R.J. Jacobs | AND THEN YOU WERE GONE

Plot (via Goodreads):

After years of learning how to manage her bipolar disorder, Emily Firestone finally has it under control. Even better, her life is coming together: she’s got a great job, her own place, and a boyfriend, Paolo, who adores her. So when Paolo suggests a weekend sailing trip, Emily agrees—wine, water, and the man she loves? What could be better? But when Emily wakes the morning after they set sail, the boat is still adrift…and Paolo is gone.

A strong swimmer, there’s no way Paolo drowned, but Emily is at a loss for any other explanation. Where else could he have gone? And why? As the hours and days pass by, each moment marking Paolo’s disappearance, Emily’s hard-won stability begins to slip.

But when Emily uncovers evidence suggesting Paolo was murdered, the investigation throws her mania into overdrive, even as she becomes a person of interest in her own personal tragedy. To clear her name, Emily must find the truth—but can she hold onto her own sanity in the process?

Review:

I love a good missing persons case and I have no idea why. Maybe it's the million directions the story can go in? Maybe it's the anxiety of never fully knowing what happened to said person. Well, when I read the synopsis to And Then You Were Gone by R.J. Jacobs, I knew that this dramatic psychological thriller was just what I needed to get my fix within my favorite sub-genre. 

The plot to this one is tightly woven and really paced fantastically. What starts off as a could be summer romance beach read turns deadly as our protagonist wakes up with a brutal hangover alone on a boat and her boyfriend is missing. Sign. Me. Up. I couldn't wait to get to the bottom of what was going on with this novel and I felt that Jacobs really teases his reader with the plot to this one. You get a small taste of what is to come and then the novel switches things up and you're torn in a completely different direction. I absolutely was hooked throughout the novel, even if the conspiracy stories and those that feature bio aspects usually make me lose interest, this one still kept me interested and evenly enjoying the action-packed plot. I loved the relationship between Emily and Cal and was kind of rooting for some romance the entire way. The way they had to work together even if they didn't like each other was not only entertaining at points, but realistically written. 

While I enjoyed this one in its entirety, I kind of did feel as though the ending was a little rushed and I wished that it would have been a couple of chapters longer - although the ending was done quite well and the big reveal was one I didn't see coming and I wasn't disappointed. Maybe I just wanted more time with the characters before I closed the final chapter? Definitely a great and solid debut with a strong plot and well developed characters. 

Special thanks to Crooked Lane Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5