Mallory is looking for a fresh start. She’s just out of rehab and gets a job as a live-in nanny for a couple and their five-year-old, Teddy. At first, things are great, but then Teddy starts to draw creepy images. Mallory starts to suspect the drawings may have something to do with an unsolved murder.

Hidden Pictures starts strong. The story was intriguing and I was enjoying the characters. Halfway into the book, things took a turn. The story got wilder and more unbelievable. Overall, it was an entertaining read, but not as thrilling as I had hoped.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mallory Quinn is in her early-20s and at a time when many of her peers are charging through the college experience, Mallory is just over a year into her new found sobriety.

After a personal injury, Mallory unfortunately plummeted down a hole many Americans before her have suffered through; opioid addiction. She's not proud of the choices she made in the depths of her addiction, some having life-long repercussions. Mallory harbors a lot of guilt from that time.

With the help of her sponsor, and his encouragement to return to the sport she loves, Mallory has made huge strides. Now it is time to secure some independence. Mallory applies for a position as a summer nanny in the high-end suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey. The Maxwells, Ted and Caroline, have a 5-year old son, Teddy, who will be her only charge. The job seems perfect.

Teddy is such a smart, sweet little boy, who seems to take a shine to Mallory right away, and the property is gorgeous. She can get used to playing poolside all day. Even though Mr. Maxwell seems to be quite concerned about Mallory's past drug use, she still ends up securing the position. She's elated. Now it is time to prove herself. This is her chance to rebuild her life.

Mallory moves into a pool house on the property and begins to develop a healthy schedule with Teddy. Teddy seems to be a budding little artist and spends at least an hour a day quietly drawing. At first, Mallory is impressed with his skill and imagination, but when Teddy's drawings begin to take a very dark turn, she becomes concerned.

When Mallory suspects that the scenes in the drawings may tie to a alleged murder that happened on the property in the 1940s, which she initially learns about from a nosy, eccentric neighbor, things escalate quickly. Along with her new friend, Adrian, Mallory begins to deep dive into the history of the property and the suspected murder of the woman who once lived there.

Additionally, Mallory feels like Teddy's imaginary friend, Anya, may be the missing woman in question and she clearly is trying to communicate with them. Seriously though, can Mallory's opinion even be trusted? Is she using again? She definitely seems to be spiraling. Right? I mean, ghosts aren't real...or are they?

I had so much fun with this story. I could not put it down once I started, finishing the audiobook in a day. I was so captivated with this story. It's not complicated. It's fairly linear and I was happy to just sit with Mallory and hear her tell it. It was just classic, eerie fun. This would make a great movie!!

I really enjoyed Mallory as a character. I feel like she was super likable and relatable. I loved the sinister vibe, even though I wasn't 100% on what I should be afraid of at first. The way Rekulak built up the tension and then slowly revealed the truth behind what has happening at the Maxwells was really fun. It flipped what I thought was happening on its head. I wasn't shocked, but I was pleased that it ended in a unexpected direction.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

This is the first novel I have read from Rekulak and I am definitely excited to pick up more!

Mallory Quinn is a 21-year old former student and addict who has been in recovery for eighteen months, living in South Philadelphia. She’s got a great support network and is offered an opportunity to be the nanny for five-year old Teddy, the son of Caroline and Ted Maxwell who recently moved to Spring Brook, New Jersey. She gets the job, falls for young Teddy, and feels herself getting even healthier, able to resume her running and live privately in a cottage on the Maxwell’s property. Teddy loves to draw, creating the typical scenes you’d expect from a child his age…until they start taking a dark turn. Soon Mallory begins to believe something unnatural is going on, especially when she learns of the rumored history of the cottage. She believes that the young woman rumored to have been murdered there is trying to tell her story through Teddy and his pictures.

Well, I was with Mallory. Something was very wrong with Teddy and his pictures but unlike her, I would have run for the hills! But Mallory had bonded with Teddy and was just as worried about him as she was curious to learn what the ghostly apparition was trying to tell them in pictures. The Maxwell’s dismiss her fears and begin to look at Mallory with suspicion, given her history. No one seems to believe her accept for the affluent landscaper’s son, Adrian, who is home for the summer from college and befriends Mallory.

