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What You Hide
A new pulse-pounding romantic thriller from the author of We All Fall Down and Six Months Later
Spencer volunteers at the library. Sure, it's community service, but he likes his work. Especially if it means getting to see Mallory.
Mallory spends a lot of time keeping her head down. When you're sixteen and homeless, nothing matters more than being anonymous. But Spencer's charm makes her want to be noticed.
Then sinister things start happening at the library. Mysterious symbols and terrifying warnings begin to appear, and management grows suspicious. Spencer and Mallory know a homeless teenager makes an easy target, and if they can't find the real culprit soon, they could lose more than just their safe haven…
Spencer volunteers at the library. Sure, it's community service, but he likes his work. Especially if it means getting to see Mallory.
Mallory spends a lot of time keeping her head down. When you're sixteen and homeless, nothing matters more than being anonymous. But Spencer's charm makes her want to be noticed.
Then sinister things start happening at the library. Mysterious symbols and terrifying warnings begin to appear, and management grows suspicious. Spencer and Mallory know a homeless teenager makes an easy target, and if they can't find the real culprit soon, they could lose more than just their safe haven…
369 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2018
173 people are currently reading
4926 people want to read
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November 20, 2018
Tl;dr: What You Hide is a contemporary ya novel that has one interesting storyline, one that's meh, and one that doesn't work at all, making it a bit of a muddle that never gels into a fully integrated read.
So, What You Hide--the good:
Mallory. She's a high schooler living with her controlling stepfather and pregnant mother. Mallory wants her mom to leave her stepfather, who tracks every move she makes and pretty much won't let her mother see anyone, do anything, etc. He's not physically abusive, but it does seem like he might be headed that way.
Mallory leaves school to escape with her mother, but her mother hesitates, then refuses to go when her stepfather suddenly comes home and Mallory decides that she has to leave for her own safety. She vows to return for her mother, and divides her time between the local library in the wealthy part of town and a friend's home until she can't stay with her friend any longer and the library has to adjust its hours due to the plot that doesn't work at all. Once that happens, she finds herself homeless and Mallory has to wrestle with either staying homeless or entering the state system and hoping that her mother will sign emancipation papers so she can live on her own, get a job, and try to finish high school.
Every option is terrible and Ms. Richards doesn't shy away from this, painting Mallory as a determined young woman who is doing the best she can in a increasingly desperate situation. I loved that Mallory's mother did the best she thought she could, and how devestated Mallory was by her choices--parents don't always do what's best, people don't always leave bad situations, and it was such a brave choice to paint Mallory's life so honestly. By the end of What You Hide, I reallly wanted Mallory to be okay even as it became clear that regardless of her strength and determination she had a difficult path ahead of her.
The meh: Spencer. He's a bright guy living a great life in the richest part of town, but all the talk from his family about making college choices and planning his future leaves him cold. He's supposed to be funny but telling someone that a character is supposed to be funny isn't a good way to make them actually be funny, especially when Spencer's "witticisms" aren't even able to make you grin. Spencer is really just a collection of traits: smart but not doing well in school, good looking, the romantic interest. He's also adopted, but although that's sort of touched on, it's treated more as an afterthought. Spencer exists primarily to provide help to Mallory and be her love interest (that part of What You Hide is essentially instalove and doesn't work) and is never as interesting as he thinks he is.
The bad: There's a plotline involving a series of "mysterious/creepy" things that happen at the library after a random death and this plotline doesn't work at all. It's not mysterious--it isn't even interesting-- and Ms. Richards' attempts to tie all the storylines together doesn't work.
In What You Hide you have one fascinating story--Mallory's--diminished by how shoehorned it is into two far less interesting ones and, overall, it makes the novel just not quite work.
So, What You Hide--the good:
Mallory. She's a high schooler living with her controlling stepfather and pregnant mother. Mallory wants her mom to leave her stepfather, who tracks every move she makes and pretty much won't let her mother see anyone, do anything, etc. He's not physically abusive, but it does seem like he might be headed that way.
Mallory leaves school to escape with her mother, but her mother hesitates, then refuses to go when her stepfather suddenly comes home and Mallory decides that she has to leave for her own safety. She vows to return for her mother, and divides her time between the local library in the wealthy part of town and a friend's home until she can't stay with her friend any longer and the library has to adjust its hours due to the plot that doesn't work at all. Once that happens, she finds herself homeless and Mallory has to wrestle with either staying homeless or entering the state system and hoping that her mother will sign emancipation papers so she can live on her own, get a job, and try to finish high school.
Every option is terrible and Ms. Richards doesn't shy away from this, painting Mallory as a determined young woman who is doing the best she can in a increasingly desperate situation. I loved that Mallory's mother did the best she thought she could, and how devestated Mallory was by her choices--parents don't always do what's best, people don't always leave bad situations, and it was such a brave choice to paint Mallory's life so honestly. By the end of What You Hide, I reallly wanted Mallory to be okay even as it became clear that regardless of her strength and determination she had a difficult path ahead of her.
The meh: Spencer. He's a bright guy living a great life in the richest part of town, but all the talk from his family about making college choices and planning his future leaves him cold. He's supposed to be funny but telling someone that a character is supposed to be funny isn't a good way to make them actually be funny, especially when Spencer's "witticisms" aren't even able to make you grin. Spencer is really just a collection of traits: smart but not doing well in school, good looking, the romantic interest. He's also adopted, but although that's sort of touched on, it's treated more as an afterthought. Spencer exists primarily to provide help to Mallory and be her love interest (that part of What You Hide is essentially instalove and doesn't work) and is never as interesting as he thinks he is.
The bad: There's a plotline involving a series of "mysterious/creepy" things that happen at the library after a random death and this plotline doesn't work at all. It's not mysterious--it isn't even interesting-- and Ms. Richards' attempts to tie all the storylines together doesn't work.
In What You Hide you have one fascinating story--Mallory's--diminished by how shoehorned it is into two far less interesting ones and, overall, it makes the novel just not quite work.
December 2, 2018
Mallory is sixteen and has a difficult home life. Her stepfather is controlling, and a little disturbing. She wants to get her and her mother away from him, but it's hard to convince her mom to leave. Mallory decides to go on her own, and ends up being homeless while she spends her nights with friends and her days at the library. Spencer, also a teenager, comes from an affluent family, but still feels lost and unsure about his future. He's a little rebellious, and, after getting into some trouble, ends up doing community service at the library. When he meets Mallory, he is immediately drawn to her.
This story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Mallory and Spencer. Both are struggling with personal issues in their lives - Mallory has a troubled home life and Spencer feels pressure from his family about his future. They are from completely different backgrounds, but are attracted to one another.
What You Hide is a contemporary young adult novel with a little romance and suspense. The two main characters are clearly drawn to each other, but, of course, things are complicated. The suspense part deals with happenings at the library. After a mysterious death at the library, strange events start occurring. Someone is leaving messages around the library, unknown footprints are found throughout the library, and occasionally strange sounds are heard. Mallory and Spencer both encounter some of these strange events, and are curious as to who could be behind them and why.
This YA book combines romance and mystery in an interesting coming of age story. The main characters are very different - Mallory is homeless and struggling, Spencer is rich and privileged. This is a light read with some darker elements. I enjoyed the coming of age story, but the mystery wasn't gripping.
I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Mallory and Spencer. Both are struggling with personal issues in their lives - Mallory has a troubled home life and Spencer feels pressure from his family about his future. They are from completely different backgrounds, but are attracted to one another.
What You Hide is a contemporary young adult novel with a little romance and suspense. The two main characters are clearly drawn to each other, but, of course, things are complicated. The suspense part deals with happenings at the library. After a mysterious death at the library, strange events start occurring. Someone is leaving messages around the library, unknown footprints are found throughout the library, and occasionally strange sounds are heard. Mallory and Spencer both encounter some of these strange events, and are curious as to who could be behind them and why.
This YA book combines romance and mystery in an interesting coming of age story. The main characters are very different - Mallory is homeless and struggling, Spencer is rich and privileged. This is a light read with some darker elements. I enjoyed the coming of age story, but the mystery wasn't gripping.
I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2018
Content warnings include addiction, adoption, family violence and homelessness.
