14 strangers. 7 days in an abandoned amusement park playing Hide & Seek. $50,000 to the last person standing.

Mackenzie “Mack” seizes the opportunity to escape the shelter she’s been living in, and the past she’s been running from. The game offers her a chance to create a future on her own terms. But players start disappearing, leaving shoes…jewelry…blood behind. Who, or what, is hunting these players?

What immediately struck me was the lyrical, sometimes almost poetic, language. The opening chapter sets the mood with a perfectly creepy, lush vibe.

The author creates interesting characters in Mack, Ava, and LeGrand, but the rest of the players are more one-dimensional (and hard for me to keep straight).

It irritated me that two characters had the same name. I found it to be confusing and distracting. I’m not sure why the author made that choice.

I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but I wish the origin of the whole situation was explained more. You’ll definitely have to suspend some disbelief to enjoy this story. I feel like the author was trying to make a point about class systems, rich vs. poor, etc. but it wasn’t fully realized.

I did like Mack’s redemption arc. She’s a compelling character.

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining story but there were some plot elements that bugged me. It couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether it wanted to be a thriller or social commentary.

Thanks to @netgalley and @delreybooks for the advance copy. Hide comes out on 05/24!

Check out this book if you want a supernatural thriller with beautiful descriptions!

This was such a wonderful thriller/horror. I liked the characters and the plot. The imagery was so so fun. I was hooked from beginning to end. Highly recommend!

Overall I gave this book ⭑ ⭑ ⭑.5/5. It was a very intriguing mystery with an overall vibe of “unsettling.” However, I thought the “big reveal” was a bit lackluster and I really just wanted to see what happened to everyone at the end. There was some massive, well-done character development, which is super impressive since these characters are only together for a week! I enjoyed how the narration was a true third person omniscient and how the story could easily switch between character viewpoints without confusing me! I didn’t hate it, but I definitely wanted more…I don’t know, actually. Just more. The writing is exquisite, the characters were interesting, but the overall story lacked for me.

ARC from Net Galley

I almost didn't read it due to the "like hunger games/squid' comments, but I am so glad I did. Great book to read over the weekend except it will not last that long

Fantastic story.

Hide is Kiersten White's adult horror debut. The concept is 14 people are hand selected to take part in a hide-and-go-seek game in an abandoned amusement park. Half of them are fame aspiring--reality show contestants hoping for their fifteen minutes. The other half are down on their luck, traumatized nobodies. Mack, the main character is a bit of a hybrid--traumatized and a nobody whose family was slaughtered by her father, making her a true crime somebody to those who know. Mack doesn't want to be anyone--she wants to hide, so this game is really perfect for her.

Then the twist comes along--this isn't a game. For all intents and purposes, I really consumed Hide. It moves along at a fast pace, it's relatively short, and the writing is brisk. It was easy to read it in two sittings, which is not my normal reading experience by any means, so I certainly liked something about it. I wanted to see how it would all end. So it's a hooky book, with enough weirdness to keep me turning the pages.

Some criticisms: Many people have pointed out that this doesn't feel terribly adult, and I would agree that it is comfortably YA-adjacent. If New Adult was a thing, I would happily put it in that territory. The characters are twentysomethings and immature for their ages. The social commentary is also done in a fairly shoehorned, immature manner--wealthy people use poor people to get ahead. There's also some generational criticism that didn't feel more like a critique and more of an "old people suck, young people are cool" which came off as stereotypical. The book is also told in omniscient present-tense, which can take some getting used to. We hop around characters abruptly, which was jarring at first. There also seemed like too many characters to keep track of, with not enough meat to their backstories. Even Mack, Ava, and LeGrand felt more like outlines than people because the book just doesn't have time to figure out who they are with eleven other contestants to follow even briefly. It gives the horror a perfunctory feel, and so my reaction to all of the characters was at best perfunctory. The ending was also incredibly abrupt. The book just isn't into dwelling on anything, so fair enough.

I'm going to rate this high because it was a fun romp, but with caveats that once you start thinking about it after the fact it might not hold up.

The story is told in a very zippy style that reminded me of playing a text-based game...Ava slings...Mack feels...LeGrand adds..Mack looks...Mack feels..Ava shrugs...the story zips along but it didn't engage me because the writing itself was so superficial and the setup so abstract. In the beginning there were too many characters for me to care about any of them--Sometimes it feels to me that we humans can only deal with one hand's worth (5) of characters, or any other thing, before we stop being able to keep track.

