User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
A gripping and addictive read!!Cara Dorman knocks on the door of 52 Woodgreen Avenue. Her mother asked her to drop off some donated clothing to their friends and neighbors, Meg and Grace. Cara is about five years older than Grace. They were very close when they were younger, but lately, Cara doesn’t always know how to talk to Grace. Grace is very ill and is confined to a wheelchair. Cara feels guilty when she talks about her own busy life because Grace’s life is so limited.
No one answers the door so Cara knocks again.
Meg and Grace are ALWAYS home. Why aren’t they answering the door? Cara tries the door and finds it's unlocked. She makes her way through the house. It's completely clean and so very quiet. She sees Grace's empty wheelchair tipped over on its side. When she gets to Meg's bedroom, she opens the door and makes a horrifying discovery.
Investigative Journalist,
Jon's career was ruined after he wrote a story about Meg and Grace Nichols. After hearing the terrible news his first instinct is to head over to the house on Woodgreen Ave, but he knows he should steer clear. The last time he was there it didn't end well. He decides that he'll just drive past the house. He won't even get out of the car.
Where is Grace? The community that loves Megan and Grace is grieving and very worried about Grace. Cara is traumatized but she really wants to know where Grace is. When she was in the house she found something. Now she's not sure what to do with it. Should she give what she found to the police or use it to do some investigating of her own? Maybe, Jon the journalist, can help her?
I couldn’t wait to read this book!This novel is inspired by real-life events, but it still has many differences and tells its own story.
Once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. I was pulled in right from the start and found it easy to keep up. The story is told from multiple perspectives and I had no issues keeping the characters and their individual stories straight.
As I neared the end it was even harder to stop reading. Although I did see a few things coming, I flew through the last few chapters and was surprised by the twisted ending!
All in all, this was a gripping and entertaining read about family, love, redemption, and justice. I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
3.75*Grace has been quite ill most of her life. Heart problems…seizures, among countless other ailments. Her dear mother Meg has been raising Grace on her own. Over the years they’ve become the darlings of their community and blessed with all the support that comes with it! In return, they have gratefully given back equally to the towns people.
So when Meg is found brutally murdered and Grace is nowhere to be found, everyone comes together to find Grace and get some justice for poor Meg!
A solid mystery, this was my first by Emily Elgar and I was all in, engaged throughout! The pace moved the story-line along at the perfect speed.
But...I wanted some surprises! I had most of the story-line figured out early on.
I also learned this book was based on an actual event. Hmmmm... Now that I’ve finished the book I’ll be heading over to
Google the real story!
Overall it was an enjoyable read that I would recommend, and I’ll be reading more from this author in the future.
Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for an ARC to read and review.
Rating: really liked it
Do you love small town mysteries? I dooooo! Especially when they involve a small town in England. That just adds to the charm of it all. In Grace Is Gone, a well-loved family is attacked- the mother murdered, and the daughter has disappeared.
Meg, the mother, had escaped her abusive ex once before when he kidnapped their daughter, Grace. This time, it seems he may have returned and exacted revenge.
There are multiple viewpoints, and I loved the use of the diary entries. Grace and Meg were such great characters, especially Grace. She had a vulnerability and strength about her that inspired me. The pacing was strong with easy-flowing writing. It intrigued me all the more that the story was based on true events. Overall, I found it compulsively readable, and I definitely recommend it.
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Rating: really liked it
This ook is based on a true story. Grace is seventeen years old. She's dependent on her mother, Megan as she has several health issues. Megan has suffered abuse from her husband. Megan decides to take Grace and start a new life together. Their neighbour, Cara crops round to drop something off and discovers Megan, who's been brutally murdered. Grace is missing. Caras partner, Jon is a journalist. He goes to the scene even though theres an order preventing him from doing so.
What an intriguing read this book was. I hadn't heard of the case that this story is based on. Its told mainly by Cara and Jon's point of view though we do get entries from Grace in the form of diary. The book is well written. My first book by the author but it wont be my last.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Emily Elgar for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Grace Is Gone is inspired by a true story - what the? This is a sick and shocking story and to think that this actually did happen is terrifying. Exploring some deep themes, this was a quick, page turner of a book that I couldn't wait to see how it was going to end.
