The Hiding Place does have a very slow start – which initially makes it quite hard to get into, however, once it does start get going, it’s actually decent. There is a good mix of characters and it’s never too clear where the story is going which is great to throw readers off the scent. The jumps from past to present, and also the jumps from person to person (Marina > Connie > Eva) can be quite confusing and a little bit too cluttered. Once the plot starts moving along though, the character and timeline shifts actually become quite an interesting addition and helps to grip more than expected!

I really must apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to review of this book - only excuse is work!

Great storyline and well written - why didn't I read it sooner?!

Highly recommend

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I love a dual timeline and found the 3 different narrators very easy to differentiate between.
I would classify this as more of a domestic drama than a thriller, and had I known, I probably wouldn't have requested it as this isn't a genre that I love.. However, for what it was I did enjoy it.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙅𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙖

I’ve struggled to collect my thoughts on this book. This was described as a mystery/thriller and granted, there was A mystery but this is definitely a slow burner. Whilst certainly a well-written story, I have to be honest and admit the first 40% I really didn’t enjoy this and just found myself reading to get to the end.

However, once I started to get more familiar with each character I felt a lot more invested in the story and found myself trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. We switch between the POV’s of Connie (1964), Marina (1992) and Eva (1992) and I found each timeline easy to follow. Although it was definitely slow and steady, it was also moving and emotional. I absolutely loved and felt for Connie so much and just wanted to jump into the pages and hug her; this for me shows how well a character is written.

For me, this was definitely a more family/domestic drama-based read rather than suspense but I did enjoy this and I would encourage you to pick this up if you’re a fan of women’s fiction or a slower paced mystery.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂!

This book is one that most mystery books fans will really enjoy.
The plot had so many twists and turns I couldn’t put the book down
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery or thriller.

The Hiding Place by Jenny Quintana is the second book I have read from her and I loved it.

"Some houses have their secrets. But so do some people" . . .

This book is set in two timelines, the 1960s and the 1990s,

When, Marina was abandoned as a baby in a hallway of a shared house in London, many years ago. She never knew who her parents were and to this day the circumstances of her birth still remains a mystery. Now, Marina is an adult and she has returned to the house at 24 Harrington Gardens she was abandoned in, she is now determined to find out who she really is. This house has so many secrets and memories, Marina’s reappearance hasn’t gone unnoticed by the other tenants.

What will she find out?

Will she find out who her parents were?

Why they abandoned her all those years ago?

and

Someone knows the truth on what happened.........

WoW, What a book I loved it and was hooked within the first few pages. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness what a book I really loved every minute of this I haven’t read a book before of this author look forward to reading more of her books.

It is a dual timeline with us in 1964 when a baby is left in a house and then in 1992 with the baby being grown up which was really interesting.

We have Connie who finds her pregnant with the neighbour what happens to the baby when she has it in 1964. Then we have Marina in 1992 who is the baby who was abandoned in the house. She really wants to find her Mother.

Marina ends up renting a flat in the house and starts investigating in finding out what happened to her Mother she might be stirring up a hornets nest and could make herself at risk of what she might find out.

I could not put this book down and look forward to reading more of this author.

A really enjoyable read that had you guessing throughout. An unusual storyline that takes you into the past and the present . I will definitely read more by this author

What an amazing read! This is a mystery that is filled with tension and I loved the two time lines! My first book by Jenny and it definitely won’t be my last!

From the off, I was pulled into this riveting, enthralling tale by Jenny Quintana. Marina returns to the shared house in London where she was abandoned as a baby. Set in two timelines, the 1960s and the 1990s, the reader is taken back to 24 Harrington Gardens as Marina searches for the answers to her questions about her past.

