Girl in the Walls by A.J Gnuse is an interesting concept to the fiction genre. We follow 11 year old Elise whose orphaned and living inside the walls of her childhood home which is now occupied by a new family. While co-existing with the Mason family, Elise is determined to stay unknown but soon the Mason children begin to suspect that someone lives among them and are determined to find her.

Although the plot sounded intriguing, the first half of the book was very sluggish and slow. We get a lot of detail of Elise's experience within the walls but nothing really substantial or suspenseful during the first 150 pages of the book. I didn't care for the excessive use of parenthesis either, which often contained "filler" details that felt trivial and unnecessary. Not only did they break up the flow of reading but it felt like I was reading more of a YA story than a Literary one. Once the story picked up though it was easy to fly through the pages and some of its flaws were easier to overlook. Overall, I enjoyed the plot and the uniqueness to the story. It is also age appropriate to recommend to teen readers as well.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Girl in the Walls is about Elise, an orphan, living in the walls of her childhood home after her parents are killed in a car accident. The Mason’s are the family that inhabit the house now.

Elise makes sure she doesn’t come out of the walls unless the Mason’s are asleep or away from home. But soon, Eddie and Marshall, the Mason boys, start to think they hear and sense someone else in the house with them. The problem is Nick and Laura, their parents, don’t believe them.

After several attempts to convince their parents otherwise, Eddie and Marshall take it upon themselves to find out what- or who- is living in the house with them once and for all.

The brothers contact JT Traust, a man who believes the boys are telling the truth, and offers to help them find whatever is lurking in the house. But nothing is as it seems and soon the boys are in more trouble than they ever thought possible.

Besides, what happens if Elise is found? Will she be forced to leave her childhood home again?

The premise of this story sucked me in. I knew I needed to read this book just from the description, and I’m glad that I was able to read it. I loved the short chapters, only a few pages long, which seemed to make this book go by pretty quickly.

I do wish somethings were developed and discussed more in the story. Brody, Elise’s sudden friend who crawls through the window one day disappeared from the story as quickly as he appeared. When he was introduced, I anticipated a strong connection between the two, and almost another element to be added to the story. That unfortunately wasn’t the case. I don’t feel that Brody really added a whole lot to the story.

The other instance would be when JT Traust comes to help the boys find what is lurking in the walls. This was, by far, the most intense part of the story for me, and I was speed reading to find out what happened next. Unfortunately, the intensity got to the point where something big was going to happen... but it didn’t. The end of that specific scene was very disappointing to me. It was definitely the climax of the story and it just didn’t deliver for me.

And then we get to the ending. If you have ever read any of my reviews before, you know I usually hate the ending of almost every book I read. Not this time!!! I thought the ending of this book was perfect. It was not at all what I expected and I was pleasantly satisfied with how it played out. It seemed to be the resolve I needed for this book to feel complete. I don’t think I would have liked the ending at all had it been anything else.

I struggled with rating this book. I liked the story, but at times I felt it was almost painfully slow. I thought the building intensity really got my heart racing, but then it fell flat. I was interested in seeing how Brody fit into Elise’s life, but then he was written off. And then the ending made up for all of it.

So, 4 stars from me. I really liked the ending enough that I am giving an extra star I wasn’t planning on until I read the final chapter. It felt complete enough for me to be satisfied, and that never happens for me, so it deserves the extra star. I recommend this book to anyone who likes thriller/horror (but not really the scary kind of horror).

This is one of the weirdest books I've ever read.

And I liked every minute of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a very good book that makes you think twice about the sounds in your house. I really like that the point of view feels age appropriate for the characters and that it was told from a couple viewpoints.

A young girl traumatized by witnessing the death of her parents, stuffed into a foster home for the night instead of being treated for shock. Wanting to feel the safety of her parents and unable to deal with their loss, she returns to the place she remembers them best, a huge old home they had lived in before her parent's death.

Two boys, one quite possibly autistic, sure they hear noises in the walls. Sure there is someone creeping around their house. Stealing their things.

What happens when those collide?

Very quick pace and gripping story. I'll never think of the pops and groans in my very old home the same again. I always thought it was my cat...

This is easily the most unusual storyline I have read in a long, long time, and is unlike any other book that I have read. It is the story about a young girl, Elise, who witnesses her parents die in a car crash. The young orphan escapes after one night in foster care, to return to her childhood home where she attempts to remain close to her mother and father by living in the walls, attic, crawl space, laundry chute and other secret places. The current home's occupants, the Mason family, slowly become suspicious about strange noises and happenings within their home. What a ride of a read as the story unfolds and attempts are made to flush Elise from hiding! Beyond the obvious, there is a beautiful effect of her presence on the relationship between the Mason brothers and with Elise's relationship with a neighborhood boy. This book was really unique and I highly recommend reading it! Thank you Net Galley and Ecco-HarperCollins for the digital advanced reading copy.