Not for me.

You know what I love as a reader? When I discover an author new to me, and on the basis of just one novel I’m hooked. It happened to me last year with Catriona Ward (to be fair, with her it was two novels, The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial). Now it’s happened again, with Kiersten White and her novel Hide. My friends and family members, and possibly total strangers, are going to get tired of me talking about this remarkable novel.

The premise of Hide is deceptively simple: A group of 14 people from all walks of life, all of them young, are invited to participate in a competition, a game of hide and seek set in an abandoned amusement park. The winner, the one who can spend a week without getting caught, wins $50,000. The amusement park is in ruins, overgrown with trees and vines, laid out in a maze meant to confuse and disorient.

Our main character, Mack, is a victim of violent trauma—her father slaughtered her mother and younger sister while she hid. Mack is broken. She blames herself for her sister’s death. She blames herself for pretty much everything.

The other competitors are a varied lot, and we get to know them all. White excels at creating memorable characters. There’s not a single cardboard cutout here. Still, it’s Mack that I fell in love with and found myself rooting for. She’s damaged, but has hidden reserves of strength and bravery even she doesn’t know she has. She reminded me, in little ways, of Jade, the main character in Stephen Graham Jones’ My Heart Is a Chainsaw, and that’s high praise coming from me.

There’s a little bit of a Hunger Games feel, a little reality TV competition vibe, as alliances are formed and betrayals executed. Then characters begin to disappear. I don’t really want to give too much more away. Hide is a nerve-shredding supernatural horror thriller, accent on the nerve-shredding. White ratchets up the tension right from the beginning and never lets up.

White also has a lot to say about how trauma affects us, and our ability to overcome that trauma. About the transformative power of found families, and the sometimes corrosive, corrupting power of family obligations. There are old, evil family secrets, and, go with me on this, a nod to the Minotaur myth. I read the final 50 pages of this in a mad rush, heart in my throat.

The release date for Hide is May 24, 2022. Please pre-order this. I can’t sing this novel’s praises enough.

this book draws you in within the first couple pages and keeps you hooked until the end; it’s the type of book you finish in just a few hours because you can’t put it down. while not imperfect or unpredictable, this book was still highly entertaining and utterly captivating.

3.5 rounded to 4.
I came into this with very high expectations, being a fan of Kiersten White's other works and I wasn't let down.
HIDE centers around a hide-and-seek contest in an abandoned theme park. 14 contestants compete over the course of a week, the winner earning a hefty cash prize. Very quickly they start to realize something much more sinister is at play, hidden among the overgrown topiaries and rusted carnival rides.
The first half of this book was so strong. There is something undeniably horrific about laying in wait, hoping someone or someTHING doesn't find you. I was reading at night and suddenly every noise coming from outside was being made by something nameless and gruesome. I was burning through the pages, just as desperate as the contestants for answers.
Then the contest and its purpose took shape and I was a little disappointed. I still inhaled it I still loved the characters, but the creepy factor was gone and it no longer felt like a horror novel
There's a bunch of POV's and a fair bit of head-hopping. It seemed warranted, but it was sometimes jarring.
The author has touched on a bunch of social issues, but doesn't fully address them so much as just point them out.
I'm also not sure what made this an "adult" book other than the age of the contestants (all 20-somethings).
Overall, an exciting and fun read. I hope it gets picked up for a movie deal- it would be awesome to see it come to life!

I absolutely loved this book, but I could only read it during daylight hours! Creepy, frightening, page-turning suspense. Yet underneath is a blistering commentary on today's society which doesn't come together until the end. It's brilliant.

You know, I quite enjoyed this book! I thought I’d love it based on the synopsis and then it took a bit of a turn I didn’t know was coming, but I liked it! It worked. Everyone please give this one a go when it comes out!

I. LOVED. This. Book!! Honestly this was unlike any book I’ve read before. A bit of a combination of Survivor and a supernatural ghost story.

Absolutely awesome read. I thoroughly enjoyed this hide and seek game. And didn’t expect the twist at all that’s for sure.

If you like hide and seek for adults then I think you’ll really like this. The author definitely doesn’t pull punches and it’s very fast paced for a book that centers around hiding and staying still quiet.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy.

I really enjoyed the underlying socio-political commentary wrapped of this story wrapped up in a fast-paced thriller. Highly recommended.

