You know those books where, at a certain point, it becomes subtly obvious where the story is headed? Or the ones where it’s easy to guess the hows and whats and whys? Yeah, this isn’t that book. Each time I thought I knew where the story was headed, White deftly and expertly steered me away from that line of thinking and redirected me down a whole new path.⁣
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Eerie and atmospheric, HIDE is one of those gems that kept me guessing from start to finish. I absolutely loved the setting of an abandoned amusement park, and the town surrounding it gave me a whole lot of Wayward Pines vibes. ⁣
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I don’t want to go in to too much detail surrounding the plot or even the characters for fear of inadvertently spoiling, so I’ll keep it brief. The characters, particularly a small handful, were my favorite aspect. I loved how we get to see firsthand how some are able to remain levelheaded and thrive in the midst of crisis, while others turn into monsters in the name of self-preservation. I won’t name names, of course, but two characters stood out to me as being just lovely, damaged humans and I finished the book hoping that somewhere, they’re out there living their fictional lives happily ever after. ⁣
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All told, a chilling page-turner that I didn’t want to end. Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the digital arc!

Mack has been hiding her entire life, so when she gets the opportunity to compete for a reality tv show, and all she has to do is disappear, despite reservations, a chance to win 50 thousand dollars can easily wipe those away, she accepts the opportunity to possibly change her life. No one notices her in everyday life so she knows she can be invisible enough to compete and win. Will Mack be able to survive a competition which was never set up for her to win, pick up the enjoyable Hide and find out for yourself.

I adored this book. I thought it was fast paced. I thought its underling message was stimulating and provocative. I loved the double entendre of the title hide which reflected both the characters physical hiding versus hiding from society's expectation of ourselves was well executed. I liked how the length of the chapters reflects the characters' days. I adored the romance, it felt right not contrived, despite the short period of time. I wish I could give this book five stars but, their were too many characters it was very confusing at first and I thought Ava, Mack, Legrand, Brandon and even Linda deserved their chapters to showcase their backstories and perspectives, because they were that good particularly Mack and Legrand's. I wished that there was a bit more interaction with the elements of the amusement park including its unknown entity. Still this book kept my interest from start to finish, I definitely would recommend this one to horror lovers. Nicely done!!!

Out of our most horrible of nightmares and deepest fears comes Hide, the book wherein the game of hide and go seek takes on a terrible twist and becomes an actual life or death situation.

While for me, this book started on the slow side since I felt like I couldn’t keep up with the change of character point of view since there were 14 people to keep track of in the beginning.. by the end I was completely in this book’s grasp. This genre does a fantastic job of making readers look over their shoulder late at night fearing what may come out of the darkness but what does this author do? She switches things around, making it so it is the daylight we have to fear.. when we think of horror movies/books we fear the night time because nothing bad can happen in broad daylight right? But when people start disappearing; when a little girl’s shoe, jewelry or a puddle of blood.. you realize that things don’t just go bump in the night & the daylight can be just as frightening.

We’ve seen movies of abandoned homes, hospitals, etc.. but an abandoned amusement park? When a place that’s meant to inspire joy and happiness in people turned into a dilapidated nightmare for 14 people deceived into believing that they’d be the next stars of a reality show only to find out that they’d be getting more than they’d bargained for.. is there anything scarier than that?

If you need a scary thrill to make you forget about the heat of the coming summer months then make sure you pick this book up!

I loved the mystery of this book. I was on the edge of my seat from the very first page until the end! I loved the unlikeable characters and the likeable characters and every shade in between. This was a perfect horror suspense book to break me out of my reading slump.

Wow I could NOT stop reading this book! I tore through this book as though I was one of the contestants who entered a hide and seek competition and wound up fighting for survival instead. Kiersten White writes in the Acknowledgments: "I wrote Hide as a scream of rage." I feel that. How horribly ironic this book, which was written in rage at the fact that elementary students fear for their lives at school every day, was published on the same date as the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook? This book is ANGRY at the state of our nation, and that anger is justified. This story is gripping and tense, a GREAT summer horror book to add to your TBR. Strongly recommend.

