This was an absolutely delightful story, completely original; I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The life of Myra Malone, a recluse of sorts in Arizona, revolves around her seemingly magical miniature mansion (never to be called a dollhouse) which she spends her days with and blogs about to a huge, adoring audience throughout the world. Across the continent, Alex Rakes works for his father's furniture business where he hears of Myra's website when people keep mentioning they want "Mansion style." When he sees the website, he is beyond shocked to see his own house passed to him by his grandmother, and his own bedroom with odd and eclectic items he has only recently acquired. And there they are in the Miniature Mansion, exactly the same. So he reaches out to Myra in an email to try to make sense of it all. And thus begins a very amazing and beautiful and emotional journey into the secrets of the past and the secrets of the twin houses with a great deal of love and magic along the way.
An absolutely splendid book, an emotional roller coaster ride that is well worth the trip. Highly, highly recommended.

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is a dazzlingly unique & magic realism filled fiction novel that is the perfect read to cozy up with on a cold day. This majestic novel is full of mystery, generational family tales of drama, tragic heartbreak & healing & interwoven with enchantment & romance mixed in.

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone showcases the inherited minuscule mansion of Miss Myra Malone that may be more than meets the eye. With the nudging of Myra’s best friend, Myra shared her stunningly decorated (not a dollhouse) mansion & its’ stories with the Internet, which subsequently goes viral. One particular reader that discovers the mansion is Alex, who is shocked upon seeing the pictures of Myra’s mansion for they look disturbingly identical to his real life residence. An essay contest later, Myra & Alex begin a correspondence for the ages & the adventure that follows is an bewitching tale.

Right from the beginning, you are introduced to this enchanted world with its’ stylistic voice that can enrapture you under the spell. The author has such a unique voice that immediately jumped off the page & felt like a storybook being narrated in my head.

The alternating timelines were interesting, intriguing & informative as you gather the various stories through the years. I appreciated the most recent present of 2015 storylines the most. The past proved vital to the story, but I was most excited to return to the later years

Each story was like picking up an informative quilt square where eventually you receive enough sections, sew it together & create this beautiful piece of art.

I really appreciated how it came together, even though it was different than I expected. (I cannot put into words why this is though!) Overall, this felt like a warm cup of tea of a story.

Massive thanks to Berkley Publishing for the free arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Trigger warnings: This book mentions &/or contains car accident, death of loved ones, injury, fire & suicide.

I’ve also submitted my review on Amazon, waiting for it to go live!

3.5 stars

A miniature mansion, a woman who lovingly crafts its tiny rooms and shares them on the internet for others to see, and a man on the other side of the country who is inexplicably finding photos of a dollhouse on the internet that portrays... his actual home?

Concept: ★★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★

Myra Malone lives in her home surrounded by the frozen time warp that is her life. At the age of five, she was in a devastating car accident—it killed her step-grandmother and left Myra traumatized and near death. Her recovery journey went from coping with some altered facial differences as a child to isolating herself inside as a homeschool student to being an adult wholly unable to leave her home.

In this very, very isolated and hermit-like existence, Myra has her Mansion.

Well, it's not a mansion. It's actually a very well-crafted large dollhouse, complete with dozens of furnished rooms, beautiful miniaturized fixtures, and a little extra something that Myra herself never questions. (If the rooms she creates react and adapt on their own, who's to say? Myra knows there's something a bit like magic happening under her nose, but she doesn't mind.)

Across the country, Alex works in his father's furniture store. His family is Virginian old money, and they have an old estate in the woods that his father hates and Alex loves. It's a true mansion in the Virginian woods, and it calls to Alex like some kind of magic. Furniture moves around when he's not looking, and every once in a while he can here music and voices.

Alex and Myra don't know it, but their worlds are about to collide.

Myra made an online blog about her miniature Mansion, and it developed a massive cult following despite her lack of interest—it was all her friend Gwen's idea, after all. But that cult following kept growing, and one day it reached the ears of Alex in Virginia.

Alex is stunned to discover that Myra's "Mansion" is... his house. And the bedroom she just took a photo of is... his bedroom. Done in miniature, of course, but it's his room. And that's his library, and that's his... and on.