I held my breath while reading parts of this story. The short chapters made the story unravel faster and I loved that. I picture this as a movie. Did you hear that Hollywood?

When Elise loses her parents in a tragic accident, she flees foster care and heads home. What she considers home might be a problem. Her family recently moved but their old house, the one that they sold, is the place that feels like home to Elise. She returns to the place where she felt safe and loved.
A new family lives there now, but that is not a deterrent to Elise. She knows how to be very quiet, and she knows every nook and cranny of this house. The parents don't sense her presence, but brothers Eddie and Marshall feel watched, and notice things that go missing. When Marshall tries to explain that something else is in the house, his parents won't listen, and he decides to take matters into his own hands. Marshall has no idea what he has done when he invites Traust, someone who claims he can help into their house. Traust's own baggage will turn a lonely girl into his prey.
There are so many things to say about this story. Elise's life has been destroyed, and being here, even hidden allows her to stay connected to her parents and not move forward. She is very mature in many ways, and as an only child myself, I didn't find that at all unusual. Her grief has consumed her making her existence in the shadows and the walls believable. Her aloneness leads her to describe ordinary events in anything but an ordinary way. The chiming of a clock on the hour, a paragraph in a book, the noises a house makes, even a termite infestation are described in exquisite and vivid detail.
While my heart broke for this orphan girl, the author kept me on the edge of my chair, never really knowing if this story could end anyway but badly. It is a strange and beautifully written book. It is even possible that there were much deeper meanings that I failed to discern, but I do know, that more than once, I had to remember to breathe.4.5 stars.

So this novel is literally about an actual girl living in the walls of her former family home. Her parents were killed in a car accident and not knowing where else to turn in her grief, she goes home. The only home she know. Except another family, the Masons, lives in this home now. And Elise is forced to coexist with them. Only they do not know. But the Mason boys have sensed her. And are trying to do something about it. And all this comes at a great cost to everyone.
This book is beautifully written. I must have thought it was something different than what it turned out to be. I'm actually happy to be finished reading it because it honestly stressed me out.

*Special thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an e-galley of this novel.*

Ok, I really tried, but this is too creepy for me! And this is coming from a reader who adores post apoc and zombies. There's something so real and terrifying about this one; genuinely, while typing this, I'm listening out for sounds behind the nearest wall. I'm not sure if I really want to hear them or not. The thought that someone could be sliding around my life, in my house...brr.

Read this if you want to be terrified!

(Please note that I did not read the whole book and can't comment on the plot.)

This book hypnotized me. I couldn't put it down. I was mesmerized in the same way I was as a child reading Norton's THE BORROWERS. It absorbed me the way HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY by Audrey Niffenegger did several years ago. This book was brilliantly constructed with twists and turns. On the surface, it is a thriller. Dig deeper and it is a powerful story of grief. Elise exists inside the walls of the home she once shared with her mother and father but the house is more than just a house. It's a prison of her grief. Those who live outside of the walls feel her presences but are reluctant to acknowledge it to each other. Fantastic book! Recommend without hesitation!

I'm not even sure where to begin with this book. I don't know how to classify it. You'd think with that title it would be horror, thriller, mystery, but it's not.

So I will tell you the things it is.

It is a slow burn, until the last third, when suddenly it isn't.

It is a story of a family and of a girl all alone, of unexpected friendship and the bond of brotherhood.

It is unsettling, surreal, and yet it wraps itself around you like a warm home on a cold day.

It is sad, and troubling, quiet and thought provoking.

It is entirely unbelievable, and yet....

For a book which was not anything I thought it would be, I liked it an awful lot.

This was such a fascinating book. The whole time I felt like I was putting together a puzzle without the picture on the box. While the description called this a coming of age story, and in many ways it was, after finishing the book I felt it ran much deeper than that. The author masterfully gives us just as much information we need for the moment but holds back enough to let our imaginations run wild. I found myself asking questions like, is this in the spirit of a Shirley Jackson novel? Or maybe Neil Gaiman? Is it a thriller or even a mystery? In the end maybe it’s yes to all of these questions and more depending on the reader and that’s what I loved about the book. There’s so much space to draw your own conclusions. In the end I found myself at the heart of the story as I could reflect on my own childhood through the various children of the story, but also through the parents and the challenges they face raising children the best they know how when there’s obviously no training manual.

Another intriguing aspect of this book is the house which, much like the one in the movie Parasite, is a major character in the book. The walls (if they could only talk) of a house can keep us safe, bring us closer together, or close us off from the people we love. And sometimes the history of a place can cast shadows on us we don’t always recognize and quite often there’s much more going on than meets the eye. Sometimes we just ignore these things and move on but other times we need to confront the past head on so we can find peace.

In the end I have to say I highly recommend giving this book a try. From the distinctive visual descriptions and suspenseful atmosphere to the wonderful character development and storyline,, It’s a book you don’t come across every day.

