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Hide by Kiersten White

71 reviews

mlf1021's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. Some of the twists were predictable but I was incredibly invested in the characters and the story.
It was also a super interesting premise and had some really cool world building as well.

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melitta's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.25

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krzzykitty92's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

An interesting read. I loved the tension and the environment. I enjoyed getting the different characters background story. There were a few parts that bothered me: the insta-friendship or love some of the characters had for each other, the lack of fully explaining the monster, the ending. However, White’s unique writing style kept me fully engaged and entertained.

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krissysbooked's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Sorry Del Ray... you sent me this one a while ago and I only just got around to reading it. In my defense, this is a fun horror suspense novel and we're about to enter Spooky season so I'm reading it at the right time of year!

We start the book following Mack, a homeless person, who is being offered an opportunity to win $50k by taking part in a competition. Money that would see her gaining monetary security that she hasn't had in a long time. She wants time to think about the offer but is ultimately guided (forced?) into it.

We pick up the story with Mack being transported on a bus to an undisclosed location with a group of 13 others - a mix of 'influencers' and others like her who have hidden and traumatic pasts. They soon start to figure each other out as they are introduced to the competition space where they have a base camp, some basic supplies, and no cell service. Their only objective is to hide each day between sunrise and sunset, two of them will be found and eliminated from the game each day.

We are then taken on a suspenseful joruney over the following days where Macks past is coming back to haunt her, we find the contestants have more in common than they think, and we find out that maybe (just maybe) this isn't actually a game after all. All set to the back drop of a creepy, overgrown, disused fairground... perfect!

Kiersten White has weaved an intriguing, suspenseful story, that kept me guessing and changing my mind right up to the end. A complex cast of characters had me judging all of them for different reasons and then realising how complex they each were. You can never truly judge a book by its cover.

There are characters that you will love, others that you will hate, and quite a few who fall into the in-between. There are stories of betrayal, friendship, and even love and the extent people will go to, to protect those they care about. Despite being a 'horror' story on the face of it, this story has it all and even if you aren't a horror fan I think you'll enjoy this one.

The ending was wrapped up nicely but with a sliver of hope for a sequel, and I'd love to see what happens next.

Verdict: A complex horror that is perfect for spooky season (despite being set in summer!).

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phantomgecko's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

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

4.5

I read it in as close to one sitting as I can manage in my life. I very much needed to know what happened next. What happened was along my expectations but still pleasantly surprisingly, if that makes sense.

There were a lot of characters, but even the shortlived ones had enough personality for all of them to be distinct characters. Some were meant to likable, others unlikable, but others still were open to either option. Or neither.

There were a lot of perspective shifts, which usually bothers me (especially multiple shifts within a single scene), but it fed the fast pace of the book. It also helped give dimension to so many people.

Mack's super upsetting backstory was an interesting facet of the story. Of all the motivations in the story, hers was the wildest to me. It made perfect sense, but woof. Like, you have "I am tired of being a door-to-door salesman" and even "I was banished from my polygamist cult" which feel solid and normal (ish). Then Mack's like, "Yeah hiding is kinda my thing (tm) because

my father slaughtered my family but not me because I was hiding well enough.

" I'm glad she had the breakthroughs she did in the book, but therapy would've been better, probably.

I resonated with the social commentary so I didn't mind it. For example, the book divided them into two groups: losers and hustlers, but really, they were all unhappy and unsuccessful. A fun reminder that we have more in common than we think. And then the extensive emphasis on what is or isn't hard work and what people do or don't deserve... (For real, multiple times, my husband has started a conversation this morning about current events, and I was like, "So I just read this book..."...)

Also, a faithful movie adaptation would be incredible.

A lot lot lot of language though, so that's not my favorite.

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jenc's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Pretty good collection of wheelhouse tropes that I can tell you about because they're spoilers. Also really good character explorations, some more meaningful and finished than others.

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