Book Description:
She’s too afraid to leave her house. But is she brave enough to let someone in? Fiona Dexter hasn’t gone outside in five years. She knows she’ll never sit on a beach to watch the sunset, or share a meal with her family at the friendly café around the corner, or even fall in love. Then one day, her neighbour, single mother Bethany, shows up on her doorstep holding two-year-old Evie. Bethany needs help and soon Fiona starts to remember how it feels to be close to other people. Once she’s felt the warmth of Evie’s hugs and danced her socks off with Bethany, can Fiona face the secrets of her past and live again? This hopeful and heart-warming read will remind you that life continues no matter where you are, and opening the door is the first step on the way back to happiness. Fans of Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain will love this emotional and uplifting story.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Girl Who Couldn't Leave' by Catherine Miller.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Catherine Miller, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 22nd June 2021.
This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read Catherine's 'The Missing Piece' which I highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain will love this emotional and uplifting story.' I am a huge fan of all three of those authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Catherine and if this is half as good as 'The Missing Piece' it is sure to be an epic read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 46 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited and had holidays in England on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Catherine has based the book on.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Fiona Dexter and Bethany. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
Congratulations Catherine on yet another fantastic page turner!!! An absolute must read with vivid descriptions that sets the scene for you. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.
I think one of the things I enjoyed most about this storyline is that although it was heart warming and very funny on several occasions it actually carries an extremely important message on how vital it is to get your smear tests done regularly. Congratulations Catherine, I don't belive I've ever actually read another book that highlights the importance of smears before especially during such an enjoyable storyline. Ladies get yourselves booked in!!! Nobody actually enjoys having them done but they can save your life. I can actually relate to Bethan to a certain degree as I myself have had to have a biopsy done after abnormal cells were revealed but thankfully that was as far as it went. Anyway enough about my medical history!!! The storyline is realistic and filled with love, laughter, tears, important messages, fun, tragedies, romance and more. I was completely absorbed from the first page until late at night when I could only put it down because I'd finished it. A light hearted full of fun page turner with a serious message. I loved the ironic ending with the reality of Covid and it was only when I noticed the date on the last chapter I'd mentioned to my partner that I wondered if Catherine was going to bring up Covid. I thought this was a brilliant move as it makes the storyline even more realistic and its only the second book I've read that has mentioned it, the first being the one prior to this I read. I loved the fact that each chapter told you where it was set and it helped me picture it all alot easier.
I was completely invested in the characters and I loved Fiona, Bethany and Evie's characters. They were all larger than life, realistic, strong and very likeable. I really enjoyed watching their friendship and relationship between not only each other grow but also Bethany's friendship with other neighbours. The storyline of the noises from Sarah was hilarious and I enjoyed getting to know Heather via it all. Kev was a complete waste of space and sadly very realistic. These are definitely very well defined characters who will stay with me for a long time. I really enjoyed Fiona's development throughout the book and loved watching her grow from strength to strength. It was a shame that both Bethany and Fiona's mothers werent very supportive of their children and grandchild but I did like Fiona's dad. A great eclectic mix of characters who worked perfectly for this storyline.
ABSOLUTELY loved this book Catherine and here's to hoping you've started on your next page turner. Watch out JoJo Moyes, Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain you have some serious competition here!!
Overall an unputdownable addictive romcom with a serious message.
Genres covered in this novel include Fiction, Romance and Humorous Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of JoJo Moyes, Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain and anyone who loves a good read.
310 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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@CatherineMiller @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
When Catherine Miller became a mum to twins, she decided her hands weren’t full enough so wrote a novel with every spare moment she managed to find. By the time the twins were two, Catherine had a two-book deal with Carina UK. Her debut novel, Waiting For You, came out in March 2016.
Catherine was a NHS physiotherapist, but for health reasons she retired early from this career. As she loved her physiotherapy job, she decided if she couldn’t do that she would pursue her writing dream. It took a few years and a couple of babies, but in 2015 she won the Katie Fforde bursary, was a finalist in the London Book Fair Write Stuff Competition and highly commended in Woman magazine’s writing competition. Since then she’s had four novels published.
https://www.instagram.com/katylittlelady/
https://twitter.com/katylittlelady
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3gHr3gS
Apple: https://apple.co/3f28PWy
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2QSpgwR
Google: https://bit.ly/3uxeY3C
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