The World Outside My Window written by Clare Swatman had so much potential, but it just fell flat for me. The synopsis sounded interesting, but the one thing it failed to mention was the main characters alcohol addiction, I feel like this can be triggering for some readers, and yet it wasn't mentioned, which is a big no no for me. This book started out pretty strong, I had no clue which direction it would take, but halfway through it didn't leave me feeling surprised anymore, it just felt forced. The "big secret" behind the disappearance of Laura's husband was pretty easy to determine with the clues that were given. At first, it felt like this book was a mystery, but then the mystery part just disappeared, so if you're looking for a mystery, this book isn't for you. The cover really threw me for a loop, it doesn't really show the struggles Laura is facing, but it's still a pretty cover. Despite not liking this book, I will definitely check out this author's other works, but for right now, it's a no for me on this one. Alcohol addiction is a big topic, but it wasn't portrayed that way in this book, the main character basically just drank herself drunk to sleep every night. Don't let this review stop you in anyway, it just wasn't for me.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND BOLDWOOD BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

Laura suffers from agoraphobic after an attack on a dark alley right by her house. The steps Laura took to overcome this extreme phobia were a bit unrealistic for me because she breezed right through it as if it didn't actually traumatize her. Laura sits by her window and watches the world go by without her. Terrified to leave her house because of this attack, Laura is just stuck staring out her window, relying on her husband, Jim and her best friend, Debbie for help. One day, Jim doesn't come home, then it turns into two days, then two days turn into a week, and there's still no sign of Jim anywhere. Laura decides to call the police for help, but they don't really help her. Laura is forced to make a decision, she's going to have to face the world outside and find Jim herself. Laura hasn't realized that Willow Crescent, the community she lives in is eager to help her find Jim. Laura and Debbie had such a sweet friendship, but there's things that irked me about it. It felt like it was a one sided friendship at times.

Debbie was so sweet and kind hearted to help Laura overcome her fears, but I felt like Laura took those gestures for granted, just so she could drink again. Debbie was so willing to take the time out of her day to help her best friend, but it felt like Laura had nothing to give back, it almost felt like Debbie was the giver and Laura was the taker. I absolutely adored some of the side characters in this little community like Carol, she was definitely a busybody, but she had the heart of a diamond. Ben was another character I liked, he's a widower who knows what it's like to be lonely without your significant other, but it was like he was almost too perfect to be real. Despite how fast Laura overcame her trauma, it still made her vulnerable, but I just felt no connection to her, so it was kind of hard for me to actually like her character. The writing style was definitely different from what I normally read, but it was interesting. I saw the "big secret" coming, so it wasn't really a surprise for me, I just wish Laura would have put down the alcohol and opened her eyes way sooner than when she had.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read this book.

Laura has always felt like she needed looking after, and the people closest to her have (mostly inadvertently) perpetuated those thoughts. On the way home from work one night, she is attacked, which leads to her having agoraphobia. It's not until her husband Jim goes missing that she finds the strength within herself to step outside her door and begin to look after herself.

This is one of those stories where you pick up the clues and realise what's happening long before it unfolds. Having said that, it was a well written story that even though I felt I knew how it was going to turn out, I still enjoyed the discoveries, interactions, and personal growth along the way.

After a savage attack, Laura has become overly dependent on her husband Jim. Until he disappears. Then she has to face her fears to try and find out what happened to me. A good read with a great neighbourhood of characters that made up for the slight predictability (to me anyway) of what happened to Jim.

This story has a gripping premise that sucks you in. However a few chapters later you know exactly where the story is going, and I didn't think the characters were dynamic enough to make up for that predictability. I was motivated enough to keep reading until the end to see how everything played out. Overall, it's worth a read but I enjoyed A Love to Last a Lifetime by this author more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book has an interesting storyline, although I did guess Jim's secret early on, I enjoyed reading about how Laura found out the truth about Jim.
This book was well written, and I liked the dual timeline. It was easy to follow.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Reading between Laura's now life and her then life I found was an easy transition to follow. Laura's now story I found more enjoyable as I think her character development was great to read, as she learned of her neighbours. Her friendship with Debbie is a lovely part of the story. This is a book that could be devoured in one sitting.

