Gone Again

by Minka Kent, Teri Schnaubelt (Reader), Gabra Zackman (Reader)

In this novel of escalating fear and suspense by Washington Post and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Minka Kent, a secret from a woman’s past unearths a lifetime of lies. How long can she run from the past? On her fortieth birthday, Celia Guest has reason to celebrate. She has a loving marriage, a beautiful Connecticut home, and treasured friends. Celia has everything she’s ever wanted. But among the cards and well-wishes, she discovers a disturbing note: You don’t deserve any of this. Who could be so cruel, so resentful, so…knowing? Then, in the early morning hours, Celia vanishes without a trace. As suspicions and concerns rise among Celia’s friends, her sister Genevieve, with whom she shares a fractured and troubling bond, starts to piece together a shattered life that Celia fled from once before. As a foundation of lies begins to crumble, a terrifying childhood secret Celia thought was dead and buried comes to light. And this time, there’s no getting away from the truth.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller

Audio CD

First published March 7, 2023

Reviews

[Lit with Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

Writing: average | Plot: incomplete | Ending: rushed

SYNOPSIS

Celia had a tough childhood but now she's livin la vida loca. Well, until she gets a cryptic note on her bday. Has her past come back to haunt her?

MY OPINION

Bro............. respectfully, what the fuck is this? Thankfully this book is only 230 pgs and doesn't blatantly crumble like feta cheese until halfway... so that's only 115 pgs of total clownery. Now, if you didn't know, I absolutely HATED Unmissing, but I always give an author two honest tries before calling it quits. Well, Minka, this is where we part ways. Because THIS????? Nah. Imagine someone telling you they need flour, sugar, and chocolate chips to bake you a cookie and then come out with an apple pie. And you're like???? That's what this book was.

I'm sorry, but I can't do this without spoilies so... SPOILER ALERT SCROLL TO BOTTOM






So essentially, all the events leading up to the last 10/15% is irrelevant. I'm not even joking. Celia's disappearance has NOTHINGGGG to do with the big "secret" (which tbh, Ray Charles could clock from a mile away). Genevieve wastes her time interviewing Celia's friends and being a sl@ve to her husband (I'll touch on this clusterfuck of a marriage later), which reveal absolutely jack shit and is – you guessed it – irrelevant to the ending. The flashbacks chosen also had nothing to do with the big twisty twist. Yeah, shit was sad, but it was all inconsequential in the end. Homegirl could've brought down her dad's life with one sentence but somehow allowed this mans to run circles around her and send her to a lowkey slave camp??? Absolutely not. Try tf again you pedophile. I will SCREAMETH louder than I've ever scrummed before if you try to play with me after you impregnated and murdered my babysitter. Not today sir!!

Next, we have the irrelevant storyline of Gen and Brad's bumtastic marriage. AIN'T NO WAY she gaslighted herself into feeling like a bad wife. When she's like "I can't expect him to help me with the groceries if I don't ask". BROSSEFFFF???? How about basic manners? Do you slam a door in an old lady's face because she didn't ask you to hold it open for her?? NAH. If Brad stopped watering down his brain with Bud Light, maybe he could actually lend a hand. I legitimately don't know why we we needed to suffer through this bland ass marriage drama, other than maybe Minka herself went through something similar and was following the credo "write what you know." Should've kept that bummitude in the drafts, tbh.

Also I could tell Minka was just banging this shit out off a bottle of Barefoot Rose because the characters stepped outta character here and there. Outta nowhere, up tight Gen is like "my husband is fully engrossed and I'm living for it" HUH LMAO??? This is NOT the way Gen talks. And then at the end Celia said her dad is speaking straight facts. I hollered. I mean this is funny... when used in the right context... but imagine if Dumbledore buss into the hugglepuff house or whatever tf it's called and was like WASSUP SLUTS??? You'd be confused right?? Same shit here.


All in all, this shit was stanky. It felt half-assed and rushed. Literally she did this for a paycheque and nothing more... allegedly.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: first half had me bamboozled; thought it was a three star

Cons: I'm not gonna repeat myself

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟
Happy Birthday Celia!🥳
Celia just celebrated her 40th birthday in style, thanks to her husband. But after discovering a cryptic note among the many cards from her friends, her mind starts racing. Perhaps a little drive to calm her nerves. (Though these days, a drive is anything but a calming experience for me!🤦🏻‍♀️).

