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chapseachelsman's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-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
2.75
sarahrife85's review against another edition
4.0
Received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley!
Okay first of all CAN WE PLEASE STOP PUTTING THIS ON ALL BOOKS "For fans of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train.." that came out after Gone girl and Girl on the train !!! PLEASE! I can't tell you how much I hate reading that introduction to all the new books, Honestly Girl on the train wasn't even that damn good why would you compare your book to that!!!! And i honestly don't see how this book compares to Gone girl at all !? It's not even like the same type of suspense as Gone girl, This is more what the survivor goes through after release. IMO there is just too much hype to gone girl, usually when i read that introduction line comparing it to those two books I pass over the book altogether, maybe it's just me, It's just annoying.. Not to mention if you're going to compare this book to anything I would say it's more of a comparison to Room to anything, It could almost be the second book to Room, like what the survivor has to go through to mesh back with the real world, what their families have had to endure in their absence and with their return, how the media portrays their story, how they realize they need help, how they go about getting help, and What goes through the guilty person's head sitting in jail after.
[[I think it's a shame the comparison actually lowers the rating of the book because when people get done reading it, they end up mad it wasn't what was described. If your book is not good enough to have it's own description with no comparison to another book don't write it or don't put it out for others to read, you should be confident enough with your book that people will read it from the description itself, not just because you put a popular book title in your description! I understand they are trying to catch someones eye right away, but judging by the reviews I read it didn't work out in a good way!]]
With that said I am happy i did not skip over this book, The description (minus the comparing) dragged me into this book, I felt i owed it to Lily to read her story, I wanted to see how her life played out and read about her daughter. I almost hate to call it a "good book" because of what it's about and how horrible some of it was that happened to Lily and her family. But it was in fact a good book, very well written, I think the Author pretty much covered everything there was to go over. I think this story definitely could have ended in a way worse way, I was actually getting worried with what was about to happen before Abby stepped in and took things over, Thank god she did!! I don't think I would have liked this book anywhere near as much if she didn't step up. In a perfect life this is the way we could all end each others suffering!
Very quick read for me, I think only took me a little over 4 1/2 hours to read but I'm a pretty quick reader so maybe count on devoting a little more time than that, Maybe 6ish hours.
Okay first of all CAN WE PLEASE STOP PUTTING THIS ON ALL BOOKS "For fans of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train.." that came out after Gone girl and Girl on the train !!! PLEASE! I can't tell you how much I hate reading that introduction to all the new books, Honestly Girl on the train wasn't even that damn good why would you compare your book to that!!!! And i honestly don't see how this book compares to Gone girl at all !? It's not even like the same type of suspense as Gone girl, This is more what the survivor goes through after release. IMO there is just too much hype to gone girl, usually when i read that introduction line comparing it to those two books I pass over the book altogether, maybe it's just me, It's just annoying.. Not to mention if you're going to compare this book to anything I would say it's more of a comparison to Room to anything, It could almost be the second book to Room, like what the survivor has to go through to mesh back with the real world, what their families have had to endure in their absence and with their return, how the media portrays their story, how they realize they need help, how they go about getting help, and What goes through the guilty person's head sitting in jail after.
[[I think it's a shame the comparison actually lowers the rating of the book because when people get done reading it, they end up mad it wasn't what was described. If your book is not good enough to have it's own description with no comparison to another book don't write it or don't put it out for others to read, you should be confident enough with your book that people will read it from the description itself, not just because you put a popular book title in your description! I understand they are trying to catch someones eye right away, but judging by the reviews I read it didn't work out in a good way!]]
With that said I am happy i did not skip over this book, The description (minus the comparing) dragged me into this book, I felt i owed it to Lily to read her story, I wanted to see how her life played out and read about her daughter. I almost hate to call it a "good book" because of what it's about and how horrible some of it was that happened to Lily and her family. But it was in fact a good book, very well written, I think the Author pretty much covered everything there was to go over. I think this story definitely could have ended in a way worse way, I was actually getting worried with what was about to happen before Abby stepped in and took things over, Thank god she did!! I don't think I would have liked this book anywhere near as much if she didn't step up. In a perfect life this is the way we could all end each others suffering!
Very quick read for me, I think only took me a little over 4 1/2 hours to read but I'm a pretty quick reader so maybe count on devoting a little more time than that, Maybe 6ish hours.
noseinabookagain's review against another edition
1.0
Original and promising concept, just very poorly executed. Unrealistic, extremely surface deep and jumping from one thing to the next didn't help. More of a love story than what it actually claimed to be. I wouldn't read any other books by the author.
emma_jade91's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
tomaind's review against another edition
5.0
OMG! This book had me from page 1. A suspenseful and gripping story. A fictional story that is so true to life. After Jaycee Dugard and the girls from Cleveland, we know this could really happen. It makes me wonder how many others that have been missing or presumed dead, are actually living a life of Hell in captivity.