Wonderful characters and a mystery to be solved. My favorite character was Laura. She is a very likable person and I enjoyed watching her throughout the story.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After an attack, a young woman suffers from agoraphobia. The disorder affects her relationship, but ultimately opens her eyes to inconsistencies in her husband's behavior.

The world outside my window is such a touching story that will stay with you long after you finish it. You will laugh and cry and feel it all during this story.

I went to this book without knowing much about it, but I knew the premise was good and different. And in reality it is. A person with an agoraphobia. A husband who disappears and she has to face the phobia to know what happened. The problem is that it was so predictable, so boring, so annoying at some parts. The best buts were just the fact that Laura managed to overcome her phobia and the end of the book. The rest was everything but what I was waiting for!

One last note: no one cares about Jim

This is a heart warming and beautiful read that leaves you impossible to put it down. A sptry full of hope and love and taking the big leaps in life. I adored it

Super intriguing and engrossing. I loved the social commentary and seeing how Swatman pushed Laura to face her fears while also keeping a sensitive eye to her trauma. This also has a fun eclectic group of side characters who made the The World Outside My Window that much more interesting to read.

I have enjoyed Clare Swatman's previous books so I was looking forward to reading this one as well. I enjoyed it even though I did find it to be fairly predictable - - at least in my opinion.

The character development and evolution of the main character, Laura was well done and gave a great deal of insight to how it would feel to conquer agoraphobia. Not having personally experienced it, I can't speak to the accuracy of it but it certainly felt realistic.

When Laura's husband doesn't come home one day and simply disappears, she is determined to try to find clues as to where he may have gone. It leads her to venture out into her neighborhood and actually talk to and get to know her neighbors. As the book progresses, you see how much her husband took care of for her and it often enabled her agoraphobia to continue.

Even though this story has some heartbreaking parts to it, there is a strong feeling of satisfaction when Laura conquers her fears and also figures out what happened to her husband. She's a character that you definitely want to cheer for and see find happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This book follows Laura, who was attacked outside her home and has agoraphobia, which means she no longer leaves her house. Her husband Jim fails to come home one day and she immediately believes he’s gone missing. She enlists her best friend Debbie to help her find out what happened to Jim. From there, we meet the neighbors and piece together what happened. There is also an alternating timeline, varying between first and third person.

The premise of this book was interesting and Laura’s trauma was fleshed out very well. I will say, I immediately knew what happened with her husband, and why he was so secretive and I was curious to see how long it would take them to get there. Jim’s chapter at the end, I could have done without. It attempted to justify his actions and I wasn’t here for it. The drama at the end was a lot packed into a few pages.

Overall, this was an okay story but nothing to write home about. I’m not sure if I would read this author again as I’ve read two books and been disappointed both times.

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

This is such a good read.

An attack has led to Laura having agoraphobia, even though she moved house, a change of scenery has not helped her mental health. She finds herself more reliant on her husband Jim. However when Jim goes missing, her life is turned upside down and she might need to face her biggest fears to find the truth.

This is a brilliant read and a great premise for a story. The book is told through two timelines, how Jim and Laura met and the present day. This adds to the complexity of the story.

This isn’t my usual type of read but sometimes change is good and I am really pleased to have read this. Highly recommended.

Following an attack outside her flat in London chef Laura has developed agoraphobia. Despite moving to the quiet suburbs with husband Jim she has not got any better and finds herself unable to leave her home.

With Jim working away in Leeds for half the week she is lonely and her reliance on him is putting a strain on their relationship. With her best friend Debs being her only visitor, and no other friends locally, she turns to alcohol to cope when she is alone. However, one week, when Jim doesn't return from Leeds, she is forced out of her comfort zone to try to find him. Could any of her neighbours help?