Meg and her daughter Grace are well loved and known in the community. So who would murder Meg? Next door neighbour and Grace's friend Cara finds Meg, brutally murdered - and Grace is nowhere to be seen. Grace is very ill and in a wheelchair, and without her medications she could die in days. But where is she? Who has taken her and why? The community work together to try to find the teenager. Cara teams up with Jon, a journalist to dig into Meg and Graces lives to find the clues to what has happened. The fin al few chapters are nuts! And it was great.
Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
Rating: really liked it
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Grace Is Gone by Emily Elgar is inspired by a true story that I immediately recognized (I will try not to give it away in my review), and I really enjoyed Elgar's take on it right down to the last crazy chapter.
I loved Elgar's writing style, and I thought
Grace Is Gone flowed really well. At times it was downright chilling, and towards the end I actually started to HAVE chills down my back. Even though I know the story it was based on well, I wasn't expecting some things that happened in this book. I am so glad the author changed it enough that it made the book both even creepier and more interesting, and not like I was reading an exact replica of the story it is based on.
This was my first read by Elgar and I know I am going to want to read everything she writes now.
Grace Is Gone is only her second novel, but from the way it reads it could have been her 10th. I loved the way the story of Grace is brought to life, and I really enjoyed the 2 viewpoints plus diary entries. As more and more start to be revealed it kept up the suspense for me, and I liked getting to know the different characters.
Song/s the book brought to mind: Eyes on Me by Desi Valentine
Final Thought: I found myself not wanting to put
Grace Is Gone down, and I would consider it quite the page turner. I think a lot of people will be able to read this in one sitting, and I definitely would have if I'd had the time. This book touches on mental disorders in a way that at times almost had me tearing up, and I think this is an excellently written novel that deserves to be read.
Rating: really liked it
GRACE IS GONE is a novel concerning Meg and her daughter Grace. Meg is the caregiver for Grace who is severely disabled. Meg and Grace are beloved by their town. When Meg is murdered in a horrendous manner, and Grace is kidnapped, a journalist and a female neighbor begin to search for Grace which leads to many questions. The end result is rather horrifying and left me with some deep thinking. This is a very readable book, and I highly recommend it.
Rating: really liked it
2.5 rounded to 3 stars.
Spoiler alert: I confess that I have never heard of Dee Dee Blanchard and Gypsy Rose. I had no idea this book was inspired on real facts.
I can hardly imagine that kind of abuse.
Anyways, this book is not bad, just a bit uninteresting and slow. The writing is a bit repetitive.
The story is so unbelievable but, the way it is developed here, it did not cause any impact. And that’s exactly what I missed here.
There are some good moments.
The best parts are the young girl’s diary, which shows great connection with some of the characters but gives away her state of mind.
But what is real and what is fake?
While reading the diary is easy to realize that there is something wrong somewhere.
This is a fast read.
Unfortunately I was not impressed.
Edited on October 25, 2020 (spelling and grammar corrections!).
Rating: really liked it
This book is based on a true story. Grace is seventeen years old. She's dependent on her mother, Megan as she has several health issues. Megan has suffered a use from her husband. Megan decides to take Grace and start a new life together. Their neighbour, Cara pops round to drop something off and discovers Megan who's been brutally murdered. Grace is missing. Cara's partner Jon is a journalist. He goes to the scene even though theres an order preventing ting him from doing so.
What an intriguing read this ook was. I was hooked from reading the blurb. I hadn't heard of the case that this story was based on. It's told mainly from cara and Jon's point of view though we do get entries from Grace in the form of a diary. The book is well written. My first read by the author but it won't be my last.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book GROUP UK and the author Emily Elgar for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
I won this via goodreads giveaways in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions are my own.
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Great characters, good story. I liked Jon more than Cara but both POVs kept my attention and it wasn't jarring or boring going back and forth throughout.
I figured out one of the plot elements and was reminded early on if another case I saw on DatelineOnID (I think) some time ago. *I won't spoil it for you but the author mentions it after the story is done* A couple things I didn't expect and while not completely knew, was done very well.
(view spoiler)
[The part at the end with Meg's murder from Grace's point of view was very creepy. (hide spoiler)]Not much to say here, not because I didn't like it but that was just it for me. *shrugs* I'll probably think of it on and off down the road and recommend it to others for a rainy/sick day read.
