in her overcoming the ongoing challenges throughout the story. The author developed an attractive main idea and had some creative highlights that caught me off guard, but through the second half of the book and into the perplexing conclusion the addition of more and more pieces overcrowded the story line I was enjoying. Payne's creativity in how she addressed the theme of domestic abuse and control, however, is not to be ignored and I will be watching out for what she conjures up next as it is sure to have another unique spin.

I appreciate the both the publisher, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

She has met the perfect man… how can she be so lucky?

Then she finds out his ex disappeared…

Then she finds cameras in her apartment 👀

I loved this one! Super fast paced and kept me guessing throughout!

Definitely an interesting book. Well written characters, lots of secrets coming to light as the story goes on. Very interesting premise and pretty original. Saying much more would give too much away.

This was a good read, I did enjoy the story line, but felt it was a bit drawn out in the middle. I had to keep pushing myself to finish it, and the end was slightly rushed although a good ending.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing style was great. I loved not only the dual POV, but the dual timeline as well! The flow of back and forth kept me intrigued and wanting more. I especially enjoyed the writing style used for the MMC; the way his brain creepily and eerily spoke to the FMC gave me chills. It definitely gave me YOU vibes with his internal monologue. If you enjoy domestic thrillers, I recommend picking this one up for a chilling good time!

Fantastic debut novel by Jessica Payne! I loved all of the twists and surprises along the way. The two first-person points of view kept me engaged, and the character development was great. You'll think you know where the plot is going, but the plot is more original than that, and the conclusion is divine. Highly recommend!

Make Me Disappear
Jessica Payne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It sure fooled me…. But this book has me believing the whole time, but at the end it sure took a turn and wasn’t what I expected at all!!! Amazing read and definitely want to read more by Jessica!

Maybe a little far-fetched but it was still an engaging page-turner with lots of tension and twists and frustrating characters and situations.

What a fast paced psychological thriller! This was hard to put down. Noelle is a nurse dating a handsome, successful anthologist named Daniel. On the surface everything seems perfect until Noelle starts telling her story and you learn there were previous girlfriends that mysteriously disappeared from his life. This is a page-turning story. As each character tells her/his side of the story you are not sure who or what to believe. The characters were very well developed and the tension build up worked extremely well for this novel. The ending did not work as well for me, maybe because I had figured out the twist but I still enjoyed it and found it a very quick read!

Wow!! What a debut!! I need more! This is every bit as twisty and gripping as I’d hoped. This is a book which pulled me and gripped me from the very beginning. I definitely haven’t been disappointed.

This is a book that has converted me as a fan of this author. I am definitely not disappointed and cannot wait to read more. With that said, this is a book that has left me completely speechless. I have been taken on a rollercoaster and been completely unable to put down.

This has been a superb read which I haven’t wanted to put down. Dr Daniel comes across a little dreamy until you venture into the pages of this one. Is all what it seems? Can we trust the good DR?

This is a perfect example of cat chasing mouse. This is one that been completely unpredictable yet gripping and addictive. This book is well written and taken my breath away on more than one occasion.

Jessica Payne is firmly on my list of favourite Bookouture authors. This is without a doubt a must read.

Wow, Daniel is a complete nut case In this book. I just held on tight praying for Noelle as I read her ordeal of dealing with a psycho. I that that this book did a wonderful job of holding the intensity all through the book. I really did love how the writer wrote each chapter from either Noelle’s or Daniel’s point of view to their story. I found the book very entertaining. I appreciate that the writer kept the narrative and dialogue to the story simple. The simple verbiage really help make the book more enjoyable to read. This is a page turner that I really liked.

Noelle is the 3rd girlfriend of Dr. Daniel Ashcroft where things have gone terribly wrong. The storyline takes you on a quest to find out who is responsible for the bad behavior of the Doctor. All he wants is to make his mother happy, settle down, get married and have children with the perfect woman. But this is strike 3! Overall, an entertaining read with a twist at the end. 3.5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audio book.

