Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

75 reviews

shar5792's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Child death and Drug abuse

allisonwatt89's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Murder

coveredinivy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence

savergano's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Grief, and Car accident

cherricherrain's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Child death, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

chelbelle122's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wow.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

cloudwalkerbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

aprescriptiontoread's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I had no idea what HIDDEN PICTURES was about before I started. I got a little nervous when I realized there was a creepy kid (not my favorite trope), but I’m so glad I stuck with the story. I was able to read it in a day. I didn’t want to put it down. It has a unique point of view (there are actually drawings in the book that are clues). There is what seems like an unreliable narrator, but unlike many others in the genre you find yourself trusting her versus assuming she’s missing something. Only reason I didn’t go full five stars was for a romance plot that didn’t feel necessary. I’m excited to read more by Rekulak. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Kidnapping

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Infertility, Car accident, and Death of parent

fairytalefootnotes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes, etc: Haunted, Child Sees Things, Recovering Addict FMC

POV: Single, 1st Person

Cliffhanger?: No

Brief Summary: Recovering addict Mallory is looking for a new start after rehab and is thrilled when the Maxwell family hires her as a live-in babysitter for their son Teddy. Things are going great until Teddy begins to draw unsettling pictures dictated to him by his “imaginary friend.”

The Praise: I really enjoyed this! Mallory was a really great character and was easy to root for. Teddy was so cute and I loved the relationship Teddy developed with Mallory. The story in general was unique and surprisingly sweet at times. I also really liked the fact that Mallory’s story was so real. She wasn’t a troublemaker or from a bad home or anything people usually assume about people suffering from addiction, she was a promising student athlete whose life was upended by an injury and guilt. It was refreshing to see.

The audiobook narrator did a great job as well!

The Critique: I can’t really think of anything I really disliked about the book!

Final Thoughts: This was creepy, twisty, and surprisingly sweet. A really great read!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Infertility

syreetam's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting