I used to love hide and seek when I was a kid. Like, seriously love it. I think it was a cross between being an only child who had parents who would humor her, and being intensely competitive even at a young age. So books based on competitions are a trope I buy into.

Just the basic premise of this book really worked for me. I knew going into it that it was a horror novel and that there would probably be some twist to the game, but I wasn’t expecting it to be the kind of twist it was. It was like if the movies Godzilla and Get Out had a baby who loved ancient Greek myths. The lead up to the reveal of what was picking off the contestants one at a time had me at the edge of my seat.

The social commentary, unfortunately, was heavy handed.
Clearly, Kiersten White is not a fan of boomers. While all the contestants fell squarely in the Millennial or Gen Z camp, all the “bad guys” seemed to be over the age of 65. And they all didn’t care about the contestants because “young people these days”. Insert a little racism and classism and you’ve got a Jordan Peele movie without the finesse. It all felt heavy handed, and there didn’t seem to be any nuance. The worst part was that some of the contestants were all the stereotypes that the boomers were complaining about, so the message got a little confusing. Many of them were attached to their devices, or self centered, or both.

This could have been an easy 4 or 5 star book if these sections had been handled with a lighter touch, or if they hadn’t been handled at all. I’m not saying I necessarily disagree with a lot of what White was saying either…it just felt really out of place and made it very clear that she had a message she wanted to relay to the reader. As a reader, though, I just wanted more scares, more blood, more hide and seek.

I had a decent enough time listening to this, and didn't think too hard about the backstory. The story certainly takes a turn from the description on the jacket, and that means the right readers may not be gravitating to reading this title.

For some reason, I forgot this is NOT a YA book, but it was pretty obvious right away. When the bodies begin to drop, there is a looming horror that is palpable, the setting is creepy and the whole scenario of 14 stranger dropped in an abandoned park is sus from the beginning. There were parts that triggered me, but overall, this is a good Horror book, Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Hide is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. THE thriller of 2022! The concept is high-stakes hide and seek competition at an abandoned amusement park. The prize for the winner is an astronomical amount of money. Only the stakes are higher than anyone expected when competitors begin disappearing and it becomes a race for survival. This was one exciting ride! The characters are well-developed for there being so many. Fans of Squid Game or anyone looking for a more horror The Hunger Games will be thrilled with Hide. Highly recommended!

Hide is an entertaining read about a Hunger Games style Hide and Seek contest set in a long abandoned, overgrown amusement park where 14 contestants compete for $50,000. The contestants are seemingly chosen randomly and all are desperate in some way and want to win the large scale contest. The story focuses on all 14 characters so it can be difficult to keep them straight, but they do have distinctly different backstories which helps. It starts off slowly, but really picks up speed once they're in the park and we slowly realize what is going on. I enjoyed this novel and it would make a perfect summer read as it moves quickly.

Thank you Random House / Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Wow. WOW, WOW!!!! This book kick butt!! It has me from the beginning all the way to the end. Great ending, characters, plot, and setting. I am looking forward to reading more books from this author. Thank you for allowing me to read this book ahead of time.

As the author's first foray into the adult genre, this book was underwhelming and flat:

1. Plot? What plot? There was none.
2. Strange writing choices with abrupt and unneeded 3rd person POVs
3. Terrible world-building and slow pacing to boot

I just never felt invested in the story or its characters.

Unfortunately, this was not it for me. I felt misled by the synopsis and I think I was just expecting something completely different than what was delivered.

Having read from Kiersten White in the past, I was so excited to see she was coming out with an adult, hide-and-seek thriller. Unfortunately, Hide didn’t quite live up to what I was expecting.

We’re following a group of about 14 people who are entered in a hide-and-seek competition taking place in an abandoned amusement park. As the days progress, the stakes get higher and by the end of the game, it may become a life or death situation.

Hide had a promising premise but I thought the execution could’ve used a little work. Although the characters are described as being older and the book is marketed as adult, i felt they behaved more like teenagers? Something about the writing just made the book feel more like a young adult novel. Also, I thought the characters could’ve used a bit more development. That being said, I did enjoy how fast paced and quick the story went by.
All and all, not a new favorite, but still fun!

This is not my typical type of read but I freaking LOVED this story. I inhaled it.

There are seemingly a lot of characters to keep track of in the beginning, but (mild spoiler but not really) the hilarious thing is that not even the MCs kept track so don't kill yourself trying to keep everyone sorted. Just keep reading. Don't be intimidated. You'll be okay.