Eventually her husband realizes Celia isn't back from her drive. He makes a frantic call to her sister, Gen. And the news is not good. No one has heard from Celia!

Told from the perspectives of both Celia and Genevieve in both the present and past.

I found this book absolutely unputdownable! Wrapped it up in just two sittings! So drawn into Celia’s story and her upbringing I couldn’t tear myself away!

I always look forward to sitting down with a book by this author, and luckily enough I have a couple more sitting on my shelf waiting for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gone Again by Minka Kent is a novel about the disappearance of Celia Guest, a woman who has seemingly everything but is still not content. The story is narrated by her sister Genevieve, who is estranged from her and tries to uncover the secrets of her past in order to find out what happened to her. I found the premise of the book to be very intriguing and was looking forward to reading more about Celia and her life.

The writing is blistering and emotive, and I couldn't help but feel utterly absorbed in the story.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with some of the execution of the novel. While I liked getting to know Celia and some of her backstory, I felt that many aspects of the plot were left unexplored or unresolved. For example, who assaulted Celia and took her purse and phone? Was it her sister? What happened to Isabel? What was the significance of the disturbing note she received on her birthday? Who wrote it? These are just a few of the questions that were not answered satisfactorily in my opinion.

Overall, Gone Again had potential but ultimately fell a bit short for me. I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m late to the party on this one, so I’ll keep it brief.

This was my first Minka Kent book. I’ve seen lots of good reviews for her books, so I was looking forward to diving in. I don’t have anything to compare it to, but this was just okay for me.

I really liked the dual timelines and alternating POVs. Big plus for me. There were just too many minuses for me to give more stars. No big twists, lots of unanswered questions and the ending was rushed. Once the “twist” happened it kinda fizzled out for me.

I will give this author another shot as it was entertaining enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my copy to read and review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minka Kent is one of my trusted authors that I turn to when I’m in the mood for a fast paced and entertaining thriller. I liked the concept here and it’s told from sisters Celia and Gen’s POV in alternating timelines. It’s pacey and there’s lots of secrets being revealed throughout and I really enjoyed the majority. The ending did fall a little flat for me, I was expecting it to pack more of a punch but overall that aspect didn’t really take away from my enjoyment of the whole thing.

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mysterious Pasts

Really loved the first few chapters but left with too many unanswered questions. I did appreciate the past and present storylines as it gave more insight on Cecelia's complicated relationship with her sisters and her mysterious disappearance. Likeable enough, just felt rushed and unfinished.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a big fan of Minka Kent books in the past, so I was very excited to read another from her. This was a read in a day book for me. Easy to read with chapters ending that left me with more questions. While I did enjoy this one, unfortunately it left so many threads unanswered. Who attacked Celia in the city and why? I kinda guessed part of the big secret as well. Not my favourite of her, but still a good read.

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer for the advanced copy of this book to read. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story & audio 4 stars**
Narrators
Teri Schnaubelt
Gabra Zackman

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You don’t deserve any of this.”

Can you imagine reading this note while you are opening your 40th birthday gifts and cards? A milestone birthday tainted by an anonymous note. Well, it had a profound effect on Celia Guest - she ran away! Disappeared. Vanished. Without a trace. The thing is, it isn’t the first time she’s disappeared. Curious? So was I. The remainder of the book is full of flashbacks to Celia’s childhood and her sister, Genevieve Jacob’s, attempts at finding her estranged sister. As the layers start to unfold, readers are aware of the abusive childhood both girls experienced under the care of their religiously fanatic parents.

In short: Minka Kent attempts to explore how long someone can run from the past and highlights the ripple effect when we don’t practice what we preach.

While I enjoy this author’s books, I didn’t feel that this one was as powerful as it could have been. There were too many loose threads for me. I wonder if some of the backstory and motives were cut in an effort to keep the word count manageable. I felt the ending was rushed, too. Perhaps a little anticlimactic, even. Don’t get me wrong. It was definitely tension-filled and the creepiest of her books. It’s been a long time since I was uneasy reading a book or being by myself in the house. But something was missing that would have made this a five-star thriller.

Regardless, it’s a strong 4-star mystery. It’s a quick read, with lots of family secrets and twists definitely held my attention.

I was gifted this copy by Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Rachel the Page-Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Minka Kent book I read was “Unmissing”, and I thought it was fantastic! That gave me high hopes for this book, and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. I don’t think this was as good, but both are great thrillers.

This is the story of three women, sisters named Celia, Genevieve and Celeste. Celia is the oldest, and is always in trouble with their devoutly religious and abusive parents. Genevieve is the typical middle child, always trying to please in order to gain positive attention. Celeste is the youngest, and had it the easiest of all of the girls.

Celia, always finding herself in trouble, was constantly running away as a child, usually to escape punishment. On the night of her 40th birthday, she once again disappears - did she run away again? If so, what would be the reason? Was she attacked? Was she drugged? Is she still alive?

While her husband and sisters start digging, more and more dirt is spread about. Family secrets are revealed as the past comes to light, and they definitely aren’t good secrets (if there’s even such a thing!). This is a pretty quick read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Four solid stars for a book that hooked me right from the beginning.

(Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, Minka Kent, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

[Drea g · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really disappointed. 💔 Don’t expect a thriller.
A lot of unanswered questions and a lot of seemingly important details end up being totally irrelevant to the plot. The “mystery” comes to a halt about 80% through, then the truth is (unsurprisingly and plainly) revealed and everything leading up to that point just fizzles out without explanation. The rest of the book is just the characters having a heart-to-heart. Absolutely no action, suspense, shockers, crazy twists. More of a boring family drama than a thriller.

[Lesley Pitre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gone Again by Minka Kent
Minka Kent is one of my favorite authors, and she didn’t disappoint me with this book either. It was gripping right from the start, and didn’t let up until the end. There was suspense, intrigue, murder, and of course some shocking twists to keep me turning those pages. Her writing style is captivating and her storytelling is amazing.
Many thanks to Minka Kent, NetGalley, and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced reader copy of a book from one of my favorite authors in exchange for an honest review.

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book straight after finishing another book, and was so hooked, I stayed up to finish - and even liked the ending!

There are clever twists, and you may think you have solved the puzzles, but...

It starts with a family of five: Mother, father, and three daughters. The parents are fanatically religious, and the father is violent in his punishments for small infringements. Celia is fifteen, and hates her life - particularly her father - and does not conform to her father's idea of a perfect, pious daughter; she therefore endures regular severe consequences. Celeste is still a baby, and poor Genevieve is literally in the middle.

Then Celia disappears.

I rarely give five stars to a thriller / mystery, but I loved being so gripped - all the way through to the end.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gone Again is my 7th Minka Kent book, and all 7 kept me completely enthralled. Much like Peter Swanson, Charlie Donlea, and John Marrs, Ms. Kent is a master at writing compelling domestic dramas, and along with them, she is a must-read author for me.

[Donna Mallery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what was going on in this short book by Kent. I’ve been reading a lot of her books lately. This one goes between several timelines. It starts with overly religious parents who beat the oldest girl into submission. Twenty five years later she is happily married and far away from her painful past. We keep getting taken between when she and her sisters are young to present day. Somebody disappears and there is an intense search for her by her relatives. You finally learn the truth of a horrible past near the end. All in all it’s a satisfying journey and is a quick read.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gone Again is a domestic thriller told from alternating points of view and timelines in both the past and present. It tells the story of a woman who seems to have everything, but is reminded of her traumatic past when she receives a note on her 40th birthday that says, "You don't deserve any of this." Celia wonders if the note's author is resentful of everything she has now or if the person knows about her past.

This book is tense and there are some some parts that are hard to read because of descriptions of child abuse in the book's flashbacks. Because of events in their childhood, Celia has a complicated relationship with her two younger sisters. I was so glad to see that Genevieve, one of the book's narrators, puts their differences aside to be there for Celia when she needs her. This is when I really started enjoying the book and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. I especially liked the ending of this suspenseful book. This is the fifth book I've read by this author and once again, I was thoroughly entertained.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

[Stacey (reading2escape) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, told in past and present timelines through the POVs of sisters Genevieve and Celia.

