I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but I was quickly hooked, and it became so much more than what the blurb suggested. I liked the fact that Ellie was a grandmother, hearing about her past and childhood was really interesting – it made a change from reading thrillers where the protagonists are young men/women in their twenties. I found the relationship between Ellie and her grandson really wonderful, and the relationship with her baby brother, Michael. I don’t want to say too much about the story as I don’t want to give anything away, but I spent a lot of it trying to piece things together, trying to understand the chain of events. It is very well written, and it gave me a lot to think about. The authors note at the end was really interesting, particularly the references to her research.

I loved this fast action thriller. I found the plot very relatable and loved the way the story unfolded. An excellent finish also. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Jane Corry for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

I have to say I’ve read the Killing Type by Jane Cory, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I could not wait to start this book!!

We first meet Ellie in prison, we do not know why she is there.

Ellie has been married to Roger for 28 years and they have recently gone through marriage counselling as he has had numerous affairs. They have 2 grown up children Amy and Luke and She lives for the days when she looks after her grandson Josh. One day whilst looking after Josh she takes her eyes of him for a moment which causes disastrous consequences for all the family.

Jo is a homeless woman who has had a hard life and is selling The Big Issue to get by.

The story is told through the eyes of Jo and Ellie, there is a connection between the 2 of them but you will have to read this book to find out what!!

This is an emotional story that will capture you’re heart, it touches on mental health, loss, despair and makes you think about the difficulties travellers and homeless people have. I was touched by the kindness of people out there who gave when they didn’t have much themselves whilst other walked on by!!

A must read book that I couldn’t put down. Definitely not one to miss out on.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

This truly was an amazing story, I couldn't put it down and it seemed so real. I was in pieces by the end. It is amazing how the traumas of life can effect our subconscious and completely alter our persona. Great storylines with hidden connections and a lovely conclusion..

I am not fond of issue-led novels as they usually sacrifice character development to the issues. This was a better one but I did find it boring in parts and i was puzzled about how the two stories would come together. So the twist was a little surprising to me. There was very little joy or high drama in this, so not one I enjoyed very much.

The story of Ellie, a 49 year old grandmother and and her horrendous life from a young age. You have to read a fair bit before the story becomes one and you discover the crime. The story is told from the point of view of Ellie and Jo. At first I could not see how Jo ties in. But it is brilliantly told, with aspects of mental health, homelessness and anguish. Another great book from Jane Corry who wrote The Dead Ex. A must read!!!

A favourite author of mine and this was another triumph focusing on the homeless and how it could happen to anyone mixed with family abuse and a cocktail of hurt and misunderstanding this book raises many issues and certainly makes you reflect on how you view people

This book tackles tackles modern issues such as homelessness, PTSD and domestic abuse while still being a tense and thrilling read. I am a big fan of this author and she has really hit the top note with this book. Gripping and heartbreaking.

I really enjoyed this book, from the first chapter I was hooked! The story flowed well and I'm looking forward to Jane's next book. I would recommend.

I was a bit confused with this st the start when it went to jo but glad I stuck with it. An enjoyable yet sad read about how traumatic events can effect your future. I’d recommend this book to anyone.

My thanks to NetGalley and publishers Penquin Books (UK) for the ARC.
Oh My - this book was an absolute delight to read! - Why? because it is extremely well-written, and constructed so cleverly, so deviously, that the old brain cells had the mental workout of their lives trying to bring connections into a story which, for most of the book, appeared to have none at all!
Ellie is 49yrs-old, married to Roger, previously her university lecturer, and serial philanderer. They have 2 children and one grandson, Josh, whom Ellie adores and regularly minds while her daughter works. They have a comfortable middle-class lifestyle albeit also fragile, trying to make a fresh-start following marriage guidance counselling in the aftermath of Roger dumping his latest 'love interest'..
Jo is of similar age, homeless, and sells the Big Issue on the streets, where Ellie makes a point of befriending her to try to help her through the various charity boards she supports.
BUT - we open with Ellie, imprisoned on-remand, charged with murder and awaiting trial.
The story unfolds separately between Ellie's and Jo's childhoods and adolescent years, followed by marriage and tragedy. Both are extremely emotional and traumatic. What could possibly be the connection between Ellie and Jo, and Ellie's present incarceration?
To write further would give away too much - this is a MUST read, because you will really need to know the ending.
A gripping and enthralling story of love, betrayal and cruelty; of the dangerous life of homeless travellers; of kindness and fear.
Just such a great read. Thank you.

I’m always hesitant to read a book written by one of my favourite authors. Especially after reading their previous cracking book. You may wonder why? Because I don’t want to not love their books. Blood Sisters written by Jane was exceptional and I’ve recommended to many people.

I was delighted to be sent a preview of I Looked Away by Jane Corry. . But nervous to read it, It has a lot to live up to after Blood Sisters. I started reading.... and we follow the story of two women Ellie and Jo. Both narrating their story, interchanging through chapters.
Both from very different social backgrounds, both with very different issues from their past and current lives.

And for me, my logical mind couldn’t place how the two were linked or the relevance of the two women stories. But like all of Jane’s books you get sucked in, the pages keep turning, sleep goes out of the window and then “Boom” it all clicks in to place leaving me stunned 😳 one eye brow raised, jaw dropped kind of facial expression. What can I say... What a read.... a definite 5 🌟 review here.

Jane touches on many sensitive issues in this book - Mental health, Obsession, love and grief. All are written eloquently and have you feeling every word of the characters stories.

