Taught, fast-paced, and perfectly unsettling. With its captivating narrator and constant twists, this modern psychological thriller is ideal for fans of Sally Hepworth.

I recently finished this one thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada! It was a great thriller, with a lot of suspense filled moments. The short chapters and fast pace kept my interest throughout.

It is about a young family. Their son seems to have an imaginary friend who he calls "new granny". His Grandmother recently passed away and so his father is convinced that this is his son's way of coping. His mother however, is not so sure. Strange things are happening and she can't stop her suspicions that it is not an imaginary friend at all, but a real woman who is after her son for some reason.

I was really intrigued throughout and this was a really fast read for me. A good thriller to add to your list!

This was such a stellar debut!

Twisty, suspenseful and captivating!

A bit of a slow start but once things started picking up I couldn't put this down. I NEEDED to know who "The Woman Outside My Door" was ...

"New Granny" Cody's imaginary friend has Georgina on high alert. Strange events and questionable comments made by Georgina's 7 year old son have her questioning just how pretend his friend really is.

This book had me suspecting SO MANY characters! It was so well done. The ending was extremely satisfying... didn't see that coming at all.

Huge thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for my review copy!

When 7-year old Cody comes out of the bushes in the park and tells his mom his “new granny” gave him sweets, Georgina panics. The only grandmother Cody ever knew, Georgina’s mother, died 6 months earlier. At home, Cody gets phone calls; if Georgina answers the phone, the person on the other end doesn’t speak. Other odd things start happening. Georgina feels that someone is stalking her little boy. However, Georgina is still dealing with the loss of her mother, plus there are things going wrong in her marriage.

I thought this was really good. You can’t tell if she is a reliable narrator. I was annoyed by Georgina’s husband, Bren, who kept dismissing her fears. I felt like he changed his mind a bit too quickly, though, when he started believing Georgina’s fears. He shouldn’t have dismissed them so quickly to start with, but he also seemed to come around too fast, in comparison with how he’d originally reacted. Even still, it kept me reading. It’s a fast read and kept me wanting to find out what was going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC.
Thrillers are not typically a genre I gravitate towards but the premise of this one reminded me of some Lisa Jewell novels I have read in the past so I wanted to give it a try. I'm glad I did!
Rachel Ryan does a great job of creating an eerie, creepy, suspenseful mood in "The Woman Outside My Door". I honestly couldn't read this one at night because it made me so anxious. The mystery and intrigue kept me going. I didn't find the plot predictable at all. In fact, it kept me guessing the whole time! There were some twists I was not expecting which kept me engaged the whole time.
The only downside for me was that I wasn't a huge fan of the characters. I understood their motivations though so that made for a good story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a thriller/mystery. Cozy up with this one on a stormy autumn day/night and enjoy!

Call it mothers intuition or call it whatever you want. But when you know, you know.

Page 1, Chapter 1 : “ He was sucking on a lollipop he hadn’t had earlier “

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A Thank you to @netgalley for providing me with this ARC by Rachel Ryan in exchange for an honest review. This was exactly what I needed. After coming off a high from one novel, then having been hit with back to back slow paced ok reads, this one brought fire back in viens. It was a fast paced Psychological thriller. That had plenty of creepy moments.

Based in Dublin, a mother/wife, Georgina, her husband Bren & their young son Cody, seem to the be the perfect little family. However, not everything is as it seems. Every couple has their issues & to top it off their son has a new friend. An a imaginary one, named “new granny”.

All children have imaginary friends. It’s a phase most kids go through. It’s perfectly normal, right? But what if, this « imaginary » friend was not so imaginary?! Would you lose your marbles? Would you be ok with it?

As the story kept progressing, I became sooo consumed with wanting to know more. Every attempt that Georgina takes to voice her concerns to her husband, Bren about their young son Cody and his new imaginary friend are pushed aside. I sympathized with her, I felt her every frustration and constant desire and need to be heard.

This book had me on edge from beginning to end. Something I hadn’t felt since The Whisper Man. This was a fantastic debut novel by the author. Perfect for all you Lisa Jewell fans like myself! Check this one out, you will not be disappointed

Engaging from page 1. A gripping that successfully engages the imagination and despite the tension and intrigue creates an urge to turn the page and find out what’s next. The personalities are well crafted and their individuality well described that exhibit the full range of human emotions. A great read.

