Daughter's Drawings

by Nick Botic

I’m posting this here because this seems to be the place that people could truly appreciate what’s happened to my family and I. This situation started a long time ago, but it’s all come to a head now. The following entries will give an idea of everything that’s gone on up until now, and when I’ve gotten through everything, posts will be about what’s going on currently. I apologize for the length of these posts, but believe me, no amount of words could possibly capture what’s really happened. Names have been changed for the privacy of my family and everyone involved.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Horror Thriller, Mystery, Family

299 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2023

About the author

Nick Botic is an author from Milwaukee, WI. Following a stay in a rehabilitation facility in order to rid himself of a years-long heroin addiction, Nick began writing after discovering the Reddit community r/NoSleep. Finding quick success, he continued posting stories that catapulted him to the top of the r/NoSleep leaderboards.

Nick has since become a historical member of r/NoSleep, mentioned among the most renowned contributors during the height of the 20-million-plus member community’s popularity.

Since then, Nick has moved to the more traditional side of writing, with his debut novel “Daughter’s Drawings” gaining him a large following among fans of horror literature. His recently-released collection “This Is Not A Drill and Other Warnings” has garnered acclaim among fans and industry legends alike and continues to show his growth as a writer and as a presence in the ge re.

Reviews

[Sandy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the story is creepy, with a family having their car broken into whilst they are on holiday, but the only thing taken is their young daughters "art". These art / drawings are then posted back to the family with creepy/ scary additions to the drawings, often a creepy man waving. The families' dispair and psychological upset is palatable. The stalker ending with an abduction was well written with the fear, uoset, and unease of the patents dripping from the page. However, the chapter endings was a bit repetitive, with each chapter ending on the theme of "this will be the last time they were happy," so that was grating after a while. The flow of the book was also a bit off, and the ending didn't really add up, so hopefully, there must be some sort of sequel explanation in the pipeline to make it make sense. But it is scary, gritty read, and the concept is spooky. Great stuff for a debut novel. Overall, I liked it, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to from the premise.

[Leigh Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

When their car is broken into on vacation, Nick and his family are somewhat surprised that the only thing taken was a portfolio of their daughter Katie's drawings. The theft is just the start of a waking nightmare that plagues the family, as a mysterious and sinister stranger begins to haunt the family. He wants to be 'frends' with Katie but Nick and Kimmy will go to any lengths to protect their daughter... until they can't.

When I saw the cover for Daughter's Drawings on a Facebook group, I knew I had to read it. It started its life on the NoSleep subreddit and was released as a full length novel. Botic has a natural writing talent and the prose flow freely throughout while maintaining a sense of unease that escalates throughout. There are MANY unsettling moments throughout and it's a phenomenal debut BUT the ending fell a little flat for me. It seemed rushed and far too easy. It was a little deflating after spending so long investing in the family's strife and I think a revision of the ending could easily bring this up to a five-star book for me. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for more work by Nick Botic though. A very talented writer!

[That Horror Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it is obvious this book found its origins on a reddit form (r/nosleep, I believe) it still had me hooked from start to finish. While Nick was not the most likable main character, I found his reactions to be pretty realistic. The same goes for his family.

The book is a wild ride, and -sadly- the ending leaves more questions than answers. I felt a little unfullfilled by the last chapters. So -1 ⭐️ for that. Other than that, the book was very enjoyable, had more than enough suspense, and was one hell of a debute.

[Paige Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

ooooooooooffff. This one really hit me in the gut. Stalker/Abduction/Home invasion stories always get me. These things happen every day and are VERY real.

A close-knit happy family of 4 are on a roadtrip and make a pit stop at a diner in a rural town in northern Kansas. Someone breaks into their car while they are enjoying their meal and they find that none of their belongings (including expensive technology items) have been stolen but their young daughter's art porfolio is nowhere to be found. Strange...

After the car theft things continue to spiral downward. The family is being stalked and receiving their daughter's missing pictures one by one. Each event is highly significant upon receiving the next drawing. The father and mother decide to completely uproot their life and move and start fresh. They do this in the most secretive way possible but the stalker is still following them. Nowhere is safe from this deranged maniac.