I preferred the past timeline over the present. Learning about how the sisters grew up in an almost cult-like religious household was more interesting and had more of a thriller feel to me. The present-day timeline read more like a mystery, but it did keep me guessing as to what was going to happen!

There were a few things that I felt were important but were left unanswered, and the ending felt a bit rushed, but overall, I recommend this one!

Thank you @netgalley, Thomas and Mercer and the author for the gifted e-arc of this book!

[Nicole Wuthering Vines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an intriguing read that I devoured in one sitting! I find organized religion incredibly fascinating as I do with cult reads and this one is definitely super disturbing and thought-provoking!

It’s told in alternating points of views and timelines, this one’s certainly suspenseful and will leave you ferociously flipping the pages!

I’ve really come to love Kent’s writing style as the books I’ve read have been super pretty short and quick reads and I enjoy how things don’t tend to get dragged out that way! Short and sweet is often the key to my heart!

Without giving anything away, I’ll just vaguely say that I didn’t particularly love how the book ended in ways that it came together, but the twist and revelation was good so a decently solid ending after lots of red herrings!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for goodreads

[Brenda Engen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 - hard to know how to rate this one. It was a page turner, but somewhat unrealistic in a few spots. Overall a good read.

[Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told mostly from the perspectives of sisters Celia and Genevieve and in two different time frames - when they were kids living with holy-rolling parents from hell and the present, 25 years later - the details on both ends of the quarter-century span are engrossing, but disturbing. Once out of high school, Celia finally escapes to build a life elsewhere - leaving her beloved younger sister Genevieve and even younger sister Celeste to the not-so-tender mercies of their father and mother.

Not too long ago, Celia and Genevieve reconnect; in fact, thanks to Celia's generosity, Genevieve and her husband relocate to be near Celia and her husband. Celia has just celebrated her 40th birthday with a big bash, many gifts and a card with a nasty message that rattles her brain. Who would hate her enough to spoil her birthday? Unable to sleep, Celia wanders off to clear her head and disappears off the face of the earth. The rest of the story centers on efforts to find Celia and flashbacks to the sisters' childhood secrets - including one that's a whopper. Of course, I must keep it all a secret as well so as not to spoil it for others.

Now that I've finished, though, I must say it's rare for me to advise an author to lengthen a book - more often than not, books tend to be padded with pages of trivial details that are marginally significant to the plot. In this case, however, there are holes are big enough to drive a snowplow through with room to spare. I won't dwell on them, but say only that many readers, including myself, will be left with some heavy-duty questions that another 50 or so pages could have answered without making this almost-too-short-to-be-a-book too long.

But despite my leftover questions, I enjoyed the reading experience - to the point that I held up starting to make dinner because I was too close to the end to put it down willingly. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hooked almost immediately. The writing was superb and I loved the way the flashbacks were woven into the present. I was dying to find out the building mysteries, but unfortunately, so much was left unsolved which really left me disappointed with the whole story. This had great potential but it didn't quite reach it.

[Linda (Lily) Raiti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book I’ve read by this author and like the first one - did not disappoint.

On her fortieth birthday, Celia Guest has reason to celebrate. She has a loving marriage, a beautiful Connecticut home, and treasured friends. Celia has everything she’s ever wanted. But among the cards and well-wishes, she discovers a disturbing note: You don’t deserve any of this.

Who could be so cruel, so resentful, so…knowing? Then, in the early morning hours, Celia vanishes without a trace.

This is fast paced and thoroughly entertaining, I read it in one sitting. I love a story with sister relationships, this one was told from the point of view of sisters Celia and Genevieve. While we navigate Celia’s disappearance we learn about their abusive childhood growing up with a zealot father and his religious fanaticism. The choices made years ago and the knock on effect decades later.

Read if you like creepy, family secrets and lots of twists.

Many thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for a #gifted advanced reading copy.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time next week, I'll be gone.

We are introduced to Celia 25 years ago, suffering in her fire and brimstone religious family. She has to find a way out no matter what.

In the present, she's turning 40 and had a little shindig. She's still shy about opening things in front of others so later that night, she's going through gifts and happily reading cards from friends when she stumbles across a folded letter that says she doesn't deserve what she has.

