This was a hard read for me.. I would try and then my mind would wander. I do think people would be intrigued but it wasn’t something I was unable to continue

This book was on my radar way before it was published. I pre-ordered a beautiful special edition AND had a Netgally Arc of it. FINALLY, two and half years later I got around to reading it
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Unfortunately though, this isn’t a “why didn’t I read it sooner?!” review. Sold as a Gothic story, this book was Not the ghost story I was expecting. I’d go as far to say it was completely mismarketed
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And I could have even forgiven this, because despite not being what I expected, the premise is really interesting. It could’ve been a great story. While I did find the book readable and was intrigued enough to finish it, my overall feeling was underwhelmed. I lacked any emotional connection to any of the characters, found the story implausible and was disappointed by the ending
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There are some positives - the chapters are really short and have quirky titles, the story is original and the writing flowed well to keep me reading. The author and this story have a lot of promise, but for me it fell flat this time. Oh and my special edition has gorgeous spredges!
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I read this as a buddy read with the lovely @thebookdiaryofmisshewlett @therobinsbookshelf and @gothicshelf and we all felt the same. If you are looking for a gothic ghost story, this is NOT the book for you

Sadly I didn’t really gel with this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for gifting me this book.

I like many will probably think this is a story about a ghost but no it isn’t! It was a tough story to ready as not my usual type of novel. Loneliness is a major part of the story. A good read.

I thought this book would be about a ghost living within the walls of a home. The fact that it was about a girl living in the walls of a family home, and moving about as everyone slept or were out. It was intriguing and sad. This isn’t a book I would normally choose but it was an interesting read%

I was looking forward to reading this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. It was well written but I couldn’t personally get into it

This was such a clever book. For a second there I thought I was reading a story about ghosts, but nooo.. it was way more deep than that. 'Real life' can be so much more scary!! I really liked this book. It hooked me from page 1. Highly recommend. it.

Not my favourite book of the year but still enjoyable. Thank you net galley for a copy of this title in exchange for a review.

Had been looking forward to reading this book. Sadly it wasn’t for me. It just lacked a good plot to get you excited and wanting more. It was very slow paced and never picked up

I thought this was a mystery but it doesn't really feel like that applies.
I understand now this is about grief and loneliness. But I was bored throughout. I just wanted to give up.
The characters felt very flat. Which made it hard for me to care about them.
Even by the end I just wondered what I had just read. While it was very different to what I usually read it just didn't work for me.
The small about of dialogue meant this was mainly descriptive which in turn made this a struggle for me. It felt monotonous at times.

I’m sorry to say that I gave up on this just at the half way point. It is such a slow burner and, while the concept is promising and the writing good, I just couldn’t sustain my interest. Having read some very positive reviews, I have no idea why this book didn’t gel with me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it.

Thank you for providing me with a review copy of this book. At times I wasn't quite sure whether I was enjoying reading this but it came through in the end, would recommend....

‘Girl in the Walls’ is not a ghost story (I thought it would be!) though it is haunting.

Elise lives in the walls of another family’s home, creeping out for food & water when the family sleep or are out at school & work. She has found ways to move quietly through the crawl spaces and closets, but she is fascinated by the family and finds herself creeping closer to them than she ever planned.

When the threat arrives, it is shocking. Elise wants to survive, but can she live? Or even thrive?

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this Southern, ghostly tale.

Girl in the Walls is certainly a unique novel; I've never read anything quite like it. When Elsie becomes an orphan at a young age, she takes matters into her own hands in the most unusual fashion. Bolting from the temporary foster home, she makes her way back to her old family home - a home full of hiding spots and spaces between the walls and the floor. Now owned by another family, Elsie slots herself into their family home without them being aware of her presence. During their waking hours, she slinks around the wall spaces. But when the family are at work or school or even sleeping, she slips out to claim her place in the house.

For months, perhaps even years, Elsie ekes out her life in the forgotten corners of the house she used to live in. She is a ghost living in a home that no longer belongs to her, sliding through the gaps in the new families life without notice. But inevitably, she is noticed. Her own mistakes are small and could have passed without notice. But when she makes a friend from further down the road, he isn't used to the secrecy and the ever present threat of discovery. His presence is far more noticeable and Elsie's very existence is suddenly at risk.

This is cleverly done and very well written. It's a slow burn of a novel for much of the narrative, as you follow Elsie silently through the walls, watching this family from a constant remove, never being able to interact. You get to know the characters from that remove; the parents obsession with patching up the house, the brother's very different personalities and Brodie's brash presence that finally puts Elsie's existence at risk. It isn't until well over half way through that the threat level rises, as the older brother Marshall becomes more and more determined that someone is living in their walls and falls down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.

For much of the novel, I was definitely engaged but had no idea where it was going. The narrative follows a winding, twisting path that takes a long time to get anywhere. But when the threat rises it's head, it's sudden and violent. And whilst I had my own theories as to why - largely focussed on mental health and the danger of conspiracy theories - this isn't really explored in the novel. It felt like Gnuse had really over-egged the villain of the piece without properly exploring his motivations or persective. Even more strangely, this was something that could have been done within the framework of the novel as you already get some of the internet trail at beginnings of chapters. A little more of a focus on this would have made the rapid dissolution into violence far more believable.

I certainly enjoyed this, but it could have been stronger. I'll be interested to see what the author does in the future though.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate for this ARC


A fascinating look at grief, loneliness and ones ability to cope or lack there of. Lots of rich emotional development, slow moving, but a fantastic read!

This book had a very interesting premise. But it also had a rich emotional development, looking at grief and loneliness. It took a bit to get into this story but it was well worth it!

I... don't understand what I read. I found the story really confusing, and I felt like the author was trying to make a point, but I couldn't quite understand what it was. There were some beautiful phrases in it, but the feeling of reading 300+ pages of words I couldn't follow means I can't rate this highly!

This book wasn't what I expected at all. I had assumed that the eponymous girl in the walls would be some sort of paranormal being, instead of an actual living, breathing human girl. Parts of this book I found decidedly creepy, but others were just so sad. It is a book that is extremely hard to categorise and one that I struggle to know how I feel about.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and 4th Estate for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was wonderful! I knew going in this was going to be just my sort of book, and I wasn't disappointed.

The story quickly grabbed my attention, and turned out to be much more of a literary thriller than I had expected it to be. The prose is beautifully descriptive, I took every step with Elise, hiding in the walls, and watching the world, unseen but not unfeeling. What an atmospheric, creepy, unsettling, intriguing read.

Completely unique, this is one I'll be sure to recommend.

4 stars

A very unique book that is beautifully written. The short chapters feel as if they are taunting you to move further into the story and before you know it you'll be hooked.
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This is a very creative story that felt more character driven rather than thriller and I'm obviously made of hardy stuff as I was never scared but know others who were petrified. This book will make you think and listen out for those creaks within your own home.
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I felt for Elise throughout and her ability to survive. Is she a real girl or a ghost haunting the house?
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As a debut novel it is deeply original and kept me guessing throughout. If you fancy something a little different this is definitely one to try.