TW: drug addiction, racism, gaslighting, cheating, murder, gory scenes, infertility

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job in the affluent suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.Mallory immediately loves this new job. She lives in the Maxwell’s pool house, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.As the days pass, Teddy’s artwork becomes more and more sinister, and his stick figures steadily evolve into more detailed, complex, and lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to suspect these are glimpses of an unsolved murder from long ago, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force lingering in the forest behind the Maxwell’s house.With help from a handsome landscaper and an eccentric neighbor, Mallory sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy—while coming to terms with a tragedy in her own past—before it’s too late.
Release Date: May 10th, 2022
Genre: Thriller
Pages:384
Rating: ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• It's a creepy plot
• The writing style is good
• That the ending was a real ghost

What I Didn't Like:
• It's Lego not Legos!
• A lot of plot holes
• Too many dreams
• Insta-romance
• Ends with a letter telling us what happened
• How perfect Mallory is

Overall Thoughts:
[Random thoughts while reading]

Who let's their kid sit on the toilet for 10 or 15 minutes not using the bathroom? That's how you get hemroids.

So she can't have coffee because she's an addict and the caffeine, but she's drinking tea.

I know it's trivial but it's not Lego's, it's Lego bricks.

[End randomness]

Books make it seem so easy to find a hot man that's interested in you. Right off the bat she meets someone and he's like in love with her. He's so obsessed with her he drives 7 hours away after knowing her a few weeks. He's totally okay with that she lied to him and embarrassed him with his parents and really is a drug user in recovery. I hate the insta love romance in books and I honestly don't feel like this book needed it. Shit is every man in love with Mallory? Does she have the golden vagina or something? Even Ted is in love with her and has planned for them to run away.

Neither a stun gun nor a TASER device is designed to knock someone out or render them unconscious. These devices work by locking up the body's muscles by "jamming" the electrical signals of the central nervous system. Once the stun gun or TASER stops cycling, the affected person is able to move again. So can we please please please stop adding this into books!

So Caroline's plan is make out like Mallory overdosed on hieron but what about the marks on her head from being hit? Or the marks on her wrists from being bound? How about the mark from the taser? Police just ignore those things? It's a dumb plan.

If you stole a child after murdering their mother would you hire someone to take care of that child so you could work? Would you do all of that and hide that they are really a girl without even explaining what's going on to the person watching said child? And then Caroline explains that she wanted a distraction for Teddy so (s)he would stop hanging with his ghost mom. Like what?

When Maeget gets hit with the taser her body reacts how a normal person's would react but why when Mallory is hit she looses consciousness? Like dear author make up your mind.. Does it knock you out or just make you spasam?

Mallory is one of those girls that is perfect. Despite being an addict in recovery she is a great swimmer and runner (6th in Pennsylvania during high school). All the men want her. She's just naturally a mother like figure who Teddy loves from the moment they meet. She's not even punished for murdering someone. She makes giving up drugs look easy with no cravings. Her sponsor loves her. The research doctor from the beginning of the book has been searching this whole time for her too after meeting once and doing an experiment that's never explained to us the point of.

Fun fact; There's an old superstition that back in Europe they would murder the child if their mothers died. They were scared that the child would be haunted and new parents would be tormented. So it was easier to murder the children.

Final Thoughts: Gosh, this book started off so good. There were creepy ghost moments. A child drawing scary pictures. And a couple that seemed almost TOO perfect. Sadly for me I felt I left this book with too many questions and not enough answers.

I didn't like any of the characters. Teddy/ Fiona just seemed to have the mental personality of a much older child then 5 years old. At certain points they read as 10-12 years old.

It was funny that I picked this one up right on the heels of The Book Of Cold Cases, not knowing much about it. Both were paranormal in a “realistic” kind of way, which is how I like my supernatural books, if that makes any sense.

When I read the blurb I was worried that this would be another stale “no one believes the unstable girl nanny” story. While there was an element of no one trusting Mallory when she started to realize that something was wrong with Teddy, the plot was fresh and unique overall. Don’t let the blurb turn you away if you feel like you’ve read this storyline before!

