Georgina has had a rough time of it lately. Her mother dying, work, her suspicions about her husband having an affair with an Ex.

So when her son, Cody, begins talking and giggling with his ‘imaginary’ friend more and more, even calling her New Granny, her instincts tell her something is off here.

Sure children have imaginary friends. But they aren’t known for giving them candy and chatting on the phone.

There is really no communication between Georgina and her husband, Bren. He keeps lying and thinks his wife may be off her rocker.

But a mother knows these things and she will do anything she has to in order to protect her child. Even though her husband thinks there is nothing wrong and she should let it lie, she isn’t going to.

The wrap up was totally shocking! So I’ll let you enjoy that!

Well Done.

NetGalley/ January 5th, 2021 by Gallery Books

www.piratepatty.com

📖 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 📖💫

📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫
👩🏻‍💻 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧
📅 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟓,𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏

⭐️ 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯: 𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘵
⭐️ 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴: 4.07/5
⭐️ 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!

🍫 𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨: When Georginas son Cody starts telling her about his imaginary friend “new granny” she becomes increasingly paranoid that perhaps his friend isn’t so imaginary.
🍫 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙: The story was a quick read, it pulled me in and kept me engaged. I did not anticipate some of the plot twists, which I always enjoy.
🍫 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙙: There were several story lines which were meant to flow together and at some times did but other times it didn’t seem to flow. Perhaps the story was meant to trick the reader to thinking something else was happening, but in the end I don’t think it was done as well as it could have been.
🍫 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙜𝙡𝙮: This was a quick, suspenseful easy read. Not a book I loved but I also did not hate it.

⭐️ 𝙼𝚢 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟹.𝟻/𝟻

This psychological thriller was one of the creepier ones I've read lately! The premise is quite unsettling...Georgina's son has an imaginary friend, 'New Granny', he's met at the park. Georgina's mother has recently passed away, so she is dealing with that grief as well as settling in to her new job. Add to that the grief of her son leading him to invent this new friend of his. But Georgina has a gut feeling that Cody isn't making this friend up, which brings fear and a new level of concern into her life! Is this just a typical way for her son to manage his feelings after the loss of his grandma, or is there an immediate threat that Georgina and her husband need to pay attention to?
I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this book, and as a mom I could put myself in Georgina's shoes oftentimes. What in the world would I do in this situation? How would I get past my own grief to solve the mystery of what was happening with my son? I know I'd do anything I had to in order to figure it out!

A true thriller. The fast storyline will keep you wanting more and the twists will surprise you. I loved it.

I liked the premise of this twisty thriller- it wasn’t super distinct from any other thrillers I’ve read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

I couldn’t resist the captivating cover and an invitation from the Publisher to read this DEBUT novel from Irish author Rachel Ryan and I am so glad I did!

She is a new voice in the DOMESTIC SUSPENSE genre, who I will be keeping my eye on.

Seven year old, Cody has made a new friend in the park, and he calls her “NEW GRANNY”.
“Chocolate is the prize for boys who win the game”

His mom Georgina is NOT convinced that she is just an imaginary friend, invented because he is mourning the recent loss of his grandmother Rose.

Call it MOTHER’s INTUITION.

But, Dad, Bren thinks it’s a perfectly normal way for a young boy to cope and that Georgina is overreacting.
His lack of support is not helping their already troubled marriage.

HAS
SOMEONE followed Georgina home?
SOMEONE been watching the house?
SOMEONE been looking in the window?
SOMEONE been at the door?

Or is Georgina the one with the overactive imagination?

The words and behavior of Bren and each of the neighbors will be questioned until the truth is revealed.

This book has been called perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, and while the characters are not as quirky, I do think that her fans WILL also enjoy the engaging style and unrelenting suspense of this author’s work as well.

I know that I did!

Available January 5, 2021

Thank you to the Publisher for my gifted copy!
It was a pleasure to provide a candid review!

This is a fast paced, creepy, intense thriller! Georgina is trying really hard to keep her sanity having her lost her mom and finding bits of her husband’s, Bren, one night of passion with his an ex girlfriend. All while going to college, working, and being a mom to seven year old Cody. Cody begins to mention a new granny who is kind and gives him treats. There’s always a creepy vibe whenever new granny is around. Bren believes it’s Cody way of grieving and clearly thinks Georgina is paranoid and suggests she talks to a therapist. Things start to shake up as it gets twisty! Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.

This book flew by and kept me hooked from page 1. I thoroughly enjoyed this suspenseful thriller and will definitely read this author again. A mother is convinced her son is being stalked, but can’t convince her husband that her fears are real. Meanwhile, her entire life is unraveling in ways she can’t control. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a sneak peek at this book!

My favorite genre is thriller. This book is a thriller with a touch of mystery. I appreciate that. This book kept me reading well into the night after I should have put it down but I couldn't. Fantastic new author and please keep them coming!

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

Georgina has had an emotional breakdown several years earlier after having her son and ultimately at the same time her mother passes away and her husband, Bren, was unfaithful. Georgina's seven-year-old son, Cody, claims he met a New Granny while playing in the park. He talks to her on the phone and begins to receive treats and chocolates from her. His mother fears the mysterious woman wishes Cody harm and is watching the house. She is compelled to prove that New Granny really exists and to put an end to this inappropriate connection. Her husband, Bren, the voice of reason, says that is not unusual for a child to cope this way with the death of his real grandmother. As Georgina's paranoia grows, Bren advises her to see a psychiatrist. She believes he may be plotting to leave her and is making it appear she is insane in order to get custody of Cody. She also has paranoia that maybe Bren has reconnected with the women he had an affair with.

The motives of the "villain" in this story did not seem very reasonable nor believable to me. I felt it wasn't fully explained and kind of jumbled all up into the ending. I did however, feel the author has skill for keeping readers engaged and maintaining the suspenseful aura. It is written plain, direct and with very good writing skills. I do feel Rachel Ryan is someone to watch out for and keep an eye on as her novel was a good escape. Rachel Ryan has written a gripping mystery and keeps the reader in suspense, and wanting to know what is going to happen. There is definetly some heart-pounding action near the end.

***Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this new psychological thriller. ***

Ahhhh! Being that I am in the mental health field this was such a good thriller that depicts how a kid handles grief over a grandmother with a spin on it. 5 stars!

The book started out a little slow for my liking- not so slow I wouldn’t continue reading, but just slower than I prefer. It was a slow build action for the first half with a lot of doubts and suspicions on everyone from Georgina. She felt like she was going crazy thinking Cody’s “new granny” was real while he (and everyone else) insisted she was imaginary. She looked for clues, but they were more like making the evidence for the scene type thing. She would find something and figure out a way to make it “prove” her case when it could very easily have been coincidental and under any other circumstances wouldn’t mean anything.
All in all, I’d say it was a good book. The last 1/4 of it, the pace picked up significantly and I was able to finish it rather fast.
Overall, 4/5. Would recommend.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFqhxu0gZ3E/?igshid=5z6k60teew4h

One trippy book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you read as many books as I do you kind of find the layouts of the genres to be very similar. You can actually break the book into pieces and know when to expect certain things to happen in the story.

This new author dismantled that structure just a bit with this fresh story. It’s a haunting look at dealing with grief and healing through loss.

Ryan takes a reasonable explanation for a child losing a grandparent and turns that into something that could be much more sinister. But maybe Georgina is making it up. After all, she’s very stressed and is not always in her right mind.

The author has inserted ample opportunities to sprinkle reasonable and unreasonable situations coupled with that “what-if” doubt throughout the story to throw us off the path. I wanted to really like her husband, Bren, and while he seems supportive, there are other little shades of gaslighting that show up unexpectedly.

While Ryan could’ve gone down the traditional route, the author spins us with interesting situations that seem a bit out there in a normal family structure.

The Woman at My Door is a haunting and frightful story that honestly isn’t that far-fetched. With imaginative spins and theories, Ryan ramps up the story with each page turn.

Ryan is a fresh new voice in the suspense thriller genre. She will be one author that you want to watch.

Thank you tobto publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.
I love thrillers, and this did not disappoint!
A mother who has just lost her mother recently, thinks her son has made up an imaginary friend, named New Granny, to replace the one he just lost.
So why does her son have candy wrappers from his pretend friend and phone calls coming in from New Granny.
Her husband is starting to think she is crazy, because she is positive this pretend person is real! Who is stalking their child?
You will just have to read, if you want to find out!

A good suspenseful read though not as original as I would have liked the plot to be. Somewhat predictable.

This was an enjoyable read with an interesting central conflict and a compelling mystery. The couple's relationship dynamic was solid-and it was fun to watch secrets get dug up and old issues get rehashed and reframed the deeper you got into the story. I also thought the whole new granny thing was super creepy, and the kid was the right balance of innocent mixed with stubborn and annoying.

Though I did have a few issues with the story and believability, I was mostly on board, finishing it in a couple sittings. While the main character is unreliable and has a complicated history, I found it a stretch at times how her husband dealt with her and the issue of new granny. I get why he would doubt her on the one hand, but on the other, if your spouse is telling you there's a chance your kid is developing an odd relationship with a mysterious stranger, I feel like you'd be a little more inclined to thoroughly investigate the issue with an open mind.

I also wish certain things had been set up earlier in the story so as to make the big reveal a touch less obvious once we enter the last third of the book. I don't want to say too much and spoil the ending, but I prefer it when the reader is solving the mystery alongside the main character a bit more. Whereas with this book, it felt like certain revelations weren't seeded early enough so it felt like it came out of nowhere. I liked the drama and emotion the last third of the book brought in, but it definitely needed a touch more development.

I received this book from NetGalley. What a read!!! I could not put it down. - read it in 2 days. The characters were described perfectly & you loved them!! Definitely going to recommend this book. Thank you to Ms Ryan!

OMG Y’ALL. This was absolutely amazing. 100% could not put this book down. The main character was so enticing and the storyline was pure magic. It kept me guessing the whole time and I was in absolute shock at the end. I cannot wait for more novels from Rachel Ryan!

The Woman Outside My Door gave me strong IMAGINARY FRIEND vibes which was what attracted me. I'm so glad I read this book! This is a wonderful debut. It was a bit predictable and reminiscent of how most imaginary friend stories go, but it has its own twist that will keep you interested.

This one is a chilling, fast paged domestic thriller. As soon as Georgina finds her son sucking on a lollipop he didn't have moments earlier she knows that something is wrong. He tells her it was a gift from "New Granny," a woman he met at the park while he was playing in the bushes. Georgina's husband insists that Cody's imaginary friend is just that -- imaginary. There are lots of places a little boy could get his hands on a piece of candy and they both know that their son misses his real grandmother, who recently passed away. I love that this story is told from beginning to end, all from Georgina's point of view as she tries to figure out if "New Granny" is a real person or if her sanity is starting to slip again. Her thoughts frequently stray to "The shadows. The clock. The Stuffed animal." and I felt like it took a bit too long before she finally explained that to the reader.