Outside - Charlotte Levin

She’s locked the door to the world.

Is love strong enough to open it?

Following a tragic incident, rising-star Beatrice is struggling. Having retreated from life entirely, she finds herself unable to leave the house. With her acting career now over, (Though don’t tell her agent), and discovering who her real friends aren’t, her world has shrunk—its only inhabitants, an elderly Polish neighbour, the world’s most boring postman, her therapist with issues of her own, and Piano Bitch from across the road. Thank God for Matisse, her beloved, foul-mouthed parakeet.

When she hires Irish gardener, Finn, to tame the overgrown garden that she cannot even enter, things take an unexpected turn. Their connection blossoms, and she’s no longer isolated and alone. But can a relationship survive the restrictions that control her, or will love enable Beatrice to confront her fears and step outside again?

Your next reading obsession, the poignant and darkly funny new novel from the bestselling author of If I Can’t Have You, perfect for fans of Sorrow and Bliss and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, what an absolutely stunning book!  It's my first Charlotte Levin book but I will definitely be picking up her earlier novels after being completely blown away by Outside.

It's a dual timeline novel with 'Before' and 'Now' chapters that are separated into parts that correspond with the four seasons.  Whatever the weather outside, it doesn't affect Beatrice as she is cocooned from the world behind her locked door and closed curtains, with only her foul-mouthed parakeet for company.   

Beatrice is agoraphobic and being unable to see a physical ailment makes it hard for people to empathise with her.  Surely, you just need to open your door and walk outside?   Oh if only it was that easy.  You cannot help but take Beatrice into your heart as the reason behind her condition is revealed and I struggled to hold in my tears on more than one occasion.

It is quite a heavy subject but Charlotte Levin perfectly balances this darkness with a bright shining light in the form of parakeet Matisse and Irish gardener/love interest Finn.  Charlotte Levin writes from the heart, delving into her own experience with anxiety and agoraphobia, to give the reader a true, honest and raw insight into this debilitating disorder.

Candid, poignant and surprising uplifting, Outside is an incredibly emotional book with an unforgettable protagonist who I completely adored.  So beautifully written, this is an unmissable book that is going on my favourites shelf.  An easy five stars for this very highly recommended read. 

I received a gifted hardback for the Insta Books Tours readalong and tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Woman in the Window - A.J. Finn

What did she see?

It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.

Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.

But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

What did I think?

I saw a lot of posts on social media about The Woman in the Window so I just had to read it for myself and, although I didn't love it as much as I thought I would, I really enjoyed it and I'm pleased that I have read it.  It's quite a quick read with short chapters and an intriguing storyline so it's one of those books that you find yourself racing through.

Dr Anna Fox is a child psychologist suffering from agoraphobia.  Trapped in her house, she observes her neighbours' lives and binge-watches old black and white movies.  Anna gets her zoom lens ready for a real life episode of Neighbours when a new family move into the street.  The mother, Jane Russell, introduces herself to Anna but a few days later Anna hears Jane scream...frantically focussing the zoom lens, has Anna just witnessed a murder?

Anna is on medication and drinks a lot of alcohol so her reliability as a witness is called into question by the police and by the reader.  I wasn't even sure if Jane Russell was real with Anna's penchant for watching old movies and Jane Russell being the name of a 1950's film star.  I love books that make you think like this, as your brain tries to see behind the smoke and mirrors.

Full of suspense with deceptions at every turn, you can't help but raise an eyebrow or drop your jaw at some point in the book.  Although very well written, I felt more intrigued than gripped and I do like my heart to race at some point in a book.  I think this would be a great book to pack in your suitcase for a holiday read and I can imagine The Woman in the Window being seen a lot on the beach this summer.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Escape - C.L. Taylor

"Look after your daughter's things. And your daughter…"

When a stranger asks Jo Blackmore for a lift she says yes, then swiftly wishes she hadn't.

The stranger knows Jo's name, she knows her husband Max and she's got a glove belonging to Jo's two year old daughter Elise.

What begins with a subtle threat swiftly turns into a nightmare as the police, social services and even Jo's own husband turn against her.

No one believes that Elise is in danger. But Jo knows there's only one way to keep her child safe – RUN.

What did I think?

The Escape gripped me from the start and I read the whole book in one sitting, I don't think I even stopped for a quick comfort break.  I have read a few C.L. Taylor books and this is definitely my favourite one so far - it is so enthralling, gripping and nerve-racking that my eyes felt as if they were superglued to my kindle.

My heart was pounding from the first few pages as the footsteps following Jo were described and I almost jumped out of my skin when they caught up.  Ah, it's only a harmless female stranger wanting to ask for a lift.  It's definitely unusual and not terribly British but she asks so forcefully and Jo is running late, so she has no alternative but to agree to give her a lift.  The stranger identifies herself as Paula and once she is in Jo's car, her behaviour changes and it becomes clear that this isn't a chance encounter.  Paula knows who Jo is, she knows her husband and she warns her to look after her daughter.

Jo already has a history of panic and fear of leaving the house, so this sends her head into a spin.  Naturally, she wants to call the police but her husband, Max, isn't very supportive and he claims that he doesn't know Paula.  Max works as an investigative journalist and Jo is convinced that, through one of his investigations, he has put her and their daughter, Elise, in danger.  When things start happening that Jo can't explain, Paula's threat may be about to come true as Jo's fitness as a mother is called into question.  With Max spending all his time at work, Jo does the only thing she can do to keep Elise safe - she goes into hiding.