I really enjoyed the characters here, especially cute little Teddy. Mallory was extremely likeable and relatable. As a recovering addict, she was easy to root for as she tried her best to move on from her troubled past.

The reveal and the ending were both very satisfying and well written. I was never bored while listening to Hidden Pictures! The clues were very well-paced, and it was fun to read something that kept me guessing the entire time.

I loved the final chapter and teared up a little at how things were resolved.

Audio Review: Suzy Jackson is a new narrator for me, but I loved her performance. I will definitely be listening to more from her in the future! Thanks to Macmillan Audio for this ALC–it drew me right into Mallory’s story, and I couldn’t bring myself to press pause. I powered through this one during a long weekend of chores.

The best ghost story I have read in quite awhile. Creepy atmosphere that continues to build throughout the story. Multiple twist will keep you guessing until the end.

Mallory is 18 months sober when she takes the job to be the nanny for the Maxwells. Everything starts out great but when little Teddy starts drawing his "friend" Anya being dragged and buried Mallory starts questioning if Anya is more than an imaginary friend. Considering her history with drugs any mention of her suspicions just makes others think she has relapsed. Is this in her mind or is a local ghost story more than folklore?

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

Hidden Pictures
By Jason Rekulak

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Mallory is a recovering addict. She takes a job as a nanny for an affluent family. Teddy, her charge, is 5, and has an imaginary friend named Anya.

Teddy likes to draw during his quiet time. He begins drawing very disturbing drawings, stating that Anya is telling him to draw them. Teddy shares these disturbing images with Mallory, who is bothered by the photos and takes them to his parents. They don’t seem overly concerned about the drawings, but tell Teddy to stop drawing.

Pictures keep appearing, in the big house, and in Mallory’s cottage. Mallory decides to investigate what might be behind the cause of the drawings. In so doing, she discovers a mystery and some local lore.

This is a slow burn, until you get about half way through, when things really begin to pick up pace. The story takes many twists and turns, especially at the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely kept me guessing until the end. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I got the carpet ripped out from under my feet.

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak sucked me right in. I loved the relatability of our heroine of the story struggling and recovery from addiction and her background and found that aspect woven into a mystery fit well and was unlike any other thriller/mystery books I've read.

This book definitely turned in a way I wasn’t expecting. The narrator was great, the characters weren’t completely predictable, and overall I really enjoyed this story.

Thank you NetGaley for this wonderful book. It was interesting, captivating and different. There was mystery, supernatural, murder and historical aspect.
The main character is likable too.

WOW! 5 STAR READ!

Guys... this book is a thriller WITH spooky vibes!? I WAS SO EXCITED!

Typically, I like more "realistic" thrillers. For example, so many people LOVED Behind Her Eyes, but I didn't because I felt that it made an absolutely ridiculous turn!? THIS BOOK however...I went into it knowing that there were going to be some ghostly vibes based off the description and I was hooked from the very beginning.

I felt that there was never a dull moment with this read and I absolutely loved how the entire book played out, ending included (and you guys know I am PICKY about my book endings!)

What an amazing read. Following Mallory and Teddy on this wild adventure made for a truly great read.

THANK YOU so much to my favorite audio company MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book!

Entertaining and has a unique twist. I appreciated how the protagonist was flawed but not whiny. She made mistakes and owned them, and when she continued to do something questionable, I empathized with her choices. The audio narrator was enjoyable to listen to and sounded authentic to the character’s age and thinking.

Best thriller I have read this year! The ending caught me completely off guard! I feel like a lot of thrillers have twist endings that are reaching so far out in left field that they just feel ridiculous. Dont get me wrong, this ending is NUTS, but I loved it!!!

I didn’t know it was possible to be thoroughly creeped out by a young boy’s artistic endeavors, but here we are.

