At the beginning of The Dollhouse, two teenagers, twins Angel and Bud, are kidnapped by a woman named Jennifer. They find themselves in the basement of a house with another girl (Olivia) and discover that their function is to recreate scenes from the childhood of Jennifer’s partner Alfred, who calls them his “dolls,” in a twisted effort to exorcise the demons of his past.

Meanwhile, Olivia’s father, a journalist, reaches out to the twins’ mother, explaining that he sees similarities in their situations that lead him to believe that the same person or people are behind both kidnappings. The rest of the book switches between the perspectives of the teenagers, those looking for them, and a high-school teacher named Edward whose role only becomes clear near the end, culminating in a breathless race against time to save them before Alfred decides that he is finished with his "dolls."

This book was well written but I found the middle section almost too much to stomach, as graphic violence was inflicted upon the captives. I was almost ready to give up when the focus changed and it improved - I mainly wanted to find out what motivated Jennifer, which does become clear later on, although I did find this situation a bit of cliché. Three stars rounded down from 3.5 due to what seemed to me to be excessive dwelling on the torture scenes.

I'm usually all about the creepy weird stories but this one was a little to out there for me. The writing was good and the pacing was quick but the story itself was just not for me.

I know I am quite late in reading and reviewing this book but have to say I did enjoy it with its large amount of creepiness and quick happenings.

The most alarming character, Alfred, loved his dolls. his human ones. So, when the compulsion hit him he would send his alter ego character, Jennifer, on the prowl to find what he needed. Captured by Jennifer was Olivia, the daughter of a wealthy Peter Baden. She is joined by the twins Angel and Bud. Peter has dedicated his life to finding Olivia and other lost children.

Alfred uses the children to restage old photos of his. He has sinister intentions and is a psychopath, prone to violence when things are not as he imagines.

Which of the children will survive being captive in the dollhouse or will they all perish in the heat of Alfred's outbursts.

This was one I started a while ago but put it aside because it was too disturbing. The first half was intriguing with the reason for the kidnapping but then I had trouble staying engaged when the book got descriptive with the details of “playing house”. The reason I decided to pick this back up was because I was interested in the concurrent storyline of Peter, the father of a missing daughter, and his quest to never give up.

Fast paced, fun and page turning! I really enjoyed the character development and the setting. Can’t wait to see more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

This book was intriguing, scary, and disturbing. I couldn't put it down. It had a very emotional ending. I definitely would recommend this book and author.

This book will have you on the edge of your seat. There is something always going on and feels like you’ll never catch your breath.

This story made me laugh, cry, scream, and hang my jaw with disbelief. An absolutely captivating plot.

This was a pretty decent story about two kids who were kidnapped and held. I kinda liked the good cop bad cop of the people holding them. I really loved the kids and was rooting for them throughout. There were a few twists and I guessed one of them. I will say I thought it was a bit too long and could have been cut down and paced faster.

It’s an interesting book about some twisted MC who kidnaps children. The kidnapper places these kids in a place he calls The Dollhouse and has them stage different photos. Very strange and can be disturbing at times so check trigger warnings before reading. It wasn’t what I was expecting but it was still a good read. Three stars because it was good but it didn’t really seem like anything I hadn’t already heard before. Still a good physiological thriller that will have you cringing at how crazy the MC is and at everything he does. At times it felt slow but it did pick up a bit and get a bit suspenseful towards the end. Im not a big fan of the ending. The ending felt abrupt and incomplete. I’m all over the place with this book and that’s why I give it three stars. I’m right smack in the middle on how I feel about this story. I still recommend it to anyone who likes reading physiological thrillers. Thanks Netgalley for gifting me a copy of The Dollhouse.

Sara Ennis is a really good writer and this was no different. Not my favourite YA but it was a good filler when my usual go to authors didn't have anything new as I knew it would be enjoyable.

Wow what a thriller of a read this was. Deeply dark and disturbing . The way I like my books, I devoured this book .

This book had me sucked in from the beginning and kept me enthralled. The Dollhouse is a dark psychological thriller book about father, Peter, whose daughter, Olivia, went missing a year ago. Peter created a dollhouse and collects blue eyed blonde “dolls” that he uses to recreate scenes from pictures. The kids that he kidnaps to be his dolls just make your heart break and you are rooting the whole time for them to get free. Definitely a 5 star book and I cannot wait for more books to come out from this author.

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

True psychological thriller. Creepy and disturbing and it keeps you reading! Some parts were hard to read but I couldn't put it down.

I’m gonna say No to this one. Bland characters and uninteresting tone. Next, please!

Thanks to Netgalley!

The Dollhouse
by Sara Ennis
4 stars
What in the world I don't have too many words for this. I couldn't put it down but I also cried and screamed and wanted to stop reading but it was so good. The writing and suspense of it all. I read the second book first not knowing it was the second, so I knew kind of what had happened to Angel but my goodness. Angel is an angel and she is just such an amazing character. I can't wait to read the third one.

Thank you, Net Gally for the e-ARC for an honest review

✰✰✰✰.5
Sara Ennis is another author with a twisted mind that I’m adding to my favorite author list! The imaginations of some authors are both impressive and terrifying at the same time and she is one of those authors. I’d be concerned if I was living in the same house!

The Dollhouse—Book #1 in the Duality series—has a chilling premise and multiple twists that come from left field. Be warned, this well-written but tragic story centers around child abduction and abuse and can be hard for some to read.

The suspense was over-the-top as these children are exposed to unimaginable situations by the monster who abducted them. They never know when he’ll make an appearance and what horror lies in wait. They are now only dolls for his repulsive amusement.

I wish I hadn’t put this book off for so long! There are just too many books to read. I have the prequel, Two Lies & a Truth, which I hope to get to very soon. And then I hope to read the next two books in this spine-tingling series soon!

Thank you to Sara Ennis for providing this gifted ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#saraennisthedollhouse #netgalley #SaraEnnis #TheDollHouse #giftedARC #justfinishedreading #honestreview #bookseries #childabuction #kindleunlimited #bookreviewer #childabuse #crimeandcocktailsbookcrew #mysteryandthrills #readwithme #bookaddict #thrilleraddict #thrillersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #lovebooks #bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks #cantstopreading #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecommendations #readingintherockies #mustread #justfinishedreading #thrillerfiction #coloradoreader

This book was full of suspense but the twists in the book were kind of predictable. Peter Baden's daughter Olivia was kidnapped and he's been looking for her, as well as working with families of other missing children. Sunshine, mother of Angel and Bud, leaves her children home alone and they are also abducted. All three children are being held in the "Dollhouse", where a couple are forcing them to recreate family photos with their captors, Alfred and Jennifer. Alfred is clearly psychotic and when the children realize they are running out of pictures to take that their time is also running out. The book builds on that and the ending was great, it makes you want to read the next book also. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

The plot of this book instantly drew my attention- it reminded me a bit of stories I'd heard of before, and reminded me of one of my favorite Criminal Minds episodes, where the unsub kidnaps women and turns them into real-life dolls. It was an interesting take on child abduction, and it was nice (for lack of a better term) to see a departure from the typical molestation/rape stories you typically see in stories like this. Not that Albert wasn't as depraved as other monsters who abduct kids. While there wasn't anything necessarily unique about this story, the way that Ennis tells the story makes it seem new, and it kept me interested till the very end.