This Disaster Loves You

by Richard Roper

From the author of Something to Live For , a poignant and funny story about a man whose wife disappeared seven years ago and his journey to find her or find out what happened, interwoven with the story of their relationship, revealing how sometimes the biggest secrets are the ones we keep from ourselves.

Twenty years of love. Seven years of absence. One journey to find out what happened.

Brian’s wife, Lily, disappeared from his life without a trace six years, eleven months, one week, and two days ago, but Brian never lost hope. Since her disappearance their once beloved English pub—and Brian’s livelihood—has been crumbling piece by piece. As the anniversary of her absence approaches, Brian desperately needs a sign. One doom-scroll on his business’s reviews later, he finds an active TripAdvisor account for PinkMoonLily1972 that he knows in his heart is his Lily.

Interspliced with Brian’s journey to find Lily is the story of their love—how it started, and the twists and turns that brought them to this moment. As Brian jumps from one destination to the next to find Lily, and the truth behind their story comes into focus, Brian comes back to life with the help of Tess, a sarcastic, kind, and surprising traveling companion. But in order to move forward he’ll need to decide—stay in the past or take a chance on something unexpected.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Adult, Contemporary Romance, Adult Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 2024

Reviews

[Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - still catching up! · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin - Putnam, and Richard Roper for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 2.13!!**

"If I could you know I would
Just hold your hand and you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you" - I'm the Man Who Loves You, Wilco

Brian feels like Lily's only been gone for a moment...but at the same time, it feels like an eternity. He can still picture her in that vivid blue dress, smiling at him from behind the bar as though it was yesterday...but it's been almost SEVEN long years without her...and without any explanation as to why she left him. In that time, Brian has tried his best to keep the bar he ran with Lily afloat, and keep all of their dreams alive until she returns...because with the anniversary of her departure coming up, he knows in his GUT that she will be back soon.

But one day, Brian catches himself doomscrolling (or is it stalking?) TripAdvisor and finds a username that catches his eye: PinkMoonLily1972. With his Lily's affinity for musician Nick Drake (and especially his album PINK MOON) and her name in the username, Brian is convinced he's finally found her. PinkMoonLily has been all over the place, writing reviews of her adventures...and there even seems to be a method to her madness. Brian takes this as the sign he's been waiting for, and leaves the bar in the hands of his two employees to go out on a quest to bring Lily home to him at last. With a half-formulated plan in mind, Brian sets off, not knowing what to expect...but hoping he can stay two steps ahead of Lily and run into her at long last. But with memories of their long and complicated past flooding back to him along the way....and a curious female stranger named Tess who...catches him off guard, to say the least...will Brian's quest end in triumph? Or with such a tumultuous and at times tortured past between them...is it simply too LATE for their love to FINALLY conquer all?

I'm new to Richard Roper, so going into this read I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The beginning of the book is a little bit jarring to start, with bits and pieces of Brian's memories of Lily presented in flashes or as lists, and I was a bit nervous it would take me a while to find my footing and dig in to this read. However, by about 20% in, not only was I used to Brian's narrative style, I can only describe my reading experience as the best kind of mix between Fredrik Backman and David Nicholls....and I was nothing short of ENTHRALLED! I love a story that brilliantly blends past and present, and this narrative slowly unfurled, showing us flashes of Lily and Brian's relationship as it developed over time, but bouncing back over and over to Brian's current quest without feeling disruptive in the slightest.

This is a relationship you won't EVER quite understand...because Brian doesn't fully understand it either. He's self-deprecating, but never in an overly dramatic way, and at the same time, he both sees his worth and doubts it constantly. Lily's family and Lily herself are complicated creatures, and since we only get to know Lily through Brian's recollection, she is as much a mystery to us as readers as she is to Brian during her mysterious journey. Brian's sense of humor might take a bit of getting used to also...but as I mentioned earlier, he is right at home with the likes of some of my favorite Backman characters and has the perfect blend of wit, silliness, and still an air of melancholy about him...all with a heart of gold beneath.