This is a slow-building family drama-thriller, dripping with intrigue, suspense and atmosphere. Jenny Quintana serves up the clues in this complex mystery offering the reader plenty to reflect on regarding moral choices, societal attitudes and the cultural norms of the sixties. I enjoyed following Marina as she worked to unveil the circumstances around her birth. With a strong sense of place and menace at 24 Harrington Gardens The Hiding Place had my undivided attention. Grab yourself a copy as soon as you can!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Pan Macmillan/ Mantle via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Hiding Place highlights one woman’s desperate search for the truth about where she came from, and another’s tragic past.

This story jumps between three different points of view, Connie, Marina, and Eva, and two different time periods, 1964 and 1992. I actually really enjoyed all three perspectives of the same story. It ensured that all questions about Marina’s search for the truth were answered.

Seventeen-year-old Connie is a character I felt especially sorry for. In more ways than one, her story is tragic and I had this urge to protect her. Being so young and wrapped up in her own emotions, it often felt as though she was so lost even though she knew what she wanted. But everything she wanted in life seemed like short-term goals based on a love that may never have been there to start with. There was always something, or someone working against her and she deserved better. I truly felt like her life wasn’t really hers as she was always looking after someone else.

Marina was a strong character with steely determination. I found it fascinating to read as she tracked down all the people that were a part of her mother’s and hers path. There was no stone left unturned. I could feel how desperately she wanted to know who her birth mother was and why she gave her up. She soon realised there was far more to the story than she could have ever imagined. Eva is a character I’ll let you learn about on your own, as I feel she is the real key to this story and I’d hate to spoil it!

If you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you may be aware that slow-burners aren’t my usual choices for books. Whilst this book was a slow-burner, I didn’t feel it hindered the reading experience too much. It took a few chapters before I was reeled in and wanting to know more. I appreciated that this was necessary to build the full picture of the characters and their surroundings, but it did feel a little sluggish at times. As an additional note, I’m going to put a trigger warning on this book for the mention of abortion. It was heartbreaking to read about how abortion was carried out during a time when it was illegal, and some may find this element distressing. However, I will add that it wasn’t spoken about in graphic detail so I’d make this a light warning more to be wary than completely put off from reading it.

I loved the way this mystery built and being a part of Marina’s quest for the truth. I rate The Hiding Place 4/5 stars. It wasn’t gripping initially and I’m not the biggest fan of slow-burners. That being said, as the pace picked up and the story became clearer, I felt deeper connections with the characters and really enjoyed reading it. In my opinion, this is definitely a mystery rather than a thriller mystery. There are very few instances where your heart is pounding from fear so I don’t feel calling it a thriller would be accurate. It was very well-written and I highly recommend reading it if you’re a fan of mysteries with an edge of suspense.

This is a new author for me. The Hiding Place is a terrific read and I will check out more of her work. I loved the way the story switches between Connie in 1964 and Martina in 1992. I read a lot of books that uses this structure and it’s definitely my favourite method of storytelling. I loved the way both stories are just revealed in small chunks, urging you to read on to see it all come together. I got caught up in both stories and didn’t want to stop reading. The Hiding Place packs and emotional punch.

Knowing your history and where you come from is paramount for everyone – but what if you don’t know where to begin? That’s the predicament that Marina finds herself in. She doesn’t know her parents and, abandoned in a shared house in London, she returns to the only place she could conceivably have called home then to start her search. But while she wants to understand her history – and the reasons why she was left alone in the first place – not everyone is as willing as she expects to help her find the answers. How far is she willing to go for the truth? I liked how nervous I felt in parts when I was reading this – I could hear my heart at various points! A great story idea too, and one that I think many would enjoy.

What a story, 'The Hiding Place' is heartfelt, and told in two timestreams-the 1960's and the 1990's , where the consequences of what one generation did, filter into the lives of those occupying the same building 3 decades later.
Marina-named by the nurse who cared for her in hospital after she was found, abandoned in the hallway of the house in Harrington Gardens-has moved into what looks like DIY programmes describe as a 'fixer-upper', a flat with a dodgy boiler, intermittently scalding water, and mould on the windows.

