REVIEW: How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes

How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes: Elliot Beck has a continuous internal battle raging inside her. She has OCD, but in the way that causes her to have “Worries.” She fled her life 3 years ago and cut off everyone she loves, including her best friend Manuel. When she finally decides to return to their presence for her brother’s wedding, the last person she expects to be invited is Manuel.

Manuel thought he lost her three years ago, and he’s determined not to repeat the past. As the two dance around each other, the family tries to also hide secrets from the previous years. Elliot struggles with her worries as they resurface in a greater way but Manuel still tries to get through to her.

As the family gets through the weekend, they all learn to grow from their decisions and become the people they want to be, but can Elliot let her family in to help?

First thing first, this book wrecked me emotionally. I have not related to a character as much as I do Elliot especially in the season of life that I’m in. The way that her worries are shown in the book makes it so realistic to the reader. I had to actually take breaks, because I felt like I was in her shoes at times.

Elliot is such a strong character overall. She is developed so well, and I love how the story revolves around her POV. Her voice is so raw and so real. Her struggle made me weep with her, hide with her, and rejoice with her at different times throughout the story.

Manuel was truly her rock throughout her life, and I rooted for him to break through to her. She convinces herself at each step that she isn’t worthy, but Manuel doesn’t give up. He is the epitome of what you want from someone pursuing you.

The rest of the family all had their issues as well, and it was very interesting to see them interact. I think the powerful part of each person having something going on in their lives while also having the setting be a family island helped with the feelings that Elliot had brewing. It also helped her not fully escape her family, which helped her in the long run.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have classified this as a romance novel. I would describe it as more literary fiction. There was a romance at the bones, but the book was way more than that. I cannot say enough great things about this book though. It is definitely in the top 5 books that I have read in my entire life.
 

Book Info:

Publication: September 10, 2024 | Berkley |

The unbreakable bonds of family and love are explored in this brilliant and tender story from the author of Guy’s Girl.

On the day she arrives in Canada for her older brother’s wedding, Eliot Beck hasn’t seen her family in three years. Eliot adores her big, wacky, dysfunctional collection of siblings and in-laws, but there’s a reason she fled to Manhattan and buried herself in her work—and she’s not ready to share it with anyone. Not when speaking it aloud could send her back into the never-ending cycle of the obsessive-compulsive disorder that consumed her for years.

Eliot thinks she’s prepared to survive the four-day-long wedding extravaganza—until she sees her best friend, Manuel, waiting for her at the marina and looking as handsome as ever. He was the person who, when they met as children, felt like finding the missing half of her soul. The person she tried so hard not to fall in love with… but did anyway.

Manuel’s presence at the wedding threatens to undo the walls Eliot has built around herself. The fortress that keeps her okay. If she isn’t careful, by the end of this wedding, the whole castle might come crumbling down.