Make Me Disappear
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 5/16/22
Author: Jessica Payne
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 381
Goodreads Rating: 4.12

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing a digital copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: By the time I realized the truth about Daniel it was too late. But the truth about me? He never saw that coming… Dr. Daniel Ashcroft was perfect: handsome, romantic, protective. I thought I was so lucky. But then I heard the rumors about his previous girlfriend, that she had vanished without a trace. That’s when I found the cameras in my apartment. I was trapped. Daniel made it clear I couldn’t leave him, not without risking everyone I loved. I had to disappear, so I arranged my own kidnapping. I should have known Daniel would never let me get away that easily. But he could never have predicted what I’d do next…

My Thoughts: The story is narrated in first person by Daniel and Noelle, from their own perspective. Talk about gaslighting and deception, this was a fast paced psychological thriller that was hard to put down. The characters were developed well and had depth, tension, emotional, and worked extremely well for this book. A lot of books of fiction have unrealistic storylines, plots, and/or endings. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not work. The unrealistic storyline just really works well for this book. The author’s writing was complex, twisty, gave that uneasiness feeling, was suspenseful, and was just brilliant. I really enjoyed this book. To think, this is only a debut novel, I know we can only expect great things from this author, I would definitely read other books by this author.

This is an interesting story about abusive relationships, corrosive control and the lengths that people go to in order to get out of them.

I enjoyed the book, the story kept me engaged and the writing was easy to read and flowed well.

I did feel like I figured out the culprit and what might be happening quite early on, but that's no bother.
the ending somehow seemed a little strange and unbelievable with a couple of 'logic-holes' (not really plot holes).

Overall, a nice book to read but I do not think it will linger long after I'm finished with it, which is what you want from a top-notch book. Plus, I feel like the topic of abusive and controlling relationships could be explored much better, deeper and darker, and the switch of one of the characters at the end (without therapeutic interference seemed impossible and unrealistic).

3 stars from me!
Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC!

OMG - I was so lucky to receive an advance copy of Jessica Payne's debut novel, Make Me Disappear and WOW it was fantastic. I started this book right before bed and ended up staying up way too late as I did not want to put this down. Holy cow! It had so many twists and turns and managed to keep me guessing all the way through to the very last page! LOVED IT and can't wait to read more by her!

Make Me Disappear by Jessica Payne Narrated by: Josh Wichard, Amelia Sciandra was a very good audio book and ended up listening to it in one sitting. This book is Jessica's first book and what a brilliant book this was! it had everything, it was fast paced, with lots of twists and turns throughout that had me sitting on the edge of my seat and differently a page turner if you read the book.

I highly recommend this audio book I loved it. I am looking forward reading or listening more books by Jessica in the future!

Big Thank you Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for this DRC.

Nicole is, from the outside, in what seems like a perfect relationship. Daniel is a well admired anesthesiologist: wealthy, handsome, attentive….but he is also controlling. Every movement in her day is accounted for. She discovers cameras all over the house but doesn’t know about the tracking apps on her phone and car. This is a story of her trying to end a relationship by having herself kidnapped and disappear.
   Daniel, this perfect partner, is also the victim of a controlling relationship….his mother. Her own goals for herself, a grandchild, has her dictating, in sometimes not subtle ways, who he should date. Daniel jumps when she calls. In his egotistical mind he cannot understand why any woman wouldn’t want to be with him, thank you mom.
   Lots of surprises surface as new characters are added in the story. The chapters flip between Nicole and Daniel as the speaker, so as a reader, the viewpoints were reset frequently.
   An enjoyable psychological read. It makes you realize that someone may be watching your every movement and you’d never know.

Make Me Disappear is a thriller about a woman, Noelle, trying to escape her abusive doctor boyfriend. The book started out very strong and it immediately had me hooked, Unfortunately, I didn’t know enjoy the last third as much, and I had all of the twist figured out. Even so, it was a decent thriller that kept me turning the pages.

I did the audio version of this book and it was good! It kept me occupied during some busy days working in my library. If you like dark, twisty and a book that keeps you guessing- this is it! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

"There are rules to survival: always agree with him. Never stop smiling. Don't mention anyone you care about--anyone-- because they might be his next victim."

WOW!! This book was amazing !! Such a twisty, page turning with a unique premise. I have read alot of thrillers, alot with the same themes-- narcissistic, controlling boyfriend/husband, crazy mother, desperate female... but this one was unique!! Arranging your own kidnapping to get out of an abusive relationship was different and a super fun story to read. My FAVORITE thing about this book was the way it was written!! It was told in two different POV-- Noelles in the first person, and Daniel in the 2nd person, which was so fun because it was like he was talking to the reader as Noelle... threatening, creepy, insane... made me feel like I was part of the story, trying to escape with Noelle. I also had the chance to get ahold of the audio book and the narrators just added that much more to the story!! An excellent DEBUT novel!!! I can't wait to read more from Jessica Payne!!

Thank you Bookouture, Bookouture Audio, Netgalley and Jessica Payne for the advanced readers copy and advanced listeners copy of this book in exchange for a review !

Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Car accident
Minor: Infidelity