The premise of this seemed interesting but the main character wasnt really likeable so I just could not get into the book unfortunately.

As somebody who isn't overly familiar with this side of OCD, this was an honest and enlightening read. Much of it follows our lead Eliot dealing with what she calls the Worries, intrusive thoughts that take over everything. This is in the middle of a big family worth of dynamics, the loss of a loved one and the love of a best friend. It's a messy mix of tense and hopeful.

The only thing that bothered me was the constant shoehorning in of references to being a copywriter (coming from a real life copywriter). It felt weird and out of place. Have to guess that was the author's own previous job. But that might be a personal gripe. Otherwise enjoyable wouldn't be the right word for this book, but it did open my mind.

Wow wow wow, I loved this. It’s so raw and emotional and real and I cried at some parts because how could I not? I love Eliot and being in her head throughout this book really felt real with her journey with ocd. Her family relationships and the one with Manny I adore even though sometimes complex.

I just wanna give Eliot a hug😭❤️‍🩹
When I received this book I thought it was just your typical second chance at love, dysfunctional family story. But wow, it was heavy and raw, and heart-breaking at times. There were sweet and funny moments too, and I related SO much to the family dynamics and the elements of grief.

This is an incredibly insightful and eye-opening story about the everyday reality of living with OCD. As someone who has several loved ones who live with obsessive-compulsive disorder, this book was truly a gift and a learning experience into the complexities of OCD.

It was exhausting at times being in the mind of Eliot with her Worries and thoughts, which is what made the book so impactful because if you thought that was a lot, imagine living with OCD and it affecting even your happiest moments.

And Manuel😭, his lines are what made me cry the most. The way he understood Eliot and her mind, and the way he showed up over and over again.

I gasped, I cried (even at the acknowledgements), I laughed - 4 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Net Galley & Penguin for this ARC - I loved it with my whole heart.

Eliot Beck hasn’t seen her family in three years. When her older brother is getting married, and the entire family comes together on Cradle Island, including her childhood best friend Manuel, who she cut out of her life just like her family, the walls she built around herself come crumbling down. There is a reason she fled to New York City and left her life behind three years ago, and she is not ready to share it with anyone.

This hard-hitting story about family, friendship and love is sure to leave you thinking.
Eliot has been diagnosed with OCD at a young age. I have rarely ever seen mental health portrayed so well in a novel, especially OCD which is often stigmatised as being scared of germs, or being overly tidy. The author has done such a brilliant job of bringing this other side of OCD to the page, in a way that you were able to feel with Eliot, and understand her brain works.

I do wish that there was a bit more of the romance, and I wouldn’t have minded an extra 50-ish pages extra to dive deeper into her relationship with Manuel. A lot of their relationship was talked about in the past timeline, which was important to understand their connection, but left me wishing for more in the present timeline. I personally, didn’t connect to Manuel's character in the present at all, he fell a little bit flat for me.
I think if this wasn’t marketed as romance, I would have felt differently. I would call this more of a literary fiction than a romance. It reminded me a lot of Normal People vibes in that regard.

The author’s writing was absolutely fantastic. Simple but so powerful. I could read their writing forever and not get tired of it.

Overall, I am rating this a 4.5 (rounded up to 5). I absolutely loved the story and I know this will stay on my mind for a while!

Thank you Penguin for the eARC.

When I picked up How to Hide in Plain Sight, I anticipated a light-hearted, second-chance romance, but instead found a much heavier, more intricate story.

The novel centers on Eliot Beck, who returns to her family’s private island for her brother’s wedding after years away. Her return forces her to confront unresolved issues with her family and childhood best friend, Manuel, while also grappling with OCD, grief, and depression.

The writing is raw and unflinching, especially in her accurate and empathetic portrayal of OCD, which makes Eliot's struggle compelling yet intense. However, the pacing drags at times, making the book feel longer than necessary.

Despite these flaws, How to Hide in Plain Sight is a worthwhile read for those seeking an emotionally charged narrative that delves into OCD and family dysfunction against the backdrop of a childhood friends-to-lovers story. It wasn’t what I expected, but it’s a commendable read nonetheless.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the arc in return of this honest feedback

Going off the blurb I read, I expected this book to be a cute romance between childhood best friends with a sprinkle of family drama thrown in to the mix. I definitely did not expect the primary focus to be on OCD, with other heavy topics like depression, grief and disability included (Although after finishing, I did see another blurb that included OCD in it).

While those topics were unexpected for me, I still very much enjoyed the book. I only have two slight negatives-

1) I felt it dragged a little in the middle, which made it feel too long, I was ready for it to end 50-100 pages before it did.
2) This one is going to sound like I’m contradicting myself but the ending was too abrupt for me. We needed an epilogue. I would have loved to see a little bit more, specifically how she got help for the OCD, we saw the struggles she had with it throughout the entire story so I wanted to see her on the road to controlling the thoughts and just generally feeling better. It would have also been nice to see how the family moved forward after the wedding.

3.74⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️

Well this broke my heart and put it back together again, although I think I'm still missing a piece or two. I loved how unflinching this was, how a pretty much universally misunderstood subject was handled with grace, clarity and compassion. A beautifully brave and fearless read.