Thank you for another cracking read.

There is a hell of a lot more to this emotionally charged,enthralling story than the synopsis suggests. It's a heart string pulling story that covers a number of realistic issues that affects millions of people every day. Depending on their circumstances some of the issues that feature in this book might upset some readers but the subject matter is written realistically and with care and sensitivity.

I Looked Away is the story of two women from completely different social classes. There is Ellie,who is married to ex University lecturer Roger,they have two children and a young grandson named Josh. Then there is Jo,who has no family,is a Big Issue seller and is homeless. We follow both women's stories in chapters that alternate between the two characters. For various reasons,neither woman has had an easy life. Ellie had been mistreated by her cruel,manipulative stepmother and her manipulative,adulterous husband and it now appears as if her beloved Grandson has had a tragic accident whilst in her care. Every day of Jo's life was a battle to survive,the homeless face discrimination,deception and danger,but there was also heart warming moments of kindness and generosity from total strangers and other homeless people.

This is a well written story about vivid,realistic characters,that held my attention throughout and had me frantically turning the pages,desperately wanting to know what was going to happen next. There was a number of unexpected twists and turns including a twist that almost caused me to drop my kindle in shock. I loved this book,very highly recommended by little old me.

Fantastic book from a very talent author. A book that makes u realise how easy these things happen. This author is definitely an author to watch out for.

I've enjoyed every book I've read by Jane Corry. She gets better and better. I Looked Away is the story of grandmother Ellie who we first meet when she is in prison, although we do not know the crime she has committed. But this is not a thriller - it's a story about family, childhood, obsession, homelessness and mental health and is a very moving read.

Ellie is looking after her adored grandson one day when something dreadful happens when she takes her eye off him. The story is told from her point of view and that of Jo, a homeless woman, who connection with Ellie we don't learn until much later in the book.

Jane Corry describes life in a mental hospital and that of homeless people so well you could believe she has suffered both these situations herself. This is the sign of a talented writer who is unafraid to do her research but makes it realistic and moving in her writing.

Jane Cory's fans will not be disappointed when I Looked Away is published in June. Many thanks to NetGalley and PenguinUK for the opportunity to read and review it.

I really enjoyed this book. Jane Corry is an excellent author and this is the 4th book of hers I have read and enjoyed. This one is the story of two women, Ellie is a doting grandmother to Josh but she is married to a man who is partial to the odd affair or two. Ellie has a tragic backstory, my heart broke for what she went through as a teenager. Her story is interlinked with that of Jo, a homeless woman of a similar age, and her backstory is equally as tragic.
A story about family life with quite a few twists and turns, I would definitely recommend this book.

This book completely stunned me by being a totally amazing read and what a wonderful well constructed story it is and so damn compulsive that I flew through it as it was so hard to put down. The two alternating storylines of Jo and Ellie are completely engrossing and written so well that I found myself caring deeply about the two characters as we find out more and more about the hardships life has thrown at them. The descriptions of homelessness and life on the road are heartbreaking yet at times kindness prevails and this makes the book very special. My first book by Jane Corry and I was highly impressed by the quality of her writing and characterisation, this is a difficult book to describe without giving too much away but I can truly say I loved the book and would recommend this as a book not to be missed.
My thanks to NetGalley, Jane Corry and Penguin Books UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I was keen to read this having read and enjoyed Jane Corry's previous bppks. Initially I found both voices to be rather difficult to relate to. However, I found the story to be a gripping read which I read in one evening, keen to find out what was happening. Whilst at times the narrative was unclear and I predicted how the two voices merged quite early on, I liked Corry's style and enjoyed the book, caring more about the characters as the story developed.

This is a slow moving, somewhat confusing book which moves between two narrators Ellie and Jo. Ellie's is set in the past and Jo's in the present. After a seemingly unrelated incident in the present we are taken to Ellie's viewpoint. Ellie is a young girl whose mother dies and whose father remarries to give Ellie the stepmother from hell. Jo's narration is that of a homeless woman who is clearly on the run from something. It was obvious to me from very early on what was going on. There were endless hints which become tiresome - if I had known then what I know now - that sort of thing. This was particularly irritating in Ellie's storyline when we were finding out what had happened to her brother Michael. Somewhat unusually for a novel these days, the end was much better than the rest of the book. which was irredeemably depressing especially with regard to Ellie. I found what happened to Ellie very upsetting. Jo's story was also a very sad one.

I think for me the main problem was the structure, moving between viewpoints and timelines. At the end it becomes obvious why it was done this way but it slowed down the action. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Forty-nine year old Ellie, a devoted granny to little Josh, lives for the days when she looks after him. But when Ellie’s attention is distracted one day, the consequences are dramatic. Because there are things in Ellie’s past, now coming back to haunt her, which she’d much rather forget...

The story is told in turn by Ellie, who recounts her life both before and after a deeply traumatic event in her teenage years, and by Jo, a homeless woman who tells of her life on the streets.

Ellie - short for Elinor, but based on her life story it could equally be short for Cinderella - has certainly had an awful time of it in the past, with a wicked stepmother who’s almost straight from a fairy tale. Jo’s current life, too, is no bed of roses and Jane Corry does not gloss over the dangers and difficulties of her day to day existence. Both the kindnesses and cruelties of strangers are vividly portrayed.

It’s hard to say too much about I Looked Away without risking spoilers, but it was a seriously addictive read from an excellent storyteller.