Nick Botic did a phenomenal job writing this story. I was captivated from the very beginning and read this in one-sitting. This was a nail biter, un-put-downable, read that just continued to blow my mind as I continued forward.

This was such a creepy and unsettling read. This one is going to stick with me for awhile, I can tell. I crave books with this type of reaction though. I highly recommend this book to any horror lover! I look forward to seeing future projects from Nick Botic and will absolutely read another book by this author for sure!

[Lia's Haunted Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

From start to finish, Daughter’s Drawings had me on edge. The story follows a family being stalked by a deranged individual obsessed with their daughter—particularly her drawings.

One of the standout aspects of this book? Competent characters. The parents actually take logical steps to protect their child, and—shockingly—we get a detective who isn’t useless. We’ve all read books where the adults make baffling choices, but this time? It was genuinely refreshing to see people react with awareness and intelligence.

The villain earns their spot as one of the vilest I’ve read—gifting the family a dog just to make them emotionally attached, only to kill it later. Unforgivable. 0/10

Now, about the ending. It doesn’t tie up everything in a neat little bow, but I think that’s the point; the interactions point to that. Not every mystery in life gets a satisfying resolution, and sometimes we have to take the answers we can get.

[The Stray Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good debut! The repetitive build ups on the narration side undercut the tension when it matters but the dialogues flow smoothly.

Just two major things I have trouble with (purely subjective):

1. I felt like the ending was rushed. The oversimplified exposition by the detective at the end made for an underwhelming closing. The whole evil stuff went for MONTHS. I feel like the whole masterplan should've been revealed a little more slowly - like layers being peeled - instead of just a few pages of dialogue by the detective towards the end.

2. Too many questions unanswered. One of the most satisfying part of any novel involving a mystery is when all the puzzle pieces connect and I go "oh, so that's how it was done" but this just unfortunately didn't have that. All the people (aka the puzzle pieces) were identified, sure, but they weren't pieced together enough to form a clear picture. I honestly thought halfway through that this was either a supernatural horror or that the dad had a split personality because of all the almost impossible situations that the criminal had to do, the patience he had to have, and the level of organization he displayed. The intellectual level of the villain didn't at all equate with the amount of planning done with the crimes. I wish we could've had more insights how he or they did it because it just doesn't add up.

There are some other minor issues I have with the plot (like how the protagonist easily escaped the TV room) but I don't want to be too nitpicky. Anyway, this was one of the good debuts I've read this past year. It has a coherent plot structure, the dialogues felt human, the characters had depth, and it successfully veered away from some dumb (as the book calls it) 'horror movie decisions.' I especially love the whole relocation plan; that was very smart.

[Chuu · Rating 2 out of 5]

It felt like I was reading a draft instead of a final novel. The story could have been edited better: for example, several typos such as “he” being used instead of “she” to refer to the wife in the scene where Nick wakes up in the hotel room and found the first creepy drawing; excessive ellipses (“…”) in narrative portions, instances of all caps (“KATIE!!”), and so on.

In addition, the chapter breaks felt too sudden (several chapters could have been fused into longer chapters instead), and as other readers have pointed out, the last sentences in several chapters are better left out. I also found some portions overly descriptive and ended up skipping them (the fast food scene where the family was last “happy” could have been shortened by several pages).

[Angyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to.

The story follows a family after their car is broken into on vacation. Their young daughter's “art portfolio” is the only thing stolen, and shortly after, they begin to receive her drawings one by one, but with crude additions, showing the thieves sinister plans for the young girl. What follows is a dangerous stalking case that spans the course of a few years, while slowly escalating the whole time.

What this book gets right is the authentic feel and natural dialogue/reactions of the family members. I’m sure this can be attributed to its beginning on r/nosleep. It definitely had horrifying moments and does a great job unsettling the reader while we watch these parents fight with everything they have to keep their daughter safe. The build-up of psychological torment is well done and at times makes you wonder if this is a supernatural entity or just a really f**ed up person.