Despite having had a loving adoptive family, something in Marina has always looked for the answer as to why she was found, in a cubby, or hiding place, by the open front door of the building which has been divided into 5 flats. She works as a translator of a Polish writer's memoirs, and as she translates the lives of others, she has come to realise that she needs to be the narrator of her own story.

As Marina navigates her investigations into flat occupants, present and past, her chapters are interlaced with the voice of Connie, a young woman living with her bookshop owner father, in the 60's. Finding herself with a certain 'predicament', abandoned by her boyfriend and pretty much harassed by the basement flat dwelling colleague of her dad, she suffers from the same disillusionment and dreamy nature that she finds so frustrating in her father. Lost in poetry and books, she believed all of the words whispered to her in the snatched moments that they steal in the attic. After the death of Connie's mother, both she and her father have become un-anchored and find themselves adrift in imaginary worlds until they are forced to reckon with the reality of racing calendar months and bills to pay.

As the two stories move towards an intersection point, you are not entirely sure whose baby Marina is-you suppose it could be her that Connie is carrying, but through the clever dropping of clues throughout the narrative of the other flats, it is not entirely certain whose baby Marina is until near the end of the book. And it becomes clear to the reader that this is about Marina finding her place in the world by taking a step back, and examining her past in order to move forward with a brighter future. Connie's story is heartbreaking as you realise it really was not that long ago that women had very little option when it came to having babies out of wedlock. She has no mother to guide or advise her, her father is loving but immensely impractical , so her burden is hers alone to carry.

Marina has the option to be her own person, time has moved on since Connie lived there, and the notion of stories lying in wait until people like Marina bring them into the light, is weighted with so many feelings of regret, time lost and bones left unburied. 

The characters in the house, in the 60's and the 90's, all play a part in the story where Harrington Gardens becomes emblematic of the passage of time, the lives that are touched in this house and how it gives up it's secrets. You can never really clear away every trace of your belonging somewhere, and, although, this is kind of a mystery in what happened to Marina's mother that meant she abandoned her, there social and cultural norms at the time were such that men had their fun whilst the women were left to deal with the consequences. And. as several of the women attest, there was not always a happy ending for everyone.

The idea that I was left with after the book was finished, was that the stories of the places we inhabit are there, just waiting for a patient observer to find the clues, take apart and translate the past into a story which makes sense in the present. 

A fantastic character study, this was such a great read, one that was deeply moving and incredibly satisfying.

A brilliantly-written and well-developed story, The Hiding Place is a bit of a slow-burner in the beginning but the second half really grabs your attention with its compelling and emotional story.

With great descriptions of the different settings, the story switches between 1964 and 1993 and is told through three perspectives – Connie in the past, Marina in the present, and Eva in the present. Each narrative is easy to follow and they work seamlessly alongside each other to build up to Marina finding out the truth and revealing what really happened to Connie.

Because it’s such a slow-burning story, it took me a good half of the book to really feel invested in the story. But the final 100 pages really grabbed my attention (and heart!). By then, I found the story deeply emotional. I didn’t realise how much I had connected to the characters until this point, but I felt every ache of their pain.

The book has been described as a thriller but I wouldn’t say that it is. There is a mystery at the centre of the story and some suspense in places, but this is more of a slow-burning domestic drama with a dark feel to it.

Although there is a lot of talk about abortion, there are no gruesome details to put readers off. Instead, Quintana uses her story to explore the harrowing situations that many women found themselves in during these times. It was really sad to realise that this was the norm back then, to see how little options women had and the pressures they were placed under.

The Hiding Place took a while to grip me, but I was really moved by it at the end. It’s certainly worth sticking with if you have the same issue, as the final half is sure to captivate you and pull on your heartstrings.

This was my first book by Jenny Quintana but I will definitely be adding her others to my wishlist now.

Title: The Hiding Place
Author: Jenny Quintana
Pub: Mantle/Macmillan
Rating: 4/5

A huge thank you to the author, Macmillan publishing and Random Things Tours for allowing me to be part of the blog tour.

