Well marking this one star will tell you this one wasn’t for me.

The story of Elise, an orphan who lost her parents in a car accident and retreats to the old big house where they once lived and hides in the walls, not being able to deal with her grief and looking for a comfort blanket.

A family of four move in and yes, you guessed it, the two boys start to think they can sense her presence , and of course the parent don’t believe them.

I came very close so many times to giving up on this one. It’s 320 pages and honestly it felt like twice the length.

Not a lot happens for large parts of this book. It’s very “dialogue” light so it is filled with descriptive passages to fill the pages that honestly became incredibly monotonous.

Chapters for the most part are two or three pages, named instead of numbered. It all felt a bit forced and a debut author trying too hard and accomplishing less.

Wafer thin characters who I had no empathy towards, a terrible writing style and structure, I get that the book is to be taken metaphorically and is telling us things that way, but frankly I was that bored I couldn’t care less what it was trying to say.

Surprised to see so many five star reviews. This one for me was a stinker unfortunately.


Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a very different story line than what I was expecting when I had read the description of it. I have to say that it was a great read, many times there was such great sadness but I could also understand the main characters need to go through the phase of being alone no matter the age that a person might be. I was pleasantly surprised at the ending as well, since for a while towards the latter part of the book, I really thought that it was going to have a very different outcome that would have had me bawling my eyes out. The only thing I'm not sure of is that I was really hoping to know more about her future and more of the healing process and I'm glad that she reached out but I'm not sure if I had wished for more from that encounter. Over all I highly recommend this book as it was a very different concept, one I had not encountered in any other books I have come across and I really enjoyed it!

Elise is alone. A tragic accident makes her an orphan, leaving her with only thing to keep her company: her family home. The problem? It’s another family’s home, now. And so Elise stops being Elise and becomes the Girl in the Walls.

In this claustrophobic thriller, suspense builds on both sides of the walls. Inside them, we follow Elise, the Girl in the Walls, as she creeps through vents and laundry chutes, holding on to every last bit of her home she can manage. On the other side, brothers Eddie and Marshall struggle to adjust to life in their new home, where they can’t help but feel watched...and their solution turns into a nightmare for everyone involved.

Overall, Girl in the Walls is a unique and suspenseful read. The story is creative and my Kindle is full of highlights of passages that I love. What it lacked was more compelling motivations for its characters. There’s some pretty wild stuff that goes down and I wasn’t satisfied with the explanations. Still, I enjoyed it, and its plot is unlike any other thriller I’ve read!

Thank you to Net Galley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

What's hidden will soon be found, but not if what's hidden is really good at hiding!

This has been one of my most anticipated reads in 2021 and I wasn't disappointed!

Such an enjoyable book. I'm amazed by Elise's tenacity, especially during times of loneliness. Sometimes I wonder if she would be better off being found by the Masons; would they chase her out of her own home or adopt her?

Many thanks to the publisher, and particularly to the author AJ Gnuse, for this ARC. Really enjoyed it!

“Girl in the Walls” by A.J. Gnuse - A recently orphaned girl starts living in the walls of her home, which is now owned by another family. The two teenage boys of this family form a bond they never had as they eventually realize there is someone in the house with them. A unique story showcasing grief, familial bonds and friendship. The one thing I felt was missing was more of the orphan’s background with her parents and why she decided to reside in the walls of her home. I didn’t get that sense of deep connection - the background. Still, a quick intriguing read with multiple parts and James Patterson length chapters. Available May 11.

Incredibly impressive debut novel. I couldn’t put it down. I found all of the central characters equally endearing and repulsive. VERY good.

𝖢𝗈𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌, 𝖨 𝗍𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖨'𝖽 𝖻𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝖼𝖺𝗋𝗒 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗍'𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍. 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗎𝗋𝗏𝗂𝗏𝖺𝗅 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗀𝗋𝗂𝖾𝖿. 𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌 𝗐𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗌 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝖽𝗈𝗐𝗇𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗌𝖼𝖺𝗋𝗒, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗃𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗉 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝗌𝖺𝖽 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗀𝗂𝗋𝗅 𝖻𝖾𝖼𝖺𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗌𝗁𝖾'𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗅𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒. 𝖲𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗌 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝖺𝗍 𝗁𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗒 𝖺𝗍 𝖧𝖤𝖱 𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗋 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾'𝗌 𝖺 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾. 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗌𝗐𝗂𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿𝖿 i𝗇 𝖤𝗅𝗂𝗌𝖾'𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖤𝖽𝖽𝗂𝖾'𝗌 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝗈𝗇 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝖽𝗂𝖿𝖿𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗎𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇. 𝖮𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅𝗅, 𝖨 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾'𝗌 𝗇𝗈 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝗓𝗒 𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝗅𝖾𝖿𝗍 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗌𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺 𝗎𝗇𝖺𝗇𝗌𝗐𝖾𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗍 𝗄𝖾𝗉𝗍 𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗄.

