Thank you so much for the publisher and tour organiser for inviting me to be part of the tour
I do tend to read a lot of books of this genre and for the first time properly, I questioned how hard it must be to read these books if you are a parent.
It is so hard to say that I enjoy these books, as I don’t think that’s the right word, but I love reading the dramatics and suspense that unfurls with this kind of genre
This book was no exception.
This book is a debut and I really hope to read more by this author. I like a specific style of writing and the author just appealed to me
From the first page, I was drawn in and read the book over a train journey back home. I was so annoyed when the train pulled up and I had to stop. I was lost in the pages immersed in what had happened to Sarah!
the book is told from different timelines and quickly unfolds as the book moves on
The book was a real page turner and I loved the twist at the end
I can’t wait to read more by this author

A good read
Told over three timelines
With lots of twists
Will keep you turning the pages
Thanks NetGalley

Unfortunately I found this very underwhelming and struggled to stay with the pace and keep involved. I found some of the decisions of the main. Charecter to not fit with a charecter in thier position and I just struggled to find them relatable

A gripping thriller with empathy. The family drama is high and the pages are filled with suspense so tightly packed that it takes awhile to discover it all.

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written with a compelling story line and well developed characters. I was hooked right from the very start and the suspense and claustrophobic and suffocating atmosphere really added to that.
I also loved the dual timeline as it provided back story and made me feel like i knew everything that was going on

huge thank you to the lovelies at @ed.pr for my copy of this one.

This is a new author for me and this has been great. Wakefield has done a great job, the distress and trauma of a missing child are suffocating. I was hooked instantly.

This is a multi timeline which really gives the reader an insight into events. For most part I’ve enjoyed this book. However, I found the last third failed to hit the mark for me. I was left wanting something that wasn’t there.

This is a well paced read but moments within, definitely leave you frustrated. The mother is particularly frustrating and I’ve found she’s annoyed me on numerous occasions.

I really enjoyed the pace, the writing and the multiple parts of the timeline. I would definitely be keen to read more by this author.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I can see where the author was going with this book but unfortunately I got tired of the changing timescale and none of the characters endeared themselves tome but nor were they meant to I guess. Just too much about relationships and not enough about the crime.

I really struggled to get into this one. I didnt like the multiple timelines and i didnt really like the characters either. Its a shame because i was intrigued by some parts, but i just struggled to get through it. Maybe i read it at the wrong time, i dunno.

After You Were Gone is a book about every parent's worst nightmare - you turn your back for a second and your child is gone, never to be seen again. The subject matter makes it a difficult read but I found it to be well written with well rounded characters. A really good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bedford Square Publishers for my ARC.

I loved the sound of this book. However it didn't click with me for some reason. The characters didn't resonate with me ,hopefully it is just me and other readers like it more.

I love a story told over multiple perspectives but Vikki Wakefield goes one better and weaves a tale that spans decades, with three timelines in particular. Before, after and now is where you will find all you need to unravel and piece together a mystery that few will understand until it’s too late.

Each character was incredibly well written, flaws and all and it was easy to find yourself identifying with or disliking them all, especially Abbie’s mother who was toxic, frustrating and overwhelmingly sad in equal measures.

Abbie is forced to estrange herself from everyone she cares about and this is painful to witness. Whilst I found the story entertaining it was at times a little unbelievable, but then again, isn’t life just kind of like that?

If I could give a future reader any advice it would be to pay attention. Pay attention to anything and everything because you never know what might become relevant later on. It really was VERY clever.

After You Were Gone’ was an intense coming-of-age, cautionary tale that felt tough to read at times. Wakefield’s writing style really enthrals the reader, creating a dark and almost suffocating atmosphere.

Ultimately I found the story a thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced and well written read that I would highly recommend if you’re after something with a mystery that is going to keep you guessing right until the end.

Although some will fine it an uncomfortable read, I urge you to persevere as the twist is genuinely something I didn’t see coming.

A mother’s worst nightmare comes true when her young daughter, Sarah, goes missing. Six years later, Abbie has never stopped trying to find her daughter but she has also tried to move on with her life. Suddenly, she is contacted by a man who says he can tell her what happened to Sarah if Abbie follows his instructions.

This book is told in three time lines, before Sarah’s disappearance, after her disappearance, and now. I really like multiple timelines in books and for this kind of story it was really important to see the past and present and the moments leading up to the disappearance. Some parts of this were uncomfortable to read and the subject of child kidnapping is always upsetting to me, and this was definitely an emotional read.

At times I struggled to like Abbie but I did feel her pain and anguish at losing her daughter and I thought this was written really well and definitely is hard hitting. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thankyou netgalley for early access to this title

I really struggled to get into this book. I couldn't take it further than 50 pages

I loved this book received through net galley in exchange for an honest review.

Six years ago 6 year old Sarah went missing and her mother Abbie wont give up on her even though she is probably dead. A phone call from a man claiming to know where Sarah is now sends Abbie down a bad path. How far will she go to find out the truth.

I raced through this book desperate to find out where Sarah was staying up late to finish it. My only criticism would be it would have been nice to have an epilogue to find out what happened a few months later as the story didn't seem quite finished.

4.5 ★s
After You Were Gone is the sixth novel by award-winning Australian author, Vikki Wakefield. Almost six years after her daughter Sarah has gone missing, and just a few days after her wedding to a man some twenty years her senior, Abbie Morgan gets a call from someone she’s convinced took her daughter. Just when she seems to be getting a handle on life …

Abbie has thought herself a bad mother at times and carries a lot of guilt over Sarah’s disappearance. Six years on, though, it is still uppermost in her emotions, making her vulnerable to this unknown caller’s demands. If she is to find out what has happened to Sarah, she must follow a set of instructions, do things clearly designed to alienate and isolate her from family and friends, to remove her support base.

“I’d give him what he wanted, whatever the cost, I knew that. Knowing the worst and living with it would be better than imagining the worst and having the story change, daily, like a never-ending twisted fairytale.” This, she does, believing she will be able to take her revenge.

Abbie seems wilful, stubborn and too proud to admit she needs help, perhaps a legacy of a dysfunctional youth under her mother’s critical eye, of being in her friend Cass’s shadow. “The older I got the more I realised I had made decisions— having Sarah, leaving the security of my parents’ home—that were simultaneously risky and gave me a feeling of control. That perceived control, however, was an illusion.”

On her own: “I was me without Cass, without my family being too close, without being judged as a pregnant teen, a single mother, or the careless parent of a missing child.”

The story is told over three timelines: before, after and now. Many will find this an uncomfortable read, with a protagonist whose rationale behind her decisions is difficult to fathom, but most will read on in fascinated horror as she dismantles her life at the direction of an unknown caller with a vague promise, eroding the trust of those close to her. Later chapters bring a twist few will predict.

Wakefield writes a cast of complex characters who don’t easily endear themselves to the reader. She does give them wise words and insightful observations: “I know what it’s like when people treat you as if you’re damaged. It’s exhausting enough trying to live your life without having to convince others you’re fine, just to make them feel better.” Dark, powerful and thought-provoking.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bedford Square Publishers