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ellaticonstellation's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
katelynprice's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I could not stop reading this book and made my husband stay up late with me so I could finish it. 😂 The pacing was well done, and I actually got chills in a few different scenes. There are a few details that keep me from giving it a full 5 stars, but overall it was a fun and wild ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Racism
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
While the mystery kept me guessing! Which is good but it just wasn't as enjoyable as I'd hoped it would be. I got annoyed with the MC a lot. She was too impulsive and way too trusting for someone who'd lived that type of life. But it was still a good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I thought this book was good before it hit the plot twist. But once we got there OH MAN did it reel me in!! Usually I can fairly accurately predict the end of thrillers, but this one kept me guessing.
At first, it reminded me of Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. There are some similarities such as the nanny/babysitter and supernatural elements, but Rekulak made this a story all his own. Once you meet Mallory, Teddy, Caroline, and Ted, you’ll want to finish their story to the bitter end.
When we found out Teddy was a girl who had been kidnapped, my mind was BLOWN. I knew there was some sort of ghost/spirit involved, but I never would have guessed it was the dead mother. And it just keeps getting crazier after that when you find out about Caroline and Ted’s abduction story. I also like that the supernatural element wasn’t proven wrong but just added to the story as “anya” helped to kill Caroline and protect Mallory and Teddy at the end.
At first, it reminded me of Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. There are some similarities such as the nanny/babysitter and supernatural elements, but Rekulak made this a story all his own. Once you meet Mallory, Teddy, Caroline, and Ted, you’ll want to finish their story to the bitter end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
leebeeloves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
jesshart8's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Infertility, Violence, and Car accident
livvmarks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
julienicole1106's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
inkdrinkers's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have so many thoughts about this book so bare with me if you're reading this review. I'm going to organize them as best as humanly possible. I went into Hidden Pictures knowing nothing - I didn't know the plot, I didn't know the content warnings, and I didn't know the author.
There will be mild spoilers below.
Hidden Pictures is focused on Mallory Quinn, a recently recovered drug addict who lands a nanny job with an affluent family to watch their shy son, Teddy. After she takes the job she begins to realize that something strange is occurring around the house and in the cottage where she lives on the property. She then learns that there is a ghost story central to the cottage and an artist was murdered there.
Let be start by saying I love thrillers with a hint of paranormal. If you don't like this, this book is NOT for you. This book is not for anyone who likes thrillers to have a realistic and entirely human end.
Now that is out of the way: I really enjoyed the plot twists for what they were. I listened to the audiobook and had no idea that Teddy's illustrations are actually featured throughout the novel. I think this made it better because I could form my own opinions and imagine what in the hell was going on. When I was certain I understood where the story was going, it would pivot back to the supernatural element and make me question whether or not I was sure of my firm decision.
Heavy spoilers below, do not read if you don't want to be spoiled.
I recognized the warning signs early on with the hints dropped about Teddy's identity. I have to admit I was a little hesitant to jump to that because the paranormal element really made me question. Once the end of the book finally reveals Teddy is actually Flora and was kidnapped as a toddler, I wasn't sure what kind of ride I was about to end this book on.
I completely understand the comments by some that this book has its issues with racism, transphobia, and fatphobia/body shaming. But to me, all the characters felt very human. They were not individuals without flaws and each time any of the above were mentioned were in full awareness that the character mentioning them was unreliable, imperfect, and had many biases.
Racism: the background of the plot deals with a woman running away to marry a black man in the 1940s. She has a loving life with him, children, and it turns out she was never murdered in the cottage. Her racist brother made up the story so he didn't have to admit to his white friends that his sister ran off with a black man. The main character, Mallory, also has a relationship with Adrian, the rich son of a landscaping company owner who lives in the neighborhood and is Latino. The neighbor, Mitzi, makes racist comments about him but it's confirmed she is oftentimes using drugs and is an incredibly isolated individual (she watches only Fox News, has no relatives, and reads tarot cards for a living in her home for her job).
