Book Review Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This book review discusses major plot points and themes from Then She Was Gone. If you haven’t read it yet, consider this your gentle warning.
I just finished my first novel by Lisa Jewell — Then She Was Gone — and I can confidently say: I could not put this book down.
This is a plot-driven, multi-layered psychological thriller where secrets unravel in quiet, devastating waves. My Book Review Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell is below.
About the Book
Then She Was Gone begins with Ellie Mack — the perfect daughter. Fifteen. Beloved. A golden girl with a golden future. Days away from summer vacation. Her whole life ahead of her.
And then she was gone.
Ten years later, her mother Laurel is still trying to rebuild what grief shattered. Her marriage has ended. Her family is fractured. Hope has become something fragile and painful.
When Laurel meets a charming man named Floyd, she’s surprised by how quickly their connection deepens. But when she meets his daughters — especially young Poppy — something shifts.
Because Poppy looks eerily like Ellie.
And that’s when the unease truly begins.
My Reading Experience
This story is layered with secrets that unravel simultaneously. The shifting perspectives — Laurel, Ellie, even Floyd — kept me engaged every single page. Every time I thought I understood where things were going, another thread tightened.
I picked this book up every spare second I had. I even told my husband to scram so I could devour the ending uninterrupted.
Even though I admired the craftsmanship, I have to be honest: I didn’t like a single character.
Laurel was difficult to connect with. Hanna irritated me. Floyd made my skin crawl. Even Poppy unsettled me.
But strangely… it didn’t matter.
The plot was so compelling that I kept turning pages. None of the characters felt unrealistic. They felt flawed. Human. And that realism made the story hit harder.
The Most Powerful Moments (Light Spoilers)
The most devastating and powerful part of the book is when we finally hear from Ellie.
Jewell writes Ellie’s suffering with restraint. It’s almost poetic — as if the author is dancing carefully around the pain, capturing it without overwhelming the reader. We understand Ellie’s awareness. She knows she’s in a bad situation. She understands more than she should have to at fifteen.
And yet — there’s resilience. There’s hope. There’s love.
Not just in Ellie, but in every member of her family in different proportions.
The ending is sad — but it’s not hopeless.
I appreciated the epilogue deeply. I needed that. After everything, we deserved that.
And Poppy? She was sunlight breaking through a storm that had raged for a decade.
Noelle?
Pure evil.
Themes That Stayed With Me
One aspect that deeply resonated with me was Ellie’s passion for reading — how books felt like reality to her. That idea struck something personal. The escape. The immersion. The way stories can feel more solid than the world around you.
Laurel’s grief is also handled in a raw, complicated way. As a mother, I can empathize with her love. But mine has never been tested the way hers has. I can only hope it never will.
The novel reminds us of an uncomfortable truth:
Terrible things happen to people.
Even when we do everything right. Even when someone is “the perfect daughter.”
That reality makes this story ache long after the final page.
Book Review Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell Final Thoughts
Did I love the characters? No.
Did I love the story? Absolutely.
This is a compulsive, emotionally layered thriller that lingers.
If you enjoy psychological suspense with family secrets (Verity is another good pick), shifting narrators, and an ending that carries both heartbreak and hope, Then She Was Gone is worth your time.
This was my first Lisa Jewell novel — it will not be my last.
Loved Then She Was Gone? Read This Next.
If you were drawn to the complex family dynamics, the unraveling secrets, the emotional weight of a mother’s grief, and the tension of a mystery that refuses to stay buried… you’ll love Memphis.
If you enjoy stories about women navigating the shadows of their past, buried truths resurfacing, and the quiet resilience it takes to survive what should destroy you, Memphis was written for you.
A woman on the run.
A family full of secrets.
A past that won’t stay buried.
