Title: The Hiding Place

Author: Jenny Quintana

ISBN: 9781529040401

Publisher: Pan MacMillan

Pages: 320

Source: ARC from Publisher / NetGalley for Blog Tour

Blog Tour: Organised by Anne Cater from Random Things Tours

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

From the bestselling author of The Missing Girl and Our Dark Secret, comes The Hiding Place: a story about identity, love, long-buried secrets and lies.

Abandoned as a baby in the hallway of a shared house in London, Marina has never known her parents, and the circumstances of her birth still remain a mystery.

Now an adult, Marina has returned to the house where it all started, determined to find out who she really is. But the walls of this house hold more than memories, and Marina’s reappearance hasn’t gone unnoticed by the other tenants.
Someone is watching Marina. Someone who knows the truth . . .

Official Summary

The Hiding Place is one woman’s search for her biological mother and another young woman’s need to reconnect with her boyfriend and share the news of their baby. This heartwarming story will make it impossible to put this book down.

The author tells the story from two viewpoints, Marina in 1992 and Connie in 1964. The two young women share their stories piece by piece until at the very end all the loose end are tied up and explained to perfection. I loved travelling through time with the author as she slowly unravels the truth and leads you to a very sad conclusion.

Marina was abandoned as a baby and her mother was never found by the police. Years later she is still trying to find out the truth about her origins. When a flat is available for rent in the house she was abandoned in she jumps at the opportunity and moves in. Living in the house where she was found, she discovers that the house and its tenants hold a lot of secrets. Driving her to uncover the truth. Will Marina finally find her mother, or will Quip scare her off?

This tale draws you deep into the emotion of the characters. I rushed through this book eager to find out how it would end, and when the final page arrived I was sad that it had come to an end. This book digs deep and simply overflows with emotion.

Both Marina and Connie were beautiful creations. I have to admit my favourite was Connie. My heart broke for this young girl and all I wanted to do was lean in to the story and hug her, help her deal with all her problems and reassure her that it would be okay. Little Eva was just the sweetest thing, despite her issues as an adult, she was an adorable little girl and it was easy to understand Connie’s kindness to her.

This story was different from what I normally read, making it a refreshing change and extremely entertaining. I have to add this to my loved list for 2021.

Fan’s of women’s fiction will find this book gripping and moving

I highly recommend keeping some tissues at hand while reading this. It’s sad! Yet, I highly recommend you get yourself a copy! It is a wonderful read!

Other books by Jenny Quintana

Our Dark Secret

The crazy girls, they called them – or at least, Elizabeth liked to think they did. As a teenager in the late 1970s, she was clever, overweight and a perfect victim for the bullies. Then Rachel and her family arrived in town and, for Elizabeth, it was as if a light had been switched on. She was drawn to the bright and beautiful Rachel like a moth to a flame. Rachel had her own reasons for wanting Elizabeth as a friend, and although their relationship was far from equal, Elizabeth would do anything for Rachel. Then the first body was discovered. Twenty years on, Elizabeth wants nothing more than to keep the secrets of her teenage years where they belong: in the past. But another body has been found, and she can’t keep running from what happened. Can she?

The Missing Girls

Anna Flores was just a child when her adored teenage sister disappeared. Unable to deal with the pain, Anna took the first opportunity she had to run from her fractured family, eventually building a life for herself abroad. Now, thirty years on, her mother has died, and Anna must return home to sort through her possessions. In doing so, she has to confront the huge hole her sister's disappearance left in their lives, leaving just one question unanswered: what really happened to Gabriella? Because not knowing is worse than the truth. Isn’t it?

About The Author

Author bio from the author’s site

JENNY QUINTANA grew up in Essex and Berkshire before studying English Literature in London. She has taught in London, Seville and Athens. Her first novel, The Missing Girl was published in 2017 and chosen as a Waterstones thriller of the month. Our Dark Secret, her second novel, was published in 2020. She now lives with her family in Berkshire.

Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for including me in this Blog Tour. This book was a brilliant read and I will be added Jenny Quintana’s other books to my TBR. Have you read any of this author’s book? Share your thoughts by leave a comment below.

Thank you for stopping by, until next time….. Happy Reading!