You wanna read something creepy, a touch freaky, a little gory, something of a mind screw, and a whole lot of horrific fun? This book is it. I couldn’t put it down. It was so much fun to read it was like watching some of my favorite popcorn horror flicks with a touch of social commentary attached.

It doesn’t help that I have an absolutely unhealthy obsession with abandoned theme parks. Books like this are like catnip for me.

In the acknowledgements, White talks about how she wrote this book out of rage, so I feel bad for it being a page-turning, delightfully creepy and fun read for me. I totally saw and understood the underlying message and the more overt commentary clear in the narrative and plot, I just was too caught up in the fun and horrific story to be distracted by it. That is to say: the social commentary wasn’t as clear and present as the overarching plot and story, and so I rarely thought about it except in passing every once and awhile.

Speaking of narrative: White made some great choices and very few missteps in the narrative structure of this book. What I would have liked to see less of: I wish the diary/journal entries found by the characters and then included in the book were not so long or that she had not included so many of them. It felt like it was telling instead of showing and it took us out of the present for too long. What was an excellent choice time and time again was to give us readers direct access to each character’s interior monologues, revealing their thoughts, feelings, plans, and everything they might be hiding from everyone around them. It’s done not only with the main cast of characters, but also with the secondary cast of characters from time to time, and it’s a great effect, because not only does it bring the title to the forefront in another manner, but it adds so much dimension to characters that otherwise would’ve been so cookie-cutter in any other novel.

I just think if you love some great horrific fun and playing with the ideas of generational privilege and wealth being fed by trickled down blood, you’ll really love this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, Ballantine, and Del Rey for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was super excited to read this after finding out that it was about a horror game taking place in an amusement park. I just have a “meh” feeling about it after reading though. The idea behind the novel is genius and I typically love books like this…but, I just feel like this missed the mark. It was still interesting in some ways, but I needed more excitement or action or something. I also need to do more about the origins of the game I think. I would still recommend to this to teens, but it’s just not as action-packed as I had hoped.

This book was well written and interesting. I don’t think I’m the correct audience for this novel,but not bad.

*Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.*

The author’s dedication gave me chills
To the youngest generations we’ve tasked with saving us all:
You shouldn’t have to. I’m so sorry.

When Mack was very young, her father killed her entire family (except her). The only reason Mack survived was because she hid somewhere that her father couldn’t find her. Many years later, the manager of a shelter where Mack is staying gives her an invitation to enter a contest with a prize of fifty thousand dollars, The Olly Olly Oxen Free Hide-and-Seek Tournament (run by an athletic company, Ox Extreme Sports). Mack is disturbed by the connection to her past, but the manager doesn’t seem to know. Mack agrees to compete because this is a contest she knows she can win. She knows how to hide. There are 14 competitors, 7 aspiring to something, and 7 whose life has stalled in one way or another. They are looking for money, fame, or even validation and hoping to find it through this contest. All the contestants have to do is hide and not be found during the daylight hours. Over the course of 7 days, 2 people will be found and be “out” each day. I’m sure you are already thinking this is too good to be true and of course, it is.
As the reader, I knew there was more to the contest. The atmosphere was ominous and I enjoyed the gradual buildup of tension and terror. I had vague suspicions as to the truth and enjoyed trying to figure it out. The end was truly satisfying and horrifying at the same time. Highly recommended to fans of horror. I will surely read more by Kiersten White.

Hide, on one level, is a great creepy story about 14 adult contestants that enter into a hide and seek contest set among a dilapidated theme park. On another level, it is a subtle commentary about class, trauma, trust, and family ties among this new digital age. This one really delivered on the creeps and chills, along with a smattering of the myth of the Minotaur. Will absolutely be looking forward to White’s next book! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the chance to read and review this book!

Modern twist on a legend in Greek mythology (not telling though). Throw in a bit of Hunger Games and ready, set, go!

"Come out, come out, wherever you are......"

Fourteen competitors, the list is approved, seven days in an abandoned amusement park, cell-free zone, sleeping outside is part of the game, a cash prize, houses of fun and terror. It's a "horror reality show".

