My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Day He Disappeared’ written by Catherine Miller in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As she rushes to get back to her dying brother’s bedside, Kate meets Theo in the train and he gives her a lift to the hospital. They both feel there’s a connection between them, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle fitting together, and it’s inevitable that they fall in love. But after meeting practically every day, Theo disappears and doesn’t reply to Kate’s messages, then tells her he’s ending their relationship. There has to be a reason and Kate is determined to find out what it is.

‘The Day He Disappeared’ is a beautifully written love story that had me in tears from the start. The story is told in alternate chapters by Kate and Theo whose characters are described so perfectly they’re come to life on each page as they go through the all the emotions of being in love. The author’s style of writing has made this a very special novel that’s easy to read and difficult to put down and once started I couldn’t stop and read it in less than a day. I’ve enjoyed getting involved in Kate and Theo’s lives and although the ending wasn’t the one I’d hoped for, there was happiness of the kind that made me reach for the tissues once again. Thank you, Catherine, for writing an exceptional novel that will be hard to forget.

An emotional, gut-wrenching novel that involves death, the dying process, finding love and the bonds of true friendship. It was sweet, achingly sad and I cried throughout this story - heartbreaking as well as heartwarming. The love these characters shared for one another was pure and touched me deeply. Loved the epilogue.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 stars

After I read the plot I thought I was going to read something and when I was actually reading the book I felt like I was reading something else.
BUT the book turned up being really emotional and it was an interesting surprise. It showed what grief was, but also what real love was. I felt really sorry for Theo and Kate, but I was happy that they got to spend some special moments in the end.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the free ARC!

Kate’s brother Matthew had cystic fibrosis and she has helped to look after him all his life. When invited away for a hen weekend, Kate doesn’t want to go; being a nurse, she knows her brother’s health is gradually getting worse. Matthew insists on her going, and she reluctantly agrees.

Kate receives a phone call from her parents whilst she is away, Matthew has deteriorated and no one is sure how long he has left. Kate now has to get home as quickly as possible.

On the train back, she meets Theo, and there is an instant attraction. Theo offers her a lift to the hospital and their relationship continues from there.

Both settle well into the relationship, then Theo receives some devastating and life-changing news. He proceeds to cut Kate out of his life completely.

Goodness me, what a story! My emotions were all over the place with this book. One minute I was laughing at things Matthew came out with, the next minute, I would be sobbing my heart out. I had to read this with a tissue in my hand.

An enjoyable read, that I did not want to put down.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Day He Disappeared by Catherine Miller is a highly recommended family drama/love story for the right reader.

Kate meets Theo when she is rushing back from a bachelorette party to get to her brother's bedside at the hospital where she works as a nurse. Her brother, Matthew, has cystic fibrosis and her parents called her to let her know he has taken a turn for the worse and may not live much longer. When thee train is delayed by a tree on the track, Theo notices her distress and offers her a tissue. The two strike up a conversation and Theo offers to drive Kate to the hospital.

Later, a chance meeting between the two happens when Theo was bringing his Nan in and sees Kate. The two happily exchange numbers. Before he dies, Matthew meets Theo and asks him to make a promise. The two begin dating and Theo is there for Kate when Matthew dies. Their relationship is going well until Theo gets some bad news and ghosts Kate. She knows something isn't right, but first she has to get Theo to talk to her.

The Day He Disappeared is a light read. There is no complicated, twisty plot. It is not a thriller and much closer to a love story. The plot is predictable. This is not my usual fare at all as I prefer more action and complicated plots, but I will admit that The Day He Disappeared is a heartbreaking emotional novel that held my attention throughout.

If you enjoy love stories that move at a fast pace and have an emotional impact, then this would be fine choice for your next book. 3 stars for me personally, but 4 for readers who gravitate toward this genre and because I kept reading even after I realized it was not a thriller. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Another fabulously crafted story by Catherine.
Catherine always touches on less spoken about illness ad weaves them into a beautiful story
Grief, love, illness and friendship mixed in a pot to make something beautiful

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy of The Day He Disappeared by Catherine Miller.
Don't make any plans, turn off your phone and grab a box of tissues. This book is going to break your heart.
Kate has cared for her brother her whole life and now when he needs her she's miles away.
Dashing home she meets Toby, this lovely guy who helps her get to Matthew in time.
Spending time with him she can feel herself falling in love and then he disappears.
What happened? Where did he go? Can she find him?
Heartbreaking tearjerker!!

