This is very clearly a retelling, which I won't spoil here but if you are familiar with Greek myths you'll figure it out pretty early on.

The story started out very strong. I loved the opening chapter and if the book had been more of a mystery/thriller focused on solving the crime that happened in the first chapter I'd have loved this book a whole lot more.

Structurally, this book is weak. There are only about 8 chapters and they are concurrent with each day that passes in the story. So they are very long chapters broken up into these sporadic paragraphs that change perspective rapidly between the 14 or so characters. If would have worked a lot better if the days were made into parts and chapters were given to each character perspective even if they were short.

We didn't get to know the characters that well. I get that it's difficult with such a huge cast but I was confused on who was who for most of the first half. The characters gradually became more concrete as the cast was thinned out as typical.

This ended up being pretty average for me. I enjoyed it enough but I wanted a bit more. I feel newer readers and younger readers will get more outta this especially because the characters read very young while being adults averaging between 18 to 30 years old.

Hide is Kiersten White’s adult debut. Fourteen players compete in a hide and go seek tournament for fifty thousand dollars. It lasts for one week in an abandoned amusement park.

After a tragic past, Mack has been in and out of shelters trying to make her way through life. This offer is just enough money for her to start a whole new life. Mack knows she can definitely win this, she’s already been hiding her whole life for free.

People begin disappearing one by one and Mack becomes suspicious. Soon, the sponsors stop visiting them every day and the players are forced to stay inside of the park, rather than stay at the campsite during nighttime. She realizes there is something more sinister going on than just a classic hide and seek game. The goal of winning money quickly shifts to trying to stay alive.

Very reminiscent of the Hunger Games but also gives us a modern take on a classic Greek myth. There is a little bit of a supernatural twist to make the stakes higher. The atmosphere is ominous and the abandoned theme park makes for a creepy setting. A very fun read for any fans of horror! Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. Be sure to be on the lookout for Hide, publishing on May 24th, 2022.

For horror fans, Hide will feel familiar. A game show where not everyone is in on the twist. Cinematic pacing where revelations occur at exactly the right moment. Despite it's familiarity, though, White leaves room for the unexpected. Hide is "The Lottery" meets Cabin in the Woods meets Greco-Roman mythology, while still being surprising and satisfying. The shifting narrative style was jarring at times, and I think it could have been eased by changes in formatting or organization. However, the various voices and thought patterns added genuine depth to what could have easily become a handful of generic horror-film extras. The "moral" of this story is not painfully front and center while still bringing you around to wanting to kick someone's ass by then end. This is a difficult balance, and White handles it with the simultaneous reverence and irreverence that is so central to the horror genre.

This was a really fun read that I will be recommending to others who enjoy realistic horror novels. I liked that it was fairly short, however, also felt like the characters could've been fleshed out a little more. Can't wait to read more of Kiersten's books!!

I was hyped for this book for months, but ... well ... This was a huge miss in so many ways.

The good thing for me?
The idea of the story.
Not much else, unfortunately.

The characters were incredibly unlikable (except for the naive Brandon) and unfortunately also incredibly shallow. The only depth they had was the exploitation of their traumas.

Then there was the really awkward writing style. Um. Yeah, the author is extremely successful and well-known, and I loved some of her books, but unfortunately you didn't see any of her amazing writing in this book at all. It was probably style choices, but they didn't work for me at all.
Way too many bad perspective shifts, a structureless omniscient narrator, and a bunch of unnecessary and quick changes that kept pulling me out of the story. And so much pointless backstories to forgettable characters. It felt a bit like, she had a word count to achieve and filled it with meaningless backstories.

And to top it off, the narrative pace was as slow and exhausting as I've ever read in a thriller or horror book.

All in all, I didn't enjoy the book, although I thought the basic idea was great, and the Minotaur retelling and interpretation was absolutely great, but the execution was a big no-no for me.

This book was a fun read. fast paced and had a cool creepy hunger games tone to it. It was a guessing game of who will die and what was going on and went in directions I wasn't expecting.

This was a wild one and I was all in. Here’s the challenge. 14 players, 7 days in an abandoned amusement park playing hide and go seek with anywhere to hide, but nowhere to hide.
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This thriller is so much more than a game of hide and seek. Please let this be made into a movie! This is a wild ride and one I would love to see on a big screen!
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Thank you #randomhouse and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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I loved this one so much. Hide is a high-stakes hide-and-seek competition that turns deadly in this dark supernatural thriller. Even though everyone is desperate to win, Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is what she does best - hide! 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 together might be the only way to survive.

I had so much fun with this book. An abandoned amusement park, a game of hide-and-seek, strong female characters, and a play on the myth of the Minotaur? Yes, please! There's an outstanding balance of social commentary and just plain, fun horror. I know many complaints about this book have been that the cast is too large. I can understand that. Fourteen competitors is a little daunting at first, but the pace is pretty fast, and you quickly become invested in the main group of well-developed characters.

It's dark and twisted and fantastic! I can't say enough phenomenal things about this book.

