This was a little of a surprise to me; the tagline and blurb for this book seemed to indicate that it was a thriller, possibly in the vein of Harlan Coben: a person goes missing, something must be done to get them back/they appear years later, something dreadful has happened in the main character’s past… a cliché I quite enjoy!
But that is really not the story at all. It turns out to be not so much a story of disappearance as much as a three-stranded story touching on love, loss, mental illness and homelessness; the strands of which draw together at a certain point in the narrative so making sense of the whole.

For such a serious and underexplored and indeed risk-filled topic, the biggest difficulty I had with the book was what felt like a lack of risk – everything is a little too sentimentally presented and a little too neatly resolved.
That being said, I was gripped from the beginning through to very close to the end.

Even if aspects the plot and specific details required to make sense of the narrative are occasionally not particularly believable, there is however much to be praised in this book. The author obviously cares greatly about the subject and her characters, and this carries the reader through these problematic parts of the novel. I could see many readers investing a lot in these characters and getting much from this book.

But the most important truth of this novel is how it is too easy for virtually anyone, no matter their background or social standing or age to end up living on the streets. Mental illness and homelessness are tough and important topics which are rarely tacked in any meaningful way in popular fiction. And in this case, the care and sensitivity with which the subjects are handled make this a worthwhile and challenging and on occasion, quite a moving read.

This is not a story most readers will have heard too often and for the author to approach it in a significant way in the form of a thriller is interesting and unusual choice and is really very well done.

I loved this book. Ellie looks after her grandson Josh all the time, she never takes her eyes off him. The last time she took her eyes off a young boy it was her brother and he died. One day she literally turns away for a minute and he disappears. What happens to Ellie's mind, she runs away and the story of Ellie who lives well and Jo who lives on the streets begins. A great psychological thriller that explores what happens to our minds when something happens that makes us feel we cannot deal with the awfulness or the consequences. I could not put it down.

I enjoyed this mystery. I hope it makes people consider homelessness and the impacts. A great read with a contemporary issue at the heart. Will be looking for more of this author’s books.
4/5 on goodreads and Amazon.

One moments distraction leads 49 year old Ellies life into a downward spiral of guilt and recrimination. I Looked Away isn't just a great story. It's a thought provoking study of mental illness and homelessness. It had me close to tears at times. Not the most thrilling thriller but it is an enthralling read.

I really enjoyed this book, it was really hard to put it down, just wanted to keep reading.
Has really left me thinking more about homlessness and wanting to help more. Loved the story line, and thought all the writing around the mental health condition was written very senstively.

A fantastic story that I cou8ldn't put down and couldn't guess what the ending was going to be.
I raced through this book both desperate to know what happened and not wanting it to end

Good book with great insight into homelessness which I found informative - progresses at a good pace, would recommend!

A Gripping rollercoaster of a read-brilliantly written. This book keeps you hooked from beginning to end. So well written. I am looking forward to the next book from this fabulous author.

I listened to this on audiobook.

I thought this was an amazing story, had me truly gripped from start to finish and as for the twist come the end, well I certainly hadn’t figured that one out, although in hindsight I probably should have.

As with all of Jane Corry’s books, it goes without saying that this was amazingly written, the characters were so well thought out and it’s clear that the author has certainly done her research what with some of the topics covered in this story and all of the different character traits.

I’m already looking forward to her next book.

Oh my god this was such a good book, I couldn’t put it down, it’s anyone worst nightmare when a child goes missing on your watch and my heart was in my mouth half the time! A few twist in there that I didn’t see coming and great characters! Loved it, more please!

If you enjoy a good, fast-paced psychological thriller then this is the book for you. Jane Corry is brilliant at writing with an engaging and suspenseful style.

My thanks to Penguin Books U.K. for a digital edition via NetGalley of Jane Corry’s ‘I Looked Away’ in exchange for an honest review. It was published in June 2019. My apologies for the late feedback. I have since purchased my own copy.

Every Monday forty-nine year old Ellie looks after her beloved grandson. She is trying her best to deal with her husband’s infidelity that has been a recurring factor in their marriage along with his controlling nature. He claims that the affair is over but when she discovers him taking a call from ‘that woman’, her attention is momentarily distracted from her grandson. The accident that happens in those brief moments changes her life forever.

I would class this as a domestic suspense rather than a thriller. The narrative moves between the perspectives of Ellie, including chapters about her childhood and troubled marriage, and Jo, a homeless woman, making her way in the world that Ellie had often noticed in town. How their stories connect to one another is well executed.

This proved a highly engaging read even if I did wonder at first if it was my kind of novel. The events in Ellie’s childhood and her husband’s gaslighting as well as Jo’s experiences seeking to survive day to day on the streets made for quite harrowing reading.

