this book pulled me all the way in from the start. how could this possibly go well?
we meet Olivia who is living her own ordered life. keeping herself to herself. she has her routines and ways she liked to keep to. errrmm. maybe not. because she becomes obsessed with the journey of a little girl who she sees. and goes on to be convinced that she must do something to give her a better life. and so she does. or certainly acts upon that belief. she takes Holly. then Holly the little girl is locked away and given a new identity. she is now called Molly and Olivia thinks she is just doing this out of love.
this is such an emotional one. i dont think we can rationalise much of it. you can see how and why sometimes but its equally apparent there are some poorly themes and people acting here. and that made me just dive right in even deeper. i was concerned for everyone in this book. and i had to know how this could possibly play out.
it created a lot of questions and also some really hitting emotional scenes for our characters. this situation, all of it just made me feel so many things. big heavy things. and that is where it was so gripping and clever. you know this book is going to get to you going in from the start. how could it not. but i loved the way Cody writes this to make you have the space and also ties to it that never feel too much but never feel like its here to make us judge either. its raw,reel and dark. and doesn't shy away from being that, which given the story it shouldn't even attempt to soften the landing on some of whats going on.
and this was different from a person kidnapping a child. straight out baddie right. its that Olivia honestly feels she is doing the right thing. it doesn't make it right, oh no but it makes a whole new spin on things. and makes a whole different kind of chill factor to how you read this and feel throughout reading it. someone who thinks she is saving this child, its a new kind of danger.
i really enjoyed this book so much. which feels weird to say! but you know what i mean. it was such a book that made me want to go "please dont" "stop" several times but i became all the more invested in it.

I just read Becoming Molly by Cody Tucker, and it’s seriously unsettling in that quiet, psychological way.

It follows Olivia, who lives a super controlled, routine life—until she decides a little girl named Holly would be better off with her. So she takes her. Locks her in the attic. Renames her Molly. And convinces herself it’s all out of love.

That’s what makes it so disturbing—Olivia truly believes she’s doing the right thing. It’s less about shock value and more about twisted logic, control, and what happens when “love” crosses a line.

Dark, uncomfortable, and definitely not a light read—but it’s hard to look away.