I liked how the chapters switched between different characters views of the situation as it unfolded. Lily suffered unimaginable acts by her captor and you realize that she is not the only victim of his sick and twisted ways. So many other people in her life are effected. Lives are changed, not for the better and it can be very hard to come back from the emotional and mental damage created by such a tragic event.
I was surprised by some of the outcomes as the story started to wrap up, but they continued the story going at a fast and interesting pace. I really enjoyed this author's debut novel and look forward to reading her future books.
I liked how the chapters switched between different characters views of the situation as it unfolded. Lily suffered unimaginable acts by her captor and you realize that she is not the only victim of his sick and twisted ways. So many other people in her life are effected. Lives are changed, not for the better and it can be very hard to come back from the emotional and mental damage created by such a tragic event.
I was surprised by some of the outcomes as the story started to wrap up, but they continued the story going at a fast and interesting pace. I really enjoyed this author's debut novel and look forward to reading her future books.
ksuazo94's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Confinement, Blood, Torture, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Rape, Grief, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, and Violence
lisa_butler79's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? No
5.0
Baby doll - Hollie Overton
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book has been on my shelves for ages. I've put off reading as I forgot what it was about and thought the cover was boring. Never judge a book by the cover. When my random spin app chose this book as my next read and I read the synopsis I was excited and this book did not disappoint.
This book drew me in from the first line and I couldn't stop reading. I had to devour each short chapter to find out what happened next whilst also taking a break from the shock value too.
Lily was kidnapped at the age of 16 and held hostage for 8 years. The story doesn't start here it starts with her escape and the repercussions for all involved. It's told from the point of view of multiple people not just Lily but her twin sister Abby, her mom Eve and even the man who kept her captive Rick.
It's a story of loss, love, survival and trauma. I experienced a huge number of emotions myself reading this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion of the family dynamics as each person finds a way to cope with the crime and its aftermath for all involved. The writing was powerful and emotive without ever being overly emotional and repetitive. I highly recommend this book for a thriller with a difference.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book has been on my shelves for ages. I've put off reading as I forgot what it was about and thought the cover was boring. Never judge a book by the cover. When my random spin app chose this book as my next read and I read the synopsis I was excited and this book did not disappoint.
This book drew me in from the first line and I couldn't stop reading. I had to devour each short chapter to find out what happened next whilst also taking a break from the shock value too.
Lily was kidnapped at the age of 16 and held hostage for 8 years. The story doesn't start here it starts with her escape and the repercussions for all involved. It's told from the point of view of multiple people not just Lily but her twin sister Abby, her mom Eve and even the man who kept her captive Rick.
It's a story of loss, love, survival and trauma. I experienced a huge number of emotions myself reading this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion of the family dynamics as each person finds a way to cope with the crime and its aftermath for all involved. The writing was powerful and emotive without ever being overly emotional and repetitive. I highly recommend this book for a thriller with a difference.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
alexblackreads's review against another edition
4.0
Okay wow I wanted this to be good, but this was a one sitting read. It had my heart racing in the first five pages and I was captivated. I really enjoyed this. Just thoroughly. Could not make myself put it down. It was dark and emotional. If I'm being honest, at times I did find the dialogue a bit unrealistic and the characters seemed melodramatic, but I didn't care while reading. When the story is good, everything else is just details.
The one thing that did bother me was how abortion was treated. Every time a character used the word murder or killed in the same sentence as abortion (which was quite often), I cringed. Especially when the mother was concerned her daughter's soul might be in danger if she got an abortion. It was entirely unnecessary to the story and just awful to read. But overall, I did still really enjoy this book despite that. It was enough to make me hesitant about picking up her future books, though. I might perhaps do more research on the author before immediately trying her second novel.
I'm loosely considering this a thriller, but it's more like an intense drama. I wouldn't disagree with calling this a thriller, but I did go in knowing it was more drama than thriller, and I think that helped my enjoyment.
The one thing that did bother me was how abortion was treated. Every time a character used the word murder or killed in the same sentence as abortion (which was quite often), I cringed. Especially when the mother was concerned her daughter's soul might be in danger if she got an abortion. It was entirely unnecessary to the story and just awful to read. But overall, I did still really enjoy this book despite that. It was enough to make me hesitant about picking up her future books, though. I might perhaps do more research on the author before immediately trying her second novel.
I'm loosely considering this a thriller, but it's more like an intense drama. I wouldn't disagree with calling this a thriller, but I did go in knowing it was more drama than thriller, and I think that helped my enjoyment.
findingthefantasticstory's review against another edition
5.0
Wow this was such a great listen! The audiobook was only 9hrs long but it was so fast paced. I was hooked from the start. I really cared for Lily and wanted her to survive. I like how we got the viewpoint of the kidnapped and it wasn’t a whodunnit as we already knew he was guilty. Seeing inside his mind was really disturbing. I knew something was going to happen in the end but I didn’t expect what actually happened! I loved it!!