Myra and Alex are about to uncover a lot of history and the magical ties that bind them together...

The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone was such an enchanting and original read. I was drawn to this story by its very unique title, but the ultimate thing that made me ask for an early reading copy was this concept of a magic dollhouse tied to a real mansion. What a fun twist on the magical house trope!

And, for those who come to this story for that reason, I think you're in for a similarly delightful read. Quaint, soft, yet overwhelmingly filled with heart and healing, this is a story that I think will find broad appeal in the soft fantasy, romance, light historical, and contemporary literature market. There's a dash of this, a dash of that...

At times too drawn out and at others too condensed, I did feel like this story included too much and yet also too little. This was a deceptively large concept hiding behind a small pitch line, and once you pulled on the first thread it all just collapsed into your metaphorical reader lap.

Something about this story that I did not expect were the multiple timelines throughout it. This is a multi-generational epic that spans over 100 years, with chapters of various points in time. Myra and Alex each have their own POV thread with chapters throughout the book, but interspersed continuously through that main story arc is a very dense historical narrative with some other characters. I wasn't expecting that in this story, and frankly I think it led me as reader to feeling too spread out between such a long time period and too many characters. My personal preference would have been to keep this story contemporary, with Myra and Alex, and let the past be the past. But take that with a grain of salt—I am not a historical fiction reader!

However, quibbles aside, I think this story will find its niche audience and bring out some joy and emotional healing to its readers.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Did you have a dollhouse as a kid?

I had one and I was very very into it. I loved all the miniature accouterments, especially the tiny foods. The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is the story of Myra, a recluse who lives her entire life working on her miniature mansion and Alex, a man who connects with her on account of the mansion (no spoilers!). And mixed in is the story of Alex’s grandma and her trials and tribulations. This book stole my heart. All of it. Myra has survived so much tragedy and channels her grief and recovery tending to the mansion and writing a blog about it with the help of her amazing best friend. The details of the mansion were perfection with a little touch of magical realism. Watching Myra find her footing and start to trust herself was beyond inspiring. She was just so likable and perfect even with all of her flaws and insecurities. I can go on and on about this unique, clever book.

“None of us chooses our burdens…but we bear them just the same.”

Thirty-four-year-old recluse Myra has grown accustomed to her predictably small life. Her only connection to the outside world is through her blog where she shares stories and photos of her beloved dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. That is until Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business comes hurtling into her life. After seeing photos of the Minuscule Mansion, Alex is shocked to recognize his house mirrored back to him on a miniature scale. Together, they trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love.

This was THE cutest and sweetest story with a touch of magical realism and a whole lot of love. I just adored it! The characters are so well developed and I was immediately and thoroughly engrossed in it.

My grandmother had an amazing (and HUGE) Victorian doll house when I was growing up, with all of the miniature items in it just like in Myra’s miniature mansion. I spent hours staring into that thing in awe of how realistic it was (think working lights and fireplaces!). Anyone who has ever had a special grandparent that shaped who they are, or a dollhouse they got lost in, or difficult family dynamics they spent their lives trying to navigate, this book is for you. Love love loved!

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This romance, family drama, witchy novel starts of a little slowly as the reader gets used to the shifts in time and place. Once the setting and characters are established the pace quickens as the reader needs to figure out the connection between all of these times, places, and characters. And the mansion(s) that are at the center of it all. Myra and Alex are characters that you root for to make that connection and overcome their early childhood traumas.

This book was so beautiful and the storyline was so wonderfully written. This book was a bit of a slow start as the author built this unique, special world for readers, but as the different points of view and timelines revealed more, the story pulled me in and didn’t let go. I loved Myra’s blog entries about the mansion, she wrote about the house with such detail and love, it was clear it was so much more than a hobby to her. Her relationships with Trixie and Lou were so special and I loved when the storyline gave us glimpses into their time together. Willa’s storyline was so heartbreaking but her strength was such an admirable quality about her. I loved her connection to the house and her ability to love others in such a kind and thoughtful way. Alex was wonderful and such a likable love interest in this story. The way that Alex and Myra connected through the blog and the mansion was really special.

