Ellie Mack is a perfect 15-year-old girl who suddenly goes missing one day on her way to take her exams. There are no leads on where she went or what happened to her and she was never seen again. 

Ten years later, Laurel Mack, Ellie's mother, is still working on picking up the pieces of her life. Her marriage fell apart after Ellie's disappearance and her relationships with her remaining children have become strained or non-existent. She lives a lonely, boring life just existing. 

Until she meets Floyd. Floyd who is too perfect and too in love with her - but she's too in love with him to notice. Laurel, Floyd, and his 9-year-old daughter, Poppy, quickly form a new family.

So what's the catch? Poppy looks shockingly like Ellie and there's a lot of red flags with this Floyd character. What's the deal with him? And why is Poppy not like any other girl? Why is she homeschooled? Why is Floyd so... perfect?

And Then She Was Gone isn't so much of a "who dun it" story about Ellie Mack's disappearance. It's more of a psychological thriller about Laurel Mack and her new boyfriend. 

Don't expect an edge of your seat thriller in the style of Gillian Flynn. And Then She Was Gone is written slow and methodical as you slowly begin to notice something's not quite right.

At first, this book was too slow for my taste. I was wondering when something would happen. But about a 5th of the way through, bam.. there it was. I was hooked. I could have read this book non-stop if life would have let me.

Jewell does an amazing job of letting the reader get just as comfortable and uncomfortable as her characters. I connected deeply with Laurel and the emotional rollercoaster that is her personality. I honestly can say that I felt that I felt what she felt. I would put down the book and just find myself thinking about it afterward.

This was my first Lisa Jewell book, but I can tell you right now that I am a new fan and this book was definitely worth the read. 

More reviews at The Nerd Pages.