Wow what a beautifully, powerful written novel, with dashes of humour, a touch of heartbreak which is all overshadowed by the brilliance of Meredith’s character. I couldn’t put it down, so easy to read, the story draws you in from the first line.

Meredith Maggs hasn’t left her home in 1,214 days. The story is told in the present day with flashbacks to her childhood years and to events that lead up to her isolation.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters are brilliant. Meredith is a lovely likeable well drawn character and the others provide the perfect supporting cast. It tugs at your heart and is emotionally challenging at times but it’s also a story filled with love hope and the power of friendships.

Meredith, Alone is a wonderful, uplifting heartwarming story of family, friendship love and hope. I highly recommend this one.

Thanks to #NetGallery #ClaireAlenander for an ARC of #MeredithAlone in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book by Claire Alexander. The characters were all fantastic, especially Tom and Fred the cat. This glimpse into the life of a damaged recluse and her steps towards change was mesmerising. I finished this book in just 4 days because I kept being drawn back in and couldn't put it down. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Such a lovely read. We're immersed in Meredith's world from the beginning - and a very small world it is as she hasn't left her house in several years. In fact the days are counted as we go through the book. We gradually learn of the trauma that drove Mer to remaining at home, we follow her relationship with her therapist, befriender, and best friend Sadie. Meredith and older sister Fiona were very close growing up, supporting each other thruogh living with a dysfunctional mother. So why have the sisters not spoken in three years? A wonderful character based read as we follow Meredith's attempts to get herself back into the wider world. Emotional and feelgood. #netgalley #MeredithAlone

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was a very good read even though it dealt with some difficult subjects, I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

I think that this has to be one of the best novel that I have read in a long while. Oh how I loved Meredith, she is such a character and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her.

The blurb reads

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 . . . Does she have the courage to overcome what's been keeping her inside all this time?


Normally I am a reader of mystery/thriller novels but the blurb really caught my attention and I am so glad that I got to read this novel.

We really get to know about Meredith past and present, and the reason why she has not left her home in 1,214 days. I absolutely adored Meredith and I thoroughly would love to read more about her. We learn of her past and how this has shaped her future and in many ways this is why Meredith is the way she is.

Told amazingly by Claire Alexander, this novel captured me from page 1 until the very end. There isn't a massive plot in this novel but for me it did not need one as it was all about Meredith and as a reader I was utterly rooting for her.

Reminiscent of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine but for me, much better.

Thanks to Claire Alexander, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this amazing read.

Meredith Alone follows the titular Meredith who hasn’t left her house in 1,215 days. She seems happy enough at first, pottering along with her cat Fred, her friend Sadie and her jigsaws but how did she end up like this?

The book is told in the present day and flashbacks leading up to Meredith not leaving her house, you learn about her complicated relationship with her mother and sister and what her life was like before she shut the world out.

It’s brutal and very bleak in parts but you won’t give up hope for Meredith - you’ll be rooting for her until the very end.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for gifting me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Meredith Maggs and her cat, Fred. Meredith hasn't left her house for 1,214 days. I really enjoyed this story and learning about Meredith, her relationships with her family members, and the family she makes with friends, both lifelong and new.
I really liked that the focus was on Meredith's day to day, with some flash backs into her childhood, and into the period of time just prior to her isolation.
I will say though that this book really leans into talking about the isolation and the reasons surrounding Meredith's decision to stay inside I would suggest reviewing trigger warnings for this book.

Overall I found this an engaging, emotional read that had an extremely relatable and believable character at the centre of the story.
I thought the overall pace of the book was decent, it plodded along quite nicely-never too slow or too quick, and I also felt the supporting characters were all developed well enough to give them their own depth and life.
Meredith was very easy to get along with, she was comfortable in her small life and didn’t see any need of expanding out into unfamiliar territory until she was forced to, of course. I myself was in a very similar situation to Meredith for quite some time, so I already knew before even reading the book that I would give it at least three stars if the mental health and confinement was done correctly, which I feel it was.
I thought the exploration of mental health was tender and gentle, and it was done with a lot of care and thought. I felt the way of Meredith’s confinement was done quite well too, at least I personally felt from my own personal experiences that I could relate a lot to the way the author had her in her small, shrinking familiarities.
I will say, however, I felt that I couldn’t give it a higher rating despite being very pleased with the conversation on mental health because I feel that the writing was too simplistic and bland at times.
The characters had enough depth and personality that they worked in the fragile, weak bones of the words, but the writing for me didn’t have enough life and vibrancy compared to the characters,
I was fine with dialogue being simple and easy, as we don’t speak in detailed prose or complicated riddles, so that in itself was great, but the prose itself could’ve been with a little more bite and chew to it.
I don’t want to spoil how the story progresses, but I was fine with the conclusion and forward advancement of the story, as it has a lot more hope and tenderness that I expected.
Despite being in the voice of a social recluse, it never felt too suffocating and heavy and I was fine with that, too. I’m more into dark and grimy books, but taking on a sad and aching subject with a bit of hope and light worked well for this.
I feel that it will be compared a lot to another recent Scottish success, Eleanor Oliphant, and I can see the positive comparisons work well in contrast.
Overall I was satisfied enough with the pace, the characters, the progression.
I felt Meredith was written very well, and at least from my own personal experience of social reclusion I think the author handled it very good.
I will be looking forward to the second novel and probably will reread this soon.