The writing wasn’t my favorite and I do think the ending resolved very quickly. Overall, I wasn’t super invested in the story, but it was interesting enough to hold my attention and I loved the few really creepy moments we got. My recommendation to readers: read at night, in the dark, and let the story take you away.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a while since I have been THIS frustrated with a book. I honestly think it's one that my opinion of will improve over time and distance from the actual reading experience. This truly had the potential to be a new all time favorite for me. The premise of the book, the things that happen in this story, are creepy and unsettling. If I were to rate this purely on the basic story being told...this would be an easy 5 stars. Unfortunately...the reading experience was frustrating for me and there were two things that completely ruined my enjoyment of this book...which I want to point out because I know these things may not bother others. I would still recommend this book, but with the caveat that two specific things didn't work for ME.

First...I am well aware that this was originally a reddit nosleep story...and I have not read the story in its original form...so keep this in mind as I try to explain the main reason this didn't work for me. I wish this had been edited better to work well as a novel.

It very much reads like an online format where every chapter (post) ends with a statement like (not direct quotes) "that was the last memory I have of us being truly happy" or "our nightmare was just beginning" or "the peace of mind was not the last" which is meant to leave the reader waiting for that next post, or building up that sense of dread, or something like that. But in a novel where you're reading one chapter after the next...it's a frustrating technique that felt disingenuous to me and was proved outright wrong on many occasions. I'm sure that happens as the story grows and morphs into something different over the course of posting it over time...but these elements should have been mostly removed when published as a novel and any inconsistencies within the story fixed...especially because they are pretty minor, generalized statements that could just be removed altogether without impacting the story at all. This book has lots of small chapters/parts and they ALL end like this, and it made me roll my eyes at the end of EVERY chapter and want to put the book down. Pulled me right out of the story.

Which is a real shame because, otherwise, I think it's well written. The writing did suck me into the story and, unlike a lot of indie published works, I had no issues with spelling, grammar, POV, etc. I really think if this had been edited to remove that one specific writing device, which works well in an online forum format but not in a novel, this would have been so much better.

The second thing that really bothered me was the pacing, which I think really suffered because of the timeline in which this book takes place. The events in this book are creepy and unsettling...but they are taking place over the course of several YEARS...and it's done with time jumps that feel totally random and without purpose. 3 months later, nine months later, seven months later, nine months later, ninety seven days later...I honestly struggled to grasp how long had actually passed from the start of the book to the end...and there was no reason for it. There wasn't any part of the plot that relied on the kids being a certain age or a certain time of year being important for a particular event.

I really believe that if these events had all taken place over the course of a single year, that feeling of constant dread and anxiety would have had a much bigger impact. The pacing would have felt so much better to me. And I don't know if this is just a hold over from the original source material, but if it is, I think it's just another element that should have been updated in the editing process when moving to publish this as a novel. This wasn't as big of an issue as the first I mentioned...but I did really struggle with the pacing of this.

I have way more to say about this one than I usually do in reviews, but I really want to be clear about the specific things I struggled with because I don't think they will be an issue for a lot of readers. They were my own, personal struggles with this book. I would still recommend. I think a lot of people with love this. But mostly it just left me frustrated and angry because I could have loved it and I just didn't. I really do think that the more time passes, the more I will only remember the good things about this story and forget my specific frustrations with the reading experience.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was read as part of the 2024 Books of Horror Indie Brawl. This was the 30th seated book in the series. BOH rating 4.3 stars

This turned out to be a very well written psychological horror novel. The idea of being stalked is terrifying, but to imagine your preteen child being stalked is beyond creepy. This was an amazing read and is the reason I wanted to try this brawl.

[Jo | HonkIfYouRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRAUMATIZED.

I read this book basically in one sitting because it had me in an absolute chokehold. Every time I thought I got to a point where I could set the book down, the plot thickened and I had to keep going. This kept me on the edge the entire way through and I was DEEPLY unsettled the entire time. I couldn't imagine having someone essentially stalking my family, primarily a young daughter. This story took us down some deeply disturbing and dark paths. Just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any darker, that Billy May's voice in my head screamed 'BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!'
I had a lot of questions that went unanswered and spoiler- the dog dies, which docked a star for me. Seriously, stop hurting the dogs guys, it's really unnecessary.
Overall though, I thought this story was gruesome, chilling, and it had me checking my security system about 3 extra times before I went to sleep after I finished. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to feel the most unsettled.