This is Kiersten White’s debut adult novel. White has primarily written books for young adults and children. She has even written a Star Wars book coming out this year!

She has been having success after success since her first book was published in 2010. One of her books is even being made into a tv/movie!

I was first attracted to this book because of the cover. Beautiful artwork by Scott Biel perfectly sets the stage for the story. Then I read the synopsis and knew I had to read this book! I love all things survival. I love people having to endure hardships and come up with clever ways of making it out. The players in this hide and seek game have to be smart in order to get closer to the prize!

The books consists of many characters that play an important part to the story but Mack is my favorite. I have never been through anything like she has but I found myself relating to her. I think what makes this book special is that it combines several genres in one. Mack’s history is for the true crime junkies, the competition for adrenaline, and the twist for horror.

I think the twist will be too much for some people but I believe it is to show that humans are the real monsters. I want to add that I read this book in 3 hours on my phone because once I opened it to make sure the download worked I couldn’t stop reading! I look forward to reading more from Kiersten White in the future!

Perfect for fans of Battle Royale, Squid Game, and Hunger Games. Netgalley was kind enough to send me an ARC and I have written this review voluntarily.

Hide is an edge of your seat ride that’s sure to change how you see amusement parks for good.

The premise hooked me right away. A hide-and-seek competition in an abandoned amusement park where the winner gets $50,000… But of course, it’s not that simple. With a colorful (and rather large) cast of characters, Kiersten White throws the reader in a dark, decaying hiding spot where you shiver with fear, and hope you won’t be found. This haunting narrative is fast-paced and impossible to put down.

Of the fourteen contestants in the competition, Mack is at the center of the narrative. The same horrible past that haunts her also makes her tailor-made for this completion. The other characters are introduced rather quickly, and it’s a lot to take in at once. White cleverly gives the reader memorable labels for them: graffiti artist, toothpaste commercial, beautiful Ava. And although some end up following familiar character tropes, with a group so large, it helped to keep track. The POV switches fast and often, and albeit necessary for a story like this, but it was jarring and took a number of pages to acclimate to. These POV shifts do deepen the story however and add a depth and background that brings the characters to life.

As the competition begins, interpersonal relationships within the group are put to the test, and there is enough drama and tension to rival any competition reality show. But as the story unfolds, and the sinister underbelly is slowly revealed, Mack and the others are thrown into a madness that is unlike anything they know.

White’s colorful prose envelops you in the setting. I could feel the rust on my fingers; smell the rotten wood of decrepit roller coasters. I too was afraid of being found. I expected one kind of horror and was pleasantly surprised with another. Any fan of the genre should love the original terror lurking within its pages. There is so much depth to this story that I didn’t want it to end. And though I almost never say this, I can’t hide it… (see what I did there) THIS would make an excellent TV series! With the depth of story, amazingly vivid setting, and such wide range of players, it’s ripe for the next bingeable series or film. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it hasn’t been optioned already.

I'm a huge fan of Kiersten White, so I was obviously going to read her adult debut novel (if you're not familiar with White, this is not her debut novel. She's a prolific and talented YA author and this is simply her first adult novel.)

Mack has nowhere to go, so when she's offered the chance to compete in a massive game of hide-and-seek, the award money is too tempting. Hiding is what she's best at and what kept her alive while her family died, so she's confident that she can win. Fourteen contestants are placed in an abandoned amusement park. Each day the first two found are out of the game. As the contestants begin to disappear without goodbyes or any trace, Mack realizes there might be more at stake than some prize money.

This book is more of a slow-burn psychological horror story. There's a little gore and violence, but overall I found this book creepy but not turn-on-all-the-lights-in-my-house scary. I do wish we got to know the characters a little better, but overall I was really pleased with Hide. The setting, the suspense, and the dash of sapphic romance worked well for me. Hide comes out May 24th (who am I?!? I read an ARC months in advance!), so if you love a quick horror read, I'd recommend keeping this one on your radar!

This book definitely feels like it is meant for a younger audience. I was not scared, and many of the characters felt immature. I did find Mack’s backstory to be very chilling and wish the book hat focused on her rather than so many perspectives, which made it hard for me to really connect with any of them because there were so many.

This was a ride.
The author got in depth with characters similar to a Clue game.
The main character left home when she was younger
And her experience still haunt her.
Everything builds up and connects in the last chapter
The end has a good twist

It’s a bit much for 500+pages, but could see this becoming a movie

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Talk about being on the edge of your seat! The book isn't coy about what's really going on here and of course I won't spoil it, but I'll say that having suspicions about the contestants and their purpose doesn't deter from the story.

It's hard to talk too much about it without spoiling, so I'm going to try. Fast paced, with wonderful and flawed characters, Hide is like a huge middle finger to the "screw you, got mine" mentality.

Inspired by the rage of school shootings, the author weaves a twisted tale about how far people will delude themselves for "the greater good", and what happens when that follows generations that had no choice or say.