Transphobia: The Maxwell's child in the story is Teddy/Flora. For ease, I'm going to refer to them as they/them and Teddy in this section. I'll also provide as much context as I can for anyone reading this to make their own conclusions. Teddy was kidnapped by Caroline Maxwell as a toddler after Caroline decided she was tired of having infertility issues and wanted a child (out of boredom/grief). Teddy, born Flora, is then smuggled away from the scene of the crime (of their mother being murdered by Caroline) by Caroline dressing them up as a boy, cutting their hair, and then whisking them away to a farm in Virginia, where Caroline spends a year brainwashing Teddy into believing they are the Maxwell's child. I completely understand how some can view this entire plotline as transphobic, but there is never a single mention of anyone questioning Teddy's identity and Mallory makes a statement multiple times saying she doesn't care what identity Teddy uses, only that they're safe. Teddy is five at the beginning of the novel and six by the time the epilogue/one year later takes place where they are going by Flora and using she/her pronouns again. It's indicated that the entire plot of Teddy being forced to live as a boy was to hide them from the authorities and, in a very sick way, give the Maxwells the son they always wanted. I feel like I can't make a full comment on this, as I'm cis. The end chapter seems to indicate Teddy is just trying to exist and have a normal childhood after a very traumatic three years of being kidnapped, haunted by a ghost, and isolated.
(I will add that Harry Potter and JK Rowling are mentioned twice, quite randomly at the end?? Which threw me for a loop because the comments are very strange. In one, Mallory offers her copy of the Sorcerer's Stone for Caroline to read. The last reference is Mallory discussing that she's not a great writer and can't write a full book like "JK Rowling" - I took this to mean this was her baseline of "popular" authors because it's mentioned she doesn't read, she likes to watch Halmark movies, and she converted to Christianity after recovering from addiction. The entire novel is actually written as Mallory writing down the story of the haunting and crime for Teddy to read later)
Fatphobia/Body Shaming: It is presented to us that Mallory was a track star in high school and takes pride in her health now that she's been recovered for 19 months. In various character descriptions, if a character is fat they will almost always be referred to as lazy or neglectful. This WAS a hard thing to listen to over and over. Mallory's mother is only redeemed at the end after she loses weight and becomes a runner. Mitzi is old, fat, crazy, and a drug addict (according to many characters). There is a detective at the end that is mentioned to be plus size but she serves as a way to prove Mallory's innocence and no morality is assigned to her body type. I feel like I can comment on this, as a fat individua - and while grossly uncomfortable, it did give me a reason to dislike Mallory as a narrator and think she was unreliable because I didn't enjoy her line of thinking. It had me questioning if I was on her side truly or if she was making things up in her head.
Overall, I don't think I can give this five stars. I think it doesn't deserve that, though it was an incredibly wild read from start to finish. I think my only fair assessment is that it's a three star and truly middle of the road book that had really interesting moments and elements too clouded by a messy plot. I almost leaned towards a two star, but I really loved the supernatural element to the story, the kidnapping twist, and the unreliable characters from all sides. Overall it needed far more clarity from sensitivity readers and a fine toothed comb to help untangle the political, social, and economical commentaries on classicism, racism, and identity. As it stands, I have no idea what the true point of the novel was, nor any of the commentary that the author was trying to make.
There will be mild spoilers below.
Hidden Pictures is focused on Mallory Quinn, a recently recovered drug addict who lands a nanny job with an affluent family to watch their shy son, Teddy. After she takes the job she begins to realize that something strange is occurring around the house and in the cottage where she lives on the property. She then learns that there is a ghost story central to the cottage and an artist was murdered there.
Let be start by saying I love thrillers with a hint of paranormal. If you don't like this, this book is NOT for you. This book is not for anyone who likes thrillers to have a realistic and entirely human end.
Now that is out of the way: I really enjoyed the plot twists for what they were. I listened to the audiobook and had no idea that Teddy's illustrations are actually featured throughout the novel. I think this made it better because I could form my own opinions and imagine what in the hell was going on. When I was certain I understood where the story was going, it would pivot back to the supernatural element and make me question whether or not I was sure of my firm decision.
Heavy spoilers below, do not read if you don't want to be spoiled.
I completely understand the comments by some that this book has its issues with racism, transphobia, and fatphobia/body shaming. But to me, all the characters felt very human. They were not individuals without flaws and each time any of the above were mentioned were in full awareness that the character mentioning them was unreliable, imperfect, and had many biases.