WOW. This was such an amazing book. Where to begin?

It takes a little while to understand what is happening; I had to reread the first few chapters several times. and go back and reread things to make sure I was understanding correctly.

Once you get oriented thought it TAKES. OFF. There is a genuinely terrifying paranormal element added into this dystopian hide-and-seek game. I didn't feel connected to the characters at first but then you really root for them.
The villains are TRUE VILLAINS. I haven't hated characters so much in a long time - so that says something that this book could evoke that kind of emotion out of me!

The author's note on the back about this book being inspired by active shooter training in schools has really stuck with me too. I think this was a 4 star book for me until I read that author's note - it helped me understand the absolute genius of this story.

So, this is my fourth time attempting to read Kiersten White's books. All of them have intriguing premises, but I could never get myself to dive deep and finish one. I've DNF'd at various points. 20%, 30%, 60%, etc. With this being an adult thriller/horror, I figured it would be faster than her usual plots and easier to read. I was right, but I should've stuck to my gut about reading this author. Her writing style just isn't for me.

Hide has an intriguing premise. A deadly game of hide-and-go-seek wrapped up in a supernatural twist. As a classic mythology fan it did take me an embarrassing amount of time to realize what was happening but I enjoyed that plot point! I also liked that there's a sapphic romance in here, There's not nearly enough queer horror/thriller for my liking. Unfortunately, those were about the only things I liked.

This book read very young. It's White's adult debut and it's very evident that she's a YA writer. There is no actual line on where YA writing ends and Adult writing starts. It's murky at best, invisible at worst, so it's hard to say how this reads so young. Despite it being adult, and the book certainly being at an adult price point, everything still feels restrained by YA guidelines. There's minimal swearing, little actual in depth horror and gore, and shallow characterizations that read like a young adult novel. Not that all adult thrillers have to be gory and filled with cursing, but this book felt sanitized somehow. Like it had to be suitable for kids despite that not being the audience. Plus all the adults, ranging from early to late twenties, all talk and act like teenagers. Given the mythos this book is based off, I just genuinely think it would've worked better as a YA thriller.

When it came down to the actual horror, it was underwhelming. Despite there being a time limit between inevitable victims, there was no suspense built. Even though the game is literally about hiding, there's no sense of being hunted, no imminent fear or building tension, even when they are actually being hunted. It falls flat. Every twist, every turn, felt obvious and unenthusiastic and easily predictable. None of it was actually like...scary. Which is entirely subjective, but I just felt no actual horror.

When it comes to Mack, I was frustrated with her the whole book. Due to her past, Mack is closed off and a loner. Reasonable, given the circumstances. We get flashbacks of her past life, but again, it's vague and snippets instead of a fleshed out memory. I wanted more. More of her family dynamic, more of the before, more of her relationships or even her life since. We got nibbles. I wanted shark attacks. Despite her being the main character, I felt we didn't really know Mack at all, and I didn't really end up caring for her.

Unfortunately, I think my luck with this author has run out. Her writing style just doesn't clash with me, though I'm glad a lot of people feel differently. Even though I didn't like this one, I hope there's many people who do! Happy reading!

I did not make it all the way through this, but I think that might have been a me issue. It's possible that I just was not in the mood for modern horror, I do plan on buying it when it comes out and giving it another try. The opening was just SUCH a slog that it really messed up my ability to enjoy anything else that happened afterwards.

A highly recommended , thrilling take in a creepy atmosphere. This one ...this one is a must read. Look forward bto more by the author.

Book Review📖
Hide by Kiersten White 🎡
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC! Truly always grateful. 🤍

Okay. This book felt like I was reading a Blumhouse movie 🎥 😱 It was an action packed thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering what the heck will happen next!! It was a roller coaster ride all the way through with curves that throw you one way then the other. 🎢 I was, ultimately, mind blown 🤯

I, thoroughly, enjoyed the story, loved the amusement park setting, and felt a connection to all the characters. I loved that each character had their own dialogue and we got to see inside all the contestants brains. Brandon was, by far, my favorite(sweet, sweet Brandon) and 😫😫😫😫😫😫. I really, REALLY want to see this adapted into a movie!!!!! Highly recommend reading this for any thriller lovers!

What a great read! The concept for this book is fantastic. I liked the characters, and the creepiness of the abandoned park. The book flows really well from the contestants feeling excited, to confused, to terrified.