Book Review: The Day We Disappeared by Lucy Robinson

"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 . . .

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

Rating: 5/5

You can buy The Day We Disappeared as a paperback or an eBook now!

This was one book of 2015 that had been so hyped, I absolutely could not wait to read it. Some of the least gushy bloggers I know were completely gushing about it, telling me I had to read it as soon as possible, and that I definitely wouldn't be disappointed. This made me nervous because I just hoped it would live up to the high expectations that I now had for it, and that it would as good as it sounded. Luckily for me, Lucy Robinson doesn't disappoint, and yes - this book was brilliant. However, I'm going to be quite vague in my review simply because I don't want to give anything at all about the story away - the beauty of this book is in its story and its twist.

The book begins with character Kate who is starting a new job at an equestrian yard, working for Mark, the man who owns the yard and the horses. She hasn't got a clue what she is doing, but with a little help, she soon begins to love her work. Annie, our other main character, has just got a new job working as a therapist at newfound friend Stephen's successful. She thinks she has fallen on her feet and everything seems almost too good to be true. But when things get tough for both women, they don't know how to cope and seem to want to run away and escape their troubles. But what are the secrets that they are hiding behind their smiles?

To be honest, that's all I can say about the story because I really don't want to spoil it for anyone who is potentially going to read this book. It switches frequently between the story of Kate and that of Annie, so at no point are you ever in a lull - there's always something happening to keep your attention hooked! I honestly hadn't guessed the twist which is a big bonus - usually, I spot them quite quickly and it does spoil a novel slightly when that happens so for me not to guess this one was exciting! I was completely absorbed by their stories, the new friendships they made (especially Kate's with Mark, he was so lovely!) and how things started to unravel for each of them.

Lucy Robinson's writing is brilliant as usual, totally taking you into the equestrian world of Kate, and into Annie and her work with Stephen too. I have no interest in horses whatsoever, so much so that I worried when I read the first chapter and saw it was set at a horses yard, but fear not - that wasn't a problem and I even found it interesting as I read about it - that's how good Robinson is! Each of the characters were brilliant written, the settings bring everything to life on the page, and I just did  not want to put it down. It hurtles quickly towards a storming, exciting ending and I simply loved it - I was shocked, upset, emotional and in awe all at the same time. Definitely my read of the year so far, I cannot recommend it highly enough!