Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Book of Hidden Wonders.

Romilly Kemp has relocated to a ramshackle farmhouse with her father, Tobias. When her father creates a series of books based on Romilly and her beloved cat, Monty, the accolades and the money roll in. Sadly, so does unwanted attention because some stans believe Tobias has added clues to a treasure in his book and the hunt is on.

But, as Romilly grows up, she discovers the clues for herself, and they harbor a devastating secret that will shatter her sheltered world and all she ever knew about herself and her family.

There were parts of the story I enjoyed; the writing was good, the environment Romilly grew up in, but the pacing was slow when there was not much happening, just descriptions of Romilly's days.

The title alluded to something wondrous, but the themes were far darker than I anticipated: mental illness, neglect, and death, just to name a few.

There was nothing magical or wonderful about the books Tobias Kemp wrote; in fact, the way he squirreled his daughter away from life and school was disturbing. Despite his fierce love for her, it was misplaced and odd, but perhaps it was due to the tragedy they had all suffered and the onset of his illness.

I wanted to like this more, but it was not what I expected.

The writing was good, but the particular themes in this book may make some readers uncomfortable, especially if they assumed the story would be happy or have a happy-ish ending.

All in all, an amazing novel. An utterly magical read, with such a unique and relationship between Romiley and her father. I thought it was quite interesting when Romiley had started to look for the hidden secrets in the children's book that would have led to something even more precious than gold. What I thought was most sweet about this novel, was that Romily went back to the books to try to reconnect with her father. That part was very cute.

I highly recommend this novel to those who love brilliant writing.

4.0 stars

The Book of Hidden Wonders is an emotionally charged journey that stayed with me long after the last words had been read.
The synopsis describes this book as deeply imaginative and unforgettable. I found it to be both and so much more.

The author, Polly Crosby introduces us to Romilly (the daughter), Monty (the cat), and her genius but ailing father, Tobias. They live in the English countryside in what was once a mansion. That now it is falling apart around them. And still the trio are mostly happy, even if living an eccentric, isolated lifestyle.

At least until Tobias created an illustrated children's book featuring Romilly and Monty that became a smashing hit. When rumors began spreading that a treasure map and clues had been hidden within the pages -- Tourists and treasure hunters alike traveled to their estate.

I did feel bad for Romilly, because she lived a very isolated life; however, the story took on more depth as it progressed. As Tobias' memory begins to fade he disappears further and further within himself. His love for his daughter is captured forever within the books he has written. But here again there's more to the story. Although there's no buried treasure on their estate Tobias has left clues for Romilly that explain the family's history.

Filled with emotion and beautifully told, The Book of Hidden Wonders is an often difficult, but a truly wonderful story.

I really wanted to love this. The summary is intriguing enough, but it was a DNF for me after Romilly’s dad gives her Monty’s preserves paw... I just couldn’t go further after that. That’s certainly not the only disturbing thing (child neglect is rampant through the entire first 30% of the book) but that was the last straw for me.

Thank you #Harlequin and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #TheBookOfHiddenWonders by Polly Crosby
Pub date 01Sept/2020
I was intrigued by the description of this story. I think it has touched of YA book and would put it in that category too.
Romilly is 9 years old at the beginning of the book, and lives with her dad who is an artist fleeing to the country to find himself. Her mum has been gone since she was 4 years old, and she really doesn't remember her.
Romilly's father writes and illustrates a book with her and her kitty Monty as subject. It becomes a best seller because there are hints of a treasure hunt in the beautiful illustrated pages.
Romilly knows there is more to this treasure hunt than meets the eye. She sees a woman in the shadows of the pages, she hears a tiny voice calling when she wakes up in the night. Her father becomes more eccentric and Romilly is basically raising herself.
Underlying the story is a theme of Romilly finding herself through the pages of the books her father illustrates, there is a mystery she knows she is to solve. As each year passes and a new book is published she is on a search for the treasure and the mystery of her life.
Though there are some awkwardness in the continuity of some of the writing, all said this is a book with a very interesting themes running throughout. I definitely recommend this beautiful book. It makes one wish the illustrated books described were something you could see and touch and devour.

This book was well written but it made me sad. I tend to steer clear of books that have that affect on me, so that’s just a personal bias. I thought it was magical realism and maybe I’d call it more of a mystery, but there was a bit of impending doom throughout.

Romilly grew up with her father in a super isolated life. They lived in a dilapidated house, in the woods.
Romilly’s father writes a children’s book with her as the main character. It becomes incredibly popular and life gets a bit dangerous for her.
The really cool thing about her dad’s book is that everyone thinks it leads to a hidden treasure. So people start showing up and questioning Romilly and her dad and life becomes harder. Romilly decides she wants to be homeschooled, and her dad agrees but doesn’t really teach her. She has to stay inside when strangers show up treasure hunting.

She only gets to spend time with one friend, a mysterious girl she met in the woods who also doesn’t go to school. Her friend brings out a scary side of Romilly.

Romilly’s dad tells her that the treasure in the story is really for her to find.

There were a couple twists in the story that were the main reason I kept reading. I had a couple inklings about the storyline and both turned out to be true.

But the story felt sad to me because of how alone and borderline neglected poor Romilly was. And u was constantly worried that something was going to happen to her cat.

I appreciated the twists but this was too emotional for me.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!

I finished reading this book with mixed feelings. Some of the story touched me quite deeply while I found some to be disturbing.

The Book of Hidden Wonders: Polly Crosby

Release Date: Sept. 1, 2020

Breath-taking, enchanting and heartfelt; a magical, modern classic.

Romilly lives with her father, Tobias, and her cat, Monty, in a crumbling farmhouse surrounded by wild gardens and stilled water. Her father, an eccentric but genius artist, gains notoriety after he publishes a children’s book starring Romilly, and her cat Monty, as the main characters. While Romilly struggles with understanding the new fame that has brought her out of poverty, she also seeks to understand her past, of which she knows very little of. Each book that is published in the Romilly series, has a series of hidden clues painted in sporadically, leading to a presumed treasure. As tourists and fans flock to the site of their home in hopes of finding the treasure, Romilly grows frustrated and curious as she realizes that not even she can figure it out.

As time passes, and as both Romilly and her father age, Romilly turns to the books to help her make sense of the quest, and of her own father disappearing before her eyes.

Beautifully written, The Book of Hidden Wonders is a magical, eye-awakening, coming of age story that explores trauma on the young mind, friendship, grief and hope. Crosby writes an emotionally rich story, streaked with dark themes, of the love a father has for his daughter, and of the beautiful, creative way he is able to tell his daughter of a past to painful to relive.

Along with posting on Net Galley, I will be posting my review to Goodreads, Amazon (when it becomes available), my Instagram (which has over a two thousand book review followers) and my blog. Please find the link to my blog post below. I am very grateful for the opportunity to review such an inspiring novel. Thank you very much.
Link to Blog Post: https://ifyoucanreadthisdotblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/09/the-book-of-hidden-wonders-polly-crosby/

Link to Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/ifyoucan_read_this/

Link to Goodreads Post: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3271460025?book_show_action=false

Respectfully
Chanel Johnson

I did not like this book. I struggled to finish it because it was slow paced and a little boring.

I thought it was going to be a whimsical story but it ended up being much darker than I expected. I thought it was depressing and teetering on disturbing. I didn't understand the ending and quite frankly, the whole story was odd. 

The cover, title, and synopsis made me think it was going to be a magical book but it was a heavy read whose message was convoluted with some dark themes.

Not a book I would recommend.