When I read the blurb for this book I was drawn by the idea of someone fulfilling one of my dreams: living in a library. Imagine all of the uninterrupted reading time at night when everyone else goes home and you’re surrounded by shelves and shelves of books and the smell of books and the ambience of a library. Ah, heaven!
Now imagine the creepy factor of a dead body found in the library and subsequent mysterious footprints, noises in the middle of the night and messages written on the walls. Sounds like the making of a fun horror book, huh?!
Had the blurb I read even whispered the word ‘romantic’ I would have run a mile and so I was suitably horrified when I discovered an extended blurb on Goodreads cheerfully telling me I was reading a ‘romantic thriller’. Had this been a library book I would have stopped reading immediately but as I’d promised to review this book I grimaced and turned the page.
Given my romantiphobe tendencies I probably should have hated this book but I didn’t. It was never going to be something I would love and gush over, and I wish I’d known that before I started reading, but in between the budding romance and the frustration with some of the characters there were some sections that I enjoyed and found relatable.
Mallory’s home situation made me want to reach through the pages and strangle someone. Her once vibrant mother is now essentially a puppet on a string for controlling, emotionally abusive [insert swear word of your choice here] Charlie. I found the conversations between Mallory and her mother infuriatingly accurate given the circumstances and their personalities. I had hoped for a fairytale ending to that situation but unfortunately real life doesn’t guarantee those so it was probably too much to hope for.
The idea that someone who’s recently homeless and simultaneously trying to find food, shelter and any semblance of safety has time to agonise over a crush on a boy or to go indoor rock climbing with said boy just didn’t seem feasible to me. I’m fairly certain Maslow would agree.
I would have loved for his adoption to play more of a role in the book but it wasn’t the focus. Similarly the discussion surrounding addiction, while obviously sad, was pretty much glossed over.
Mallory and Spencer aren’t the meddling kids I’d hope they’d be; when I wanted them to investigate strange footsteps in the otherwise empty library they hid out in the bathroom. They finally do investigate but much later than I would have. The dead body in the library and the mystery of the ‘ghost’ were fairly tame and repetitive from my perspective. It was basically footprint, footprint, message on the wall, message on the wall, cool creative message, another footprint, and a few other signs finally leading to a resolution that seemed obvious from early on.
If you like sweet romances between people from disparate walks of life this could be the book for you. If you’re looking for creepy with potential for horror and ghosts then this is probably not the book you’re looking for.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book.
When I read the blurb for this book I was drawn by the idea of someone fulfilling one of my dreams: living in a library. Imagine all of the uninterrupted reading time at night when everyone else goes home and you’re surrounded by shelves and shelves of books and the smell of books and the ambience of a library. Ah, heaven!
Now imagine the creepy factor of a dead body found in the library and subsequent mysterious footprints, noises in the middle of the night and messages written on the walls. Sounds like the making of a fun horror book, huh?!
Had the blurb I read even whispered the word ‘romantic’ I would have run a mile and so I was suitably horrified when I discovered an extended blurb on Goodreads cheerfully telling me I was reading a ‘romantic thriller’. Had this been a library book I would have stopped reading immediately but as I’d promised to review this book I grimaced and turned the page.
Given my romantiphobe tendencies I probably should have hated this book but I didn’t. It was never going to be something I would love and gush over, and I wish I’d known that before I started reading, but in between the budding romance and the frustration with some of the characters there were some sections that I enjoyed and found relatable.
Mallory’s home situation made me want to reach through the pages and strangle someone. Her once vibrant mother is now essentially a puppet on a string for controlling, emotionally abusive [insert swear word of your choice here] Charlie. I found the conversations between Mallory and her mother infuriatingly accurate given the circumstances and their personalities. I had hoped for a fairytale ending to that situation but unfortunately real life doesn’t guarantee those so it was probably too much to hope for.
The idea that someone who’s recently homeless and simultaneously trying to find food, shelter and any semblance of safety has time to agonise over a crush on a boy or to go indoor rock climbing with said boy just didn’t seem feasible to me. I’m fairly certain Maslow would agree.
He reaches for me slowly, and I’m powerless. Hypnotized by the graze of his fingers against the side of my thumb.Spencer, while suitably adorable, spent his time wanting more from his life than living in a mansion with the loving family who adopted him and feeling guilty for wanting more, especially considering Mallory has “real” problems. I have trouble mustering up sympathy for a rich kid with supportive parents who’s scared of telling them that what is expected of him isn’t what he wants and any sympathy I had for him faded when he .
I would have loved for his adoption to play more of a role in the book but it wasn’t the focus. Similarly the discussion surrounding addiction, while obviously sad, was pretty much glossed over.
Mallory and Spencer aren’t the meddling kids I’d hope they’d be; when I wanted them to investigate strange footsteps in the otherwise empty library they hid out in the bathroom. They finally do investigate but much later than I would have. The dead body in the library and the mystery of the ‘ghost’ were fairly tame and repetitive from my perspective. It was basically footprint, footprint, message on the wall, message on the wall, cool creative message, another footprint, and a few other signs finally leading to a resolution that seemed obvious from early on.
If you like sweet romances between people from disparate walks of life this could be the book for you. If you’re looking for creepy with potential for horror and ghosts then this is probably not the book you’re looking for.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book.
August 29, 2018
Well, SOURCEBOOKS Fire. You surprised me.
This. Book. Kept. Me. On. The. Edge. Of. My. Seat. The. Entire. Time.
And I can't say it was only due to building suspense. It's usually hard to write a good romantic suspense because it's not that realistic to imagine yourself developing genuine feelings for someone new while you're in potential danger. Fear and love don't really sail in the same boat.
Well, in WHAT YOU HIDE they do, and rather safely. Thanks to helpful red flags and twists in the story their sail is rather entertaining.
Spencer and Mallory's slow-mo attraction was almost impossible to anticipate because...that's right...there was a dead body found in the town library. And who knows where that came from? Made me speed through the entire book in one night just to see where it would go.
Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the chance to read this copy in exchange for my honest review.
This. Book. Kept. Me. On. The. Edge. Of. My. Seat. The. Entire. Time.
And I can't say it was only due to building suspense. It's usually hard to write a good romantic suspense because it's not that realistic to imagine yourself developing genuine feelings for someone new while you're in potential danger. Fear and love don't really sail in the same boat.
Well, in WHAT YOU HIDE they do, and rather safely. Thanks to helpful red flags and twists in the story their sail is rather entertaining.
Spencer and Mallory's slow-mo attraction was almost impossible to anticipate because...that's right...there was a dead body found in the town library. And who knows where that came from? Made me speed through the entire book in one night just to see where it would go.
Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the chance to read this copy in exchange for my honest review.
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December 5, 2018The resolution wasn't quite as satisfying as I hoped but I really liked the two main characters, the problems they faced, and their developing relationship.
I was less interested in the library mystery, which seemed kind of peripheral to the plot. Overall I recommend this -- just go in expecting more of a YA contemporary than a thriller.
Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Check out my Bookstagram! Or check out my Jen In Ten reviews on Youtube - get the lowdown on current books in 10-30 seconds!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
I was less interested in the library mystery, which seemed kind of peripheral to the plot. Overall I recommend this -- just go in expecting more of a YA contemporary than a thriller.
Read more of my reviews on JenRyland.com! Check out my Bookstagram! Or check out my Jen In Ten reviews on Youtube - get the lowdown on current books in 10-30 seconds!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
Read
September 21, 2021Edit: second try on this one and still not interested. I picked it up and actually sighed because I really didn't want to read it.
Dnf at page 62. This book would have been amazing and honestly what I have read of it was amazing. For some reason though I'm getting bored of it and don't really feel like finishing it, I actually kinda dread reading it though I know I'll like it if I just stick with it. For the time being this is a dnf for me, this just isn't the right time for me to read it but I definitely do plan on picking it back up again.
Dnf at page 62. This book would have been amazing and honestly what I have read of it was amazing. For some reason though I'm getting bored of it and don't really feel like finishing it, I actually kinda dread reading it though I know I'll like it if I just stick with it. For the time being this is a dnf for me, this just isn't the right time for me to read it but I definitely do plan on picking it back up again.
July 25, 2019
⠀⠀✧ • ° . ◦ *⠀┊ three and a quarter stars.
