Gripping, dangerous, intense, and full of dread, Her Hiding Place kept me fully invested and turning the pages! I loved the 'trapped' feeling of this book. The looming hurricane, the mystery of why Charlotte is on the run and hoping to hide with her daughter, Alice.

Charlotte accepts a housekeeping job at an island resort and finagles her way into the attic apartment. She keeps her three-year old daughter, Alice, a secret. Hidden away and frequently left all alone, Alice must be silent so that her presence is not detected. Charlotte thought they would be safe there, but when a body is found, Charlotte knows the stakes are high and they may be in danger once again!

I enjoyed not knowing who I could trust at the resort. I could feel Charlotte's fear, concern, and mistrust jumping off the pages. The suspense and tension are off the hook and only multiply as the storm hits and the staff are trying to evacuate. This book had me on the edge of my seat and my heart beating faster and faster.

I also enjoyed how Shannon Hollinger provided flashbacks to the past so that readers get a better understanding of Charlotte's life before she went on the run, which left me further intrigued and invested in the plot. The author also threw in quite a few twists, turns and revelations as well with one that left my jaw hanging open.

This was a fast paced, pulse pounding mystery that grabbed my attention from the start and never let go! Shannon Hollinger has delivered once again!

Intriguing, shocking, tension filled and pulse pounding.

I had both the book and the audiobook version of Her Hiding Place which made for a wonderful reading experience. I thought the narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job.

Title: Her Hiding Place
Author: Shannon Hollinger
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Kelley Burke
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: January 31, 2025
My Rating: 4.4 Stars
Pages: 348

Story is told from the POV by our protagonist Charlotte ~ Present Day and flash backs from approximately 5 years ago.
Charlotte and her three-year-old daughter Alice seem to be in the run from an abusive situation – we learn more about the situation in bits and pieces.
Charlotte has secured a house keeping position at a new resort that is scheduled to open soon located on the Florida Keys. Little Alice has to stay locked and hidden in Charlotte’s attic room. She is not allowed out for fear she will be seen and Charlotte doesn’t want anyone to know where Alice is!

Hurricanes are nothing new to the residence of Florida and the Florida Keys but they are always taken seriously. However, they are new to Charlotte. The resort offered accommodations inland but Charlotte is still trying to keep Alice’s whereabouts a secret; so is willing to ride the storm with the handsome hotel manager Leo.
Hmmm for someone who doesn’t trust anyone to me Charlotte isn’t being super careful.
In fact, I was sure I would find myself with no voice from shouting at Charlotte and if this wasn’t an audio book I would have thrown the book across the room as there were situations that were totally improbable. But I soon became glued to this story!

I do love psychological thrillers- the more twist and turns the better. WOW! This story DID NOT disappoint!!

This is my fourth author, Shannon Hollinger mystery thriller. The others were the Chief Maggie Riley series- which I totally enjoyed.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this early audiobook.

Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 31, 2025.
author, Shannon Hollinger the others were the Chief Maggie Riley series- which I totally enjoyed.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 31, 2025.

3.75 star

gripping thriller invovling a woman on the run with a 3 year old girl .
Charlotte takes a job at an island resort , when a hurricane shuts down the island and a murder is discovered. 3 year old Alice goes missing ,and Charllote must find a way to save herself and Alice.
Her Hiding Place is a powerful, suspense-filled novel that will appeal to readers who love thrillers with emotional depth and complex characters.

“Her Hiding Place” by Shannon Hollinger is a psychological thriller combined with locked-door mystery.

Thank you Bookouture Audio for the ALC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Charlotte is on the run, hiding in a isolated resort island, with three years old Alice. She does her best to keep Alice a secret, while working, but there is a storm coming and the employees need to plan a safe escape from the island.

The story has a fast pace, there are many suspicious characters and we also have flashbacks from the past.

The audiobook is narrated by Kelly Burke, that manages to intensify the feeling of isolation and I could feel the emotions that Charlotte was having. Also, she does a good job with multiple accents so that you can easily differentiate the characters.

This was a quick read for me, the story kept me intrigued and the ending is not predictable (or at least I was fooled).

Please keep in mind that there are some content warnings, including violence, murder and domestic abuse.

I listened to this one and the narration was ok, but didn’t always seem to fit the story. The story was interesting, but way too slow of a burn to be “gripping.” When the twists did come I found them to be pretty predictable and there were some strange bits that weren’t even needed. Charlotte is desperate for this chance to work in a resort since it comes with lodging and food. Charlotte isn’t just broke she is desperate and has a small child to care for and hide. But a hurricane is coming and there may not be any shelter from this story. This was a super quick read, I just wanted a little more action and a little more twisty turns. The characters were all pretty one dimensional but it was an entertaining story.