[Christina Faris (books_by_the_bottle) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick, his wife and their two young children are on their way home from vacation when they stop at a diner to eat. While having lunch, their car is broken into. Nick reports this to the police, and realizes the only item taken is his six year old daughter’s art portfolio. Then as they sleep at a hotel that night, one of the pictures shows up with a new message written on it. Given his wife’s history with a stalker, Nick is hesitant to mention it to her. But soon the pictures start arriving at their home too and Nick can’t keep it a secret any longer. Things escalate to the point where Nick and his wife feel their only option to keep their daughter safe is to move to an entirely new place. Things calm down for a bit before eventually getting even worse.

When my friend Carrie (@carriesreadsthem_all) recommends a book, I know it's going to be good! This one started off innocently enough with the family vacation, before the creep factor goes through the roof. I was reading this book at night (maybe not the best choice!), and there was a scene that made me literally need to get up and physically check that all my doors were locked. I think it was particularly disturbing to me, as a mother of young kids, seeing that the premise of this story was plausible because you truly never know who is out there watching you and your kids. This was a great story to read to give you a little scare and I’m so glad I picked it up!

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortl :)

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

A child’s artistic endeavours capture the attention of a maniac in this anxiety inducing horrific story.

There were moments while I was reading that I actually had to walk away from the book and go do something light hearted and joyful.

The fact that there isn’t a supernatural element to the events that unfold is actually even more scary in my opinion; the human nature can be deadly and monstrous on its own without fantastical elements.

The ending left a bit to be desired… is there a sequel or second part coming? I need to know more about that photograph!

[Nicole Hancock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the cover art, I thought this would be similar to Hidden Pictures which I loved, but alas you can’t judge a book by its cover! This was more of a stalker story and how many times do you find that a stranger has been in your house before you set up some security cameras? C’mon people! And the resolution made zero sense.

Trigger warnings: bad things happen to a dog and to children

*Available on Kindle Unlimited

[FranWeird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Netlfix original mixed with Criminal Minds. The ending for me also was a little disappointing. All that build up for that? But my intuition about the town was right though

[עצוב שיכור · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Botic’s "Daughter’s Drawings" ambles along at first, all very gentle and unassuming, until about halfway through, when it abruptly veers off and delivers a scene so brutal it might as well have come with a warning label. The fact that it managed to genuinely shock me was almost impressive in itself. From that moment, the whole thing finally decided to get on with it. Without spoiling anything, I’d say it comfortably earns four stars. Fucking hell, Botic...

Next.

[Erin Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect suspense thriller! I was white-knuckled clutching my coffee cup this morning around halfway through. Literally had to put down my phone and pry my fingers from the mint green handle. This author expertly taps into our fears of parenthood, life outside of our home base, and the unending world of what-ifs. His seemingly effortless
grasp on real life convo and sense of humor between partners brought a smile to my face. I appreciated their very real life reactions to the extra ordinary events that were happening. I would have finished this book in a day if real life would have paused for just a moment. I will definitely seek out this authors other works and hope they satisfy the itch this one found.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. The obvious foreshadowing at the end of each chapter, the over the top perfect family, and the unnecessary, overwritten scenes were really grating. I was planning on giving 3 stars to this, but the ending absolutely tanked the story for me. It made no sense whatsoever. All of this for some kid's drawings? And this particular criminal can evade detection and outsmart everyone for years? Nah, not buying it.

[Sherry · Rating 1 out of 5]

the kind of book that makes 300 pages feel like a neverending saga for no reason at all but to feel accomplished (i felt nothing reading this)

[adie · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 - interesting concept but kind of predictable and not too scary... easy read, i liked the recovered addict aspect (ofc) but the actual emotional aspects fell mostly flat... overall a quick slightly spooky read with a happy ending.

[Caperusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed the creepy moments, it was an easy and quick read. the ending didn't quite land right for me but overall pretty good!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few thoughts on this one and it was a tad creepy but overall was a big "the fck?"

