If He Wakes is a brilliant thriller. When Rachel finds reason to think her husband is having an affair she follows him, and sees his car involved in a hit and run accident. Meanwhile her best friend is struggling with the unexpected disappearance of her partner. Both are about to discover things about their lives that they never expected. There were some clever twists in this book and the mystery is kept up until the very end. It is a definite page turner and a great read for any thriller fans.

3 stars

A tale of everyday folk…….not!

Rachel and Suzie have recently started an events business together. You know the kind of thing - weddings, wakes, birthdays etc. They still work at their current jobs but are hoping to make a success of their new venture such that they can focus on it exclusively in the not-too-distant future.

Suzie has been unlucky in love and is now in a relationship with Adam who appears to have a shadowy past. On the other hand, Rachel appears to have everything; a successful husband, two lovely daughters and a nice house plus the money to maintain a reasonable lifestyle. All this is shattered by a sequence of events which starts when Rachel opens her laptop to a Twitter account, which is not hers, and sees a message which strongly suggests her husband is having a steamy affair. Her decision to investigate has serious ramifications and, as a result, life for both the women will never be the same again.

The list of characters in the story is limited to the families and the police. I often find this to be an advantage in remembering who’s who but unfortunately, in this case, I found it difficult to relate to any of them. For the first part of the plot both women were in denial (rightly in the case of one of them) and I questioned the motivation of husband, Phil. I was also a little unsettled by the use of Twitter to send a very personal message. WhatsApp or Kik maybe but Twitter??

On the plus side the author’s style is modern and straightforward and therefore easy to read. The plot flows seamlessly as the protagonists drag themselves deeper and deeper into the mire. I wanted to reach the end to see how it all turned out which is a big plus for the story but I wasn’t engaged by the characters or their personalities.

Despite the excellent reviews received elsewhere, for me, it’s a 3-star novel to read around the pool on holiday and leave on the lounger for someone else to enjoy.

Now for a swim…..

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This book has had great reviews, but for some reason, it just didn't quite work for me. It was a good book, and the writing was good, it just didn't work for me.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
I was very slow to read this book and then found once I did start to read it I didn’t want to stop. It was an amazing read. I thought it was an excellent, well thought out novel dealing with a controversial issue, involving grooming of young girls.
The two women who were the main characters were portrayed well and the husband and fiancé were again well portrayed. Altogether the book was one of the best reads this year.
Highly recommended.

This one grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. Two friends find themselves facing unbelievable circumstances. Rachel suspects her husband is having an affair so follows him and witnesses a terrible accident. Suzie's partner disappears leaving her with a huge pile of debt. How do these women's lives become interwoven?

A thrilling debut and certainly an author to look out for.

If you like a quick, pacy read with lots of mystery and strong female characters this is highly recommended.

Good read, enjoyed flipping between Rachel and Suzie's storylines and the two stories converged to make for a good plot twist and ending - would recommend!

This was a great story to read. Lots of tension, twists and turns and was great to try and solve. Very sad in parts and the content difficult to read at times but a can't put down book..

Rachel suspects her husband is having an affair after finding messages on a Twitter account which has been left open on her laptop. She goes to the hotel she believes he is meeting someone, only to see her husband's car hitting a pedestrian and driving away from the scene of the crime.

Meanwhile, Rachel's friend and business partner Suzie, is having an embarrassing time at the bank after finding that her bank cards don't work. Her account has been suspended because of her massive unauthorised overdraft with the threat of her flat being called in as security. Suzie, of course, knows nothing of the debt.

Two very gripping and interesting storylines from the very start and the tension just keeps building.

The police question Rachel and her husband about the hit and run, and Suzie is trying to piece together what the missing money has to do with her missing boyfriend. This very quickly becomes one of the most gripping and suspenseful books I've read. There is an intense feeling of the runaway train having left the track and is heading towards disaster with nothing anyone can do to stop it.

Very well written, fabulous characters and nails bitten to the quick!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of If He Wakes by Zoe Lea in exchange for an honest review. The story is told from dual viewpoints of Rachel and Suzie who are best friends. When Rachel find a provocative twitter message on her laptop, she assumes her husband is having an affair and is arranging a liaison. She follows him and instead of finding another woman, she witnesses a hit and run. Meanwhile, Suzie learns some disturbing news about her finances and can't find her fiance anywhere. In the course of looking for him, she learns he has secrets of his own and that there are other people looking for him as well. In fact, both women learn the men in their lives have secrets. The reader has to resolve so many questions: who was the driver of the car and who was the victim, who sent the twitter message and was their an affair, where is Suzie's fiance and what's happening with her money. Just when the reader thinks these questions are resolved, there is a nice twist. This story was an excellent read. Characters were real and I am not sure I would want to be either one of these women! The book cover says it best: you can always trust your best friend--can't you?