Her Hiding Place had me hooked from the first page. The premise is compelling: a woman, hiding from a dangerous past, takes a job as a maid at a secluded island resort, keeping her young daughter, Alice, a secret from the world. But when a storm traps them on the island and a body is discovered, the tension skyrockets, and suddenly, Alice goes missing.

What I really loved about this book was how perfectly it was paced. Once the plot gets going it's nearly impossible to tear yourself away. Hollinger does an amazing job of creating a claustrophobic, almost suffocating atmosphere with perfectly timed twists and turns. The reveal of who is really behind Alice’s disappearance completely blindsided me, which is always a win in a thriller.

The characters are well-developed, especially the bond between mother and daughter, which adds an emotional layer to the suspense. The tension between trusting no one and being forced to rely on people you don’t know well felt so real. I was glued to the pages, and while I had a few hunches, the final twists still caught me off guard.

The narrator was fantastic as well. I highly recommend this one.

Her Hiding Place is a captivating psychological thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The narrator of the audiobook skillfully crafted the emotions needed to portray an already easy to love character, Charlotte.

With a checkered past that she is trying to escape, Charlotte is on the run in the midst of hiding a 3 year old, fighting to survive during a massive storm and fighting to survive a killer simultaneously. All while stuck on an isolated island. How much can one girl take??!

I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling & exciting experience. I will definitely be reading more of Shannon Hollinger’s work!

Thank you Bookouture Audio for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I listened through to the end since it was an arc but could have easily DNFd it around 40%, not enjoying it as much as I expected to.

My focus waned in the middle for a few reasons.

-One of the side characters was the only one I was rooting for.
-The ‘love interest’ between (spoiler) was too contrived for me. They were talking like they’d known each other for far longer than a couple days (early on).
-Several MC monologue thoughts were too repetitive
-Alice seems to be portrayed as an older child rather than a 3yo. (Maybe 5ish for some of this dialog)

Having said all of that, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and how the story evolved, with a decent payoff for hanging in!

The way the conclusion played out ended up reviving the story for me, bringing stars up to 3/3.5.

Underlying all of this is the difficult topic of DV. I think the author did a fine job working those aspects into the story as respectfully as possible (but I’m not a sensitivity reader by any means).

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advance listening copy.

** spoiler alert ** This book was absolutely amazing and gripping right from the start of the book.

Every chapter had me sat on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next and wondering if Alice was going to get discovered.

The plot twists in his book is absolutely jaw dropping and i really was not expecting them at all.

Narration:

This book is narrated by Kelly Burke and oh my god i honestly, don't think there could of been a better person to narrate this book.
Kelly's voice fit the characters perfectly including both Female, Male and Alice (Child).
Kelly's reading style really brought the book to life, it was like i was there in the room with them in each and every scene.
The pacing was spot on too, i listening to the audiobook on 1.5x speed and i could understand every word that was spoken.

Story:

In terms of the story, the story was spot on.
Not too long and not too short, i really felt for the main character especially when the story would flashback to years before back when she was the victim of abuse.
It was really explained well throughout the story how her abuse made her the woman she was in present times and how all she wanted to do was protect her daughter and provide her the best life possible despite her ongoing situation.
The flow from chapter to chapter, scene to scene was spot on and well thought out as well.

I highly recommend if you pick up a thriller today, to pick up this book, you will not disappointed by the audiobook version of this book.

Thank you to Shannon Hollinger and Hachette UK - Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ARC.

I look forward to reading more of Shannon Hollinger's books in the future.

This was enjoyable, but requires a lot of suspension of disbelief to make it work. A 3 year old cannot be left alone all the time, never allowed outside, and be quiet for any length of time. Likewise, if a 3 year old knew a secret they would tell. The parentage of said child was pretty obvious as the language never said who she belonged to.
I loved the epilogue as a villain origin story for Charlotte, it would be fun to see her begin some vigilante justice for other abused kids while keeping it a secret from Alice.
Lots of twists, I thought it was fun, and I love a locked room mystery which is what the hurricane does.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Shannon Hollinger, and Bookoture Audio for my advance copy of this audiobook

Charlette is a strong and resourceful single mother committed to providing the best for her daughter, Allice. During a particularly challenging period in her life, while she was transitioning between homes, she came across an unexpected job opportunity at a new resort opening in the picturesque Key West. Seizing this chance could mean a fresh start for them both, and the resort even offered her a room to stay in, which seemed like an incredible opportunity.