This was a wonderfully upbeat book about what could be very difficult issues, namely depression, anxiety and agoraphobia. It is extremely sensitively written, and using several timelines throughout the story you find out more about Meredith and what has caused the trauma that ends up with her afraid to leave her house. The book is not depressing, or in any way difficult to read, and Meredith comes over as a thoroughly likeable, and fun person who we would all like to have as a friend.

Meredith hasn't left the house in 3 years, though she isn't entirely alone. She has her house cat for company, and her best friend Sadie pops in when she can, sometimes with her two children. There is also the Tesco delivery man who drops off her shopping, her work via zoom, and her online support group. She is also assigned Tom who is assigned to come round once a week to eat her cakes and biscuits, drink her coffee, and make sure she is ok. As the book develops the few relationships she has grow stronger, and we find out what triggered the anxiety and agoraphobia, and whether Meredith's strength can overcome the obstacles and give her a life back.

I really enjoyed this book, and thought it was beautifully written. 4.5 stars from me.

I absolutely loved this heartwarming book. Meredith is such a brilliant and relatable character. I loved going on a journey of self discovery with her whilst she comes to terms with some of the tragic events that have happened in her past and attempts to join the outside world again. The author sensitively deals with a lot of difficult issues including abuse, self harm and social anxiety.
There are so many brilliant characters in the story which were so enjoyable to get to know. Meredith has such great friends in Sadie, Celeste and Tom and I loved following her relationship with her sister Fiona too.
I really couldn't put this down and read it in 2 days.
A beautifully told story of self discovery, family and friendship which is both heart wrenching and uplifting. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

I loved this story, if Meredith who hasn’t left her home in 1214 days. A fantastic read for those who enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant, this has such a lovely feel to it with humour and hope along the way.

This book tells the story of Meredith who has not left her house for 3 years. She still sees a few people but only after a series of encounters (both in person and virtual) can she start to think about the world outside her front door again.

As we go through the book, we gradually find out why Meredith hasn’t left her house and given the darkness of some of the material, this is done with great sensitivity. Likewise, her competing reluctance to change her life and her efforts to get out into the world again are covered in a way that feels more real that in a lot of other similar examples. It has humour in it too and I found both the story and Meredith as a character, hugely relatable.

I really enjoyed this book (I whizzed through it which is always a good sign!) and would definitely recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Meredith Alone

