The Hidden Girls by Rebecca Whitney is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the dark side of motherhood, friendship and trauma.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A great, thrilling read, which will keep you entertained throughout. A good one sitting read, get the nibbles ready, close the door, and read!

A good premise but it feel a bit flat for me. It's a slow burn but almost too slow to keep the attention and interest and it lost most of the thriller aspect as a result. I did think that Ruth's illness was handled well though.

This is such a slow burn.
I loved the synopsis but felt a bit underwhelmed
A major disappointment

Hidden girls- Rebecca whitney

Didn’t even see this one on my shelf had no notifications for it so it expired unfortunately.

Omg......... this book was amazing I flew threw the pages with Olympic speed I was hooked from the very first page. I found it full of twists and turns threw out and it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way threw  I would defiantly recommend this book if you like a good book to keep you reading threw the night hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did

This was an average thriller for me. I feel like I've read so many thriller recently that focus on a woman's mental health and people continuously questioning her because of it that I'm starting to find them irritating and unoriginal.

Slow so very slow. I gave up with this a couple of times because I found it too slow. But I picked up again and eventually finished - good but I've read better.

This was a slow and steady read, but when it gathers momentum it grabs you and doesn't let you go until the end. Twists and turns galore, recommended for anyone who loves a great read.

This book had a slow build up that I hoped was going to lead to a big ending, but instead it was all bit of a damp squib. I feel like this has been done and overdone before and this book didn’t bring anything new to the table.

This novels follows Ruth, a new mother who is recovering from post-partum psychosis. She is still struggling and her husband is hesitant to leave her alone with their baby for very long. Ruth starts hearing screams in the night and seeing things happening down the road from her house and she calls the police. It soon becomes clear that Ruth has experienced this before so the reader is then wondering what is real and what is not. The premise of this novel really intrigued me but unfortunately I didn’t really gel with the book. I think it was me and not the book though so if it sounds interesting to you then it’s worth picking up a copy.

First time mother Ruth is suffering from postpartum psychosis. She’s struggling with day to day life and the stress that comes with raising a new child. Although her husband and the hospital are giving her the help she desperately needs – it doesn’t seem to be enough. Mysterious figures wandering hiding in the garden, screams coming from the empty street outside, people climbing out of manholes – her imagination is going into overdrive. But why does it feel so real?

I really liked the premise of this story – the delicate subject matter combined with a chilling mystery sounded like the ingredients for a real winner! In reality, it just wasn’t that captivating for me and I was left a little bit disappointed. Most of the story felt quite boring and repetitive, with a really slow drag through the sprinkles of action and intrigue before slightly perking up nearer to the end of the narrative. I don’t feel as though the characters were fleshed out as much as they could have been – for example, Ruth’s sister Tam was mentioned frequently, hinting to the possibility of something more, that never really came to any real fruition, so overall it felt like she was added to pad the narrative out a bit more! In truth, it was a bit too predictable for me and felt like a bit of an easy ride from beginning to end. There were too many ‘should I do this’ moments – but not enough action or occurrences where anything actually happened. As mentioned, closer to the end it started to pick up a bit – almost feeling like the book was just getting started, but then the ending itself was extremely rushed, with little culmination and instead just an in depth epilogue.

One thing I really congratulate Rebecca Whitney on is that the subject matter of postpartum psychosis was handled extremely well – giving a really interesting insight into the mind of a sufferer. Rebecca was not only sensitive to the plight of people dealing with it, but also explained it really well for those of us that haven’t thankfully been through that.

Overall, this wasn’t one of my favourite books, but the potential was definitely there! It’s an easy read for those that don’t like too much of a complex storyline, told almost in the style of a detailed monologue as the character goes through her varying thought processes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for my advanced reader copy! 💕

An exploration of a woman not being believed when she sees suspicious activity. The study of postpartum psychosis was sensitively done, and the unreliable narrator adds to the sense of disbelief and tension. Very good.

A great debut novel by Rebecca Whitney.
The Hidden Girls is a psychological thriller which takes you through a maize of complex issues.
Ruth, a new mother recovering from postpartum depression and psychosis believes she sees young women being removed from a pot hole late one evening- unfortunately no one believes her as she has a history of anxiety, depression and hallucinations.
Not only is this a suspenseful thriller but it also explores the complexity of post natal depression and our own inner turmoil.
One to read!

It took a little while for me to get into this thriller but once I did, I was hooked. It was a hard read initially, bringing back memories of the isolation and drudgery of the the newborn months. But I was glad that more and more novels are really starting to shine a light on the often hidden side to motherhood and the associated mental health issues.

I warmed to Ruth's character and her determination to look after her neighbour and also get to the bottom of what she saw, or thought she saw..

Oooh, this was edge of your seat good! It took me a little while to get into it but I w hooked at stayed up until 2am finishing it!
This book also really highlighted post partum psychosis and I felt like I was really with Ruth whilst she was going through this.

God I cannot begin to say how great, dark, and troubling this book is. An absolute page turner from start to finish! Would highly reccomend

I love a good old unreliable narrator, add in some postpartum psychosis, ghoulish imagery and night terrors and and I'm hooked. Much like Before I Go The Sleep, The Hidden Girls is propelled by our narrator's inability to trust her own perspective and I thought it was very well done, with sensitive characterisations that lead us to a fulfilling denouement.

A book about a woman who has post natal depression. Ruth heats things and struggles to get people to believe her after she hears a scream. Good book.