How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes is a great contemporary fiction that kept me int from beginning to end.

This book is a novel about family, dysfunctional relationships, personal struggles, and overcoming your internal and external struggles to find your path in life and to realize that everyone deserves a life worth living.

I enjoyed the balance of a few light moments with banter, and excellent dialogue between characters and family members and the more serious threads within the novel. Mental health awareness and highlighting some of the struggles that people with OCD experience was a great addition within this story.

I am glad I read this one.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Berkley Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/10/24.

Eliot has OCD - but the version that stays in her head, takes up space that she refers to as “The Worries.” Once she hit eighteen, she took off for NYC and, although she has spoken to and FaceTimed them, she hasn’t seen her family in three years. She is now back for her brother’s wedding. During the three days she spends with her family and childhood friend, past experiences and tramas are revealed.
To stay sane, does Eliot return to NY or can she tell her secrets and begin healing?

I rarely read the author’s notes at the end of books, but after reading the notes at the end of How to Hide In Plain Sight, I wonder what clarity and insight I am missing. Author Emma Noyes definitely put it all out there in both the notes and the story, through the main female lead, Eliot. Noyes hit many misconceptions of obsessive-compulsive disorder head on and offered new understanding of the disorder. The story itself felt a little lacking in depth, as far as the family dynamics were concerned. I didn’t understand why the older brother didn’t bring his wife and daughter around the family. I felt sorry for Eliot - her family seemed very much wrapped up in themselves and made it easy for her to “hide in plain sight.” Also, I didn’t understand why her parents or siblings allowed Eliot to disappear for three years. While a lot of the story focused on Eliot and her love interest/best childhood friend Manuel, it was so much more than a love story. Definitely recommend to those who are in learning more about OCD and how it affects the person directly and have ripple effects throughout relationships.

How to Hide in Plain Sight was an interesting read to say the least. I was thoroughly invested in Eliot's story for a majority of the book. I don't struggle with OCD myself, and I know it looks different for everyone, but I really was invested in reading how Eliot thinks and seeing her life experiences that made her into her current headspace we get at the present day timeline. I did feel like towards the end of the book, it started to get repetitive (which I am sure was part of the whole concept of this novel with someone living with OCD). I wish we would have gotten a little epilogue of SOME kind as a check-in on Eliot to see how she is doing. The book ended, and I thought it was a great ending, but only if we were able to receive a little check-in on Eliot down the line :). How to Hide in Plain Sight for sure kept me captivated (I read in a day, I just had to know what happened with the story), there were just those few things that brought my overall rating down.

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅. 𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒆?" 𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅. " 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 - 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉? 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒕. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕.. 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. " 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓. " 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒕. 𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖. "

3.5 ✨
🌶️: 2.0

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑨𝑹𝑪 ✨🌷

𝘞𝘰𝘸. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘖𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵. 𝘖𝘊𝘋 𝘳𝘦𝘱? 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯. 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥? 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘔𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 - 𝘮𝘦𝘩, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵? 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺:

THIS WAS SO FUCKING LONG FOR WHAT?

𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘵 somewhat 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘖𝘊𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.

𝘋𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱.

Like, who has time for all that ✌🏽

𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘵, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵.

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘮. 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘊𝘋, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 - 𝘰𝘰𝘱.

𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯? 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘋𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘐 𝘧ound 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱.


𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘵, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.

𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘊𝘋, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴.

𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 - 𝘰𝘰𝘱.

How to Hide in Plain Sight
by Emma Noyes
Pub Date: September 10, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The unbreakable bonds of family and love are explored in this brilliant and tender story from the author of Guy's Girl.
This is my first book by Noyes.
This book is HEAVY, because it’s REAL. This is one of the most accurate depictions of OCD I’ve ever seen in popular media, and I have to give mad props to the author for being vulnerable and real. And for giving a voice to those who have a difficult time explaining the realities that they live in.

Bring out your napkins and heavy weapons (hard drink, comfort food, cuddles, wishful thinking to relax) before starting Emma Noyes’ latest book, and get ready to be shaken to the core!

It’s absolutely tear-jerking, angsty, and heart-wrenching, but some parts are interestingly hilarious, especially the natural, witty dialogues between dysfunctional family members: three noisy, one stoic brainy sibling, two overly dramatic parents, and one heroine who is the observer, outcast, and youngest member of the family, feeling alone in the crowd!

