Book Review: The Day We Disappeared, by Lucy Robinson

A gripping and unpredictable story of two young women running from their pasts. We defy you to guess the twist . . .

Annie has a secret. But if she’s not going to tell, we won’t either. It’s a heart-breaking secret she wishes she didn’t have – yet Annie isn’t broken, not quite yet. Especially now there’s someone out there who seems determined to fix her.

Kate has run away. But she’s not going to tell us why – that would defeat the point of running, wouldn’t it? It’s proving difficult to reinvent herself, however, with one person always on her mind.

Scratch beneath the surface and nobody is really who they seem. Even Annie and Kate, two old friends, aren’t entirely sure who they are any more. Perhaps you can work it out, before their pasts catch up with them for good . . .

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Okay now before we get into it, I just had to include both covers for this book because just LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE. Seriously, WOW. Okay, good, that’s out of my system.

This is the first Lucy Robinson book I’ve managed to get round to reading (though The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me has been calling to me for a long time!) but let me tell you now, by no means will it be the last.

Now, as this book is a fantastically intriguing puzzle, full of mystery, I don’t want to go and spoil anything here in my review. You need to read it for yourself to understand its full wonderfulness.

What I will tell you, is that this girl can seriously write. The whole story, both Kate’s and Annie’s parts, flowed absolutely seamlessly. Every aspect of their stories felt real and believable, every conversation read as if I was physically listening to it myself. From the idiosyncrasies of each character and there origin, to the raw emotions at times displayed, every little thing I believed with all my being. Not a page of this book felt forced or over-indulgent, rather entirely natural and believable. I can only imagine the work that Lucy must have put in to make it seem so effortless!

The plot unfurls around you, drawing you in deeper until you’re held captive till the very last page. As the story finally started to unfold in full, the cards fully on the table for the reader to see, it was one of those spectacular moments where I just had to stop for a minute and go over what I’d read. Ideas had been swirling around my mind, a few little breadcrumbs had been laid that I wasn’t quite sure whether to follow, but when it was all there I just couldn’t quite get over the magnificence of it all. To be honest, my first thought was probably something along the lines of ‘you sneaky bugger’ (and a few other choice words!), but all with the utmost admiration.

The characters themselves are fantastically built, true to their nationalities and each with their own quirks, habits and flaws. Kate, the breezy Irish lass setting up a new life for herself in the West Country, away from everyone, and Annie, finally seeming to find her feet in her London life – I quickly loved them both. From Kate’s adorable friends Becca and Joe, and her gorgeously brooding boss Mark, to Annie’s caring and protective friends and sister, the whole cast of characters were utter perfection. Claudine, Annie’s prickly French friend, was one of my favourite characters, even if she had me totally riled up at times, she was just so blunt it was hilarious.

I really could gush all day, but I really don’t want to risk ruining anything. Do yourself a favour and put yourself at the mercy of Lucy Robinson’s literary genius – it’s not a decision you’re going to regret.

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