In her ‘Note from Jane’ the author writes about homelessness in the U.K. and mental health issues as well as her own work in her local community to address these.

I do admire authors who integrate real world social issues into their work as it adds extra dimensions and brings these topics to a wider audience. I expect that this novel will have proved popular with reading groups given the scope that it offers for discussion.

This was the first novel that I had read by Jane Corry and I hope to read more of her work.

I have now read several Jane Corry books, and I have been hooked every time; Corry is one of the few authors I pick up from the shelf and buy, knowing I'm going to enjoy whatever it is I'm about to read, and oftentimes, without even reading the blurb!

I Looked Away was a hard read at times because Corry manages to evoke such strong emotion in her books. She often focuses on sensitive subjects, but does so in a careful, considered way. The book has a twist, but unlike some psychological thrillers, the twist isn't just in the book to shock; it is a pivotal part of the story and character, and is one of the more original twists I have encountered recently.

Definitely one of my favourite recent reads; if you are in any doubt about whether or not you want to read this, I urge you to do so!

I won't be reading any more Jane Corry books as this solidified for me that I find her characters unlikeable and her plots too obsessed with human misery. Everything starts bad and keeps getting worse. This novel flickers around all over the place and I felt the reading experience quite jarring. Not for me!

Ellie always looks after her Grandson for her daughter but one day she takes her eyes off him for just a moment when it looks like her husband might be having an affair. When she looks back her grandson is gone. After this Ellie's life spirals and maybe at last her past is set to come out.

This was a really interesting read. Its told from the point of view of Ellie and Jo. It does jump around a little but its easy to follow. I liked the changing time lines and learning about Ellies past. The story is quite slow but draws you in wanting to know what really happened. The ending was so good too, I wasnt sure how I wanted it to end and I think the author found the best option. There's a couple of clever twists in this that just add to the story. A really good read.

My goodness, this was an amazing book!

Told from the perspective of two women, Jo and Ellie, combined with flashbacks, "I Looked Away" is a tear jerking tale of tragedy, with a side order of mental illness and homelessness. After Ellie's involvement with a childhood tragedy, her life is permanently scarred, so when her grandson has a devastating accident, her world comes crashing down around her.

At first, it was a little hard to follow, but when all becomes clear, you can't help but feel for Ellie. With well drawn characters and an unpredictable plot, this is one of the best books of the year.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation to review.

This is a great book...psychological drama, but mixed with real life situations throughout...Jane Corry has clearly researched aspects of mental illness, to the undoubted benefit of this book. It's a great story on it's own, but it feels like so much more...fab read! Many thanks to penguin books for allowing me to read and review the ARC!

My first book by Jane Corey and it did not disappoint!

Ellie is in prison for doing something bad, it takes some time to untangle the story. We meet Jo, a homeless woman who is hiding from someone and something that has happened to her.

Ellie believes that her grandson is dead and she is the reason behind this, however it turns out that she has been through a lot of trauma in her life, from her early years when her mother died, to when her stepbrother also died in a tragic accident.

As we follow Ellie’s story we discover how her life has become intertwined with Jo’s and the tragedy surrounding her.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this story, it was a great read and I really felt for Ellie and all she had lost in her early childhood and the way she was treated. The aspect of mental illness was handled with great care.

I was already incredibly hooked on this story and then the moment came where I actually gasped out loud, and couldn't work out how I hadn't seen it coming.

Jane Corry writes such compelling characters that you just have read all about them.

We are told in alternating chapters about Ellie and Jo's lives and there are assorted flashback sections, where we see key moments of Ellie's past, and also another characters past too... which I couldn't quite work out how it connected initially.

I couldn't help but feel very sorry for Ellie, she really has had a hard life.

But equally Jo is homeless and living a tough time now, although she does seem to have an impact on the people she comes across.

This was a simply fascinating book, one which wouldn't let me know. There are sections that make for tough reading, but they are written in a compassionate way, and you can tell the author has done a lot of research to be able to make everything so real.

Another absolutely amazing story from the always brilliant Jane Corry.

Thank you to Penguin on Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

Often there is a book which captures your attention and you cannot put it down. For me, it was this book.

We meet Ellie Halls, she has been hiding from a traumatic incident as a child, one which she carries the burden of all her life. Now married to a controlling husband, Roger, she has two children of her own and a grandson, Josh, whom Ellie adores.

The disappearance of Josh one afternoon changes Ellie life in a way you could never imagine and it is here that we meet Jo who lives on the street. Their lives intertwine as the story moves backwards and forwards between them both, only at the end will it leave you feeling wrecked with emotion, but why? Well you will have to read it and find out for yourself.

The book takes us on a whole emotional rollercoaster of emotions as we deal with issues such as PTSD, deception, homelessness, danger, discrimination, bullying and more.