Reasons To Go Outside
by Esme King

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Pearl Winter hasn’t been outside her house in over 40 years.
Something bad happened when she was a teenager and she hasn’t felt save outside her home ever since. Her mother and Ray used to live with her, but since they both died, Esme has had no contact with anyone and is completely alone.

18 year old Connor Matthews feels like a stranger in his own home since his mother died. After the summer holidays he is supposed to go to university - his father has planned Connor's future carefully. But Connor wishes for a completely different future.
When he learns that a woman who lives a little out of town is looking for a gardener, he accepts the summer job.
And that's how Pearl and Connor get to know each other. And what they don't know yet is that their lives are about to change.

I‘m so glad that I was able to read this book before it hits the shelves on May 26th.
The story is so heartwarming and uplifting despite dealing with more serious issues such as agoraphobia, the loss of a parent and other very traumatic experiences. Especially Pearl's trauma and how she tries to overcome it is shown very clearly. At the same time, it is a wonderful story about friendship and love, cohesion and support, dealing with grief and finding yourself.

I highly recommend the book.

Loneliness, love and kindness. The story centres on Pearl, Connor and Nate. Pearl hasn't been outside for many years due to severe agoraphobia. When young Connor comes to tidy her neglected garden, he decides to help her, not realising that she can also help him. Nate is suddenly made redundant in his sixties and finds himself with time on his hands. A great debut novel from Esme King.

A beautiful, heartwarming story filled with delightful and intersting characters that, at times, had me sobbing! I really didn't want it to end. Thoroughly recommend! My thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This is such a lovely story. It features Pearl who has agoraphobia and hasn't left her house in 43 years, Connor who is 18 and feeling pushed out of home and into university when he doesn't want to go and Nate who is down on his luck. The story of these 3 comes together beautifully and is a real tear jerker. Its a story about hope and friendship but Pearl's story also has plenty of sadness - but Connor and Nate also have their share. Overall though it's a heart warming tale.

All the characters in this book are lovely! This story has short chapters from multiple perspectives so has great pace and is difficult to put down. This is a lovely read that really pulls on the heart strings!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley with no promise of a favourable review.

I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of this by the publisher for which I am very grateful.

Ah Pearl 😘 I devoured this book in one sitting. It's an emotional, funny heartfelt read that I absolutely loved.

The characters are lovable and you feel like they are your friends, just great fiction.

Absolutely 5 stars from me, will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Pearl has lived alone on the moors for many years, suffering from agoraphobia she fears leaving her home. With her garden completely overgrown, she decides that she needs a gardener and employs Connor – an eighteen years old boy who faces his own challenges, and the two become friends.
Told from three perspectives, the main story explores the many problems experienced by Pearl and how she copes with day to day life. But as Connor, and later Nate, tell their own stories, it becomes more wide ranging and compelling as their families and friends become involved. Characters are well drawn, friendly and likeable, and you feel that you know them.
This is the first book I’ve read by Esme King, and I enjoyed the way she draws friendly, relatable characters who face difficult challenges with courage and determination. Although the story explores a serious mental health problem, there is also humour and a light-hearted, optimistic feel to the story. The book unfolds at a steady pace, and I recommend reading.

Sixty year old Pearl hasn't been outside her house for forty three years. While her mother and stepfather were alive she coped but now things are getting on top of her especially the garden and the growing mountain of rubbish in her spare room. Along comes Connor, eighteen years old and unhappy now that his father seems to be settling down with a new woman two years after the death of Connor's mother. The relationship that ensues is heartwarming and evenly sided. Pearl is able to help Connor as much as he helps her. Meanwhile in another part of the country, Nate, also sixty, is made redundant and cannot find another job. He is saved from slothful indolence by his neighbour who encourages him to volunteer at a dog rescue centre. Pearl and Nate are linked but how? And how will they meet up again?

This is a pleasant, enjoyable books which I liked a lot. It's very readable and the characters are well defined. For me it lacked something though. There were potential areas of conflict which could have been better developed. Connor's relationship with his father for example which was all too easily resolved, and his father's new partner which could have been explored more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and the different dynamic it brought across the diverse range of people making such a huge difference to Pearl and her life.

I enjoyed this book giving me some insight into agoraphobia, it’s possible cause, coping mechanisms and way forward.
I loved the different relationships of the generations and how communication is so vital in everything we do

This was a fabulous book with two wonderful main characters in reclusive Pearl and struggling teenager Connor as well as Nate who has had to embrace a big change in his life. Despite her agoraphobia Pearl is actually a very warm and welcoming person but lacked the ability to meet people, she was understandably scared about getting a gardener and the presence of Connor in her life unsettled her but it was great to see her blossom herself. Connor has some great friends but his home life is difficult as he’s still grieving his mum, feels distant from his dad, overwhelmed by his dads new partner and on top of that dreading going to university. This built up the relationship between Pearl and Connor so well and it was great to read both their perspectives. Pearl’s agoraphobia was sensitively considered as was the reason behind it and it was incredible to think of the things she was unable to do because of it. The characters in this really do make this the wonderful read it is, very uplifting and easy to read but incredibly thoughtful too. 9/10

What a wonderful book!!! I’d never heard of this author before but I’m excited to read more!!! A lovely story with unforgettable characters

Reasons To Go Outside is a well written gentle story about friendship and love spanning time and generations. Pearl, Connor and Nate are such beautiful characters that will enter your heart and stay there. I absolutely loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough. I look forward to reading more from Esme King. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy of this truly delightful book.