I really felt for Laura and couldn't put this book down as I wanted her to be ok. I worked out where the story was going quite early on, but it didnt stop me being drawn in.  It covers some tricky subjects but is senstively written. An enjoyable read.
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In the summer of 1984 there weren’t e many female chefs, except for Laurie who worked at one of the top restaurants in London. This is where she meets the handsome but older Jim a man she would soon become obsessed with. Her lifelong best friend Debbie didn’t like him and thought there was something off about Jim but Laurie was in love and soon moved in together and eventually marry. Not long after a man tried to assault Laurie on her way home from work this cost her to not want to leave the flat at all, not to mention she started drinking a lot and Jim enabled all of it. He supported her so she could give in to her paranoia she soon starts getting prank phone calls and sees people watching her flat from the street. This is when he decided to move them to a cul-de-sac a little ways outside of London a place she would move into but not leave for months but when Jim doesn’t come home one night Laurie is beside herself with the worry when is the Spondin. When Debbie shows up she decides to come up with a plan. Jim had made friends with every one in the cul-de-sac and Debbie decides Lori should do the same so she could find out what happened to Jim. Lori learns it was only when her life ended but it truly began. I really loved this book and although I didn’t understand how Ben was attracted to an alcoholic agoraphobic I still love that he liked her warts and all. I really thought this was a good heartwarming story that I read all in one setting I have not read a book by Clare Swatman before but I will soon rectify that. I really love her writing style and definitely loved the The ending AN highly recommend this book. This is definitely woman fiction and not a thriller but OMG it was so good. I received this book from NetGalley but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes I am blind and dictate my review.

A sensitive and accurate portrayal of trauma and healing.
I loved the premise of this novel and the cast of characters in Willow Crest, the found family theme and the way the author writes about relationships, friendship, isolation, trauma and mental health to be interesting and accurate. I did feel empathy for what Laura endured and how it affected her life and mental health. The author also gives us a glimpse into the complexities of relationships, emotional dependence and vulnerability and how some could misinterpret control and manipulation for love and protectiveness.
Overall, very good enjoyable read.

The World Outside My Window - Clare Swatman

Ooof, I feel like I’ve been through an emotional spin cycle with this one.
Clare Swatman has knocked it out of the park once again.

My heart broke for Laura and the situation she found herself in. I loved following her journey and was rooting for her all the way.
The friendship between Laura and Debbie was really quite special and touching.

The supporting cast are an eclectic and vibrant mix of interesting characters. They added real heart and a warm sense of community to the story.

The main plot of the book is the mystery of Laura’s husband, Jim’s disappearance.
Ok, so I had an inkling about the reason behind Jim’s vanishing act. But, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story at all.

The World Outside My Window, is an engaging read, with some wonderful characters, a fabulous community spirit and a mystery at it’s heart that everyone comes together to solve.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to Rachel’s Random Reads, Netgalley and Boldwood Books for a digital arc of this title.

In a Nutshell: Has some merits but needs to be read without overanalysing. Some interesting characters. No surprises along the way. Alcoholic protagonist… sigh.

Story Synopsis:
1992. After she was attacked in a London street a year and a half ago, Laura has turned into an agoraphobe, spending her entire time inside the walls of her house. Her husband Jim and her best friend Debbie are her only two connections with the outside world.
But one day, Jim doesn’t return home from work. The police have neither time nor interest to pursue the missing person case, so Laura takes the search in her own hands, with Debbie for help. She believes that her neighbours would be the best persons to help her, as all of them knew Jim well. Once the secrets start tumbling out, Laura is forced to ask herself if she even knew her husband.
The story comes to us mostly in Laura’s perspectives, using first person for the 1985 timeline and third person for the present.


Bookish Yays:
🌷 Laura turns agoraphobic after an attack in a dark street at night. The impact of the trauma and the fear of going out is written well. Her steps towards overcoming her phobia when she is worried about Jim, while a bit unrealistic for how quickly she could overcome her extreme phobia, still make her vulnerability clear.
🌷 Laura’s neighbourhood of Willow Crest has some interesting characters. Carol – a busybody with a heart of gold and her long-suffering husband Arthur were my favourite of these. (I am sure Ben also would be a favourite with many, but I found him too perfect to be believable.) Laura’s friend Debbie is also a great character, and their friendship was sweet, though it was clear that Laura was the taker and Debbie, the giver in their lopsided relationship.
🌷 The use of first person for Laura’s past and third person for the present timeline was an interesting writing choice. While this could have gone either way, I liked how the change in voice indicated the timeline instantly.
🌷 A good point raised in the plot was how emotions can manipulate us into mistaking control for love or gaslighting for guidance.
🌷 There are some thought-provoking lines.

Bookish Nays:
🌵 To my utter sadness, the blurb doesn’t indicate Laura’s alcohol addiction at all. I strongly dislike this trope, even though it didn’t lead to an unreliable narrator this time around. (The amount spent on alcohol consumption in this book would have fuelled the economy of a small town for a month!)
🌵 The “big secret” behind the disappearance is guessable the instant the first clue is revealed. So it was annoying to see how long everyone else took to guess the reason when the situation was so obvious. If you read this for some “mystery” feels, you will be disappointed.
🌵 There are so many silly things in the plot, I don’t know where to begin:
😒 If my husband went missing, trust me, the first place I will check for clues would not be with the neighbours but in his wardrobe and personal belongings. Who in their right mind would begin such searches asking neighbours for info? (Of course, in this novel, each neighbour conveniently has one useful clue to offer. So Laura’s method did work for her. Oh well!)
😒 Seven years of marriage, and yet Laura never been curious about why her husband is so secretive about his job? No matter how sheltered your childhood, surely common sense works at least once in seven years. Am I being too optimistic about human intelligence?
😒 Jim is the neighbourhood charmer, the good and helpful guy whom everyone likes. Yet, when some neighbours see Laura with Ben, their reaction is, ‘Oh, too bad she is married to Jim. They would make such a nice couple.” Come again!? Who makes such remarks about potential alternate “couplings” when one of the persons is already married to a supposedly loving and loveable man?
🌵 While a part of me empathised with Laura, I still struggled to connect with her character due to the illogical decisions she takes time and again, and her gullibility in not questioning Jim’s behaviour even once. Part of it could be attributed to being an aftermath of the attack, but that just accounts for the past eighteen months. There was no reason for her to be so naïve prior to that, especially as she had been living independently since age eighteen. (Laura is thirty-three during the main events, not exactly a babe in the woods.)
🌵 There is a whole load of info-dumping at the end.
🌵 Except for the mention of the years and the lack of the obvious technological advancements such as the internet and smartphones, there was nothing in the plot that made me feel like it was set thirty years ago. The years were just a convenient way of circumambulating around the internet factor, which would have made it easier to locate the MiA husband.

🚩Spoiler below:
🌵 The reveal at the end attempts to make us empathise with Jim: a big mistake. I hated his first person ‘confession”, which felt like even we the readers were being gaslit into feeling sorry for him. If he didn’t get his comeuppance, I would have accepted it without complaint, as real life doesn’t always punish the guilty. But to justify the behaviour with a sob story – No!


This story could have been tremendous with such a strong premise, but the implementation was just disappointing.

I had first read this author’s “How to Save a Life” (now republished as “The Night We First Met”) last June and was blown away by how well she sketched characters. But the two books I have tried since have been just about okay. I might still read her works in future, but I will definitely not go out of my way to get to them.

Not a must-read as far as I am concerned. But mine is an outlier review, so do check out the other reviews before you take a call. If you can read with your heart and ignore the sirens in your head, do give this a try.

2 stars.

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The World Outside My Window”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.