Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced copy of When She’s Gone in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer / Brilliance Audio
Published: January 14, 2025
Summary:
In this haunting story that spans three decades, a young gymnast escapes a kidnapping. Years later, she’s forced to face the past when her own daughter disappears.
Cora Valentine has her whole life—and a shot at the Olympics—ahead of her. But when she’s kidnapped on Halloween, her name is splashed across headlines not as an athlete but as a victim. Not even her safe return changes that, especially since no one is caught for the crime.
Hounded by the public, Cora’s time as a missing girl and member of the Magnificent Eight has its consequences. Years later, when Cora has her own daughter, she’s determined to leave the past behind for a better life. Her daughter will never face those fears. And Cora will never face them again.
But four years later, on Halloween, the past comes knocking.
Now, Cora’s daughter is gone, and to get her back, Cora must take someone else’s child.
Clearly, whoever took her all those years ago isn’t done with her yet…but as long as they have her daughter, Cora’s not done with them either.
My thoughts:
Another winner from Rea Frey!!! There is something about books that focus on elite athletes that I cannot walk away from. This time it’s gymnastics and fun fact – it’s one of my favorite sports to watch during the Olympics. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since seeing a movie about Nadia Comaneci when I slept at my Nana’s after my own gymnastics class.
This book was not at all what I expected, but in such a good way. I loved the dual-timeline and how it helped put the pieces together of Cora’s past with that of what was happening in the present. The story moves at a breakneck pace and you cannot help but binge this popcorn thriller, needing to know how it all resolves. The suspense is high and with the story being set around Halloween, it only adds to the tension.
Audio thoughts:
This is the type of book I love listening to – one that I can’t put down once I started. The narrator, Jennifer Jill Araya, does a fantastic job bringing out the suspense and emotional drama needed to tell this story.
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