Week of 7/4 -7/8 

Reading Update 

As some of you might know from my previous posts, I am a huge fan of mystery and thriller books. I first got into the genre after reading “Then She Was Gone” by Lisa Jewell. I started listening to her audiobook while going on my daily morning walks around campus. I knew I was hooked when I arrived home and had no recollection of the walk.

The first chapter of her story captured my attention with its complex plot and colorful characters that I had blocked out everything else. For this blog post, I will rank my top 3 books by her with a short introduction and an explanation for my ranking. Disclaimer: I do not consider myself a professional book critic, and I still have a few of her books left to read:) 

1. Then She was Gone 

Then She was Gone is undoubtedly my top pick because it was the gateway book that helped me rediscover my love for reading. It explores the events following a young girl’s disappearance from her mother’s perspective while incorporating excerpts from characters associated with the girl’s disappearance.

This book is better categorized as a thriller because the plot itself is somewhat predictable. However, what makes it stand out is Lisa Jewell’s ability to convey the eternal love between mother and daughter and the daughter’s character development during her time in captivity.  

1. Invisible Girl 

Invisible Girl follows the lives of Owen Pick, a man in his late 20’s with no sexual experience, Cate, a middle-aged mother, and her family of four get caught up in several troubling events that lead to a young girl going missing.

This book stood out because it made me sympathize with and understand characters representing real-world monsters. It also sheds light on important issues such as bystander syndrome, grooming, and the toxicity of the dark web. While Invisible Girl did not leave me crying in my room at 3 AM, it did give me chills that would not go away despite the 90-degree hot summer air.  

1. The Family Upstairs 

The Family Upstairs follows a young woman’s journey of self-discovery as she puts together the shattered, hidden pieces of her past. Libby Jones is cautiously optimistic when she discovers that the birth parents, whom she has never met, have passed and left their million-dollar estate in her name. However, as she settles into the house, she comes across the remains of the family that abandoned her and discovers that their death may not have been as it seems.

Though I was skeptical about cult-themed stories, but Family Upstairs was a pleasant (well, technically unpleasant due to the gruesome plot) surprise. Lisa Jewell’s storytelling was so captivating and uncomfortable that it left me with a strange feeling of being disconnected from the world.  

The following few books on my Lisa Jewell reading list are:  

• The Family Upstairs Part 2 
• Before I Met You 
• The Third Wife 

I will keep you updated on my reading journey, and thanks for reading this post!