Girl in the Walls by AJ Gnuse is an entertaining and thought provoking book. I was saddened by parts in the book and also haunted by the plot. It was a very creative an interesting story. I wasn’t sure which way the story was going to go.

I have picked this book up and put this book down so many times that I have decided to just set it aside. I barely made it to 15%. This was not at all what I was expecting from the blurb.

DNF.

WOW! This is the best book I've read this year! It destined to become a classic, loved by generations, kept on shelves to be reread and passed on to family members and friends. The writing is smooth and lyrical, almost poetry in places. The natural world of south Louisiana is rendered in exquisite detail until you can feel the sweat run down the back of your neck, hear the river flowing by, the sweep of a cooling breeze through the trees.
The story is told mostly through the eyes of children. Elise, age 11, is the orphaned girl hiding away in the walls of her old home, imagining her parents are still there, with her, as long as she stays in their home. Eddie, age 13, is one of the boys who live in the house. Elise watches Eddie live his life, she reads his books and tinkers with his Legos. And somehow, even though he never sees her, Eddie senses Elise is there and begins to think of her as a friend.

I'm making it sound slow, but it isn't slow at all. Every moment is suspenseful, and each chapter brings a new surprise, a new danger to the girl in the walls. The novel is marketed as adult fiction, but I believe younger readers would find it as mesmerizing as Harry Potter. There's no sex and I don't remember any bad language. You must read this one!

Could a child really survive on her own for years living inside the walls of her former home. The idea seems preposterous, however, A.J. Gruse makes us believe that it's not only possible, but that at least one child has been able to survive, keep herself healthy and hidden. But secrets like that come with a price and when the temptation of having a friend proves to be too much, her secure world comes crashing down. A true survivor can always make the best of any type of situation they find themselves in. Author Gruse thankfully does not leave us hanging at the end of the tale, we get a glimpse of the woman that the hidden child has become and that she still cares enough about her friend to leave him a small bit of communication to let him know she's made it to adulthood.

I enjoyed this story a lot. Will definitely recommend to friends. A new author to follow. A unique story that doesn't let you down.

I immediately requested this book after seeing the creepy cover and reading the premise. I thought this was going to be a chilling, spooky, dark, twisty read; it was not. The action and thrills in this book were actually kind of slow and not much happened. Elise would hide in the walls of her house for protection and to feel safe after her parents died. No came to save her from being orphan, I thought that was kind of sad actually. Since the house had no owners, new people moved in (duh), A pair of brothers start to sense something else is mysterious about the house. Do they sense Elise's presence? Predictable!!!! I also did not enjoy the ending, it did not suit the rest of the book.

Do not get me started on the actual writing in the book. Sentence fragments galore. Too many descriptors to describe one thing. Did the author use a thesaurus when they were writing this book? Amateur writing for sure. This book had the potential to be better than it was. Disappointing overall. Cannot recommend this to other readers. Elise's story could have been told better.

Thanks to Netgalley, AJ Gruse and Ecco for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/11/21

Elise has been living in the walls of her old house in Louisiana since her parents died in a car accident. She doesn't take up much space, keeps to hidden corners of the house and waits until the house is empty to eat and use the bathroom. Finally, the house's current residents start to realize that they are not alone. What will they do? What will Elise do?

This book is really strange. It's haunting and well written, but I feel like I may have missed the point. Without spoiling anything, I can only say that the ending is as unsatisfying as it is unexpected. I can't say I didn't enjoy reading it, I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to think about it as a whole. I hope you can figure it out!

I can't stop talking about this book! My husband was treated to a plot summary every few chapters (which I'm sure he appreciated). The basic premise: Elise loses both of her parents in a car accident and returns to the house they used to own. There she takes up residence inside the walls of the house, living seamlessly alongside the Mason family until the youngest son begins to suspect there's someone else there.

Gnuse knows when to turn the dial up on the tension as the book progresses, never really letting you feel completely settled in the book. He signals well ahead what is coming up next, but this foreshadowing makes the book feel more tense rather than deflating it.

