Sunday, December 15, 2013

Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn

5 Star
If I stay, he will kill me. If I leave, he'll destroy Addie and Drew. 

Jillian Kane appears to have it all - a successful career, a gorgeous home, a loving husband, and two wonderful children. The reality behind closed doors is something else entirely. For nine years, she has hid the bruises and the truth of her abusive marriage in order to protect Addie and Drew, knowing, if she left, Gordon would destroy her-destroy them.

When, in an act of desperation, she flees, her worst nightmare is realized, and she finds herself on the run with her two young children, no money, and no plan. With Gordon in hot pursuit, there is only one inescapable certainty: No matter where she goes, he will find her. Kill her. And take her children.


Lydia - 5 Star

What a stellar debut! I loved every riveting word and gobbled this novel up whenever I had a spare chance. Hush Little Baby tackles spousal abuse, both emotional and physical, and how horrific it is for all involved. A gripping tale about a wife and mother who is pushed beyond her limit and finally becomes determined to leave, pushing her husband to his breaking point. Riveting, explosive, and a roller coaster ride that is continuously thought provoking with poignant and perfect prose, this novel is not to be missed!

I didn’t find this book at all predictable. Although I thought I knew where it was going and that I was in for a nail-bitter of a book, oftentimes it surprised me. There was a break in the tension, or things flipped in another direction (yes, I’m being vague – no spoilers!) and although the pacing would shift in one aspect, in others it picked up – for example, the physical terror decreased, but the emotional distress ramped up. 

One of the things I loved about this book was that I didn’t find the main character, Jill, at all predictable either. Nor did I find her cliché. She was a smart, accomplished woman with a high profile career, and I particularly liked how Redfearn painted Jill as a mother - she isn’t a perfect mother and she doubts her ability as one continuously. 

As much as this book was a thriller in certain respects, it was more women’s fiction in the tone and feel of the book. I was surprised at how relatable and interesting I found Jill to be. She was a normal woman, except she had an explosive little secret, and I could have been reading about my neighbor or best friend or even myself with some of her thoughts and actions – I think this was the most disturbing aspect of the novel, the fact that it was so relatable, that she was such a normal, accomplished woman that you’d have no clue was being abused.

Nearing the end of the novel, I had fifteen pages left when I hopped off the subway on my way home from work. I immediately dropped down on the first bench I could to finish it, unable to wait for the next twenty minutes of my journey home had passed to pick it back up again – definitely the sign of a great book! One thing I do wish for though – a different cover. For some reason this one does nothing for me, and it might have even made me hesitate to pick it up from my TBR pile for a while.  

Pick this one up today for a fabulous, thought-provoking, and riveting read!


Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for our review copy. All opinions are our own. 

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