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ckmccowan's review against another edition
4.0
Such an intriguing story! The Moon is Missing, by Jenni Ogden is set in the not-so-distant past and is, ultimately, about family secrets that can create ripples for generations. The book starts out in London but also takes place in New Orleans and on a remote island of the coast of New Zealand. There are many layers to this storyline that Ogden unfolds in a very interesting way that I never lost interest. Looking forward to more by this author!
lilbt2003's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
whimsicalyme's review
5.0
The Moon is Missing
Book Tour
Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours @ogden.jenni for my digital copy of The Moon is Missing to review.
The Moon is Missing is a domestic suspense novel about Dr. Georgia Grayson, a successful neurosurgeon, and her family living in London. Georgia is married to Adam and has two children, a son Finbar and a daughter Lara. Tragically, Lara’s biological father did before Lara was born.
A school assignment leads Lara to start questioning Georgia about her father. Who was he? How alike are they? Does Lara have other family members out in the world? Georgia struggles to answer these questions and the reader starts to see Georgia’s facade crack. There are aspects of Georgia’s relationship with Danny, Lara’s father, that remain shrouded in mystery. His death was deemed a tragic accident but why does Georgia have such broken memories regarding that time?
Georgia begins to experience conflict in almost every aspect of her life as she attempts to answer Lara’s questions and face whatever occurred on the night Danny died. After Georgia loses a patient in surgery even her job is in jeopardy. Panic attacks become a regular part of Georgia’s life and force her to take time off to address her issues with a therapist or risk losing her career.
Georgia ultimately decides the only way to uncover what happened the night Danny died was to revisit their relationship via the places they spent time together. Georgia and Danny met in New Orleans while Georgia was still a student. When Georgia is asked to return to the city for a medical conference she uses the opportunity to return and take Lara with her in hopes that they can locate some of Danny’s family in the area.
This is the point in the novel that just blew me away. Georgia and Lara end up stranded in New Orleans during Katrina. The author writes such detailed and vivid scenes that the reader feels immersed in the experience. Georgia offers her medial experience to assist at a local hospital and even utilizes Lara to help where she can. They ultimately locate part of Danny’s family and Georgia is able to gain more insight into Danny’s death.
It eventually becomes clear that Danny’s death was in fact a tragic accident but secrets, lies, and miscommunication divided the families. Georgia’s memories during this period were so fragile because of the guilt she carried and the trauma she experienced when she found Danny’s body. Following his death, Georgia spent months in a mental health facility essentially cutting her off from the details surrounding Danny’s death.
I loved the way the author handled important social issues with grace and compassion. Mental health, familial relationships, and forgiveness were important themes throughout the book. I loved the relatable and well rounded characters and connected with Lara and Georgia. The atmosphere and settings were well done, adding intensity and tension to the story. Most obvious when Georgia and Lara navigate New Orleans during Katrina and later on the coast of New Zealand where Danny died.
If your are a fan of domestic suspense or family dramas I highly recommend this book! It really is beautifully written.
https://whimsicalyme.wordpress.com/2020/09/28/the-moon-is-missing-book-review/
Book Tour
Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours @ogden.jenni for my digital copy of The Moon is Missing to review.
The Moon is Missing is a domestic suspense novel about Dr. Georgia Grayson, a successful neurosurgeon, and her family living in London. Georgia is married to Adam and has two children, a son Finbar and a daughter Lara. Tragically, Lara’s biological father did before Lara was born.
A school assignment leads Lara to start questioning Georgia about her father. Who was he? How alike are they? Does Lara have other family members out in the world? Georgia struggles to answer these questions and the reader starts to see Georgia’s facade crack. There are aspects of Georgia’s relationship with Danny, Lara’s father, that remain shrouded in mystery. His death was deemed a tragic accident but why does Georgia have such broken memories regarding that time?
Georgia begins to experience conflict in almost every aspect of her life as she attempts to answer Lara’s questions and face whatever occurred on the night Danny died. After Georgia loses a patient in surgery even her job is in jeopardy. Panic attacks become a regular part of Georgia’s life and force her to take time off to address her issues with a therapist or risk losing her career.
Georgia ultimately decides the only way to uncover what happened the night Danny died was to revisit their relationship via the places they spent time together. Georgia and Danny met in New Orleans while Georgia was still a student. When Georgia is asked to return to the city for a medical conference she uses the opportunity to return and take Lara with her in hopes that they can locate some of Danny’s family in the area.
