Title: Baby Doll
Author: Hollie Overton
To Be Published: 12th July 2016
Publisher: Random House UK, Cornerstone
Many thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
You’ve been held captive in one room, mentally and physically abused every day, since you were sixteen years old.
Then, one night, you realize your captor has left the door to your cell unlocked.
For the first time in eight years, you’re free.
This is about what happens next …
Lily knows that she must bring the man who nearly ruined her life – her good-looking high-school teacher – to justice. But she never imagined that reconnecting with her family would be just as difficult. Reclaiming her relationship with her twin sister, her mother, and her high school sweetheart who is in love with her sister may be Lily’s greatest challenge. After all they’ve been through, can Lily and her family find their way back after this life-altering trauma?
Can I give this six stars? An emotional, poignant and powerful read. I thought it was so interesting that the story starts after Lily’s escape from her confinement. The relationships are well developed between the characters, I was full invested and deeply moved by Lily’s journey to return to some kind of ‘norm’. Lily is a fighter and so well written this is one of my favourite reads of 2016 so far.
I felt absolutely savage towards Rick and he is the scariest type of monster out there with the way he presents himself and what goes on behind closed doors. My heart was in my mouth at points and the way the story is told is absolutely riveting.
The relationship between Lily and her twin sister Abby is heart-warming, and so genuine as Hollie Overton is a twin herself. I was moved to tears reading about their first reunion and I was particularly hit by the struggle Abby had been through missing her sister for so many years with no idea what had taken her away.
I have to say Abby is my favourite character, with her fierce passion and fiery personality – I could picture her so clearly and her fragile state of mind was poured out to me with such emotion that I have to commend Overton for her fantastic writing skills.
By the end of the book I was left feeling so lucky to be part of a loving family and especially grateful for my three older sisters who I know I have a strong bond with. The sign of a fantastic book is one that you think about long after you have finished reading that final page.
Rating:
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