The descriptions of the hostess, Linda, cracked me up. She gives out all the "rules" that must be followed. She wears bright colored pantsuits and her hair exists in "defiance of gravity".

This one was full of tension, without making me terrified. You know things are going to go wrong and the author keeps you in the dark until the end when the motivations are revealed. There are quite a few characters to keep up with and two characters named Ava! Why?!

Overall, a fast suspenseful read. The plot has a complicated backstory to it, so that was a lot to take in and there are a couple of plot holes. It lost me a bit in the end. Still, I always wanted to pick up and find out what was happening. And the winner is.............

Thanks to NG and Random House for my early copy. OUT May 24, 2022

Hide was one of the most enjoyable (and fun) books I’ve read this month. The premise drew me in immediately- a hide and seek competition game in an abandoned amusement park. What could possibly go wrong? I didn’t read too much further than that to maintain an element of surprise and I would suggest going into this as blind as possible. It’s more fun that way.

Hide was engaging and fast-paced, but it also had be questioning and paying attention to every small detail, which I loved. In the beginning, the author did a great job of sneaking in little hints and details to plot points further down the line. The writing was atmospheric and beautiful. I truly felt unsettled while the characters were hiding. The story was told mostly from Mack’s point of view, but did offer moments from the other characters. This did help break things up a bit and allowed me to keep better track of them all (14 contestants & the show runners were a lot at times).

This book could be enjoyable in the summer months as a beach read or in autumn during spooky season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for advanced review copy.

Hide is the hide-and-seek game to end all games. Fourteen strangers are competing to be the last one found, though of course, there winds up being a lot more on the line than just money. This book enthralled me. I canceled plans so that I could read it all in one sitting. Next to me I had a list of the contestants that I actually crossed out like I was watching Survivor. For once I didn’t mind seeing the perspective of characters I thought were bad people, I think in part because the book didn’t drag on and try to add too much of a backstory for every person. For the characters you need to know more about there was elaboration, for the characters whose personalities sort of spoke for themselves things were kept short, sweet, and to the point. Surprisingly, I even enjoyed the ending even though I typically prefer a fully closed end, where this one was kept a little ambiguous. For me, this was a 5/5.

If you like paranormal thrillers, abandoned amusement parks, or think entering into a hide-and-seek contest wouldn’t be the scariest thing in the world, this is the one for you.

I received a digital copy of this book free from Del Ray and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Ms. White for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

A third of the way through this book, I put it down and told my husband, "this book would make a GREAT movie." Honestly. It is total movie bait. One of the rare instances in which I would actually watch a horror movie.

The book starts off with a BANG: Mackenzie Black, person experiencing homelessness, very obviously a survivor of a supremely traumatic violent past, is offered a chance by the shelter coordinator to enter a competition and win $50,000. Unfortunately, it's a hide-and-seek competition, hideously ironic vis a vis Mack's past as the sole survivor of her father's violent murder-spree due to successfully hiding in the house. There are thirteen other "contestants", none of whom Mack is particularly interested in at first, as she does not intend to get close to anyone. Obviously, despite her intentions, she does form a tentative partnership and then a cautious alliance. You would think that so many characters would really reduce the reader's engagement or sympathies as a whole, but White does an excellent job of making each character just realistic and sympathetic enough to be memorable (at a minimum).

There's OBVIOUSLY something wrong with the town, with the townsfolk, with Linda the organizer, and it's clear from the very beginning that something is very wrong with the amusement park. The conceit of human denial and willful obstinacy in the face of the truth keeps the contestants in the dark for only so long. It's still plenty tense for the reader. Despite being aware that the monster was loosely based on Greek Mythology (I won't spoil which) I did find the physical description to be less frightening than what I had imagined in my head [isn't that always the way?], but that's really the only quibble I had with it.

I really enjoyed this; it was just tense and spooky enough for me without being so frightening I had to leave the lights on. The social horror/social commentary aspects of it didn't bother me either. I can't wait to see this on-screen (the ultimate irony, considering the content, LOL).

