This book certainly intrigued me from the off  but it did take me a few chapters to get into the style of writing used but I soon got used to it and think it was important to fully understand Ele and her POV. At the start of the book, I couldn’t help but make comparisons to Room by Emma Donoghue and was pleased that there were significant differences once the plot developed.  I read this in one sitting, captured by the mystery of Ele’s situation and desperate to find out how what would happen to her and  Willow. I would definitely recommend this title.

This is an interesting book. I'm sure some people will love it. For me, I couldn't get into the style of writing, the way the characters 'spoke' and the use of vocab. As I say, not for me, but I'm sure others will enjoy.

A tautly written, emotionally charged & thought-provoking read that will draw comparisons with the adult novel 'Room'. Subject matter won't suit everyone but overall this harrowing & arresting debut is well worth having & it ends on a hopeful note.

Separating reality from fantasy took time with this heartbreaking story of abuse. For a youngster to have the fortitude to cope mentally and physically  with the isolation and fear  yet still plan an escape demonstrated the resilience of the human spirit. How the character made sense of a world which was totally alien to her was well illustrated , and her rescuers overcame their reticence to save the other captive.
 I enjoyed this book with its satisfactory outcome.

I really enjoyed this one and so will be recommending it very highly on my YouTube channel Drinking By My Shelf!

An interesting, if strange, read. Ele is trapped inside with the Others. She's never been Outside; she's not even really sure Outside exists. But she's determined to find out for herself. Ele is a strong character and she never gives up on what she wants. I'd advise anyone who's not sure about this book to give it a chance and push through the confusing start.

Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

This was really questionable to me as to whether I was going to like it. I spent the first part of the book thinking it was a load of nonsense yet couldn't stop reading it. By the time I was half way through, I was totally hooked and think it was a fantastic piece of writing which really pushed the boundaries

I was totally absorbed from the start by this poignant tale of a little girl's bid for freedom and her vision of what "Outside" was going to be. The author has cleverly woven together the language and imagination of childhood to convey what it truly would be like to see for the first time all of the everyday objects of modern life, which we all take for granted. The story of Ele is shocking, but when told in her own words from the mind of a child she makes it somehow more bearable and we want to stay with her to find out whether she gets a happy ending. Full of tension, tenderness, horror, joy and imagination I thoriughly enjoyed this book. The twist in the end is brilliant too!

I picked up this story and starting flicking through to immediately be adsorbed in Ele's voice. Her voice is compelling and intense with a really real and original feel. This book had me guessing until the end and I really could not put it down. If you want a powerful read please read this. I will be recommended to all my family and friends.

“Truths are like people, see. They don’t like being shut up tight. They shrivel slowly, and they rot with lies, creating something mighty ugly.”

Wow! What can I say about this book?! Like Emma Donoghue’s Room it is both disturbing and redeeming at the same time. Ele’s language and immature outlook on life gives us an indication on her age, but also demonstrates just how long she has been held captive. It makes for difficult reading at the beginning, but I got the hang of it after a few chapters. It’s a quick read, but by no stretch of the imagination is it easy. 

It is actually quite sickening to go through this with a character - especially knowing that this very thing happens in real life. This book gives us a stark reminder of all the Ele’s out there who have not yet escaped, and I could not put it down. 

Many thanks to Sarah Ann Juckes, Penguin Random House UK Children’s and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a bit of time to understand what was happening in this book, it was intruiging enough that I wanted to carry on with it, but it's a story that opens up throughout the book.  I read it in a single sitting I was so interested in seeing where it was going.  The characters of Cow, Queenie and Bee are amazing and probably saved Ele's sanity.

3.5 stars
I have to say I wasn't too sure about this book at the start as I found the writing style difficult to get to grips with. However, I stuck with it and after a short while I got totally drawn into the story and the innocent narration from Ele. Would recommend. 
It will definitely appeal to people who have previously read 'The Room'.