The way the storyline was able to cross between different genres really worked for this novel. The magic of the mansion was uniquely interwoven with the topics of grief, loss, love, and healing. This book provided so much comfort and I really loved the ending. If you loved In The Shadow Garden, this may be a book you enjoy as well.

Thank you @berkleypub for the #gifted finished copy of this novel. It was such a magnificent reading experience.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is an enchantingly unique and irresistible story that rises above conventional genre confines and tells a story of love and loss, friendship, resilience, and the enduring power of memories.

Myra Malone lives the life of a recluse, tending to her miniature mansion daily. It's her world and allows her to avoid all of the bad that exists in the outside world. Her only links to the world outside are her friend Gwen and her wildly popular blog about her miniature house. But this isn't just any miniature house; it's a magical house that connects people and memories in some of the most authentic and fantastical ways imaginable.
Actual Reading Experience:
Myra Malone's story differs from my typical read, but it drew me in before I even opened it to the first page. I could feel that magic of the story as sure as I could feel the coolness of the cover and the texture of the pages. Myra engaged me with the opening line, "Once upon a time, there was a house," and led me into her story with the promise of the fairy tale. But would it be one with a happy ending, and what would that happy ending look like?

The story has a few different romances, as it covers three generations of people whose lives included the miniature mansion. My favorite may have been Lou and Trixie, who experienced an instant love that lasted the rest of their lives. There was something so pure and genuine about their feelings, the kind of relationship a young Myra would want to aspire to whether she realized it or not.

Myra and Alex have a long-developing relationship that begins via email after a couple comes to Alex for help recreating a room from Myra's miniature mansion. The tiny room is precisely like Alex's actual bedroom and to say that he was gobsmacked is an understatement. Alex's acceptance of Myra's disfigurement and fantastical notions is heartwarming and life-affirming. I couldn't help but wonder if the hand of fate and Willa hadn't worked to see this come to fruition.

Friendship is a significant theme throughout the story and is seen most prominently in Gwen and Myra. Friends since childhood, Gwen would do anything for Myra and does. She's the one that makes Myra's blog a reality and she's the one that comes up with a way for Myra to save her childhood home. Gwen provides Myra with a link to the outside world, making everything that happens to Myra possible. She does it simply because she loves Myra as a friend and perhaps as a sister. They are forever linked, and nothing is more vital than that.
Characters:
The characters are unique and authentic, and I loved each one. I also loved the humor in their exchanges with each other and their genuine regard. They are all very different, but most are also lovable and noteworthy.

Myra Malone is the main character. After a disfiguring accident when she was very young, her mother kept her home for fear of something more happening to her. This reclusive life became the norm for Myra, and when the reader meets her at 34, she is still happily restricted to that house. She does not live in fear, though. I found her reluctantly brave and, in her way, full of life and possibility. She has potential and never loses it.
Narration & Pacing:
The narration is in the third person, and the POV was mostly through Myra, though the earlier timeline is through Willa. This narration gives the story a medium pace that stays consistent throughout.

Setting:
There are a few different settings that run over three different timelines. Myra's recent experiences are the main timeline. Still, she takes the reader back through Willa's life and significant parts of her childhood. The switches between time and place could get very confusing in any other book, but not in this one. I had no trouble following along at every juncture. I found Willa's story particularly interesting due to the magic surrounding her. I'm a sucker for a story with magic, and it always grabs my attention.

Read if you like:
• Magical realism
• Engaging writing that stays with you
• Stories about friendship and love

Did you ever have a dollhouse? Or as Myra seems to prefer it, a miniature mansion? I did. My dad built it himself, no kits for him, my grandfather built tiny furniture, my grandmother sewed pillows, rugs, bed spreads, etc. and my mom painted furniture and paintings for the wall. It had some of the best of talents of those I loved. I spent endless hours with that house.
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The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges was such a unique read. I admire writers like Burges who’s imagination creates a world within a world. Myra’s world has been this miniature dollhouse that her grandfather gave her when she was little for most of her life. She has quite a tan following of her blog posts about the mansion and it’s everchanging rooms.
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When fans show pictures of Myra’s mansion to Alex, he is shocked to recognize scenes from his own life replicated in detail in the mansions tiny rooms. He seeks out Myra and together they piece together the puzzle of the mansion’s past and their own.
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Obviously, suspend belief because this is magical realism done well. This story goes back and forth in time and between the two main characters. It is a bit slow going, giving time to develop the story full of love, loss, and family.
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Myra blogs about a tiny mansion that she inherited from her step-grandmother. She has captivated readers around the world with her writing, furniture making and designs. Myra is a recluse, who hasn’t left her house in years and spends all of her time with the mysterious mansion where rooms appear and disappear and other unexplainable things happen.

