Phew.

Alright gentle readers. Get ready for some brutal realness about this book.

To begin, this is the ultimate "hold my beer" book for emotional/psychological abuse, psychotic ex's, crappy childhoods, and worst parents ever. And if that's your jam, great! Stop reading this review and go get this book. However, if you were like me and thought the promise of an endearing unexpected friendship between young Roland and a homeless man was worth picking this book up for the veiled promise of a warm fuzzy, "we've all learned a valuable lesson" moment, let me tell ya! This is NOT that kind of story and your princess is still waiting in another castle. And while that relationship is quite sweet, this novel is bound and determined to depress even the cheeriest of souls and things turn sour FAST. Before you can say, "Man...these guys have been through so much but I think things may be turning around for them," Lundrigan quickly sneaks up behind you, unsheathes a blade made of pure anxiety, and stabs the reader squarely between the shoulders.

You know the expression "This is a crap shoot"? Yeah.

And all of this is made that much worse as all the characters are extremely well-developed and believable. Some of you may even read this work and recognize someone you know in characters like Gloria (my sincerest condolences if that's true).

But the true downfall of this work is not the subject matter or characters. The real *wah-wah* of this story is the ending. The conclusion of Hideaway is a horrible let-down as only one character truly receives closure. The other? A SINGLE SENTENCE. And even then we're not 100% certain that they've actually received any kind of closure or if they're just experiencing a single moment of lucidity. And the cherry on that stress sundae with a side of scarred for life? The metaphor Lundrigan employs is so obvious that it feels like she's hitting us with a two-by-four in the face while screaming, "GET IT?!!" It is, unfortunately, cheap and unworthy of an otherwise brilliantly dark tale. After all the garbage the characters have to wade through and will have to continue wading through for years to come, this is not the conclusion they deserve.

This book was amazing and not necessarily good amazing, thought altering amazing. It’s hard to explain the story in short version but it was emotion invoking. I felt so many different emotions during this book. Sadness, anger, desperation, shock and briefly happiness. This was an incredibly well written book about a very tough subject: child abuse and neglect. Instead of having to turn each page to know what happens it became a desperation to find out if things got better. That was a very different feeling for me reading a novel, it definitely evoked emotions I’m not used to embracing but I recommend this book to everyone. 5 stars.

It takes someone of immeasurable cruelty to force their child out into the dark woods come midnight as a form of punishment. That is the kind of person Gloria is, a woman who never should have become a mother.

She's more monstrous than anything one might find out in the forest. Gloria's treatment of her two children, Rowan and Maisy, is the nexus of Hideaway, a gloomy, tragic, adventure story about a child who finds comfort in a mentally unstable man who lives under a bridge.

Hideaway is not an easy book to read. Stories about child neglect and abuse never are, especially because we know people like this exist in the real world.

I wish I liked this novel more. I think it has something to say and a compelling story to tell, but, I found myself unable to make it past the half-way mark. Telling the story from the perspective of the children was a smart move, yet I often felt bogged down by long passages winding nowhere.

Carl was a frustrating character too, the overuse of the "urh," sound became grating after a while.

Hideaway is a great novel for some, the book has high reviews on Goodreads and other platforms, but for me, it felt too long and too bleak. It wasn't to my liking, unfortunately.

I would still recommend it to anyone who finds the premise intriguing. It's unlike many novels I've read, and its uniqueness makes it an excellent story for some. Be aware of the dark subject matter beforehand.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for allowing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4-5 stars! This was an intense read, that really had my heart aching in spots. Seeing the amount of disturbing family circumstances could be a tough thing for many to read, but I enjoy the more disturbing and demented books. It was well written with many thrills, chills, shocks, and disturbing themes, but also heart wrenching read. Will definitely read more by this author.
Will recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub.

Hard to read at times, this is the tale of an incredibly dysfunctional family and two highly resilient kids. Gloria is a monster. No two ways about it. She puts on a good show but her family- her husband Telly and worst of all her children Rowan and Maisy suffer regularly. Telly leaves her and moves in with another woman, which only leads her to redouble against the kids. Rowan finally runs away, finding solace, he thinks, with Carl, a homeless man. Carl, however, has problems of his own and this doesn't go quite as Rowan hopes. Twisted and twisty, you will be disgusted with the parents and want to hug the kids. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A disturbing but good read.

Being a mother, this story really pulled at my heart strings. I know this is fiction but I am all to aware of the fact that there are people who are like this in real life. This book had me so angry/sad a times that I almost put it down. It has a great pace and does keep you reading to see what happens in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I’ll be honest, this was a difficult book to get through. I put it down a few times, not because it is written poorly (because it’s not) but to process what I was reading. The plot centers around an extremely dysfunctional family dynamic-mainly a mother (Gloria) who neglects her young children, Rowan and Maisy. It was so heartbreaking to see how extremely selfish Gloria was and what she put them through for her own self-centered gain. Her children yearned love but Gloria chooses her love of a man over her children and it’s so disheartening. I don’t normally read such emotional books and even though it is fiction, I’m not naïve to think stuff like this doesn’t happen in real life. This book stayed with me even days after reading it. After all of that, I still enjoyed reading it and would recommend to readers who enjoy this type of emotional drama.