Though I won't give ANYTHING away, because trust me when I say the journey is worth it, there is a WHOPPER of a twist towards the end of this book...and it is nothing short of a gut punch. I actually gasped out loud and said "No way" TO my Kindle while reading...it is that kind of breathtaking moment that feels eerily reminiscent of the most shocking moment in your OWN life, where you had to stop and look around for a second to make sure the Earth hadn't suddenly fallen off its axis. Once you come back into your body and start breathing again, Roper gives you a fitting AND intriguing end to Brian's story, with a charming final chapter that feels like taking the first sip of hot cocoa on a cold winter night: it'll warm you up from the inside out! ☕

And though I won't say exactly WHERE Brian's journey leads him (or to whom!) Marcel Proust's thoughts on the nature of discovery sums up this quest perfectly: "The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes...but in having new eyes." 👓

4 stars

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

But in that moment, I would learn for the first time that when you fall in love with someone, it's like finding something you didn't know you'd lost -- and once you've grabbed hold of it you'll do anything to keep it safe.

It's been nearly seven years since Brian's wife, Lily, disappeared from his life without a goodbye, leaving Brian on his own to run the pub they bought and restored together. Now, as the anniversary of Lily's disappearance approaches, the once-thriving pub has fallen into disrepair, and Brian is in stasis, unable to move on, spending his evenings doom-scrolling the pub's online reviews. Then one evening, he finds an active reviewer account that he is convinced is Lily -- and he sets out on an excursion throughout England to track her down, following her reviews to landmarks across the country.

Unfolding on two timelines -- Brian's journey to find Lily, interspliced with the story of how they met and fell in love -- This Disaster Loves You is a warm, bighearted novel about the beautiful, messy, complicated adventure that is sharing your life with another person. Richard Roper writes with lightness, humor, and empathy as he explores serious topics: the hurt and confusion of being left without answers; the sorrow of loving someone desperately, but feeling powerless to save them when it matters most. Roper really nails the tone of the story, which feels hopeful and joyful despite its focus on such heavy themes. And the way he incorporates reviews of some of England's most well-known landmarks had me laughing out loud; I won't spoil it, but it's such a clever and cynical portrayal of modern online reviewer culture.

Brian is a genuine, relatable character, and I was rooting so hard for his healing and happiness. Because Brian narrates the novel in the first-person, we only really get to know Lily through his eyes -- but Roper's writing is so deft that we're able to see some truths about her that Brian himself isn't quite ready to face. It all makes for a moving, poignant reading experience that I found to be both heartbreaking and hopeful. A book about the messiest parts of life and love, This Disaster Loves You shows us that the light is always there, even during the darkest times, if we let our loved ones help us find it.

[Keri Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is Brian and Lily’s love story, told from Brian’s POV, with two alternating timelines. Present day finds Brian alone, deserted by Lily, uncertain why she left, and still with his life in limbo 7 years later. The alternate timeline shares their story of falling in love, life’s ups and downs, becoming pub owners, and leading up to Lily’s disappearance with just a postcard.

When Brian discovers a TripAdvisor review that reminds him of Lily, he strikes off on a journey to see if he can find her. The journey leads to many discoveries…

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Since it’s all Brian’s POV and memories, it’s sometimes hard to know the true Lily, and there weee a few slower sections for me, even though overall I liked it. I’d rate it 3.5 or 3.75 but rounding up to 4 here.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt and heartbreaking love story about a man abandoned by his wife who is unable to move on after seven years of waiting for her to return. Pub-owner Brian reflects back on his life as he meets and falls in love with his wife only to have her fun away and leave him alone. Determined to find her, Brian tries to track her down while everyone else in his life is ready to declare her dead. Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Colleen Oakley. This was my first by Richard Roper and definitely won't be my last! Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

[☀️Carden☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been eying this book for quite a while, and it just seems to pull me in no matter what. It has to be because most adult fiction books I break into are not quite readable or simplistic as this one is.

But that’s the book. Simplistic.

At least with general adult fiction that I read, the characters still manage to pull me in and the story has some emotion and depth.

I can’t really same the say for this. It felt quite stilted, and the characters were fine. I liked Brian, I could root for him, and he was likeable enough. Still a good book, just not one I got excited for like other adult fiction books.

[Paula Rizzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like with all this author’s books I’m delighted from beginning to end. Richard Roper has a way of creating characters that you instantly care about and are invested in. This book was no different. As you embark on the journey with the main character Brian you feel everything he feels and more as he tries to find his wife. Highly recommend! Very entertaining storytelling.

[lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Roper is officially one of my auto-read authors 🥹🥹

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that I get completely gripped by a book, especially when I least expect it, but it happened here and I'm so very glad that it did. I think this might end up being one of my favorite reads of the year. The exploration of love, life, loss, and grief in this novel is incredibly well-done. It's captivating and moving and heartbreaking and powerful, all in one.

5/5. How in the world it only has a 3.83 at the time of this review is beyond me. Go read this book.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Richard Roper's first book and this one was equally fabulous! Brian is in his late 40s, owns a struggling pub in the country, and has been devastated by his wife's disappearance seven years prior. Brian is a sweet character, but stuck in his life. He's been unable to move on from his grief at not knowing what happened to Lily. He has always held onto hope that she simply left him to pursue a different life, but has never understood why she left. He can't come to terms with the possibility that she has died by suicide.

One day, he sees reviews on TripAdvisor that he thinks must written by her. He embarks on a journey to find her and get answers to the questions he's had for years. He begins trailing her by her reviews and meets Tess, who's coming to terms with the end of her marriage. Brian and Tess are such wonderful, quirky, and awkward characters. Roper has such a beautiful way of depicting relationships, sorrow, and humorous situations. I felt such a kinship with them and their vividly depicted lives. Though the themes can be heavy, they're written with such a light touch, giving hope to the reader, in spite of hard circumstances.

I listened to the audiobook, which was perfectly narrated by Christian Coulson. I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy books by Rachel Joyce or Frederik Backman. This will likely be one of my top reads of 2024!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

[Mai H.]

Valentine's Day TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons

[Love_booksforlife Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seven years ago Brian's wife disappeared. Now, he's on the hunt for her after reading a review online that he's convinced she wrote.

This book was interesting and has a really unique concept. There were parts that were a little hard to read because I felt so bad for Brian honestly. He really struggles as he searches for his wife. The book shows Brian in the present as well as his life with his wife from when they met to when she disappeared. This was an emotional one.

All in all, this was a good drama that really delved into trauma and moving on in life.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy.

[andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I’m not entirely sure how to feel about this one. I went in completely blind and was surprised to find that, despite its cutesy cover and cozy, energy, This Disaster Loves You has a huge mystery element that brings a fair amount of low-intensity suspense to the narrative.

The buildup to the reveal was really fun and kept my attention, but when we finally got there… WHAT?? The shift from happiness to burgeoning sadness feels so abrupt, and for a book that starts and ends in the pub Brian and Lily created together, we spend surprisingly little time in it.

I thought the pub would be something that Brian and Lily had dreamt of from their first date or that played a pivotal role in their lives, but this was not the case. The narrative winds and twists through Brian and Lily’s history in a sweet and engaging way, but by the time we get back around to explaining how they came to be at the pub where it all culminates, it seems more like an afterthought than anything else.

It also feels like a slap in the face for the book to end how it did. I mean, a possible suicide attempt that turned out to be a tragic accident?! It just doesn’t fit in with what we know of Lily at all, and there’s almost no buildup before she takes such a drastic measure, just a few hints at unhappiness. Maybe that was meant to be the point—depression can sneak up on you—but it was lost on me if so. If we had gotten to see the unhappiness slowly build it would have been more believable, but as it was it didn’t make much sense. It seems like Roper was more concerned with maintaining an element of suspense for a good twist than making sure all of the pieces slotted together evenly.

I did, however, like the twist that Brian had found the watch back when Lily originally went missing. It gives the whole book a much more somber, tragic tone.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed the journey this book took me on, but the plot was a little too shaky for me to truly love it.

[aj ☾ readinghangovers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian, you awkward, sweet man . . . you charmed me.

This is definitely a 'looks can be deceiving' book cover, because it is not a sweet little romance. This is a tender, tragic love story woven into a story of loss, grief, discovery, and taking chances. It is as melancholic as it is inspiring.

A "chick-lit"/contemporary fic being told solely in the male's perspective was an interesting change of pace and frankly a breath of fresh air. I was in awe of Brian's story-telling ability (though I'm sure he has a handful of self-deprecating jokes to argue this opinion).

The way the reader learns the history of Lily and Brian through his recounting of events, and how the past stories begin to blend with what Brian is experiencing in the present, was so well done. I was hit pretty hard with emotion as he came to some tough realizations when new parts of the story were revealed in real-time to him as well as the reader.

I read the last chapters in happy tears. Gosh, this was unexpected, but it really was something.

