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Hide and Seek
My husband has a secret. He just doesn’t know it yet. It’s a secret that some would try to hide from him – and, until now, they’ve succeeded.
But I know Will. I know he would want to discover the truth. Fortunately, I’m here to discover it for him.
Soon there’ll be no more hiding. There’ll be no more lies. And there will be a new start…for us all.
The compelling first part of Hide and Seek by Amy Bird: a new novel, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, SJ Watson and Liane Moriarty. Is finding the truth worth losing everything?
But I know Will. I know he would want to discover the truth. Fortunately, I’m here to discover it for him.
Soon there’ll be no more hiding. There’ll be no more lies. And there will be a new start…for us all.
The compelling first part of Hide and Seek by Amy Bird: a new novel, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, SJ Watson and Liane Moriarty. Is finding the truth worth losing everything?
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2014
About the author
Amy Bird
10 books26 followersA.L. Bird (Amy) lives in North London with her young family. She divides her time between writing and working as a lawyer. 'Don't Say a Word' was published in June 2017. 'The Good Mother', released in April 2016, her first major psychological thriller for HQDigital (HarperCollins), the fourth novel she’s written for the imprint. Her debut 'Yours is Mine' reached the coveted No. 1 spot in the Amazon Women’s Crime chart. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London, and is also an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course, which she studied under Richard Skinner. Amy is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2015
I just love Amy Bird. Not only does she write fantastic, fast-paced, hold-your-breath style psychological thrillers but she herself is wonderfully down-to-earth, approachable and friendly. I was lucky enough to meet her at a Book Event when she was promoting her first novel – ‘Yours is Mine’ which reached No. 1 on the Amazon.com Women's Crime chart and which I loved - I have followed her career with interest ever since.
I think part of the reason that her novels make such an impact is because the characters are so completely normal, true to life, believable and to a certain extent, FUNNY! Amy Bird is so good at writing dialogue you just can’t help chuckling. Add to this the fact that her writing style is such that I feel she is talking directly to me and I am absolutely hooked.
Each of her novels explores the issue of identity in some way which in itself is fascinating. In this, her third novel, we meet Will and Ellie – a young couple expecting their first child.
What the blurb says:
My husband has a secret. He just doesn’t know it yet. It’s a secret that some would try to hide from him – and, until now, they’ve succeeded.
But I know Will. I know he would want to discover the truth. Fortunately, I’m here to discover it for him.
Soon there’ll be no more hiding. There’ll be no more lies. And there will be a new start…for us all.
The story switches between Ellie’s and Will’s perspective and this dual narrative is incredibly effective. From Ellie we learn that Will’s parents are suffocatingly involved in their lives, and in particular in Will’s. His mother: ‘Wants her son near her at all times’.
Very soon we realise that just below the idyllic-seeming surface of their lives there are plenty of secrets and Ellie is on a mission to reveal them. Lots of questions need answering: Why are there no baby pictures of Will? What happened to Ellie’s parents? Who is Max Reigate?
Ellie reminds me very much of Amy from Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. On the one hand she seems a loving wife and soon-to-be mother but on the other, she is so determined to unearth what she must know are going to be uncomfortable truths that you can’t help wondering whether she has an ulterior motive: ‘Better get him to accept the main fact, before I move on to the others’. That said, she is refreshingly ‘unfeminine’: ‘Anger is not an appropriate response to logic’.
There is definitely more to her than meets the eye and Part 2 is now downloaded and waiting for me… ‘I need to slow Will down. Or we’ll lose Leo too. And I’ll just be Ellie again. Which isn’t really what I want. I suppose’.
I think part of the reason that her novels make such an impact is because the characters are so completely normal, true to life, believable and to a certain extent, FUNNY! Amy Bird is so good at writing dialogue you just can’t help chuckling. Add to this the fact that her writing style is such that I feel she is talking directly to me and I am absolutely hooked.
Each of her novels explores the issue of identity in some way which in itself is fascinating. In this, her third novel, we meet Will and Ellie – a young couple expecting their first child.
What the blurb says:
My husband has a secret. He just doesn’t know it yet. It’s a secret that some would try to hide from him – and, until now, they’ve succeeded.
But I know Will. I know he would want to discover the truth. Fortunately, I’m here to discover it for him.
Soon there’ll be no more hiding. There’ll be no more lies. And there will be a new start…for us all.
The story switches between Ellie’s and Will’s perspective and this dual narrative is incredibly effective. From Ellie we learn that Will’s parents are suffocatingly involved in their lives, and in particular in Will’s. His mother: ‘Wants her son near her at all times’.
