I don't know what it is, but there is something about a kidnapping story that will always grab me. The synopsis of this book is similar to books like Room, but I think the author did a great job of telling a unique story that goes beyond the horror of kidnapping and being held against your will. She interwove the psychological and relationship aspects that would certainly play a part in each of the characters' development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Apologies that I didn't get to this book sooner. I have a terrible habit of not reading the summary so I can go into a book cold. So, I put this one off thinking it was merely a YA book.
WOW, was I surprised at the depth of this book. It reminded me of a row of dominos, how quickly life falls apart by one simple action.
I won't get into details about this book other than saying it is a story about an abduction and the results of that action on the MC and her family and friends.
Really a good read, moved along quickly and kept my interest to the end. Recommended to fans of mystery and thrillers.

I have to start off by saying I love the cover of this book and the title. The story started off quite well and it got me gripped, but found my interest going in the middle as I didn't feel much happened. I was quite surprised at the twists and turns towards the end and would definitely read more from Hollie.

This was a great book. Obviously a dark subject matter but the author dealt with it in a way that didn't make it too difficult for the reader to stomach. The story line was so well paced and I was interested throughout the story. Overall too there was a really interesting look into the concepts of mental health, both with Lily and Abby's characters. Having the book told from the various points of view too made it really engaging to the reader. The ending was exactly what I wanted and it felt like there was an appropriate amount of justice served. This was a really good read and I would definitely recommend it to other readers!

This book was a bit unbelievable, predictable and fell flat. It wasn't as intriguing as I hoped it would be. It sounded to have a lot of promise, but just didn't deliver.

In some instances this book is predictable. The story does get a bit flat in the middle but apart from that it is a decent read. Maybe it was become I was such a fan of the book Room. It a quick and easy read that is mildly entertaining, but it didn’t have that certain something for me.

I did not finish this book. There wasn't any particular reason why, it just didn't hold my attention and there were other books that grabbed my attention instead.

I found it very hard to get into this book and struggled to read it and in the end just couldn't finish it.

Really good thriller/mystery novel and read this during this readathon I was doing and I vlogged about it on my YT channel: https://youtu.be/Usmdc3_KbOo

4.5 stars
First I want to thank NetGalley and RedHook books for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I started this book several years ago and only managed to read 15% of the book. I think the reason I ended up putting it down back then was because we know immediately who the culprit is and I like not know that specific detail until the end. That's honestly the only reason I ended up not continuing with the book. I am determined to catch up on the books on my NetGalley shelf this year and Baby Doll was the first one up. Now that I have finally read it I am kicking myself for putting it down all those years ago. 

I will say I wasn't immediately sucked into this story. It took a few chapters to really pull me in. Each chapter is a different point of view and we get 4 different points of view. We get Lily who was the one kidnapped, we get Abby who is Lily's twin sister, we get Eve who is their mother and then we get some chapters from the kidnappers point of view. While some of the the characters actions really bothered me I was still sucked into the story. I read over 75% of the book in one sitting that's how immersed in the story I was. We don't get all the sordid details of Lily's captivity yes we do get a glimpse of all that she endured but I don't feel like it went into to much detail but I definitely say look into trigger warnings for this book because there are a lot of triggering subjects talked about. 

I got choked up several times reading about what happened to Lily in captivity and also how she was coping now that she is free. None of the characters were perfect and each of them did something or multiple something that made me want to slap them and say what the hell are you thinking. Saying I enjoyed reading this book seems wrong considering the subject matter but overall I did enjoy the story and seeing how Lily overcame everything.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review a few years back, and it's only now that I've gotten around to reading it.

The beginning of the story made me feel like I was dropped in the middle of something important happening, so I was initially confused about everything. However, once the story progressed, everything quickly made sense, and I'm absorbed into the nightmare that Lily, the protagonist, had to go through.

Unlike most psychological thrillers, this one happens after the victim escapes the clutches of her abductor, and explores the grim effects of the victim's disappearance to the people around her, especially her family.

What I really like about this book is that it doesn't only tell the story from Lily's point of view, although she is the main protagonist. It also explores the grief and coping mechanisms (both good and bad) that her immediate family members resorted to in the aftermath of her disappearance.
There's Abby, Lily's twin sister, whose grief and guilt were so tangible that Lily's disappearance triggered damaging behavior. There's also Eve, their mother, who, despite appearing strong, stable and dependable, have her own share of questionable choices.

