Hide

Thoroughly entertaining, but has an ending that felt far too rushed, leaving little resolution and more questions to be answered.

I don't hate it. But I wish it wasn't supernatural.
Or maybe it could have been pushed farther?

Also, the constant jumping between character POVs with no warning is annoying.

I like the cover a lot. And the ends papers are fun.

Hide takes places at an abandoned amusement park where contestants compete against each other in game of hide and seek. Only, don't get caught. The goal is to stay at the park for a week and not be found; the winner will receive a cash prize of $50,000. I was really starting to enjoy this book all the way up until the competition started. The buildup was interesting and was giving me Squid Games vibes and I was excited. And then the game starts and literally it's just these characters doing nothing but hiding and reflecting on their past. Slowly, people start disappearing one by one and we don't get a reveal until the very end. It felt so hard to to connect to these characters because they were all assholes and maybe that was the point, but I did not feel anything for them. I didn't see a need for a romance to happen in the middle of this book, but it was painfully obvious in the first few chapters what was going to happen. Unfortunately, Hide was quite literally like an amusement park, but we spent the whole day waiting in line and once we got on the ride, the roller coaster stopped halfway through the ride.

3.5 stars
I wanted to like this so much more than I did

Kiersten White's adult horror debut, "Hide," is a chilling supernatural thrill ride steeped in blood, gore, and a secret society's sinister plot. Mackenzie "Mack" Black, our protagonist, is plucked from homelessness to compete in a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek within an abandoned amusement park. The promise of fame and fortune lures her in, but the true nature of the competition soon reveals itself. As the story unfolds, Mack forms unexpected bonds with fellow players, each haunted by their own demons. These characters evolve from initial stereotypes into complex individuals – a veteran grappling with PTSD, a self-obsessed fitness fanatic, a wannabe instagratification (IG) model, and even the child of a religious cult leader. Each one desperately seeks purpose and redemption when they dream of winning the prize of $50,000. However, what they initially believe to be a carefully staged competition with hidden cameras quickly descends into something far more terrifying. Eerie clues – bloodstains, torn clothing, the belongings of vanished contestants – hint at a malevolent force lurking in the shadows. White's writing is sharp and evocative, using shifting third-person perspectives to reveal tantalizing fragments of the overarching mystery. This keeps the tension high, fueling a constant sense of dread. White skillfully blends tense group dynamics with individual struggles, immersing readers in a world of escalating horror. She weaves the park's twisted history and the shadowy figures orchestrating the macabre game seamlessly into the narrative. Despite its compact length, "Hide" delivered a fairly gripping plot that explored themes of desperation, survival, and the darkness that lurks within us all. Would I recommend this book or author again? Probably. White’s writing style is fast. It's an easy read, roughly 240 pages. In fact I read this book at the airport on my way to St. Louis this past week and left it in the cabin when I disembarked for another traveler.