Gone is a novel that focuses on the dangers teenagers can unwittingly find themselves in through playing online video games. Rachel's reclusive son Shay has disappeared after attending a party at which a girl was attacked. Then his friends also disappear and the parents receive ransom notes. Where are they and who has taken them? Who can Rachel trust as she searches for clues? She is divorced and living with David, who she hasn't known for long. There are plenty of twists and turns leading to the surprise ending and I read the book in just two sittings. This is a relevant subject and it made me stop and think about how dangerous the internet can be.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review Gone.

The son is missing by sneaking out of the house
His name is Shay
He promised that he would not go to the illegal party in the woods
I thought he was going to go with all the mixed bags of people that had him beaten up
I had an ARC

Your son goes missing. And then one by one so do his friends. Playing games online isn't always fun. Sometimes it's dangerous.

This was a decent read but not spectacular. It was slow going for the first chunk. Nothing much happened. Then the twists start popping up. It's an intense subject but a very real one. The mother was very naive. Things got a little far fetched near the end. I thought I had it figured out but was surprised.

Gone by Ruby Speechley is about a teenager boy called Shay has been grounded but was traced that he went to the party in the woods. His mother Rachel found out the next morning that he was not at home. The missing of Shay and there was a girl called Bella got attacked in the woods. When the evidence pointed directly to Shay. Were the missing and attack related?

Rachel and Mick divorced and leaving two sons with Rachel - Shay and Josh. Rachel started a new relationship with David who was a surgeon. After Shay was missing, Rachel found out that Shay has been glued to the wrong gang recently. This made her worried. In Shay's notebook she found out a draft email saying "Not to trust David".

Who should Rachel trust now?

The story built up the tension very well. With the focus of Rachel's POV, it made you followed a mother's grief, lost, being worry and devastated. Twisty ending and unexpected one!

I found this to be a tough read due to the subject matter. It’s well written and I did enjoy it as a piece of fiction. Very relevant for today.

Thank you Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Ruth Speechly for giving me the opportunity to read this for an honest review.

I loved it. Instantly pulled into the story, following the twists and unexpected ending, couldn't put it down.

Thank you Boldwood Books & NetGalley for this book. I didn't finish it (got halfway through it) as the subject matter was difficult and uncomfortable to read about (cyber bullying, grooming etc) It is a place where fact meets fiction, I found Rachel's character extremely weak, however. it provides parents with valuable information especially for parents of kids who play video games. For me it's a fantastic handbook for preventing those types of crimes to occur. I hope my review is helpful.

Gone
by Ruby Speechley

This was one I had figured out until I didn't. It was a slow read but picked up. It seemed a pretty good book. Just it lagged.I guess the ending felt just rushed after all the build-up. I would give it a solid 3.5

3.75 Stars. Rachel lives with her two sons and new boyfriend and when Rachel’s eldest son, Shay, doesn’t return home one night she is suddenly thrown into a frenzy trying to work out where he could be. He’s seemed troubled lately and has become reclusive, and Rachel is unsure if it’s just normal teenage behaviour or maybe a sign of something more sinister.

The author did a great job of conveying the heart-wrenching feeling of realising your child is missing and not knowing where to turn. I was immersed in feelings of deep aguish the main character was going through.

The book is suspenseful but moves a little too slow for my taste. Overall this was a great thriller, I was entertained and enjoyed the story, and I’m sure others will too.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy. 🙏🏽

This one was just okay to me. I felt like it dragged on a bit. It was slow for a thriller. I finished and enjoyed. I just felt like it could have been a much shorter book.
Thank you

Gone is the story of a recently divorced Mom who experiences every parent's worst nightmare when her son, Shay, goes missing. He has been getting into a bit of trouble lately and acting out, but she thinks this is due to the fact that her new boyfriend recently moved in. Soon, she realizes that there is much more to the story of how and why Shay has gone missing. Will she find him before it's too late?

This is the first book from Ruby Speechley that I have read and it was a great read! This is a fast paced, plot driven book that jumps right into the mystery. The style of writing makes you question every new character that is introduced and makes you wonder if they are involved in Shay's disappearance. I really enjoyed the twists and turns throughout this book. Just when you think you know where the story is going, new details emerge that completely throw you off. The writing also does a really good job of building up the suspense. There were multiple times where the author built heart pounding, page turning scenes. The author also did a great job of portraying what it would be like in the mind of a mother who has a missing child. You can feel her anxiety, desperation and pain throughout the book. Overall, this is a great mystery that will keep you up reading all night!