This book boldly approaches many sensitive subjects that make your heart bleed, such as the death of a family member, grief, psychosomatic illness, disability, mental health issues, OCD, and depression.

Eliot Beck is the heroine of this story. At only 21, she leaves her crowded family behind, cutting her connection with everyone except her best friend Manuel for three years to start fresh after her diagnosis of OCD. She cannot silence the voices in her head, which keep repeating that she’s a bad person and doesn’t deserve happiness. By skipping college and risking homelessness, she moves to a city of crowded loners, the best place for someone who always felt like an abandoned outsider in her big family. She lived like a wallflower, silent, calm, and mature, barely restraining the thunders erupting inside her head.

She buries herself in her job and is promoted from assistant to copywriter, following her family’s stories from text messages without joining the conversation. When she gets invited to Canada for her brother Taz's wedding festivities, she tells herself it will only take four days. As soon as her job is done, she can go back to her cave and continue her intense work life, hiding under a cloak of invisibility and limiting her connections with people.

But when she realizes her family also invited Manuel, her best friend she cut off, she feels trapped and must confront years of boiled-over feelings. She longs for her lost brother Henry, the only sibling who truly saw and understood her. She must rip off the band-aid and start learning to communicate because she cannot run anymore, at least not for four days!

She discovers her father in a wheelchair, her overly expressive mother, her straightforward sister, her step-but-not-so-mature brothers who always argue, and her analytical, newly marrying brother and his in-laws, each dealing with their own problems, reminding her she’s not alone in dealing with the hand life dealt her.

But the hardest part might be being brave and coming clean about her feelings for Manuel, which she’s been hiding for years. Can she manage to leave her safe place and take her first brave step to confess that the voices in her head never stopped and she’s barely holding on? Isn’t she exhausted from fighting them alone?

Overall, this is one of the most profound, well-developed stories about a dysfunctional family and mental health awareness that I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this profound book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

4.25⭐️ Thank you so much Berkeley Romance for the e-ARC!
This was such a great read! This book has great mental health representation in the form of our main character struggling with OCD, and the representation was done so well and beautifully. The author did such a great job of describing what it’s like to live with OCD and how it’s not just about cleanliness.
The family dynamic of her having a big family and them celebrating her brother’s wedding together was so fun!
This author’s writing actually reminded me a lot of Carley Fortune’s for some reason, so if you like her, maybe read this one!
All in all, this was a great read and I recommend!

My first by author Emma Noyes but certainly not my last. I love how authentically she depicts the struggles of Eliot, a young woman who suffers from OCD, and shows how the illness impacts every aspect of her life. Brava!

HOW TO HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT is the story of a young woman, Eliot Beck, who has struggled with OCD most of her life. Her illness manifests as uncontrollable thoughts or as she calls them "worries" in her head. Convinced she's a bad person, she isolates herself from her family and her best friend Manny for over three years. When she has to return to the family's island for her brother's wedding, she struggles to come to terms with her illness and guilt as she confronts her loved ones while continuing to hide her illness.

Author Emma Noyes has intimate knowledge of OCD, and it shows in the beautiful, heartbreaking story she's written to bring awareness to this disease. HOW TO HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT is a story of heartbreak, guilt, shame, forgiveness and ultimately . . . hoped and trust. Highly recommended to fans of light romance with a concentration on characters struggling with mental health.

Emma Noyes does it again with another spectacular book about hidden mental health issues. This book follows Eliot Beck, a youngest child, a copywriter, and a woman with an OCD diagnosis. After leaving her family and friend behind and moving to New York for three years, Eliot is forced to return to her family's favorite vacation spot for her older brother's wedding. Told in Past and Present POVs, the reader learns about Eliot's tenuous family dynamics, her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and her connection with Manuel, a boy who used to be her best friend (and even something more.)
Noyes delves head-first into what one person's struggle with OCD looks like, creating immense empathy and understanding in her readers. I feel like I learned so much about OCD from this story. Eliot was such a developed and likeable character, but being inside her brain was pure torture, something I think Noyes did on purpose to demonstrate how debilitating this illness is. So, this part of the book was done masterfully.
At times, I thought the family interactions were either too intense or too lacking, and there were a lot of loose strings with the storylines of Eliot's brothers and sister. Also, I liked Manuel as a friend for Eliot, but he spent the majority of the Present chapters in the book being mad at Eliot, so it was hard to sense a romantic connection between the two of them. I definitely would not describe this book as a romance, but rather as a book about mental health with a romance subplot. (Please use care when reading this book!)
This was a touching and informative read. Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley, for this digital ARC!

