indoorg1rl's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I initially thought this would be a domestic thriller. It turned out to be a full-on action-packed suspense, and I’m not complaining at all!
Abbie let go of her six-year-old daughter Sarah’s hand for a second in a busy street market. That was the last time she saw her. Six years later, Abbie had a new life and got married to the man she loved. Then she received a phone call from a man who claimed to know what had happened to Sarah and would tell her as long as she followed everything he said and not tell anyone. How far would Abbie go to know the truth?
The suspense in this one was so good, it got me hooked immediately. There were moments in the book when I just wanted Abbie to stop and think for a second before reacting! She definitely went in for a rough tumble, which was understandable as she needed answers about her missing daughter.
What a great debut! I was kicking myself for not reading this sooner. While reading this, I kept thinking how great this would be as a movie! I’m looking forward to reading more from the author.
(Thanks to Text Publishing for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)
textpublishing's review
The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of After You Were Gone
'Gripping, propulsive, and unbearably tense – the best psychological thriller I’ve read in years.’
Mark Brandi, author of The Others
'Elegantly written and utterly chilling. A dark and twisting novel of psychological suspense that will have you turning pages and checking your locks.'
Emma Viskic, author of Those Who Perish
'An original thriller full of empathy. Flawed and vulnerable, Abbie is so real. I was with her all the way.’
Sarah Bailey, author of The Housemate
‘An elegant, powerful and utterly compelling thriller. The best book I have read all year.’
Lucy Christopher, author of Release
‘Spooky, believable, compelling. I kept turning the pages hoping for a way out.’
Leah Swann, author of Sheerwater
'After You Were Gone cleaves open ideas of friendship and family, revealing the complex inner workings of our closest relationships. In doing so, Wakefield achieves what all good crime writers aspire to do: she forces the reader to stress-test their own sense of morality. She looks you in the eye and asks what would you do if the unthinkable happened? What would you sacrifice? How far would you go? At once tense and atmospheric, After You Were Gone is also brilliantly plotted and populated with complex characters. An exciting new voice in Australian crime.’
J.P Pomare, author of The Last Guests
‘Beautifully written and superbly unnerving, After You Were Gone is the very best kind of thriller: tender and wise as well as pulse-poundingly tense, with characters so real you want to linger with them even as you race through the pages, desperate to find out what happens. Absolutely wonderful, I could not have loved or admired it more.’
Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place
'Through captivating prose and an intricately crafted plot, After You Were Gone explores the complexities of what it means to be a mother: the joy, the rage, the floundering—and the desperate, unquenchable love.’
Amy Suiter Clarke, author of Girl, 11
‘[A]n expertly crafted psychological thriller that reminded me of Adrian McKinty’s breakthrough international bestseller The Chain in its need-to-know addictive propulsion…The ending felt just right.’
InDaily
‘[S]atisfying and unpredictable…Wakefield delivers compulsive, heart-thumping suspense in spades.’
InDaily
‘This is how to write a psychological thriller; stylish prose in a warts-and-all tale…Wakefield makes a seamless transition into the adult genre.’
Herald Sun
‘[Vikki Wakefield’s] first foray into the realm of adult fiction has arrived in the form of a masterful psychological thriller…Fast paced, perfectly plotted and brilliantly conceived, this is a chilling tale of identity, judgement, loss, determination and complex relationship dynamics.’
ArtsHub
‘After You Were Gone is a pacey and engaging thriller…the characters are well-developed and rich in detail…This is one for the beach or a long flight when you need something entertaining to sink your teeth into.’
Zoya Patel, Courier
‘You’ll be questioning every character, their motives and [their] memories…[A] great thriller.’
Australian
‘Wakefield creates nuanced and complex characters…[She] is brilliant at showing us how insidious the cult of perfect motherhood might be for a young single mum who is hardly capable of looking after herself, much less a child.’
Conversation
‘Chilling and laced with dark suspense.’
Australian Women’s Weekly
‘Taut, fast-paced and tension-filled.’
Alpine Observer
‘A riveting read…Breathtaking.’
Sisters in Crime
‘[Vikki Wakefield] has made a successful and unforgettable transition to the world of adult crime writing with After You Were Gone. Fans of The Lost Man by Jane Harper will find this just as hard to put down.’
