Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this free ARC.

After reading this I have came to the conclusion that every adult fiction book needs to have pictures in it. It added so much to the story! I used this book for my Horror Book Club.

This is the first time I have read Jason Rekulak. I loved this story. Ghosts and psychological horror what could be better!? Mallory Quinn, fresh out of a halfway house after 2 years of sobriety. Her sponsor was able to find her a nanny job for the Maxwell's, a wealthy family in Spring Brook, NJ. She will be taking care of 5-year-old Teddy. Teddy sees a ghost that has taken up residence in the house. Mallory wants to investigate this paranormality, but Teddy's parents do not believe in this ghost story. Mallory puts herself in a dangerous position with not only the ghost but with Teddy's parents too. Enter a crazy neighbor, and it's almost more than Mallory can take on. Can Mallory survive?

I really enjoyed this book! A slow burn with an interesting ending. I listened to the audiobook so that did leave out the experience of viewing the creepy pictures as the story goes on but it doesn't necessarily detract from the story. I can see this book becoming a movie or series in the future!

This book does the creepy kid trope so incredibly well. I couldn't put the book down because I had to know what was going to happen next. The tension between the characters felt incredibly real. I would give this to fans of Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage and The Omen. This should be a first purchase for libraries.

This book was amazing! I loved the characters and the plot kept me wanting to read - who is this ghost and what do they want?!

The Impossible Fortress wasn't my speed, but I'm glad I took a chance on this twisty thriller! It kept me guessing right up till the end, and I enjoyed putting the puzzle pieces together. We featured this book in a bonus episode for our What Should I Read Next patreon community dated June 3, 2022, called "Even MORE great books that weren't in the Summer Reading Guide."

Mallory Quinn, is fresh out rehab when she gets a job being nanny for Ted and Caroline Maxwell’s five-year-old Teddy. Living in the Maxwell’s pool house has been a blessing, and the stability of the job and her living situation is doing wonders for her. Not only that, the bond between her and Teddy is instantaneous. Teddy is a shy boy, but he loves to draw and while most of his drawings are of the usual kid variety, his drawing of a man dragging a women’s lifeless body, has Mallory concerned. With Teddy’s drawings becoming more graphic as the days progress, Mallory begins to suspect something supernatural might be possessing Teddy. As Mallory begins to investigate the Maxwell’s further, she’ll need to come to terms with her past.

I thought this was going to more of a horror read than it turned out to be, so maybe go in thinking suspenseful thriller with a small paranormal twist. If my expectations had been different, I might have enjoyed it even more than I already did. With that said, the less you know about this story, the better!

Mallory was such a complex character and she was the perfect lead for a suspenseful story like this one. I’ve gotten a bit tired of the ‘gas lighting’ of our main female characters, so a change from that was refreshing. I loved getting to know her, and felt that her story was realistic and compelling. Teddy, for a five year old, was such a sweet child. I loved that his drawings were included in the actual story, it really added an extra level creepiness to the story.

This book is completely engaging and is a fairly fast paced read. I wasn’t expecting this one to have a supernatural aspect, but it was a superb addition to the story. I was a bit worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype as it was all over social media, but I definitely think it was worth the read! I cannot wait to see what Rekulak writes up next.

Hidden Pictures is out now. Huge thank you to Flatiron for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

Mallory is a twenty-one year old recovering addict. After finishing rehab, her sponsor helps to secure a job for her as a nanny for a five-year old boy. The family lives in a wealthy suburb of Philadelphia and offers Mallory the guest cottage on the property. She moves in and very quickly things seem amiss. The young boy begins to draw disturbing scenes involving abduction and murder. Mallory begins to feel a presence in her cottage.

This is a ghost story involving possession. Or, is Mallory imagining everything. Or, is she using drugs.

A wonderful page-turner!

This was easily the best book I've read recently. As a recovering addict myself, I really appreciated the fact that the depictions of addiction were accurate, without making me uncomfortable. I loved that the supernatural element was both realistic AND real, as opposed to just being a side effect of an addiction-ravaged mind. I was not AT ALL expecting the ending, which was also a nice treat. Overall. This book was just so well-done tha I had a hard time putting it down to sleep, eat, breathe..... I will be recommending this to everyone, and looking for future titles by the author, as well.

I am unable to post my review of HIDDEN PICTURES by Jason Rekulak as my review will be featured in SCREAM Magazine.

This book is so easy to read. It kept me flipping through the pages.

Mallory Quinn has had a rough go of it. Fresh from a halfway house she finds a job as a babysitter/nanny for the summer for the Maxwells. She gets to live on the property in the family's small but cute cottage as well as spend time with their son, Teddy, who she immediately takes to. She loves it! It doesn't take long for things to start taking a dark turn. Teddy loves to draw but as each day passes Teddy starts to draw more and more sinister things that are definitely not drawings that a novice could do, let alone a 5 year old. Soon Mallory believes a ghost is using Teddy to communicate and she is determined to solve the murder mystery.

I very much enjoyed this book. There's a bit of unreliable narrator which keeps you on edge of wondering what exactly is going on which then keeps you turning the pages. All of the characters are so well done and the twist at the end had me shocked. The artwork that is included in the book adds the perfect touch. If you can get the physical book I highly recommend as it adds so much to the story because the details of the drawings are wonderful on page.

Twenty-one year old Mallory Quinn is a former student and eighteen month clean addict who is given an opportunity to work as a nanny for five-year old Ted, son of Caroline and Ted Maxwell. The job is exactly what the doctor ordered affording her some independence and the chance to resume her daily runs while living in a small cottage on the property. Little Teddy is adorable, and Mallory loves spending time with him. Teddy loves to draw the typical pictures one expects from a child his age. However, gradually his artwork takes a turn toward the dark with drawings of a girl being dragged into the woods - drawings too mature for a boy of his age. Mallory suspects something unnatural is occurring and that it has to do with the rumors swirling around the cottage and a woman murdered there. Someone is trying to tell them something through this child's artwork. Her concern for Teddy is real, but no one takes her seriously except for Adrian who's home for the summer from college.