Very soon we realise that just below the idyllic-seeming surface of their lives there are plenty of secrets and Ellie is on a mission to reveal them. Lots of questions need answering: Why are there no baby pictures of Will? What happened to Ellie’s parents? Who is Max Reigate?
Ellie reminds me very much of Amy from Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. On the one hand she seems a loving wife and soon-to-be mother but on the other, she is so determined to unearth what she must know are going to be uncomfortable truths that you can’t help wondering whether she has an ulterior motive: ‘Better get him to accept the main fact, before I move on to the others’. That said, she is refreshingly ‘unfeminine’: ‘Anger is not an appropriate response to logic’.
There is definitely more to her than meets the eye and Part 2 is now downloaded and waiting for me… ‘I need to slow Will down. Or we’ll lose Leo too. And I’ll just be Ellie again. Which isn’t really what I want. I suppose’.
September 17, 2014
I knew nothing about this title and went in completely open-minded. Part One concentrates on introducing the two main characters, Will and Ellie, as they prepare for the arrival of their first born child. The twenty week scan is complete and all is well. Ellie is up to no good though. She thinks she has uncovered a secret in Will's family and is determined to uncover it, at any cost.
I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I liked Will and the Ellie that he describes. A normal couple, excited about the pregnancy and getting the nursery ready. Then things take a turn as we read from Ellie's perspective. She is sneaky and underhanded and seems hell bent on causing trouble for Will and his family. It is a case of clever marketing, as I can't wait to read what happens next, and while I have access to parts two and three of this title, readers will have a little wait for theirs. Very affordable, and ideal for a read in one sitting, this should be bought by everyone with an e-reader.
I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I liked Will and the Ellie that he describes. A normal couple, excited about the pregnancy and getting the nursery ready. Then things take a turn as we read from Ellie's perspective. She is sneaky and underhanded and seems hell bent on causing trouble for Will and his family. It is a case of clever marketing, as I can't wait to read what happens next, and while I have access to parts two and three of this title, readers will have a little wait for theirs. Very affordable, and ideal for a read in one sitting, this should be bought by everyone with an e-reader.
December 14, 2014
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
My husband has a secret. He just doesn’t know it yet. It’s a secret that some would try to hide from him – and, until now, they’ve succeeded.
But I know Will.
I know he would want to discover the truth. Fortunately, I’m here to discover it for him.
Soon there’ll be no more hiding. There’ll be no more lies. And there will be a new start…for us all.
This story (being the first of three parts) has been compared to Gillian Flynn and S.J. Watson - so my curiosity was piqued. It sounded like an interesting premise. Looked forward to reading it.
The story was told from two points of view: soon-to-be parents, Will and Ellie. They are close with Will's parents, Gillian and John. Ellie's parents had recently passed away. After coming across a CD in Will's parents house, Ellie discovers things about her husband that will throw his life into turmoil...
I certainly had mixed feelings about this story - on one hand, I really liked Ellie, in particular. She was smart, witty and oozing impishness. Her relationship with Will seems strong, happy and they are both looking forward to being parents. I can identify with that. I have been there.
However, the problems for me began with the "secret" - it all seemed convoluted and very hard to swallow. The cover of a CD, we are led to believe, was the source of Ellie discovering this secret. It just seemed to be a little bit of a reach.
The writing itself went from strong to poor with the click of the Kindle button. At times, especially when Will is describing his lecture, it felt like cut-and-paste when compared to some of the longer, rambling sections of the story. However, the dialogue was well written and believable (for the most part.)
Lots of ups and downs for me, quality-wise in this story. I am not even sure if I am curious enough to look into the second and third parts of this book. I just wasn't impressed enough.
Paul
ARH
My husband has a secret. He just doesn’t know it yet. It’s a secret that some would try to hide from him – and, until now, they’ve succeeded.
But I know Will.
I know he would want to discover the truth. Fortunately, I’m here to discover it for him.
Soon there’ll be no more hiding. There’ll be no more lies. And there will be a new start…for us all.
This story (being the first of three parts) has been compared to Gillian Flynn and S.J. Watson - so my curiosity was piqued. It sounded like an interesting premise. Looked forward to reading it.
The story was told from two points of view: soon-to-be parents, Will and Ellie. They are close with Will's parents, Gillian and John. Ellie's parents had recently passed away. After coming across a CD in Will's parents house, Ellie discovers things about her husband that will throw his life into turmoil...
I certainly had mixed feelings about this story - on one hand, I really liked Ellie, in particular. She was smart, witty and oozing impishness. Her relationship with Will seems strong, happy and they are both looking forward to being parents. I can identify with that. I have been there.
However, the problems for me began with the "secret" - it all seemed convoluted and very hard to swallow. The cover of a CD, we are led to believe, was the source of Ellie discovering this secret. It just seemed to be a little bit of a reach.
