I have to admit that I found the start of Looking Out a little slow and wondered how the story would progress. Having finished, I understand that it was all about setting up central Natasha and Mitchell to fall into a spectacular scam. It scared me how quickly and easily Jesse ingratiated himself with Natasha, who starts off this story with a bit of a mid-life crisis, feeling both sex-starved and ignored. While there was nothing overt, it was obvious that something was off and my senses were definitely on edge. Natasha is a strong character, a business owner, an organised mother and outwardly has success in every area of her life, yet she is sucked in without realising that it is happening. Mitchell, meanwhile, has his own problems, largely to do with his online share trading. His withdrawal from Natasha is very believable. Their two daughters, Willow and Lara and Natasha’s best friend Monica all add depth to this story, which is skilfully written and compelling.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for the chance to read this book.

I found this book a little slow to get into at the start, but once I did, I enjoyed it. It covers some pretty heavy topics like depression, addiction, financial struggles, and relationship struggles. Overall, it was an engaging read.

I felt like it was a good depiction of how relationships can change as the years wear on and how important it is to continue to communicate and work on the connection that brought you together in the beginning.

I was pretty frustrated with how quickly Vanessa allowed things to move with Jesse, but I guess that is explained with his manipulative side being shown later on.

A brilliant Australian drama where the suspense is high and the obsession, love, relationships and friendships are pushed to the limit. Another page turner by my favorite Australian author.

Fiona McCallum writes books with heart, this one is a wonderful story about family, friends, communication and losing your way.
The story is told from the main character Natasha’s point of view, she has a wonderful family, good close friends and a cute little shop. Natasha is missing the feeling of being loved from her husband, he seems more interested in locking himself in his home office, so the conversation is stilted and secrets are kept!
As the storyline unfolds I felt the sadness as a once happy couple drift apart, Natasha meets Jesse in her shop and enjoys the attention. Mitchell sees his wife slipping away when his lack of communication and warmth is no longer there.
Natasha and Mitchell’s friends help them work through their secrets and concerns, trying to save a special relationship.
It was great to see Mitchell find his voice, witness a fabulous group of friends caring about each other and Natasha accepting the truth,

Thanks to Harlequin Australia, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars
Looking out is a story focussing on secrets, lies, family, friendships and relationships.
I found the story slow to start with but it did pick up. I really questioned some of Natasha's decisions, especially considering she had children. Mitchell was a little annoying as he just went along with everything as he didn't want his secrets coming out. There was an incident, but it didn't blow up as bad as I was expecting and seemed to be resolved quite quickly and easily.
A big moral of the story is communication is key!

Natasha and Mitchell are living seperate lives under one roof when Jesse comes into Natasha's shop. He is charming and wisks her off her feet.

I felt from the beginning that Jesse was dodgy. I kept waiting for it to become true. I was hooked on this book for the first half then I was holding on for the peak in the plot. Eventually it came, and then the ending wrapped up quickly.

I really liked Mitchell. He was a realistic character who suffers with addiction and mental health.

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC.

This is my first read of this author’s books, so, I was not sure what to find between the covers of Looking Out by Fiona McCallum. But once I got into the story, it was an intriguing tale. Quite quickly it was clear to see this is a story about relationships. The good glue, the repellent and less sticky that keeps people together or apart.

What happens when life gets so busy, important things begin to slip? I kept thinking, what caused this once happy couple to become so disengaged in the marital sense? Life happens, yes. And although the assurance of love is still present, the physical activities are not. This is how Natasha finds herself prey to Jesse, an attractive tradie shady individual: one who comes across as ‘too good to be true’ and manages to push all her desire buttons. She is lavished with attention, made to feel special, and she begins to wander in her thoughts. What would it be like to have an unpredictable romantic interlude?

Mitchell is the husband with the quiet voice. Quiet because he has fallen into some ground swallowing habits and does not want Natasha to know what he has been up to. It is obvious he is a man who cares about his family and wife and his adorable dog (who is a great judge of character!). To keep Natasha’s eyes off his folly, he agrees to an unimaginable experiment. Natasha gets the attention she needs from another man, while he tries to work his way out of the hole he has placed them in. It all becomes quite uncomfortable and we get the sense it is going to end badly (and it does). But when the truth for each character comes out, the responses are quite unexpected. Fear has kept Mitchell bound but when he accepts help from a friend, things start looking up.

