Thursday, August 23, 2018

Review: Hidden Pieces - Paula Stokes

Hidden Pieces
Paul Stokes
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Suspense, Thriller
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Embry Woods has secrets. Small ones about her past. Bigger ones about her relationship with town hero Luke and her feelings for someone new. But the biggest secret she carries with her is about what happened that night at the Sea Cliff Inn. The fire. The homeless guy. Everyone thinks Embry is a hero, too, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Embry thinks she’ll have to take the secret to her grave, until she receives an anonymous note—someone else knows the truth. Next comes a series of threatening messages, asking Embry to make impossible choices, forcing her to put her loved ones at risk. Someone is playing a high stakes game where no one in Embry’s life is safe. And their last move...is murder.
I am always excited to read a Paula Stokes book for a myriad of reasons. First and foremost, she always entertains me. No matter what genre Stokes' story falls into, I find myself fully invested in it.

As I read Hidden Pieces, I recalled my very first Stokes book - Liars, Inc. This book had that same tangled-web, twisty sort of plot, but there was a lot more to it. The heart of the book was finding out who the blackmailer, "Unknown", was, but it was also about so many other things.

One theme, which played a big part in the book was honesty. Embry started keeping a lot of secrets, and though some were to protect people she loved, more were to protect herself. These secrets spawned lies, which multiplied into some serious trouble. Right there we have the idea of honesty in its simplest form, but then there were all the parts of herself that Embry kept locked away. A lot of that was because she could not be honest with herself. I liked the way Stokes worked with this theme, and thought it added an extra layer and depth to the story.

Embry intrigued me. She was really hard on herself, and though I would agree some of her choices were less than stellar, I thought she had a good heart. She showed this time and time again in the book via her actions. I knew it seemed as though some of her decisions were born out of guilt, but even guilty people wouldn't do some of the things she did, and I was glad she had Holden to help her see this.

Holden was someone, who really saw Embry. He saw all of her, and was one of the few people who was able to penetrate her walls. Their relationship was one of my favorite parts of the book. I am always up for a good romance featuring a guy as wonderful as Holden, and this one really made me happy.

Onto the plot! This was revenge type thriller, where an unknown assailant was blackmailing Embry. The threats were real and the stakes were high. "Unknown", as they are referred to in the book,  had Embry fraying at the edges and had me biting my nails. It got to a point where I felt like I couldn't trust ANYone. That's what a great job Stokes did pointing us in the direction of different characters and planting red herrings. I had three of my guesses blown to shreds, and will honestly admit, that I didn't realize who really did it, until they were practically unmasked. It was surprising, but once I knew, and backtracked, I could see how it was possible.

I will mention what I am seeing in other reviews. Yes, there was a little bit of cheating, BUT when you read the whole story, I think you will be able to forgive Embry. As for Embry's overseas Army "boyfriend", I will evoke the Ross and Rachel clause, and state - they were on a break. But don't worry, because although Stokes softens the blow, she does NOT let the characters get away with it. Embry suffers the consequences of her bad decisions over and over again in this book.

The biggest difference between Liars, Inc and Hidden Pieces was the ending. I was really surprised with what a wonderful ending Stokes gifted me in Hidden Pieces. I wasn't expecting that much, but was so overjoyed with it.

Overall: Another fantastic Paula Stokes book, which had me biting my nails and happy crying.


**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Are you a fan of photography?
Let us know in the comments!

41 comments:

  1. Ah this sounds so good! I just read my first Paula Stokes books and loved it. I definitely need to check this out now. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Which book did you read? GATW, right? I have that one and her NA book, which I want to get to this year.

      Delete
  2. I'm with Grace about this one. It does sound good. I have another book by this author and hope to get to it soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Which book do you have? I have read several, and really enjoyed them all.

      Delete
  3. I am loving that you couldn't trust anyone in this! It sounds brilliant!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought Stokes set everyone up as a possible suspect quite well

      Delete
  4. Thanks for the details about the cheating. That's the sort of thing I like to know before I read a books so I'm not unpleasantly surprised. I've enjoyed most of the books I've read from Paula Stokes, so I'm glad this was a hit for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it was necessary for the blackmail plot, Stokes softens the blow quite a bit.

      Delete
  5. Ooh this sounds really good. I love mysteries that can keep you guessing throughout. Thanks for sharing. I still need to read something by this author.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I see people saying they figured it out early, but honestly, I did not suspect that person until later.

      Delete
  6. I've seen some of the reviews being all over the place, but it sounds good to me. I love photography.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am a terrible photographer, but I love having the ability to capture a moment in time. I have read a bunch of reviews, and many of the negative ones bring up the cheating a lot. Emery was NOT a choir girl, but she needed to be flawed for the plot to work.

