How to Hide in Plain Sight

By: Emma Noyes

Narrated by: Emily Pike Stewart

The unbreakable bonds of family and love are explored in this brilliant and tender story from the author of Guy's Girl.

On the day she arrives in Canada for her older brother's wedding, Eliot Beck hasn't seen her family in three years. Eliot adores her big, wacky, dysfunctional collection of siblings and in-laws, but there's a reason she fled to Manhattan and buried herself in her work—and she’s not ready to share it with anyone. Not when speaking it aloud could send her back into the never-ending cycle of the obsessive-compulsive disorder that consumed her for years.

Eliot thinks she's prepared to survive the four-day-long wedding extravaganza—until she sees her best friend, Manuel, waiting for her at the marina and looking as handsome as ever. He was the person who, when they met as children, felt like finding the missing half of her soul. The person she tried so hard not to fall in love with… but did anyway.

Manuel's presence at the wedding threatens to undo the walls Eliot has built around herself. The fortress that keeps her okay. If she isn't careful, by the end of this wedding, the whole castle might come crumbling down.

Critic reviews

“I simply could not put this book down. Beyond the brilliance of the writing itself, Emma nailed the realities of OCD, a very misunderstood condition that so rarely gets accurate media representation. I laughed, I cried, and I healed through these pages.”—Alegra Kastens, founder of the Center for OCD, Anxiety and Eating Disorders

“How to Hide in Plain Sight is a raw and emotionally profound read. Eliot's strength is inspiring, and the smart and lyrical writing makes this book difficult to put down. Combining themes of family trauma, grief, and self-acceptance, this story is a tear-jerker in the best way possible.”—Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, USA Today bestselling author

“An honest, unflinching, and at times, heartbreaking exploration of how the walls we build to protect ourselves can block out the love we need to thrive. Noyes’s prose crackles with feeling and fervent, relatable yearning. Readers will revel in the triumph of this beautifully affirming story of self-acceptance, as they race toward the hope-filled happily ever after.”—Rebekah Faubion, author of The Lovers

“Once again, Noyes (Guy's Girl, 2023) sensitively portrays a heroine who is coming to terms with a mental illness and finally opening herself up to love. Flashbacks depict the onset of Eliot's OCD and the masking techniques she used to keep the peace. Add this new-adult novel to the growing list of romances that explore neurodiversity.”—Booklist

Praise for Guy's Girl

“Emma Noyes’ stunning adult debut is raw, real, and an emotional page-turner that will stay with you long after the last page. This love story is a must read.”—Krista & Becca Ritchie, New York Times bestselling authors

“Heartbreaking and romantic, Guy’s Girl is a beautifully written and authentically raw story about the human journey through trauma, self-exploration and self-love.”—Samantha Young, New York Times bestselling author

“Emma Noyes completely captivated me with her spectacular debut! Guy’s Girl is an honest, no-holds-barred look at life as a twenty something struggling to find love and find herself. Noyes deftly handles incredibly tough topics with care and sincerity, culminating in a sparkling work of fiction that I could not stop thinking about. This one stuck with me long after I finished the final page!”—Falon Ballard, author of Just My Type

Romance and Mental health rep!

Beautiful story with OCD REP. Mental health is a central theme which was so important.

Wow

I finished this book a few days ago, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I really can’t express how deeply this book has meant for me. How understood I feel. How beautifully it was written. Genuinely an amazing story and so informative on such an untalked about topic

Like listening to my own thoughts!!!

Entertaining storyline, well written and well performed. WONDERFUL for people with OCD, intrusive thoughts, and grief. Hits the hard points without being a depressing memoir.

A tug of war with thoughts and reality

As simply as I can put it, well done.

This book heartbreaking knowing these are thoughts people have about themselves. Thoughts at times they cannot control. It has a theme of how to understand joy, and that expressing your thoughts to safe people is one of the best ways we can get through life.
This book shows the way up and out from our thoughts that can be so drowning and consuming if we don’t step away from the spiral.

Thanks Emma, I appreciate your insight.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT

this book crawled into my soul and made itself a home! this book made me feel things that i haven’t in years. i immediately connected with the main character and felt that the representation of ocd was phenomenally done. i too know what it’s like to be scared of your own mind and to not want to be alone with your thoughts. yet this book made me not feel so alone in that regard. all she wanted was to be understood and loved unconditionally and to know that she isn’t fucked up. i guess you could say that she found that in manuel while i found it through eliot’s character and noyes’ writing. and i will say i did shed a tear when manuel told her that her mind was the most beautiful. truly it punched me in the heart in the best way!