⠀i’ll be real with y’all... this is a contemporary with a touch of suspense. the novel is pitched as a badass thriller at a library but that’s literally only handful of the pages. most of this is about spencer’s internal struggles and mallory’s familial situation. i enjoyed those aspects but it’s far from what i signed up for.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀” all of those people who wish they
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ were us. just a roll of the dice, allison.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ it could have been me. “
⠀things i really enjoyed:
❥ ┊the dual perspectives.
⠀⠀⠀⠀the main reason i enjoyed this aspect is due to the fact you could see both of the main characters struggles. spencer, a boy who has it all, struggles with not wanting all. mallory has a shitty step father. for obvious reasons, mallory had a more entertaining storyline but i liked getting to know most characters.
❥ ┊the library.
⠀⠀⠀⠀my favorite part of this story was the library and the “horror” scenes that took place there. the library sounds beautiful and a place i would love to visit. it’s a very good setting for the thriller aspect of the plot.
⠀things i thought were... okay:
❥ ┊the characters.
⠀⠀⠀⠀i’ll keep this short because there’s honestly not much to say. i liked spencer. he became self aware and wasn’t a bad guy. mallory got a little annoying but i can’t really blame her.
❥ ┊the plot.
⠀⠀⠀⠀if this was pitched as a contemporary, i would have enjoyed this a lot more. but it wasn’t. it was made to sound like a thriller. which it wasn’t. the mystery at the library was a subplot——which is very disappointing. it was extremely predictable and rather bland. the contemporary aspect of the book was interesting but nothing special.
⠀things i didn’t enjoy:
❥ ┊the endings.
⠀⠀⠀⠀the ending to mallory’s story was such a let down. this is a book. a work of fiction. anything could’ve happened.... but this? her suddenly not fearing charlie just because of a man in a white coat? at least make it impactful. the mystery was even worse. again, it was predictable and over with so fast. for a book that was supposed to center around that storyline, it sure got the short end of the stick. spencer’s story is the only one that wrapped up nicely.
❥ ┊the technicalities and carelessness.
⠀⠀⠀⠀let me start by saying i work at a library in ohio, okay.
⠀⠀⠀⠀i know how to shelve books and the time it usually takes to shelve various book trucks. i got extremely annoyed when the author wrote that spencer shelved two nonfiction carts in 20-30 minutes. unless he did it completely wrong, that’s not possible. typical library carts have three rows and depending on the size of the cart and books there’s a MINIMUM of ten books on each row of the cart. nonfiction usually has anywhere between 10-30 because some books, like history books are 800 son pages long but then you have the really short knitting books. if he were to shelve in this big ass library, that means he would shelved AT MINIMUM 60 books in twenty minutes. this doesn’t even include time to travel to a new shelf or look at the long ass dewy decimal numbers. it’s just not possible.
⠀⠀⠀⠀also, this novel is set in ohio and was published in 2018. spencer failed his driving test three times (in about 2018, maybe mid to late 2017) because of parallel parking. ohio hasn’t included parallel parking in their driving tests in YEARS. they replaced it with maneuverability. i took my test in 2016 and guess what i had to do? not parallel park! not only is this author from ohio (and it’s very simple to ask a friend who has a 15-16 year old kid what they had to do for their driving test) but google is free.
⠀⠀⠀⠀i think i’m so disappointed with this errors because the author works in a library. she lives in ohio. it’s not hard to use google or time lapse your book a little. most readers wouldn’t be impacted by these errors. unless you live in ohio and have knowledge of the drivers test or work in a library, you just wouldn’t notice. unfortunately, i fall into both categories.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀overall, i’m not keeping this lmao. i only like the last 25%. i only continued to read it because it was bearable and there was a chance for it to get better. i think the author’s carelessness is was did this book in for me. it was down hill after spencer ShElVeD tWo BoOk TrUcKs In 20 MiNuTeS. i can’t say i’d recommend something like this. it’s lack luster, forgettable and only occasionally fun.
⠀i’ll be real with y’all... this is a contemporary with a touch of suspense. the novel is pitched as a badass thriller at a library but that’s literally only handful of the pages. most of this is about spencer’s internal struggles and mallory’s familial situation. i enjoyed those aspects but it’s far from what i signed up for.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀” all of those people who wish they
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ were us. just a roll of the dice, allison.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ it could have been me. “
⠀things i really enjoyed:
❥ ┊the dual perspectives.
⠀⠀⠀⠀the main reason i enjoyed this aspect is due to the fact you could see both of the main characters struggles. spencer, a boy who has it all, struggles with not wanting all. mallory has a shitty step father. for obvious reasons, mallory had a more entertaining storyline but i liked getting to know most characters.
❥ ┊the library.
⠀⠀⠀⠀my favorite part of this story was the library and the “horror” scenes that took place there. the library sounds beautiful and a place i would love to visit. it’s a very good setting for the thriller aspect of the plot.
⠀things i thought were... okay:
❥ ┊the characters.
⠀⠀⠀⠀i’ll keep this short because there’s honestly not much to say. i liked spencer. he became self aware and wasn’t a bad guy. mallory got a little annoying but i can’t really blame her.
❥ ┊the plot.
⠀⠀⠀⠀if this was pitched as a contemporary, i would have enjoyed this a lot more. but it wasn’t. it was made to sound like a thriller. which it wasn’t. the mystery at the library was a subplot——which is very disappointing. it was extremely predictable and rather bland. the contemporary aspect of the book was interesting but nothing special.
⠀things i didn’t enjoy:
❥ ┊the endings.
⠀⠀⠀⠀the ending to mallory’s story was such a let down. this is a book. a work of fiction. anything could’ve happened.... but this? her suddenly not fearing charlie just because of a man in a white coat? at least make it impactful. the mystery was even worse. again, it was predictable and over with so fast. for a book that was supposed to center around that storyline, it sure got the short end of the stick. spencer’s story is the only one that wrapped up nicely.
❥ ┊the technicalities and carelessness.
⠀⠀⠀⠀let me start by saying i work at a library in ohio, okay.
⠀⠀⠀⠀i know how to shelve books and the time it usually takes to shelve various book trucks. i got extremely annoyed when the author wrote that spencer shelved two nonfiction carts in 20-30 minutes. unless he did it completely wrong, that’s not possible. typical library carts have three rows and depending on the size of the cart and books there’s a MINIMUM of ten books on each row of the cart. nonfiction usually has anywhere between 10-30 because some books, like history books are 800 son pages long but then you have the really short knitting books. if he were to shelve in this big ass library, that means he would shelved AT MINIMUM 60 books in twenty minutes. this doesn’t even include time to travel to a new shelf or look at the long ass dewy decimal numbers. it’s just not possible.
⠀⠀⠀⠀also, this novel is set in ohio and was published in 2018. spencer failed his driving test three times (in about 2018, maybe mid to late 2017) because of parallel parking. ohio hasn’t included parallel parking in their driving tests in YEARS. they replaced it with maneuverability. i took my test in 2016 and guess what i had to do? not parallel park! not only is this author from ohio (and it’s very simple to ask a friend who has a 15-16 year old kid what they had to do for their driving test) but google is free.
⠀⠀⠀⠀i think i’m so disappointed with this errors because the author works in a library. she lives in ohio. it’s not hard to use google or time lapse your book a little. most readers wouldn’t be impacted by these errors. unless you live in ohio and have knowledge of the drivers test or work in a library, you just wouldn’t notice. unfortunately, i fall into both categories.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀overall, i’m not keeping this lmao. i only like the last 25%. i only continued to read it because it was bearable and there was a chance for it to get better. i think the author’s carelessness is was did this book in for me. it was down hill after spencer ShElVeD tWo BoOk TrUcKs In 20 MiNuTeS. i can’t say i’d recommend something like this. it’s lack luster, forgettable and only occasionally fun.
February 9, 2019
What You Hide was good and kept me on the edge of my seat. But it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.I loved Spencer and Mallory. I just didn't really love the romance to be completely honest. I kind of wish that more happened and that it was more suspenseful. It was really easy to read and I flew through this book.
Overall four stars.
Overall four stars.
September 19, 2018
Not really sure what to say about this one initially. I don't think it should be billed as a "romantic thriller" -- it strikes me more as a contemporary YA with serious familial issues, coming of age issues, plus a little mystery thrown in.
