A lovely gem of a book very uplifting despite the sad content sometimes. I tore through the book in one afternoon and fully recommend

Following Meredith felt like a privilege, being able to read this felt really special and as a reader you really feel like part of her journey. Claire Alexander's writing approaches mental health problems so compassionately and really gives an insight into the daily thoughts and feelings of agoraphobia. I loved that Meredith wasn't a victim in her story, and the strength and courage she shows as she grows through her struggles. If you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant then this is definitely a book for you, it's moving and empowering in all the right ways.

Meredith hasn’t left her home for over 1200 days, but we don’t know why.

We gradually learn the truth through flashbacks between the past and present.

I instantly fell in love with Meredith, she’s strong, funny and so relatable. Her friends were all likeable too they all looked out for her.

I don’t want to give anything away but this is definitely one to add to your TBR! I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Meredith, alone is a haunting and absorbing tale which is by turns poignant, funny, shocking and uplifting. We learn that Meredith has been unable to leave her home for 1,214 days at the outset of this story and aside from her best friend, Sadie, and her two children, and not forgetting Fred the cat, has a very limited support network. Gradually though she lets Tom from a befriending charity into her life and strikes up a relationship with the young lad who lives opposite. Meredith’s backstory is revealed by a dual timeline. Clare Alexander treads carefully through themes of abuse, which is never graphic, anxiety and depression. I rooted for Meredith right from the start and her baking skills left me salivating! Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for the eARC.

I loved Meredith Alone! Only once in a while does a book like this come along that keeps me reading until the early hours. I loved learning about Meredith and the trauma that has led to her not leaving the house. It's such an emotionally gripping book I'll be recommending it to everyone!

Absolutely loved this book - it was so well written with great characters. Such a delightful book of hope and how things can get better if you persevere. Really really enjoyed it.

Amazing, Amazing, Amazing I can’t praise this book enough. From the first page I knew I would be championing Meredith to get well and make it out the house. The writing style just pulls you in and you actually start believing you know Meredith, Fiona, Tom, Celeste and Fred the cat. Her relationship with her mother I’m sure many daughters can relate to and the strong bond between sisters is so true.
I will be encouraging everyone I know to read this book. Claire Alexander you are a literary genius.

Meredith does not go out, ever. Through the story, we come to understand why . Chapters of the book are set in different times of her life and all come together to give a picture of her insecurities. Parts make for shocking reading, although the story is told with a good understanding of relationships and emotions. It is a longish book, but kept my interest throughout .
Characterizations are good and I came to understand Meredith's anxieties and what her therapies and friendships did for her . The end leaves a couple of issues hanging, not a problem for me. I hope that things work out for the characters.
Thank you to Net Galley for a great and thoughtful read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really enjoyable read. Absolutely loved Meredith's character. Overall, a wonderfully uplifting read with a great plot and many endearing characters that overcome lots that life throws at them.

The most interesting charcater is Meredith's mum: a severely flawed character that will make for many interesting discussions.

I am really enjoying that many novels published more recently are exploring female psychology in an authentic way, and giving voice to the historically more voiceless in society.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this nove. I highly recommend this novel.

This book has so much depth, and flows so easily from the page to the heart. Compelled by fear and Pdst to self isolate in her home, Meredith’s story touched me deeply. Growing up in an emotionally abusive home, later abandoned by her family after a serious attack, Meredith is alone. Or is she? Her best friend is incredibly supportive, she has a wonderful pet, and hopes for the future.

I really loved this book and stayed up way past my bedtime to read it.
Congratulations to Claire Alexander on a fantastically compelling storyline and wonderfully believable characters.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.

Easily a five star read.

I really enjoyed this book. As a mental health professional, I found the content very well observed and appreciated the details that define Meredith's life. This poignant story is an uplifting tale of overcoming a challenging personal history. The characters are clearly portrayed, whether they be those supporting and encouraging in the present or those who were cruel and caused damage in the past. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys character-led tales such as A Man Called Ove.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a gorgeous read, delightful charecters, with a lovely storyline, loved every page, Meredith you are brilliant

Meredith Alone

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis:

Meredith has not left her house in over 1,000 days. However, she does not feel lonely. She had her best friend, Sadie and her two children (James and Matilda), and her cat Fred. Can Meredith overcome her fear of the outside world?

