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Then She Was Gone: A Novel

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Upstairs and None of This Is True comes an “acutely observed family drama” (People) about the lingering aftermath of a young girl’s disappearance.

Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.

And then she was gone.

Now, her mother, Laurel Mack, is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her youngest child disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie.

Laurel is haunted by her long unanswered questions. What happened to Ellie? Did she run away from home, as the police have long suspected? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

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Published Nov 6, 2018

384 pages

Average rating: 7.46

2,348 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Then She Was Gone* is a suspenseful, emotional read that explores grief and family with a blend of psychological thriller and drama. Many...

Across the Globe Book Buddies
Oct 19, 2025
8/10 stars
Upgraded from 3.5 to 4 cause, well, half stars aren’t an option. Besides, up until the tail-end of the book I’d have given it 4.

The book held a nice pace for me, and again, I stayed immersed in the story and characters until the last couple of chapters when things began feeling a little wonky. It’s like it nearly came to a screeching halt, as tho there were only so many words allowably permitted to finish. I think I would have enjoyed for the ending to unfurl just a LITTLE bit more…
Readiculous
Oct 16, 2025
9/10 stars
Rip my heart out, beautifully written mystery!! 😫
Samykulig
Aug 19, 2025
6/10 stars
Not my cup of tea.
Regina001
Apr 27, 2025
5/10 stars
This book was a slow burn. I think if the author would have dealt with the grief from the parents and siblings perspective, how Ellie felt being kidnapped and finding her remains.This would have been a great book.
jpubs
Feb 02, 2025
8/10 stars
"And I thought of the girl ... of her big brain and her perfect features, the honey of her hair tied so carelessly into a topknot, the socked feet tucked beneath her and elegant hands folded into her sleeves, the smell of her - of apples and toothpaste, of clean hair and girl - the keenness to learn, her gentleness, her perfection. She had a glow about her, a circle of light ... She was quite, quite lovely and quite, quite brilliant. And I have to confess, I became more than a little obsessed."

Genuinely good book. Certain parts were very predictable, but it was still a page-turner. Not much of a mystery/suspense reader normally, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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