This was impossible to put down. Fantastic book that deals with some really very difficult subject matter

Excellent read, very different from my usual genre. Well written with a good storyline, believable characters. Would recommend it to everyone, you won't be disappointed.

Why has Meredith Maggs not left her house for over 3 years?
The story unfolds and we discover what has happened to her and how she tries to overcome her fear.
With help from friends new and old..
Enjoyable story with likeable characters.I would recommend for fans of Eleanor Oliphant.

I enjoyed this book and I enjoyed getting to know Meredith and Fee and their sad story. It touches on a lot of issues, mental health, child abuse and marital abuse, not a light hearted read and dark in places but there is a good message along the way too. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this early copy.

Well, this is a deeply thought provoking book. It gently, and sometimes even darkly, deals with many mental health issues. It has some lighter parts but overall it is quite an intense read. It will definitely stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the ARC.
3.9 stars
SPOILERS ahead.

Opening line made me laugh. However, this book is much darker than the pitch — or the opening line, for that matter — suggests (and the cover). On the other hand, it makes sense that someone’s spending over a thousand days inside cannot be for any simple, light reason. (Side note, “Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house in 1,214 days” — immediate association with the lockdown; I can see many readers buying this book purely for this sentence).

I was under the impression that “something’s about to change. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door” in the blurb would be a kind of call to adventure. I think I was mentally comparing this story to Eleanor Oliphant, so when there was no “call to adventure” in a similar sense as with the aforementioned character (but not solely for this reason) it felt somewhat underwhelming when I reached the final page. There are some issues that have no resolution or lack clarity: Meredith’s reason for breaking up with Gavin, her online support group’s abandoned in the last twenty percent (or so) of the book and not mentioned again, why is there still a day counter at the top of every “present day” chapter after Meredith has left her house, what happened to her father (why he wrote hundreds of letters but never showed up). Also, Meredith often points out how beautiful her therapist is, which made me think that something was going to happen there, but it didn’t. Tom and Celeste — it felt like Meredith wanting to bring them together was an attempt to not go down the “well-trodden” path of including a love story for the female protagonist. However, Tom and Meredith have developed such a strong relationship, it would’ve made more sense if they ended up together or at least, if there was a hint that this might be a possibility in the future. Jumping between the “present day” and 80s, 90s, 00s made it hard for me to follow the order of the events that happened to Meredith in the past.
In general, this is a decent story and Meredith is clearly a character in her own right.

I'm not going to ruin this book for anyone by outlining the plot. Suffice it to say that Meredith Alone is a wonderfully engaging book with a hugely sympathetic and likeable protagonist and a cast of characters who help to bring her whole world to life, particularly Meredith's sister Fiona, her best friend Sadie and the lovely, kind Tom.

I didn't think I wanted to read a book about someone who hadn't left their house in over three years, but Claire Alexander pulls you into Meredith's world with so much heart and empathy that I found myself identifying with aspects of her life as someone who is a writer themselves. I absolutely loved the book as it flipped between timelines - so deftly that I wasn't disorientated and a little bit more of the puzzle was revealed. I actually raced to the end of it.

This is going to be a huge book. Like Eleanor Oliphant and The Maid. I loved it.

Meredith is a recluse. She has not left her house in over three years since a traumatic incident caused her to withdraw from life. She is estranged from her mother and her sister, and relies on a friend since childhood, Sadie, to visit and take Fred, Meredith’s beloved cat, to the vets if needed. Meredith’s panic attacks and fear of the outside world make it difficult to let anyone get close, so she communicates through a chat room. Sadie also gets her to meet with someone from a charity that helps people make friends. Along with her therapist this is the most contact that Meredith has.

This is a deep, and at times, dark story, which really gets to the heart of someone with mental health issues. From Meredith’s point of view we see how difficult her life is and how she copes with day to day living. Luckily she does have people who care, though at times Meredith finds them hard to have near. With her horrendous childhood and upsetting events in her life, Meredith is very often close to the edge.

If you want a light hearted, feel good read, then this is not the book for you. It is a thought provoking, serious book, very well written and the issues raised are dealt with sensitively and compassionately. Hopefully there is always light at the end of even the darkest tunnel.

Thank you NetGalley.

'Meredith, Alone' is a book about a woman who becomes agoraphobic after a traumatising experience. She ends up cut off from her family, but still has her best friend, friend's she meets on advice websites, and a friend she's made through a charity. I absolutely loved Meredith's character development throughout this book; it's an accurate representation of how trauma can debilitate someone and how important the right support group is to help someone out of that hole.

Overall, this is a very accomplished novel that covers a number of issues via the character of Meredith who despite her problems is an absolute pleasure to get to know! If you're looking for something to kick a reading slump or if you just want a good book to sweep you off your feet this year: look no further.

I loved this story and I absolutely loved Meredith as a character it was a rather predictable storyline but this didn’t put me off it was a super easy read and topics on anxiety and metal health were covered sensitively.

I wasn’t sure if this would be a book for me but decided to give it a go anyway. And I’m pleased I did. Great characters and a beautiful story, focussing on the very important subject of mental health.

Normally I love novels like this but for some reason I couldn’t get into it. I picked it up and put it down so many times that it left me frustrated.

"All that stands between Meredith and the world is her own front door... but what will it take to open it?"

Whilst this book isn't my usual crime/thriller genre of choice, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to learn more about Meredith, to know what had happened in her past and to find out what she was going to do next. The cast of characters in this book are perfect - as well as getting to know Meredith, we get insights into the lives of her friends Tom, Sadie and Celeste, her sister Fiona and many more. It is just a beautifully written, funny, poignant, wonderful book and one which I can definitely see myself re-reading in the future.

From a real life agoraphobic person, this book is spot on with the thoughts, feelings and processes of facing the outside world after years inside with just your own company.
This book is heart warming, thought provoking and full of hope.

It's a very good storyline that pulls you in from the beginning. Curiosity makes you want to read more and why Meredith hasn't left the house for so long.

It was engaging and kept me turning those pages and was great to have the flashbacks to Meredith's past and childhood.

So well written and surprisingly enjoyable.

Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house in 1,214 days. But she insists she isn't alone. She has her cat Fred. Her friend Sadie visits when she can. There's her online support group, StrengthInNumbers. She has her jigsaws, favourite recipes, her beloved Emily Dickinson, the internet, the Tesco delivery man and her treacherous memories for company. But something's about to change. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door

This was a very readable book, touching on some significant issues (no one becomes a recluse for no reason). It really felt like you were there with Meredith and she was such a likeable character. Really enjoyed the writing style and the character was well thought out and brought to life so well.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Meredith is a great character & I couldn’t wait to see how the story played out. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A beautifully written book with characters who embody the sort of kindness we all need to experience.. Anyone who suffers from anxiety and crippling mental health problems may identify with many of Merediths coping mechanisms. The difficult subject matter is dealt with sensitively and ultimately it is a book of hope. But the beauty of the book is the writing of Meredith's personality. It's simply a warm, albeit difficult, lovely story..

Meredith Alone is a rare find- emotional without being sentimental and contrived, sensitive without being cloying and real enough that you totally forget you're reading about fictional characters. Meredith's life has seen a fair amount of trauma- in both childhood and adulthood- and she retreats from the world one day. Gradually, she begins to let people in and begins her recovery. Some heartbreaking moments, but I really hope she's doing OK.