Since She's Been Gone by Sagit Schwartz

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Since She’s Been Gone Review ⭐⭐ (2/5 Stars) — So Many Details… So Little Payoff 😬

⚠️ Trigger Warnings

  • Eating disorders (anorexia, disordered eating)

  • Miscarriage

  • Addiction (opioids)

  • Death (including teen death)

  • Emotional abuse / manipulation

  • Kidnapping

🚨 Spoiler Warning: FULL Plot & Ending Below

If you’re here for the spoilers… you are absolutely in the right place 😏

📚 Book Overview

Since She’s Been Gone starts with a fantastic hook:

A Beverly Hills therapist, Dr. Beatrice Bennett, is told her mother—who supposedly died 26 years ago—is actually alive and in danger.

I mean… say less. I was IN. 🏃‍♀️💨

🤔 My Overall Thoughts

This book is the definition of:
👉 “I’m intrigued… but also… why is this so long?”

It definitely held my attention, but wow… the ratio of useful plot to unnecessary detail was rough.

The biggest issue?
👉 The anorexia subplot dominates the story—like, half the book—and barely connects to the central mystery.

By the end, I was less “shocked” and more like:
“Wait… THAT’S the big reveal??”

🧠 Detailed Plot Summary (FULL SPOILERS)

🧩 The Setup

Beatrice learns from a mysterious woman (later revealed as Cristina Cadell) that her mother Irene might still be alive.

Clues start piling up:

  • A Tiffany bracelet identical to her mom’s

  • The funeral was suspicious (no body 👀)

  • Irene had secrets… a LOT of them

Meanwhile, Beatrice is:

  • Revisiting her traumatic past with anorexia

  • Slipping back into disordered eating 😬

  • Investigating the powerful Cadell family and their company, TriCPharma

🧵 The Investigation (aka where things get… messy)

Beatrice uncovers:

  • Irene had ties to addiction circles in NYC

  • She testified against TriCPharma in 1997 💥

  • The Cadells are basically running a pharmaceutical crime syndicate

Then comes a BIG reveal:
👉 Irene had a baby with William Cadell Jr.

That baby:

  • Named Sally

  • Died from opioid withdrawal

  • Was essentially “patient zero” in the scandal

Which is horrifying… but also kind of buried under a mountain of other plot threads 😵‍💫

🚨 Kidnapping, FBI, Chaos

Because of course:

  • Beatrice gets kidnapped

  • Fake FBI agents show up

  • Real FBI agents show up

  • Everyone is lying except… maybe no one??

At this point I was just holding on like:
“Sure. Okay. Why not.” 😂

🧬 The Truth About Irene

Here’s the actual truth:

  • Irene faked her death to escape the Cadells

  • Beatrice’s father knew the whole time 😳

  • Irene has been hiding under a fake identity (Sally Beans)

Beatrice eventually finds her in California.

They reunite… briefly… and Irene basically says:
👉 “I had to leave to protect you. Bye again!”

And then just… disappears again. Cool cool cool.

💍 The Ending

  • TriCPharma collapses

  • The Cadells face justice (very conveniently)

  • Beatrice:

    • Marries Eddie 💒

    • Becomes a mother ❤️

    • Chooses recovery 🥹

Final moment:

  • Irene secretly appears in Rome

  • Leaves a bracelet for Beatrice’s daughter

  • Symbolically passes the torch

It’s meant to be emotional… but honestly?
It didn’t fully land for me.

😬 What Didn’t Work for Me

❌ Way Too Much Focus on Anorexia

This is the biggest issue.

Yes, it’s important to Beatrice’s character—but:

  • It takes up huge chunks of the book

  • Repeats similar beats over and over

  • Doesn’t meaningfully impact the central mystery

It felt like reading two separate books awkwardly stitched together

❌ Overcomplicated, Underwhelming Mystery

  • Pharma conspiracy? Interesting.

  • Secret baby? Juicy.

  • Fake death? Love it.

But somehow…
👉 it all comes together in a way that feels surprisingly flat

❌ Too Many Threads, Not Enough Payoff

There’s SO much going on:

  • Eating disorder recovery

  • Romance

  • FBI thriller

  • Family secrets

  • Corporate crime

And instead of feeling layered… it just feels crowded

👍 What I Did Like

  • The initial premise is genuinely gripping

  • Some twists are intriguing in the moment

  • Beatrice’s emotional journey had potential

📉 Final Verdict

This had all the ingredients of a 5-star thriller…

But somewhere along the way, it got buried under:
👉 unnecessary detail
👉 uneven pacing
👉 and a mystery that just didn’t hit hard enough

⭐ 2 stars — interesting, but ultimately disappointing

📚 If You Wanted Something Similar (But Better 👀)

Try these instead:

  • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

  • Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

  • The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

  • Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

  • The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

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