Meredith Maggs is on the cusp of turning 40. She lives alone in Glasgow with her cat Fred and hasn’t left her home in 1214 days. She has become what the Japanese call hikokomori, who are people who have withdrawn from the world. Meredith doesn’t really need to leave home; she can shop online, WFH as a content writer and her only two visitors are her friend Sadie and the Tesco delivery man.
But Tom from Holding Hands, a befriending charity wants to change that as does her online therapist, Diana. Tom is a real visitor who keeps knocking on her door or shouting through the letterbox or sampling her baking skills. Sadie also wants her to put one foot in front of the other and go beyond the garden path. Celeste, who Meredith befriended via her online support group, StrengthinNumbers, also wants to meet up with Meredith. So, what is stopping Meredith?
The book begins in 2018 and ends in 2019 and is pre-lockdown so it was interesting to read about someone who was already living that lifestyle. The story is told in three parts; Meredith’s present, her childhood and her life before she stopped going out. The reader learns about her difficult childhood and her relationship with her older sister, Fiona or Fee. Their father was supposed to have left them all when she was 5 and yet he sent them hundreds of letters which they find much later. This is one of several family secrets preserved by their controlling mother. She preferred Fee which made for a difficult family dynamic with Meredith. A traumatic family event over which she was not believed finally pushed Meredith indoors and away from the world.
There are distinct echoes of ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ and I found her to be a much livelier heroine. Meredith seemed very passive; an employer tried to persuade her to go into higher education but after he suddenly dies she returns to a call centre job. It’s only near the book’s end when she decides to take charge of her life and deal with the traumatic event that I felt she was in control. However, it was a shock when Tom sees her scars and realises that some are recent as it doesn’t mention her doing them. The pace seemed slow in parts and the baking did become repetitive. But if you’re at home all day alone and you have a regular visitor who is enthusiastic about your efforts then it will become an important part of your day. She also does intricate jigsaws and it becomes a metaphor for her life at one point.
However, Tom and Celeste have their own issues, and this isn’t explored in the book. It’s also never fully explored why she broke up with Gavin. He’s mentioned a few times, the breakup happens at 1am and he leaves and then he’s marrying someone else. He felt like more of a fleeting glimpse than a proper character.
However, this is a book about someone who manages to overcome the obstacles in her way and decides to face the world again. I was with her as she tentatively explored the local shop and a café. These were small hurdles that lead to bigger ones as slowly the world turns to colour again for Meredith instead of staying monochrome.
However, I did wonder what would happen next to Meredith?
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an arc of this book.
Meredith, Alone is one of those beautifully written books that re-affirms your faith in human nature. From the beginning we know that Meredith has not been outside her front door for 1,215 days, what we don't know is why? Told in 2 timelines, the present and Meredith's difficult childhood years, we are given an understanding of what has happened. Along the way we meet Sadie, Tom and Celeste, who are such fantastic well written characters integral to Meredith moving on. It's quite a sad story but one told with such love and compassion that it never becomes depressing. Highly recommend you to put it on your summer reading list - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Meredith Alone tells the story of a woman who stays at home for several  years following a traumatic event.

We are introduced to her as she contacts a loneliness charity and joins online help forums for anxiety. She makes friends with Tom and Celeste, who are grappling with problems of their own, and she starts to open up to them.

This is an incredibly moving story, which deals sensitively with the issues of abuse, neglect and social anxiety.

After the isolation of the pandemic I think we can all relate to Meredith's fear of the outside world to some extent. 

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the advance copy of this beautiful book.

Oh I adore this book!!

Meredith is a wonderful character who will steal your heart!

Meredith has not left her home for a very long time, but she has learnt to fill her time and lead a satisfying life. Yet when Tom comes into her life she starts to consider going out again.

The characters in this book are all so wonderfully flawed and real. I love the portrayal of professionals, volunteers, friends and family all having a part to play in Meredith healing.

I cannot say much without ruining the plot but you must read this book, heart breaking and heart warming. A tale of abuse, betrayal, healing and friendship.

I absolutely adore it!

Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house in 1,214 days. This was enough to hook me. Why? Is this by choice or is this imposed on her? You soon realise that while she is housebound by choice, she also wants to go out and be there for her friends, but there are things in her past that still hold her captive.
I loved the dual timeline, present day and past (both as a child and when Mer was older). The story unfolds slowly and I felt that each layers showed more of Meredith. She is dealing with a lot of trauma, from different sources and this is highly impacting her mental health and her life. Meredith is strong, but she struggles to leave the house. She is taking steps towards freedom, but her journey is not linear.
The other characters are also fantastic. Sadie is such a strong woman who embodies what a good friend should look like. As does Tom. They are both lovely humans who just want the best for Meredith. Celest is a sweet woman who is there is Meredith and helps coax her out of her shell.
We also have the more negative characters, those who caused Meredith huge amounts of pain and trauma. Deeply flawed characters, some with a history to explain their behaviours (not excuse it), some who are just unpleasant.
I adored this book and it's writing. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

What a wonderful read.
Meredith is a character who makes you warm to her whilst feeling frustrated that her life is the way it is. I was shouting at the pages to encourage her outside and audibly whooped when she achieved it.
All the characters make you want to know more about them whilst subtlety moving the story along.
I read this in one afternoon sitting as couldn't put it down.
The author expertly deals with trauma without making it gruesome or dramatic.
This is a truly great book and I'll be making sure everyone knows it!
Thank you for this copy to read and review

Absolutely adored this book! When reading the blurb, I knew I'm going to love this book, it sucked me right in from the first chapter. Loved Meredith and felt for her so much throughout the book.

You can not help but fall in love with the character Meredith and her beloved cat Fred.
But it's a question that everyone who reads this book is why hasn't Meredith left her home in 1,215 days?
Meredith keeps herself extremely busy and has the occasional visit from her friend Sophie.
There is often humour in the book aswell as love and heartache.
A definite most read.