I expected this to be a light hearted chick-lit, and was surprised that this was so much more. This is a fascinating (and heartbreaking at times) look into the life of an agoraphobe. The ending is hopeful but it still left me a bit saddened. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

MEREDITH ALONE - Claire Alexander
4.5⭐
PLOT -
Meredith has a full time online job where she lives with her per cat Fred. She has her best friend Sadie who visits with her kids, her puzzles and online support groups.
She wants to forget her past..her unstable mother and her sister whom she was close too once.
One day someone knocks at the door..will Meredith have the courage to overcome what's keeping her inside.?

MY THOUGHTS -
This is a unique story a lot of topics esp pertaining to mental health like anxiety, depression, assault, depression, estranged relationships are so well dealt via conversations and to see each character even secondary ones..their growth was great.
It's quite an emotional and heavy book to read but one worth reading and recommending to all to encourage others in similar situations to seek help and giving them some positivity in the life.

Meredith doesn’t leave her house. The question is why? Her story unfolds in a dual timeline. This story is heartbreaking and then heals your heart. I loved all of the secondary characters too! I loved how they supported Meredith throughout her journey.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot.

4.5 stars

This was a unique story, and one of my favorites for 2022!

Meredith hasn't left her house in over 1,214 days. Her cat Fred keeps her company, and she has a few close friends (Sadie, Tom, and Celeste). After the past few years, I'm sure there are many parts of this book that will resonate with readers. Numerous topics are addressed, including childhood abuse, depression, sexual assault, PTSD, and dysfunctional relationships. Alexander handles them in a delicate manner. I enjoyed that Meredith's story is told through dual timelines, so the reader gets the full picture of Meredith's journey from fear to fearlessness. Truly inspiring! I really enjoyed seeing the friendships develop and "watching" Meredith discover that her friends need her, and benefit from the friendship, just as much as she needs them. This is one story that will stick with me. It's an emotional, heartfelt story, and I laughed and cried throughout it on multiple occasions. Themes such as trauma, recovery, family, friendship, and learning to live again are key and relatable.

Meredith, Alone is the story of a middle-aged woman who has been a recluse in her home for a few years with her rescue cat named Fred. She has a long time close friend, Sadie and a therapist she meets with, but other than that she is separated from the rest of the world. I really enjoyed this book. Meredith's past was complicated and hard, but she struggled to begin to heal and come to terms with her past. The characters in the book, even the unlikable ones, were well thought out. The complex interaction of trauma, family, and mental health were handled very well. I loved the detailed descriptions of Meredith's hobbies and the way she passed her time alone. Thank you NetGalley with providing me a digital ARC of this book.

Meredith has not left her house in years. She has some trauma in her past that makes her anxiety so that she feels she cannot leave. She has her cat, Fred, and her best friend, Sadie, to help her. When Tom arrives to be her friend, things start to change.
Opinion
I found this story quite fascinating. While I like to stay at home, I certainly would not be happy never leaving. With this story, I was able to look into the mind of someone who could stay indefinitely.
The story goes back and forth between current day and past giving insight into what has happened to make her this way.
I did not like the story's end. A romantic at heart, I wanted her to have a man to love. Other than that, I was really quite pleased with this book.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I couldn't stop reading this heartbreaking, poignant and yet hopeful story about Meredith. I cried with her in her struggles several times and my heart hurt but I also felt that Meredith had hope.

Meredith as a character was well developed and I just love the people around her, especially her cat Fred. I really want to encourage you to read this fantastic story!

Meredith, Alone is a very well written book about Meredith, who hasn’t left her house for 1,214 days when the story begins. She is actually very comfortable with her life, which includes a very focused set of events, exercise, baking. Her company includes Fred, a rescue cat, Tom; who comes from an agency which provides someone to be a friend with agoraphobic people and a friend who has two children. Alexander writes well enough for you to feel an investment with the characters. I enjoyed the book very much and will recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for supplying an ARC for an honest review.

Meredith, Alone is a complex, realistic novel focused on Meredith and her journey out of her self-imposed isolation. It begins on day 1,214 since she left her house and follows Meredith as she slowly expands her presence in the world through the addition of new friends (and very unexpected friends) and the support of those existing in her life as well. It deals with intense trauma, familial abuse, and PTSD - it is definitely not a lighthearted read, but Claire Alexander did a phenomenal job gently tackling these subjects. I adore Meredith, her baking, and her jigsaws. Don't hesitate to pick this one up - it is so good and felt like the sun oh-so-slowly coming out after weeks of chilly rain.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

There are many trigger warnings in this book. However, here are the ones that I think would affect the most people:

Self-cutting, rape, thoughts of suicide, and parental abuse, among other things.

Did I love this book? No, I can't really say I loved it. I personally couldn't connect with Meredith, but perhaps that is because I'm not a total agoraphobic. (just a little!) This book also left me a bit depressed. However, I found some of the secondary characters a little unbelievable, and the conclusion was a bit abrupt.

I can admit that this is a very important book and seems to have been well-researched. It was gripping, and the manner in which it was written was interesting. Sort of like a journal with flash-backs added in. I do admit that I couldn't put it down, but again, I didn't love it.

It was a fascinating look into the life of an agoraphobic and her struggle to leave the house. Isn't it fascinating that the ease of computers makes it so easy to be agoraphobic?

*ARC supplied by the publisher Grand Central Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.

This book was absolutely precious while also being chocked full of incredibly important topics. It takes a unique look at just how deeply impactful the actions of others can be on another human being, and the ways in which different humans cope with things.