1) The most important question, why did this family NOT USE CAMERAS OR A NEST?? You're telling me this family that can leave one house behind, move to a new state, buy another house (seemingly having two mortgages since they leave all their stuff behind in California and didn't put it up for sale so they won't be traced) can't afford some decent surveillance equipment?? The entire book, every time a drawing showed up I thought, "does ANYONE have a brain here??"

2) The characters don't progress or develop at all, even though a total of 4 years pass?

3) The heroin husband backstory was sooo...out of place, why was it even needed, it did nothing for the plot when mentioned.

4) Almost every chapter ended with a forced foreshadowing, such as "things were fine...til they weren't" "Things couldn't get worse, til they did" "From that moment, things were never be the same."

5) I am confused, is there a sequel to this because they bring all this attention to some unknown participant in this conspiracy town but they never allude to who it is, its kind of a GUESS we will never know oh well. The End.
Was this the person behind the kidnapping and m*rder?? Or was it the rotund man-child that was able to allude the police, evade capture, basically be a bond super villain but have the IQ of a melon that was behind it all?
How did they even find the family after the moved? If they are some backwater hicks why are they able to outmaneuver the law in two different states??


I got to the last page and yelled "THAAAAAAAAAT'S IT?????????"

Overall, the story was okay, it reminded me of "Penpal" and it did have a creep factor. I just think there are so many unanswered questions and outlandish scenarios.

[Susan Allegrini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t read fast enough and sometimes I had to put it down cause I didn’t want to know what was going to happen!! I didn’t want anything bad to happen to the family!! This is a must to read!!

[Talia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge horror fanatic and really enjoyed the premise of this book. Turning a child's innocent drawings into harbingers of fear and suffering is an enticing idea. Though I do want to praise the piece for retaining my interest throughout, I found the ending as well as reasoning lackluster and messy. The "stalker" was simultaneously referred to as "low IQ" while consistently outsmarting and outmaneuvering the narrator, the police (not solely the ones that were in on it, but also the one in the narrator's hometown), and environments (cameras, people, security systems, etc).

The ending was messy with elements of the story not adding up and feeling sensationalized and slapped together. The "gotcha" element to the end of the story left much to be desired. The narrator made a particularly anticlimactic show of dispensing of the stalker--explicitly stating that real life wasn't like the movies--and then contradicted this point by leaning in to a very gimmicky plot-twisted ending. The more entertaining choice would've been a thrilling climax and a more reality-based ending, in my opinion.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

“…this instance had been some kind of sick joke, our stalker’s way of informing us that he knew where we were.”

“Daughter’s Drawings” by Nick Botic gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed “Penpal” by Dathan Auerbach and this one came highly recommended as it shares the same creepy vibes. Both center around children and a stalker that have unexplainable and unsettling events that unfold. As a reader, you can’t help but feel the state of helplessness the parents go through as they do their best to protect their children.

This was a fast paced story that was part thriller and horror. The ending did fall a little flat and left some areas open that could’ve been closed. Some points did not seem to “add up” with the stalker and his actions based on the outcome of the story. Overall, this was a quick read but it fell short in its closing leaving unanswered questions and wanting more.

Please visit my GoodReads or Instagram (Ashesandlore) profile for more reviews. Thank you!

[Christopher Dahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

ALMOST 5!! Real life creepiness

I really enjoyed how this storyline that could be so true in real life really creeped me out. I may not write the best of reviews, but I’m an avid reader and will tell you when I really enjoy a book. This one had me ALL the way through with the intensity of what was happening. I thought the huge gaps in the timeline were a little weird, but I didn’t pay too much attention to those. Then came the ending. I felt it was way too much. I understand leaving an open ending to the reader with some room for the mind to wonder. However, this just left too much “why” and “how” for me. I would’ve preferred a better ending and wrap up. Overall, it was still a great read and I would highly recommend it to other fans of books of horror.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Round up to 4.5 stars so so creepy and made even more so by the fact that as far as I could tell it was based on true events. I read this one via the horror Hill podcast and narration was fantastic. Highly recommend this author if you enjoy horror writing.

[The_5ft_reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy but excellent story

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

There could have been so much more to make this a great read. But it didn’t do it for me.

[Lance Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book moves at a rapid pace and I felt like I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It had me on the edge of my seat and whenever I had to put it down it hurt my feelings. A+.