Outside was actually a really pleasant surprise for me. I hadn’t heard of it until I saw it on Netgalley and thought it looked intriguing. I can see it being likened to Room as it deals with a similar harrowing theme of being imprisoned. However I think Outside stands up really well entirely on it’s own merits.

Outside follows a young girl, Ele, on her quest to escape her captivity and get to the ‘outside’ world. The book is written in a way that takes some getting used to. The reader is thrown into Ele’s frightening world and it is not immediately clear exactly what parts of her experience are real and what parts she has invented to escape her trauma. Despite the unusual writing style, or perhaps because of it, I was totally sucked into this story. I actually read it all in one sitting which is not something I do often, but I had to find out exactly what was going to happen to this brave and compelling character. There are obviously some dark subjects in this book but the overwhelming feeling it left me with was one of hope. The characters in Outside demonstrate both the cruelty this world is capable of and also the inexorable strength of the human spirit.

I really don’t have anything bad to say about this book. It is an intelligently written story of survival that I hope many people read. Outside is not a long book but I was left thinking about it long after I finished reading.

Wow! What a wonderfully written, moving book. The story is about a girl, Ele who is Inside, being kept there by Him, and endures hardship and abuse, but then escapes. The characters are so real and the story keeps you turning the page to find out what’s going to happen to Ele and the Others. Thoroughly recommended read! thanks to NetGalley for this book.

Outside is a captivating debut novel from UKYA author Sarah Ann Juckes. It is fast-paced, full of layered and wonderful characters and comes together in a shocking and emotional finale.

It’s hard to review this story without spoilers, so I’ll be keeping it fairly brief. This is the kind of book where the less you know, the better the reading experience.

Outside tells the story of Ele and the Others. From the outset we know there is something different about Ele. The way she describes the world around her is almost not human and it did take me a little while to grasp that. However, once I had adapted to Ele’s way of thinking I couldn’t get her unique voice out of my head. Phrases such as ‘sun bars’ which I quickly figured out were lights had me both confused and curious. Where exactly was Ele? What was happening to her?

As the revelations were made about Ele, her life, the Others and Him, I could feel the tension slowly building. I could kind of see where the book was going but even then there were still plenty of surprises in the final few chapters.

One of my favourite things about this book was Ele’s imagination when it came to the Outside. Being Inside for her whole life Ele’s only imagery of the Outside comes from books and her escape into fiction. It was really endearing when reading the way in which this effects what Ele expects from the Outside. The expects dragons, Princes, Princesses and evil giants. To her, that is what the Outside is all about. I loved the idea of books being real in her mind because like so many people I use reading to escape the real world myself.

Ele’s character is strong, her voice is unique but feels incredibly authentic thanks to the clever writing style used by Juckes. Her strength is admirable; I really don’t think I would be able to do half of what she does. Her emotions are clear and I felt both sympathetic and empathetic towards her. I do also need to give a nod to Ezra-Dad who was quite possibly my favourite character in the whole book. It was lovely to see such a positive role model in him and to see the way in which he adapted and changed whilst Ele was around. Wesley was also a wonderful character.

Overall I thought that Outside was a really captivating and emotional read. A story of true human spirit and the strength we can all find within us should we need to. Ele’s voice will stick with me for a long time.

Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes is a book liked by many people but unfortunately, I am not one of them. With comparisons to Emma Donaghue’s Room I thought I would enjoy reading It but I gave up on it around Chapter Five.

The writing style was deliberately crafted to show a limited vocabulary from a teenage girl who had spent much of her life captive, but it made it very difficult to read.

Ele lives Inside with the Others. She knows the Outside exists, but Jack and the others doubt her.

Ele keeps herself occupied by reading a set of fairy stories which she uses as proof that the Outside exists.

Ele has never seen the Outside but she knows it exists because that is where He comes from. He visits her every seven days and what goes on there is a story but not one that starts with ‘Once upon a time.’

From what little I read of the book I would say that this book may have triggers for those who have suffered abuse.