The writing itself went from strong to poor with the click of the Kindle button. At times, especially when Will is describing his lecture, it felt like cut-and-paste when compared to some of the longer, rambling sections of the story. However, the dialogue was well written and believable (for the most part.)
Lots of ups and downs for me, quality-wise in this story. I am not even sure if I am curious enough to look into the second and third parts of this book. I just wasn't impressed enough.
Paul
ARH
October 17, 2014
I received this book via NetGalley to give an honest review.
So when I saw this and read the blurb I was like okay new author, book sounds right up my alley.
Now this is put into three parts which I think the author could have put all three parts together into one. There isn't much of a cliff hanger but the ending does make you want to get book two so you can find out what is going to happen.
So Will and Ellie are a young married couple who are expecting their first child. How awesome right? I liked Will and Ellie and the humor they had with each other, at times I was laughing at what they would say.
With Hide and Seek you get to know the two main characters a lot. You can get a feel to the character descriptions.
Will's mother is a bit weird and I say this because she is like the over bearing mother you hear about and are like 'whoa' thank goodness that is not my mother. But we find out there is a reason she is like this, and that reason is something I didn't even think about.
So fast forward a bit. I liked Ellie and even though I did I found her to be a bit pushy in some areas I started to kind of wonder what was her real intention in the book. Was it to hurt Will, actually uncover the truth? Or was it to hurt Will's family?
Overall a really good read, and I plan on reading more from this author. The reason I am giving this book a 4 instead of a solid 5 is because of words that were used and I did not understand their meaning. Now I have contacted the author so I am waiting to hear back what the words meant.
So when I saw this and read the blurb I was like okay new author, book sounds right up my alley.
Now this is put into three parts which I think the author could have put all three parts together into one. There isn't much of a cliff hanger but the ending does make you want to get book two so you can find out what is going to happen.
So Will and Ellie are a young married couple who are expecting their first child. How awesome right? I liked Will and Ellie and the humor they had with each other, at times I was laughing at what they would say.
With Hide and Seek you get to know the two main characters a lot. You can get a feel to the character descriptions.
Will's mother is a bit weird and I say this because she is like the over bearing mother you hear about and are like 'whoa' thank goodness that is not my mother. But we find out there is a reason she is like this, and that reason is something I didn't even think about.
So fast forward a bit. I liked Ellie and even though I did I found her to be a bit pushy in some areas I started to kind of wonder what was her real intention in the book. Was it to hurt Will, actually uncover the truth? Or was it to hurt Will's family?
Overall a really good read, and I plan on reading more from this author. The reason I am giving this book a 4 instead of a solid 5 is because of words that were used and I did not understand their meaning. Now I have contacted the author so I am waiting to hear back what the words meant.
December 4, 2014
Secrets Unburied
This series must be read in order. This is the first book.
What would you do if you figured out that your spouse had a secret that they did not even realize? Would you leave it be? Or would you dig and maneuver and push until you found the truth? What lengths would you go to? Would it be worth it? Find out in this suspenseful thriller about family secrets deeply buried beneath misdirection and lies!
This book is told from both Ellie's and Will's point of view sporadically which lent a different rhythmic pace to this book than I have ever experienced before. It was engaging and fun to read because you never knew who's point of view you would see next. There was loads of mystery and even a little adventure that made this book well worth the read. I found the characters to be likable for the most part even when they did incomprehensible things :) I can't wait to read the next installment Hide and Seek (Part 2)!
***This series is suitable for mature young adult through adult readers (so far)
This series must be read in order. This is the first book.
What would you do if you figured out that your spouse had a secret that they did not even realize? Would you leave it be? Or would you dig and maneuver and push until you found the truth? What lengths would you go to? Would it be worth it? Find out in this suspenseful thriller about family secrets deeply buried beneath misdirection and lies!
This book is told from both Ellie's and Will's point of view sporadically which lent a different rhythmic pace to this book than I have ever experienced before. It was engaging and fun to read because you never knew who's point of view you would see next. There was loads of mystery and even a little adventure that made this book well worth the read. I found the characters to be likable for the most part even when they did incomprehensible things :) I can't wait to read the next installment Hide and Seek (Part 2)!
***This series is suitable for mature young adult through adult readers (so far)
October 8, 2014
This sounded like a really interesting read for me. And i did enjoy it, but as it is only the start of the book (Park one) i'm going to do my full review for when I have read the full book, which after reading this, I really need to continue in the full book.
Its a great way when books are released in parts like this, to find out if it is going to be something you like before purchasing, either the other 2 parts or the full book.
Its a great way when books are released in parts like this, to find out if it is going to be something you like before purchasing, either the other 2 parts or the full book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews