"Meredith, Alone" by Claire Alexander is a top-notch blend of Friendship & Family Fiction!

Meredith Maggs is a one-of-a-kind character whose current world encompasses the inside walls of her home. She hasn't left her nest in 1,215 days and she's perfectly happy right where she is, doing all the things she normally does every day. There are reasons why Meredith hasn't gone through her front door to the outside world in over three years. Let's call them: 'Meredith Reasons'.

I love the fact that the synopsis of this book on Goodreads is short and sweet. It tells you as much as you need to know and that's the best way to begin reading this story.

It's told in a dual timeline of Meredith's present life and her past. The present is periodic daily-life snapshots covering her relationships with her friends, her family, and her cat, Fred. The past slowly revisits her family life and the occurrences that brought Meredith to her current status.

Meredith's story is heartbreaking. It will make your heart hurt and you'll want to reach out and give her a big hug! As you read, you're sure you've discovered everything there is to know about her, and then the author creates another layer of 'Meredith Reasons". Oh, my heart!

Through all the darkness of Meredith's story, you learn that it is also an inspiring one. She has supportive friends who keep in contact with her, visit her, encourage her, and care about her struggle. Then you learn the most remarkable thing of all about Meredith, that she's also helpful and supportive to each of her friends. She's hopeful, compassionate, welcoming, and steadfast. Yes, Meredith is incredible!

A satisfying read with well-developed characters to either 'love' or 'love to hate', scads of socially relevant topics, and an ending that gives promise to new beginnings and hope for the future, offers forgiveness, understanding, and a deeper meaning of friends and family!

I highly recommend this book to those who love character driven stories like I do! 4.25 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Claire Alexander for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

Meredith Maggs has spent 1,214 days without leaving her house when "Meredith Alone" begins. She is able to work from home as a writer, has the companionship of her beloved cat Fred, a seemingly endless supply of jigsaw puzzles to entertain her, and sees an online therapist. She also gets regular visits from her good friend Sadie and her young kids. With groceries and everything else delivered, she sees no reason to go outside. Of course, there's also the fact that she faces debilitating panic attacks at the thought of venturing past her front door.

When Sadie tells her about a charity called Helping Hands that sends out volunteers to chat with housebound people, Meredith is skeptical, but eventually gives them a call. A man, Tom, comes to visit and Meredith soon finds herself relaxing and making a new friend. She still doesn't want to go into what might lie behind her reluctance to venture out into the world.

The story jumps back and forth in time between the present and Meredith's chaotic upbringing with her abusive mother and older sister Fiona. Although her family still lives in Glasgow (as does Meredith), she hasn't had any contact with them for several years. Meredith must come to terms with her troubled past if she is ever to get beyond her front door again.

I enjoyed reading about Meredith and finding out what was keeping her trapped inside her house. She is able to keep herself busy and has plans for every day (which I guess you need to do if you don't have any outside appointments or responsibilities). While she does participate in online therapy and support groups, and has Tom and Sadie as visitors, she what she really misses is the contact with her sister. Meredith's journey toward finally coming to terms with her past trauma and rejoining society was slow but believable.

OUTSTANDING!!! I absolutely loved my time with this book. The premise is unique and really made me think about a lot. I loved the supporting characters! Always look for the helpers. ♥️ This was a slow unravel of a heartbreaking story. Gosh, I loved Meredith and wanted to reach through the pages to squeeze her. I loved this one!

This is a deeply meaningful book with a great deal to say about living life and overcoming trauma.

Meredith has not been outside her home in 1214 days. She is content with her choices and enjoys her life for the most part. She has a remote job, a solid friend named Sadie, and a lovely cat Fred. As the story progresses, we learn more about Meredith's past and why she is at home.

This is a book filled with a wide variety of characters who in turn you will learn to adore, admire, dislike, root for, and root against. The trauma in this book is not handled lightly, but it also isn't something the characters remain stuck in--their forward (and backward) journeys and the way each of them come alongside the others are what make the reading of this book so compelling.

There are triggers here--this novel deals with heavy subjects such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. But it is so hopeful overall and the ending is perfect. Everything is not tied up into a sappy neat bow, there is such a feeling of joy, bravery, and strength in the progress made by the very realistic characters.

This is such a raw, honest look at the effects trauma can have on people and how they can learn, grow, and heal through even the most difficult things. Highly recommended!

Meredith, a truly lovely woman, with a truly lovely cat named Fred, has not stepped outside her home in over 3 years.

Thanks to rigorous home exercise, careful time management, delivery services, remote work, online friendships, her IRL friend Sadie, and the ability to whip up all variety of lovely treats in her kitchen, she hasn't really been forced to confront the reasons she's not leaving.

With the introduction of a "friend", Tom, who is sent by a charity organization, and Celeste, a woman Meredith meets online but who lives nearby, we begin to see the reasons behind Meredith's isolation, and she begins to feel the weight of her situation.

Without giving much away, Meredith has been REALLY disappointed by people in her life. With the help of her new friends (no quotes this time, because thankfully Tom and Celeste are more truly lovely people!), we get to see the dismantling of Meredith's barriers and an evolution into the Meredith she was always meant to be.

This was a heartwarming story, and a real testament to the power of friendship and jigsaw puzzles.
<i>I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for this opportunity </i>

What a lovely uplifting book. The story follows a woman, Meredith, who has not left her home in a few years due to an occurrence which, at the start of the book, we are unaware. The story follows Meredith through current life goings on, her childhood, and a few years before the beginning of the book. The writing was captivating, and took me through her tale quickly. It was a really swift read, and really wonderful if you're looking for something a little different than usual. It was definitely not your standard fare chick lit, and had twists and turns that you wouldn't necessarily have guessed.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something a little different but that will get you immediately hooked and you will want to see how Meredith's story turns out.
This ebook was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I get most of my ARCs from NetGalley. And while many times I will go there looking for a specific book to request, mostly I tend to just surf through all of the available titles and see what catches my eye. It might be the title, or the cover design, and then I'll read through the description. If I think I'll like it, I request it and then forget about it until the approval comes in. At that point I'll add it to my ARC calendar and then forget it again until it comes up next in the rotation. But here's the part I love the most: by this point I have pretty much no memory of the plot of the book at all. All I know is that at some point I liked the premise enough to request it. Could I read the blurb and refresh my memory? I could, but I usually don't. Why? Because that would spoil the supreme joy I get by going into a book completely blind. I have no idea who these characters are, not even an inkling of where the plot will take me. And that is my absolute favorite way to read a book.

This is exactly what happened with Claire Alexander's Meredith, Alone. I had no idea what the upcoming pages would show me, so I was just along for the ride. And it was a beautiful, heart-searing ride. We travel to Glasgow, Scotland (bucket list trip for me), to meet the titular Meredith, who has not set foot outside her home for 1,214 days. She works remotely for her job, orders everything she needs online, and seems quite content with her life as it is. She has Fred, her cat, to keep her company, and her jigsaw puzzles to occupy her time. But the question we are asking ourselves right from the start is...WHY? Why has she shuttered her life behind her front door? The answer unfurls for us gradually, and will rip your heart right to pieces.

But bit by bit, with the help of old friends and new, Meredith begins to open that door to the outside world. Her journey is emotional and vulnerable and I was right there cheering her on. I appreciated the fact that we are allowed to see Meredith stumble along the way. The process of healing from her trauma is intense and her progress in getting back to the outside world reflects that. The characters in this book are wonderfully developed, even the ones that maybe you don't want to really know about. And if you think you've figured out how this story will end, you're probably be wrong, but you'll agree that the ending we get is perfect. The story is told through multiple stages in Meredith's life; her childhood growing up with her older sister and their neglectful mother; her adult life before she closed herself off from the world; and the present, as we get a running account of the number of days it has been since she left the confines of her house. I'm not gonna lie, the jumping around got a bit confusing at times. The flashback chapters are titled with the year, but they are not presented in a linear order. The best strategy I found was to remember what year Meredith was born and then do some quick math at the beginning of each of those chapters to keep track of where we are in her life. But that is really my only nit to pick with this book. This is the first of Alexander's books that I have read, but I will definitely be checking out some of her other work. I highly recommend this beautiful story!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Grand Central Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Meredith had experienced multiple traumas in her past which drove her to shut herself away in her home. After befriending a woman from her online support group, a desire to rejoin the world is awakened within her. Though part of this story sheds light on what happened to Meredith, it is more about her grit and determination to overcome those things.

I felt so much for Meredith, but mostly, I was happy that I got to share this journey with her. For a myriad of reasons, Meredith had not left her house for several years. Via flashbacks and first hand accounts, I slowly learned about Meredith’s difficult childhood, past trauma, and complicated relationships with her sister and mother. My heart ached for this woman, but I found so much joy in the life she had built for herself.

In many of the flashbacks, I got to share some painful as well as some lovely memories with Meredith. She had a full life, and the build up to that straw that broke the camel’s back kept me flipping the pages. It was interesting how disappointed Meredith was with herself and her inability to leave her home because, to me, it was a testament to her strength that she was still here after all the pain she suffered.

I was glad that despite her struggles, Meredith was able to build a nice life for herself. She was fortunate that it was filled with some very special people. There was her life-long best friend Sadie who was a star. Tom, from the charity, whose efforts with Meredith along with his heartfelt confessions of his own loneliness endeared him to me. There was also Celeste whose party invitation was a catalyst for Meredith’s road to recovery, as well as Tom, her cat companion. It was just such a treat to see Meredith’s world expand as her circle of friends grew. And it wasn’t just Meredith who benefited. She also brought a lot to her friends’ lives. Yes, I experienced lots of warm fuzzies.