February 25, 2020
Мне нравится, как пишет автор. Вроде как, простенько, но при этом забавно. А местами даже немного «крипово». Книга, естественно, далеко не хоррор, но описания ночной библиотеки были действительно образными, автору это здорово удалось.
Конечно, конец, как в большинстве YA-детективов, немного разочаровывает (отсюда и рейтинг). Понапридумывают авторы тайн, понагонят туману, а потом выясняется, что все тут очень просто. Но в этом случае хотя бы не банально.
Но вообще, в целом, книга мне понравилась. Она, на мой взгляд, больше на бытовых проблемах и романтике сосредоточена, нежели на детективной линии (та лишь плюсом к основному сюжету идет). Если позиционировать ее именно как подростковый роман с элементами детектива (чтобы читатель не ждал изначально невероятно крутого развития сюжета с неожиданными поворотами), то вообще все будет отлично. Отношения тут прописаны неплохо, да и проблемы героев тоже.
Забавно, что буквально на днях я читала «The Wreckage of Us» by Brittainy Cherry, где тоже у героини был ужасный отчим по имени Чарли, ее мама тоже была беременна и тоже отказывалась бежать с героиней, и героиня тоже была изгнана из дома. Прямо дежавю поначалу какое-то было. Но «What You Hide», конечно, в сто раз лучше и качественнее написана.
А проживанием героини в библиотеке книга напомнила «Рядом с тобой» моей любимой Кейси Уэст.
В общем, в итоге, я прочитала книгу с удовольствием, даже несмотря на то, что суть раскрытых нам секретов меня несколько разочаровала. Ну, зато содержание неплохое и интересное, описания и герои хороши. Да и просто люблю я такие триллеры.
Итоговая оценка: 7/10
Конечно, конец, как в большинстве YA-детективов, немного разочаровывает (отсюда и рейтинг). Понапридумывают авторы тайн, понагонят туману, а потом выясняется, что все тут очень просто. Но в этом случае хотя бы не банально.
Но вообще, в целом, книга мне понравилась. Она, на мой взгляд, больше на бытовых проблемах и романтике сосредоточена, нежели на детективной линии (та лишь плюсом к основному сюжету идет). Если позиционировать ее именно как подростковый роман с элементами детектива (чтобы читатель не ждал изначально невероятно крутого развития сюжета с неожиданными поворотами), то вообще все будет отлично. Отношения тут прописаны неплохо, да и проблемы героев тоже.
Забавно, что буквально на днях я читала «The Wreckage of Us» by Brittainy Cherry, где тоже у героини был ужасный отчим по имени Чарли, ее мама тоже была беременна и тоже отказывалась бежать с героиней, и героиня тоже была изгнана из дома. Прямо дежавю поначалу какое-то было. Но «What You Hide», конечно, в сто раз лучше и качественнее написана.
А проживанием героини в библиотеке книга напомнила «Рядом с тобой» моей любимой Кейси Уэст.
В общем, в итоге, я прочитала книгу с удовольствием, даже несмотря на то, что суть раскрытых нам секретов меня несколько разочаровала. Ну, зато содержание неплохое и интересное, описания и герои хороши. Да и просто люблю я такие триллеры.
Итоговая оценка: 7/10
January 20, 2019
I breezed through this book really quickly. This was a new to me author. I will be reading more of hers in the future. I was happy with how everything turned out not really a thriller per se but it was still a good fast read.
January 28, 2019
Meh.
What you hide is not a mystery book like I expected it to be. It's more of a contemporary / coming of age story adding a mysterious element to it. However the 'mystery' part of the book didn't really work for me. There wasn't much of a plot to begin with and I was really bored reading it so I was trying to read as fast as possible to get to the end and be done with it.
I didn't really care for the characters even though I hated her mother and step-father. Anyway, What you hide wasn't an interesting read (at least to me) but I didn't hate it so that's why I rate it 2 stars instead of one...
What you hide is not a mystery book like I expected it to be. It's more of a contemporary / coming of age story adding a mysterious element to it. However the 'mystery' part of the book didn't really work for me. There wasn't much of a plot to begin with and I was really bored reading it so I was trying to read as fast as possible to get to the end and be done with it.
I didn't really care for the characters even though I hated her mother and step-father. Anyway, What you hide wasn't an interesting read (at least to me) but I didn't hate it so that's why I rate it 2 stars instead of one...
November 19, 2018
I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Sourcebooks Fire. Trigger warnings: emotional abuse, threats, drug use, death.
Spencer is serving community service at the library, a punishment he suspects would have been worse if not for his wealthy adoptive family. The pressure is on for him to do well in school and hockey and get into an excellent college, but he doesn’t know how to tell his parents that he doesn’t want their life. Mallory has fled her home and her pregnant mother under threats from a manipulative stepdad, but her options are running out. The library is one of the only safe, free places for her to go. She knows that meeting Spencer, a cute volunteer there, should be the last thing on her mind. When a body is found in the library one morning, strange things begin to happen. There are black hand and footprints on the walls and floor, and a message scrawled over and over on walls and books: where are you? As the vandalism escalates, Spencer fears that Mallory will be a target, which means they need to find answers to the mystery before it’s too late.
What You Hide is a solid YA mystery/romance. I wouldn’t call it a thriller, but I’m a bad judge of what’s thrilling. The most frightening thing in the novel is not the mystery at the library, but the very real problems Mallory (and other teenagers like her) face in homelessness and abusive households. While they may be slightly glossed over for a younger audience and the sake of romance, the difficulties she faces in finding food, running water, a safe place to sleep, etc. felt very real, and there were moments where I was afraid for her. The novel stresses asking for help and finding resources for that purpose, and the only unrealistic thing is probably Spencer’s involvement. Most homeless teens don’t have a rich hero trying to help them (though Mallory has to do most of the saving on her own), but it’s a novel for teenagers, not a how-to manual.
The writing is good. Richards excels at place and character, and there was never a moment where I felt jolted out of the narrative. It switches seamlessly between Spencer’s perspective and Mallory’s, and they’re both well-drawn and -developed characters with realistic hobbies, reactions, and perspectives. I can relate to the pressure Spencer faces in making decisions about his future, but even he realizes that Mallory’s problems are on completely different scale. There are some touching moments between Spencer and his adoptive family (like a less dramatic This Is Us). There’s probably more romance than thrills, but it’s a relatively slow burn, so no complaints. The library mystery starts out interesting and escalates in a rather spooky series of events, but I didn’t care for the way it wrapped up. Of all the plot threads, that one has the loosest ending, but there’s significant thematic closure on Mallory and Spencer’s stories. It’s a quick and satisfying read, recommended for fans of the genre.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
Spencer is serving community service at the library, a punishment he suspects would have been worse if not for his wealthy adoptive family. The pressure is on for him to do well in school and hockey and get into an excellent college, but he doesn’t know how to tell his parents that he doesn’t want their life. Mallory has fled her home and her pregnant mother under threats from a manipulative stepdad, but her options are running out. The library is one of the only safe, free places for her to go. She knows that meeting Spencer, a cute volunteer there, should be the last thing on her mind. When a body is found in the library one morning, strange things begin to happen. There are black hand and footprints on the walls and floor, and a message scrawled over and over on walls and books: where are you? As the vandalism escalates, Spencer fears that Mallory will be a target, which means they need to find answers to the mystery before it’s too late.
What You Hide is a solid YA mystery/romance. I wouldn’t call it a thriller, but I’m a bad judge of what’s thrilling. The most frightening thing in the novel is not the mystery at the library, but the very real problems Mallory (and other teenagers like her) face in homelessness and abusive households. While they may be slightly glossed over for a younger audience and the sake of romance, the difficulties she faces in finding food, running water, a safe place to sleep, etc. felt very real, and there were moments where I was afraid for her. The novel stresses asking for help and finding resources for that purpose, and the only unrealistic thing is probably Spencer’s involvement. Most homeless teens don’t have a rich hero trying to help them (though Mallory has to do most of the saving on her own), but it’s a novel for teenagers, not a how-to manual.