I don't even know what to say about this book!!! I ugly-cried. Like a lot of people, I used to always picture an aversion to germs and obsessive organization when thinking or talking about OCD; I'm even guilty of saying "I'm so OCD when it comes to my bookshelf" or something similar. It's only in the last few years that I really tried to break the habit of using the term OCD in that way, and it was only recently that I learned about the type of OCD Eliot has in this book. Emma Noyes writes about the reality of intrusive thoughts with such honesty and doesn't shy away from what it looks like to live with them, and I think everyone should read this book, The relationship between Eliot and her family was very compelling to read, but it's the story of Eliot and Manuel that had me finishing it in one day. I sincerely hope anyone struggling with OCD has someone like Manuel to tell them that their brain is beautiful!!!

Many thanks to @berkleypub @berkleyromance and @netgalley for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 9/10/24.

Last year, I read Emma's previous novel, Guy's Girl, and loved it so much, so I was beyond excited to get approved for this book early. Emma knows first hand what it's like to have OCD (in your head OCD, not like Monk's type), and it shows through the pages. Her writing is amazing. The way she adds humor, sadness, and mental health into her books makes me really feel for and love all the characters. Emma has become a favorite author of mine and is definitely an auto buy for me. I am so excited to see what she writes next.

Eliot is from a large wealthy family, and she has not seen her family in three years. Her older brothers wedding reunites them all at her family's vacation house/island for a long weekend. When Eliot shows up, she is shocked to see her old childhood friend Manuel there, who she has also avoided for three years. Eliot has some issues she is trying to work through, and this weekend may make or break her.

The rawness in this book blows me away. There’s a bit of everyone in the novel. Again, Emma wows me with her deep dive into the human experience.

"How to Hide in Plain Sight" while heavy, shines a light on the battle of OCD, gifting readers a more educated look at what life looks like to those with the disorder. Eliot, our main lead in the book, has been focused on overcoming OCD, thinking she's done just that. But when going home to celebrate her brother's upcoming wedding, Eliot leans into her recovery and it's the most beautiful experience.

As someone who has struggled with being the "perfect" sibling/daughter, I saw myself in Eliot in ways I didn't expect. I think that's what I love most about Noyes' writing, she writes with a realness that is incredibly relatable.

Favorite quotes:
"Your darkness is my favorite part of you."
"Your brain is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
"Memory of pain is often worse than the pain itself. It drives us. What we do or don't do, embrace or fear, repeat or avoid at all costs -- all of that is dictated by our memory of pain."

Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for the digital eARC of this beautiful book.

Eliot comes from a large, dysfunctional, blended family. She’s the youngest of 6. As a young child, Eliot was diagnosed with OCD.. but not like you think. Eliot is in constant war of the thoughts in her mind, and eventually these thoughts lead to her becoming estranged from her family and best friend, Manuel. But her brother Taz is to be married on her family’s private island, and Eliot returns for the wedding. Eliot’s OCD had been controlled by the structure and routine of her corporate job in NYC, but without it, her mind is left to run wild.

This was incredible. Heavy, but remarkable. I loved the mental health representation. I would recommend this to anyone.

Thank you @berkleypub for this @netgalley ARC of How to Hide in Plain Sight!

(US Pub Date: Sept 10th 2024)

OOF.

Mental health rep in media is so important. The unsettling, messy, scary mental health rep: even more so.

The absolute war that Eliot fights inside her own head daily is exhausting, and her determination and desperation to do it solo is both admirable and heartbreaking - because of course she thinks she has to, but of course she doesn’t have to.

And Manny, seeing her for who she is and also for who she thinks she is and saying not “I love you in spite of” but “I love you, and”.

