I have been waiting patiently for another book from Pam Amy an it did not disappoint The Hideaway was an amazingly brilliant story of running away to save oneself and their family. It was filled with mystery, magic, intrigue and emotion. This was a book I could not put down. Absolutely loved it!

A lovely book dealing with some heavy topics. The illustrations add a lot of character to the story, although the words do the heavy-lifting. I appreciated how the work clearly separates the views of the two characters, the young boy and his mother, by through the design of the chapter headings, font, and illustrations.
This book deals with domestic abuse, but does so without depicting the violence itself. Instead, it confronts the impacts of continued abuse, showing us through how each character reacts. For such a heavy subject, the book handles it with aplomb, and in such a way that is appropriate for middle-grade readers.

I loved Pam Smy's Thornhill and was naturally excited for The Hideaway. Thanks to Netgalley I got an e-arc.

The Hideaway is a very emotional and wholesome book filled with beautiful illustrations. I loved this story so much. Both the POV of Billy and Grace were so emotional and I wanted to give both of them the biggest hug. The one scene in the graveyard was simply enchanting and damn it was probably my favorite.

Pam Smy's writing is very swift and easy to follow and it was the same here too. The emotions were in abundance and seeped in through the pages. The ending was absolutely stunning! This book had the same atmospheric environment setting as Thornhill, less of supernatural horror but still had horrifying undertones. Its perfect for quick short reads in between heavy books.

Didn't realize that this book is more of a illustrated novel rather than a graphic novel, but it was interesting nonetheless.

**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of The Hideaway by Pam Smy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

The Hideaway by Pam Smy is an illustrated contemporary fantasy novel.  It's mostly based in reality with some supernatural elements.  The story is about a young boy who runs away from home because his mother is in an abusive relationship and he can't handle it anymore.  I rated it 5 stars on Goodreads.  It is set to publish on September 2nd, 2021.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

A haunting illustrated novel from the author of the highly acclaimed Thornhill.
Told in two alternating narratives, The Hideaway tells the story of Billy McKenna, who runs away from home and takes refuge in an overgrown graveyard. The first narrative is told from his perspective, whereas the second thread tells of the situation at home and the police search for Billy. Covering themes of domestic violence, families, childhood, being separated and reunited, this is an important and beautifully illustrated book for middle grade readers right up to adults.
The Hideaway is illustrated throughout with tonal and textured black and white drawings. The atmospheric illustrations seep into the edge of the pages before they give way to a series of double-page spreads as the story reaches its climax.

This was a beautiful novel.  When I requested it, I thought it would be more graphic novel style, but I ended up really enjoying the fact that it was an illustrated novel instead.  The formatting was absolutely gorgeous.  I loved the art style.  It framed the text well and added some lovely visuals to the text itself.  The colours were more muted, but I really felt that they suited the story that was being told.

Story line wise, the novel really hit me in the feels.  I felt for Billy and his mother and I wanted them to reunite in a way that would be positive and good.  I wanted them to be able to get away from his abusive step father so that they could both thrive as people.

The fact that Billy hid in the local graveyard was interesting, and I found it intriguing to introduce the man in the graveyard into the story.  It was nice for Billy to have a positive male role model in his life.  

The novel gives you the points of view of different characters so you get a full picture of the story.  You as a reader get to understand Billy's perspective, but you also learn about how his mother learns about the disappearance and how she ended up in the relationship.

I found the story very compelling and very interesting.  I was deeply moved by the story and by the art.  I highly recommend that you check it out.

Completely precious, romantically spooky, and hopeful. Did not realize I was requesting a galley for more of a middle-school reader and SO glad I did. Just as compelling for adult readers!

*thanks to netgalley for this ARC*