[Kelsey (Kelseylovesbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both hopeful and heartbreaking, This Disaster Loves You follows past and present storylines as Brian and Lily fall in love and build their life, and as Brian searches for her seven years after her disappearance. Brian is a lovable, socially-awkward character who ends up with the charismatic Lily. As the story progressed, I was surprised to find much of the book revolving around the choice to have or not have children - something I think about often. This ends up being a central theme and was written with great care and thoughtfulness.

Though it is not necessarily a happy book, there are moments of joy sprinkled within. I loved Roper's previous book, How Not to Die Alone, and This Disaster Loves You is right up there with it.

[Airotciv · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has an interesting premise but a stunningly poor execution. Richard Roper is talented at relaying moods with immersive worlds and vivid imagery. The descriptions are so detailed you feel like you're there, which is where the problem lies—he seems to have a hard time knowing when to shut up. By the middle of the book, I wanted to rip out the pages one by one, but because this is a library book, I refrained.

The author dwells on the main character Brian’s heartbreak for so, so long that it becomes a chore to read. Yes! We get that he’s grieving his wife's disappearance, but endless paragraphs about his dreams of her old watch or her in a blue dress become not just repetitive but actively annoying. This over-focus on Brian’s tedious internal world comes at the expense of crucial plot development. By the end, we still have no clear understanding of what happened to Lilly in London or why she was so distressed on her walks. She was taking walks screaming into the void, while her husband watched her from the shadows. Evidently, she was having some sort of breakdown and I don’t know why.

The pacing issues also hurt the developing relationship between Brian and Tess. We're told they've fallen in love, but the journey is completely skipped. Instead, their entire story is awkwardly summed up in a random TripAdvisor review from a stranger. It's not a clever literary device; it's a cop-out from a writer who clearly didn't care enough to give his main characters a proper ending.

The book meanders through Brian’s self-pitying musings while glossing over the important parts, which points to a need for more disciplined editing that was clearly lacking.

[Ann Kielas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painfully slow. Title doesn't match theme.

[Barb Lie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Disaster Loves You by Richard Roper is a story of love, hope and tragedy. The story follows Brian, whose wife disappeared 7 years ago, leaving a postcard that she will be back, but needed some space for a while. Each morning, Brian, who owns a pub, watches the door to see if Lily is returning, never giving up hope. The story does alternate between the past, when he and Lily fell in love, married, opened the pub, living 20 years through life; and the present, with Brian sees a review on Pinkmoonlil1972, and is determined to find his wife.

Brian’s friend Jeff, is a regular, and he tells his friend he needs to find Lily, but before he leaves, he worries why his friend isn’t at the pub, and goes to his house, where he finds Jeff dead. Heartbroken, but still determined to go on his journey, he puts two young bar workers, Oliver and Sophie, in charge.

The many scenes from the past, gives us details about Brian falling in love with Lily; as well as her falling for him, their marriage, unable to have children, opening up their pub, and family issues along the way. In the present, Brian’s journey leads him to various destinations where Lily might be, with each encounter unsuccessful. He meets Tess, a charming woman from New Zealand, who become friends, and she helping him in his search to find Lily. The final destination has Brian finally meeting PinkMoonLily1972, who turns out not to be his Lily. He returns home to the pub, and knows he will have to close the pub, with serious financial situations. Tess ends up visiting Brian for a while, with her eventually going back to New Zealand. Then to his surprise, he learns that Jeff, his deceased friend left him in his will an enormous amount of money, allowing him to renovate the pub. A surprise twist at the end, was a video that shows Lily on the morning she disappeared, in a major storm, and the truths were revealed.

This Disaster Loves You was a very good story line, filled with love, loss, tragedy, family and friendship. This Disaster Loves You was very well written by Richard Roper. I wholly suggest you read this book.

Barb
The Reading Cafe

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book -- it was both sad and heartwarming, funny and poignant.

Brian owns a pub and has been wondering for nearly 7 years where his wife Lily is. He woke up one morning and she was gone -- he received a postcard from her soon after which gave him hope that she would soon be back. On a whim one day, he sees an online review that he thinks is written by her, and decides to track her down based on the reviews she is writing.

Some of my favorite parts of this book were when Brian was traveling and trying to find Lily. I loved the adventures he gets in to and of course the people he meets.