Alex lives across the country and is shocked when he sees Myra blog and her tiny mansion, the same exact mansion with the same décor of the house that he lives in. A house that has been in his family for years. Searching for answers Alex contacts Myra. They both become enamored with each other’s stories. The Mansion brings them close together.

This was a charming story with sprinkles of magic realism. At times the story was sad and filled with grief but the ending was heartwarming. It was told via past and present with multiple timeline lines, POV’s and flashbacks which at times I felt that it made the story disjointed. I did love the vivid descriptions of the tiny mansion and all the characters. It was such an unique read with magic and a little bit of a romance.

I would recomend this one to those that enjoy cozy, whimiscal stories.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had no idea what to expect when I requested this book for review. All I knew was that the blurb sounded intriguing and maybe a bit weird, and I liked the cover. But if anyone can tell by my reading choices last year, I’m all in on weird, intriguing PNR/Fantasy reads.

Blurb:

"A woman learns to expand the boundaries of her small world and let love inside it in this sparkling and unforgettable novel by Audrey Burges.

From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.

Across the country, Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize a reflection of his own life mirrored back to him in minute scale. The room is his own bedroom, and the Mansion is his family’s home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds—big and small—and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love."


This book started out slow for me. The first few chapters are all in Myra’s POV, as she inherits the mansion as a small child, quickly moving to her in the present day as she realizes that the cabin she’s lived in her whole life may be taken away from her and her mother due to nonpayment. Myra doesn’t leave her house at all, spending most of her life in the attic where the mansion resides. The Minuscule Mansion is her whole life, but she needs money to keep her cabin, so her BFF suggests that she hold a contest on her blog to raise the funds.

When Alex is introduced the story starts to pick up. Especially when he realizes that his family house, the one he currently lives in, is a replica of this minuscule mansion of Myra’s across the country. What does this mean? How can this be? He enters the contest with the intention of reaching out to Myra and finding out.

From there, another POV is introduced, and this was my favorite part of this book. As the Lady who owns these mansions, both big and small, tells the story of her life and how that story intertwines with both Myra and Alex I was transfixed. This was the good stuff. The story flowed well, with Myra and Alex in present-day connecting on a fundamental level and communicating through emails and texts. Then back in time to the Lady’s life through the years. This kind of storytelling is my favorite, so it was easy for me to keep up, and keep turning pages as the story unfolded.

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is a mystical and enchanting tale of love, loss, heartbreak, and finding a connection. There are some heavy themes, but there are also lighter moments. While I was conscious that this was mainly a story about Alex and Myra getting to know each other in weird circumstances and ultimately falling in love, it felt bigger and deeper, the background of the Lady and what she means to both of the main protagonists really added a layer of depth to the story that I loved. This book kind of defies genre boundaries, I wouldn’t be surprised to see readers categorize it into multiple genres.

Ultimately I found this book quite charming, and really enjoyed the climax and resolution. Alex and Myra’s HEA fit them and the story and was satisfying. I look forward to this debut author’s sophomore effort.

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is an endearing cozy read. From the age of six, Myra has been in possession and the curator of a miniature mansion. She painstakingly cares for each room maintaining the furniture and even decorating for the holidays. Now in her 30s, Myra shares her writings about the tiny mansion online. This is a big step for Myra as she is a recluse who spends all her time on the mansion. Miles away Alex Rakes is asked to create one of the rooms by a customer at his family's furniture store. He quickly learns that the room in mansion that Myra curates in her attic is an exact duplicate of his own bedroom. Reaching out, they begin a correspondence. This leads them down a path of discovery in both each other and the mansion.

