What a fun and pleasant read. I loved all the characters as well as the writing. It was a very enjoyable read! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

I loved this book! It was such a delightful read, so beautifully written, that I sped through it, and now I wish I had taken my time to read this because I did not want the story to end!

A lovely book of magical realism. It was unique and quirky and a quick read. At times it felt like it was trying to fit a bit too much in, but overall, a great read.

I was completely drawn into the world of "The Lady" and her enchanting ways. The story's subtle portrayal of witchcraft was intriguing, but what really stood out to me was the focus on relationships and the contrast between those who isolate themselves and those who offer warmth and shelter to others. Despite not being my usual genre, I found myself completely engrossed in the story. The attention to detail, such as the miniature creations within the house, added an extra layer of depth to the narrative, and I enjoyed following the characters through different time periods. Overall, a fascinating and enjoyable read.

Myra Malone owns a miniature mansion. Not a dolls house! Left to her by her Grandmother who tragically died in the same accident that scarred Myra and left her a recluse many years before. But there's something very special about the mansion, like the rooms which appear fully formed overnight, or the sound of music coming from its tiny rooms in the middle of the night...

Through a blog Myra shares her passion for the mansion with thousands of followers around the world. Sharing photographs of the rooms which she meticulously redecorates and remodels for her fans.
Myra loves the mansions more than anything, giving her an excuse to live as a reclusive, earning money from her blog to stay safely hidden in her attic bedroom.

Unfortunately Myras mother's love of expensive shopping trips puts Myras safe world in jeopardy when she suddenly needs to raise thousands of dollars to stop the foreclosure of their family home.
So reluctantly Myra agrees to run a competition for a followers to win the chance to completely redecorate one of the mansions rooms

Across the country, Alex Rakes, who works in his father's furniture store encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize his own home in the photos. Left to his father by his grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, they begin to unravel the mysterious of both their pasts while hoping to build a possible future for both of them.

A gentle novel about a magical dollhouse, full of magical realism, romance and a touch of mystery. A strong combination of a clever concept and warm, cosy writing, even if it was a little slow and flat in places.

Beautifully captivating writing that took me back to such happy childhood memories whilst being very much based in adult life. The minature house is magical and mesmerising,(but very definitely not a dolls house as there are no dolls within) and when Myra finds out that it is based on a real-life building, Myra and the occupier of the house, Alex, can't help but get closer.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This book falls under multiple categories without actually completely being defined by one. There is the magical realism of almost eternal life with a connection to a house/land. There is the horror associated with such a weight, especially if the mantle is not one that can be shrugged away. There is the romance built on mutual recognition born from conversations, and finally, that of a dual timeline story with the historical impact of war is also factored in.
I would have probably been able to add a couple of more 'genres' to the tally if I spent a little longer on this, but this should suffice to provide an accurate picture of the kind of book it is (or could be for different readers, based on their preference).
Myra is a recluse; she lives her life virtually. She has not left her home in years, and she keeps going back to the miniature mansion that she has in her attic. This mansion is also the way she makes her living, thanks to the persuasion of her best (and only) friend. The mansion is well known in the virtual world, and one day, a man who might have the other half of the puzzle with him happens to stumble on the website. What follows finally puts several secrets to rest.
In the past timeline, which infrequently makes its appearance on the page, we find out some revelations much before the protagonists do. This rounds off the narrative, and Myra gets some closure and manages to move on in life.
It is not a fast-paced book. The book takes its time setting the scene and working the people into the described situations. I enjoyed the format and the gravity of the consequences of everyone's actions and reactions. It was not what I expected, and that is sometimes a good thing.
I would recommend this to readers on the lookout for something different to read. I would be interested in reading other books written by the author.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I enjoy stories with a bit of magical realism and The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone had this in buckets!

Myra is a recluse after a childhood accident and spends her time working on a miniature mansion and blogging about it (very emphatically NOT a dollshouse). Her world is very small and she likes it that way - until pressures from her personal life lead her to make decisions she would normally avoid and runs a competition on her blog.

This brings her to the attention of Alex, home from travelling to work in his family's furniture store and struggling to see a way forward. Myra's blog captures his attention as the miniature mansion appears to be an exact replica of his family home - but how can this be?

This is not a fast-paced story but it ticks along nicely and has a really whimsical air - the main characters are nicely characterised and the mansion itself has a lot to say in its own way which adds charm to the magical element of the story. I found that I struggled to stay engaged with the story, at times I found it dragged a little and nothing was really happening - but I am sure others will say that is kindof partly the point, as the biggest changes happen when we look inside ourselves.