HIDDEN PICTURES is a spine-tingling story that follows Mallory Quinn who works as a summer nanny for young Teddy Maxwell. Teddy loves to draw and is rarely without his sketch pad. His innocent drawings of nature and toys become increasingly sinister as they depict a man dragging a woman’s body through the woods.

Jason Rekulak has crafted a uniquely chilling book that kept me flipping pages. The story will require some suspension of disbelief as there are supernatural aspects, but be willing to go along for this wild ride and you won’t be disappointed.

The audiobook was narrated well, however I would encourage readers to also have a physical copy on hand. Pictures are interspersed throughout the book and play a key role in the story. While you’ll get the gist of the pictures, the audiobook simply can’t do justice to these deeply unsettling pictures on the page.

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: May 10, 2022

A big thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books and Macmillan audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Mallory is a nineteen-year-old recovering addict trying to get her life together. When her sponsor hooks her up with a job as a live-in babysitter for a couple with a five-year-old boy, she jumps at the chance. And when she meets the family, it seems almost too good to be true---the job is in an affluent New Jersey suburb and she gets to live in her own cottage out in back of her employers' house. But ... as is always the case when something seems to be too good to be true, it is too good to be true.

An interesting yarn that kept me listening though the narrator's voice was a little reedy and thin for my taste. She sounds young, and I suppose that was the point. The story moves very quickly, with clever bits of redirection and a genuine jaw-dropping moment around three-quarters of the way in. I guess this one has been billed a "horror" and I guess it might be if it were a movie. I would call it more of a mystery-suspense novel with a little paranormal flourish thrown in. Nothing about it was horrific, but if it was adapted to the screen (which I think very well may happen) it definitely offers enough to make it visually more like a horror than suspense film. You'll get through this one in a day or less if you have the time. Great semi-spooky vacation read.

My rating:⭑⭑⭑

✨ This book is slowly making it's way around the book community, and sounded very intriguing.⁠
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💜 This book was a fast read, with paranormal elements. I devoured it. There were twists I didn't expect, and the main character was very sympathetic. It's the story of a nanny and the child she looks after. But then, weird things start happening. ⁠
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💥 I loved this book and would have given it a full 5 stars, except I reserve that for books I would read again. After knowing the twists, I don't think this would have the same impact.⁠
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My face at the end: 😱⁠
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from @Netgalley and Flatiron Books.⁠
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💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney). I will give you a list of reasons to read! Or join us on Youtube (@zaineylaney) for our monthly wrapups and snap book decisions.

Hidden Pictures was one of the books that I couldn't wait to get my hands on, The synopsis for this book had me hooked. It seemed to have the perfect blend of creepy paranormal and good old fashion mystery. Diving into the audiobook, my expectations were met with instant satisfaction. I really took to Jason Rekulak's style and pace of storytelling, I enjoyed his character building and setup for this mysterious tale about Mallory Quinn and her new employer.

I found myself feeling like the story fell a bit short on the creep factor mainly due to the performance by Suzy Jackson. I think Suzy is a great, love the tone of her voice and I would love to hear her performance in another audiobook. For me, this felt like a mismatch. Her performance felt more in line with a coming of age young adult novel and I never felt that this got to full on adult horror novel. I wondered if the level of horror would have been higher for me if I would have read the book instead.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, There were enough twist and turns in this mystery to keep me hooked. I look forward to future novels by Jason Rekulak and I hope I come across other performances by Suzy Jackson.

I want to thank Jason Rekulak, Suzy Jackson, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is by far one of my favorite audiobooks to date. The narrator was fantastic and wow, this story! I loved this book so much! This story may seem familiar on the surface-young woman gets hired as a nanny and weird things begin to happen in which you can’t quite figure out if it’s a paranormal element or not, but fear not, this is such a refreshing take! You may think you know where the ending is headed but I can promise you, you’ll never guess how this book ends!

