Reviews

Long Time Gone: A Novel by Hannah Martian

browniydgrl1's review

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4.0

Long Time Gone by Hannah Martian was a dual timeline missing persons/murder mystery with a heavy dose of personal trauma for our two main characters. Quinn's estranged aunt went missing, and the unaccounted-for aunt's ranch hand, out of desperation, contacted her to return to the ranch to help locate her. Quinn was sent away from the ranch 8 years prior without explanation, so she wasn't keen to return.
Hunter considered Cora family after she was taken in by her when hers were killed in an accident. Quinn became a private investigator after she was sent away, and so became Hunter's last hope of finding Cora.
Their lives are mysteriously intertwined with a cold case murder the small conservative town of Wonderland, WY, wanted everyone to forget about.
Enemies-to-loves (though I am not exactly sure why they were enemies), Quinn and Ice-queen Hunter, had to unravel these mysteries and struggle with their baggage as they bonded over their past and present experiences.
There are some heavy topics such as homophobia, child rejection, abandonment, shading dealings, excessive drinking, murder, death of a loved one, religious oppression, and childhood trauma. 
The passion between the two mains was palpable, although the actual spice was off page. It worked well. The twisting dual mysteries were engaging, and I didn't expect the ending. 
The bittersweet ending gave closure and hope for the future.
I enjoyed the writing style and alternating timelines. The present-day perspective was delivered from Quinn's (foul-mouthed) point of view and worked for me. 
Long Time Gone was an immersive, quick read. I was wrapped up in the story from beginning to end.
This felt like a debut novel with some of the pitfalls associated with that. There were some unanswered questions, etc. However, overall, I highly enjoyed it, and this author has tons of potential. I would absolutely sign up to read more from them.
#smalltown #conservativetown #Wyoming #enemie-to-lovers #traumabonding #dealthofalovedone #religiousoppression #homophobia #childrejection #abandonment #icequeen #excessivedrinking #dualtimeline #murder #ranchhand #privateinvestigator #bittersweetending #hometownreturn #city/rural #fishoutofwater #touchheranddie
I received this free ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

jessx87's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

artemis_91's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

thelesbianlibrary's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

cottagequeer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

karenc123's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

tetrootz's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

3.0

Wish we were older

molmal_books's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

crankyisgood's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

katrinahaines's review against another edition

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2.25

I would not call this book good. Also, really doesn't have a grasp of Wyoming geography. Like, you can't be an hour from the Utah border, 2.5 from Casper, 1.5-3 from Rock Springs, somehow east of Sweetwater county sheriff's department, and close enough to Cheyenne for a jaunt down to get ice cream at a restaurant.

Enjoyed the getting over family trauma and accepting oneself, I think. Also, the cycles of neglect and abuse are so real