The writing is good. Richards excels at place and character, and there was never a moment where I felt jolted out of the narrative. It switches seamlessly between Spencer’s perspective and Mallory’s, and they’re both well-drawn and -developed characters with realistic hobbies, reactions, and perspectives. I can relate to the pressure Spencer faces in making decisions about his future, but even he realizes that Mallory’s problems are on completely different scale. There are some touching moments between Spencer and his adoptive family (like a less dramatic This Is Us). There’s probably more romance than thrills, but it’s a relatively slow burn, so no complaints. The library mystery starts out interesting and escalates in a rather spooky series of events, but I didn’t care for the way it wrapped up. Of all the plot threads, that one has the loosest ending, but there’s significant thematic closure on Mallory and Spencer’s stories. It’s a quick and satisfying read, recommended for fans of the genre.
I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.
January 23, 2019
*View my reviews at www.drinkreadrepeat.com*
If you had to pick one word to sum up what it's like to be a teenager, I think the appropriate word would be angsty.
And I'm not only reflecting on my increasingly distant years as a teenager in selecting this adjective.
No, I work with teenagers every day.
As the principal of an urban school, I constantly witness their angst and see the ramifications of their ill-advised hormone-driven decisions.
And as much as I now — out from under the cloud of frustration and confusion and unexplained annoyance — can see how, for lack of a better word, silly, all of this angstiness is, when you're in the middle of it, it all seems to make sense.
When you’re a teen, everything seems like the end of the fucking world.
Even the smallest slight can piss you off to the point of severing life-long friendships.
And receiving a lunch detention from your 7th grade ELA teacher can upset you so much that you spend the entire double block crying in the hallway. #StillNotOverIt
One of the challenges of writing YA is depicting this angst in a way that makes it seem understandable, even though it often isn't... In a way that makes the issues that plague teens seem consequential, even though they often aren't.
In order for a YA book to really work, IMO, the author needs to make readers — many of whom are no longer teens themselves — really remember what it’s like to be a teen.
This is a difficult feat to accomplish when dealing with one teenage protagonist.
It is a monstrously large challenge when dealing with two.
In writing this book, the author tackled the more formidable of these two challenges, establishing dual protagonists who, despite being about as different as two people can be, share two important characteristics: they’re both teens and they are both angst-ridden.
As the book opens, we meet Mallory. She was long raised by a single mother but, recently, her living situation has changed. Her mother has married a man named Charlie and gotten pregnant.
Mallory doesn’t have a problem sharing her mother with someone, but she does have a problem sharing her mother with Charlie.
Since marrying her mother, Charlie has become controlling and aggressive. Mallory worries that his behavior is only going to continue to escalate and encourages her mother to leave, escaping to a battered women’s shelter.
While her mother initially agreed to this plan, when Mallory arrives home early from school intent on putting the plan into action, her mother changes her mind and refuses to leave the apartment.
Though she’s loathe to leave behind her pregnant mother, Mallory simply cannot live under Charlie’s thumb any longer, so she heads out alone, resigning herself to do anything it takes to be free of Charlie — even if what it takes is living on the street.
Spencer, on the other hand, is living a very different life. He was adopted into a wealthy family as a baby and has enjoyed the privileges associated with affluence his entire childhood.
Living a decidedly more carefree lifestyle than Mallory, Spencer divides his time between playing hockey and practicing his other favorite sport, rock climbing.
While out living life and making bad choices — as teens so often do — Spencer decides to scale the local library. Though he’s confident he will be able to mount the library and climb down undetected, things don’t go according to plan and he ends up breaking a massive, old window on an upper floor of the building.
Alerted to the presence of a problem by the alarm, police arrive and discovered Spencer, still atop the library, the obvious culprit.
Fortunately for Spencer, his dad’s deep pockets allow him to get off with only some community service hours — which he will logically fulfill at the same library that earlier served as a makeshift jungle gym.
It’s at the library where these two stories finally come together. Mallory, unable to return home but having nowhere else to go, seeks shelter there and meets Spencer. The two have an immediate — and inconvenient — connection.
But before they have time to get beyond the flirty stage, something goes horribly wrong. A body is discovered in the library. And, as if that singular trauma weren’t upsetting enough, in the days following this grim discovery odd happenings start occurring — black smudges appear on the floors, weird writing suddenly covers the walls and an oddly ornate art display, for which not one takes credit is erected.
With issues growing to the point of becoming subscriptions, it seems like our teen protagonists actually have something to be angsty about. Frustration and fear prevailing, they find themselves worrying not about the trivial trials of teenage life, but instead about their very survival.
When I received a copy of this book, I was rather optimistic. I mean, it prominently featured a library — which is basically nirvana for a reader — it was YA — a genre I enjoy — and, bonus points, it was set in Columbus, OH — my hometown.
Unfortunately, as I read, this optimism faded about as fast as a high school quarterback’s athleticism post graduation.
I wasn’t that far along on my journey through this text when I started to hit some serious stumbling blocks.
My first issue — the authenticity of the dialogue.
When I’m reading a YA book I, logically, expect the characters to sound like teens.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those people who go around dissing John Green books, saying that the dialogue is too high-brow for adolescents.
Teens can be smart and verbose and lexically deverse.
I know, because as a teen I was all of those things.
But even teens who know their way around the English language better than the average bear still have a... teenageness... to their speech.
For example, if Spencer were a real teen, he would never say, "the male ego is a heavy yoke to bear."
He just... wouldn't.
And because I don't believe a teen would say something like this, it made it difficult for me to see the teens central to this novel, who did say things like this, as anything more than fictional characters populating the pages of this book.
And, because they were just fictional characters, I neither gave a shit about them nor did I give a shit about what happened to them.
Then I ran into some fallacies.
Admittedly, these were inconsequential, but they were really nails-on-a-chalkboard level of annoying.
For example, at one point in time, Mallory says," My mom is having a girl, so technically I'm a sister. Or will be soon."
Umm... Okay... I mean, I'm an only child, so maybe I'm not so clear on how this works... But, if you're a girl... And you have a sibling (of ANY gender) you are a sister, right?
I mean, it would have been such a simple change!
"My mom is having a baby, so technically I'm a sister. Or will be soon."
There, fixed it.
Next came the believability issues.
*Spoiler Alert*
I’m a reader. I’m willing to suspend disbelief from time to time.
Like, this morning when I was reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green and I was totally willing to accept that *Another Spoiler* an alien statue could turn someone's insides into grape jelly.
But, in this novel, there were just too many unlikely coincidences.
Example - At the same time that Mallory happens to take refuge in the library, a drug addicted girl and her sister, who is nonverbal, also decide that that's a good hidey hole into which to climb.
And then the sister dies.
And then the remaining sister, despite being incredibly limited just keeps hiding out?
It's just too improbable.
*End Spoilers*
All of the aforementioned issues were obviously small… nitpicky, if you will. But there was, unfortunately, an inarguably large issue with this book as well — there was too fucking much going on.
I, honestly, can’t even catalog the number of subplots and spin-off issues and blind alley ways that were present in this novel.
And, because there were so many subplots in this novel, it essentially lacked a through line.
It sucks because there were moments when I would get pulled into the story — invested in the characters and their struggles — but then there would be another fucking subplot.
I would be reading along thinking, “Oh, I’m really liking this Mallory / Spencer connection… I hope the next chapter delves further into it… Oh. Great. The next chapter is some unnecessarily vivid description of rock climbing… or hockey… or the library.”
It. Just. Didn’t. Work.
I walked away from this novel shaking my head and regretting the fact that it, in my eyes, didn’t reach its potential.
Ultimately, I wish that it could be re-written. Stripped down. Tidied up. Because, under all the extra bullshit, there is a good story here. It just never got the chance to shine.
This one earns a disappointing 2 out of 5 cocktails.
If you had to pick one word to sum up what it's like to be a teenager, I think the appropriate word would be angsty.
And I'm not only reflecting on my increasingly distant years as a teenager in selecting this adjective.
No, I work with teenagers every day.
As the principal of an urban school, I constantly witness their angst and see the ramifications of their ill-advised hormone-driven decisions.
And as much as I now — out from under the cloud of frustration and confusion and unexplained annoyance — can see how, for lack of a better word, silly, all of this angstiness is, when you're in the middle of it, it all seems to make sense.