There's so much to say about this book, but even if you don't want to look into the allegory it's telling, there's a downright good horror novel here. The ambiguity of the threat is left just so, and you know, sometimes not having a clear answer to all the questions makes the horror that much more disturbing.

If you like Ready or Not, and Cabin in the Woods then you'll love this one. Happy reading!

I devoured this book in a single day (much faster than I've read anything in ages). It was fast and compelling, and I was hooked the entire time. There were maybe too many characters and perspectives, and I liked it more before the supernatural element appeared (and I feel like there was more backstory waiting to be unearthed than we ended up receiving), but I was very on board for the ride from very start to very end. It scratched the Zombieland/Ready Or Not itch (but even darker), and I would have loved an epilogue. Not a perfect read, but one I'd highly recommend and am so grateful I checked out.

Okay, this was a book I had my eye on for a while and it seemed so full of potential, unfortunately, its a no from me.

The first thing I have to say is that this book is marketed as “adult fiction” and it does not read like that for me, if I hadn’t been told that it was adult, I would 100% think this was a YA novel. There is nothing too scary, gore, sexual, or whatever it is that would set a book apart from being YA and put it in the adult category. Nothing. I feel like recently there’s been a wave of books being marketed as adult fiction, or the first adult book by x author, in maybe hopes of selling/ marketing it to a different audience, which would be nice if the books were actually read like adult fiction. It feels like a slim shot at going out of the YA curve, but it feels very disappointing to read a book that is sold as adult and there’s nothing that would set it as adult.

The second thing I wanna say is that I’ve read a few books by Kiersten White, and she always managed to create strong atmospheres in her fantasy novels and in The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, she brought a lot of gore and very strong visual descriptions of things that created tension, disgust, and horror. I did not find the same appeal in Hide, I was in fact, constantly waiting to be horrified, to feel some tension or unsettling, but there were none. The atmosphere is not as strong or developed as it could be, though it certainly has potential, and it is such a pity because the prologue is so strong, it sets you up to expect a completely different book, and it is really frustrating that these expectations were not fully delivered in the story, I think the strongest feeling I have about this book is how it was a huge missed opportunity because the potential was all there.

That leads me to the third aspect, the plot. I do feel like the plot lost itself throughout the course of the story and I personally did not like the path it choose to follow. It felt kind of all over the place, the “explanations” behind things did not work for me, I just really didn’t like it. In what concerns the characters, at first I was excited by the multiple points of view changes, the third person ominous narrative view, and the different motivations each character had for choosing to play this game, but afterward it became too many changes in POV and to abrupt that it didn’t help the narrative flow smoothly, and I also felt like not a single character had a chance to be fully fleshed out because there were so many changes they all had superficial constructions, and although I did care for some of them, some actions during the course of the novel felt out of character to me, and that bothered me a lot.

Overall, this book set up so many expectations with the synopsis and prologue and failed to deliver, it is interesting in some aspects but mainly it was just a missed shot.

Kiersten White is an amazing author. I have read some of her YA stuff so I was excited to see this book by her. I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint is there were too many characters to start. 14 people play "hide and seek" in a creepy, dilapidated amusement park. But then they notice something more sinister at play. Even one of the characters said she couldn't remember the names of everyone from the beginning and I found myself in the same boat. I kept trying to remind myself "who is that again?" Other than that I loved it. And I am okay with the confusion because of how well-written the main characters were and how much I loved the suspense. I hope Kiersten White writes more novels in this genre.

Really loved this book. It's a thriller with a nice dash of supernatural horror. It's a lot of things at once, all of them right up my alley. If I were pushed to characterize it further, I'd say it's a bit like the Maze Runner meets The Lottery, by way of Greek mythology. It definitely has an ominous vibe--you know something is wrong, even if at first you can't put your finger on it. And then once you do know, you're yelling at the characters to figure it out, while all the while knowing that they don't have enough of the pieces to put it together yet.

There are a lot of characters, but the story does focus mostly on a handful. It's both a little weird that there are two Avas, but also, it's a realistic touch (especially with one being Ava and the other being "pretty Ava/Ava two").

My only complaint is that it wraps up rather quickly, and I would've loved to have an epilogue or something where we find out what happens later. But the ending itself is plenty satisfying. I just always want more of a good thing!

*Note: I received a digital ARC of this book to read for an honest review.

Excellent! If this title has not already been optioned for a movie or television series, someone hasn't been paying attention. For me, this was a super fun read!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Years after Mack’s family is brutally murdered, she receives an invitation to participate in a glorified game of hide and seek with 13 other competitors. The prize? 50,000.

But when aspects of the game become too sinister to ignore, Mack and the other competitors are left wondering who-or what-is really “seeking” them.

This cat and mouse thriller captured my attention within the first few chapters and never lost it. The author did a fantastic job of creating likable, believable characters. The story was very original, chock full of twists and turns I couldn’t have predicted.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s not quite like anything I’ve read in a long time. The setting, the premise and the execution were all very fun, well thought out, and sometimes disturbing.

But isn’t that the point?

4 stars.