Synopsis:

Marina was abandoned as a baby, eager to discover her true identity, Marina returns to the home where she was discovered, wrapped in a blue blanket, by herself in the hallway. Marina keeps her true identity secret to the residents as she begins to question them about past residents and past events. As she follows the trails, the story jumps back to the 1960’s where a scared, 17-year-old girl discovers she is pregnant after her boyfriend has abandoned her for a new life in Paris.
Soon things begin to fall into place and Marina begins to learn about the heart breaking start she had to her life.

Review:
My interest was piqued when I read the description for this book, it hooked me in but gave nothing away which meant I had to read to find out the answers to the questions I had in my head. The front cover too was very eye catching and instantly caught my attention.

The story is told from different perspectives, Connie, Marina and Eva, in two different time periods. The jumps in perspective were easy to follow, the story continued to flow and I enjoyed how little things from the past began to link with the future. Also the fact that we had different perspectives also made it feel like I was getting more than just one story in one read!

Straight away I felt for young Connie, her naivety meant I felt I wanted to protect her, even though she isn’t real! It really highlights how you can be blind sided when you believe you are in love.
I also had my eye opened to what woman had to go through in the past when abortion was illegal. It was sad reading the grim options may woman had and I can only imagine the lasting impact it could have had on their lives.

The Hiding Place was a slow burner of a read. The pace wasn’t fast but it suited this story, if things were rushed, I honestly think the impact of the read would have been lost. At times The Hiding Place also became quite an emotional read for me, especially towards the end. At the end, I eventually guessed what may happen but I still felt every single word I was reading deeply.

This was not the thriller I was expecting, it didn’t have me on edge but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was mysterious and suspenseful however and actually quite haunting at times. I enjoyed the authors writing style, I was kept intrigued and I was happy with the ending because it gave me closure after my emotional journey.

It took a while for me to get fully absorbed in The Hiding Place but once this story has its claws in you’re not getting out!

Marina is a great character, determined to find what happened in her past and nothing will stop her, The plot was a little slow at time’s but it worked perfectly as it gives you time to put the pieces together.

Would really like a sequel since I think there’s still a lot more story to tell! (And a few loose ends ;))

I'm a big fan of Jenny's previous two books so I was excited to be given the opportunity to review The Hiding Place for an honest review and I was not disappointed!

The Hiding Place is a dual timeline book set between 1964 and 1992.

In the 60s we meet Connie Littleton who lives in a flat in 24 Harrington Gardens with her recently widowed father. She is 17, pregnant, alone and frightened as her boyfriend Johnny, who also lives in the same shared house with his strict mother Dorothy, has left her to start a new life in Paris to develop his career as an artist.

In 1992 we are introduced to Marina Alexander, a foundling baby discovered, wrapped in a blue shawl, in the hallway of 24 Harrington Gardens in 1964. She is searching for her mother and the answers to the questions she has about her birth and abandonment.

The timelines are brilliantly written and you feel as though you are transported back as narrative is vivid. Jenny Quintana writes descriptively regarding the atmosphere of the scenes, it feels as though the house on Harrington Gardens is a character in itself with all its secrets it hides and whether you are in Thomas Littleton's bookshop or in a coffee shop, you really feel as though you are there.

I really warmed to all the characters we are introduced to, even the dodgy London geezers Victor and Keith. We also meet Connie's dad Thomas, childlike Eva, the haunted Natalia, the strict Dorothy, lovesick Harry, and sixties luvvies Eileen and Leonard.

I really hope Jenny writes a sequel to this book just to tie up the loose ends but I highly recommend this book, a page turner that kept me awake reading as I told myself 'Just one more chapter.'

I am an impatient reader I own up to that, and I found this book to be too slow to really grab me. The story was okay but I just didn't click with it .I hope other more patient readers will enjoy it more.