As a previous college nanny turned kindergarten teacher, turned stay at home mom, I adored the relationship between Mallory, the nanny, and Teddy, the young boy, she is hired to oversee. I appreciated the flawed yet redemptive character that was Mallory. I loved the atmospheric setting-what good creepy story doesn’t involve a huge Victorian house with a forest as it’s background? I lived for all of the spooky happenings- seances, creepy child-drawn pictures, possible ghosts and tales of murder, and one determined nanny who will stop at nothing to piece the clues together. This book truly had it all and the twists along the way are what made this a five star for me! Whether you read it physically or listen to the fantastic audiobook, this is a summer mystery-thriller that’s not to be missed!

Many thanks to Flatiron Books Publishing and Netgalley for this gifted audiobook copy in exchange for my review!

2.5-3 stars? less? not sure

I have super conflicted feelings about a lot of this one. I actually really enjoyed the first…three quarters or so, I think? of the story (even though there seemed to be some inconsistent characterization, and even though the protagonist felt completely ridiculous to me at quite a few moments). It was creepy, bordering more on supernatural horror than psychological thriller at several points, and I was completely hooked on the narrative. What really bothered me, though, was the *big twist* that everyone seems to love here. Essentially, the parents kidnapped a child, forcibly changed the kid’s gender expression, and then claimed the kid was transgender. Okay, it was unexpected, but it struck me as exactly the kind of thing that certain right-wing bigots use to enact policies that harm trans kids (think fear-mongering about criminals being able to “change” kids’ gender and/or adults forcing kids to transition). I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into it or if it was somehow unintentional on the writer’s part, but it didn’t sit well with me and really took away from my enjoyment of the ending. I’ve also only seen a couple of reviews mention it here, which seems a bit odd to me? I don’t know. Anyway, the ending was disappointing and, looking back, it affects how I view the book as a whole.

This was an amazing thriller/horror. Not only did I love the overall story and reveal, but I liked so many subtle references and things in the book. The use of a child's artwork to convey both the horror/unease elements while also revealing clues of the story was done so well. I really liked the MC and her story. So many scenes were tense, creepy, and unsettling.


SPOILERS:
As a criminal defense attorney, I really appreciated focus on recovery and rehab. Sometimes the MC being in recovery can be overused or done tastelessly, but I think it was done well in this story. I also appreciated the Christian representation with the reveal at the end.

Loved this. Enjoyed the characters, the story and the ending. Didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, so unexpected. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

Hidden Pictures
By: Jason Rekulak
Pub. date: May 10, 2022
Review date: May 16, 2022

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, Jason Rekulak & to NetGalley, for allowing me access to this audio ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I’m leaving my review voluntarily.
Hidden Pictures is one of those Rare finds that make you Grateful you decided to read it. I Loved this book. It was fast-paced & full of twisty turns. Kept my full attention through till the end. I have found another author to add to my Favorites.. I’m excited to see what J.R. comes up with next. It’s a solid 5 stars from me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#HiddenPictures #NetGalley #JasonRekulak #MacmillanAudio

I went into Hidden Pictures expecting a creeping story, full of slow-burning, but bone-rattling reveals. I finished the story feeling quite mixed.

I think reading the physical copy may have upped the creep factor for me. I heard that it had illustrations of the drawings and while they were clearly described, I feel like that addition could've changed the atmosphere of the book alone. The narrator was great! No qualms there.

I got the feeling early on that this would make the perfect early 2000's horror movie. From the hopeful beginnings, the ease into unsettling territory, and the eventual high point, all lent itself to the overly blue-tinted movies, à la The Ring, that we loved so much.

I think one of the biggest reasons I left this feeling mixed was Mallory. Certain actions didn't quite ring authentic based on what we knew of her. Maybe I'm not factoring the fear or building uncertainty in, but it seemed like she oscillated between analytical, level-headed woman, to someone who threw that all away, without caring how she sounded in the process. Had her religious beliefs been woven in more, I think it could've been more impactful. Or just track a little better.

What I did like was how the plot tied up. It was a risky move to reveal the track we were on was completely wrong so near to the end. But it really made the reveal that much more shocking.