The ending was bittersweet but it did a great job of tying the story together. I liked the story, Pauline was an interesting character and she seemed to have a healthy case of FOMO when it came to Liam. I was disappointed by Liam's choice but I was not surprised.

Looking forward to reading more of Jodi Lynn Anderson's work in the future. ( )

*Sighs* Where do I even begin. My journey with this book has actually spanned an embarrassing amount of months despite its rather slim page count. I purchased the book heavily discounted but was quickly taken with it’s beautifully designed cover. Add in the the blurb on the back cover I thought it was well made match. The Vanishing Season highlights the developing friendships, and something mores between three young adults, as well as the mysterious disappearance of girls across Door County in Wisconsin. And unfortunately, one of our three protagonists doesn’t escape our tale alive. The premise reeks of suspense, danger, intrigue, and tensions boiling over with the subtle of promise of romance. And the novel had the potential to deliver all of those aspects, at least if that had been the intentions of the author. The author instead flips the script, choosing to highlight the relationships and romances between our recently uprooted main character, Maggie, and the secondary characters, her new neighbors, Pauline and Liam.

It is established from the first few chapters that Maggie is a welcome outsider. She finds herself quickly becoming close friends with Pauline and a buffer for Liam and his unrequited feelings for Pauline. With that setup it’s easy to see the “love triangle” coming, as Maggie catches herself noticing Liam more than she would like to and Pauline choosing to ignore Liam’s feelings for her. But the entire scenario, and subsequent handling of a poorly defined plot dredges up my intense dislike for love triangles. It is my opinion that a love triangle, or at least a believable and interesting one, is equally distributed between the two love rivals. The character at the center of the triangle should not be leaning particularly heavy toward either character. An effective love triangle makes me believe the character at the center could end up with either love interest. The Vanishing Season’s main plot is the budding romance between the characters and it defines itself as a scalene shape (Yes, I googled that to confirm I was referring to the correct type of triangle). It leaves the plot feeling unsupported. Tie it in with a poorly resolved mystery, I found the ending to be deeply unsatisfying.

Check Out Other Reviews on My Blog!

Instagram || Tik Tok || Twitter ( )

Full Review on my blog!
This was not quite what I expected. I was expecting more mystery and intrigue and less typical contemporary vibes. The only moments there is anything paranormal is during the ghost POV sections. The rest is about Maggie and her growing as a person and adjusting to a new life.

This is the first book I read by Jodi Lynn Anderson. I did liked the plot, although I didn’t connect with the main characters, so I felt that I might hadn’t enjoyed it as much as expected. I really wanted to love this book, but I honestly don’t know how I feel.

The Vanishing Season a book a thriller with a paranormal twist, about a girl who has just moved to a small town where girls are disappearing to later to be found dead floating in the lake. The book is told from two POVs,Maggie’s and a spirit that observes the trio; but it’s most in Maggie’s POV.

Maggie has moved from the bustle of Chicago to a very isolated small town called, Door Country because her mom lost her job. It’s a difficult move, but Maggie has a neighbor, Pauline, who she easily makes friends with. Pauline is a beautiful and rich girl and somewhat eccentric. Maggie also meets, Pauline’s best friend Liam. Liam also Maggie’s neighbor who is madly in love with Pauline. But Pauline doesn’t see Liam that way. Maggie finds a friendship that she didn’t expect to find and had good and funny moments with them, but they’re always aware of the disappearances.

It was well written, but not exactly my style. I just didn’t get very excited about The Vanishing Season. It felt like it took me a year to read… The murders, which were supposed to cramp their style, didn’t really seem to hold them back much. The romance was kinda predictable. I may or may not read more of this author, I’m not entirely sure yet. It was alright though.

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook | Store ( )

I expected more suspense around the serial murders. The ending was disappointing. ( )

I picked up this book partly because I had just finished a different book with a similar title, and because I was intrigued by the mixed reviews I saw for it, but I ended up really liking it!

The story has elements of young adult coming of age novels, ghost stories, mystery, and romance, and everything came together in a way that really worked for me. The whole book has a kind of nebulous feel and had some beautiful writing that I really enjoyed. I think I read this book at the right time of year as well, just as winter cold was creeping up and getting ready to stay. ( )