13 September 2023

I read my first book by this author in April this year and I have been dying to read more of her work. I finally got around to it with How To Disappear this book is a brilliant read. It explores how far you will go to protect your child. A mother’s love for her daughter and the bonds we have in everyday life.

Gillian McAllister creates the worst possible scenario in this book and takes you along a path you wish you never imagined. As a parent, you are left wondering how far you will go to keep your child safe. This story crawls under your skin and you are unable to walk away from these characters before reading the very last page. You can expect some late-night reading when you reach for this book.

When Zara witnesses a murder, she is determined to testify. Lauren has always supported her daughter’s desire to do the right thing. And they have been promised that no-one will ever know Zara as anyone else but girl A. Of course, things are not always that simple. Not long after testifying Zara’s identity is leaked and the family are all in danger. The only solution is witness protection. But Lauren cannot take everyone with her and she is forced to disappear with just her daughter. Leaving everyone else behind and trying to make a new life proves a lot more difficult than Lauren imagined it would be. But Zara’s safety is her number one priority, even when Zara seems to turn against her mother.

I found myself deeply engrossed in this book and my emotions were running very high through this story. I found myself extremely angry with Zara – this teenager got under my skin. Her behaviour at times left me wanting to scream.

Lauren is a spacy, live-in-the-moment woman and while she tried her best to do the right thing for her daughter, she made so many mistakes along the way. You cannot help but feel bad for her because she tried very hard to support her child. As for Zara while she may have had good intentions and tried to do the right thing, I wanted to scream every time she went about things the wrong way. It drove me crazy that she decided not to be honest with her mother and when she started lashing out at her mom I felt no compassion for her, if anything she left me angry.

This book is an intense read that is guaranteed to stir emotions as you flip the pages. I enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book and loved how invested I felt while reading it. Another addition to my loved list for 2023.

If you are keen on a thriller full of family drama then this is the book for you. You are guaranteed lots of emotions and a few fabulous twists along the way. You will not be disappointed.