Book Review: Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown
Hello,
Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
Summer Reads for me usually involve crime thrillers. But occasionally I like a good domestic drama with a twist of mystery to enjoy my Summer nights. Enter Janelle Brown. While shopping at a local bookshop I came across a buy two get one sale and received this book for free. What I did not know is how much I would enjoy Brown's writing.
Watch Me Disappear is written by Janelle Brown and is published by Spielgel & Grau, and imprint of Penguin Random House. In this tale of betrayal and family secrets we are introduced to Billie Flannagan. She is a super mom who marches to the beat of her own drummer. She is a free spirit, which leaves her husband perplexed, since he feels that she should be more devoted to him and their daughter. But Jonathan Flannigan and his daughter, Olive, are accustomed to going it alone when Billie decides to pack up and go on solo trips. When Billie decides to head out on a hiking trip sans her family, Jonathan just goes with the flow. Then Billie never returns. She is declared missing, then dead.
This has young Olive tortured inside. She misses her mother dearly and has recently begun to have visions of her mother that leave her exhausted and disoriented. Her mother seems to be telling her to look for her; that she is not dead. Jonathan fears for his daughter's mental health when she reveals her encounters to him. As foolish as psychic visions are to him, he has to admit that Billie's disappearance has a few holes. As a year passes, Jonathan gets a book deal to write a memoir on his life with Billie. Building on his notoriety from the early days of his search for his wife, a book is a sure-fire bestseller. The research into his past memories delivers several anomalies to Flannagan: his wife's laptop has a locked folder, money has disappeared from their account, and he hears of sightings of Billie months after her disappearance. Is Billie alive? With the lack of a body, Jonathan cannot be certain. Or did something more sinister happen to her?
Watch Me Disappear is the kind of slow burn family drama that captivated me. I was not having a good week, and I felt that I may be in a reading slump. But Billie Flannagan's story and the mystery behind her disappearance kept me going until the end. I enjoyed the players in this book for the most part. Jonathan was hard to like. I found him a bit whiny at times, but he did manage to come through for his daughter several times. Olive was an excellent LGBTQ representation that added a lot of depth to her. I enjoyed her perseverance and her quest for the truth about her mother. She played very well into the story, at times being the only rational person on the page. Side characters Harmony and Sidney delivered discord to the narrative, both having been from Billie's past. I never knew if I could trust either one, which led my mind to travels to many different scenarios. This distraction made the final reveal all the more surprising. Most of all I enjoyed Janelle Brown's writing style. She had a way of delving into her character's minds that made me want an extra book just focusing on their pasts.
I read Watch Me Disappear with the excellent narration of Tavia Gilbert and Kaleo Griffith. Gilbert handled the main part of the book while Griffith read excerpts from Jonathan's book. Both worked well together and drove the book along nicely. I have read books with Gilbert as narrator and always love her voice. Griffith was a new discovery for me. I enjoyed his tone and his way of conveying Jonathan's book as more of an inner voice, than a printed page. I will look for more books read by him.
Watch Me Disappear was a four star read for me. I found the mystery and family drama engaging. It was well written with interesting characters and a twisty story. A great addition to your Summer reading.
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading this week.
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