I think most of the reader quibbles I've read about this book are valid- there are plot holes, elements of the story are ridiculous (OF COURSE THEY ARE! It's a reality-competition-ish set in an abandoned theme park with a maze and some weird supernatural stuff WHAT DID ANY OF US EXPECT?! Dickens?!?!), and the social commentary can be a bit heavy-handed. I didn't mind any of that.

What can I say? This book got to me at the exact right moment. I loved it. It's cuckoo in the most entertaining way. I even loved the absurd ending.

Maybe brush up on Minotaur mythology before reading? IDK you'll probably either love or hate this book but I'll recommend it for sure,

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the review copy!

*3.5 Stars*


I’m a huge fan of a few of White’s books, specifically The Conqueror’s Saga and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, so I was very excited to see that she was coming out with an adult horror book. The creepy cover paired with the book description, a hide-and-seek contest in an abandoned amusement park, instantly piqued my interest.

Hide gave me screenplay vibes, the story played out in my mind like a teen horror movie. Actually, if this book were turned into a movie, I’d choose M. Night Shyamalan as the director. The way in which White draws out the suspense and tension reminded me of Shyamalan’s films.

Hide is quick paced and action packed, making for a compulsively readable book. As White slowly reveals the sinister details, I kept turning the pages to find out what was really going on.
Hide felt more YA than adult, which isn’t a criticism. I feel like this will appeal to a YA or new adult audience.

A common criticism of Hide is the large cast of characters, however this did not bother me in the slightest. Actually, I thought White did a good job juggling all the characters. While only a handful of characters are significant, I didn’t have issues keeping the other characters straight. These side characters are not central to the story, so I didn’t mind the fact that we only get glimpses of who they are.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this story. I do think the story was a bit surface level, which is disappointing as I know what White is capable of. I was left wanting more.

I highly encourage you to read the author’s note at the end of this story. White goes into her inspiration for this book and the timely social message of Hide.

Big thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I highly recommend this author to everyone!

I had higher than high hopes for this book. I have immensely enjoyed Kiersten White’s writing before and I’m a sucker for a horror novel, especially one involving an amusement park. This book unfortunately fell a little flat for me and didn’t give me the thrills and chills I was hoping for.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are…”
Fourteen competitors are playing the ultimate game of hide and seek, spending a week in an abandoned amusement park and hoping they’re not the first one to be found. They have no idea who or how many are seeking them, they just need to be hidden everyday from sun up to sun down. But then the game starts to become more sinister, people are disappearing everyday and the competitors start to wonder WHAT it is they’re actually hiding from.

If anyone knows me, you know I love me an unreliable narrator. Or in the case of this book, multiple unreliable narrators as the book was told from multiple perspectives and was also written in third-person. And maybe that’s what was throwing me off with this book a little was not reading directly from those perspectives themselves, instead it was told to me from their perspective. Granted that did help me not get confused on who was speaking but I think I would have preferred to view it through their eyes instead of like a commentary.

Another thing that I didn’t really like about this book was it wasn’t THAT scary. I know that opinion is to each their own but if you’re going to hand me something marketed as a supernatural thriller I would like to be spooked, and I wasn’t. There were a few times things got a little chilling especially up to the reveal of who the monster really is that had me waiting with bated breath but then I lost interest about halfway through the book.

I will say, the ending is what tied the book up for me and is the reason I’m not giving this book a lower rating. I was flying through the end of it and it was exactly the type of revenge story I wanted to happen.

All in all, not a bad book but I feel it could have been a little more scary (again, to each their own) but overall still a decent read. I have always enjoyed the author’s works and will continue to read them in the future.

*Many thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the gifted copy for my honest review*

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I was expecting a horror/thriller and think this missed the mark. I was bored by most of it and found each “day” to be repetitive. The ending was a little too far out there for me.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

// Content warnings: child abuse, suicide, murder, murder of a child, attempted murder, gore //

Please educate yourself on the content warnings for this novel before reading, as I may have missed some in my review.

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// Quick Statistics //
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars

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// Quick Review //
A brilliantly written horror novel that kept me interested from start to finish. Hide exhibits a broad and unique cast of characters, each trying their best to survive the horrifying circumstances they unknowingly introduced themselves to.

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// Other Information //
Publisher: Del Rey
Page Count: 256 pages
Release Date: May 24, 2022
Series: None (that I am aware of)
Tags: Fiction, Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Suspense, Horror, Paranormal

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// Review //
Wow.