I really enjoyed this true psychological thriller. It was easy to follow and understand. I liked the style of writing. It was full of suspense and had me biting my nails at times. It had me guessing throughout. The climax was exciting and satisfying! I liked the characters (except Cody was a bit whiney, even for a 7yo - the next door neighbours weren't above suspicion!). The family dynamic was relatable. The setting didn't play a major role but suited the story. I would read another novel by Rachel Ryan!

It's always fun discovering a new author, especially when highly recommended by some of my favourite authors.

The first half of The Woman Outside My Door might have been slow but it was interesting as Cody begins talking about his New Granny six months following the death of his real one. Things were a little repetitive for that first half, which I took as the stage being set for the last half.

There was lots of gas lighting and red herrings going on that paved the way for different outcomes. Everyone was suspicious in my eyes. Was Georgina losing it? Or was Cody, though he seemed older than his seven years. The husband was just bland and untrustworthy. Perfect setting, right?

Things changed about 52% and I finished that day, needing to find out if my suspicions were correct. Were they? The fun part, for this reader, is playing sleuth, unravelling the clues and seeing if I can solve the mystery before the big reveal.

Didn't happen. [.The ending would have been so much better (imho) if New Granny was introduced earlier in the book and not thrown in during the last 20-15% - that’s just cheating this reader and not fair.
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This is the authors debut and while I wasn’t thrilled with the endings execution she did write an engaging story that had me genuinely curious to what was going on.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster CA (via Netgalley) for an advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. It is the debut novel by this author. I liked the variety of characters in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and and Simon and Schuster for the ARC copy of this debut book by Rachel Ryan. Psychological thrillers are my go-to genre; getting caught up in a gripping mystery, working out motivations and motives, and catching the red herrings through the suspense often keeps me up later at night than I wish, just reading "one more chapter". This was a good quick read and I really enjoyed the author's style of writing; overall the story had so many fascinating elements but left me wanting more.

The main plot of this book hooked me for several reasons: Georgina and Bren's marriage is on shaky ground due to his betrayal and her inability to forgive and trust him, Georgina recently lost her mother and is worried about her father living on his own, and their son claims to have met a "new" Granny who gives him treats to reward him for winning games. All areas I could related to in some way.

While the various storylines that tied the book together were interesting, I did feel the constant undertow of the marriage breakdown had too much page time with not enough resolution. As Georgina uncovered more lies and truths, I disliked Bren's character more and more both as a husband for gaslighting his wife, but also as a father for his complete lack of concern of that his son could be in danger from a stranger. He turned a corner towards the end but it was too little too late for him to be redeemed in my eyes.

The suspense did pick up in the last third of the book, leading to some heart-pounding moments for the characters, only to sort of fizzle a bit again at the very end.

Overall the book touched on many deep emotional situations and mental health topics: unfaithful husband, grief over the loss of a parent, dementia in the family, postpartum depression, imaginary friends, grief over the loss of a child, scandals of children taken from young unwed mothers, kidnapping... but I felt jumped lightly from all of them without diving deeply into them or tying them seamlessly together.

In the end, I enjoyed the book and the story; but it felt a bit like a meal of too many appetizers that left me, in the end not feeling fully satisfied.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun, exciting race to the finish of this book. The pace is fast, there is very little extra words and I loved every second of it. At no point was I bored this book had me from start to finish.

The main narrator or is a unreliable character and she is done very well. All the other characters fell flat for me. I wasn’t invested in anyone else I felt like they could have been given a little more.

This is a great book, it’s a quick read and you will probably enjoy it. I would read this author again.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I had made a prediction early on it wasn’t close but kind of ahah. I feel like the author added in a random part of the main characters past to throw you off the scent of who the real “bad guy” was. I kept waiting to learn about this horrible thing that must have made Georgina keeps acing a flashback but that never came so that was a bit disappointing. The person is someone yo I would never be able to ever guess until you actually receive all of the information because so much is hidden from the reader. It was a quick and fast paced read at least haha. I would possibly read more by this author but this one was a bit meh and not quite there for me.