Racism: the background of the plot deals with a woman running away to marry a black man in the 1940s. She has a loving life with him, children, and it turns out she was never murdered in the cottage. Her racist brother made up the story so he didn't have to admit to his white friends that his sister ran off with a black man. The main character, Mallory, also has a relationship with Adrian, the rich son of a landscaping company owner who lives in the neighborhood and is Latino. The neighbor, Mitzi, makes racist comments about him but it's confirmed she is oftentimes using drugs and is an incredibly isolated individual (she watches only Fox News, has no relatives, and reads tarot cards for a living in her home for her job).
Transphobia: The Maxwell's child in the story is Teddy/Flora. For ease, I'm going to refer to them as they/them and Teddy in this section. I'll also provide as much context as I can for anyone reading this to make their own conclusions. Teddy was kidnapped by Caroline Maxwell as a toddler after Caroline decided she was tired of having infertility issues and wanted a child (out of boredom/grief). Teddy, born Flora, is then smuggled away from the scene of the crime (of their mother being murdered by Caroline) by Caroline dressing them up as a boy, cutting their hair, and then whisking them away to a farm in Virginia, where Caroline spends a year brainwashing Teddy into believing they are the Maxwell's child. I completely understand how some can view this entire plotline as transphobic, but there is never a single mention of anyone questioning Teddy's identity and Mallory makes a statement multiple times saying she doesn't care what identity Teddy uses, only that they're safe. Teddy is five at the beginning of the novel and six by the time the epilogue/one year later takes place where they are going by Flora and using she/her pronouns again. It's indicated that the entire plot of Teddy being forced to live as a boy was to hide them from the authorities and, in a very sick way, give the Maxwells the son they always wanted. I feel like I can't make a full comment on this, as I'm cis. The end chapter seems to indicate Teddy is just trying to exist and have a normal childhood after a very traumatic three years of being kidnapped, haunted by a ghost, and isolated.
(I will add that Harry Potter and JK Rowling are mentioned twice, quite randomly at the end?? Which threw me for a loop because the comments are very strange. In one, Mallory offers her copy of the Sorcerer's Stone for Caroline to read. The last reference is Mallory discussing that she's not a great writer and can't write a full book like "JK Rowling" - I took this to mean this was her baseline of "popular" authors because it's mentioned she doesn't read, she likes to watch Halmark movies, and she converted to Christianity after recovering from addiction. The entire novel is actually written as Mallory writing down the story of the haunting and crime for Teddy to read later)
Fatphobia/Body Shaming: It is presented to us that Mallory was a track star in high school and takes pride in her health now that she's been recovered for 19 months. In various character descriptions, if a character is fat they will almost always be referred to as lazy or neglectful. This WAS a hard thing to listen to over and over. Mallory's mother is only redeemed at the end after she loses weight and becomes a runner. Mitzi is old, fat, crazy, and a drug addict (according to many characters). There is a detective at the end that is mentioned to be plus size but she serves as a way to prove Mallory's innocence and no morality is assigned to her body type. I feel like I can comment on this, as a fat individua - and while grossly uncomfortable, it did give me a reason to dislike Mallory as a narrator and think she was unreliable because I didn't enjoy her line of thinking. It had me questioning if I was on her side truly or if she was making things up in her head.
Overall, I don't think I can give this five stars. I think it doesn't deserve that, though it was an incredibly wild read from start to finish. I think my only fair assessment is that it's a three star and truly middle of the road book that had really interesting moments and elements too clouded by a messy plot. I almost leaned towards a two star, but I really loved the supernatural element to the story, the kidnapping twist, and the unreliable characters from all sides. Overall it needed far more clarity from sensitivity readers and a fine toothed comb to help untangle the political, social, and economical commentaries on classicism, racism, and identity. As it stands, I have no idea what the true point of the novel was, nor any of the commentary that the author was trying to make.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Infertility, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Gun violence
The only thing not mentioned in my review is that the husband, Ted, sexually harassed Mallory multiple times. I just don't have the energy to type out my thoughts on that sack of crap.blouviere4's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, Car accident, and Alcohol
Minor: Racism and Dementia