As the search for Jo goes on, she goes to the one place that she thinks nobody will look for her.  A place that has been erased from her family history but where the family secrets remain, and we all know that secrets don't stay buried for long.  I found myself holding my breath as this fast-paced book drew to a close; the writing is so vivid and I was so immersed in the book that I'm sure I could hear the roar of the sea in my ears.

The Escape is superbly written, no wonder C.L. Taylor has such a huge following that keeps her firmly and well-deservedly on the top of the bestseller listings.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Don't Close Your Eyes - Holly Seddon

Robin and Sarah weren't the closest of twins. They weren't even that similar. But they loved each other dearly. Until, in the cruellest of domestic twists, they were taken from one another.

Now, in her early 30s, Robin lives alone. Agoraphobic and suffering from panic attacks, she spends her days pacing the rooms of her house. The rest of the time she watches - watches the street, the houses, the neighbours. Until one day, she sees something she shouldn't...

And Sarah? Sarah got what she wanted - the good-looking man, the beautiful baby, the perfect home. But she's just been accused of the most terrible thing of all. She can't be around her new family until she has come to terms with something that happened a long time ago. And to do that, she needs to track down her twin sister.

But Sarah isn't the only person looking for Robin. As their paths intersect, something dangerous is set in motion, leading Robin and Sarah to fight for much more than their relationship...

What did I think?

Having loved Holly Seddon's amazing debut, Try Not To Breathe, I could not contain my excitement when I picked up a copy of Don't Close Your Eyes.  You really can't put Holly's books down; they immediately draw you in to an intriguing storyline, making it quite possible to finish Don't Close Your Eyes in one sitting.  I didn't quite manage it as my brain ignored the instruction and my eyes unfortunately started to close as it was way past my bedtime.

Robin and Sarah are twins, although they are like chalk and cheese, and we meet them as they are growing up in the late 80's/early 90's.  There is no doubt as to the era with references to Jordan Knight from NKOTB (although I was a Donnie Wahlberg fan) and Opal Fruits (not the yellow ones).  Robin becomes close friends with her neighbour, Callum, as the two neighbouring families begin to socialise together, but she could never have expected her life to intertwine so intricately with Callum's.  In a cruel turn of fate, Robin and Sarah are separated by the Atlantic Ocean as Sarah goes to live in America.

Fast forward to present day and if you think the 'past' was full of drama, you ain't seen nothin' yet!  Robin is agoraphobic and spends her time looking out of her window at her neighbours' lives.  She is clearly very damaged and you wonder what on earth happened to her, this girl who was once confident enough to be in a band.  Sarah meanwhile, is equally lost after her husband, Jim, stages what appears to be an intervention which separates her from her beautiful daughter, Violet.  Jim has a list of misdemeanours, but surely Sarah can explain them?

I can't really say too much more without giving away some of the story, but what an amazing book this is.  Don't Close Your Eyes is filled with so much drama that it makes Eastenders look like an episode of Songs of Praise.  Holly Seddon really knows how to get under your skin, creating characters that are as multi-faceted as the rarest diamond.  It's not only a book that I will continually recommended, but a book that I will definitely read-again.

Seriously good, you won't want to blink, never mind close your eyes, until you have finished it.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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Saving Sophie - Sam Carrington

A teenage girl is missing. Is your daughter involved, or is she next?

Your daughter is in danger. But can you trust her?

When Karen Finch’s seventeen-year-old daughter Sophie arrives home after a night out, drunk and accompanied by police officers, no one is smiling the morning after. But Sophie remembers nothing about how she got into such a state.

Twelve hours later, Sophie’s friend Amy has still not returned home. Then the body of a young woman is found.

Karen is sure that Sophie knows more than she is letting on. But Karen has her own demons to fight. She struggles to go beyond her own door without a panic attack.

As she becomes convinced that Sophie is not only involved but also in danger, Karen must confront her own anxieties to stop whoever killed one young girl moving on to another – Sophie.

What did I think?

I noticed a lot of bloggers tweeting about Saving Sophie as it climbed up the Amazon chart, so I nipped over to NetGalley to get a copy for myself.  It's well worth a read if you have a spare few hours, as you won't be able to put it down - I certainly couldn't and read it over two nights.

Sophie is brought home by police after a night out with her friends.  She is extremely drunk and incoherent, mumbling something about her friend Amy.  The next day, Sophie can't remember very much at all about her night out, which wouldn't be such a big deal if one of her friends hadn't gone missing.  When the body of a young girl is found, Sophie's memories could hold the key to piecing together events from that night.  Then Sophie starts to receive photographs from an unknown email address - somebody knows what happened that night but Sophie can't remember, so if she shows the photos to the police she could end up incriminating herself.

Karen, Sophie's mum, is agoraphobic - she's afraid to leave the house after she was attacked a few years ago.  Alongside the police investigation, she contacts Sophie's friends and trawls through Facebook photographs to try to find out what happened after Sophie's friends allegedly put her in a taxi when she'd had a bit too much to drink.  Sophie's friends don't seem terribly helpful and are acting suspiciously - what or who are they hiding?

With short chapters, some of them showing creepy emails between an unknown sender and recipient, I absolutely rocketed through this book.  It's so fast paced and I had everyone under suspicion, so I couldn't wait to find out what had happened and how it would all end.  As the conclusion approached, I was on the edge of my seat and if I ever wanted to know how far a mother would go to protect her daughter, Sam Carrington certainly showed this in a spectacular way.

Saving Sophie is an edge of your seat read and an outstanding debut from Sam Carrington.  It's fast paced, gripping and impossible to put down.

I received this e-book from the publisher, HarperCollins Avon, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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