When We Go Missing by Kristen Twardowski is a competently crafted thriller and a 
promising debut. A young woman, Alex, falls for a charming man, Nathan; her sister’s antipathy towards him is dismissed. But Nathan is not what he seems…and Alex slowly realizes this.
Told from the viewpoints of several characters over time, the author handles the various voices well and threads the related stories together effectively, creating sympathetic characters without letting their individual stories overwhelm the direction of the narrative. Tension and conflict are created, and mount throughout the story, well-paced until the denouement. Here, I felt the story faltered: the related stories have woven together to create two narratives both heading for a climax, and in both cases the climax disappoints: the solution in both cases is just a little too simple.
But When We Go Missing was an enjoyable read, keeping my attention and making me wonder how the story would unfold. Definitely, it’s worth considering as a beach or plane book! Four stars for a debut novel that strongly suggests there will be more to look forward to by Kristen Twardowski.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
marianlthorpe.com 