I really enjoyed this book. Generally I am on the fence when it comes to magical realism, but this was really heartwarming. There is whimsical lighthearted moments sprinkled between themes of loss, self discovery, and acceptance. Even in the sad moments, Bruges does a very thoughtful job of navigating the complexities of the moments. Inevitably there is a romance between Alex and Myra. This is no surprise, however, the narrative is about so much more. There are also themes of friendship, family, and hope.

Overall, this is a lovely engaging read. It's cozy and enchanting while tackling deeper themes in a wonderfully inspiring way. This is definitely one I will buy for our library and suggest to several of our patrons.

4 stars... very interesting premise for "Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone" about a reclusive "dollhouse" blogger (she says it's not a dollhouse, lol) and the man living in it's full-sized version. It's a love story, mystery, family dramady and fantasy all rolled into one, which might have just been doing too many things at once. Easy to read and very often enjoyable, highly recommend for magic realism fans. My sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary advanced digital review copy - all opinions & ratings are my own.”

“That’s what sewing does. It gives us a way to warm and shelter the ones we love, even if we can’t be there to do it ourselves.”

As someone who used to collect miniature figurines as a kid and has lived in AZ my entire life, this book was perfect for me! I’m a huge fan of magical realism, too, so those aspects of the story were my favorite. There is a museum in Tucson dedicated to miniature houses/buildings and I kept thinking about it the entire time I read this book.

Rating:
4.75 stars

Read if you like:
Magical realism
Stories set in AZ (but not in the desert)
Miniature houses (please don’t call them dollhouses!)
Alternating timelines

my two favorite things in life are books and cute small things, so i was excited for this, but unfortunately it felt to me like it was doing way too much. there were multiple perspectives, timelines, and genres, and i felt i spent most of the book in a state of confusion that never really went away.

This is a quietly lovely book, but it just didn't achieve that great, memorable feeling like I was hoping it would. I love magical realism, but it took so long for this to get going and for the pieces to slot together.

Myra Malone possesses a magical mansion (don't call it a dollhouse) which she painstakingly decorates and cares for in the attic of her house. It was entrusted to her by her step-grandmother Trixie, and in the twenty-nine years since Trixie died, Myra has lovingly curated each room. She writes stories about the mansion on a blog, and it has gained a cult following of those who love to recreate the mansion aesthetic in their own homes. When one of these followers shows a photo to furniture seller Alex Rakes, he is astounded because he lives in his family's ancestral home--one that is the mirror image of Myra's mansion. What is the connection?

This has some sweet themes of loss, love, and family, but the telling is disjointed with the movement back and forth in time and between Alex's and Myra's pasts and presents, along with other members of their family. It's not told in a very straightforward way, so when it was all laid out I had already figured out most of what was going on and could predict what would happen.

I liked Alex as a character, but I didn't really warm to Myra for a long time. I thought her family coddled her and let her dwell on the past much, much longer than seemed realistic. Although the ending is satisfying and the story as a whole is good, it is lacking in the magical wistfulness I was hoping for in the story. It's also quite a slow burn, so if you're not in the mood for some meandering, save it for a time when you are.

This book was completely outside my reading scope but something when reading the blurb kind of clicked right, was it the magic vibe or something else.
Whatever, I am much happy to have strayed from my usual reads.
It feels like a fairytale from the old books, with the lives of the many protagonists unfolding in front of our eyes as time mingles and past and present collide.

Myra has been made the keeper of a magical world without being made aware of it. Yet as the outside is reminding itself to her, she is now looking for a way out of her present circumstances with the help of her only and persistent friend.
How thus she crosses path through her computer’s screen with Alex. Alex who lives in a one scale version of her own mini mansion, the one that has been sitting in her attic for close to three decades.
Myra over the years has jailed herself willingly in her parents’ house, leaving less and less the walls that contain all her insecurities, making of the mini mansion her whole world, the door to the outside realm. Her fears confined herself to set her horizon on this tiny universe. Yet she does not feel like she is missing much, the house whispering to her ears only secrets and magical tales.
So while Myra’s kingdom is enclosed in one house’s attic, Alex’s is the whole world as he never really had a home, apart from the very firsts months of his life. With a father who never was one, a ruled out mother, and no living other relatives, he never has a loving home outside the connection he feels toward his grandmother’s.
The same mansion which replica sits in Myra’s home.
From this connection, the author transports us through time, with glimpses of Myra, Trixie, Alex, Ruth’s stories at key moments