This was a story about many things – letting go of the past, healing, friendship, and finding the strength to move forward. The focus wasn’t on what happened, but rather on Meredith’s drive to move past it. Touching and heartwarming, I adored cheering Meredith on each step of the way.

OH Meredith. She survived a horrid childhood thanks to her sister Fiona but then.....Now, she's about to turn 40 and she hasn't left her house in over 1200 days. She's arranged her life to make that possible by working freelance, ordering groceries, caring for her cat Fred, and so on. And, her long time BFF Sadie comes to visit, the only one who does until Tom, who is sent to talk with her. She's also got an online group, which includes Celeste. You won't know what sent Meredith under her kitchen table and then behind a locked door for a long time but you will know that she's struggled with her mental health since she was a child. I liked this for so many reasons, first and foremost that Meredith is clear and has a strong voice. SHe's not quirky, she's troubled, knows her limitations, and is working to step outside of her garden. Would that we all had a friend like Sadie and a social services network like the one Glasgow appears to have. No spoilers from me as to any of it but if I have a quibble it's that things resolve a bit too quickly. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

This story was tough for me to get through. Meredith had a really difficult childhood which she survives because of her sister Fee. Their mother suffered with depression and who knows what else and wasn't winning any parenting contests. Meredith is the victim of an assault which results in her relationship with Fee dissolving. The book opens with it being day 1,214 since Meredith has left her home. The book takes us back and forth, shows us moments from her childhood and to the present as she's trying to gather the strength to get back out in the world. The writing and storytelling was good, just a heavy story.

This book was emotional! Great depictions of grief and how everyone heals differently.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

It’s been 1215 days since Meredith has walked out of her home. What’s keeping her there and what will it take for her to leave?

Meredith Alone is an honest depiction of how trauma can affect mental health and, consequently, how we live our lives. While this story does contain a lot of heavy and difficult subject matter, there’s enough hope, heartwarming moments, and touches of humor that it won’t weigh you down. This story is thoughtfully written and contains so many important messages. While this story can be so eye-opening to those who haven’t really experienced severe anxiety and depression, Meredith is still such a relatable character.

Meredith isn’t the only one who’s experienced trauma in this story, though. And I love that each character handled their own trauma in very different ways- even those with trauma similar to hers. It’s so important to know that we aren’t all going to be capable of overcoming our tragedies in the same way or even in the same time frame- and that there’s nothing wrong with that.

Even though Merideth’s small world was contained within the confines of her home, she had a wonderful support system- side characters who you’ll want to befriend. And despite everything she’d been through that led her to a life lived only within the four walls of her home, Meredith had so much courage and heart. I loved watching the growth she made as she bravely began to reach out more to others- it was satisfying but realistic.

If you’re looking for a character-driven story, filled with friendships, complex family relationships, and great mental health representation, I highly recommend Meredith, Alone.

Thank you, NetGalley for an early copy of Meredith, Alone in exchange for an honest review. This inspiring story comes out November 1, 2022. Make sure to preorder this one because you won’t want to miss out!

An entertaining but definitely not uplifting read. Kept me interested throughout though I could have done with less flashbacks. The writing flowed smoothly and the story felt natural.

Such a heartfelt (and heartbreaking and uplifting and all the emotions) story. The writing really pulled me in and the main character, Meredith, felt like a friend. The more I learned about her, the more I was rooting for her.

Meredith has been inside for over 1,000 days, due to panic attacks after a childhood and young adult-hood of different aspects of emotional trauma. A social service sends a person, Tom, over each week to talk with her, whom she befriends and begins to trust her story with. Over time, with therapy, her best friend Sadie, and new friend Tom, she begins to feel stronger and more confident about being in the world.

I thought the nuances around sisterhood with Fee and her friendship with Sadie and Tom were well done. The only friendship that I didn't totally believe was with Celeste, and I can't pinpoint why. Maybe it felt like it progressed too quickly for what I knew about Meredith and trusting people?

Overall, an important story of self-growth, self-acceptance, love and friendship. And Fred the cat.

Trigger warning for emotion abuse from a parent, physical abuse from a spouse, and a parts of the storyline including conversations and actions of r*pe.

Meredith hasn’t left her house in over 3 years. After a traumatic incident, even the thought of stepping outside sends her into a panic attack. However, she meets a few people who quickly become friends and leave her more discontent with her situation than she’s ever been. Meredith starts to face her demons instead of running from them to see if she can finally leave her house for the sake of her friends.