When you’re a teen, everything seems like the end of the fucking world.
Even the smallest slight can piss you off to the point of severing life-long friendships.
And receiving a lunch detention from your 7th grade ELA teacher can upset you so much that you spend the entire double block crying in the hallway. #StillNotOverIt
One of the challenges of writing YA is depicting this angst in a way that makes it seem understandable, even though it often isn't... In a way that makes the issues that plague teens seem consequential, even though they often aren't.
In order for a YA book to really work, IMO, the author needs to make readers — many of whom are no longer teens themselves — really remember what it’s like to be a teen.
This is a difficult feat to accomplish when dealing with one teenage protagonist.
It is a monstrously large challenge when dealing with two.
In writing this book, the author tackled the more formidable of these two challenges, establishing dual protagonists who, despite being about as different as two people can be, share two important characteristics: they’re both teens and they are both angst-ridden.
As the book opens, we meet Mallory. She was long raised by a single mother but, recently, her living situation has changed. Her mother has married a man named Charlie and gotten pregnant.
Mallory doesn’t have a problem sharing her mother with someone, but she does have a problem sharing her mother with Charlie.
Since marrying her mother, Charlie has become controlling and aggressive. Mallory worries that his behavior is only going to continue to escalate and encourages her mother to leave, escaping to a battered women’s shelter.
While her mother initially agreed to this plan, when Mallory arrives home early from school intent on putting the plan into action, her mother changes her mind and refuses to leave the apartment.
Though she’s loathe to leave behind her pregnant mother, Mallory simply cannot live under Charlie’s thumb any longer, so she heads out alone, resigning herself to do anything it takes to be free of Charlie — even if what it takes is living on the street.
Spencer, on the other hand, is living a very different life. He was adopted into a wealthy family as a baby and has enjoyed the privileges associated with affluence his entire childhood.
Living a decidedly more carefree lifestyle than Mallory, Spencer divides his time between playing hockey and practicing his other favorite sport, rock climbing.
While out living life and making bad choices — as teens so often do — Spencer decides to scale the local library. Though he’s confident he will be able to mount the library and climb down undetected, things don’t go according to plan and he ends up breaking a massive, old window on an upper floor of the building.
Alerted to the presence of a problem by the alarm, police arrive and discovered Spencer, still atop the library, the obvious culprit.
Fortunately for Spencer, his dad’s deep pockets allow him to get off with only some community service hours — which he will logically fulfill at the same library that earlier served as a makeshift jungle gym.
It’s at the library where these two stories finally come together. Mallory, unable to return home but having nowhere else to go, seeks shelter there and meets Spencer. The two have an immediate — and inconvenient — connection.
But before they have time to get beyond the flirty stage, something goes horribly wrong. A body is discovered in the library. And, as if that singular trauma weren’t upsetting enough, in the days following this grim discovery odd happenings start occurring — black smudges appear on the floors, weird writing suddenly covers the walls and an oddly ornate art display, for which not one takes credit is erected.
With issues growing to the point of becoming subscriptions, it seems like our teen protagonists actually have something to be angsty about. Frustration and fear prevailing, they find themselves worrying not about the trivial trials of teenage life, but instead about their very survival.
When I received a copy of this book, I was rather optimistic. I mean, it prominently featured a library — which is basically nirvana for a reader — it was YA — a genre I enjoy — and, bonus points, it was set in Columbus, OH — my hometown.
Unfortunately, as I read, this optimism faded about as fast as a high school quarterback’s athleticism post graduation.
I wasn’t that far along on my journey through this text when I started to hit some serious stumbling blocks.
My first issue — the authenticity of the dialogue.
When I’m reading a YA book I, logically, expect the characters to sound like teens.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those people who go around dissing John Green books, saying that the dialogue is too high-brow for adolescents.
Teens can be smart and verbose and lexically deverse.
I know, because as a teen I was all of those things.
But even teens who know their way around the English language better than the average bear still have a... teenageness... to their speech.
For example, if Spencer were a real teen, he would never say, "the male ego is a heavy yoke to bear."
He just... wouldn't.
And because I don't believe a teen would say something like this, it made it difficult for me to see the teens central to this novel, who did say things like this, as anything more than fictional characters populating the pages of this book.
And, because they were just fictional characters, I neither gave a shit about them nor did I give a shit about what happened to them.
Then I ran into some fallacies.
Admittedly, these were inconsequential, but they were really nails-on-a-chalkboard level of annoying.
For example, at one point in time, Mallory says," My mom is having a girl, so technically I'm a sister. Or will be soon."
Umm... Okay... I mean, I'm an only child, so maybe I'm not so clear on how this works... But, if you're a girl... And you have a sibling (of ANY gender) you are a sister, right?
I mean, it would have been such a simple change!
"My mom is having a baby, so technically I'm a sister. Or will be soon."
There, fixed it.
Next came the believability issues.
*Spoiler Alert*
I’m a reader. I’m willing to suspend disbelief from time to time.
Like, this morning when I was reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green and I was totally willing to accept that *Another Spoiler* an alien statue could turn someone's insides into grape jelly.
But, in this novel, there were just too many unlikely coincidences.
Example - At the same time that Mallory happens to take refuge in the library, a drug addicted girl and her sister, who is nonverbal, also decide that that's a good hidey hole into which to climb.
And then the sister dies.
And then the remaining sister, despite being incredibly limited just keeps hiding out?
It's just too improbable.
*End Spoilers*
All of the aforementioned issues were obviously small… nitpicky, if you will. But there was, unfortunately, an inarguably large issue with this book as well — there was too fucking much going on.
I, honestly, can’t even catalog the number of subplots and spin-off issues and blind alley ways that were present in this novel.
And, because there were so many subplots in this novel, it essentially lacked a through line.
It sucks because there were moments when I would get pulled into the story — invested in the characters and their struggles — but then there would be another fucking subplot.
I would be reading along thinking, “Oh, I’m really liking this Mallory / Spencer connection… I hope the next chapter delves further into it… Oh. Great. The next chapter is some unnecessarily vivid description of rock climbing… or hockey… or the library.”
It. Just. Didn’t. Work.
I walked away from this novel shaking my head and regretting the fact that it, in my eyes, didn’t reach its potential.
Ultimately, I wish that it could be re-written. Stripped down. Tidied up. Because, under all the extra bullshit, there is a good story here. It just never got the chance to shine.
This one earns a disappointing 2 out of 5 cocktails.
April 26, 2020
“Unless there wasn’t a live person to catch.”
A case of: I should've read the Goodreads reviews!
I needed a suspenseful YA book for surgery recovery, while my brain was/is all fuzzy. I saw this had a haunted library and I was in.
Butttt this book was definitely misleading in its description - it is more contemporary YA than any kind of horror.
What You Hide focuses on Spencer and Mallory who both have problems at home. They come from different backgrounds, but both end up trapped in the library together.
I think the author did well with the contemporary aspects - I liked the MCs’ inner voices and the connection between them seemed genuine.
Overall this was a not a memorable story for me, especially the ghostly aspects, but readers may like it for a darker YA read.
A case of: I should've read the Goodreads reviews!
I needed a suspenseful YA book for surgery recovery, while my brain was/is all fuzzy. I saw this had a haunted library and I was in.
Butttt this book was definitely misleading in its description - it is more contemporary YA than any kind of horror.
What You Hide focuses on Spencer and Mallory who both have problems at home. They come from different backgrounds, but both end up trapped in the library together.
I think the author did well with the contemporary aspects - I liked the MCs’ inner voices and the connection between them seemed genuine.
Overall this was a not a memorable story for me, especially the ghostly aspects, but readers may like it for a darker YA read.
dnf
November 24, 2025dnf 😭 the world building was terrible
November 18, 2021
This is not as spooky as Five total strangers, but it moved along quickly. This is more obviously a YA book, with the awkward romance and desperate yearning. The POV changing in each chapter makes the story a lot clearer.
