Definitely a creepy thriller, but it felt a little rushed at times; especially towards the end. Also, I would have enjoyed a little more detail and to have things fleshed out a bit more.

Wow, wow, wow!!! What an intense thriller. I couldn’t put it down and had it read it in one day. I was holding my breath through a lot of it, scared to breath in case I was heard. This must be the most twisted psychological thriller I have read in a long time. It will scare the pants of you and leave you so paranoid. I’m not sure I walk sleep tonight. The mystery and terror starts in the first chapter and it doesn’t stop till the last page. I loved how I had no idea what was going on and why. There aren’t many books that leave me with my heart racing but this one did. The characters are awesome and I quickly liked them, wishing I could somehow help them. Anybody that likes mystery or thrillers is going to love this book. There was part of the ending I didn’t feel fit but the rest of the book made up for that. Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and R.J.Parker for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is extremely well written. It is something different from all of the mystery/thrillers in the market, and it kept me on the edge of the seat to the very last page.

Wow a chilling read a book that grabbed me from the first scene waking up in a home that is yours but is it.From the creepy opening scene the characters the story kept me reading late into the night.Highly recommend.#netgalley#harpercollinsuk

Reading the blurb of this book gave me some serious Pretty Little Liars: Extreme Edition vibes. For brevity's sake, I'll stick with the TV version, and one of the best parts of that series was when the girls woke up in exact replicas of their bedrooms somewhere underground in captivity. The premise of While You Slept reminded me of that, but with higher stakes and real-world consequences.

Lily's smart and cautious, especially following the separation from her abusive husband. She won't risk her five year old daughter, Maisie's, life. When a man wearing a Maisie mask is recorded standing in her garden, she's on edge and determined to be more vigilant. The next morning, however, she wakes up in her room, only to realize it's not her room. Somebody has kidnapped them, built a fortress by studying their buying habits, family heirlooms, and photos, and trapped them inside. With no explanation or guarantee of release, Lily has to figure a way out of their fake home before it's too late.

Right off the bat, the concept of this book terrified me. Outlandish, sure. The extent someone would have to go to in order to pull something like this off would require utter obsession and delusion. The risk felt all the more real as a five year old child was also in danger, and she's not above their captor's punishments. I found this to be the most traumatizing aspect and found myself comparing to other mother in desperate times seeking strength and redemption narratives; Enough is the one that came to mind most often.

As I continued reading, I was curious how the rationale would be revealed. After a few harried interactions, things seemed to snowball quickly, and the final events felt a little rushed. I would've liked there to be more of a twist, because the reveal seemed to come out of left field. I thought it was exciting and wrought with the ferocity of a mother's love, but ultimately, I wanted to feel more of a connection between the captor and Lily, and that missed the mark for me a bit. I also thought Maisie read older than five, but I loved her character, so I was willing to forgive some of her MacGuyver tendencies.

Overall, While You Slept is an unnerving, psychologically suspenseful read. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good redemption story, mother/daughter thrillers, or domestic suspense lovers.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK (One More Chapter) and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Lily has taken extra precautions to make sure she and her daughter, Maisie, are living in a secure house. Imagine Lily's fright when a man appears on the security camera in her garden wearing a mask of Maisie's face! It gets much worse in the morning when they wake up in what looks like their house in every detail...until they look out the window. This book will definitely have you triple-checking your locks at night! I felt tense and anxious the whole time I was reading this book but I couldn't put it down! Lily is a clever and brave mother who will do anything for her child. I did find, however, that Maisie seemed older than 5 years old in terms of her thoughts and actions. I loved how the ending left you hanging with a couple of new questions. #NetGalley #WhileYouSlept

Positives:
1. The opening. Honestly, it is completely captivating. You're thrown straight into the action, and while the man wearing Maisie's face on a mask is creepy, it's nothing compared to what comes next. Those initial chapters were genuinely gripping.
2. The idea itself is just amazing. It's so unique, and such a creepy thing to think about. I definitely hesitated before looking out the window the next morning!

Negatives:
1. While the premise itself was amazing, and the introduction is strong, it did just tail off from there. It quickly became repetitive, and the conversation between mother and daughter felt very unnatural given Maisie's age. I also got really bored of hearing about how Lily wasn't sleeping.
2. The climax of the action was just dull as hell. I won't say too much in case of spoilers, but there's a huge long section where there's a lot of moving around in different areas. The author obviously knew what she meant, but the descriptions of different areas was really confusing and hard to follow. Also, this took up basically the entire second half of the book. Way way too long.
3. The resolution of who did it and why was a bit unsatisfying and underdeveloped. The motive is completely out of left field, and there was a lot left unexplained. It almost felt like there was an element of not knowing how to end it, so just throwing in a new shock right at the end. There's no foreshadowing, and a lot left unanswered by who the author chose to have as the kidnapper.
4. The ending. I'm all for a cliffhanger, but the very end of this (literally the last few lines) just felt like an attempt to get one last thrill. Cheap and lazy writing I'm afraid.