This was tragic and beautiful and raw, and the underlying hum of Eliot’s mind tugged us along for the ride.

When Eliot arrives to her childhood vacation home for her older brother’s wedding, it’s behind a barrier of apprehension and resistance.

In the three years since she’s seen her family or her best friend, Manuel, Eliot has made a life for herself in NYC - one that has mostly kept the OCD that looms over her at arms length - but to do so she had to become someone else. Someone who was not the youngest child of a wild and complex family. Someone who did not lose her closest sibling as a child. Someone who did not have a best friend she was falling for.

But when that very same best friend is waiting for her, still deeply interwoven into her family despite her absence and determined to continue loving her despite his obvious hurt at her disappearance, Eliot fears that she has far less control over the chaos in her mind than she has convinced everyone she has.

With less than a week before she’s safely back in New York, desperation keeping her loved ones away from her, Eliot is ready to hunker down and flee at the first opportunity. But while her dysfunctional (and loving) family is able to believe her assertions that she’s doing just fine, Manuel sees right through her as he always has. And Eliot has to decide whether a safe but hollow life is truly better than one where she lets those who love her see the pieces she has worked so hard to contain.

This book is way more than just a book - it is a love letter to anyone with OCD from Emma Noyes. See, Emma Noyes has OCD, but not the normal hands washing all the time, checking locks kind of OCD. She has an OCD in her head that makes her think odd, crazy, sometimes awful, thoughts - and those thoughts do not stop. They do not stop. And so, she wrote a book, using Eliot as an amazing young woman who has gone through quite a bit in her short life including the death of a brother, but the worse thing for Eliot is that she has these "Worries." These things that just pop into her head and make her feel like she is an awful person.

I do not have OCD but my heart goes out to not only everyone with OCD, but every sister, mother, spouse, and partner with OCD. This book was quite an eye-opener for me and I enjoyed every moment reading it.

Thank you Berkley & Netgalley and Emma Noyes for this ARC

A book that resonated with me on so many levels. The story’s exploration of family dynamics and the complexities of love is both tender and profound. Eliot Beck’s character, with her struggles and triumphs, felt incredibly real to me, as if her journey was a mirror to my own experiences with vulnerability and strength.

The reunion with her family and the rekindling of a childhood friendship turned romance with Manuel was beautifully written. It reminded me of the importance of confronting our past and the healing that comes with it. Noyes’ portrayal of Eliot’s battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder was handled with such care and authenticity, it brought a deeper understanding and empathy for those who live with mental health challenges.

This book is more than just a romance; it’s a story about breaking down the walls we build around ourselves and finding the courage to let others in. I couldn’t help but root for Eliot and Manuel, their love story felt like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. If you’re looking for a book that’s as heartwarming as it is insightful, I highly recommend "How to Hide in Plain Sight".

It’s a brilliant and tender story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

Thank you Berkley & Netgalley for this ARC!

I am so grateful that I had the privilege of reading this book. As someone with OCD, the representation in this book nearly brought me to tears on multiple occasions. This book handles the topic of mental illnesses with such kindness and care while also not being afraid to dive into the scarier, more taboo sides of it.

Eliot is such a wonderful protagonist and I was fully invested in her thought processes and story the entire time I was reading. I saw parts of myself in her that I’ve never seen in any other character before and it was such an affirming experience.

I also really loved the dynamic between Eliot and Manuel, their relationship was very sweet and exactly what I want in a childhood friends to lovers romance.

This feels like one of those books that came to me right when I needed it and I’m so glad that was the case. I think anyone who has the chance should read this book cover to cover. You won’t regret it.

Definitely another one to add to the favorites pile.

I discovered Emma Noyes last year with her previous book, Guy’s Girl, which I LOVED. So as soon as I saw her latest book I knew I had to read it immediately. Luckily Berkely didn’t let me down. How To Hide In Plain Sight is another masterpiece by Emma. I loved the family dynamics between the siblings in the book, as well as their parents. The setting of the story was also amazing and very descriptive, which I enjoyed. This book managed to pull on so many different elements: love, loss, mental health, family and more. I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to everyone in a heartbeat. It held my interest and I breezed through it once I started. All the stars!!

Thank you so much to Berkeley and to NetGalley for the ARC.