ReadPlus
'Gripping, propulsive, and unbearably tense – the best psychological thriller I’ve read in years.’
Mark Brandi, author of The Others
'Elegantly written and utterly chilling. A dark and twisting novel of psychological suspense that will have you turning pages and checking your locks.'
Emma Viskic, author of Those Who Perish
'An original thriller full of empathy. Flawed and vulnerable, Abbie is so real. I was with her all the way.’
Sarah Bailey, author of The Housemate
‘An elegant, powerful and utterly compelling thriller. The best book I have read all year.’
Lucy Christopher, author of Release
‘Spooky, believable, compelling. I kept turning the pages hoping for a way out.’
Leah Swann, author of Sheerwater
'After You Were Gone cleaves open ideas of friendship and family, revealing the complex inner workings of our closest relationships. In doing so, Wakefield achieves what all good crime writers aspire to do: she forces the reader to stress-test their own sense of morality. She looks you in the eye and asks what would you do if the unthinkable happened? What would you sacrifice? How far would you go? At once tense and atmospheric, After You Were Gone is also brilliantly plotted and populated with complex characters. An exciting new voice in Australian crime.’
J.P Pomare, author of The Last Guests
‘Beautifully written and superbly unnerving, After You Were Gone is the very best kind of thriller: tender and wise as well as pulse-poundingly tense, with characters so real you want to linger with them even as you race through the pages, desperate to find out what happens. Absolutely wonderful, I could not have loved or admired it more.’
Anna Downes, author of The Safe Place
'Through captivating prose and an intricately crafted plot, After You Were Gone explores the complexities of what it means to be a mother: the joy, the rage, the floundering—and the desperate, unquenchable love.’
Amy Suiter Clarke, author of Girl, 11
‘[A]n expertly crafted psychological thriller that reminded me of Adrian McKinty’s breakthrough international bestseller The Chain in its need-to-know addictive propulsion…The ending felt just right.’
InDaily
‘[S]atisfying and unpredictable…Wakefield delivers compulsive, heart-thumping suspense in spades.’
InDaily
‘This is how to write a psychological thriller; stylish prose in a warts-and-all tale…Wakefield makes a seamless transition into the adult genre.’
Herald Sun
‘[Vikki Wakefield’s] first foray into the realm of adult fiction has arrived in the form of a masterful psychological thriller…Fast paced, perfectly plotted and brilliantly conceived, this is a chilling tale of identity, judgement, loss, determination and complex relationship dynamics.’
ArtsHub
‘After You Were Gone is a pacey and engaging thriller…the characters are well-developed and rich in detail…This is one for the beach or a long flight when you need something entertaining to sink your teeth into.’
Zoya Patel, Courier
‘You’ll be questioning every character, their motives and [their] memories…[A] great thriller.’
Australian
‘Wakefield creates nuanced and complex characters…[She] is brilliant at showing us how insidious the cult of perfect motherhood might be for a young single mum who is hardly capable of looking after herself, much less a child.’
Conversation
‘Chilling and laced with dark suspense.’
Australian Women’s Weekly
‘Taut, fast-paced and tension-filled.’
Alpine Observer
‘A riveting read…Breathtaking.’
Sisters in Crime
‘[Vikki Wakefield] has made a successful and unforgettable transition to the world of adult crime writing with After You Were Gone. Fans of The Lost Man by Jane Harper will find this just as hard to put down.’
ReadPlus
kate_reads_books's review
4.0
This could have been a 5 star review but the ending ruined it for me. I HATE when books just end with no further explanation of events and no closure. I feel like although things ended without questions from me as a reader, I would have liked to have had a snippet of how the next few months progressed in the story.
I loved the plot of this story, I have read a LOT of abducted / missing children books but this one was a bit different.
I enjoyed Abbie as a character, she was flawed but doing her best.
Wakefield is an Australian author and the audiobook narration was Australian which I love, as an Aussie.
Overall a great read, just with a disappointing ending.
I loved the plot of this story, I have read a LOT of abducted / missing children books but this one was a bit different.
I enjoyed Abbie as a character, she was flawed but doing her best.
Wakefield is an Australian author and the audiobook narration was Australian which I love, as an Aussie.
Overall a great read, just with a disappointing ending.
beesreadingshelf's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
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