Publication Date: 9th April, 2015
Published by: Michael Joseph(Penguin UK)
Genre: Women's
Stars: 5 *****
The Blurb
Annie has a secret. But if she's not going to tell, we won't either. It's a heart-breaking secret she wishes she didn't have - yet Annie isn't broken, not quite yet. Especially now there's someone out there who seems determined to fix her.
Kate has run away. But she's not going to tell us why - that would defeat the point of running, wouldn't it? It's proving difficult to reinvent herself, however, with one person always on her mind.
Scratch beneath the surface and nobody is really who they seem. Even Annie and Kate, two old friends, aren't entirely sure who they are any more. Perhaps you can work it out, before their pasts catch up with them for good . . .
A gripping and unpredictable story of two young women running from their pasts. We defy you to guess the twist . . .
My Thoughts
I've never read a Lucy Robinson book before despite having a couple of her others on my Kindle but if they are anything like The Day We Disappeared they will be well worth the wait. I will admit to being a little bit apprehensive when I first started this book as there has been just so much hype surrounding it that I was a little fearful that it wouldn't live up to it's hype. I had nothing to worry about though as The Day We Disappeared so deserves all it's hype and more.
So going into the book I knew there was going to be a big twist or reveal of some kind, it even says so in the blurb and that is one of the things that gets you immediately hooked, knowing something big is coming but not knowing when it is going to hit. This is such a clever, clever book that drew me in right in and left me eagerly flipping pages to get to the much talked about twist, I'm not sure I even came up for air other than to make much needed tea & I know I didn't manage to get out of my PJs I was that hooked.
It's very difficult to talk much about the plot & the characters without giving too much away but here is a summary. Our two main characters are Kate Brady and Annabel Mulholland, two very different women who became friends when they met on a backpacking trip in Asia a few years ago. The story alternates between the POVs of both Kate and Annie as they settle into new lives. Both of them are running from something in their pasts and are both looking for a fresh start, both ending up with new jobs and having incredibly good looking new bosses. On the surface The Day We Disappeared seems just like every other romantic comedy, a damsel in distress who falls for her boss and we are then expecting violins, flowers and a happily ever after with a few bumps along the way thrown in for good measure. However as you read more and more of the book and dig deeper below that surface you realise that this book is so much more and once you hit the reveal the story opens right up.
Kate Brady, is a loud & larger than life Irish girl, she's suffering from executive stress & burnout from her job with Google so applies to be a trainee at the equestrian yard of eventing Olympian & Team GBR heartthrob, Mark Waverley. She doesn't have a clue about horses but she is looking for a one way ticket out of the life she is living and working for Mark seems like the perfect solution. Kate is carrying a very big secret and it is very obvious from the start that she is hiding something more that executive stress.
Annie Mulholland's mum died when she was just 7 years old and the tragedy surrounding her mother's death has left Annie with a huge fear of abandonment and a big problem forming proper relationships in her adult life. She is a self employed masseuse who travels around London giving massages. One day she is offered a job by wealthy businessman Stephen Flint at his company. Stephen is very keen on looking after the well-being of his employee's and sets Annie up with her own treatment rooms in his office building.
So there we have the basis of the story, 2 women who are friends but who are both very vulnerable and struggling to make it through their daily lives. Lucy Robinson very slowly weaves darkness into this book, revealing just a little bit of Annie & Kate's past as she goes. She reveals just enough to keep us interested & intrigued but not enough to ruin the twist.
The Day We Disappeared was a beautifully written novel with totally engaging characters. It left me totally captivated and more than a little speechless when I got to the end. It is packed with humour, romance and some pretty big secrets - a powerful and absorbing must read.
So going into the book I knew there was going to be a big twist or reveal of some kind, it even says so in the blurb and that is one of the things that gets you immediately hooked, knowing something big is coming but not knowing when it is going to hit. This is such a clever, clever book that drew me in right in and left me eagerly flipping pages to get to the much talked about twist, I'm not sure I even came up for air other than to make much needed tea & I know I didn't manage to get out of my PJs I was that hooked.
It's very difficult to talk much about the plot & the characters without giving too much away but here is a summary. Our two main characters are Kate Brady and Annabel Mulholland, two very different women who became friends when they met on a backpacking trip in Asia a few years ago. The story alternates between the POVs of both Kate and Annie as they settle into new lives. Both of them are running from something in their pasts and are both looking for a fresh start, both ending up with new jobs and having incredibly good looking new bosses. On the surface The Day We Disappeared seems just like every other romantic comedy, a damsel in distress who falls for her boss and we are then expecting violins, flowers and a happily ever after with a few bumps along the way thrown in for good measure. However as you read more and more of the book and dig deeper below that surface you realise that this book is so much more and once you hit the reveal the story opens right up.
Kate Brady, is a loud & larger than life Irish girl, she's suffering from executive stress & burnout from her job with Google so applies to be a trainee at the equestrian yard of eventing Olympian & Team GBR heartthrob, Mark Waverley. She doesn't have a clue about horses but she is looking for a one way ticket out of the life she is living and working for Mark seems like the perfect solution. Kate is carrying a very big secret and it is very obvious from the start that she is hiding something more that executive stress.
Annie Mulholland's mum died when she was just 7 years old and the tragedy surrounding her mother's death has left Annie with a huge fear of abandonment and a big problem forming proper relationships in her adult life. She is a self employed masseuse who travels around London giving massages. One day she is offered a job by wealthy businessman Stephen Flint at his company. Stephen is very keen on looking after the well-being of his employee's and sets Annie up with her own treatment rooms in his office building.
So there we have the basis of the story, 2 women who are friends but who are both very vulnerable and struggling to make it through their daily lives. Lucy Robinson very slowly weaves darkness into this book, revealing just a little bit of Annie & Kate's past as she goes. She reveals just enough to keep us interested & intrigued but not enough to ruin the twist.
The Day We Disappeared was a beautifully written novel with totally engaging characters. It left me totally captivated and more than a little speechless when I got to the end. It is packed with humour, romance and some pretty big secrets - a powerful and absorbing must read.