This was an unsettling story about home, loneliness, and family. I say "unsettling" because if the story wasn't focused on Elise wandering around the house unseen, it was focused on Elise's intense loneliness and grief for her parents. It definitely makes you think, and look over your shoulder when you're in the house alone.

Fear of the unknown

A very different type story. A coming of age story about a girl trapped in a world of silence in a home where she no longer belongs. A young boy who senses her presence but is never sure what or who she is or if she really exists. A young boy, wandering from an aged aunt and uncle befriending a hidden friend.

When Elise's parents are killed in a car accident she is sent to a temporary foster home. She runs away and lives in the walls and attic of her old home although a new family lives there now. When the family is gone for the day to work and school she eats and drinks and washes.

Eddie senses her presence but he tells no one. Then Elise meets Brody a young boy that comes to visit in the daytime when the family is gone. When he takes some items from the older brother Marshall both boys try to find the person hiding in their home. When they cannot. When their parents go away for an anniversary getaway Marshall invites a monster name Traust in to help them find the person living in their house. Then things go haywire.

The book is a physiological suspense mystery which is a bit repetitious in the beginning but get much better toward the end and you will not want to stop reading once you get into the book. The ending will definitely surprise you, but you will not be disappointed.

I had a hard time getting into the book but it was good after I read for a while. I would recommend it if you want to read something just a bit different than every other book because it is that.

Thanks to A.J. Gnuse, Ecco books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy.

What a sweet poignant read...this reached deeply into my emotions even though it is a coming-of-age tender story...definitely a recommended TBR.

This poor little girl, Elise, lives fearfully inside of her former home after her parents were tragically killed in a car accident. After being placed in foster care, she slips away to find safety and security in the only place she was ever happy. The uncanny part is she is inside the walls trying to be as inconspicuous as possible because there is another family living inside of her home.

As she slips in and out of rooms from within the walls, she is able to extract scraps to eat under the radar until two boys begin to see a young girl from their peripheral vision which creeps them out.... and me too.... that she is going to get caught. The boys set out to catch the intruder which is an incredible part of the story and her cleverness to remain hidden.

Even the house comes alive, as well as the mythology she reads and imagines the characters watching over her. This is a sweet, sad emotional read all wrapped up together as she connects with the home and her love for her family igniting and making this a touching momentous exchange. Highly recommend....
Thank you for this ARC, NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

This book is not a mystery or thriller but has intrigue. An orphan choosing to live in her family home around the new owner’s schedule. You see her resourcefulness and cleverness. The owners of the house notice things moved or changed. A quick read and glad I read it.

Strange noises in the walls, misplaced objects, missing food...Common? For Marshall, 16, and Eddie, 13, brothers who live on the South Louisiana levee, it is a fact of life. Elise, the “visitor” is a child hiding in the walls and crevices of the home she once shared with her deceased parents. The boys are ignored by their work-occupied parents. There are only two people who believe them and become witnesses: Brody, a. neighbor playmate of Elise and Traust, an adult monster, maniacally obsessed with the plan to capture and have her for himself. A. J. Gruse provides an eerie, intense and frightening atmosphere as the house and Elise fight to survive a deadly hurricane and the man who seeks to destroy her. Where is the real monster?

Well marking this one star will tell you this one wasn’t for me.

The story of Elise, an orphan who lost her parents in a car accident and retreats to the old big house where they once lived and hides in the walls, not being able to deal with her grief and looking for a comfort blanket.

A family of four move in and yes, you guessed it, the two boys start to think they can sense her presence , and of course the parent don’t believe them.

I came very close so many times to giving up on this one. It’s 320 pages and honestly it felt like twice the length.

Not a lot happens for large parts of this book. It’s very “dialogue” light so it is filled with descriptive passages to fill the pages that honestly became incredibly monotonous.

Chapters for the most part are two or three pages, named instead of numbered. It all felt a bit forced and a debut author trying too hard and accomplishing less.

Wafer thin characters who I had no empathy towards, a terrible writing style and structure, I get that the book is to be taken metaphorically and is telling us things that way, but frankly I was that bored I couldn’t care less what it was trying to say.

Surprised to see so many five star reviews. This one for me was a stinker unfortunately.


Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a very different story line than what I was expecting when I had read the description of it. I have to say that it was a great read, many times there was such great sadness but I could also understand the main characters need to go through the phase of being alone no matter the age that a person might be. I was pleasantly surprised at the ending as well, since for a while towards the latter part of the book, I really thought that it was going to have a very different outcome that would have had me bawling my eyes out. The only thing I'm not sure of is that I was really hoping to know more about her future and more of the healing process and I'm glad that she reached out but I'm not sure if I had wished for more from that encounter. Over all I highly recommend this book as it was a very different concept, one I had not encountered in any other books I have come across and I really enjoyed it!