A very good debut novel and narrated by both Rachel and Suzie and full of twists making it a book that was difficult to put down. I found myself changing my mind as to what was happening and what was going to happen which always makes for a great read. The characters were very real and the writing was excellent, a fast addictive read and well worth 4 stars and would recommend. My thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the chance to read the ARC.

First and foremost this book deserves more than the five stars that I’ve given it because it was absolutely fantastic and I haven’t been able to put it down since I started reading it.
What can I say except what exceptional twists and turns hidden in every chapter so cleverly written in both suzie and Rachel’s POV.
Both dealing with the worst heartbreaking circumstances that anyone one should ever have to deal with but Rachel is the one I feel most sorry for.
No spoilers in this review because in all honesty this book takes a different path as to what you expect from it.
Brilliant and I look forward to more titles by this very talented author.

I discovered after reading this that it’s the author’s debut novel. Quite an entrance, Ms Lea!

Despite a teensy bit slow and repetitive start (compelling for all that), it eventually picks up pace and turns into a very confident, virtually unputdownable novel.

Rachel’s heart sinks when she unwittingly falls on a Twitter message on her laptop, arranging a romantic rendez-vous. Assuming it can only be her husband, she follows him to confirm her worst fears. What she sees, though, is much worse: his car involved in a hit and run. Did she really just witness her husband deliberately run someone over?

Her best friend and business partner, Suzie, has her own worries: her fiancé…whom Rachel never seems to be able to meet…appears to have gone awol, won’t answer her calls, and her credit card is being refused everywhere. And why is that very unpleasant man threatening her?

There are enough clues fairly early on to put two and two together. But your journey to four is truly gripping.

A very accomplished debut by Lea, and I hope to read more by her. I would recommend she gets herself a new editor, though. Missing ‘was sat’ and ‘was stood’ is very naughty...

Fan Flipping tastic thriller! I was completely hooked from page 1 and could not put this book down!

If He Wakes is told from two POV, bestfriends, Rachel and Suzie. I found the first half of this book quite slow and repetitive however once it hit the half way mark the pace picked up and I flew through it. Some great twists and turns and overall an enjoyable read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I liked the tension in this book at the beginning but about 2/3rds of the way through I felt the two women were becoming unbelievable in their decision making and I started to become irritated. The overall storyline was good but the execution was a little heavy handed.

First off - wow!!! For a debut novel Zoe Lea has most definitely pulled it of the bag!!! Never in a million years did I imagine where the book was going until just about the time the twist was unveiled. I can’t say much more than that for fear of inadvertently revealing any spoilers.

Rachel and Suzie are friends and business partners. Rachel suspects her husband is having an affair and Suzie is having financial issues and can’t contact her fiancé to talk it over. The story unfolds over the course of a few days after Rachel witnessed a hit and run with alternate chapters focussing on Rachel and Suzie.

I was gripped from the start but it’s not until you are about half way through that the pace really picks up. I could feel my heart beat faster as I was flying through the pages. Phew! There is so much more I could say but I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance read copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This started a little slowly for me and I didn’t engage immediately with the principal characters. However, once the story properly got going I was hooked and didn’t see the plot developments coming which was satisfying. The underlying story gives rise to a ‘what would you do?’ debate and I would therefore recommend this book to book clubs. I have to admit that I didn’t particularly like the epilogue as it was a little too cleanly finished for my taste. Over all though this is a really great read.

Reading a twitter message,becoming suspicious and witnessing a crime are taken to whole new level in this page turner.
Put this book down at your peril.
Be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions and intrigue as you take a guided tour through five days of Susie and Rachel’s lives.
Family dynamics,manipulation,shock and outrage are just a few elements explored.characters that you can relate to a
So.
This book is a real must.

Although I found it slow to begin with as it was setting the scene it had me well and truly hooked. It was one tremendous read written from the viewpoints of Rachel and Suzie. The twists and turns throughout was a rollercoaster of emotions it was brilliant. I was totally immersed in this book.

"If He Wakes" opens with a bang, as Rachel witnesses a hit and run where her husband was the driver and keeps up the pace as we follow Rachel and her friend Susie gradually uncover the truth about the men in her life.

Dark, twisted and unexpected, this is a fast-paced read that will keep you hooked until the final secret is revealed.