At times you would come across work of literature, so beautiful in its nature that it simply takes your breathe away and makes you heart warm and cosy and you feel that the world is a beautiful cozy place, a place of human emotions. This book made me feel all of that. The characters are so well built, so well written that it'll stay with you even after completing the book. Absolutely marvel of a work.

This is a truly beautiful book that I read in just a few days as I was so engrossed in the story that I was loathe to put the book down I fell in love with the three main characters and I am quite bereft now that I've finished the book as it feels like leaving behind good, kind and lovely friends. Pearl is a character that will stay with me for a long time. This 59year old lady whose life has been on hold since 1976 due to her agoraphobia was a wonderful protagonist. I was rooting for her the whole way through. 18 year old Connor who she hires to tend her overgrown garden is a young man whose future is uncertain as he grapples with some life changing decisions. Nate is in his 60's, alone and volunteering at an animal shelter . These three people are to discover a connection that will change their lives. The whole storyline and the people involved stole my heart and only the rarest and most touching books tend to do that. I absolutely loved it and will be recommending it to all my book loving friends and family. I shall be eagerly looking out for the next book by this author. My thanks to Negalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book which it is my pleasure to review and recommend.

A teenage Pearl Winters and her mother Lana move to Dartmoor in Devon with Ray Johnson in the 1970’s. The isolated house Highview has a beautiful cottage garden, you can see the moors in the distance and Pearl feels safe here. Pearl is now fifty nine, she hasn’t been able to go outside for forty three years and her only contact with the world is through the postman and her old telephone.

Since Ray and Lana passed away no one has touched the garden, the grass has reached the height of the windows and Pearl needs to hire a gardener. Connor Matthews wants to find a job for the summer before he leaves for university and he likes working outside. He contacts Pearl, she asks him to come for an interview and she conducts this through a partially opened door. Connor is pleased when he gets the job, it will keep his mind of his troubles and he feels unwanted in his own home. Since Connors mother passed away, his father Donald is busy at work and his new girlfriend is taking over his mother’s house.

Connor and Pearl friendship starts slowly, she notices how hard the young man works, she starts inviting him inside for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Two lost souls find each other, Connor introduces Pearl to his friends and she starts to come out of her shell. The main issue is she still refuses to go outside, when Connor finds some old letters in the loft, it triggers a chain of events and Pearl has to overcome her agoraphobia to help Connor and find her lost love Nate Williams.

I received a copy of Reasons To Go Outside by Esme King from NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review. It’s a heart-warming and uplifting story about overcoming fear and grief, the lasting effects of trauma, unlikely friendships, gaining the strength and courage to leave the house and rediscovering love. If you’re a fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde, I recommend reading this book and four stars from me.

I loved this book - it was a glorious read. To be highly recommended.

We meet Pearl - a 50 year old agoraphobic - Connor - a 18 year old about to face big life changes and Nate - made redundant and trying to find his way. A story spanning 40 years links them - as their pasts are brought to light each finds a way forward from tragedy to love, reconciliation and peace.

I liked all three characters and the supporting cast as well.

A memorable story - it will stay with me.

Such a beautiful book that was a pleasure to read. Likeable characters and a story that has so much. Love, friendship, sadness and joy. Looking forward to more books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Reasons to go Outside is one of the loveliest books I've ever read. I fell in love with Pearl, the main character, who has a fear of leaving her house since 1976. She develops an unlikely friendship with a young man, Connor who she hires to maintain her garden. This sweet story will leave you reaching for the tissues as you fall in love with the characters , their lives and the challenges they try to over come to find happiness. Totally recommend . An adorable feel good book with a quirky twist.

Where do I start? What a beautiful book!
Three main characters and a story that spans over 40 years.
Pearl is a woman in her late 50s, gripped by the hands of aggressive agoraphobia, with not a soul to reach out to or the ability to help herself.
Connor is an 18-year-old with a big life change ahead of him. Something he is not entirely sure he should be doing. and his own dreams which are being squashed to fulfil those of another.
Nate is a 60 something man with not much but memories to keep him going after being made redundant.
All three have a story that ties them together.
It is a story that has its roots in an awful tragedy, but as it grows, and with love and nurture, it bears the fruit of love, friendship, and reconciliation.
I truly loved all three of these characters, and I feel they will stay with me for a long while. And the cast who support them is equally memorable. There is a lot of goodness in this book, which I think the world needs right now.
A story filled with loss, hope, determination and, above all, friendship in the most unlikely of places.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book the characters and the storyline drew me right in.I read it in a day Inwas so involved couldn’t put it down highly recommend.#netgalley #hodderstoughton