Having loved Room a few years ago, I was looking forward to reading this as it seemed a similar kind of premise, and it didn't disappoint.

The first person narrative created a natural intrigue, leaving you guessing exactly what the situation is, what happens to the other characters and how on earth she'll survive "outside". I liked the subplot of the "outside" characters she meets and was surprised by the twist at the end. I hope there'll be a follow up!

Before I start I just want to mention a few trigger warnings. Outside does touch on some sensitive issues such as physical abuse, sexual assault, neglect, imprisonment, mental health and disassociation. These are all handled extremely well throughout the story but please do go into the book knowing this, as at times it is pretty heavy.

Outside is a book that I went into not knowing much about and for that I am glad as it really did surprise me. It is a story of inspiration, bravery and thriving to follow your dreams. This is a lot different to other books I have read and I think that is one of the reasons why it stood out so much. You go in expecting one thing but what you get is totally different.

The perspective the story is told from is one of the reasons why it is so unique. Ele knows nothing about life Outside. Her guide to the Outside is through a very limited amount of literature - mainly fairy tales. Ele sees herself as Rapunzel and is convinced she lives in a tower and is waiting to be rescued by a prince. When Ele finally gets Outside the way she describes things such as clothes, food and other everyday items could be seen as quite strange. However, you have to put yourself in Ele's shoes. What would you be like if you encountered items you'd never seen before?

Outside is very character driven. The plot itself is easy enough to follow but it is mainly about Ele's development as a character. Ele is fierce, determined and ever so brave. Her reactions to the more boring things in life was very entertaining to read and she brought with her a fresh perspective on things we take for granted. I found myself rooting for her all throughout the book and I just wanted everything to go right for her. If you read about one strong female character this year please do make it Ele.

Overall, Outside was unlike any book I have read recently. It had me hooked and wanting to know all about Ele and her upbringing. The plot twist at the end just had me in shock. This was a heart wrenching, beautiful, character driven read that I am still thinking about to this day.

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.

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.

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

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.

This is the story of Ele who is held captive on the ‘inside’ with the others who are not like her , she dreams of the outside just like in her books and is always looking for proofs it exists , when she escapes and truly discovers the outside , she meets dad and willow who help her on the outside and we learn her story . This book is both harrowing and courageous and is well written, I did find Ele’s narrative was not the easiest to read and it took me a while to get used to it but understood why she spoke like that as she didn’t have all the words and had a limited volcabulary, I liked the twists and turns and had to keep reading to get answers, I am glad I tried something different to my usual reads

Ele and the Others have been trapped inside by Him for as long as she can remember. Ele knows there is a world Outside, but can she ever get there?

This book was a quick read for me. I found that after a very slow start, the story began to pick up about a third of the way in, and by then I definitely wanted to know what had happened to Ele. The language used took a little getting used to, but it was understandable when you consider Ele and the Others had no other frames of reference apart from some children's books. I rate this one a solid 3.5 stars.

TW: some descriptions of child abuse, thankfully not too graphic.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Penguin Random House UK Children's, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

Totally different concept . Why has Ele and her companions never been outside?
Who is "Him" why does he keep them all here ?
Who taught Ele to read ?
So many questions? I needed answering that kept me hooked on this book .
Different but worth a read