This is the point in the novel that just blew me away. Georgia and Lara end up stranded in New Orleans during Katrina. The author writes such detailed and vivid scenes that the reader feels immersed in the experience. Georgia offers her medial experience to assist at a local hospital and even utilizes Lara to help where she can. They ultimately locate part of Danny’s family and Georgia is able to gain more insight into Danny’s death.
It eventually becomes clear that Danny’s death was in fact a tragic accident but secrets, lies, and miscommunication divided the families. Georgia’s memories during this period were so fragile because of the guilt she carried and the trauma she experienced when she found Danny’s body. Following his death, Georgia spent months in a mental health facility essentially cutting her off from the details surrounding Danny’s death.
I loved the way the author handled important social issues with grace and compassion. Mental health, familial relationships, and forgiveness were important themes throughout the book. I loved the relatable and well rounded characters and connected with Lara and Georgia. The atmosphere and settings were well done, adding intensity and tension to the story. Most obvious when Georgia and Lara navigate New Orleans during Katrina and later on the coast of New Zealand where Danny died.
If your are a fan of domestic suspense or family dramas I highly recommend this book! It really is beautifully written.
https://whimsicalyme.wordpress.com/2020/09/28/the-moon-is-missing-book-review/
crolovr's review
4.0
Georgia is a London neurosurgeon on her way to becoming the Director of Neurosurgery when she suffers a panic and anxiety attack. She is removed from doing surgeries. Georgia goes to a therapist to discuss the missing pieces of her memory of the night her boyfriend Danny died.
Lara is Georgia's 16 year old daughter and comes home questioning Who Am I? She wants to know about her father Danny who died before she was born.
Georgia and Lara travel to Danny's hometown of New Orleans in search of Danny's relatives. Little did they know that hurricane Katrina is about to hit causing the worst devastation ever in New Orleans. Will Georgia recover from her panic attacks? Will Lara find her answers of who she is? Will they survive Katrina? You have to read this fast paced story to find out!
This book takes place between London, New Orleans and New Zealand. The story goes between present and past. It deals with anxiety, mother daughter relationships, coming of age, communication and family. I love the way the author describes hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans and the way healthcare professionals helped the injured during this difficult situation. I highly recommend this book. Thank you @ogden.jenni , @suzyapprovedbooktours and @seadragonpress for this ebook. This is my honest review.
Lara is Georgia's 16 year old daughter and comes home questioning Who Am I? She wants to know about her father Danny who died before she was born.
Georgia and Lara travel to Danny's hometown of New Orleans in search of Danny's relatives. Little did they know that hurricane Katrina is about to hit causing the worst devastation ever in New Orleans. Will Georgia recover from her panic attacks? Will Lara find her answers of who she is? Will they survive Katrina? You have to read this fast paced story to find out!
This book takes place between London, New Orleans and New Zealand. The story goes between present and past. It deals with anxiety, mother daughter relationships, coming of age, communication and family. I love the way the author describes hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans and the way healthcare professionals helped the injured during this difficult situation. I highly recommend this book. Thank you @ogden.jenni , @suzyapprovedbooktours and @seadragonpress for this ebook. This is my honest review.
mariasmusings's review against another edition
5.0
‘The Moon is Missing’ is a beautifully written novel by Jenni Ogden that centers around the family of Georgia Grayson and her battle to recall her missing memories. Georgia has two conflicting roles in life: to being a high performing, faultless neurosurgeon and a wife and mother. Unfortunately after years of striving to combing both lives, she is realising that the conflict is becoming overpowering and her occasional anxiety attacks more frequent. The situation is not helped when her daughter Lara begins to ask questions about her biological father Danny, who died before she was born. Georgia has suppressed all memories of Danny’s death and their relationship. Now, in order to save their relationship with her daughter and her marriage, Georgia is forced to face her past. The story sweeps from London to New Orleans, during the horrific hurricane of Katrina in 2005 to New Zealand, where the truth if finally confronted.
Odgen does not spare her characters any blushes and chooses to show both their failures and strengths. The characters are less one dimensional and more fleshed out as a result; thus allowing the reader to feel a greater understanding and sense of sympathy for the character.
The beauty of the novel is in the portrayal of the relationship between mother and daughter. How they learn to talk to each other and address their individual mental health issues, while negotiating the terrible situations around them. Rather true to life for many I’m sure, as they struggled to come to terms with the reality of life post-Katrina.
Odgen does not spare her characters any blushes and chooses to show both their failures and strengths. The characters are less one dimensional and more fleshed out as a result; thus allowing the reader to feel a greater understanding and sense of sympathy for the character.
