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Fiction. Literature. Romance. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels comes a brand-new novel that blends her rich, character-driven storytelling with a hint of suspense, as a reclusive young woman struggles to piece her life back together. ... Ellie Bowman barely remembers the incident that put her into a coma. When she awoke, filled with unease, all she knew for certain was that her boyfriend, Rick, was missing. She knew she needed to get away from her old life and recover in safety. With the proceeds of a video game she helped develop, Ellie starts over in rural Missouri, working from her cottage and trusting no one except her friend and business partner. Yet even in this quiet small town, it's impossible to completely isolate herself. Especially when a curious eight-year-old boy, smitten with Ellie's pup, stops by every day to talk to him over the fence. Little by little, Ellie is being drawn back into the world through the neighbors and community around her, realizing that everyone has their own fears and obstacles to contend with. But when Ellie hears that Rick has resurfaced, her nightmares return, and with them, small snippets of memory. No one has heard from Rick since before the incident, so why is he back now? Ellie wants to move forward with her life, but first she must find the courage to look into her past, no matter what she finds there ...… (more)
User reviews
With a teenager in Missouri, she had been very much involved with video games and was able to use the money from that work to relocate and continue to work from home via the internet. The boy, Hector, lived in the same city and served as her contact with the world by taking care of her yard, shopping, and delivering rare messages. There were only five houses on her street. Ellen never left her house nor invited anyone inside.
Her only companion was Buddy, a black Labrador retriever who became her first link to her neighbors. After two years, Jackson Haywood, an eight-year old neighbor, became tall enough to look over the fence and play with Buddy. His mother, Colleen, had invited Ellie for tea several times but all her invitations had been politely declined Ellie noticed him and decided to let him come into the yard. That became a daily routine that both the boy and dog looked forward to. .
Eventually, Ellie became a bit more open and as she looked beyond her house, became aware of the lives of some of her neighbors. All of them were facing problems and opening up to their lives helped her discover her own.
On the whole, NO WAY OUT offers a good quick read presenting interesting and unusual characters and situations. There are a couple unrealistic situations: I don’t think Hector would have been able to all the things he is credited for, e.g., landscaping Ellie’s yard, and there is one romantic relationship that moves too quickly. It’s also also a federal offence to put items into someone’s mailbox.
This book was a Goodreads' Early Readers selection.