This was really hard to read at times - not due to the writing, but the topic. I think the author did well handling such a sensitive subject though. The author did particularly well with the conclusion, conversations, and overall narration. Some of the plot dragged a bit, but I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to others.

HIDEAWAY by Nicole Lundigran is a great suspense novel, with some crazy twists along the way. I am glad I was picked to read this one because it is amazing. It has bit of everything, suspense, heart and great characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a hard read. A lot of the time it left my stomach bubbling. I struggle with controlling my empathy when watching or reading things where a character suffers or struggles. My husband always tells me, it isn’t real. It’s just a book, just a movie. Sometimes, something can be too detailed and seem too real, like Hideaway. Things like it happen every day, often to someone we know. And there is no shame bringing this type of family dynamic to light. This goes without saying, despite me struggling to read it, the writing and dialogue was full of talent. I will read from this author again - though hopefully about a lighter subject.

3.5 great writing

This is a horrific story. It will stick with me for a while.

I know these things really do happen and these people do exist but it didn’t make it any easier to read about it. The hopelessness of the situation was heartbreaking.

This story is well written and plotted. The characters and dialogue are layered. It was fascinating and I couldn’t put it down but it wasn’t an enjoyable read. The conclusion helped to an extent.

I would read more by this author if the next topic was a bit lighter. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Penguin Random House Canada for a copy in exchange for a review.

This was a great thriller. Fit right into the genre with intriguing characters, unexpected twists, and a developed storyline. I would definitely recommend!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

Gloria appears to be a loving wife & mom, but behind closed doors, she's controlling every member of her family. When her spouse Telly leaves, Gloria turns on her oldest child Rowan. Rowan runs away and finds a friend in a homeless man named Carl which eventulaly leads to some dark turns. Gloria publicly seems desperate for her sons return, but is tormenting her youngest daughter even more so and still trying to manipulate Telly into returning.

The story is told from the kid's point of view, and the house is truly a house of evil.

I very much enjoyed this book. The children who we hear the story from are such strong and brave people. It is heartbreaking what they were out through.
I would recommend this book.

I didn’t love this book- I actually considered giving up on it several times throughout. Overall it was just good. The storyline was all over the place and confusing. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

2.5/5

This was a wonderfully creepy novel! Hats off to Nicole Lundrigan for writing this one. I absolutely loved it! When I first started reading it I wasn't sure if I would really like it but now I am so glad I finished it because it was absolutely amazing.

Hideaway is a emotional rollercoaster of a thriller. The book is well written and the characters are interesting. I would read more by this author.

What makes you continue to read a story that is so dark and unsettling you can’t imagine it being real? The fact that you know that families like the Janes’ do exist and you have to find out what happens. This is an emotionally charged and powerful story. Told by the two children involved, both young and naïve, and easily manipulated because your parents are supposed to only want what is best for you. This is a house of evil. I could not put this one down. A most disturbing story… thank you, Mommy Dearest!

Rowen and his little sister Maisy are left in the care of their erratic mother Gloria when their father Telly leaves them for his new girlfriend. Gloria's erratic moods result in Rowen running away from home where he meets an unusual friend named Carl. Carl appears to be an eccentric but seemingly harmless homeless man who agrees to let Rowen stay with him. Rowen, excited about his new adventure, begins to have doubts about his safety when Carl's paranoia turns dangerous.

Hideaway is an unusual tale in which we get to experience the lives of Rowen and Maisy two young children from a poor dysfunctional family. I'm tagging it as thriller but it would probably be closer to the suspense genre. The novel changes POV throughout the chapters so that the reader can experience the events unfolding from the eyes of a child. Carl, a homeless man with mental illness, is seen by Rowan is the one adult who finally understands him. Maisy is left in Gloria's care where she is rewarded only when she does exactly as she is told. Two parallel stories that will result in Rowen and Maisy having to make a life or death choice in who to trust. This book has some pretty unsettling topics throughout (child neglect and maltreatment) but it takes a very dark and disturbing twist towards the end. I really enjoyed this novel and found the characters to be complex yet relatable, definitely one to check out.

What an intense journey this was! This book is unlike anything I've ever read. It's well-written, well-paced, and and characterization is on point. It is brilliant and magnetic, unputdownable! The plot is riveting, intense, suspenful, and heart-breaking.

The narrative alternates between the two children, Rowan and Maisey, giving the reader a first hand look at the pain they are experincing within their dysfunctional and abusive family. The boy runs away and befriends a crazy homeless man, who makes him feel more loved and like a family than his own. While Maisey is at home with Gloria, their mother, and missing her big brother desperatly. But Gloria puts things in poor Maisey's head, lies to her, and makes her think she's crazy. All Gloria cares about is herself and trying to get her husband, Telly, back. She blames the children for Telly leaving and for him not coming back. Telly isn't a great person either. He abandoned his children, ignores them, refuses to listen to them, and turns a blind eye to what Gloria puts them through. Also, Gloria and Telly make the children call them by their first names, instead of 'mom' and 'dad',

There is an incident between Carl, the homeless man, and Rowan, that makes Rowan journey back home. He feels guilty for leaving Maisey and misses her, and the rest of his family, despite the abuse. But something happens on his way home. That part of the story gets a little tricky, but just stick with it, it will all come out in the end.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. It does deal with some really hard subjects, and readers should be aware and trigger warned. All in all, I will definitely be reading this book again, and I do recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.