My Rating: 3.5 stars
As has probably been evident from the sparseness of my postings in recent weeks, I've been a bit behind on my leisure reading lately. Don't get me wrong — I've definitely been reading a lot, everyday in fact, it's just that most of it is stuff I need to read for class so that I can complete my assignments. With that said however, in not wanting to sacrifice my leisure reading too much, I've been trying to find a better balance between work, family, and grad school obligations so that I can get to as many of the books on my teetering TBR as possible (albeit at a slower pace than usual).
One of the books on my list from last month is Kate Clayborn's newest romance The Other Side of Disappearing. Since I don't read a lot of romance overall, I usually go off recommendations from friends when it comes to this genre and Clayborn came highly recommended. I can definitely see why, as Clayborn's romance feels different from ones that I've read in the past — it's written in a way that leaves much food for thought. The story is narrated in the first person and alternates between the perspectives of the main couple, Jess Greene and Adam Hawkins. Adam is employed by Broadside Media, where he is assigned to work with veteran journalist Salem Durant, whose popular podcast about con artist Lynton Baltimore catapulted her to fame over a decade ago. That podcast resulted in some unfinished business and Salem wants nothing more than to track Baltimore down in order to tie up that particular loose end. The opportunity arises when they are contacted by Tegan Caulfield, whose mother Charlotte abandoned her 10 years ago when she ran away with her then-boyfriend (whom Tegan finds out is actually con man Baltimore). With some clues Tegan provides, they arrange to go on a search for Charlotte, which they hope will also lead them to Baltimore. When Tegan's half-sister Jess finds out about the plans, she insists on going along so she can protect the sister whom she has raised since their mother's abandonment. On this road trip "adventure," all four characters end up discovering things about themselves that ultimately change the course of their lives.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and a fun way to take a break from so much heavy academic reading. One of the things that stood out to me with this story is the interesting angle that Clayborn took with the main theme of "disappearing" — she goes beyond the literal definition of the word and instead goes deeper to explore the various forms that "disappearing" can take (not just the physical, but also the emotional, mental, spiritual, etc). The nuanced way that some of the themes were explored added a little bit of a philosophical bent to the story, which I appreciated.
My one complaint would be that I found it difficult to connect with the characters for some reason. I liked the characters for the most part and Adam and Jess as a couple was one I could stand behind and root for (which I did, of course), but I didn't feel as much of an emotional connection as I was expecting. Regardless though, I would definitely read more by this author if the opportunity were to arise.
Received ARC from Kensington via NetGalley.
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