Let me first say that this book is FAB-U-LOUS!! This is the first book in a very long time that I could not put down!
14 people from very different backgrounds, most loners or from dysfunctional or broken families, are offered the opportunity to win $50,000 if they can be the victor in an adult version of hide and seek. This contest takes place over 7 days, in an abandoned amusement park filled with broken and twisted rides.
Each of the 14 contestants were personally chosen for this game; but none of them know why or by whom.
One of the competitors, Mack, an orphan with a violent past, feels especially confident that she can be the victor as she is a lifelong expert at hiding from an abusive and dangerous father.
As their numbers dwindle day after day, the remaining competitors begin to feel that this “game” is much more than they were led to believe. Getting ‘found’ might be deadly, and who (or what) is seeking them has no intention of losing the game..

For the average reader, this book will probably be at least a 4-star read. For those more widely read and those familiar with Kiersten White’s other books, this one may disappoint. Not because it’s bad, but because there is a lot of unrealized potential. Despite anticipating this book for a long time, I don’t think it was my own high expectations that made this book fall flat for me. And it wasn’t the marketing either - the book certainly delivers on that. Instead, I think the disconnect comes from what the author was trying to achieve with this novel, which she self-describes as, “*an of-the-moment, scarily precise diagnosis of class and privilege and generational wealth”* and the level of depth that is actually offered to the reader. Basically, I feel as if this book showed me every opportunity the author had to take things deeper and then showed me the author doing the bare minimum instead. I don’t say this often, but in this case, I feel like the book could have benefitted from being twice as long.

For example, as other readers have noted, the large number of characters in this novel made it hard to develop solid, in-depth backstories for each one. There was enough information for me to generally tell characters apart and keep them separate, though, which is pretty impressive considering there are fourteen characters in the game plus another handful of characters running the game. It was pretty clear based on the amount of attention given to each character, though, which ones would survive and which ones were obviously just cannon fodder.

World building also left a lot that could have been developed. The setting of this Hide and Seek game is an abandoned amusement part. However, the park has been abandoned for so long that the surrounding forest has basically reclaimed it. You’re reading less about an abandoned amusement park half the time and more of forest/jungle. Which is FINE, this is just not the vibe the book sold me on.

The mythology was never fully explained and most things had to be inferred. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but more of a missed opportunity. I would have loved a dual timeline, with one taking place in the past where everything first started and one storyline in the present. Instead, there are a few diary entries, many of which are from different people (which also have to be kept track of in the character soup) and which are used more as exposition to fill in plot holes and move things along.

In the end, I just wanted MORE, which is both a good and a bad thing. There was so much that could have been given more detail and depth - the creepy town, the cult, the mythology, all of the characters’ backstories, the romantic subplots… There were some fantastic moments in the climax that had me flying through the last pages of the book as fast as I could turn them. There were some actual brilliant twists that I didn’t see coming. I just wish it had all been backed by something stronger in terms of world and character building.

For most people, I think the book will be either too long or two short based on what aspects of the plot they enjoy most. If you’re here for a *And Then There Were None* - esque horror/mystery read, you may find the pacing drags and there isn’t as much of the hiding and seeking and scary stuff as you’d like. For those who love horror with a good side of social commentary and character exploration, this book probably won’t quite scratch the itch.

In the end, though, it was definitely a fun read and a great option if you’re looking for some fun summer horror. It’d also probably translate to film really well, so I’ll be surprised if the rights aren’t sold soon.

Hide by Kriersten White is a game of hide and seek in an abandoned amusement park with deadly consequences. This book was not marketed as YA but the writing sure felt like it, I know White is known for her YA works. Some things dipped in to the adult along with the language but the writing format was very YA. I think this book can me enjoyed by both audiences, it makes great observations on privilege and generational gap amongst families and what they value. The story had good twists and turns. The narrative follows the 14 contestants, one person that helped organize it, and journals that feel in the history of the event. The story flows well and increases the intensity as the contestants get lower. The villain is best when not described. I felt the gore could have been greater, I fell like this book gave the reader the PG 13 version of the story, as it would cut away from the gore at some times, but when we finally see it I thought it was good, but I felt it was a little too late. Where the book really shined was the backstory of it's characters, I did not like most of the characters but I felt I understood them and their motivation. The plot was really clever and overall really liked where the story went. I wanted a little bit more from the ending but was still satisfied. The story features LGTBQIA+ characters that were represented well. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the advanced reader copy of the book. Hide by Kiersten White is published on May 24 2022.