Meredith and all the other characters are so lovable (except a couple #iykyk) and the scene is set so well, regardless of Meredith being someone who doesn’t leave her home. There are multiple trigger warnings for this book listed below, but if those are not triggers for you, I highly recommend this book both physically and/or on audio!

TW:
- rape
- mental illness
- physical abuse
- parental abuse
- emotional abuse

Loved this book so much! First off the main character's name is Meredith (the same name as mine) and she is around my age. The book is about a woman named Meredith who has had not the easiest life and spends almost 100% percent of her life for the past three years at home due to her fear of going outside. You are routing for Meredith each step of the way as you see her grow and expand her world. You might think the story sounds depressing but it's actually not. If you are looking for a heartwarming, feel-good sorry that is very character driven then this might be a great book for you to pick up. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for free eARC copy of this book for my honest and voluntary review.

Meredith, Alone was a really great insight into someone coping with PTSD and agoraphobia. I really appreciated the various characters, but Meredith has a special place in my heart. This story was inspiring. I also loved all the baking references!

Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander packed a serious punch when it comes to agoraphobia and the relationships the protagonist creates and mends while exiled in her home. This book is told in day-to-day segments as we see Meredith make strides forward as well as some steps backward in her ability to progress.

Meredith, once a confident and happy young woman, became a victim of trauma that led her to having major PTSD and only feeling safe in her own home. When she makes a friend on the internet, has a weekly visitor come to her home and multiple visits with her best friend, she begins to set small goals to further her healing.

Honestly, the book had such a great cast of characters, most were likable, but the two most important people in her life, her mom and her sister, were not. We see some growth with one of them but the other is just awful. It broke my heart that Meredith suffered as she did but like all good fiction, things have a way of working out. There was some serious baking in this book and I loved how that connected her with people on the outside.

Meredith is a character to root for and appreciate. The author allowed the reader to get inside the head of someone who is struggling with such a difficult phobia. The ending was satisfying and just enough tidy to make me happy.

For more than three years, Meredith Maggs, who lives in Glasgow, has not ventured out of her home. What caused Meredith to stop interacting with the world? A vicious assault left her devastated, guilt-ridden (although she did nothing wrong), and anxious. Luckily, she is a freelance writer who works from home, and she has a loving friend, Sadie, who visits often. In addition, Meredith is funny, smart, talented, and resourceful. She takes her medication; reads voraciously; sees a therapist on Zoom; belongs to a virtual support group; bakes delicious pastries; does complicated jigsaw puzzles; and allows a good-hearted man named Tom, from an organization called "Holding Hands," to check in on her regularly.

"Meredith, Alone," by Claire Alexander, is an engrossing character study that shows why human beings who are victims of abuse can lose the will to carry on as usual. Meredith's troubles began long before the attack that traumatized her. Her mother was a sadistic single-parent who abused Meredith and her older sister, Fiona. Meredith relates her experiences with sadness, anger, frustration, yearning, and heartening moments of joy and laughter.

The book's chief weakness is the author's habit of moving back and forth in time too frequently. These abrupt shifts are occasionally distracting and tend to disrupt the narrative flow. This quibble notwithstanding, "Meredith, Alone" is an absorbing and poignant novel. We cannot help but be impressed by this forty-year-old woman who makes the arduous journey from withdrawal and self-harm to a slow but steady reengagement with society.

A spectacular debut from Claire Alexander. Meredith, Alone was surprisingly intriguing!

Meredith Maggs hasn't left her house for 1214 days. She fills her time with her freelance writing job (that she can do from home obviously), a work out routine, jigsaw puzzles and baking. She is perfectly content and not at all lonely. She has an array of friends including Sadie and her 2 kids who come to visit often, an online support group, Tom who comes to check on her weekly and her cat, Fred.

Told through two timelines (past and present) we learn the reasons from her past that make her not want to leave her home (be sure to check trigger warnings) and the strength and courage it takes to move past and overcome the seemingly impossible. If your a fan of Eleanor Oliphant, you will love Meredith Maggs.

I felt such a strong sense of love, loyalty, and hope through our MC and all her supportive friendships.

This book was a bit of a harrowing read. Meredith has not left her house in three years and at the beginning you do not know why but you know she is not agoraphobic.

This book pans back and fourth from past to present showing the traumas that Meredith lived through and the progress she is making present day. It is an exquisite account of pain, processing difficult events and complex relationships.

This is not a light read, I had to break it up and I feel the need to warn readers that you need to be in a particular mindset to digest this story, though it is well worth it. I’d also highly recommend checking the trigger warnings.

In the beginning we meet Meredith in her home who has not been outside her home in 1,214 days. Meredith has a cat named Fred, a close friend named Sadie and a new person who is the first new individual let into her home called Tom from a local charity. Meredith is also in the beginnings of a blossoming online friendship with a woman from her support group who will become a significant character later on.

Despite the heavy content (SA, domestic violence, physical and emotional abuse, etc.) I found myself really enjoying this story. It was crafted in such a way that while it packs a gut punch it also leaves the reader with hope, and sometimes that’s all we can ask for.

5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

An enjoyable, moving read about a woman suffering from agoraphobia and the friends and family who help pull her out of her home.

If you're an introvert searching for a contemporary fiction book with a relatable protagonist, look no further. Meredith's story is not only relatable if you're one of the young women who felt isolated and lost during the pandemic, but it's perfect for those of us who struggle to socialize in the big, big world. This book's premise may seem niche and strange, but it's the perfect read for us anxious, home dwellers. I connected so deeply with this story and I'm sure others will too!