At sixteen Lily has everything going for her, a budding athlete, a relationship with a great guy called Wes and a close relationship with her twin sister Abby, that is until the day she is kidnapped. Lily spends seven years held captive by a man who is physically and mentally abusive, testing her to her limits. He makes a mistake one night and forgets to lock the door of the cellar where he is keeping her and their daughter Sky, seeing her chance Lily escapes and returns home, can she rebuild her life in the wake of everything that has happened and are her family broken beyond recognition?

I really enjoyed this book, it does suffer from mismarketing again being blurbed as "for fans of Gone Girl" although it is nothing like that story at all and I feel it does this book a disservice marketing it that way, it's something I have seen more and more lately and wish it would stop. However that aside I felt this was a very enjoyable book, for me it was fast paced and I didn't want to put it down, the book is told from multiple points of views which is always something I enjoy and feel like it pulled me through the story quicker. I was on the edge of my seat throughout especially during Rick's chapters as we watched his manipulation unfold. I felt there were lots of layers to this book and I really felt for Lily's family and all they had been through, I felt the author did a good job of showing how the grief of Lily disappearing that an impact on all her family, oh and there was a twist I did not see coming at all (gasp out loud moment).

This book is full of tension and emotion and I would highly recommend it.

Excellent, intriguing and gripping from the start highly recommended.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It threw me at the beginning when It started with a young girl who had been held captive for 8 years in one room. I kind of thought it might have built up to this towards the end, but it was brilliantly done, and helps captivate you from the word go.

The book starts with her finally escaping, finally getting out of the hell she has been in over an 8 year period. 
​She realises one day that her captor has made a mistake, and she knows he doesn't do this, is it a trap? Either way she is forced to try, to give it her all, to finally get out of this place. 

After being mentally and physically abused every day since you were sixteen years old. Now 8 years later and you are out of that one room. What does life hold in store for you? How much has changed in those 8 years?

​Life will never be as it once was, and the story takes you on a journey, a journey of survival. How things have changed, not just with you as a person but with your whole family. 
Now it's time to deal with the aftermath of what has happened with you. 

​This book was a great read, Interesting and thought provoking. It really did make me think, not just about the story but how it would have changed you as a person, changed your family. Them not knowing where you had gone, what had happened. When something like this happens it doesn't just change the one person who went missing, it changes whole lives. 
​Brilliantly written and put together. I look forward to hopefully reading many more books by Hollie Overton.

When I read the description of this book, I was ready to enjoy the long and thrilling escape, with lots of twists along the way, but to my disappointment that didn’t happen. The first few chapters gave me the hope, so I carried on, and then decided to continue just to see what will happen.
This book is actually what happens after you escape your kidnapper and go back to safety. The victim who got away in this book was Lilly, during captive years she delivered a daughter Sky. Lilly has a twin sister Abby, and their mother Eve. The villain in this book is Rick – a high school teacher and a psychopath. The whole story of this book is told by Lilly, Abby, Eve, and Rick. Author made the whole plot into nicely flowing, continuous story, told by four different and unique characters.
Every character had their way of telling the story. Lilly was the sweet girl, who suffered immensely, and that tragedy follows her in everything she does, even though she is free. Abby is the rebel twin sister, who sees the whole situation in more aggressive way, and all she wants is revenge. Eve is the mother, who struggles between their daughters and her own happiness. Rick is a sociopath/psychopath, who justifies his cruelty and doesn’t see any fault of his actions. I am really grateful when authors put in to the story, what murderers and psychopaths think, I find it very interesting and amusing to read. It’s just mesmerising, how messed up some people can be, even though they look like normal, respected citizens of the society. So there are plenty of characters to choose from, and my favourite was Abby. She knew what had to be done, and did it.
Even though the plot was not what I expected, it was still quite a page turner, because author brought in some unexpected turns and twists in this book, which left me surprised. There is quite a bit of psychological suspense in this thriller, opening up the post traumatic state of mind and difficult adjustment in to the society. Hollie Overton is an identical twin herself, and it was really lovely, the way she wrote about the connection between twins, that bond and sacrifices are truly magical to me.
The writing style of this book was easy to read and enjoyable. Even though it doesn’t have the nastiness which Lilly suffered in detail, it still contains some strong language due to Abby’s strong character. Another plus from me to this book was short chapters, which made it a quick and more suspenseful novel. I liked the way author ended this book, with yet another turn in the story, changing many lives and futures. So, even though it does not promise exciting escape, it still brings its subtle turns and twists, playing and manipulating with character’s different states of mind.

I really enjoyed the book, it has everything I love in a novel from start to finish. I can’t wait to read what the author has planned next!

Compelling!.

From the opening line, I was gripped by this book...

The depth of the characters pulls you in and with the vivid descriptions it feels like you are witnessing it. I thought that the book was well written with a fantastic story line.

Absolutely loved this and would recommend to anyone.

This is a story of survival. Unusually the heroine of the novel breaks free from captivity by the end of the first chapter. The story is told from her perspective, that of her twin sister, mother and perpetrator.

I think it’s a real shame the book has been compared to “Gone Girl” and “Girl on the Train”. As much as I enjoyed those two books, comparisons actually put me off other books. Because inevitably they never live up to the hype. I think making comparisons between them and “Baby Doll” does a disservice to the latter. It’s a fantastic thriller in its own right.

I look forward to the author’s next offering.

Fabulous psychological thriller that had me gripped from the very first page. With twists and turns throughout, 'Baby Doll' is a slick and clever read that kept me guessing right up until the final page had been turned. Definitely an author I will look out for in the future. Highly recommended 4.5 star read.

Lily was abducted eight years ago but now she and her daughter have escaped and are back home. The book describes the impact on Lily's return has on her family, especially her twin sister Abby, and the impact the identity of the abductor has on the town they live in. Although I read this book fairly quickly I can't say that it totally gripped - cant put my finger on it but I felt there was something missing from the story.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I can completely understand how this book was selected by Richard and Judy for their Spring 2017 book club – I was gripped by the blurb and found the story just as compelling.
With real-life news reporting stories of men having kidnapped girls and kept them hidden for years emerging with a startling frequency, many fiction novels have been based on this premise in some way. The third season of BBC drama 'The Missing', which aired last autumn', also centered around this idea and how the family copes when the girls are freed, as well as in the interim years. Arguably then Holly Overton had a tough job to do if she was going to bring a fresh version of this narrative, but 'Baby Doll' is an engaging narrative that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Lily is a mentally strong character who has endured years of hell at the hands of her captor, but her time missing was an unbearable burden for her twin sister, parents and boyfriend. Watching how the relationships try to fit together again with Lily's homecoming, whilst also seeing her captor trying to reassert some control in his life from a prison cell, sustained my engagement until the end of the book.

This is such a compelling read! It's really well-written and I could barely put it down. It's such an interesting concept: rather than the misery of a kidnapping and incarceration, it is really uplifting to see the 'what happens next' story, albeit tinged with the sadness of 'what happened in the meantime' to those left behind. Obviously it's not all plain sailing for Lily and her family and there are plenty of bumps in the road but you are rooting for the Riser family and their friends. The book is quite short so the odd development did seem a little rushed, but it remains very moving and thought-provoking and I would definitely read more from Hollie Overton.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC of Baby Doll.

Thank you for accepting my request for Baby Doll by Hollie Overton.
The beginning took me a little by surprise as I wasn't expecting the escape to happen straightaway. Nevertheless I was quickly absorbed in the story. I found it a little disappointing that we didn't get a bit more insight into the abuse Lily was exposed to in the cabin, or Sky's treatment whilst in captivity. I found Abby's character very hard to warm to, and I thought Eve's behaviour seemed unnecessarily mysterious. The twist towards the end put an unexpected slant on things. The ending itself I felt started drifting,, but then just as I got re-absorbed, it ended before I realized!
For me this book wasn't a "can't put it down" type book, it took me longer than usual to read. However I did enjoy it and it kept me intrigued all the way through.

A refreshing and different take on the kidnap story. This is a great debut from Holly Overton.

Starting with Lily's escape after 8 years of physical and mental abuse in captivity, and now a mother to 6 year old daughter Sky.

Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view telling the repercussions of what happened. Lily adjusting to life after captivity, her twin sister Abby and her own mother broken from her disappearance but now coming to terms with Lily's return home and her captor + abuser who kept her hidden.

With twists + turns and massive shocks along the way, you fail to enjoy this book.

I read this entire book today, and I loved it!
After I was disappointed with Room, I was dubious whether to try a similar book.. However this one delivered exactly what I had hoped!
Looking forward to whatever Hollie brings us next.

What a brilliant and well structured read.
I wasn't sure how a book with a subject as hard as this would work, especially when it started with the protagonist escaping, but Hollie knew exactly what she was doing and did it so incredible well.
Each and every chapter had a twist or capturing event that made me want to read more and I did everything I possibility could to avoid putting it down.
I had hear great things about this book and it definitely did not disappoint.
originally I was disappointing with a few events such as Wes being with Abby and found myself hoping that things would work out the way they should have and Lily would win him back, but Hollie had better ideas and knew excatly what would make us a readers the happiest at the end. It felt so real and honest by the time I reached the end and the way things actually panned out. It has been written in a way that I couldn't honestly believe it was based on a true event.
Thank you for this brilliant opportunity. I will be posting a full review on my blog very soon..

I loved this book it is very well written, it got me hooked from the beginning until the end. Kept me in suspense, I had to keep reading it. Great read.

A debut psychological thriller - be prepared for powerful emotions, seeing how quickly they change and discovering how clever some people are at hiding their true self.
This story has a dramatic beginning when Lilly and her daughter Sky manage to escape their captor. Lilly was abducted by Rick a respected member of the community and subject to eight years of mental and physical abuse. Sky is the daughter born in captivity and the two of them exist under Rick’s control. One day they are able to escape after Rick lets his guard down and Lilly is reunited with a changed family. In the intervening years her twin sister Abby has struggled to cope emotionally and their mother Eve sought comfort in an affair with a police officer. The fragile family bond is threatened as Rick is brought to trial and Lilly’s first love Wes delivers some upsetting news.
Even though this was fiction I still got caught up in Lilly’s life and how harrowing it was for her afterwards. Most of us like to think there is a happy ending and there is, just not the one you expect. The author was able to demonstrate how abuse changes people and trauma can fracture a family.
I found all the characters very intense and at times it seemed like they were jostling for position in the story line. This isn’t necessarily a criticism as it may be partly due to the story unfolding in a way I’m not used to. Also I started out thinking the swearing detracted from the story then decided it added ‘weight’ to the characters.
Overall I enjoyed this book, it had enough twists and turns to hold my interest and look forward seeing more from the author.
This book is recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and first timers to the genre.

This is a tense psychological thriller. A young girl is abducted, held captive and repeatedly abused over eight years. Her captor addresses her as “baby doll”. She finally escapes by chance with her daughter who was born in captivity. The story deals with how she and her family and friends deal with the trauma and the aftermath of her abduction.
It is a gripping story, well told and I couldn’t put it down.

This is a really immersive quality read. I couldn't put it down. My first time reading Hollie's books and definitely not the last!

This was an excellent novel. With brilliant main characters and a wonderful plot, this book is a real page turner. I would highly recommend this book.