      Delete
  7. SAMMMMM!!! You got to read this!! It's a CWW book for me and I soooo want to read this one! I am so happy to hear you loved it. Another reason to read it. Great review!

    Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am a HUGE Stokes fan, and this one definitely kept me flipping the pages. But it had this little warm-fuzzy side that really appealed to my core reading tastes.

      Delete
  8. Wonderful review, Sam! I'm really happy you enjoyed this book so much - I haven't tried Paula Stokes' mysteries/thrillers reads just yet, but I really want to at some point, they all sound very intriguing. I can't wait to read that one :D x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will gente/age jump with Stokes every time. Her books are always enjoyable.

      Delete
  9. I've seen this around a few times and it does sound really good! Thanks for sharing the trailer. I'm off to check this out on Goodreads!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have a copy of this for review and now I am itching to read it. I am eager to experience all the twists and turns and very curious about the ending.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ending made me really happy. Tied up, not necessarily in a bow, but tied up well

      Delete
  11. This kind of sounds a bit like I Know What You Did Last Summer! Like, someone hiding something and then getting stalked or blackmailed. I love when a thriller keeps you guessing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't read that book, but I saw the movie. Not quite as scary, but I thought it had a good build. A lot of people say they figured it out quickly (I didn't). I think it's because there was a small cast of central characters, but I am also not a hardcore suspense reader or an innately suspicious person. I don't mind being able to figure things out, as long as the journey was entertaining, and this book entertained me.

      Delete
  12. Fantastic review. I love when you aren't really sure who to trust!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! It made me feel like I should real more suspense books, though they tend to be a little darker than my norm, because it was really quite enjoyable.

      Delete
  13. I have never encountered a Paula Stokes book that I DIDN'T like, tbh. I loved how despite some of Embry's choices, and her bristly personality in general, I really liked her! The cheating bit, like you mentioned, didn't really bother me. I think the only thing I liked a little less was that I figured out the "who" part very quickly- so that made it just a little less exciting, but overall still a good book! Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like the title tells us, Embry had a lot of hidden pieces, and they weren't all bad. Most of all, she had a conscience. She knew some of the choices she was making were wrong, and would hurt people she cared about if they found out. So, I did not struggle with forgiving her, and Stokes built in a lot of details, which soften the effect of the "affair".

      Delete
  14. I SO need to read a Paula Stokes book!! Soon. I will. I promise. Maybe this one?

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have liked them all. One I have not read (but own), and have heard fabulous things about, was Girl Against the World. I think it depends on what you are looking for, because she genre hops a lot.

      Delete
  15. This book sounds really good, but I didn't love the last book Paula Stokes put out. That was the only book I've ever read from her, so I got a little bit wary to read more. Glad you liked it-- I'm definitely on the fence bc I LOVE revenge thrillers!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed the last book, but this one is really different from that. I would put Hidden Pieces and Liars, Inc in the same group, as both are suspense/thriller type books.

      Delete
  16. You really inspire me to want to read my first Paula Stokes book Sam! And that book ad really clinched it! I too love a good romance with this thriller type story and Holden sounds great! I do like that there were consequences because they really are a part of life! ♥️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What I love about Stokes is that there has to be something she has written, which can appeal to you, as she varies genres. This was like the perfect sort of suspense read for me, because I love a good romance, and she worked it into the story well.

      Delete
  17. Everytime I see a book from Paula Stokes I always think it sounds really good and I don't know why I've never read one. Once more, this book sounds awesome and I love when you're reading and you feel like no one can be trusted because then you know the author is doing it right and making you question it and you haven't guessed who it is!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I apparently need to be more suspicious, because a lot of other people figured it out way before me. But, it was an entertaining read, and I love that there was romance in it.

      Delete
  18. Great review, Sam! I used to want to read this ASAP, but I have to say that I've sort of forgotten about it since I haven't seen it anywhere. I'm excited to see your review for it, and you definitely made me intrigued about it again. Wonderful review! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you read Stokes before? I find her brilliant, and I am starting to see lots of reviews, since the release date is soon.

      Delete
  19. I love admiring other's photography work and I do bookstagram and take photos of non-bookish subjects occasionally, but I know I don't really know what I am doing or have the craft for it. I like the idea of it though. Oh, and Liars, Inc was also my first and only Paula Stokes read so far. I really enjoyed that one and love a good book with revenge in it, so I will be reading this one someday too! Great review x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe when I am older, I will take a photography class, because I love photos and would like to be better at it

      Delete
  20. I haven't heard of this author before, but the book sounds good. I love me a suspense and I love that we're seeing more and more of them in the YA section. Thanks for the rec!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Paula Stokes, and she genre jumps and age range jumps too. Not only does she hop around, but she does so successfully.

      Delete
  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete