Hairstylist Jess Greene has spent the last decade raising her younger half sister, Tegan, after their mother ran away with a boyfriend she’d only known a few months. Jess has also been keeping a huge secret - the boyfriend her mother ran off with, was an accomplished con man who was also the subject of a wildly popular podcast, The Last Con of Lynton Baltimore.

Right before Tegan hits her eighteenth birthday, Jess figures out her sister’s plan to do what she’s always feared - go on the search for their mother. But she’s not doing it alone, instead she’s accompanied by the host of the podcast and her producer, Adam Hawkins. Unwilling for her sister to go alone, Jess reluctantly joins them.

Together, the four make their way across the country, uncovering pieces of the mystery as to where her mother and her boyfriend disappeared to and why.

So first off, I don’t know how I missed this being a romance, because it’s not like it's not marketed as romance. I think I was more focused on the true crime podcast aspect of it over everything else. And, to be honest, I don’t think the novel needed the spicier scenes to it. I totally understood and felt Jess and Adam’s connection, no need for the horniess. But, maybe that’s just me being a reader who doesn’t read much romance above a two spice level, so don’t take my opinion on this bit too personally.

I loved the mystery of this novel and the adventure the group went on - but I still didn’t care for the romance of it. I also had a bit of a hard time connecting with anyone. Everyone had a lot of feelings that were deeply explored, but I didn’t feel as much connection as I do with others.

Overall, I can see people still enjoying this. Just because I didn’t care for the romance bit of it, doesn’t mean the story itself wasn’t still good!

*Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ( )

This one kind of dragged for me. I don't do well with my own angst, let alone a book with lots of it. I kept reading because I wanted to find out what the heck happened with the mother in the story. 2024 read. ( )

Mostly I was bored by this. It was slooooooow. Has anyone ever thought, "Boy, I would really like to read a road trip book that had no adventure element!"? If so, this is the right book for that person.

There were elements of the set-up that I liked, but mostly it was even more absurd than in most romances. Adam, the MMC is a well-known football player who did something online that went viral -- ostensibly he then goes to journalism school and is trying to get in the good graces of a podcaster so that he can get her support to do a podcast about something that matters to him. That is why he is second-fiddle on this other podcast for which the established podcaster needs Jess (the FMC) and her sister to participate. But a sports star who is internet famous can get in front of people. The years in journalism school and the work as a lackey on a podcast seems like the single most indirect route to his goal. If he had wanted people to listen he could just have called ESPN.

The biggest issue was the inexplicable love at first sight. Jess is built into a sympathetic character, but outwardly she is always rude and sometimes mean, and sympathetic is not the same as appealing. She has no interests other than raising her half-sister (her mother abandoned them a decade ago when Jess was 21 and her sister 8.) She goes to work, she comes home, she won't speak to her co-workers, she won't do anything, even eat at restaurants. This is a trauma response, and I empathize with that, but it does not explain why anyone would fall in love with her at first sight. She is beautiful, but Adam was a presumed first-round draft pick out of Ohio State so he had access to lots of beautiful women. That alone wouldn't do it. Maybe he was just waiting for someone to be nasty and dismissive to him in response to his kind and polite behavior. That does not seem healthy.

I don't know, it was fine I guess. A 2.5? I loved the last Clayborn book I read, Georgie, All Along. It was silly, but also sweet in a way that made me happy. The MMC in that book had a lot of the same aloofness as Jess displayed in this book, and I had a problem with that too, but the story was better there, and at least the MMC there was always kind, unlike Jess. I will try another book by the author, but I am not rushing to do so. ( )

The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn
Contemporary romance, chick lit.
Years ago, Jess Greene’s mother disappeared with her new boyfriend, leaving Jess to raise her younger half-sister Tegan. Jess has known who the man was, but Tegan just found out and she’s determined to track the couple down with the help of a famous podcast host. The group sets out on the trail of the known cons of Lyndon Baltimore hoping to find their mother and why she left them.
As the group travels the country, Jess tries to protect Tegan, but realizes she has a right to know the facts. Jess is also discovering that staying protected behind carefully built walls has left her alone and disconnected. Adam is more than willing to help Jess experience the world if she can only lower her shields a bit. He knows the good comes with the bad, but sharing the experience is always better.

Jess has spent her life protecting her sister and herself. Closed off. In this story, she is forced to confront her fears and boundaries. Jess and Tegan must face the past as well as self assess their current relationship with each other and how they move forward.
Adam has a problem with his celebrity and he knows the public can be cruel and relentless. But there is also a chance to be better.
Heart wrenching emotions as they all make self discoveries and reconnect their past and futures.
Ultimately a romance with a lot of life thrown into middle.
Way more self analysis and angst than I’m comfortable with. Get me to the hea which fortunately was included. ( )

This book has two things I don't love, true crime podcasts and instalove. However, I still ended up liking this book.

It's probably not technically a romance. More one of those that falls in the grey area between women's fiction and romance. ( )