The narrator Ele came across as much younger than the teenager she was meant to be and whilst I am sure it was intentional, I felt it made it harder for the reader to identify her as a character.

Like I said, many people liked Outside but I am not one of them.

I’m so undecided on this book if I’m being perfectly honest. To start with this was too much like Emma Donoghue’s story Room for my liking. It just didn’t have the unique feel that a story should have. However once the story got going it became harder for me to put down. 

There are quite a few twists along the way, one happening near the end of the story, and these give an added dimension to the book. There are themes throughout which make for uneasy reading at times.

This was an okay read for me, I honestly wanted to like it more than I did. Although it had its moments I just couldn’t get away from the feeling that I wanted a more unique feel to the story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

The first thing I'll say is there are going to be obvious comparisons here with Emma Donoghoe's Room and that is simply because it's a similar subject matter and not many books are written like this.  Ele is held captive and it is through her eyes we see the world, 'inside' is quite confusing at times but that is because it is told through Ele are we are meant to be confused as she is.   There is child abuse, neglect and violence, it is never graphic or overtly mentioned, but the images the author gives like smells and sounds leave it to the imagination which is worse. I mention as this may be required as a trigger for some people. There were twists and turns and it's a hard read, upsetting, but a well written story.

4.5 stars/5 stars
Outside is a strange, heart-breaking book. It is written from Ele’s point of view, with her words and therefore also her limited vocabulary. When I started reading Outside, I was exhausted within a couple of pages. Ele doesn’t know what many things are, and so she has her own way of describing them, leaving the reader to guess at times what is happening. Although that sounds like an awful quality of a book, it was executed magnificently by Sarah Ann Juckes. Ele is a great character; she is strong-willed and sympathetic and it was a joy to read about life through her perspective. She has gone through some absolutely unthinkable things and she is unstoppable regardless.

Ele makes Outside special along with the author’s writing style, but the plot is pretty amazing as well. I wasn’t anticipating the intriguing mystery aspect to this book; Ele has always been Inside and we get to slowly find out why. After the slow start, I was addicted to this book and I was desperate to find out what had happened. I managed to guess some aspects of the plot, but dang, some other revelations left me short of breath.

Although Ele is an empowering character and the plot is gripping, I must highlight how dark this book is. It is at times disgusting, miserable and heart-breaking. The characters have truly been through awful things and the reader has to deal with these things as well. The most difficult aspect of Outside is its realism. This is something that could actually happen. It’s something that has happened. I wouldn’t recommend for you to pick up this book without carefully checking the trigger warnings. I am happy that I read this book, but during the first 50 pages I was definitely contemplating dnf-ing it simply for the sake of my mental health. It is a dark, heavy book.

Outside is a beast of a book. It is not massive in its size, but it will feel heavier than a truckload of rocks and it is more impactful than I ever could have imagined. Strongly recommended if you feel ready to face the dark aspects of Outside.

Outside is a debut novel, and I thought it was a solid one. I enjoyed reading it. The story is similar to the well known Room by Emma Donahu, with some differences. It was not easy to get into the book, but after a while I was hooked. I also thought the abuse was handled rather well, not being graphic and detailed, just implied. 
It was well wrapped up in the end on a high note as well. It's an emotional read I'd recommend to YAs or anyone who likes the genre or the blurb. 
Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for granting this complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book was well thought out and an interesting plot. How would a child react when they have never had a normal, nurtured life? Never had normal experiences, never had friends?  The author really gave a good insight into this. How would you explain normal everyday things, when you finally got to see them, with only fairy tales as a reference. It would have been quite easy to go into more details about the abuse suffered by the main character but the author carefully avoided it and this made the story more readable.