The pub date for Gone by Ruby Speechley is February 21st, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me access to this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this sounding like a really promising novel but was pretty disappointed by it. A teenage boy goes missing as do several of his friends. The parents get ransom notes and are desperate to find out what happened to their kids. It's a twisty novel but each twist is more ridiculous than the last. I struggled through this one to find out what happened in the end and it got more ridiculous than I thought possible.

I enjoyed this book. I was quite surprised by what ended up happening and the direction the book went in. It was not something I had read about in the past, more had seen on TV shows. It was something to consider that it may be happened

Thank to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this book. I will say this was okay. It took me sometime to get use to the writing style and to allow it to flow when read. The ending was a wild ride which I did not really love but I have to say the author surely kept me reading throughout the book without boredom. This was a good read and I always love a British read.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Boldwood Books and Ruby Speechley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of GONE, to be published 21 February 2023. This domestic thriller kept me turning pages faster and faster. It had a different storyline which was unique and refreshing. A mother’s teen-aged son seems to have run away, but she discovers it’s a much more sinister plot. The twists and turns were great and not expected. Readers of domestic thrillers will like this novel. #NetGalley. #BoldwoodBooks. #Gone. #RubySpeechley

3/5 stars! I feel like this story had the potential to be something new in the mystery thriller genre. The results were just ok. I appreciated getting to see multiple POVs. The ending was great and had a good twist. Everything else was hard to connect with. The pacing was off with large lagging time periods. Additionally, the MC did not feel like a grown woman capable of critical thinking which made it hard to believe in her as a character.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

this one is a little bit different to this authors books but it is very good .Rachel and her husband Mick have parted they have two boys Shay who is the eldest and Josh. Rachel has a boyfriend David who has moved in with them as he had a fire at his home the boys are very cold to him. Shay wants to go to a party but he is grounded as he got in with a bad gang who older than him so he sneaks out but never comes home that night. when Rachel get in to his laptop she sees a suicide group on there and someone blackmailing her son then she finds out some of his friends have not come home and then the ransom comes I won't say no more but its so twisty who is telling the truth and who can you trust

This is a fast-paced domestic thriller as a mother tries to find out where her son is. Things don't look good for Shay, he had been grounded but had attended a party in the woods. He hasn't come home and a girl has been attacked.

From the outset of the story, I was aware that the dynamics in this family are a little strained. Rachel is separated from her husband and the father of her two sons Shay and Josh. She has been in a relationship with David, and Shay seems to be struggling because his mum has moved on.

It makes sense for this teen to attend the party, his previous behaviour sort of gives him that rebellious streak. However, Rachel cannot believe her son would be responsible for hurting anyone, but as he isn't around to ask and she can't get hold of him it makes it difficult. It is then that another parent realises her son has disappeared as well that the tension gets incredibly serious.

I did enjoy this story, it was an interesting one because this style usually has more of a police procedural approach or presence. The author has focused more on Rachel and how she is dealing with her son missing, another son who is worried, a partner who doesn't seem to be aware of the bond of a parent with their child and then she still has to deal with her ex.

With quite a lot going on I am making this sound as if it is going to be a confusing read, but it really isn't. The flow of the story from Rachel's perspective keeps the concerns and actions in a proper sense of order.

What I thought was going to happen didn't, that threw me and the route the author did take was a brilliant move. Things are hinted at but nothing is really definitive. Suspicions, theories and the what if's are running riot as you would expect, but there are certain things that are cleverly held back.

I really enjoyed this one and if you like a domestic thriller then I do think this is one you should keep your eye out for. I would happily recommend this book and I am going to have a look at other books by this author as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel's son Shay sneaks out to a party and never comes home. Then several of his friends disappear. After searching his computer, Rachel learns Shay wasn't a big fan of her new live in partner David and starts to wonder if she can trust him.


This book was sort of just ok for me. I felt like there was a lot of time where nothing much was happening. There wasn't much new info being turned up. There were several suspicious characters to keep me guessing, but I though the ending wasn't that great. It was just ok. I have liked other novels from this author more so I am sure I will read more from her.

Enjoyed this domestic drama by Ruby Speechley. A great cast of characters.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book