Georgina and Bren are living the “normal” life, raising their son Cody. Georgina is at the park chaperoning a play date for Cody with his friends when they come out of the bushes. When they emerge, Cody has candy in his hand that he did not have before they arrived at the park. When Georgina questions him, he states it’s from “New Granny”. At the time, Georgina tries to just brush it off. Throughout the book, there are many many occurrences of “New Granny” that Georgina starts to worry herself sick over. Bren constantly brushes it off as a game he plays, and that his imagination is just coping with the loss of his own grandmother. With all of that going on, Georgina questions her own sanity. Soon she questions her relationship with Bren when she finds out many lies he's been keeping from her and his story constantly changing. Georgina is unsure if her mind just keeps playing tricks on her or if they is something she should really be worried about.

This book was so good and hard to put down. I constantly kept changing my thoughts on if it was a game or if there really was a New Granny. I recommend reading and finding out that answer for yourself! It is definitely worth the read.

Georgina’s mom recently passed away and it seems her son Cody is taking it really hard. Cody has made up an imaginary friend he calls “New Granny” to cope with his loss. Georgina doesn’t think much of it at first, but when unexplained things start happening, she begins to worry someone may be stalking her son.

Okay so let me start by saying I didn’t hate this one, but I didn’t love it either. The whole “the woman is crazy” part of the book really aggravated me. I feel like this is overdone in books and further adds to the negative stigma with mental illness in women. I will say the storyline veering away from that did save this book from making me not like it at all thankfully. I did appreciate the parts regarding the history of unwed mothers being sent to asylums and work houses. I did not know about this before and found it interesting even though it was horrifying. Overall this has an okay read and a decent debut. 🌟🌟🌟💫 from me

This was a decent thriller for a quick read. It was a little slow moving in parts and the ‘reveal’ didn’t make a ton of sense but I still had a fun enough time reading it on a lazy afternoon.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for my ARC. This was a fast paced thriller that I really enjoyed. Georgina’s son Cody, is visited by “New Granny.” He claims at first that she is real and gives him candy and plays games with him. He quickly changes his tune, and says it was all something he made up. Georgina is sure this person is real and dangerous. Her husband, Bren, is not so easily convinced. Georgina’s challenge to prove to Bren that she is right about this new threat was compelling and suspenseful. The conclusion was satisfying and surprising. I recommend this perfectly paced thriller and am looking forward to reading future books by Rachel Ryan. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Woman Outside My Door, was a fast paced easy read and grabbed your attention right away. Definitely will want to read more by this author. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I am so happy to say that this book held my interest from start to finish. I've been in and out of slumps with my reading concentration levels this year and I'm so happy to get lost in a page turner like this one. The author has created a gripping, mystery that kept me baffled about what was actually going on. The end was not as fulfilling as I had hoped, BUT I did not figure anything out, so that's always a plus. I liked the characters, even when they made bad decisions. Some parts were very creepy: a kid with an imaginary grandma who may or may not be hiding in the bushes? I liked the description and journey of paranoia and doubt that we got with Georgina's mind.
Though this is coined as a "thriller," this is also an emotional roller coaster that reveals intimate details of a married couple dealing with their relationship complexities and insecurities. The book also has some very creepy scenes that made my hair stand off my arm. All in all, this was an emotional, captivating and suspenseful debut by the author and I am looking forward to reading more of her writings.

Did I devour this book in one sitting? Yep!
Was I anxiously biting my nails the entire time? Yep!
Did I love every single minute of it? Yep!

Wow. This book captivated me from the very first chapter until the very last. I was sweating the whole time trying to figure out if Georgina is just nuts or if her son Cody’s imaginary friend is actually real.

Fast paced +
Unreliable narrator +
Creepy vibes +
Family drama +
Gut wrenching anxiety +
= the recipe to a wonderful thriller!

An easy 5 star rating for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What an amazing first book, @rachelryanwriter!
Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Thank you @netgalley, @gallerybooks, & @simonandschuster!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Let's start with the cover. The pink text against the black works so well. I love it.

This was my first book by this author, so I wasn't too sure of what to expect from them.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Their writing style is interesting.
The storyline flowed easily and was easy to follow.
The plot idea was fairly unique. I personally haven't read anything like it.
The characters were well-developed and easy to relate to or like.

I'll definitely be looking out for other work by this author.

This is a solid thriller! It was fast-paced and creepy. I read it in one sitting.

It is different and has you suspecting everyone. Or wondering if it's all in your head!

This book came on at the beginning of January  but I still think it should be getting more love because it is truly good.

If you're looking for a quick knock your socks off rear, then look no further!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this eARC.

This was ok.

I missed the pub day for this title so I chose to listen to it on audio. I am still very thankful to Gallery Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I enjoyed that The Woman Outside My Door was set in Ireland and it had a promising premise. The writer kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. There were twists that I didn't predict but nothing that really shocked me.

Nothing about this book disappointed me but I was left feeling underwhelmed.
That being said- I'd still give this author another try and I don't discourage others from reading this book.

Rating: 3.5 🍷 🍷 🍷 and a half (rounded up to 4 stars)
Book: The Woman Outside My Door
Release Date: Available Now!!! (Released on Jan 5, 2021)
Author: Rachel Ryan
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Sipping Synopsis: Picture your son has an imaginary friend-not a big deal right? Well unless you are me and get creeped out by everything. Georgina was also creeped out when her son, Cody, told her about this mysterious imaginary friend that hides out in the park, feeds him candy, and calls him on the phone. To turn the volume up on creepville, the new friend is called New Granny following the death of Cody’s real grandma. Georgina is desperate to uncover the truth and the identity of this seemingly real imaginary friend-even though everyone is telling her she is being ridiculous.

Final sipping thoughts: This book had such a great start then it stalled and stopped for me quite a few times. Right when I thought we were revving up it slowed and then stalled until the next big event. I can say I was very much creeped out and even in the peaks and valleys of the book I was invested in who this imaginary friend was. I did enjoy the book enough and glad I read it. Should you read it? I think if you are looking for a slow build this might be for you. However, don’t think you will figure this one out. This thriller is the kind that drops so many clues that make you change your mind like every chapter and unfortunately won’t lead you to any real reveal.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @GalleryBooks for an advanced copy of @TheWomanOutsideMyDoor

#TheWomanOutsideMyDoor #GalleryBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was such an interesting, quick read. There were several times I thought I knew where the story was going, but I was wrong each time. New Granny gave me the creeps and I was often worried about Cody and Georgina!

The ending took a big turn, but I didn’t love it. It was very sad, which was a bit of a different experience for reading a thriller.

Almost all kids have imaginary friends, including myself. But Cody's mom doesn't seem very reassured that it's harmless. Could she be real she wonders, more than once? This was one crazy terrific ride from start to finish! Likeable characters, great writing and more twists than a pretzel. And THEN the final! Holy moly! Thank you so much!

The Woman Outside My Door by Rachel Ryan is a thriller about Georgina and her son Cody. One day while leaving the park, Cody tells his mom about his new friend, New Granny. Georgina thinks this may be an imaginary friend until she catches Cody talking on the phone to New Granny. Other strange instances with New Granny keep occurring until finally Georgina solves the mystery of who could be New Granny. This book kept my attention, but by the end I was just weirded out. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital copy. All opinions are my own.

What if your son came home from the park saying he met a new granny and she gave him candy, but no one saw this woman... when you find a piece of paper saying “chocolate is the prize for boys who win the game” would you just brush it off as an imaginary friend especially when you see your son talking on the phone but no one is there?
Georginas seven year old son Cody starts talking about a new imaginary friend “New Granny” she’s worried that he is making up an imaginary granny due to to her mother passing away recently. When she brings up the subject to her husband Bren, he brushes it off as an imaginary friend and it will pass. Soon Georgina begins to fear this is more than just an imaginary friend, it’s something more sinister, Cody comes home with candy, she finds him talking and laughing on the phone, when she finds a written note her heart drops, she feels like there is a “new granny” and is Cody in danger? Bren begins to question Georginas behavior and thinks she irrational and blowing things out of proportion he even suggests seeing a therapist . When they question Cody he lies and says he made New Granny up but Georgina knows there’s more going on but is she just being paranoid or is there someone who wants her son? This was a quick read for me I enjoyed it and I loved the premises I find myself loving books with imaginary friends I feel it adds a more creepy aspect. I’m giving this four stars, I found myself hoping Georgina would uncover what’s going on, and feeling bad for her that people just assumed she was crazy. I loved that fact she was a flawed character and at times going the extra mile, I mean who wouldn’t if your child was possibly in danger.

The Women Outside My Door was an excellent physiological thriller/drama. Georgina is the mom of 7 year old Cody. When Cody mentions new granny Georgina is curious since she has lost her mother Rose recently. The suspense was amazing is Cody's friend imaginary or is Georgina loosing her mind? Highly recommend!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book all opinions are my own.

Urgent, rapt, consumed. Words I would use to describe my experience with this book. I honestly cannot remember the last time I consumed a boom so feverishly. I managed to knock this out in the span of 24 hours, no easy feat with a little one running wild.

Maybe that’s why this one effected my emotions so wholeheartedly. As a new mom you would protect your child at all costs. You learn to listen to your intuition from the get go. So what if someone was posing a threat to your child but no one believed you, or even believed this person existed until it was too late?

I was on the edge of my seat reading this, from anxiety to anger to tears, this was a rollercoaster of emotions. Everyone was a suspect and then the truth bomb was so unexpected, yet exciting to realize! 5⭐️ Read

This story was just ok for me... It wasn't terrible, but I found myself not caring at all about what was happening and I didn't care about the characters at all. The little bits we got about them didn't really add up to anything at all. The husband has an affair with an ex, which lead to nothing... The wife found things on his computer about divorce, which lead to nothig... The neighbor next door was seen doing something suspicious, which lead to nothing... Her mom was dead and her dad was acting kind of strange and dissapeared, which was only a small part of the actual story... The "twist" was ok and it served its purpose. Again, it wasn't terrible, there just wasn't enough to make me care about any of it. I know things were meant to throw the reader off but it felt like it was just thrown together.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

3 Imaginary/GastlightingStars
When we lose a loved one, it can cause all sorts of feelings. It is this premise used for The Woman Outside My Door. A little boy tells his mother that he has a New Granny he met at the park. She is the replacement for the beloved mom the mother lost recently.

Her husband tells her not to worry, imaginary friends happen all the time...it is the way the little boy is coping...
But what does it mean when there are notes signed by this New Granny...
What does it mean when a child disappears...
What is imaginary, gaslighting, or real.