The Other Side of Disappearing

CW: MC's best friend died by suicide (several years before the book takes place)The best compliment I can give Kate Clayborn's latest novel is that it reminded me of the insanely talented [a:Joshilyn Jackson 45915 Joshilyn Jackson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1447590446p2/45915.jpg], who wrote about troubled women facing a crossroads in their lives, usually involving mothers and/or daughters, and often with an understated romance. Unfortunately Jackson has joined the ranks of authors who have gone over to the Dark Side (suspense/thrillers) but [b:The Almost Sisters 32600726 The Almost Sisters Joshilyn Jackson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487958944l/32600726.SY75.jpg 53181435] and [b:A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty 10960383 A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty Joshilyn Jackson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442347366l/10960383.SY75.jpg 15878096] were both 5-heart reads for me. The Other Side of Disappearing walks a fine line between contemporary romance and women's fiction. Jess Greene is a hairstylist in her early 30s who has served as de facto parent to her much younger half-sister, Tegan, ever since their mother disappeared ten years ago. Jess' entire life has revolved around providing a stable environment for Tegan, and she is emotionally closed off to other people and her own feelings. Jess knows that their mother met, was charmed by, and ran away with notorious con man Lynton Baltimore, but she has kept the truth a secret from her sister. Tegan is now 18, and unbeknownst to Jess, she has been communicating with a podcast host who recently profiled Baltimore. She's figured out the link between Baltimore and her mother, and she wants answers. When the podcast host Salem Durant and her assistant Adam Hawkins show up at their door, Jess is furious at Tegan for potentially bringing public attention to their private shame. But Tegan is determined to track down their mother, using the few postcards she sent Jess as clues. Jess has no choice but to join the road trip so she can watch over Tegan. She has nothing but disdain for Salem and Adam, which is unfortunate because Adam is pretty much a goner from the first time he sees her.Clayborn is trying to do a lot here, and sometimes the book feels a little stuffed. The relationship between Jess and Tegan is beautifully crafted, as Jess learns that she can't protect her little sister from the world and Tegan realizes how much Jess has given up for her. The search for their mother is less a careful unfolding of clues than a few discrete encounters with people who interacted with her in the past ten years. But the climax of that plot fully engages all of the emotions, and packs a strong punch.Then we have Adam, giant cinnamon roll and former football player, who aspires to host his own podcast about his best friend who died by suicide when his mental health issues were ignored and belittled by the football community. He is basically perfect - caring, family-oriented, communicative, patient, and sexy. He does have a Big Secret but the reveal doesn't go quite the way you would predict. It strains credulity a bit that Adam and Jess feel so strongly about each other after only two weeks, but given everything else that is going on, there isn't room in the story for casual dating scenes. And I'm glad that Jess and Tegan both spend some time in therapy before the HEA to address multiple issues that have been suppressed for several decades. This is definitely a change for Clayborn, and some readers may miss the lighter tone of her earlier novels. But I'm thrilled that she is moving into more complex emotional territory, and hope she can fill the Joshilyn Jackson-sized hole in my heart.ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.