The beauty of the novel is in the portrayal of the relationship between mother and daughter. How they learn to talk to each other and address their individual mental health issues, while negotiating the terrible situations around them. Rather true to life for many I’m sure, as they struggled to come to terms with the reality of life post-Katrina.
shelleyann01's review
4.0
If I can mend a brain, how hard can it be to heal the hole in my heart?
This story is wonderfully written. The Moon is Missing is a story of family, lessons learned, love and forgiveness.....especially forgiveness of ones self. There are also some secrets thrown in for good measure. I loved this story and I really loved the different locations of the book.
For me this was an enthralling escape into a beautifully written story. It made me realize that the journey for each of us is unique. I absolutely loved this book including the stunning cover. It gave me feelings from heartbreak to cheering for Georgia as she struggles with her decisions. Jenni Ogden has such an amazing talent for tapping into the readers' emotions, creating excitement to read the next page. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting a book that will keep you captivated and will echo in your mind well after you have turned the last page.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sea Dragon Press and I also want to thank Jenni Ogden for the copy of this intriguing and intricately written book. I am very honoured for the opportunity to have read it. I really loved it. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#TheMoonIsMissing #NetGalley
elvang's review
4.0
Secrets and Lies
I enjoyed Ogden’s A Drop in the Ocean and was excited to pick up this novel featuring a neurosurgeon in London forced to take a leave from her practice thanks to panic attacks related to events from her past. Her teenage daughter Lara wants to know about her birth father Danny, a blues singer from New Orleans who died before she was born. When Georgia is offered the chance to attend a neurosurgery conference in New Orleans she decides to take Lara with her hoping they might find some answers for Lara and some memories of her relationship with Danny. They arrive four days before Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans.
The opening chapters of this novel are interesting and necessary but I found them to be the most challenging to read. Georgia and her husband Adam, kids Lara and Finbar are leading busy lives in London. Georgia is struggling between her desire to take over as head of Neurosurgery and being present with her family. Her husband has been picking up the slack on her long days at the office and their relationship is straining. There is a lot of navel gazing and I found I was getting frustrated with Georgia and her issues which seems to be in a continuous loop of anxiety, uncertainty and regret.
Jump to their visit to New Orleans and the story springs to life. I’ve not read many stories featuring characters involved in such a devastating event as Hurricane Katrina and the author had me turning pages and fully engaged.. Hooray for authors who do their research. Georgia’s search for memories of what happened when Danny died eventually sends her back to a remote island off the coast of New Zealand. I was engaged and entertained wanting to understand all that Georgia had gone through as badly as she did.
This was an interesting look at the challenges faced by professional women everywhere, that fine balance between work and homelife. It also deals with family secrets and traumas which can affect even the strongest of men and women. Ogden writes with confidence and her books make for entertaining reads.
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
I enjoyed Ogden’s A Drop in the Ocean and was excited to pick up this novel featuring a neurosurgeon in London forced to take a leave from her practice thanks to panic attacks related to events from her past. Her teenage daughter Lara wants to know about her birth father Danny, a blues singer from New Orleans who died before she was born. When Georgia is offered the chance to attend a neurosurgery conference in New Orleans she decides to take Lara with her hoping they might find some answers for Lara and some memories of her relationship with Danny. They arrive four days before Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans.
The opening chapters of this novel are interesting and necessary but I found them to be the most challenging to read. Georgia and her husband Adam, kids Lara and Finbar are leading busy lives in London. Georgia is struggling between her desire to take over as head of Neurosurgery and being present with her family. Her husband has been picking up the slack on her long days at the office and their relationship is straining. There is a lot of navel gazing and I found I was getting frustrated with Georgia and her issues which seems to be in a continuous loop of anxiety, uncertainty and regret.
Jump to their visit to New Orleans and the story springs to life. I’ve not read many stories featuring characters involved in such a devastating event as Hurricane Katrina and the author had me turning pages and fully engaged.. Hooray for authors who do their research. Georgia’s search for memories of what happened when Danny died eventually sends her back to a remote island off the coast of New Zealand. I was engaged and entertained wanting to understand all that Georgia had gone through as badly as she did.
This was an interesting look at the challenges faced by professional women everywhere, that fine balance between work and homelife. It also deals with family secrets and traumas which can affect even the strongest of men and women. Ogden writes with confidence and her books make for entertaining reads.