This novel covers a lot of heavy issues such as blackmail, gambling, alcoholism, depression, contemplation of suicide and how these things can affect meaningful relationships. But it is not all doom and gloom. There are positives, too. It shows us how communication can diffuse the fear of the unknown, unload the accumulating burdens and set the wounded soul free from a load of guilt. Even alleviate the ache of loneliness from isolation. There are a few wonderful friends in this novel to help light the way. So, friendship is another important theme. I also love how a family pet warms his master’s heart, offers comfort and joy to the children and warns Natasha of a scam artist. Dogs are pretty good at sniffing out bad characters!

I found Natasha’s and Mitchell’s journey hard to watch at times. When she loses her head for a while, I wanted Mitchell to speak up, not be so compliant. But we find out the emotions and reasons behind that. The ending was quite wonderful and her understanding of his mistakes, endearing. Of course, she had a fair number of her own blemishes to cover. Justice is served (not without some tense and suspenseful moments!) but true healing comes to this family and that’s the best ending for this story! 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for a review copy.

Natasha and Mitchell live in Balhannah, a small town in the Adelaide Hills, with their two preteen daughter’s Willow and Lara and dog Angel. Looking at their life from the outside it looks prefect, they have a nice house, two cars, Natasha owns a home wares shop and is interested in interior design and Mitchell works from home and cooks tea for his family. Natasha does the school run, takes the girls to netball and catches up with her girlfriends regularly.

Mitchell has turned into a bit of a recluse and he’s become very withdrawn and Natasha puts this down to the pressures of trading on the US stock market and working from home at night, and least he doesn’t have to do the daily commute to the city via the death defying Free Way.

Natasha meets locksmith Jesse when he comes into her shop, he’s very charming, he offers to help Natasha with promoting her interior skills, and it seems like a legitimate offer. Soon everywhere she goes, Natasha starts bumping into Jesse, he’s rather good looking and there’s no harm in checking out a spunky tradie?

The issue is Jesse starts making Natasha think about the things she’s not getting from Mitchell, they were once close, she feels lonely and neglected. Her friends tell her she’s playing with fire, Jesse is a bit of a mystery man, Natasha knows nothing about his private life and when one points out he doesn’t use any form of social media, which is odd in this day and age and she gets huffy.

The main characters marriage has suffered due to the couple being busy, like most men Mitchell doesn’t talk about how he’s feeling or understand why he’s ended up making some bad choices and his life is unravelling. Natasha is wearing blinkers, luckily she has nice friends who care for her and pick up when something isn’t right.

I received a copy of Looking Out, by Fiona McCullum from Harlequin Australia and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. The popular author is known for her interesting plots and tackling thought provoking and controversial topics in her books. Her latest novel is no exception, married life changes when you have children, gone is the spontaneous romance, it’s all about commitments, and it’s easy for a couple to lose their way, this is what happens with the main characters.

The narrative has elements of suspense, danger, people keeping secrets and this is hard to do in a small town, the story brings up types of addiction, signs of depression, family dynamics and what’s a normal family these days and the importance of friendship and why you should always listen to that little voice in your head called common sense. Natasha wasn’t my favourite character, I found her rather annoying and maybe this was intentional as no one is prefect and four stars from me.

Being my first read of Fiona McCallum, I wasn't sure what to expect. And initially I thought "Looking Out" was a light chick lit I'd be bored with. But the further I got into the book, the more I became intrigued....caught up in the lies and the bizarre freedom being given within the marriage of Natasha and Mitchell.
I did find the daughters a little confusing...one minute mature and next being encouraged to play chase and pin the tail, so I never really understood their age.
With themes of addiction, depression and very up to date with the online environment and challenges of working from home, this is a very modern story.
And the scenario totally believable.
But as always in life, true friendship, whether it be your bbf or your spouse, is your best steer.
The house on the book cover is totally wrong in my imagination, but the catch phrase "Beneath the facade not everything is as it seems..." truely sums up "Looking Out".
Thanks to NetGalley, Fiona McCallum and Harlequin Australia for my copy.

Fiona McCallum tackles some big issues in this book. Gambling and online activities, depression, misuse of social media and fraud happen to this seemingly happy family in the Adelaide Hills. When Jesse appears, he seems too good to be true, however, inconsistencies start to appear . Mitchell is battling his own demons and feels he is letting Natasha down, and this is where Jesse starts to insert himself into their lives. Fortunately, Natasha's best friend is looking out for her and all is revealed. I particularly enjoyed the two daughters and their interactions. This is a timely warning to keep your wits about you when things seem to be changing. I’m not so convinced that Mitchell would be been so spineless, however, it is easy to see how situations can change one step at a time. It was an entertaining and thought provoking read.