The Day We Disappeared

Annie hates it when people work out she’s that Annie Mulholland. She’s been running from her past all her life, putting it on hold whilst she hides behind locked doors, only socialising once a month with her good friends in Le Cloob. Until one day at work, she meets someone who is about to change everything. Kate has run away from her life too, taking a job at a stables far away from her busy life in Dublin. The only problem is, she doesn’t know the first thing about horses…

She said, “So this place is like those Jilly Cooper novels, right? I can’t wait to meet Mark – he’s gorgeous!” I thought, kill me now.

I do have to be careful reviewing this one. The reason it is so good is a massive spoiler, but just let me tell you all is not as it seems and there are some serious issues underneath Lucy’s fabulous, entertaining writing. It’s partly about how we appear on the outside isn’t always our real selves. As I started to read, it seemed a perfectly pleasant romantic story, with two storylines I couldn’t quite fit together, other than the two women were friends. All I can say is, keep reading!

We are introduced to two women; Kate who has escaped her life physically, by running away to a remote eventing stable in Exmoor, and Annie who has been trying to escape her life since she was seven and her mother died. Annie suffers from severe anxiety which hampers her everyday life and makes it hard for her to form relationships. As the story progresses, we learn in short flashbacks what happened on her seventh birthday to make her this way.

I sat down suddenly on the edge of my bed and the Bad Shit cackled. It had me back in its sights.

Being a horse person, I also loved Kate being on the farm and the star of the show is undoubtedly Stumpy, Mark’s star event horse. Where would any of them be without the love of Stumpy? The book is well-researched, enough that Kate’s complete ignorance of horses does not go un-noticed and she confides in someone early on. This makes it so much more believable that she wouldn’t be outed, although there is more to this than just that.

I longed for a Saturday cuddle with a nice boyfriend, all morning breath and semitumescent willies, but the reality of attempting anything like that left me in a white panic.

And oh I cried! I also laughed, Lucy’s books being that wonderful combination that get all your emotions going. There’s tension, there’s a dash of fear, but all-in-all wonderful, real feeling characters. And when they don’t quite feel real enough, maybe there’s a good reason for that…

The Day We Disappeared is published by Penguin and is available now in ebook editions with a paperback due 9th April 2015. Thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy for review via NetGalley.

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Also reviewed @ Page to Stage Reviews

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge for review purposes only. Receipt of a book does not guarantee a review or endorsement. My reviews are my honest opinion and are not biased for the purpose of personal gain.