I really wanted to love this one. Sadly, it just didn't do it for me. The premise was amazing, but the execution left a lot to be desired, and it's sadly not one I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for the preview of this book. If you are looking for a creepy & unnerving thriller than this is the book for you. Once you start reading you'll find it hard to put down!

This book turned me into pillow biter, feather choker, heavy breather and high pitched screamer!

I still don’t know how I survived after reading this high tensioned, claustrophobic, mind spinner, terrifying, dark, disturbing novel! It was brilliant till the end. Especially when you suffer from side effects of lockdown in your own house and read something more terrifying like waking up some place which is exact replica of your house, kidnapped, being watched by some batshit crazy guy who is wearing your daughter’s face as a mask, you learn to be thankful about your situation. You say: thanks God, I have lots of booze, an irritating, talkative husband I may use as my private chef and a gorgeous Mount TBR where I could rent for hikers as soon as this madness ends.

As I mentioned at the first paragraph: the book starts at the work place of Lily Russell who checks the security cams of her house (she just moved there, won full custody of her six years old daughter Maisie, as a widow she gets their safety seriously) and realizes a peeping Tom wearing her daughter’s face as a mask, standing outside of her house. She tells him she’s gonna call the police. (Yes, she can yell at him from her office space and the man can exactly hear what she tells him from mics.) And the man disappears after her warning.

Lily gets suspicious with her husband Ewan who recently moved to his brother’s house and cut the connection with them for 8 months after losing custody. From a few flashbacks we get that he was suffering from alcoholism and anger management problem but we don’t get informed enough about their marriage and problematic marriage.

And of course her husband denies his connection with the intrusion. Lily calls her sister, sharing a bottle of wine with her and the very next day, she opens her eyes to a place where is exact copy of her house (even their furniture, accessories and the food they stocked are the same. Somebody should have been stalking them for a long time to get this detailed information about their lives.)

The windows are reinforced. The doors are plate steel. Lily and Maisie might have been kidnapped and caged in this house and they have no idea what their captor’s true intentions who still watch out them from their own house. Is he going to kill them? Why is doing that? Is there any possibility to escape from their prison?

This book can be easily adapted into the screenplay and it could be great, one location, suffocating, nerve bending thriller movie! The chapters are short, riveting, mysterious and they made me feel as if I have been reading action packed movie scenes. The mystery captures you from the beginning and you cannot put it down, disconnecting with outside world, screaming, breathing heavily and shitting yourself (it was so close, that’s why I already stocked human diapers for my thriller reads!)

But ending and revelation part was a little undeveloped for my needs. I’m still having so many questions about the outcome because we didn’t get much background information about heroine’s past. So it was hard to predict the captor’s identity and the motives as well. There are still unanswered parts for me. Maybe the author wanted to write a sequel and he intentionally left those parts open ended for us!

So I cut 1.5 points for the big revelation part but it was still dynamic, horrifying, dark, twisty and fast reading. I’m giving 3.5 stars and as usual I’m rounding them up to 4! It was still brilliant and enjoyable work and a great choice to turn into a movie script as well.

Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for sharing this heart throbbing ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Immediately I was engrossed in this book! The plot- waking up in a house that looks exactly like your own, but isn’t, is so creepy & thrilling! I loved the characters, the plot, and the details. I’m still thinking about the ending & will be for a long time

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of While You Slept.

The premise sounded exciting so I was pleased when my request was approved.

One day, Lily sees a man wearing a photograph of her daughter's face on his head, like a mask. How disturbing! She calls the cops but the intruder disappears.

The next day, Lily and Maisie wake up in their home. But's its not their home. It looks like their home. It's got the favorite foods in the fridge. Books on the shelf, photo albums where they're supposed to be. But it's not home. Where are they? How did they get here? Who is to blame?

This was a scary premise with great, creepy elements and my adrenaline was high as I was reading but there were too many moments of disbelief suspension I was forced to take. Before long, I had to suspend disbelief entirely by the time I got to the end.

First, Maisie doesn't act like a five year old child, much less a distraught five year old dealing with her parents' separation. She sounds and acts more like a tween.

Second, reading this felt like watching a movie but starting from the middle. The actions starts abruptly.

There's no exposition. We don't know anything about Lily or her family; all we know is that she separated from her ex after a physical assault that left their daughter emotionally damaged.

Third, the identity of the villain makes no sense whatsoever. It all comes out of left field. There's no background on Lily's family, what her father may or may not be capable of, if there was any suspicious activity about her father's professional life.

This wasn't for me but While You Slept would appeal to readers who can suspend disbelief easily and often.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of While You Slept!

This book was just “meh” for me... at the beginning I found the concept really interesting and I couldn’t put the book down but the ending, there was just no big climax. Lily and her daughter Maisie wake up to find themselves in a shell of their home. Their bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, food, cat, everything is an exact replica of their apartment, but it’s not their apartment. Lily’s phone only works when the kidnapper calls who tells her she will stay in this fake house for 314 days!!! I thought finding out who was doing this to Lily and Maisie was going to be a huge shocker but honestly, it wasn’t. Not because it was easily predictable, it was just like hmm ok... and some things like how this kidnapper pulled this off wasn’t even addressed. Because this was such a fast read, if the plot sounds interesting to you I’d still recommend reading it. Just don’t expect a big “wow” moment!