However, Charlette quickly realized that this arrangement came with its own set of complications. She faced a daunting decision: to bring Allice with her to the resort, which would violate the rules established by her potential employer. The thought of being separated from her daughter was unbearable, but breaking the rules was not an option. To maintain control over her circumstances and avoid any unnecessary complications, she made the tough choice to keep her plans a secret from everyone, including Allice.

As she juggled her responsibilities and anxieties about their future, a menacing hurricane loomed on the horizon, threatening the island and adding to her stress. Just when things seemed to be spiraling out of control, a shocking murder occurred right before the mandated evacuation, further complicating their situation and leaving Charlette anxious about what would happen next. In the midst of chaos, she remained resolute, determined to protect Allice and find a way forward, no matter the obstacles they faced.

This is such a good locked room mystery. It was a slow burn, and I felt like the first half was a little slow but it definitely got better as I moved through it. I liked that we got the back story, which helped me get to know Charlotte better.
The bad weather, the island and the trapped people who don’t trust one another helped create a creepy vibe that I enjoyed. This was a really good book and I’m happy I got to receive an ARC.

Her Hiding Place👀
By Shannon Hollinger👏🏻

Review✨

I didn't find this to be as engaging as I would have hoped. To be honest, I thought it would move more quickly. The book really picked up momentum in the second half. The twists and turns were fantastic once it got going. I was shocked and definitely not let down. Despite my frustration, I will definitely read more of this author's work.

Island setting🏝️
Runaway🏃🏻‍♀️
Plot twists🌀
Mystery⁉️
Thriller🔪

3 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audio review:

The audio narrator wasn't horrible, but I didn’t find her specifically great either. I felt her emphasis on certain words did not match the description or the story. Overall, it was an “okay” listen for me.

I struggled to get through this book because the narrator was so bad. The monotone voice was awful. The book was also very repetitive at times as well.
It had so much potential but fell flat

I really liked the setting of this audiobook. Somewhat but not quite remote. Odd characters that weren’t always likeable and no one is who they seem to be.
Plenty of surprises and twists. Good listen. Narration is done well.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐.1/2 to 5.

This was so unexpected. And in such a good way.

I did not know who was guilty of what throughout Her Hiding Place and it had me hooked from the very beginning. And yes, there were a couple of parts to this book that were far-fetched, but it is a thriller/suspense book. So often not everything is going to be the most realistic, and I kept that in mind throughout this epic journey.

When reading a book like this, I want a buckle up and hold on, this is going to be crazy, but not in an unbelievable/fantastical/magical powers kind of way, way. And again, this book had me at the very beginning. And even though the narrator wasn't my first pick; the story was so good, and her voice was decent enough, that I was going to keep moving forward.

And I am glad that I kept going and finished this. I finished it in a day. It was so enjoyable and fun to listen to. I don't think this will be everyone's cup of tea, but if you like a good page turner, this one is definitely for you. It is quick and fast paced, and I am so glad that I listened to it.

A gal and a lil girl are hiding. From what is unclear. They end up in Key West (I think, I missed that part). She gets a job as in the cleaning crew for a hotel which is not open yet. Hurricane hits the island and people start dying left and right. The book is a mystery of sorts, but rather repetitive. Goes back and forth in time and you’re trying to figure out wth is going on. It was meh.. narration itself was ok.

@thiswritersays has a new stand-alone thriller publishing next week (31 January 2025) and it’s a page turner! All the characters seem to be hiding major secrets as they start work together on a new resort in the Florida Keys. Right before opening, a major hurricane is pending landfall and people have started to go missing. I highly recommend the audiobook version of this book. It is well narrated and full of surprising twists!

DNF
I'm sorry, I just couldn't go on. I stopped at 60%.
It was sooo repetitious. And it moved sooo slowly...nothing really happening except sneaking food to Alice. And Alice is an unbelievable child? How can you keep a 3 year old in a room by herself for 14 hrs a day??? And the dialog with Alice? Way too old for a 3 yr old.
And the previous life info too slow coming.
It just didn't maintain my interest.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for this free audiobook.

Her hiding place is an exciting, thrilling story. The main characters story kept me engaged and I felt invested in her. There were so many twists and turns that I never got bored and didn't want to stop listening. I loved this book and would like to read more by this author.