Told in alternating timelines, we see Brian looking for Lily while also learning about the beginning and middle parts of their relationship. I loved both Brian and Lily, both such good characters -- despite wanting to shake some sense in to Brian a few times.

I loved the writing and especially the descriptions of locations -- I could picture all the settings and especially the pub. I would love to go and chat with Brian and Jeff!

The ending was one of my favorite parts -- I think this is a book that the less you know about it going in to it, the better. I loved everything about it! This was my second book by Richard Roper and I will definitely read his other backlist one, and anything he writes in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not at all what I expected. The blurb about a man whose wife disappeared, who continues to hold on to hope for seven years, who stumbles on a Trip Advisor review and sets off on a journey to track her down, all seemed to promise a romantic dramedy. There were moments that made me chuckle, but This Disaster Loves You is far from what it seemed.

Perhaps the cover art is partly to blame for misleading my expectations. The writing felt awkward and clunky; the story was drawn out longer than needed. By the time I reached Part Three, I was doing more skimming than reading. The pieces of the puzzle depicting what really happened to Brian's wife, Lily, were finally slipping into place, but I no longer felt invested.

I felt for Brian; his self-doubt and self-deprecating humor were evident results of a difficult childhood of loss and social awkwardness. I did not like the character of Lily at all. She is superficial and oblivious at times, selfish and cold at others. The twist of her disappearance did catch me by surprise, but my reaction was more "Huh?" than "OMG!"

You know what I say: not every book is for every reading. This disaster may love me, but it's unrequited in this case.

[Katie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS DISASTER LOVES YOU by Richard Roper and read by Christian Coulson is a mournful, humorous journey through grief and middle age. Brian's wife Lily mysteriously left him and the pub they co-own almost seven years ago. Since then, Brian's been living life on pause, and their once warm and lively pub is now a pub of shambles and shadows of memory. Brian sees a reviewer on TripAdvisor who he becomes convinced must be Lily, and decides to follow her reviews to find her. Along the way, he meets and bonds withTess. This audiobook, read gorgeously by Christian Coulson, wanders through time as Brian thinks about his marriage with Lily, and how much of their relationship was hung up on the decision of whether or not to have a family. It's a beautiful listen and I am grateful what it adds to the romance landscape. #audiobook #bookstagram #richardroper #thisdisasterlovesyou #christiancoulson #romance #fiction #grief

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover for this one kept calling to me when I walked down the aisle in fiction every day at work, so I finally picked it up and read it. So glad I did. Richard Roper's main character had me laughing out loud, had my heart breaking for him and at the same time had me living vicariously through his reluctant adventures. I picture Brian as the love child of Hugh Grant's Notting Hill Character and his character's scuba suit wearing roomie, and the world is all the better for his existence. Absolutely did not want this story to end.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book breaks your heart while also making you want to go live life to its fullest. Roper creates a deeply entertaining story where I laughed out loud and gasped at certain turns of phrases. Bittersweet is a great word to describe this book, and I’m very happy to have stumbled upon it. Highly recommend!

[Alison Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story initially reminded me of a male version of the Rosie Project. Brian is sweet, gentle, and sincere. Lucy falls for him, but has been gone - just disappeared! - for the last 7 years.

The adorably-titled chapters take us back and forth between THEN and NOW. As the story evolved, I enjoyed the precious characters and plot. Brian’s adventures are heartfelt and you won’t be able to stop yourself from cheering for him.

[Lisa Najarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful.

[Chioma Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not sure what to expect when I started this book. I’ll admit the cover got me. I don’t read many books from the male perspective however maybe I should(?)

This was a beautiful book written about love, loss and grief and moving on.

I was hoping for the happy ending but that would’ve been cliche so I’m glad it ended how it did. It made it more realistic.

The majn character, Brian made me laugh a bunch!! His inner thoughts were *chefs kiss*

I will be reading more books by this author!

TW: suicide , miscarriage

[Adicus · Rating 3 out of 5]

To begin, after reading the description, I thought this story was going to be a page-turner, and I am extremely appreciative for the early access.

There was great world-building throughout the story, and there were even moments where it felt as though I was in the corner of a struggling pub, sitting in a slightly uneven booth with torn cushions, reading my book and making sure not to touch the sticky table.

With most dual timeline stories, I usually find myself eager to return to one over the other. Something interesting happened with this one, though, and I found myself at different times in the book craving and being equally invested into both.