So this is a story about love and its failings, romantic, friendly and/or familial as it is all those reunited that make us whole. How a legacy can be shared outside blood ties when people have nothing in common or too much or how friendships have emerged from some twists of fate or sheer will and how on a deep level connections are made because they were in some way meant to be as without the friends that cemented some of the protagonists, they would not be where they stand now.

With Myra Malone and Alex’s mansion, we jump into a world made of magic, loss, refusal, dreams and hope, hope for something else, something more.
5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 none

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Myra suddenly finds that she's going to have to leave the home she hasn't left since she was five years old- not for school, not to shop, not for pretty much anything- because her mother hasn't paid the reverse mortgage. Her only hope to to save it is her long time BFF Gwen's plan to leverage off Myra's much beloved web site that describes and shows her work with a miniature mansion (not a dollhouse!) she inherited from her step grandmother Trixie. Alex, who has a fraught family life in Virginia, realizes that the mansion is the one he lives in! How is this possible? Myra steps outside her comfort zone to engage with Alex in emails and later phone calls. This moves back and forth in time starting with Willa in the 1930s, who is Alex's grandmother, to the present. To be honest, I was never clear on the full story with Willa (there'a a paranormal element here) but the rest of the characters in the novel- especially Myra-are engaging (well not Alex's father). Burges has captured the way fans can pick up on a web site and the fear of an agoraphobic. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

As a miniature house connoisseur (I’m obsessed with Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle and dozens of alt-dollhouse creators on social media), I was really excited to receive this ARC. It’s hard to describe what exactly this book is—there’s gothic elements of hermits and haunted families and creepy eldritch houses, but it’s more lighthearted than that implies. There’s so much whimsy and wry humor, but TMMOMM takes itself very seriously. The Mansion is full of magic, but it’s so casually dropped that if you blink (or read a paragraph too fast), you might miss it. But most of all, it’s a cozy and comforting story about leaving your comfort zone—even if it takes 34 years. Though I sometimes found myself wishing for a bit more subtlety in the revelation of the mystery, and though I guessed what was coming early on, I still found myself hanging on to every chapter. I would definitely pick up books from this author in the future!

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges is a sweet, slow-burn romance with just a bit of magical realism.

Story Recap:
Myra Malone lives in a cabin with her mother in the Arizona Mountains and she blogs about her extraordinary minuscule mansion, or dollhouse. But, don’t let Myra hear you call it a dollhouse! She has thousands of followers who hang on her every word about the mansion. She changes the decor in each room with hand-crafted furniture and accessory pieces. But, the mansion sometimes has its own ideas as rooms appear and disappear as do Myra’s decor choices. Myra is a recluse and doesn’t leave her mountain cabin ever. She relies on her mother and her best friend to bring her supplies and they are her only human contact.

Alex Rakes works in his family's custom furniture business, but he doesn’t enjoy the work. When a couple of customers mention The Minuscule Mansion’s blog, he is instantly intrigued. The mansion is an exact duplicate of his full-sized mansion, which he lives in alone. It was his mother’s home, and a home his father despised. So what is a woman, who lives in the Arizona mountains doing with an exact duplicate of his home?

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this sweet, unique story. I was intrigued by the dollhouse, and I could see its popularity with Myra’s blog followers. Myra is a recluse, and I wanted to know why she became that way. Her best friend Gwen is the powerhouse behind the blog and just a wonderful best friend for Myra.

This has a few timelines, but the current timeline was the most compelling for me. The book has flashbacks to Myra’s past and we get to learn more about why she is a recluse, and how she acquired the minuscule mansion. And there is another timeline that follows the history of the full-sized mansion that Alex lives in.

The pacing is a bit slow, especially in the middle, but it’s worth hanging on, as it’s such a unique story.

Recommendation:

I highly recommend The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.