My thoughts:
I liked the book, but I didn't love it. I think what saved me was that the chapters were short. I loved the writing, Claire Alexander is an amazing writer, I just found the story boring. I think i found it boring because I was expecting something big to happen, which it didn't. I liked that Claire Alexander dealt with really sensitive issues, and it was written beautifully, especially when we find out why Meredith has not left the house. The book is also quite long. I did feel that it could have been written in less pages.

Overall, I just didn't think the book was for me. I usually like reading books like this as well! I hope this review does not put people off reading it, because it is not a bad book.

A really gripping read, we are immediately drawn into Meredith's claustrophobic, agoraphobic world. The author guides us through Meredith's self restricted world with flashbacks to what has caused her to live this way. I couldn't put it down and missed Meredith when I finished!

Meredith has been housebound for 1,214 days. Her whole world has been about filling her day planning what jigsaw she will make, her favourite recipes, Emily Dickinson, the internet and especially her relationship with her beloved cat, Fred. Her old school friend Sadie comes to visit but she has a busy family life of young children.

Then one day, Tom comes to visit and a new friendship begins. But it is Celeste, her internet friend, who finally gets her to consider leaving the house.
But what of her relationship with her estranged mother and sister? Why has she not seen them in years?

The novel is split in to 2 timeframes, the present and the past, so your knowledge of Meredith’s history fills in as the story moves along in the present day.

I warmed to Meredith and her plight very quickly and could relate to her housebound experiences, through personal experiences of illness and the recent pandemic. So Meredith’s life felt very real and topical to today’s audience.

This is a heartbreaking story filled with love, friendship, pain, resentment and forgiveness. I feel I know Meredith well and is a friend I care about with all my heart

Meredith has not left her house for 3 years. Visited only by her oldest friend Sadie, she also has her cat Fred. She starts to receive visits from a charity worked called Tom, whilst also making new friend Celeste on an online forum. Can these friends pull Meredith back to the outside world? This is a really moving and beautiful book, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book, the contents of which immediately intrigued me. I was not disappointed. The book slowly reveals why Meredith has agoraphobia although that choice of word is my own. Hopefully, without giving too many spoilers, Meredith has been subjected to different forms of abuse but at no time, does she feel sorry for herself. She develops an online friendship with Celeste and has a wonderful friendship with her childhood friend Sadie who never gives up on her. Sadie’s children clearly love her. Her friendship with Tom often centres around the mouth watering food she is constantly baking. Her relationship with her family and in particular her sister is more complicated but with constant flashbacks, their past is revealed. Fred, her cat is a wonderful companion too and the way they all relate to Meredith confirms that she is a lovely woman who is worth getting to know. Recommended!

Oh Meredith! What an absolute beautiful, brave, unique and entertaining character you are!
I forgot you were a character in between pages and thought you was a friend
This book is so good
We are introduced to Meredith, a women facing her own battles, who has been stuck inside her house for over 1,000 days.
The book begins quite comical, where Meredith introduces the reader to her life and the visitors she has
Whilst the book is not action packed, we start to learn through the chapters and the flashback chapters, just what has happened to Meredith and what led to her not leaving the house
The book can be hard to read in parts, the reader feels anger towards a certain individual and so much love and sympathy for Meredith
The book is just beautiful
I don’t often reread books. But I can’t wait to reread this one
Meredith is a name I think we will hear a lot of this year!
Thank you so much to the publisher for an early proof of this book

This book has an awful lot of trauma across all of it’s characters but it is sensitively written and it keeps you turning the pages

4.5 stars
This book deals with difficult issues with almost every single character in it dealing with some kind of trauma. From physical and mental abuse to infidelity, assault and rape.
Even though it could be quite bleak subject matter, ultimately this was a life affirming sort of story and showed that progress with issues such as mental health can be gradual and doesn't happen overnight.
Seeing Meredith's world grow day by day, from her not having left her flat for over three years, to it taking us back in time to her childhood and what caused her to withdraw from the world, was done well.
I will say, that even though everything came to a close nicely, the ending did still leave me wanting a bit more.
I would loved to have found out if Tom and Meredith would finally see each other as more than friends or to see if him and Celeste did end up together, given what they've both been through too.
But I did enjoy this book. You're definitely rooting for Meredith.
I also think that this was even more relevant post-lockdown, given that many of us will also have felt isolated or worried about going back into the world again.
And as someone from Glasgow, I enjoyed seeing the references to so many places that I know well.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.