A track star bound for a Big 10 school, Mallory is on the path to success. Until the accident. She's left with no scholarship, an injury, and a dependance on opioids. After hitting rock bottom, Mallory is finally on the up-and-up. 18 months sober, leaving the safe-house, and thanks to her "coach" and sponsor, getting a GOOD job. Hand-selected out of multiple applicants, Mallory has been hired on as a nanny to the (wealthy) Maxwells. She's tasked with watching their 5 year old son Teddy. Teddy and Mallory get along easily and quickly become comfortable with one another. Comfortable enough that Mallory knows the pictures he's drawing are off. They're not normal. Ted and Caroline write it off as an active imagination. Mallory knows there's more to it than that. Determined to find out what is causing Teddy to fixate on the disturbing images, Mallory finds herself in the clutches of something far more sinister than she anticipated.

I can't stop thinking about this title. It refuses to leave my brain. In recent years, media elements have become a more common occurrence in novels. I'm a huge fan. These elements elevate the story, immersing the reader in ways text alone cannot always accomplish. Hidden Pictures is the first novel I've read where the media elements are integral to the story's plot. If you don't see the images alongside Mallory, a major portion of the plot is lost, unable to be interpreted and appreciated fully. The necessity of Teddy's drawings is simply so f'n cool, and added a uniqueness to the story that places Hidden Pictures in a league of its own.

Mallory's backstory and consistent character development is intriguing. The reader sees her setbacks, failures, imperfections, and in spite of them all her fervor to hold on to her new, better life. She is so, so easy to root for. As her relationship with Teddy grows stronger, she lays everything on the line to ensure he is safe, even if it means having to give up what she's worked tirelessly for. Mallory has a lot of regrets, and her refusal to let Teddy be another one reinforces a theme that appears consistently within the narrative: strong bonds aren't easily broken.

The pacing of the plot is truly perfection, dealing out information in a way that left me wanting more after each chapter (THE TWIST