One thing that I did notice and hoped would change but was never really provided the chance, was the character development for those characters set in the "now." We were introduced early on to the bar staff, the two younger lovebirds of a couple, the difficult-to-work-with-but-necessary chef, and the regular at the bar that you want to love as much as Brian and Lily do, but you were never really given any reasons to... and then he dies. The dialogue between Brian and Jeff left more to be desired. I found myself even considering the little note conversations, with no further context, that Jeff and Lily had to be more investing than the true dialogue that we saw.

With that being said, the fact that Jeff includes Brian in the will (really, it's the bar and the repairs that it needs to stay functioning) seems to be a bit of a stretch given how flat their relationship seemed. I understand that his relationship with Lily seemed stronger, but the bar was running successfully and needed no help when she was still around, so it didn't really track that it was based on the goodwill of their relationship.

Throughout these early parts, it is made clear to us, several times, that Brian has simply avoided any consideration for the administrative paperwork (presumably bills) related to the bar. Considering that we also know that he has been soloing this venture for 7 years (and later find out that he struggled to maintain the illusion that everything was fine in the event that Lily came back for a few months?), how am I to believe that there have been no legal issues with any of this until he conveniently returns towards the end and begins to realize they are nearing closure at a rapid pace?

Honestly, I was able to overlook all of this during my read and really wanted this story to thrive. There was just one VERY annoying thing that would NOT STOP making this difficult. The self-deprecation of Brian was honestly nauseating. At first, I understood it, it made sense, and overall it served its purpose for Brian in the story. But the constant reminder that he was a pathetic excuse for a man just became overwhelmingly cringy. I found myself needing to take a pause after every, what seemed like one of over a hundred, examples of him being completely pitiful. ESPECIALLY when Lily even makes the subtle comment that Daniel would be a great name for a child. WHAT IN THE CUCK IS GOING ON??

Now, up until the ending, I had a problem with Brian's overall attempt at finding Lily. It wasn't convincing in the slightest. Given what we learn at the end, it makes a little more sense to me if you consider his potential doubts of the events that lead to Lily's disappearance... but it is still a stretch since he didn't really buy into everything until the video. With that being said, WHY WHY WHY did he seemingly do all this traveling to search for Lily but show up to the first pub, ask one employee if they maybe saw someone named Lily, and when they said (basically) "IDK bro, I just started my shift," he took that and moved on to search at the next place? This continued at each stop, he allowed Graham to make a sorry excuse for a man out of him (obviously), and his other attempts seemed as though he was just glancing around at the places he hoped she might be. He has a picture... he eventually has the book, which is outlining the events he KNOWS she is following... make posters with the picture and your number and post them up at what is almost always a single point of access to these places. If you did this and then future-proofed it at each stop, you could then cover more ground in the search. Again, maybe this stems from him doubting her whole disappearance because of the way he found her watch, but this wasn't really pressed hard enough or early enough to avoid this annoying oversight.

Overall, I loved the idea of what this story could have been. I REALLY wanted this to be a great book, and it seemed like it wanted it too. Maybe if I could just overlook 85% of the "Brian is a pathetic human being" throughout the book, this would have been a 4-star for me. This, paired with the lack of depth in the relationships between characters and the poor attempts to truly convince the reader in the search for Lily, I had a hard time becoming invested.

This book did keep me hoping until the very end (which I also just remembered – I am to believe that somehow the over 7-year-old tape is still in possession of this farmer even after he thought he overwrote it with new footage AND it just happens to be the exact morning when Lily disappeared??????) that it would be good... It ended up being a page-turner for that reason alone, and overall I was left unimpressed.

I received a digital copy from NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard how could you do this to me??? I randomly found this book after searching on Libby and am so glad I did. I adored his writing style from the get go and was immediately invested.

Not what I was expecting at all, but in the best way. Did not think I'd be literally sobbing by the end.

I do agree that I would've loved to see more from the ending, but only because I wasn't ready for it to end yet.

I am VERY stingy with 5 star reviews, this one earned it for sure.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

this disaster loves this book.

I am a self proclaimed grandmother at heart and am in bed by 9:30 every night. I started this at 10:30 and stayed up until 1 to finish it because I couldn’t put it down.

[tarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
The main character is relatable and lovable. I enjoyed reading about him and his wife, Lily. This book made me laugh, but it also made me cry, a lot… truly enjoyed it