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A review by whimsicalyme
Vanishing Falls by Poppy Gee
4.0
This book is set in the lush Tasmanian rainforest of Australia. Very deep inside the forest is a small town called Vanishing Falls. Vanishing Falls has a storied past, with dubious characters. Some characters I disliked, others I hated, or felt sorry for, and they eventually redeemed themselves. The main character is Joelle, many people think she is simple minded, and she IS different. She just sees the world differently, often literally. She’s always paying attention so she picks up on clues others miss.
The main premise of the novel is a missing person. Celia Lily goes missing late one night after an event. She is the beautiful, rich, and popular wife of Jack Lily and the mother of 4 daughters. Jack and Lily live in the town’s most famous mansion, The Calendar House. It’s eccentric, with 52 rooms, and an art collection. When Jack come home and finds the front door open and Cecilia missing, he panics. The police immediately suspect him because he’s hiding things. Joelle, drives this story. She decides she needs to find Cecilia so that the people of the town will love her, after all she’ll be the hero and the town will forgive her for her past involvement in a heinous crime. The story also follows Jack’s best friend Cliff and his wife Kim.
I enjoyed the setting and atmosphere. The characters were not like-able, they were all shady and deceitful in some way. I did find myself alternating between yelling at Joelle and cheering her on. I did figure out the twist but only right before the reveal. I found the pace a little slower than I like but I can see people that like slower suspense/mysteries loving this one. Overall, I give this 3 1/2 of 5 stars.
Thank you @Netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for my advanced digital copy to review.
The main premise of the novel is a missing person. Celia Lily goes missing late one night after an event. She is the beautiful, rich, and popular wife of Jack Lily and the mother of 4 daughters. Jack and Lily live in the town’s most famous mansion, The Calendar House. It’s eccentric, with 52 rooms, and an art collection. When Jack come home and finds the front door open and Cecilia missing, he panics. The police immediately suspect him because he’s hiding things. Joelle, drives this story. She decides she needs to find Cecilia so that the people of the town will love her, after all she’ll be the hero and the town will forgive her for her past involvement in a heinous crime. The story also follows Jack’s best friend Cliff and his wife Kim.
I enjoyed the setting and atmosphere. The characters were not like-able, they were all shady and deceitful in some way. I did find myself alternating between yelling at Joelle and cheering her on. I did figure out the twist but only right before the reveal. I found the pace a little slower than I like but I can see people that like slower suspense/mysteries loving this one. Overall, I give this 3 1/2 of 5 stars.
Thank you @Netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for my advanced digital copy to review.