The Plot Summary: 14 contestants form all different walks of life are selected to play a game of Hide and Seek for a 50 thousand dollar prize. The game could be a test pilot for reality TV show. The players don't know where the game is being played. The game takes place in an abandoned amusement park from the 70's with no wifi and cell service. The game starts off fine but but when people go missing belonging and little bits of blood are found, this isn't a game. It's survival!

What I Liked: The backstories of characters really stick out, especially Mack who' backstory is heartbreaking and really makes you understand the difficult decisions she makes in the game. I liked the relationships formed from the contestants that have a little family dynamic. I loved the journal entries and the story they told for each person's entry. The drama of putting the game on was interesting. I liked getting in the heads of so many characters. The small bits of action were good. I love how the story increased in intensity.

What I Disliked: The ending could have been better, the true villain you know will eventually get what they deserved, but they were so horrible I wanted to see it. Plus it ends with too much unknown maybe an epilogue would have worked. The character of Ian had and read the history and still he trust the people who put it on they set up his character to be too smart, to be so gullible.

Recommendation: I recommend you check this story out the plot goes to fun places once you find out what the contestants are up against. The big thing that makes this story work are the characters that you can't help but root behind. I rated Hide by Kiersten White 4 out of 5 stars, this novel had moments of a 5 star rating but felt it deserved a 4 based on what I disliked. Kiersten White is a good author this was the first story I've read by her but plan to read more.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I expected, and like a lot of my reads
lately, I have mixed feelings about it.

This book takes place at an abandoned amusement park. It is a game of hide and seek with deadly consequences.

At first, this reminded me of Squid Games, and then it quickly made a turn in another direction. If you go into this book expecting to read a slasher with all the action on the page, you will be disappointed. It is clearly a YA novel even though it is labeled as adult.

What I liked

- I cared about what happened to the characters
- The hunted feeling
- The Secret within the park

What I didn't like

- lack of gore
- too many points of view
- A bit of instalove
- The ending seemed too clean for me

Hide comes out May 24th!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.


Description from NetGalley:
The challenge: Spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don’t get caught.

The prize: enough money to change everything.

Even though everyone is desperate to win—to seize a dream future or escape a haunting past—Mack is sure she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she’s an expert at that.

It’s the reason she’s alive and her family isn’t.

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes that this competition is even more sinister than she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.

Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide but nowhere to run.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

If you are fans of modern horror like Cabin in the Woods, then I think this is the book for you. The writing was good. The plot was fast paced. With the way that this book ended, I’m glad that there was no epilogue. I do wish that it didn’t have so many POVs. It’s a short book that doesn’t require a POV from every competitor. It just made it confusing in the first half of the book.

Overall: 4/5

Oh boy this book sure did some stuff huh??

I really enjoyed this. It was giving Cabin in the Woods meets the Myth of the Labyrinth in the best way and my only complaint is I want all my babies to be happy and somebody put them in a Murder Game so I can't have what I want.

While Mack is definitely the main/lead narrator I appreciate that White gives us small glimpses into the heads of other contestants...even if that glimpse isn't long. Since this is a thriller I want to refrain from doing much plot review. I felt it was well paced, especially after the half-way point.

The writing was nice. It definitely felt different from White's YA and not in a bad way. Its more direct but maintains that well-developed characterization I've grown to love in her other novels. I also enjoyed the motivations given to the villain(s) and still maintain that the mark of a good villain is that they have to believe their own logic and follow it through completely and that is definitely true here.
For the pacing being what it was I hope people pick this up as a summer read. The audiobook was also quite nice and I recommend it.