Since a tragic accident, Myra lives a secluded life in Arizona. She has a miniature house, the mansion, which she blogs about and which she feels very attached to. Alex lives in Virginia, working for the family business but not close to his father. One day Alex stumbles across Myra's blog and realises that her mansion is his house. And so begins a story which brings the two together.
I loved this book. Reading it on a train journey on a rainy day I was transported into the lives of Myra, Alex and Willa, and loved the complete escapism. It's a gentle book which is really emotive and even the 'magical' element did not annoy me too much! It's obvious the way the plot will go from very early on but it doesn't make the story any less. A hidden gem of a novel.

Myra Malone lives a reclusive life in her mothers house. She works from home but spends much of her time in the attic with a large dolls house that is not a dolls house because there are no dolls in there. This non dolls house or miniscule mansion is constantly changing. Myra is redecorating, moving furniture, repairing furniture and sometimes the furniture even goes missing. Sometimes, Myra will find secret passages and extra rooms, only for them to disappear again.
Her best friend hits upon the idea to have an Instagram page. The page is a hit and when it becomes apparent that the house she lives in needs to be sold, her friend comes up with the idea of using the page to fundraise by setting a competition that has to be paid to enter. It's an essay competition. There is one entry that really draws attention from a man that lives the other side of America. What really draws attention to this essay is that the man lives in a house that is exactly the same even down to the dodgy furniture.

It's a story that is set in the present and the past to explain the back story. It is a mysterious love story with magical elements and likeable characters (mostly). It's quite an original story with love and loss.

With thanks to #NetGalley for this preview of #TheMinuscleMansionofMyraMalone

Absolutely charming tale, I loved this story and could see the doll’s house in my head. At the heart, this is a love story, with good characters, folklore interweaved throughout the story and magical elements. A unique and enjoyable tale.

A strange book, but one that drew you into its world. Myra was badly injured in a car accident on her fifth birthday when one of the people closest to her died. Her world has been bound up in the miniature mansion she inherited ever since. Becoming a recluse, age 34 Myra lives her life via the online world of the minuscule mansion until events force her friend and manager to open up that world. Meeting Alex, whose life mirrors hers in so many ways is both comforting and terrifying. How will their worlds come together? A magical world that truly involves you in its pages. #netgalley #theminusculemansionofmyramalone

“I have to convince Perfect that perfection is local— it doesn’t have to be perfect everywhere. Perfect isn’t eternal—how boring if it were, after all. It’s transient. That’s why it’s special.”

Once upon a time there was a house…
From her attic in the Arizona mountains, 34year-old recluse Myra Malone blogs about a miniature mansion – a dolls' house – which captivates thousands of readers worldwide.

Across the country, Alex Rakes encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room from her stories and is shocked to recognize his own bedroom in minute scale.
Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra and together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds and trace the stories that entwine them.

In her enchanting debut novel, Audrey Burges explores themes of loneliness, grief, PTSD, friendship, family and love. She mesmerises you with a story of a tiny home and every little piece that resides in it.

I have tried but am unable to describe the effect this book has on me. To an outsider it is simply a story about a doll house and its miniature furniture and crockery and curtains and upholstery. All that changes when you step into the captivating world of Myra’s Mansion and feel the words clamouring for attention, dancing in circles around you, overwhelming you with emotion.

I didn’t think magical realism was something I could enjoy but this book has cast a spell on me in ways I can’t remember any other work of fiction has in a long time.

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Pan Macmillan.

A moving tale of love and loss. Myra has never recovered from a traumatic incident in her childhood, locking herself away from the world other than the posts she makes on her miniature mansion blog. Alex has always felt pushed away by his father so had tried to make a life in Asia, however, he's now back helping his father run the family business, despite the many clashes they have.

As Myra and Alex begin corresponding after similarities between the miniature mansion and Alex's home become hard to ignore, we are welcomed into both of their histories and the magical connection that binds more than just their houses.

Intriguing and beautifully written, this is a tale that shows from despair can come hope and happiness. A perfect pick me up read which will restore your faith in love, friendship and magic.

This was a magical little read!! One of those stories that you are better off not knowing too much about, and just letting the beautifully crafted story take you along for the ride!

Myra finds solace in a miniscule mansion... NOT a dollhouse! As there's no dolls, but to her it's a safe little world where the objects in the house have their own stories to tell. And she has many fans following the journey as she writes a blog sharing news of the mansion, an idea put forward by her friend Gwen, and it's heartwarming to see so many then send items of their own to feature in the mansion too.

