Hello everyone!
I am back with another review, Hideaway by Nicole Lundrigan. Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this book for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
The story follows the Janes family - the mother Gloria, father Telly, and two children, seven-year-old Maisy and thirteen-year-old Rowan. On the outside, their family seems normal enough. But when Telly leaves, the rifts of the family are soon made visible. Gloria's manipulative affection reaches a breaking point and Rowan runs away. Outwardly, Gloria seems desperate to find her son but inward it is clear she has a plan set in motion to 'save' her family - a plan only she seems to understand.
Interestingly, the book is told from two perspectives - the two children, Maisy and Rowan. Each child has a distinctive voice and provides their own account of what is happening. I think Lundrigan did a really great job of writing their voices and creating a story from the lens of children. As a reader, you are able to see Gloria's manipulations and twisted affection in ways that the children, or at least, Maisy, cannot. That really adds to the suspense of the story - you are able to see what's going wrong but the narrators cannot.
In terms of how things panned out with Rowan's disappearance, I was shocked by the ending. Looking back on it now, I probably shouldn't be so surprised, but, in the moment, I was completely flabbergasted. I'm not sure if other readers will be as surprised as I was, but I still think it was well done nonetheless.
Overall, this was an amazing thriller and I highly recommend it!