December 1, 2018
I have to admit I was looking forward to this book as was in the mood for a suspense novel, and I had loved her previous books, and with a cover like this one, it had a feeling it would be creepy. Unfortunately, it wasn't, we had several storylines running from Spencer who is doing community service at the library and trying to escape his life and find a new path as he knows what is expected of him, but it feels strange. Mallory had a great life until her mother met a new man and he became controlling and worse now is that Mallory's mother is pregnant. Mallory has tried to get her mum to leave, but she keeps making excuses, and Mallory has had enough and now would rather risk being homeless than having to spend more than one more second in the house. The third storyline which unfortunately was only loosely touched on was the two sisters who are also homeless and been living in the library basement. I found this book more of a YA family saga with little suspense rather than the deep mystery feels that generally come with a book by Natalie D. Richards. This book is a hit or miss by her, but if you are a fan and like to read all the books by an author, then feel free to check this upcoming release.
November 24, 2018
I was so excited for this story. I loved the premise and had enjoyed a couple of books from Natalie.
I liked Mallory and Spencer well enough. She’s in a rough situation and I did like how the book didn’t shy away from it. Spencer’s home life isn’t bad and he’s itching for something different. There was a spark between them, but it didn’t propel the story.
Plot wise it was boring. For me, there wasn’t any sort of suspense or tension. The thriller aspect of the story didn’t show up and I wasn’t quite invested in what was happening. Oh and the build up slash reveal slash ending left a lot to be desired.
Overall, it felt like 2 separate stories that didn’t quite mesh. I’m not sure what kept me reading, but I couldn’t stop.
**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the arc free of charge**
I liked Mallory and Spencer well enough. She’s in a rough situation and I did like how the book didn’t shy away from it. Spencer’s home life isn’t bad and he’s itching for something different. There was a spark between them, but it didn’t propel the story.
Plot wise it was boring. For me, there wasn’t any sort of suspense or tension. The thriller aspect of the story didn’t show up and I wasn’t quite invested in what was happening. Oh and the build up slash reveal slash ending left a lot to be desired.
Overall, it felt like 2 separate stories that didn’t quite mesh. I’m not sure what kept me reading, but I couldn’t stop.
**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the arc free of charge**
February 26, 2019
The setting in this book was SO familiar...
November 26, 2018
I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
Natalie D. Richards brings yet another spine-tingling thriller with her latest release, What You Hide. The premise of this one hooked me in from the start, a runaway teen, a boy, a library that may or may not be haunted but there was definitely death that took place there! It’s got all the workings of a great mystery!
Mallory and her mother are about to run away from her stepfather who’s a controlling monster. He’s never gotten violent with them, but Mallory worries that that will be the next step. Her mother is also pregnant and when the time comes to flee, Mallory finds herself on her own, her mother choosing to stay with her husband.
Then we have Spencer who’s a privileged rich boy with a bit of danger addiction. Or more like rock climbing addiction as it’s when he’s climbing the walls of the library building, he breaks a window, gets caught, and subsequently finds himself on volunteer duty for the foreseeable future instead of getting arrested. It’s while working at the library he meets Mallory, who’s unlike any girl he’s met before.
Both Spencer and Mallory are harboring their secrets from one another, Mallory, too afraid to admit that she’s essentially homeless and spends the night in the library on occasion. Spencer isn’t sure what he wants from life and his parents’ plans for him are not his ideal future for himself. Then seeing Mallory who doesn’t have all the options he has, he starts getting unsure of himself and his future.
Aside from that, we have quite a mystery on our hands as a dead body appears in the library overnight. And it’s shortly after that that strange things start happening in the library. Black smudges all over the walls, writing on the walls, bookish monuments being crafted…all after hours when the library closes. And then of course, there are the strange noises Mallory hears when she’s “spending the night.” It makes for quite the eerie mystery.
While I did find myself enjoying this story immensely, I have to admit the conclusion left me feeling a little lackluster. While we do get the mystery behind the dead body solved and the strange noises and occurrences, it wasn’t really what I had anticipated it being. Not to mention Mallory’s predicament. I guess I was hoping for a bit more happier ending! Granted, this is a standalone, so the ending does have resolution with hope for a better future and all that jazz, it just wasn’t all that I had hoped for after reading this book.
The mystery itself was really good! The strange happenings and of course the body that turned up! Oddly, not much comes from the latter, but the former makes a more frequent appearance. And what’s a mystery without a little romance? Naturally, we see something slowly developing between Spencer and Mallory. I liked that it was a more complicated romance. Mallory has her issues she’s trying to deal with and doesn’t necessarily want Spencer to be her white knight, but she still can’t deny the connection that’s forming between them.
All in all, What You Hide was an engaging mystery filled with plenty of chills! While the ending wasn’t all that I had hoped for, I still found the book to be a fairly decent paced read that resulted in a pretty good read overall! While this isn’t my favorite book from Natalie, it certainly isn’t my last!
Overall Rating 3/5 stars
What You Hide releases December 4, 2018
Natalie D. Richards brings yet another spine-tingling thriller with her latest release, What You Hide. The premise of this one hooked me in from the start, a runaway teen, a boy, a library that may or may not be haunted but there was definitely death that took place there! It’s got all the workings of a great mystery!
Mallory and her mother are about to run away from her stepfather who’s a controlling monster. He’s never gotten violent with them, but Mallory worries that that will be the next step. Her mother is also pregnant and when the time comes to flee, Mallory finds herself on her own, her mother choosing to stay with her husband.
Then we have Spencer who’s a privileged rich boy with a bit of danger addiction. Or more like rock climbing addiction as it’s when he’s climbing the walls of the library building, he breaks a window, gets caught, and subsequently finds himself on volunteer duty for the foreseeable future instead of getting arrested. It’s while working at the library he meets Mallory, who’s unlike any girl he’s met before.
Both Spencer and Mallory are harboring their secrets from one another, Mallory, too afraid to admit that she’s essentially homeless and spends the night in the library on occasion. Spencer isn’t sure what he wants from life and his parents’ plans for him are not his ideal future for himself. Then seeing Mallory who doesn’t have all the options he has, he starts getting unsure of himself and his future.
Aside from that, we have quite a mystery on our hands as a dead body appears in the library overnight. And it’s shortly after that that strange things start happening in the library. Black smudges all over the walls, writing on the walls, bookish monuments being crafted…all after hours when the library closes. And then of course, there are the strange noises Mallory hears when she’s “spending the night.” It makes for quite the eerie mystery.
While I did find myself enjoying this story immensely, I have to admit the conclusion left me feeling a little lackluster. While we do get the mystery behind the dead body solved and the strange noises and occurrences, it wasn’t really what I had anticipated it being. Not to mention Mallory’s predicament. I guess I was hoping for a bit more happier ending! Granted, this is a standalone, so the ending does have resolution with hope for a better future and all that jazz, it just wasn’t all that I had hoped for after reading this book.
The mystery itself was really good! The strange happenings and of course the body that turned up! Oddly, not much comes from the latter, but the former makes a more frequent appearance. And what’s a mystery without a little romance? Naturally, we see something slowly developing between Spencer and Mallory. I liked that it was a more complicated romance. Mallory has her issues she’s trying to deal with and doesn’t necessarily want Spencer to be her white knight, but she still can’t deny the connection that’s forming between them.
All in all, What You Hide was an engaging mystery filled with plenty of chills! While the ending wasn’t all that I had hoped for, I still found the book to be a fairly decent paced read that resulted in a pretty good read overall! While this isn’t my favorite book from Natalie, it certainly isn’t my last!
Overall Rating 3/5 stars
What You Hide releases December 4, 2018
January 31, 2019
Quick review for a quick read. A good story, but felt like I wanted a little more from it. Mallory and Spencer are two teens from different backgrounds dealing with their own respective trials in the beginning of this story. Spencer's dealing with living a life he feels unfifilled by, and is serving as a library aid while on probation for breaking the library window after a stunt gone wrong. Mallory is in a contentious domestic situation where her mother's pregnant and her mother's boyfriend is verbally and emotionally abusive. She ends up leaving the home and trying to make ends meet on her own while trying to figure out how to convince her mother to leave the boyfriend. Spencer and Mallory end up meeting at the same library, while observing a number of mysterious messages and discovering a dead woman's body in a mystery that ties them together for a short time.