What a fantastic debut novel from Rachel Ryan!
I was hooked from the very start.
Georgina is a bit concerned when her young son Cody emerges from the bushes at a playground, eating candy. Cody knows not to take candy from strangers, but he swears it is from his granny... the only issue is that Cody’s only grandmother is dead. What follows next is a constant struggle between the truth, delusions and old demons that haunt Georgina and her family, resulting in a harrowing conclusion, revealing secrets that have long been buried.

Okay story, the plot was a bit disjointed between the beginning and the end. The beginning was a bit slow and full of paranoia, where the end was more action and excitement and secrets being revealed. I also thought it a bit predictable, but generally a good read.

If you are looking for a quick, fast-paced, gripping mystery, this will satisfy. I found the analytical asides a bit off-putting, and the peripheral characters poorly developed, but enjoyed the the twists and turns and deliberate misdirections. I personally prefer stronger women characters, but for what it was, it was well done.

The Woman Outside My Door
Written by: Rachel Ryan
Publisher: Simon and Shuster Canada

I could not put this book down! It had me hooked on page one, chapter one. “He was sucking on a lollipop he hadn’t had earlier.” That line, right there three quarters of the way down sets up this story. That is the first question that continually crosses Georgina’s mind; this is the reader’s first insight into Georgina’s inner thoughts and how she processes them.

Georgina is a very busy woman, working, studying and raising a child. She’s recently lost her mother, that kind of blow hits any daughter, but with the other outside stresses in Georgina’s life the loss of her mother, quite possible has taken her close to the edge.

Has Cody, (her 7 year old son) actually made up this New Grandma, is this is how he is coping with the loss of his grandma? The seed of doubt, now firmly planted in Georgina’s mind has found a fertile place to grow.

From that one lollipop Georgina starts to play a game and she always feels she is nowhere near the end of that game. Who is this old lady, is she made up or a real person? Why does Cody call her New Granny? What doesn’t her husband believe her concerns to be valid? All of those questions begin to lead in other directions as we find out more about Georgina, her past and her present.

This is author Rachel Ryan’s first book and I did a double take on that information, because this book was all and more. As the story of this family unfolds, the little cracks, the words that your mind whispers to you and push your self-doubt and insecurities forward. The shadows you think you see and the remembrance of the past. Is your child safe, are you safe, and is your family safe? Who is telling the truth and who is hiding things from Georgina?

For a first book Rachel Ryan comes out with 5 stars and the question when is you next book coming out? Snuggle up, get a hot cup of tea and a plate of biscuits and take this ride with Georgina and her family!

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Simon and Shuster Canada, for allowing me the opportunity to read Rachel Ryan’s book and to give my honest opinion upon finishing it.

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Ryan and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC of The Woman Outside My Door
Main character Georgina is worried about her son, he says he has a new Granny, her mother has just passed away so she thinks it is his way of coping, She is also trying to rekindle her relationship with her husband Bren, she can't help but think about the affair he says he didn't have. Georgina tries to visit her father as often as she can, she knows it is tough for him now that he is alone. Georgina just can't shake the feeling that there is something more going on. The author takes us on a journey as Georgina tries to narrow down what is actually going on in her world.
This book is well written, characters are well introduced and described. Easy to remember who is who. Story line got my attention right away, I didn't want to put this book down. The tension grew and who dunnit was really a mystery to the end.
I would read more of Rachel Ryan's novels.

Set in Dublin, this novel was a compelling page turner from the very first page when the main character Georgina, grieving her mother's recent death, is horrified when her young son goes missing in a playground, then emerges from the bushes saying he just met "New Granny.' What follows is a twisting, turning story in which Georgina's sanity is thrown into doubt as she tries to figure out if New Granny is a real, menacing stranger, something paranormal or a figment of her son's imagination. Ryan develops all the characters well, including affable, understanding husband, Bren, who has a few secrets to hide, and her grieving widower father, Jimmy. The story builds efficiently to an exciting and unexpected climax while acknowledging a darker aspect of recent Irish history. A well written and entertaining story that keeps the reader guessing until the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-copy of The Woman Outside My Door.

Georginas mother has died and her son is now talking to someone whom he calls his ‘New Grandma’. Now Georgina must find out who is lying to get to the truth; her husband, child, neighbours or her father.

This book is dubbed as a thriller and a thrilling ride it was. It is an easy read and there was no way I could guess where the book was ending. Great first book by Rachel Ryan.