For me, this book was not a tear jerker nor a heart breaker, it absolutely ripped my heart out and then pummelled it into a bloody mess! Luckily for me there was some light at the end of this dark tunnel I had been travelling through which gave me hope and I loved the way the book ended before it turned my tears back on again!
This author has proven before that she can write highly emotive stories and this is just another example of her skill. The characters she has created are both likeable and relatable which only heightens the emotional response to the events they live through within this tale and the way they react and interact throughout.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it did run me through a wide range of emotions both good and bad/sad ones but I enjoy having all of those reactions to the books I read. It kind of is the reason I read books, I much prefer to experience all those emotions vicariously now and live a nice calm peaceful existence in my real life.

Book Review: The Day He Disappeared by Catherine Miller
Title: The Day He Disappeared

Author: Catherine Miller

Length: 282 pages

Publisher: Bookoutre

Publishing date: 3rd October 2024

Genre: Fiction, Emotional, Women’s Fiction,

My Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:

The story is of a young girl Kate who is about to lose her brother to an illness. In very unlikely circumstances she meets a man Theo. She falls in love with Theo and wants to spend the rest of her life with him. However, the rest of the life is to be cut short by again an illness. What happens builds the crux of the story.

My Take:

I thank Netgalley and Bookoutre for providing me with the ARC of the book for a honest review. The review provided in this blog are my own and I am not paid for the review. After a fabulously light read got from netgalley, this was time for a little heavy read and this book indeed is a heavy read. The tagline of the book reads, sometimes the end is only the beginning and story is absolutely true to it. In every end depicted, there is a new beginning.

Story is written from the perspective of Kate and Theo, the main protagonists which is beautiful. It doesn’t leave any room for suspense and story from both the sides is beautifully woven. Short character of Kate’s brother is also beautifully written.

Characterisation seems genuine and not very fictional. There are just 5 main characters in the book and very well graphed. Rest of the characters seemed more like fillers. Book without doubt has a fast paced story with many Emotional scenes and an absolute page turner. Some of the scenes are sure to get a tear to your eyes particularly when Kate’s brother dies. Narration is superb and does touch your heart.

Lot of things seem quite rushed. The confrontation scene could have been elaborated but it seemed very superficial. My expectation would have been an emotional confrontation which was not. Epilogue pretty much summarizes the story and all the lose ends neatly tied.

Overall the story could have been a tear jerker but lags somewhere. I would say I did like the book though.

Once I started this ARC I didn’t want to put it down! Kate and Theo meet on a train as she is rushing to her dying brother. Theo is a great support for Kate during her brother’s final days. This is a sweet story about their whirlwind romance and their experience on the rollercoaster that is life.

The summary definitely doesn’t prepare you for why Theo disappears! I dropped my rating to 4 stars because I didn’t like the ending, I feel like it could have been explored more instead of just summarized. I wanted more!

I could definitely see this made into a movie that I would love to watch!

2 stars

First off, thank you to the author and publisher for the advance copy of this book. As always, this is my honest review.

This was a quick, easy, and somewhat bittersweet read with a sprinkle of fluff. It’s the kind of book you can breeze through in one sitting, and while it had its tender moments, it didn’t fully hit the emotional depth I was hoping for. The bittersweetness came from the story’s underlying theme—it had that sense of something heartfelt, yet tinged with a little sadness. Those parts were touching, but also predictable. I saw a lot of the plot twists coming, which took away some of the emotional punch.

While I appreciated the overall tone and the occasional tender moments, it didn’t quite stick the landing for me. The emotional highs and lows felt muted, almost like it was holding back from fully diving into the bittersweet potential it had. It was a nice, fluffy read with some underlying sadness, but ultimately it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

If you’re in the mood for a light, bittersweet story that doesn’t get too heavy, it might just hit the spot. But if you’re looking for a deep, emotional journey, this one might feel a bit too predictable.

This book is much different than the books I normally read; I thought from the synopsis that it was a thriller, so I accepted the chance to be on this book’s tour, but a thriller it is not. The synopsis also has claims of this being a heartbreaking page-turner; that part is absolutely correct.

Kate is a nurse whose brother, Matthew, has cystic fibrosis and not much longer to live. When she isn’t working at the hospital, she’s in her brother’s room there - he could go at any time, and she doesn’t want to be gone when he passes. She is invited to a bachelorette party though, and her brother insists she go. He’s been doing slightly better, and he doesn’t want her to miss out on life to be by his side…so go she does, only to have her parents contact her while she’s on the trip, letting her know that Matthew took a sudden turn for the worse and they don’t know how many days, or even hours, he has left.

Kate immediately gets on a train back home, where she meets Theo. He notices she’s a wreck, he offers her a tissue, and it was love at first sight for both of them. When their train arrives, he drives Kate to the hospital, where she rushes away to see her brother. Theo later tracks her down, and meets Matthew, who asks him to take care of Kate when he does. Soon they are officially dating - until Theo gets some life-changing news and ghosts Kate, leaving her crushed and wondering what happened.

I pride myself in being a horror and thriller fanatic who doesn’t read “girly” books, but I also like when I read a book by accident - and enjoy it! This is a heartbreaking romance, which I usually avoid, but this was just written so well. I read it in one sitting; my biggest complaint is that the ending was too abrupt and this could have been much longer, but it definitely had me in its grip the whole way through. Four stars.

(Thank you to Bookouture for inviting me on this book’s tour. “The Day He Disappeared” is slated to be released on October 3, 2024.)

A beautifully written story of love and loss.

Kate has always been her brother, Matthew’s, main carer and after Cystic Fibrosis takes him from her, she turns to Theo for support. But when Theo discovers that he can’t keep the promise he made to Matthew, he walks away, leaving Kate in pieces.

The relationship between the two siblings was so wonderful to read, despite the sad circumstances and the bond between Kate and Theo was so strong, it felt almost cosmic (now where’s that shooting star?).

It was fairly easy to predict the outcome and I would have preferred less build up and more detail of Kate’s life once she knew the truth as the ending felt a little rushed.

Despite that though, Catherine Miller’s writing and characters are completely compelling and I really enjoyed this book.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Catherine Miller and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

“ And do you know what I’d It again with you?

Kate is rushing home for her seriously ill brother when she meets Theo on the train. Which starts his friendship quickly turns to love.

So why does he start distancing himself? Stop returning phone calls? Moves out of his apartment.
Without any explanation.

This book was so emotional, I laughed, I cried, I told everyone I know I love them.

It was very fast moving, and there was so much love in every page!

This was my first book by Catherine Miller and I would be interested to read more of her books. I thought the relationship between Theo and Kate was so sweet even though they met under sad circumstances. I did think one of Theo's decisions was wrong, although completely understand why he did it. I would have given this book 3.5 stars if I could. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Catherine Miller for the ARC of this book.

Cried my eyes out at this book! Was a very
Emotional read! I did enjoy it! Thanks Net Galley for
The early read.

Although Kate meets Theo under the worst of circumstances, the generous support and affection that he provides in that difficult situation makes her realize - in the days that follow - that he is the love of her life.

So she's entirely unprepared for him to disappear from her life without any explanation.

Kate knows that Theo would never just abandon her, so she realises that something must be wrong. But what if the motive behind Theo's disappearance is an altruistic one?

And how do you find a man who doesn't want to be found?

This is an emotional and compelling story about how people cope with loss and what they are willing to do for love. It gets 3.5 stars.

Mystery and intrigue…red herrings and secrets…this talented author has written a page turner, a cannot put down novel. Don’t try to guess the ending too early. Thanks Netgalley.

La vida de Kate gira en torno a su hermano quien tiene fibrosis quistica, se volvió enfermera por él, después de trabajar se queda a cuidarlo, a penas ve a sus amigas y ni hablar de tener citas.

Ella sabe que le queda poco tiempo de vida a su hermano por lo que no quiere despegarse de él, pero un día decide ir a una fiesta y justo cuando se está divirtiendo recibe malas noticias y tiene que regresar al hospital. La pobre no encuentra como regresar y es ahí que conoce a Theo, él la lleva al hospital y a partir de ese momento se vuelven inseparables.

Theo es arquitecto, es exitoso, es cercano a su familia y estar con Kate hace que su vida sea perfecta, lamentablemente pasan ciertas cosas que lo obligan a alejarse de ella sin explicaciones, pero ella no se rendirá hasta que le diga porque se fue.


No se como sentirme con ese final, por un lado estoy feliz por todas las cosas buenas, pero por el otro lado me dolió el corazón por como terminaran las cosas.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a heartbreakingly beautiful read, filled with both sadness and hope. Theo appears in Kate’s life just when she needs him most to support her as her beloved brother, with cystic fibrosis, is dying. There is a haunting shadow of grief that hangs across the story and yet there are still magical moments of family, friendship, new love and laughter and hilarity within. A promise to a dying man causes more trouble than expected, and I had an idea of what was coming early on and continued reading with goosebumps and sadness at times between the highs and lows of the relationship between Kate and Theo. The ending felt a little rushed, partly because I wanted to read more of their story together; I will definitely look out for more books by Catherine Miller though. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read an advanced copy in exchange for a review. Due out in Australia on 3rd October 2024.