You may go into this book thinking it's a murder mystery or the book centering around the collective mystery/thriller aspect, but it really isn't. It's more of a contemporary drama with some mysterious elements. The mysterious elements take a back seat to the developing relationship between Spencer and Mallory. I'll admit I liked the teens' rapport and could understand why the two were drawn to each other. I could also appreciate the different contentious situations that the two are dealing with, even if their resolutions seemed a little quick for the build up the story had in the beginning. The mystery, on the other hand, was a bit underwhelming and not so much a thrilling aspect. It provided a few moments of contention, but it really wasn't a major focus of the story, only providing a parallel situation tied into the teens discovery, with unfortunate circumstances in tow.
I liked the story for what it provided, but I don't think it's one of Richards's strongest stories in her bibliography. I would recommend it for those who like quick read teen contemporary dramas with tough situations, and who can appreciate slice of life stories with decent character chemistry.
Overall score: 3/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
You may go into this book thinking it's a murder mystery or the book centering around the collective mystery/thriller aspect, but it really isn't. It's more of a contemporary drama with some mysterious elements. The mysterious elements take a back seat to the developing relationship between Spencer and Mallory. I'll admit I liked the teens' rapport and could understand why the two were drawn to each other. I could also appreciate the different contentious situations that the two are dealing with, even if their resolutions seemed a little quick for the build up the story had in the beginning. The mystery, on the other hand, was a bit underwhelming and not so much a thrilling aspect. It provided a few moments of contention, but it really wasn't a major focus of the story, only providing a parallel situation tied into the teens discovery, with unfortunate circumstances in tow.
I liked the story for what it provided, but I don't think it's one of Richards's strongest stories in her bibliography. I would recommend it for those who like quick read teen contemporary dramas with tough situations, and who can appreciate slice of life stories with decent character chemistry.
Overall score: 3/5 stars.
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.
Read
December 5, 2018I loved this book. The strange happenings at the library is much less central to the plot than the synopsis would have you believe, so be aware of that going in.
What's actually going on (and what's far more interesting anyway) are the internal issues with Spencer (what does he want to do with his life?) and the external issues with Mallory (her stepfather is awful and her mom isn't much better---she's initially a lovely woman, but she is so cowed by her husband, Charlie, that she becomes a lousy mom).
I was very concerned for Mallory. There's nothing overtly awful with Charlie. He seems maybe a bit overprotective but there's nothing he says that seems threatening. It's more the way he says it and what's in the pauses between his words. Mallory is so scared and this seems like a very rational response. I was so worried that Charlie would figure out where Mallory was. I didn't know for sure what he would do, but there's nothing that's off the table, really.
I wasn't worried for Spencer, really, but I hoped that he'd figure out how to be happy.
Everything about this book is completely gripping and even though it's close to 400 pages, it felt so much shorter. Recommended.
What's actually going on (and what's far more interesting anyway) are the internal issues with Spencer (what does he want to do with his life?) and the external issues with Mallory (her stepfather is awful and her mom isn't much better---she's initially a lovely woman, but she is so cowed by her husband, Charlie, that she becomes a lousy mom).
I was very concerned for Mallory. There's nothing overtly awful with Charlie. He seems maybe a bit overprotective but there's nothing he says that seems threatening. It's more the way he says it and what's in the pauses between his words. Mallory is so scared and this seems like a very rational response. I was so worried that Charlie would figure out where Mallory was. I didn't know for sure what he would do, but there's nothing that's off the table, really.
I wasn't worried for Spencer, really, but I hoped that he'd figure out how to be happy.
Everything about this book is completely gripping and even though it's close to 400 pages, it felt so much shorter. Recommended.
January 6, 2025
This book is really good for what it is. There are some actual writing mistakes that were missed, but the storyline is so good. A great mix of thriller and navigating new relationships that aren’t textbook. The book in its self is so so, but i have a soft spot bc i first read it freshman year of high school, so it gets 4 stars lol
December 13, 2018
What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards is a young adult love story, about two lost souls for very different reasons. Mallory ran away from home due to her controlling step-father and her passive pregnant mother. Mallory spends most of her day at the library. Spencer is doing community service at the public library, doing everything he can to put off deciding what his wants for his future. I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more books by this author. I recommended this book to both young adult and adult readers. My only complainant is that some of the book seemed to drag out.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
January 12, 2019
A bit slow in places, not as creepy as I was expecting. The plot with mallorys step-dad felt like it took a backseat most of the time, heck more like a place in the trunk. Would have loved to have had more late night library scenes, and abusive dad scenes, but good overall. 3.5 stars
April 16, 2025
I was a bit disappointed by this book, considering I love most of Natalie’s writing, but I did find it enjoyable. I wouldn’t consider this much of a thriller, as I felt like it just doesn’t FEEL like one’s also in the genre. I did enjoy all the aspects of the book, but I feel like it doesn’t quite feel like a thriller, more of horror than anything!
October 11, 2018
RTC
Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for the review copy.
Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for the review copy.
November 29, 2018
What You Hide is one part contemporary, the other part mystery thriller. It is a touching and thought-provoking story of family breakdown and youth homelessness, a coming of age story and a love story rolled into one.
When Mallory’s pregnant mother changes her mind about leaving her controlling and demanding husband (Malloy’s stepfather), Mallory makes the decision to leave by herself. This new plan means that she has nowhere to go. Enrolled in online school, she spends her days at the library and, once her welcome wears out her friend’s home, her nights too. It’s at the library that she meets Spencer. Seemingly living a perfect life, Spencer reveals he is working at the library to serve out his community service sentence and that he is struggling with decisions about the future. But then a body is found in the library and signs show that Mallory isn’t the only one hiding in the library.
I really enjoyed What You Hide. The storyline focuses on the realistic fiction parts of the story, rather than the mystery, but I thought Mallory and Spencer’s stories were important and what brought this book to life. They are both dealing with some heavy issues but they do manage to fit in a little bit of sleuthing about the mysterious events at the library. At one point, I thought the book might take a turn for the paranormal, but the story does stay firmly rooted in reality and the mystery’s reveal only serves to highlight the messages of the story.
I loved that Spencer - from a wealthy family with all opportunities before him - and the struggles he faces were treated with as much care and respect as Mallory’s homelessness. Together they face the problems of growing up and making decisions about their future. What You Hide also raises the, sadly, prevalent problem of youth homelessness. Mallory’s story is compelling, touching yet ultimately hopeful. I was very impressed that Mallory‘s story raises the issue that sometimes unsafe home situations are not black and white or do not reflect the worst-case headlines. Again, her situation and decisions were treated with care and sensitivity in this book, deftly handled by this talent author.
I highly recommend What You Hide to readers of both realistic contemporary fiction and mystery thrillers. With a mix of both, it is sure to appeal to and delight readers of both genres.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
When Mallory’s pregnant mother changes her mind about leaving her controlling and demanding husband (Malloy’s stepfather), Mallory makes the decision to leave by herself. This new plan means that she has nowhere to go. Enrolled in online school, she spends her days at the library and, once her welcome wears out her friend’s home, her nights too. It’s at the library that she meets Spencer. Seemingly living a perfect life, Spencer reveals he is working at the library to serve out his community service sentence and that he is struggling with decisions about the future. But then a body is found in the library and signs show that Mallory isn’t the only one hiding in the library.
I really enjoyed What You Hide. The storyline focuses on the realistic fiction parts of the story, rather than the mystery, but I thought Mallory and Spencer’s stories were important and what brought this book to life. They are both dealing with some heavy issues but they do manage to fit in a little bit of sleuthing about the mysterious events at the library. At one point, I thought the book might take a turn for the paranormal, but the story does stay firmly rooted in reality and the mystery’s reveal only serves to highlight the messages of the story.
I loved that Spencer - from a wealthy family with all opportunities before him - and the struggles he faces were treated with as much care and respect as Mallory’s homelessness. Together they face the problems of growing up and making decisions about their future. What You Hide also raises the, sadly, prevalent problem of youth homelessness. Mallory’s story is compelling, touching yet ultimately hopeful. I was very impressed that Mallory‘s story raises the issue that sometimes unsafe home situations are not black and white or do not reflect the worst-case headlines. Again, her situation and decisions were treated with care and sensitivity in this book, deftly handled by this talent author.
I highly recommend What You Hide to readers of both realistic contemporary fiction and mystery thrillers. With a mix of both, it is sure to appeal to and delight readers of both genres.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
April 15, 2023
Reread forgot I read this in 2021
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