Hidden Pictures is expertly written and delivered via a creepy setting and sinister ambiance. I appreciated that the supernatural aspects were handled in an unique and intriguing manner. I found the characters to be believable and well-developed, and the plot line to be extremely twisted. I like to think I can see most twists coming a mile away, but there's one in this one that slapped me in the face before I saw it, and it's a game changer for sure. Hidden Pictures is an intense, fast-paced story that will have you burning through pages for answers. Highly recommended to fans of mystery, suspense and thrillers as well as anyone who enjoys a side of supernatural well done.

Yes! This was what I needed! Great read, couldn't put it down. Kind of hoping for a follow up with more about Mallory and the experiment she was apart of at the beginning.

I kept seeing Hidden Pictures pop up on Instagram and other sites for buzz-worthy books for the summer. I finally went back and requested this one and I'm so glad I did!

From the first line of the book, I was hooked. Hidden Pictures tells the story of Mallory who is a recovering addict. She becomes a nanny to Teddy, who is a sweet boy in a fairly wealthy neighborhood. Mallory discovers that the guest house that she is living in was the scene of a crime and she and Teddy have been visited by a spirit that haunts the place. Teddy begins drawing incriminating pictures of a body being buried in the woods, and the pictures keep getting stranger after that.

I love a good ghost story and this one was just haunting enough with some twists that I never saw coming. I couldn't put this down and finished it in a day. I highly recommend Hidden Pictures to fans of suspense and thrillers. Hopefully Rekulak has more like this up his sleeve.

Mallory had a tough upbringing, growing up in South Philly with her single mother and younger sister. But she is an outstanding athlete with a scholarship to Penn State awaiting her. That is until her concentration drifts and her little sister is killed in the car she is driving. Everyone tells her it isn't her fault, but she knows it was. And it gets worse. Injured herself, her pain and guilt drive her to an addiction to painkillers.

But things get better. She's in rehab with a great mentor. He helps get her a job with a wonderful couple, Ted and Caroline. But it's their young five year old, Teddy, that becomes her new joy. She has a great job, her own place to live, and the opportunity to train. And she is falling in love.

But things change when Teddy's cute drawings begin getting more and more sinister. Is the ghost of a lost woman still around, trying to communicate to Mallory what happened to her? Or is it something more sinister?

This was one of the best books I have read in the last year. And I read a lot of books! Well written, with plot turns here and there. It will keep you up at night, for all the right reasons!

A really interesting read, with a few twists and turns I saw coming, and a few that I didn't. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A recovering addict recently out of rehab, Mallory Quinn lands a dream job as a live-in babysitter for adorable five-year-old Teddy. Mallory instantly connects with the lovable and sweet Teddy but senses something beneath the exterior of this picture perfect family.
When Teddy starts drawing disturbing pictures of what seems to be a past violent murder, Mallory decides to find out what could possibly be going on in the psyche of this seemingly innocent little boy.
As Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly violent and dark, murder and danger start to creep into Mallory’s life as well. Even in this affluent suburb, evil lurks.
This book hooked me from page one. I expected one story and it flipped on its head and gave me something I didn’t even know I was looking for! Tender, heartbreaking, mysterious and at times frightening, this is a five star, must-read.

This book was full of surprises. Every time I thought I was getting close to unraveling some part of the mystery it turned out I was way off. It had just the right amount of a creepy paranormal factor too. It was a hard book to put down with memorable characters and an exciting story.

Hidden Pictures is a creepy ghost story perfect for fans of Stephen King or Paul Tremblay. Mallory Quinn takes a babysitting job watching five year old Teddy. She's fresh out of rehab, but this is honestly the perfect job for her - the freedom and stability it brings while caring for a sweet child she immediately warms to. Teddy loves sketching, but he begins to draw some very sinister, disturbing drawings that start out as stick figures becoming more artistic. Mallory is concerned and begins to investigate when the kid's parents aren't concerned. Did Teddy witness something he shouldn't have or is there something supernatural at play? The story is incredibly atmospheric with an eerie feeling lingering throughout. The writing is addictive. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoy Stephen King. This is the perfect addition to your collection.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A Dark, eerie tale seamlessly blending the supernatural with a domestic thriller.

HIDDEN PICTURES is the ghost story I have been looking to read and never knew it. Rekulak gifted his readers a tale packed with twists, turns, misdirections, and deceptions all the while maintaining a solid level of creepiness and suspense. Then you add the brilliantly crafted characters and devilishly clever wit to get one of the most unique thrillers of 2022.

Here is the thing. I could sit down and analyze this book all day, but it would take away from the brilliance of this story. The way the author peeled back each layer and carefully directed the plot to bring us from one chapter to the next made the experience of reading this so much better. By the end, I was exhausted, riveted, and completely obsessed with Mallory’s journey through this crazy situation she wound up in. Her character is so endearing to be. Even though she is deeply flawed and has a past she is trying to make a life for herself. And adding quirks and fabulously real elements (like watching Hallmark Movies to calm herself down) gives her depth and relatability. Watching her grow and evolve throughout this book was just as entertaining as the mystery.

I also have to comment on the illustrations within the book. I love seeing this. It brings the story to life as we get to experience the jarring images Mallory is seeing. They range from child-like to advanced, but all add true value to the narrative.

From the fast pace of the writing to the tension which builds in every scene only to explode with a shocking ending, HIDDEN PICTURES is an absolute must-read.