Outside is a remarkable book that I enjoyed reading. The story is similar to that in Room by Emma Donahu, although the child who is kept prisoner in Outside does not have her mother with her. I took a while to get into the book, mainly I think because of the strangeness of Ele’s language. The plot is well told, with abuse and violence not graphically described but always implicitly present during the period of imprisonment. I found the ending uplifting and would recommend this book to young and also ‘old’ adults alike.

uckes's debut novel, is a young adult story of inspiration and thriving despite adversity, and although these type of books usually very much appeal to me this was tough to get through, so tough that I almost gave up on more than one occasion. Ele's narrative was quite confusing and difficult to absorb, but I do understand the authors desire to create something original. Sometimes it works, others it doesn't - this wasn't quite executed well enough for me. It also starts very slowly and descriptions given of things by Ele and the Others took time to get used to due to the limited vocabulary of these youngsters.

I did, however, find it easy to connect with Ele and her ambition to overcome her problems and make something of herself, it's an inspirational message. Be warned, though, there are many heartbreaking moments throughout the book. Because the main sticking point for most people is the way in which is written, I recommend sampling the novel before purchasing so you have peace of mind that you can work through the structure and make the story work for you. I found it made the narrative too disjointed but you may feel differently.

Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC.

This was an amazing book, Ele who is being held captive by a man known only as 'Him' is such a tenacious, brave character. The writing is unique and the prose is beautiful, 5 stars I couldn't put it down.

I absolutely loved Outside, part Room, part Tideland, it tells the story of Ele, a vibrant and characterful voice. From the opening description we could tell something abhorrent was happening, but Juckes handles the subject matter deftly, bringing life to the characters and I found myself very invested in them. I will be recommending this book to everyone.

First I would like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book and also to apologize for it being late. 

Now on to the review.

This book ultimately was a three star for me. I found some issues with the formatting which was probably because it was an ARC. Also, it was a bit confusing.

I like Ele. I found her story inspiring and sad. It took me a really long time to figure out who the others were. I won't explain who they are as I'm trying for spoiler free but it's ultimately sad and awe-inspiring.

Jack was a big surprise and also a sad part of the story. I wonder what other talk is? There own made-up language?

Willow first is a weird name for a boy but that's a side personal note. I prefer the Will his dad called him. I felt bad for Will and his dad too. Both had their own burdens as well. But they took care of Ele well considering.

Also, I was very confused why neither took action when they found Ele? That doesn't make sense to me.

Wow!  Well, I could go for the easy comparison here and cite the similarities between the plot here and Room (Emma Donoghue), but that would be selling Outside short.

Sarah Ann Juckes has taken the premise of a child growing up trapped and isolated and given it a fresh voice of its own… Ele’s voice.

Ele is our main character and she is fierce and brave and scared and determined and so very strong.  Her life is devastatingly bleak and yet she faces it; more than faces it, she faces it down!

I will warn that the whole book is pretty much trigger after trigger.  There is child abuse and neglect, sexual assault, physical violence.  No gratuitous details are given, but the peripheral details – the smells and sounds, hints and hesitations – paint a clearer picture than anything graphic could.  I felt nauseous and rage-filled from the first few pages to the end.

There are plenty of mysteries to solve along with Ele as she attempts to improve her situation.  Whilst she tries to figure out whether Outside exists and how she would vanquish a dragon, the reader ponders who (or what) the Others may be, how Ele ended up there, and how she can possibly get (and stay) away.

The ending was perfect.  I didn’t see what was coming, and thought the author captured a nice balance of revealing and holding back; sadness and hope.

If you can stomach a tough and heartbreaking story, expertly told, with a compelling and memorable narrator, then Outside is for you.  Bring tissues and a pillow to punch.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

An excellent read - this book surprised me. It reminded me a little of the movie called Room in the sense that the child the book focusses on has lived in a room all their life and he finally gets to see and experience the real world when he escapes. Outside was like that but told from Ele's perspective. She's been stuck in this room for as long as she can remember but she's used the world of fairytales in the books she's read to learn about the Outside. There's also Him - the guy who has her locked up and comes in now and again to abuse her. 

It's disturbing what this man does to her, especially as we find out later who he is. However, one day Ele escapes and it's hilarious when she does because she's looking for giants, princes and greenery. Ele mistakes cars for dragons and it's sweet but sad when the reader sees the world from her eyes. 

Fav quotes:

I ain't sure what to say next. Fair to say that I ain't got much experience when it comes to meeting Giants. Feels like someone's got to say something soon, though, as all the words we're not saying are making this place awful stuffy. 

The moon, Shining. On me.
I smile so wide my teeth feel cold. But I'm feeling that moon - the real goddamn moon - on my face, all warm like a kiss. It's a bendy moon - half there, like someone has chewed it and been thoughtful enough to leave some for me. Ain't nothing as beautiful as no moon.

And I know what you're thinking. What kind of person spends all their whole life wanting to be Outside, then can't stand it none when they are? I know. I'm thinking it too.

I struggled with this one and the whole inside and outside concept. I find it ran far too close to Room for my liking causing me to draw many comparisons. Just couldn’t enjoy this one

Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes is breathtakingly deep, heartbreaking and incredibly insightful. This darkly fascinating novel considers upbringing and how it effects children, as well as the relationship between parents and children. The elements of this book where learning and language are considered are truly thought-provoking, as it causes the reader to question what they could learn if they were never taught anything. A cross between Room by Emma Donoghue and My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent, this is an outstanding YA novel. Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes was published yesterday by Penguin Random House Children's. 

Trigger warning: child abuse, captivity

The story
Without spoiling the novel, Outside begins with Ele's story, as she is living trapped in a 'tower' with what she calls 'Others', being visited by 'Him' once a week and fed cattle feed through a trough every day. 'He' is a disgusting dominant male figure who takes advantage, while Ele gets through it by talking to the 'Others' and playing with them. When she manages to break free one day, she runs and finds a boy who offers to take care of her. From here on out, Ele will discover exactly what she is capable of and learn to be an 'Outside person' who can face her fears and the disturbing truth.
Why this is a stunning book
Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes is incredible because it analyses the psyche of a captive child without making Ele too primitive. Juckes does not condescend her lead character, giving her animalistic traits compliant with her being locked up for years of her life, while allowing her to have human characteristics, including imagination and intuition. I love that the Inside and Outside parts of the story were woven effectively so that it was not as though she completely forgot where she came from after leaving.
The characters in this novel are so well-written and thought-through; Ele is clever and caring, whilst being wary of the people that she meets. Willow is a kind, damaged soul who would help Ele come what may and Ezra is a man who is willing to change and wants to be a great dad, but struggles with his own loss. 'He' is despicable, and the ending of this book is greatly satisfying while also rather harrowing. I very much enjoyed the character interactions which showed their true natures, especially things such as Ezra's old house and the willow tree. Elements such as this make this book incredible, as it makes you question what you think you know about each of the character archetypes.

Overall, Juckes has done an incredible job of taking dark themes of captivity, child abuse and the lasting effects of these and putting them into a book appropriate for teenagers and young adults. I give Outside 5*, and would recommend Outside to anybody who enjoyed Room, as the childlike language and understanding of the things around the captive child are similar, but also to people who are looking for a darker novel which has strong themes of friendship and family dynamics. Thank you to PRH Children's and NetGalley for my e-arc of Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes in exchange for an honest review. Outside is out now.

Intriguing story of Ele who is an Insider wanting to break free and become an Outsider. 

Life as Insider is not great, she has books and stories  that lead her to  believe life as an Outsider has to be better. She works on her strength and confidence to attempt to break free. Is this life better? Is her attempt successful?

An enjoyable book that is worth reading. Not my usual type of book but read in one sitting. Thought provoking.

What an absolute gem of a book this is! 

A modern day fairytale of escaping the evil witch. Except the evil witch is a male captor who has no intentions of letting his prisoners go. That is until the day Ele finally finds the courage to escape, run and never look back.

Loved this book so much I read it within a couple of hours. Thank you Sarah Ann Juckes.