The Dollhouse (Paperdolls #1)

This book was about 4 girls who had been abducted and held captive for a number of years before finally getting free. The girls had a tight bond with each other because of all they had been through. This book was mainly about one of the girls Riley, and how things went for her after she was returned home. Her parents didn't know what to do with her and it was interesting to see her character change and grow throughout the book.

What a cracking good read! The first chapter grabs you with immediate action and the pace continued until the end. I loved the meshing of different elements- crime, romance, and coming of age issues. The relationships felt real and I felt the author really did get into the heart of the main character. I couldn't put it down. Thank you for the opportunity to read it and I look forward to purchasing it for our library system.

Riley, Layla, Adalyn and Kylie were all abducted as 12 year old girls and kept in an underground bunker by the man they called the Master, they were all pretty and blond and he called them his dolls. Seven years later Riley manages to attack and kill him so that they can all escape. The girls are then all returned to their families but they feel like sisters, for the last 7 years they have been family to each other and don't know how to carry on without that interaction.

Riley struggles when she gets home she doesn't know how to react to her family - she has a new brother who she instantly adores - but her parents don't understand her needs and treat her like a doll - the one thing that she is trying to get away from. Then she meets Wilson the boy next door, a bit of a bad boy, but she soon feels drawn to him and he treats her properly not like she is a freak, but her parents don't approve of the growing closeness or of her desperation to see hers "sisters"

A great book exploring the after effects of four girls held in captivity for the whole of their adolescence and how they struggle to relate in the real world - heartbreaking and emotional at times but definitely one you cant put down!

Loved the Dollhouse. Different to other books Ive read. Poor Riley and her 'sisters' taken from there families at such a young age. You could feel such empathy for Riley having to leave the dollohouse and try and get back to normal life. I found it very interesting. Would highly recommend this book

This was a very interesting and touching book. It offers another perspective and explores the other side of kidnapping. It explores the lives of victims who escaped after years of imprisonment and how they tried to adjust to the fact that they are back to life.

Riley, Layla, Adalyn and Kylie were kidnapped when they were 12 years old. As far as the world was concerned, they were supposed to be dead. But, by luck they managed to escape from the "Dollhouse", the place where the Master kept them and treated them like his Dolls.
The girls spent their teenage years in this prison and it was really interesting to see how each one of them faces the world again.

It was sad, but not depressing to see all that struggle on their side, how every memory from that Dollhouse affected them, but also how this affected their families. I enjoyed the book, and the different character, the struggle with every choice and the fun/nice parts that came from adjusting to life. The other thing i liked was that there were not a lot of description of the horror they went through, the story was about how they tried to enjoy life again. I felt that the story held a message of hope. and it was nice.

The story was written from the point of view of Riley, the girl who took the chance to free herself and the girls, and some chapters were told by Wilson, the boy next door who had also his share of tragedies. The only reservation i had was that i thought the struggle of Riley to adjust to life was centered much more than necessary around Wilson. Still, I liked the relationship they had.

I enjoyed the book very much.

The Dollhouse By Nicole thorn is a romance and women's fiction read.
Riley Cain. Layla Hall. Adalyn Mitchell. Kylie Michaelson. Those are the four girls kidnapped from their hometown over seven years ago, and they’ve finally broken free of their prison. They were taken by a man whose name to them was only ever Master. He spent years perfecting them. Making them his little dolls, meant to love him and nothing else. Or so he thought. 
A stroke of dumb luck supplied Riley with all she needed to end Master and free her and her friends from the hell they’d been living in. Suddenly, they find themselves thrown back into society. Now nineteen, the girls have to try and acclimate to how their families have changed, as well as the world around them. Nothing is as it was. 
Fantastic read with brilliant characters. Full of twists and plots. A captivating read. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

The Dollhouse by Nicole Thorn
Seven years ago, Riley, Layla, Kylie and Adalyn are kidnapped by a man they only know as Master. He spent seven years grooming them, almost turning them into talking, walking, sleeping dolls, meant to love and almost worship him and only him.
When the opportunity arises, Riley kills the ‘master’ enabling them to escape their incarceration. Now the girls who had become as close as sister are re-united with their real families.
After so long kept away from the ‘real’ world, the girls struggle to adjust to all the changes that have happened and how the world has moved on without them.
This book is very good and one that I highly recommend, yes, it is heart wrenching but a hard one to put down.
Thanks, Netgalley and Curiosity Quills for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Have you ever seen that Netflix show “The Unstoppable Kimmy Schmidt”? Well, this is that story, only much more realistic. Riley helps her and 3 other girls escape from a crazy man who has kept them hidden in his house for 7 years pretending they are his “dolls”. Now, before I go any further let me get this out there, this is not a story of girls being sexually assaulted. There is definitely assault and humiliation and abuse but the abuser is more about keeping his dolls pretty and perfect and has no desire to “defile” them. In case you have triggers I wanted to make sure that was out there.

This story is essentially dealing with Riley and the 3 other girls as they try to re-acclimate to the real world and how everything and everyone around them has changed. Learning how to trust, love and live all over again with no concept of what it is to be an adult, or how to have adult relationships. There are moments in this book that are truly heartbreaking as everyone tries to keep Riley in a different type of cage; afraid to let her anywhere out of their site. To Riley, she feels like she freed herself only to be captured again. It’s an interesting story on how everyone deals with something like this, not just Riley, but also her parents, and the new brother she meets when she comes home. Nothing is how she remembers it and after living so long in a dollhouse, she isn’t sure how she feels about it. The relationship that develops between her and her neighbor Wilson is so sweet. And not the sugar coated YA sweet, but the kind of sweet of someone who doesn’t understand at all what Riley is going through, but is willing to move heaven and earth to understand her as much as he can. While everyone else can’t see past the little girl she was when she was taken, Wilson wants to treat her as the adult she wants to be and is trying to become.

I truly enjoyed this story and will gladly read the next book in the series.

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.