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
coffeedogsbooks's review
4.0
The Moon is Missing by Jenni Ogden This is Jenni Ogden’s second novel, although I admit I have not read the first but after reading this I plan on adding it to my list. Georgia is currently in London on track to be he first female director of Neurosurgery until an incident during surgery leaves her unable to control her panic attacks (related to the death of an old boyfriend and her daughter’s father) and she is put on leave and required to attend counseling. Meanwhile, she suspects her husband of having an affair and her daughter is having her own issues as well, including increasing demands to know more about her father. Problem is Georgia cant remember what happened the night Danny died. As Lara’s demands for information grow, Georgia has an opportunity to go to a conference, bringing her and Lara to New Orleans to also try and get some information on Danny and what happened. Unfortunately as they are there Katrina hits and some of the most powerful scenes in the book occur. Moving from the present to the past to try and solve the mystery of Danny’s death, this is a book that brings on many emotions and can show how family dysfunction and mother/wife dealing with anxiety try an cope and solve the mysteries of the past. There are some great locations featured as well. This is one that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of family dramas with a touch f mystery involved.
Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Jenny Ogden, and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.
4/5
Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Jenny Ogden, and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.
4/5
bookish_heidi's review
4.0
This is a beautiful tale about how the mind works in mysterious ways. It is told from Georgia's point of view and tells of her journey through panic attacks and therapy. It portrays just how important mental health is and I related to Georgia in so many ways.
Georgia is one of the top neurosurgeons at her hospital. She's been working tons of overtime to cover for the Director who has been out on sick leave. She's hoping to take his position eventually. Then in walks a patient who looks like her daughters father who passed away 16 years ago and she starts having panic attacks.
The painful journey through therapy is enough to make Georgia crazy. She's pushed her family away, can't perform surgeries, nothing. Her life is basically on hold until she can work through her problems and get her panic attacks under control. But it's hard and she isn't sure she actually wants the answers. What will she find at the end of this journey and will she lose herself in the process?
Absolutely beautiful story! I can't recommend it enough!
Georgia is one of the top neurosurgeons at her hospital. She's been working tons of overtime to cover for the Director who has been out on sick leave. She's hoping to take his position eventually. Then in walks a patient who looks like her daughters father who passed away 16 years ago and she starts having panic attacks.
The painful journey through therapy is enough to make Georgia crazy. She's pushed her family away, can't perform surgeries, nothing. Her life is basically on hold until she can work through her problems and get her panic attacks under control. But it's hard and she isn't sure she actually wants the answers. What will she find at the end of this journey and will she lose herself in the process?
Absolutely beautiful story! I can't recommend it enough!
thenarrative's review
4.0
The Moon Is Missing By Jenni Ogden
Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars
Publication Date: 8/25/2020
** Thank you to Netgalley, Sea Dragon Press, and of course, Jenni Ogden, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start this review off by saying - I LOVED A Drop In The Ocean. Jenni Ogden has a way with words to draw me into her writing and stories. I am a huge fan. When I got the chance to review The Moon Is Missing, I jumped on it!
Moon focuses on Georgia Grayson, a neurosurgeon in London who is expected to become the first female director of her office. She is the mother of Lara and Finbar with her husband, Adam. Lara comes home with a school assignment which leads to questions about her biological father. Danny is a musician from New Orleans, Louisiana who has died. With the opportunity of a medical conference, Lara and Georgia head to New Orleans, only to be welcomed with the force of Hurricane Katrina.
The core theme of Moon is family, however, the novel also focuses on mental health issues - specifically anxiety and the transition to panic attacks. We see Lara and Georgia at their worst. Their characters are written PERFECTLY. I found them all so relatable, along with all of the characters.
Being able to read about Katrina from a first-person perspective truly fascinated me. It made me feel connected to those who dealt with the tragedy.
This book is highly recommended by me. I honestly believe it to be one of my favorites from 2020!
Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars
Publication Date: 8/25/2020
** Thank you to Netgalley, Sea Dragon Press, and of course, Jenni Ogden, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start this review off by saying - I LOVED A Drop In The Ocean. Jenni Ogden has a way with words to draw me into her writing and stories. I am a huge fan. When I got the chance to review The Moon Is Missing, I jumped on it!
Moon focuses on Georgia Grayson, a neurosurgeon in London who is expected to become the first female director of her office. She is the mother of Lara and Finbar with her husband, Adam. Lara comes home with a school assignment which leads to questions about her biological father. Danny is a musician from New Orleans, Louisiana who has died. With the opportunity of a medical conference, Lara and Georgia head to New Orleans, only to be welcomed with the force of Hurricane Katrina.
The core theme of Moon is family, however, the novel also focuses on mental health issues - specifically anxiety and the transition to panic attacks. We see Lara and Georgia at their worst. Their characters are written PERFECTLY. I found them all so relatable, along with all of the characters.
Being able to read about Katrina from a first-person perspective truly fascinated me. It made me feel connected to those who dealt with the tragedy.
This book is highly recommended by me. I honestly believe it to be one of my favorites from 2020!