You discover the tragedies that have hit Myra in her childhood, and why the mansion became so important to her, and how this then connects to the strange coincidences with Alex who is shocked to see the decor of his home come alive in the miniscule mansion!

I loved how this story played out and the different timelines really linked well to keep your interest amongst all the characters, as well as the different generations. It mixes the darker times of a persons life alongside those moments that give you hope and the power of kindness and connection.

It was the title and this very intriguing cover that drew me to this magical sounding novel. I didn’t really know what to expect from it but I have since seen it on a few of my favourite BookTube channels and was excited to see what it was all about.

Myra is a 34-year-old recluse, who is mysteriously tied to a tiny mansion that was gifted to her by her beloved step-grandmother. With the help of her childhood friend Gwen, Myra writes a blog about the mansion and its constant changes and she has built a loyal following of fans. But the mansion has always been a mystery to Myra -rooms keep appearing and disappearing and sometimes there is music that she can’t find the source of. Across the country, Alex Rakes works for a furniture business. He comes across Myra’s minuscule mansion on social media and is shocked to discover that it’s an exact copy of the house that he grew up in. The house that belonged to his grandmother who disappeared years ago.

Myra is very possessive over the mansion to the point where she curates what she shows of it. It clearly has so much magic and history and it is full of secrets. Although it isn’t exactly a bad relationship, Myra doesn’t have the same closeness with her mother that she had with her step-grandmother Trixie. It’s almost like the mansion is the last link that Myra has to Trixie, who died when Myra was still a young child, and she wants to keep that as private as possible.

Trixie is an intriguing character. She somehow seemed to be quite free of the boundaries of time -I’m not sure whether she was supposed to be some kind of time traveller or simply an old soul but she could have easily been either of these. She has a warm, magical, witchy way about her and I can certainly see how a very young Myra became enamoured with her.

Myra appears to be quite scared of strangers and the outside world. We aren’t really told the reasons for her apparent agoraphobia and severe social anxiety but of course, it may simply be a case of an introvert who is quite content with her intense special interest and the occasional virtual social interaction. There is some evidence that Myra may be autistic but this isn’t explicitly mentioned.

The fact that Myra ‘thinks that everything is too much’, according to Gwen is further evidence that Myra falls somewhere on the autism spectrum. As someone who almost certainly does, there is a lot about Myra that is highly relatable. I can’t imagine being a complete shut-in like she is but I certainly understand the need to be alone for long periods of time and the importance of immersing myself in something I care about. I’m sure I’d get really annoyed by a friend like Gwen despite being able to see her good intentions!

There is another story running alongside that of Myra and Alex and it’s one from the past. It is connected to both of the present day protagonists but we don’t make the connections until the end. It’s the story of a mother and son relationship and its breakdown but I did lose focus and track of what was going on in this strand of the book. I don’t know whether it was too many events or too many characters but I feel like it might need a re-read to fully grasp the ins and outs of this story.

I have heard people compare this book to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I think this is because of the friendship between Myra and Alex. The anguish and pain of it does echo that of Addie and Henry but this really is the only resemblance that I picked up on. Unfortunately, I was much more invested in the story and characters in Addie LaRue than I was in Myra Malone.

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is a touching, multi-layered story about the magic of preserving the past and learning to let love in. Myra is a memorable character and I enjoyed the concept of the tiny mansion. However, my interest waned around halfway through and I don’t think I really understood the true nature of what was behind the magic. Perhaps it is supposed to be open to interpretation but I think I wanted more explicit answers.

It's one of my fav 2023 story, dear to my heart and sweet. There's magic, emotions, great characters and a love story.
It's a treat and a great read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I really wanted to read this book and struggled through two chapters despite the terrible kindle formatting (random numbers appearing in the middle of lines and often in the middle of words). The chapters I read I really loved and I'm sure this would have been a 5-star read for me but I'll just have to wait for publication to read it properly.

I reported the poor formatting but unfortunately it wasn't corrected.

Myra Malone has a website dedicated to decorating a miniature mansion (not a dolls house!) which has gathered a legion of fans. One day Alex comes across the site and discovers that the miniature house is exactly the same as the home he lives in.

What follows is flashbacks and switched perspectives as the truth behind the mansion unravels.

This book was ok, I was expecting to love it but it just wasn’t for me. I liked the flashbacks more than the current story, and found the love story and bit rushed and random - I think it would’ve been better without that.

Readers who enjoy books with a very slight hint of something magical will probably enjoy it - just wasn’t for me unfortunately.