Review: Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

Title: Baby Doll

Author: Hollie Overton

Published by: Redhook Books

Released: July 2016

Source: Library

Summary: At 16 years old, Lily Riser was kidnapped. For eight years, she was raped, beaten, and hope seemed a stupid thing to have. During her captivity, she had a baby, who became her light and whole world. Then the day comes where her captor makes a mistake, he forgets to lock the dead bolt. Lily manages to escape, go home. Lily tries to live again, pick-up where she left off, but she finds that her family isn't the same as when she left, and neither is she. This is about what happens to Lily after, behind the headlines. How to live after so much time lost.

My Thoughts: This one was an interesting read for me. The topic is something just so scary to think about, but also hopeful, because Lily is free from a real hell-on-Earth. How do you jump back into a life that has been lost to you for eight years? A life that has gone on without you, family that is not the same as when you left it? That idea is just very sad, and interesting to think about.

There's this weird mix in this book of hope and sadness, love and loss. Picking up the pieces of life was just very interesting reading.

My pros for this book is that it's an incredibly fast read. It has short chapters that you just can't help but flip through, four character perspectives to read from, and this urgency of what is going to happen next. It didn't take me very long to read this book at all.

Where I had the most difficulties is in connecting to the characters. It was this weird mix of sympathy, but at the same time, I don't understand why you're doing the things you're doing. I had the least amount of trouble with Lily. I felt so bad for her, everything that she'd been through. I also felt bad for her because she can't just jump back into the family that she left. Everything that she'd held onto while captive wasn't the same when she got out. 

I did have questions over some of Lily's actions. Mainly how she could be so okay with going out in public during the media frenzy. All the real life cases I'd ever seen, people who escape from situations like that, tend to stay out of the public eye. I also questioned her ability to meet with her captor again after such a short time. I don't know if I'd have been strong enough to do something like that, and I don't think many people would. Especially a man who has beaten and raped you for years, that would take a superhuman amount of strength.

The mother Evie was probably the least interesting character in the whole thing.

Getting the kidnapper Rick's point of view was messed up, but at the same time interesting. He's such a vile guy.

Abby's was the point of view, and person, I struggled with the most. I didn't really like her. I didn't really understand why she did the things that she did. I tried so hard to sympathize, and remember she'd been through something awful, but that didn't combat the feeling that she was just unpleasant to be around. She's hateful, mean to those that love her, makes really dumb decisions. I didn't really look forward to reading Abby's chapters. I wanted her to be rational.

So this one was a mixed bag. I liked it, but questioned it at the same time. I wouldn't say this was a book that you need NEED in your life, but if it sounds good to you, I wouldn't say not read it. It was an average read. I liked it, but I had my problems with it.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5

Cannot Compute.