I feel like the actions of the characters in this story, besides Lily, were realistic in that they took solace in inter-personal relationships, although some of it were morally questionable. They were flawed characters that were put in a very complicated situations. Throughout the story, the reader isn't only being an audience to Lily's search for justice against her captor and abuser, the reader likewise witnesses the struggle and moral dilemma's that the other characters experience.

The subtle chess-play between Lily and Rick were also such a treat to read. Lily was such a layered protagonist. She's gone through so much, and her mental fortitude is very laudable, but that doesn't make her a Mary Sue. In fact, she has shown time and again that she's just as human as everybody else. She made mistakes, and felt deep remorse for them, but still strive to make do with the situation that she's put into.

I particularly loved the part on Abby's redemption. In the beginning, I was irritated with Abby and how she's such an emotional and impulsive character. However, by the end of the story, she became self-aware that she has been engaging in destructive behavior, and that it will take some time for her to overcome that behavior. That was such a very profound character development that I found myself rooting for her recovery and happiness.

A third into the story, I was a bit worried that Lily wouldn't get her happy ending. Thank God she did. I would have been heartbroken if evil triumphed.


All in all, this was a very riveting and absorbing read. The story is a bit fast-paced, but the twists are evenly sprinkled throughout the story that it's not overwhelming. I highly enjoyed it!

A lot of the things that happened in this story are very hard to believe, as well as the reactions from some of the characters to those things. I realize it is a work of fiction, but I had a hard time getting past most of them, and getting into the story

While I was initially drawn in by the premise and plot summary, I found the book overall to be disappointing. I wasn't kept in suspense throughout the book, and there were no unpredictable twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. It felt like a regurgitated, recycled storyline that's been adapted one too many times in recent years. Furthermore, the implausibility of these events made it challenging for me to feel engaged, eliminating any realistic aspects of the book. I wasn't able to suspend my disbelief, which led to this book falling far short of my expectations.

It was also apparent that the author decided to tell the story instead of show it. There were far too many unnecessary details about the characters' day-to-day lives, and this led to a boring plot with a few major events interspersed among chapters of filler. Despite this, there was no time dedicated toward character building and development, despite having ample time and space for this to occur.

This was a DNF book for me at 25%. Between the plot and the characters couldn't keep me interested so I gave up on it.

I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I don't have the time to read this book anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Lily Riser's been kidnapped and hidden away for years, and twin sister Abby hasn't coped well in her absence. Reunited, they adjust to life after.

I expected a thriller, but it's more like family drama - which is fine, but inaccurately marketed. I connected with Abby, but no other character. (That epilogue is too HEA for me.) Plot points are brought up, but not examined in enough depth. (Lily scheming to steal her sister's boyfriend, Sky missing Daddy Rick, etc.)

The novel's concept has plenty of potential, and in the hands of maybe Jodi Picoult or Lisa Scottoline may have been a fulfilling read. But I feel like BABY DOLL only skims the surface of issues. But there's enough potential that I snapped up the author's next novel...

Hollie Overton's Baby Doll, which was "stated" to be the next Girl on the Train or Gone Girl thriller fell just a bit short for me. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike the novel, but I wouldn't have gone as far as to have made a comparison to Girl on the Train or Gone Girl in all honesty. I think I expected something different, something more I got more of a Room feel, although Lily and Sky were held in a basement rather than a shed. I don't know this wasn't the worst book I've read, and it wasn't the best. This isn't a novel I would say is unforgettable, I was left feeling ok story done. Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF book for me. at 20% I had a hard time connecting with the story and the characters. They just couldn't hold my interest enough to keep going.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review. Unfortunately I am unable to give you a proper review. I apologize for the inconvenience. I am just no longer interested to read this book. I appreciate the approval.

So many thrillers deal with the lead up to someone escaping their situation, building the tension before someone breaks free. This book deals with the aftermath of that escape, and it is, surprisingly, just as tense, just as fraught with twists and turns and emotional intensity as the other kind of story. Each character was fully three-dimensional, giving me moments of rooting for or disliking nearly all of them in turn. A thoroughly pleasurable read.