Wow. I thought this book was so thoughtful. I love to read to empathize and understand experiences I’d never know on my own & “Meredith, Alone” was a great book for that. Mental health is so nuanced and this book treated it with such care. I will say because of this, the book felt so heavy at times. I knew we’d be dealing with some sort of trauma, but with all the characters it seemed like we hit most of the big triggers. Even with very short chapters, I’d sometimes read 1 or 2 and have to put the book down just to get a bit of a breath. Some chapters were very lighthearted and fun to read, so it was balanced and didn’t feel like a complete downer, but this made it no less hard to read sometimes.
Chapters were labeled with either the number of days she’d been in her house for current day or for flashbacks, the year it took place in, which was a really smart way to do it. Ultimately, this was a sweet testament to friendship.

I will definitely be looking out for more books from Claire Alexander in the future.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Meredith, Alone is a beautiful story of trauma and healing. Meredith at age 40 lives alone as a recluse in her home and has not left her house in 3 years after a traumatic experience. With the help of her friends, she slowly works on becoming more comfortable with people, and places that are outside of her home. I LOVED this story. I think most of the books I read about agoraphobes are about people who experience trauma, which is common, but those stories also feature people who are essentially stalkers of the people who live around them. Meredith, however, it concerned with her own healing and while she sees people outside, they are not her main focus in life. This was a different take than I am used it, which I greatly appreciated. With the help of her friends, Meredith slowly relives her trauma in a healthy way and I feel like this is a realistic view of someone with anxiety, depression and PTSD (I've personally never experienced PTSD, but do suffer from anxiety and depression.) Her healing journey shows that healing is not always linear and that we should never stop trying to heal even when we feel like we have taken a step back for every 2 steps forward. No one heals from trauma at the same pace and progress is progress no matter how small! I hope this book gives hope to others that are struggling with their own healing.

All the stars! Love love love. Thank you NetGalley for the advance e copy. I will be recommending widely.

In Meredith, Alone, the titular character is a nearly 40-year-old woman who has been living a reclusive lifestyle for over three years. Apart from her online job, one friend, and the delivery man, she has no interaction with the world outside of her home. As the story progresses, we find out the events that have led Meredith to this life, with past timelines interspersed with the present.

From the cover and description, I expected this book to be more light-hearted than it is. It gets heavy at times when traumatic events are discussed. Despite that, it is an uplifting story. I appreciated the evolution of Meredith’s relationships with both her sister, Fiona, and her supportive friend group. Additionally, I liked the mental health representation as far as Meredith’s sessions with her therapist.

Meredith, Alone is a moving story of recovery with relatable characters. Meredith is a memorable protagonist, and many readers will identify with her feelings.

Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander is an emotional story about a woman who hasn’t left her home in months. It is both heartbreaking and inspirational and a book I won’t soon forget.

Story Recap:
Meredith lives with her rescue cat Fred, and never leaves her home. The only visitors she gets are her friend Sadie and her two children. She has an online support group and loves her jigsaw puzzles. But, things are about to change for Meridith and it’s time for her to face her traumatic past.

My Thoughts:
This is such an emotional book, and I loved every minute of it. It’s not a romance, but a story of abuse, mental health, and coping. And yet, it’s also so inspirational and beautiful. Agoraphobia is such a misunderstood illness, and I enjoyed learning a bit more about it through the mind of Meredith and her interactions with the few people she allows around her.

At first, it seems as if Meridith really is alone, but as the book progresses we see a support system emerge. The chapters flip back and forth in time and we see the trauma that Meridith faced that led her to her agoraphobia. And in the current chapters, we see the way she starts to heal and all the people around her that love her.

While the book and Meridith’s situation are sad and emotional, I liked the way this debut author sprinkled in little bits of humor making this a very well-balanced story. I liked the way the author was able to communicate the seriousness of the illness and the trauma, and still be able to write a book that was so enjoyable to read.

Recommendation:

I highly recommend Meridith, Alone to everybody. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a character-driven novel that is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Told in the alternative between events in the past and current happenings, the story focuses on Meredith Maggs, who has not left her house in more than 1200 days, and the trauma(s) that have caused her to be a recluse. Although she is alone in her house, she manages to write various pieces to keep some income coming in, has become an accomplished baker, plays jigsaws daily and regularly participates in an internet forum for people dealing with trauma. In this forum, she meets a new friend Celeste who, along with Meredith’s oldest and best friend Sadie, and Tom, whom she meets through a service that befriends lonely people, help Meredith to face and deal with her problem.

I found this to be a very moving and endearing story of a woman who fights a battle daily to overcome very deep-seated issues. Although the gist of the story is a very serious one, the author has sprinkled in bits of humor throughout so that overall, and I found this to be a heartening and uplifting read . Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.