I don’t even know where to start with this novel. It has been so long since I was so involved in a book that I was sad to see it end, and even longer since I have read a breathtaking yet horrifying book. Hide is a truly excellent and distinctive book, one that I’m sure will stick with me for the near future.

I had hardly any issues with Hide and flew through the book at an amazing speed (for me, anyway). The plot was fast-moving but filled with mystery and terror. I spent the novel wondering about the new discoveries being made by the characters throughout the story. The plot came together beautifully and is truly a masterpiece. Hide was reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Winterset Hollow in its game of survival. However, it stands out when it comes to its memorable and lovable characters, chilling setting, and horror.

The story takes place in an abandoned amusement park where 14 characters are meant to hide for 7 days in order to win 50,000 dollars. Run down, haunted, and hiding deadly secrets, the amusement park seems like a hopeful opportunity until day by day Mack, Ava, LeGrand, and Brandon notice something is amiss. Their discovery of secrets reveals that they were not brought to Asterion—the home of this twisted game—to get a second chance. Rather, they were brought here to die at the hands of a devilish monster summoned here in generations past to protect Asterion.

I felt like I could truly connect to the vibrant cast of characters that Kiersten White created. Despite having 14+ characters introduced almost all at once, it was not hard for me to recognize them all through the frequent POV changes in the novel. The evolution of relationships in Hide added so much to the plot; it raised the stakes. With realistic characters in an unfamiliar landscape and situation, White created an absolutely genius progression of fear.

I have never wanted to see a book as a movie as much as I want this one to be. I can just imagine how terrified I would be while seeing Hide on a screen. Kiersten White’s writing style, too, is beautiful and perfectly fits the feel of this book. The way the author explores the character’s trauma while incorporating it into the plot was fascinating and made me admire the characters even more. ‘

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to check out more of White’s works.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy.. DNFed. This read like YA even though it's an adult book. Just wasn't enjoying it.

Super creepy. Loved the whole locked Room but in an old derelict amusement park setting. I had a little trouble keeping track of who's who with the huge cast of characters in the beginning, but as the story progressed, that became less and less of an issue. Well developed plot with good character development and excellent tension building throughout. Strong foreshadowing that didn't give up the mystery, but gave you just enough clues to keep you reading straight through. Headed for a strong 4+ stars, but I was disappointed in the very end - this might just be my personal preference though and some people will probably love the ending. Strong 3.5 stars from me.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book never gets to the point. There were way too many characters. Then a love story got thrown in for no reason. I got confused a lot of times about what was happening. Just because it cussses, doesn't make it interesting. And the ending was weak and dumb.

**3.5 Stars**
This was not horror, in my opinion. It had action, and some gore, and a few stressful encounters, but I would not call it horror. I am sure there are a lot of types of horror, but to me, it is something that elevated your heart rate, you feel scared or jumpy, you are terrified of what the next page will reveal... none of that happened here. Instead this was a little bit drama, a little bit science fiction and a little bit action.

The plot of the book is a Hide & Seek tournament with 14 players in an abandoned amusement park and 2 contestants get eliminated per day for 1 week. The book is narrated by pretty much every single character in the Hide & Seek tournament (which if someone invited me to participate in the answer will always be no, just saying). The author switches point of view rapidly with sometimes no transitions which at times was a little off putting since I had to sit and think as to who I was shadowing and what was going on. The ending was the absolute best part of the book and that is all I will say about that since no spoilers here, but just you wait for the last few chapters!

The only reason that this is getting 2 stars instead of 1 is because I could see the symbolism without knowing this book was a commentary on the current state of the world. There were a few times I wondered "Hmmm... I wonder if this author is trying to say that or if I'm just reading too deep?" It wasn't until I got to the acknowledgments that I realized that those things were intentional. I liked that.

Unfortunately, as for the book itself, it's a major miss for me. The characters weren't developed at all so you don't feel anything for a single one of them, how the beast was formed remains a mystery, and the overall book felt like a giant lead up to nothing. I suppose in a way that's the point - the world we live in just continues on the way it always has with others paying the cost for the few to live well. However, allegory or not, I personally need a fictional human-eating circus-dwelling beast to have a bit of an explanation.

It's a shame because this really could have been something special. There's potential in here for an impactful story, but it unfortunately felt rushed and underdeveloped.