Is this story creepy? Absolutely. I’m not normally a fan of ghost stories but what attracted me to this one is how the ghost was working through a child and pictures. Blessedly absent are the predictable visions of the supernatural being showing up to spook everyone as this was much more complicated and intriguing. There’s an extremely twisty moment that I can honestly say I never saw coming and it shifted everything. The ending is over-the-top exciting and had me racing to finish. I listened to the story and loved that the narrator sounded like I thought Mallory would. She also captured Caroline and Ted so well and distinctively that I thought there was a second performer. This story turned out to be so much more than I’d anticipated, a über sinister story that I hadn’t imagined. I enjoyed everything about it.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

This is my second book in a short time that centers around a college-aged nanny. Both were enthralling reads, but that’s where the similarities end.

In “Hidden Pictures” the author captivates the audience through paranormal undercurrents that ignite intense emotions.

Mallory is a character you fall in love with despite her flaws. Fresh out of rehab, she’s determined to keep her life on track. She’s sweet and well-intentioned but can’t quite make the correct decisions all the time. And when the consequences hit, they hit hard. I wanted to jump in the book and give her and Teddy both big hugs!

This story caught me by surprise with several of the twists. I switched between the audiobook and ebook. The audiobook narrator is fantastic. It’s a must-read thriller!

Sincere thanks to Macmillan and Jason Rekulak for this complimentary ARC I received through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

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I received a free ARC of Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

Mallory Quinn is a 21-year-old recovering drug addict. She gets hired to spend the summer nannying for a five-year old named Teddy. Things are great, at first, but they take a turn when Teddy starts drawing violent pictures that all seem to involve a man dragging a woman through a forest. Mallory begins to believe that Teddy is being influenced by a supernatural presence tied to something that happened on the property generations ago. And this being is a novel she might be right, and the race is on for her to figure out what’s happening before it’s too late.

For most of this novel, Hidden Pictures was a solid 4-star read. I liked Mallory, was moved by her backstory, and was rooting for her. The beats of her relationship with Adrian were a bit predictable but still effective. Best of all, the story did a really good job coming up with alternative, non-supernatural explanations for everything that was happening, including the pictures, so that it was not clear what was really going on before the final reveal.

Unfortunately, at about the 80% mark, Hidden Pictures went completely off the rails. First, there was a key part of the final reveal that just did not make any logical sense. It might have made sense for a day or two, but not for as long as it went on. Worse, over the book’s final pages, several characters—starting with Mallory—made a decision that was so inexplicable that it broke the suspension of disbelief that had been sustaining the story. It’s too bad, but the disappointing ending overshadowed what had been a promising story.

This has one of my biggest trigger subjects. But, I was so intrigued I still read on, until I finished. I wanted to finish before the sun went down. This book was creepy, suspenseful and thrilling. It was very well written that I didn’t even see the twists coming. If you like dark, supernatural, suspenseful vibes be sure to check this one out in the spring! Or pre order it now before you forget!

Thank you to Macmillan and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

Mallory Quinn, sober for over 18 months, is heading for a job interview as a nanny with her sponsor. The job is in the suburbs of New Jersey for a 5-year-old boy named Teddy. Mallory’s meant to watch him for the summer before he starts kindergarten in the fall.

It’s actually a dream job, complete with her own cabin in the back yard, a pool, and a forest right next to the house. It’s easy to capture Teddy’s attention with interactive play and Mallory is able to keep up with her running at night. They both befriend Adrian, a neighborhood college student who cuts the grass during the summer.

However, some sinister things start to happen when Teddy is in his room for quiet time. He brings Mallory disturbing drawings, and she worries for his mental health. Mallory confides in Adrian and a kooky neighbor. What is going on? Is there a ghost haunting the house? Does it have to do with the unsolved crime years ago in the cabin where Mallory is staying?

I really liked Mallory’s character and this author’s writing style. The book went in a very different direction and for that I have to upgrade my rating!

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

On track for a university athletic scholarship her senior year in high school, Mallory had a golden life ahead of her. But a tragedy stopped her in her tracks and the injuries led to an addiction to OxyContin and more. Now eighteen months clean, Mallory is ready for her next rehab step, a live in babysitting job, taking care of five year old Teddy for an affluent working couple.

Mallory is such a likeable character, filled with guilt for something in her past, but so determined to do the right things in the future. She's got a great sponsor who checks in on her and her clients know about her past. Still, she doesn't like to talk about it and during her off time likes to run and watch Hallmark movies (not likely to trigger drug thoughts). She even sees the potential of a boyfriend in her clients' lawn guy.

Teddy is a gentle, sweet, boy. He doesn't want to play with other boys and instead loves to play alone and draw pictures. But as the days progress, Teddy's pictures become dark and the work of someone much older than five years old. Where has he seen the violent things he is drawing? Is this little boy okay? Mallory tries to discuss Teddy's emotional state with his parents but they just brush her off and tell her to mind her own business. Mallory is caught between needing this job and wanting to do what is right for Teddy and she can't help Teddy if she doesn't have the job.

Something very strange is going on with Teddy and, as time goes on, even with Mallory. There is a supernatural feel to some events but who is going to believe Mallory, recovering drug addict? This story was full of twists and turns and was a very interesting buddy read with Jayme, DeAnn, and Susan.

Thank you to Macmillan Publishers/Flatiron Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Not so Still Life.

Mallory is hired as a live-in nanny for lovely five year old Teddy.

He’s mostly mindful, but has so many questions! What happens after you die? Where does a person go after their body is no longer alive? To answer him according to his family’s values is a challenge for Mallory - especially since she doesn’t know herself.

To his parents chagrin, Teddy is also receiving advice from an imaginary friend. When this ‘friend’ begins exerting too much influence, Mallory decides to look deeper which changes the trajectory of the plot.

I wasn’t sure where this was headed and the category wasn’t clear. Was this a Domestic thriller, ghost story, or something entirely different? I was wonderfully misdirected because I’d glossed over clues without thinking they meant anything. Aren’t those the best Gotcha moments when you reflect back? That was my thinking.

I had fun reading and discussing this with several friends even though I was lagging a bit behind. Please check out DeAnn, Marilyn, and Jayme’s reviews for their perspectives.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jason Rekulak, and Macmillan & Flatiron Books for my advance reader’s copy. Due to be published on May 10, 2022.

I GUARANTEE you won’t guess where this one is going!

If you are looking for something FRESH and ORIGINAL and you don’t mind mysteries with a SUPERNATURAL vibe, then this is the book for you!

Mallory Quinn was a victim of OxyContin.

Now clean for 18 months, her sponsor Russell has lined up a job interview for her with Caroline and Ted Maxwell, an affluent family looking for a babysitter for their preschooler, Teddy. Getting the job, and the chance to live in the tiny poolside guest cottage seems like it would be a dream come true-a fresh start-so she is thrilled when she is offered the job.

The story begins as a bit of a slow burn, as Mallory and Teddy bond over imaginative games, and the drawings he sketches with the pencils he is never without. The Maxwells are thrilled, as Teddy’s only “playmate” before Mallory was his imaginary friend, Anya. But, as his pictures take on a more sinister tone, and start to become too detailed and complex for a 5 year old to draw, Mallory begins to worry.

Scritch Scritch Scritch

Teddy’s latest drawing is of a man in a forest dragging a woman’s body and Mallory’s cottage has a disturbing past-an artist named Annie Barrett, who had been living in it years ago, disappeared-leaving behind a trail of blood and an unsolved mystery.

Could she be trying to share what happened to her through Teddy’s sketches?

As, I write this review, I pondered on whether to rate this 4 or 5 stars, and I have decided to round up for originality and the fact that I loved Mallory, and her devotion to Teddy. The last chapter really moved me emotionally and earned the final star!

I received a free ARC of Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.
This title will be available on May 10, 2022 and can be pre-ordered now!