While she doesn't necessarily disagree, she can't imagine who at her party knows all about her past and why they'd want to hurt her this way. Suddenly everyone looks suspicious!

This was a quick read but it was about religion way more than I expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

[Brittany Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

This book gave me so many cult-like feels, which is a good thing for me. I’m usually a big fan of this type of book, but it wasn’t quite as suspenseful as I had been hoping. I loved the twists at the end and was surprised (and satisfied) with the ending. But overall, this was a slow burn, and the “thrill” just wasn’t there for me. I have loved books by this author in the past, but this is not one of my favorites by Minka Kent. I’m rating this 3.5 out of 5 stars, rounding up to 4 on goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Minka Kent for providing this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Mandy K · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Another winner of a book from Minka Kent! The childhood flashbacks of emotional, physical, and religious abuse had me fuming throughout the book. It addition to flashbacks, the story follows sisters who are estranged as adults. Life is complicated. Trauma is heavy. And godly people aren’t always good.

[Suzi (Lil Bit Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celia’s husband has just thrown her a 40th birthday bash and all of their closest friends were in attendance. Unable to fall asleep afterward, Celia is opening her gifts in the middle of the night. Amid the gift cards, cut-crystal vases, and sapphire tennis bracelets, Celia finds an ominous note: “You don’t deserve any of this.” Shaken and terrified that someone knows her long-buried secrets, Celia flees to the city.

This quick and easy read is good but not great. While I enjoyed this dual-timeline, dual-POV novel, it left me feeling a little unsatisfied. Shortly after Celia gets to the city, her present POV ends abruptly and the bulk of the present storyline focuses on her sister Genevieve trying to find her. This consists of mostly conversations with Celia’s friends but not much action, which is interesting but not particularly thrilling. Some plot points weren’t fleshed out as well as I would have liked. For example, when young Celia is sent to a Christian reform camp, more time is spent on getting her there than showing what she experiences while she’s confined there.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me an advance copy of this book.

[Stacey Reads It All · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a good casual read, but nothing that will be particularly memorable for me.

[Sarah Eaton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gone Again by Minka Kent had so much potential, but it left me desperately wanting more. Celia, Genevieve and Celeste are three sisters, raised in a conservative Christian community. On her 40th birthday, Celia has long since fled the religion, and is beginning to mend her relationship with Genevieve. Only Celeste, 14 years younger than Celia, remains with her father in the community. On Celia's 40th birthday, she receives an unsettling note that she takes off to investigate. But when she doesn't return, Genevieve decides to open her own investigation into her appearance, facing the realities of their childhood past.

I really don't know what to say about this storyline other than there are so many gaping holes and missed opportunities. Just when I thought the plot was heading in an interesting direction (Christian reform camp, missing person, creepy father, etc.) Kent seemed to abandon that idea and switch gears. I have loved some of this author's other works, but with Gone Again, I wish she would've picked a direction and stuck with it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

#GoneAgain #MinkaKent #NetGalley #Thomas&Mercer #fiction #bookstagram #booktok #readwithme #readwithsee #bookreview #bookrecommendation #thriller #mystery #bookshelf

[Jen Brodehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars- This was my least favorite Minka Kent book so far. I found that the search for her dragged on and there were several unanswered questions at the end. But the characters were mostly interesting and it was easy to follow along.

[Maliha · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5)**

This book had all the makings of a thrilling ride but ended up being more of a bumpy detour. Celia Guest's vanishing act had me hooked at first, but as the pages turned, my excitement started to vanish too.

The plot twists? Predictable. I saw them coming from a mile away, and trust me, I wasn't even trying. The characters, especially Celia and her sister Genevieve, felt like they were sketched out with a dull pencil. I wanted depth, but what I got was more like a kiddie pool¹.

And let's not even get started on the ending. It wrapped up faster than a cheap gift on Christmas Eve, leaving so many loose ends that I felt like I was reading a draft instead of a finished novel³. Sure, there were moments of suspense, but they were fleeting, much like Celia's presence in the book.

In short, "Gone Again" is like that friend who promises a wild night out but ends up bailing early. It's not terrible, but it's not living up to the hype either. If you're into family drama with a side of psychological twists, you might still find it worth a read. Just don't expect to be blown away.