It seems inevitable that this novel will draw comparisons with Room. A girl named Ele who is a teenager appears to have been kept confined in a room with other children for a long time. Ele is fierce and determined and she plans to overpower her captor and escape to the Outside one day. There were a couple of things that I found unclear about the book. The children have access to three books, one of which is a fairytale and Ele bases her knowledge of the Outside on this. I'm not sure how she taught herself to read and how she can relate to any of the books when she has literally no concept of the world. When she escapes there doesn't seem to be any kind of sensory issues or effects on her despite the fact she's unlikely to have any kind of immune system. She adjusts remarkably well to speaking to strangers and surviving in the Outside which seems unrealistic.

Oh this book gave me so many feelings. It was very intense and i felt so much for Ele. There was so many amazing aspects to this book and sometimes was so unsettling i wondered if there was a supernatural element to it. I was completely invested in what happened to Ele and rooted for her like she was a dear friend. I recommend this book 100%!

This is a beautiful book, with childlike innocence and hope at the core of what is a very dark story. Ele is a wonderful character, and the literal way that she sees and describes the world was a delight to read. She has built her reference points around the illustrated book of fairy stories that she read every day she was held in the barn but unlike a traditional fairy story, Ele's sheer bravery makes her the heroine of her own destiny. 
It's a book that made me laugh, take hope that there is good in the world, but also cry. I hope that this book becomes the success that it so deserves when it is released in January. 

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Ele has a very distinctive manner of speaking which makes it necessary to acclimatise to the language and style of writing. I found that this happened quickly and I became absorbed in Ele’s world. Her descriptions are extremely evocative and inventive. The plot is unusual and original and makes for an excellent debut from Sarah Ann Juckes. There have been comparisons made with Emma Donoghue’s “Room” but I think that “Outside” stands up very well in its own right. It’s one of those novels you wish you had the imagination, talent and skill to write yourself.

Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes a five-star read that will give you thought. This is one of those reads that you won’t be able to put down, it will compel you to read until the last page. I don’t know what to say without giving the plot or a twist away. its one I don’t want to spoil for any reader, I know it’s a YA genre but I really hope that it gets read by more than just that genre as it had a great cross over, once you get used to the language and the phrasing used you will get sucked in and start to understand the world you are reading.

Ele lives Inside.  All she knows is an automated existence where ‘sun bars’ light her living space and feed comes down a chute daily, and then once every few days ‘He’ appears, someone who is terrifying in his smell and behaviour and who she recalls previously shot and killed Zeb.  She will not give up, though, on the belief that there is an Outside, where there are trees and rivers … and where trolls and dragons and princes and the likes of Rapunzel live, as the few items she has ever owned and cherished are books of fairy stories. 

Told in a childish voice, Ele’s daily life and thoughts become captivating as we watch her journey and determination to prove the Outside really exists and to try to make it out there.  We long to understand what is going on, why she is Inside, whether she will make it Outside and, if and when she does, what will happen.

I don’t want to give too much away here, but I would highly recommend this unusual and riveting story.  Utterly compelling.

I wanted to give this a 4.5 star rating but it is not possible.  I can honestly say that I have never read a book quite like it!  It seems to be a children's book yet I am 71 years young.  The story is, for me, is a mixture of a Grimm's fairy tale and a dark tale of child abuse and imprisonment.  I don't think I am selling it very well to anyone who bothers to read this review but believe me it is definitely worth reading and should not be missed.  You can be any age to enjoy it.  As always as you progress through the book you wonder how it will end and many books do disappoint after a great build-up.  Still this one does finish superbly and I cannot think of a better explanation of what actually happened.  Make sure you read it and judge for yourselves

One of those books that makes you go 'wow' and leaves you speechless. For a very long time I did think the Others were chickens and that Ele was being kept in a chicken pen - this was due to the clicking noises that they make to communicate. When she made it into the outside I was selfishly worrying that they were going to starve to death while she was away, but they aren't chickens and actually were not quite what I expected. Really connected with Willow and his dad (the people who find Ele); they both have such a tenderness about them and I think the reason they clash is because they're just so similar. Such beautiful moments between them and Ele such as Ele and Willow sleeping under a tree together and Ele getting piggybacks off the dad because she has no shoes. The ending had a surprise twist that I wasn't expecting, but it was a very, very good twist!