The Woman Outside My Door
The Woman Outside My Door
by Rachel Ryan
Published date January 5, 2021
by Gallery Books
Rating: 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery and Thriller
All children have imaginary friends, Georgina tells herself. It’s perfectly normal, and they all grow out of it in the end. But when her seven-year-old son, Cody, tells her 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?
My thoughts:
After the death of her mother, Georgina is doing the best she can raising her son Cody with her husband Bren by her side. She is stunned when Cody starts talking about a woman he meets one day at the park who wants him to call her New Granny. She tries to brush it off as believing Cody created an imaginary friend from the loss of his grandmother. But things take a startling turn when she discovers Cody talking on the phone with New Granny and finding unknown candy wrappers in his possession. Determined to find out what is happening, Georgina has to figure out what is make believe and what is real. With a history of mental illness, she finds herself second guessing her thoughts and decisions, especially when Bren doesn’t believe her theories. As she continues to solve this mystery on her own, she discovers hidden secrets and betrayals that has her mind going into overdrive as to all the possible scenarios as to who New Granny really is.
I was intrigued by the blurb of the story and thought this was a good mystery book. The author creates other drama into the story – marital issues, an odd and mysterious neighbor, handling the death of her mother, and her father in a depressed state over the loss of his wife. I didn’t really care for her husband Bren. I found him to be selfish and unsupportive. Though Georgina mentions he’s been her rock and helped her seek treatment in the past, I felt she let him off too easy once his secrets were discovered. The ending was surprising as you continue to figure out who New Granny is. This book had many twists and secrets and I found myself immersed in the story.
Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this book.
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