I also love the lush, long sentences in this book, most notable in Elise's sections. She's trapped in an existence where she's never quite alone, but her isolation gives her plenty of time to observe the small movements of the world around her. It means quiet descriptions of a cat outside or movements along the levee, which can feel like a slow start to the book, but it emphasized Elise's life within the house. Stick around though, because the pace picks up as the book progresses.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

(this review is posted immediately to Goodreads. It will be posted to Instagram closer to the pub date and updated with links)

This one starts off, somewhat unsettlingly, with an unnamed girl who creeps around in the walls and floorboards of a house where she used to live, where another family now lives. Right off the bat, I obviously wondered if she was a ghost or what exactly was happening. But then soon...like, is this an actual alive child LIVING IN THE WALLS of a house? Hard to get a handle on at first. I won't spoil the truth of that. The youngest son in the family living (normally) in the house is aware of the girl's presence but doesn't want to believe in her or know what she is. This was very strange, a really unusual idea for a book. I really did not know what to expect at the beginning, and by the end, the whole book was something I definitely wouldn't have guessed at. Really hard to describe without giving parts away but also just a strange and interesting experience. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Girl In The Walls is a metaphorical tale about an orphan girl and a granddaughter clock, both occupying a house in the grip of fate.

Girl In The Walls is an allegory. The story takes place in an old house, in many instances in hidden places, gaps between the walls, crawl spaces beneath the floors, an old laundry chute, and a hidden corner of the attic. How can a girl, even a tiny one, squeeze into such places? It strains reality that she moves through these places, so quiet that the family living in the house doesn’t notice her. But that doesn’t matter. Elise, the heroine, the brothers, the parents, the friend, Brody, and, last but not least, the monster, Traust, must all be seen through a metaphorical window. What the characters do in the story and the circumstances they confront, a hurricane and a flood, a monster breaking through the walls, as examples, occupy the outskirts of the real world, on the edge of fantasy, and yet present a true picture of what it takes to overcome adversity and live in the real world.

The writing in the novel is extraordinary, a style that carries a reader along, a fast pace where appropriate and a slow stroll at other times. Sentences omit verbs when a still life sort of image is intended. Including a verb in those places would be like walking fast past a painting, giving it a glance. The author’s style is brilliant, structuring sentences in the way he does to match a focus in a given section or the action in the plot. What happens in a termite swarm? The parents run up and down the stairs, closing windows, and turning off lights. But Eddie, calm and lying on his bed, ignores them, a quiet observation in his head: “Cracks beneath ill-cut doors and along the bottoms of the old storm windows, and holes in the foundation.” The sentence says everything you need to know about bugs in a porous house, and about uncertainty in life. There are many beautiful metaphors in this novel. To judge them grammatically as sentence fragments would be a mistake.

Girl In The Walls is a brilliant piece of art. All of its parts work together to tell a story of many dimensions. Its characters and its plot are never conventional. Appreciation of the novel is enhanced by a reader’s willingness to accept the unusual, to enjoy the passage of every hour in the story by the call of a bird sounded on a granddaughters clock, and to watch how a girl can wrap herself in a house “as if it were a winter coat.” One wants Elise never to take it off, but of course she must, and Edward, having run out in bare feet to his mailbox to get his memento, is lucky enough to see the hem of her dress as she goes around the corner. At that point one realizes that the story of Girl In The Walls goes on forever.

Gnuse’s Girl in the Walls was reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Paul Tremblay’s Head Full of Ghosts, and Gaetan Soucy’s The Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (all of which I adore). I thought this book was going to be predictable, but it was anything but. I found myself enthralled with the story of Elise, a young girl living in the walls of her old family home after the death of her parents, and the Masons, the unknowing family living in the house that Elise also lives in. This book dealt with the importance of home, safety, family, and how place forms identity. At times, I found this book to be overwritten so I did skim some sections that I felt wouldn’t be missed if they were cut. But still, with the occasional overwriting aside, this book was enchanting, and I would recommend to anyone who loves any or all of the aforementioned novels.

Beautifully written novel that deals with loss and grief. explores grief and all the power of the supernatural. It's eerie, believable and most importantly it features characters you connect to.
This has more of a gothic feel to it!!!! Which I loved!

An excellent mystery/thriller that all takes place within the walls of a home....

The book opens on the life of the Girl in the Walls of the Mason family home. She is at first a mystery, almost like a passing shadow out of the corner of your eye. Then you begin to learn more and more about the life of the Girl in the Walls and what lead her to eventually be in the walls in the first place.

All the while, you also learn about the live of the current family residing in the home. You see the members grow and evolve as the story progresses, each change furthering the plot.

What happens when someone enters the picture, one who makes the Girl in the Walls defenses begin to falter, as she realizes maybe she does want companionship all along. Or if you introduce someone who has always believed someone was in their walls, hiding in the darkest shadows of the room, but no one ever believed them, and they felt as alone as the person in the walls.....

A thrilling story of heartfelt adventure, and overcoming the obstacles and traumas of life in our own significant ways, and finally finding strength in those traumas to let go, and attempt to continue living and thriving despite all of life hardships.