The Woman Outside My Door

By Rachel Ryan

An unforgettable new voice in suspense fiction, Rachel Ryan weaves a thrilling page-turner about a young mother who can’t shake the feeling that her son’s “imaginary” friend is putting him in danger and who will stop at nothing to keep him safe—perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Mary Kubica.

How far would you go to protect your family?

All children have imaginary friends, Georgina tells herself. It’s perfectly normal, and they all grow out of it in the end. But when seven-year-old Cody tells his mother about “New Granny,” the new friend he’s met in the park, Georgina is instantly suspicious. Something—call it maternal instinct—tells her he isn’t making it up.

But maybe Georgina is losing her mind. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all. And with her own mother’s recent death leaving her bereft and trying to cope with life as a busy working mom, it’s no wonder she’s feeling paranoid that Cody has invented a “New Granny” to replace his beloved grandmother.

Her husband, Bren, becomes the voice of reason, assuring Georgina that it’s just a game, the product of their son’s overactive imagination. But what if Cody’s imaginary friend is not so imaginary after all?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Nov 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781982155988

Rachel Ryan

Rachel Ryan was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She can usually be found writing in coffee shops, hanging around libraries, or walking the streets of Dublin, making up stories. She is the author of Someone You Trust and The Woman Outside My Door.

Reviews for The Woman Outside My Door

[jynell-71874 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow! These short chapters were amazing... and it only took 2.5 pages (the first chapter) to absolutely suck me in! I probably shouldn't have read this so close to going to bed, but when do I every listen to intuition? I'm the blond girl running up the stairs in a horror flick... Rachel Ryan brilliantly tells a tale about a boy and his "imaginary friend"... but is he really imagining this woman or is she real?

Anyone looking for a good, haunting tale MUST read this one. Definitely going to be hard to top this one!

Thank you for allowing me to listen and give my honest opinion!

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Georgia has been going through some tough times. Her mother has recently died, and she has reasons to suspect that her husband has been less than honest concerning his recent dealings with an old girlfriend. He admits to crossing a line when it comes to fidelity, but just how far he went remains to be seen, or proven. When Georgia’s young son Cody starts talking about his new granny, worry becomes Georgia’s foremost emotion. More strange occurrences feed her fears. Is there cause to worry, or is she just being paranoid, as her husband insists? And then, the really bad thing happens. This tale is a page turner for sure. The characters seem real, and the tension practically leaps off the page. This debut novel, filled with emotion and suspense, is a winner.

[veronica.sparrow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Children and their imaginary friends. What if you had a gut feeling that the imaginary friend is all too real? Definitely a mother's worst nightmare come true.The Woman Outside My Window is psychological suspense and is a debut novel by Rachel Ryan. The story starts off very quickly and doesn't let up at all. I made the mistake of starting it in the evening and ended staying up very late because I could not put it down. The characters are all very well fleshed out and Georgina, in particular, was a very effective narrator. I went from wondering if it was all in her head to the ida that there was really something going on. There were so many twists and turns throughout the book that I wanted to continue reading. It is a simple storyline but the author manages to keep the momentum going very well. All in all, it is definitely a solid debut. I will definitely be looking forward to reading more by Rachel Ryan.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There are times when an audiobook is a much better 'read' for me than a printed book. The Woman Outside My Door was one of those books. There is so much emotion woven throughout this novel - love, betrayal, loss, fear, guilt and much more. Alana Kerr Collins was the reader and she did a wonderful job of interpreting and presenting Ryan's work. Her accent is lilting and very pleasant to listen to. She enunciates well and is easy to understand. She captures all of that emotion quite easily. I've said this before, but a good narrator makes you feel like you're right alongside the characters in an audiobook. Such is the case with this reading.Ryan did a great job of keeping the listener guessing - is New Granny real or is she an imaginary friend? There are a number of supporting players offered up that could indeed be the culprit - if she was real. And a number of reasons why Cody would have invented her if she isn't.' I liked the uncertainty. Ryan keeps things moving along at a good clip, building the tension as things hurtle towards the inevitable. I stayed up quite late, listening to 'just one more chapter' until I was so close to the end that I wouldn't have been able to sleep without knowing the outcome. The final reveal was good and without providing spoilers, provides food for thought for those unaware. I know - enigmatic - but necessary.Listeners will be firmly on Georgina's side, even as others question her mental state.The Woman Outside My Door was a great debut and I would absolutely pick up Ryan's next book.

[synade · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Secrets are never a good thing to keep from loved ones. Georgina finds this out all too well when someone targets her son posing as his ‘new granny’. She’s already dealing with the recent heart wrenching loss of her mother, and a confessed minor infidelity from her husband adds to the sense that there is danger lurking in every nook and cranny of her existence. Can no one be trusted? Neighbours, friends and even family all fall under suspicion as the plot unfolds, leaving Georgina completely alone and in fear for her son.This is a new voice which cross-sects the suspense, psychological thriller and mystery genres. A great multi-level read that had me suspecting four different characters! I look forward to hearing far more from this talented writer.

[fastforward-46127 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a solid psychological thriller, or domestic suspense novel, or whatever you want to call it. I had a fun time reading it because it held my interest from start to finish. That might seem like a minor thing but I've really been struggling with my reading concentration levels during this crazy year. I'm always happy to stumble upon a page turner like this one.Georgina's seven year old son, Cody, says he met a new friend at the park. He calls her New Granny. Hmm... Georgina's mother recently passed away, did Cody make up an imaginary friend to take her place? But the more Cody talks about this New Granny, Georgina starts believing him and becomes concerned for Cody's safety as that's pretty creepy someone keeps approaching her son when she is not around. As anyone knows, a good mother will go to great lengths to protect her child.There's just something about the whole "is this person off their rocker or are they truly in danger" premise that sucks me in every time. As a reader it's like you feel protective of the characters and need to make sure they are okay so you gotta keep reading to find out. And that's what made this a fun read as the author played right into that natural curiosity I have when it comes to these types of stories.Towards the end there's a bit of a creative tangent which I sorta liked and I sorta did not like. Maybe the best way to put it is the payout isn't super satisfying but yet points should be awarded because I doubt any reader will be able to predict with 100% accuracy every single detail of how it all plays out.For me this fits my definition of weekend read in that it's not taxing on the brain and it's entertaining. An impressive debut novel and I'll be on the lookout for more books by Rachel Ryan.Thank you to Gallery Books for providing be with an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[pgchuis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.Georgina's son Cody has an imaginary friend, New Granny - or is she imaginary? Georgina's husband Bren (what is that short for?) has 'put his toe over the line' of infidelity - or was it more? Some one is watching Georgina's house, but Bren doesn't believe this. Georgina fears New Granny is real, but Bren fears Georgina is losing touch with reality 'again'. Is he truly concerned about her or trying to persuade her she is going mad?I wasn't a big fan of this novel, which flirted with all of my least favourite tropes. It did twist and turn a little and some of the cliches turned out to be replaced by other not terribly original plot devices. It was a quick read, and although it started out really slow, the pace did pick up a bit towards the end.