This is one I won't be reading again but I did enjoy the journey. This would work well as a film in my opinion.
Rating: really liked it
Grace is Gone is a beautifully written page turner and if you know nothing of the case it is based on you will devour it- it's a twisty plot that is hugely compelling.
For me though the issue came with the fact that I am highly aware of the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case, a fascinating real life incident so for me ultimately Grace is Gone held no surprises- although I continued to the end because I was enjoying the writing and there were minor adjustments to the reality to be fair but nothing major enough to add anything new.
Overall this is a great book for anyone unaware of the outcome in Gypsy's case and you'll want to look it up at the end. Don't look it up before though or this will go from an utterly riveting story and become, like it was for me, a generally interesting look at the various nuances.
Absolutely recommended though just with the above in mind.
I'll look forward to more from Emily Elgar.
Rating: really liked it
WOW, OMG and WTAF are the 3 main thoughts I had whilst reading Grace is Gone and the day after I finished the book my feelings haven’t changed that much except I realise that YOU will expect a little more detail from me in my review so bear with me.. I might start rambling:
Grace is Gone is inspired by a shocking true story, however I didn’t know that when I started reading it, so I went in “oblivious” to what the story is based on and started reading without a clue what was to come.
Grace is a 17 year old wheelchair bound, seriously ill young lady who is cared for by her devoted single mother Megan. They are both adored and respected in the small community they live in. With an absent and violent father and a tragic past Grace and Meg are protected and supported by their neighbours, so when Cara, their next door neighbour discovers Meg’s battered body and Grace’s empty wheelchair the town is left in turmoil and the race to find Grace begins.
This story has several narrators which I personally LOVE, because the story starts to unfold layer by layer. We find out more about Meg and Grace through a disgraced and ostracised journalist Jon, who published an article on the family and was publicly shunned and issued with a restraining order against the family. Jon is now estranged from his beloved wife and son and becomes obsessed with finding out where Grace has gone.
Cara, the young neighbour and one of Grace’s only friends is still in shock after discovering Meg’s murder and becomes focused on discovering the truth about the family even if it means her own life is in danger.
With Grace’s diary to help Cara and Jon dig deeper into the murder and missing teenager, Grace is Gone tells a sad and disturbingly dark tale of mental illness. I will admit that because I wasn’t aware it was based on a true event I thought I was extremely clever to “work out the twist” almost immediately, however this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this addictive and brilliantly written story.
Rating: really liked it
This book is based on a true story, that of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, which took place in the United States, an absolutely mind-blowing, harrowing event that scarred a whole community. I was mesmerised by the whole case. There is also another book to be published next month too with the author's own twist on it.
The author does disclose that this is her take on the true-life case but set in the UK. There are some additional characters used and a twist at the end but the flux of the story remains the same. If you know the story or have read the book coming out next month then there won't be a great deal of surprises for you in this.
The author's characters are well developed and I really enjoyed the added spin-offs of the fictional characters such as Jon. The story is gripping in every way and it is heartbreaking to know that this happened. Grace's mum was a force to be reckoned with where the health care system was concerned. I mean how could so many doctors have fallen for all this, but they did.
A stunning story, if you have no knowledge of the real case. It is the shock element that makes this.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
Rating: really liked it
A scary book which shook my insides, based on real life incidents.
Meg and Grace, mom and seriously ill daughter were the darling of the town when one night Meg was murdered brutally, and Grace vanished, probably kidnapped or killed. It took a journalist Jon and neighbor Cara all their skills to find her.
My first book by author Emily Elgar, the story brought a sinking tumoil in me. I had read enough to realize where the story was going, but the author's writing did its magic on me, and I was entranced to keep reading.
Told to me in dual POV, I got to know how Jon and Cara investigated along with their personal lives, there was also Grace's voice, as excerpts from her diary, interweaved into the story which had a strong hold on it.
The story, all true, brought out the dark human psyche. It was quite a page turner that kept me engrossed all through. A perfect breakfast read, I would say. The darker, the better.
Rating: really liked it
Many thanks to Harper for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest reviewI talked about this book in my latest booktube video!
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