Book Review: The Other Side of Disappearing
I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Kate Clayborn
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Kensington Books
Publish Date: March 26, 2024
Format: eBook
★★★★★
This book is perfect for those that like: Slow burn romances and men who fall immediately
You might not like this book if you aren’t into: Storylines that involve parental abandonment, mentions of suicide, or emotional affairs.
Favorite Line: “I’m not really mad at her. I miss her. I fucking love her. I never even got to say it.” ~ Adam Hawkins
The Book
Hairstylist Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her younger half-sister, Tegan--and keeping a shocking secret. Ever since their reckless mother ran off with a boyfriend she'd known only a few months, Jess has been aware that he's the same accomplished con man who was the subject of a wildly popular podcast, The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore.
Now thirty-one, Jess didn't bargain on Tegan eventually piecing together the connection for herself. But Tegan plans to do exactly what Jess has always feared--leave their safe, stable home to search for their mother--and she'll be accompanied by the prying podcast host and her watchful, handsome producer, Adam Hawkins. Unwilling to let the sister she's spent so much of her life protecting go it alone, Jess reluctantly joins them.
Together, the four make their way across the country, unraveling the mystery of where the couple disappeared to and why. But soon Jess is discovering other things too. Like a renewed sense of vulnerability and curiosity, and a willingness to expand beyond the walls she's so carefully built. And in Adam, she finds an unexpected connection she didn't even know was missing, if only she can let go and let him in . . .
my thoughts
Yep. This is my new tradition now. If Kate Clayborn has a new book coming out in the new year, I’m going to make it my first read of the year and it will also be my first five star read of the year and furthermore, it will ruin me for almost all books for the next month. Sorry to all the other books in my TBR pile for January - I don’t make the rules.
I found myself so raw while reading THE OTHER SIDE OF DISAPPEARING, as it’s not only Kate Clayborn’s darkest in tone so far, but out of all of her stories, Jess’s is the one I relate to the most. There’s a line in the book, one of Jess’s internal monologues, where she finds herself once again unable to verbalize how she feels where she says to herself, “It’s me, after all, who doesn’t really know how to live a feeling out loud.” and when I say I gasped and couldn’t breathe for a few moments. Like HOW DARE Kate Clayborn know what living like this is like and then write about it for all the world to see! But at the same time, I’m also immensely grateful that someone out there gets it and can put a voice to the riot in my head. A place where I can feel safe and point to these pages and say, there, that’s me.
But let me be clear here, despite it’s darker themes (parental abandonment and mentions of suicide) this is, at the heart of it, a love story. A love story to get swept away in. A love story that is hard and unclear and fraught with so much baggage and pain, but so very, very worth it. Like all Kate Clayborn stories, you have to trust her. She will put you through emotional hell, but bring you out the other side with so much care and feeling and can you tell that I’m absolutely in love with this book? Jess and Adam have to fight to not only understand one another, but to find their way to be together. It’s not quick, despite Adam’s immediate and intense focus on Jess. It’s a quiet love story between two quiet people, aka it’s very much a slow burn romance.
I know that some people aren’t into these types of stories. They feel impatient to get to the “good stuff” about being with the one you love, which I get, because that part is always amazing, but for me, the good stuff is in the waiting. The anticipation. The tension. The pining. The quiet escalation through small touches and private moments. And here, in this book, much like the closed-off main character, Jess, when you get that glimpse of joy or romance it sends you reeling. Every look, touch, admission is offered to you so intimately that you feel like you’re spying and mygod it is so, so good.
This book won’t be for everyone though. Like I mentioned previously, it’s darker in tone in that there are serious parental abandonment issues and a backstory involving death by suicide (off page). Not only do both main characters have painful pasts, but this story uncovers a lot more for side characters, Jess’s sister, Tegan, and Adam’s co-worker, Salem. There are layers to this one. Layers without many flowery scenes, but, if you are patient and willing to go on this journey, I promise you it’s worth it.
more about the Author
From Kate’s website: Kate Clayborn is the critically acclaimed author of contemporary romance novels. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Bookpage, and more. By day she works in education, and by night (and sometimes, by very early morning) she writes about smart, strong, modern heroines who face the world alongside true friends and complicated families. She resides in Virginia with her husband and their dog.