This is a good read, excellent, actually. But you have to feel comfortable that has a sadistic plot. I was happy to finish it, including the shocking ending, but again, read the introductory plot and other reviews to ensure your level of comfort with the subject matter

Thank you to R. J. Parker, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for this ARC.

What a creepy book! I really enjoyed the story of how Lily and her daughter are basically stolen from their home and placed in an exact replica of their home. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I felt it was rushed, and left so many questions unanswered. I actually thought there were missing pages when I read that final sentence.

Good premise, creepy story, but I think there needs to be a sequel or a novella to finish off the ending.

While You Slept is a creepy and intense thriller! Obsession at its finest! Definitely recommend this book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine you wake up in your home, but it quickly turns out that it isn't your home at all...
When Lily and Maisie wake up one morning, Lily instantly senses that something is wrong. As she wanders around the house, her foreboding grows, and when she opens her garden door only to discover that she is 10 floors up and looking down on a building site, her misgivings are confirmed.
Held captive in a replica of her house, with no way out, Lily is told that she and her daughter are to stay there for 314 days.

The story follows Lily's first-person account of events and draws you in instantly.
The idea is very original, and I found myself racing through it with bated breath.
The book ticks a lot of important boxes; it's fast-paced, suspenseful, thrilling, and unputdownable.
As I kept madly turning the pages, I was convinced it would be a solid 5 star read. However, the ending left me very unsatisfied.
The captors' reason for imprisoning Lily and Maisie seemed to have been plucked out of nowhere, with no clues leading to it. I also think that the way Maisie spoke and behaved was way beyond her age of 5.
Either way, overall, it was a gripping and thrilling read, and I will definitely be checking out the author's other novels.
If you're looking for a fast and thrilling read, then you shouldn't hesitate to pick it up.

What if you woke up and realized you were home but not really?Very creepy good, but intense read! I loved how the author kept us guessing as to what was going on! It all started when Lily’s home security system alerted her at work that someone was in her back garden. She checked her phone and saw someone in her garden staring into the camera with a mask on of her daughter Maisies face! She went to bed that night very afraid and woke up the next morning petrified. Have I piqued your interest? You must read the book to find out what happens.

While You Slept had me so on edge!

Lily and her daughter Maisie wake up to find themselves in a copy of their home. Everything is the same, even the contents of the drawers and the drawings on the fridge but it feels wrong. Why are they here and who has done this to them?

Suspense nearly killed me. The writing is perfect, the serious of the situation comes perfectly through the pages and you really feel for Lily and Maisie. The only downside is I would have liked to see the who explained a bit more, it was unexpected.

The last line of this book will take your breath away.

Suspenseful and Nail-Bitingly Chilly!

Sometimes I like to deviate from women's fiction or historical fiction with a psychological thriller. This was a great one to choose. What distinguishes the good psychological thrillers from the great ones (Gone Girl or this title) ? Character development and plot development. In addition, careful pacing is key. If you give away the twist too early on, what's the fun in that? This novel had perfect pacing and I wanted to read on to get to know the characters more. Sure, a purely plot-driven title is fun, but if there is depth to the characters it makes for a more enjoyable read all around. That was definitely the case in 'WHILE YOU SLEPT'. Any customer looking for a readalike to The Silent Wife or You, this would be a great recommendation. I definitely enjoyed this book.. and look forward to reading more from this author.

Where to begin?

While You Slept holds an excellent, yet creepy premise. So intriguing, that, how could I not want to read it?

So the story essentially, is that we see Lily's daughter, Maisie's, face on a man in their garden while Lily is at work. She calls the police, but since no harm was done... there's nothing they can do. The following morning when she and Maisie wake up, they're in their home... or at least, what is an exact replica. They are being held captive by a man they cannot see, but whom one can only assume was the man in their garden the day prior.

Sounds interesting, simply because the idea behind it is SO freaky! Like what if this were to actually happen.. how would you react? I love a good book that really gets under my skin. This seemed like just the thing... until it wasn't.

Ok, so here's what turned me off about this book.

The dialogue. There's all this conversation held between Lily and her 5 year old daughter, Maisie, while they are held captive. I, personally, don't have children, but I can't imagine that most 5 year olds can hold this level of conversation. Maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't sit right with me. It was as if most of the conversations were held between a teenager and an adult, or even adult to adult.

Next point, the characters. We are introduced to several characters, who in the grand scheme of things, are entirely irrelevant. Why do we need to know who Julie, or the office bachelor is? We don't.

The story itself... it wraps up entirely too quickly (or maybe not quickly enough, depending on your perspective on this novel). The ending is thrown at your face as a way to tie up loose ends, in my opinion. We learn who the mystery man is behind it all, but the story for why HE does it is not entirely clear. I don't want to give anything away, so I will leave it at that. I think to improve the story or, at least to, make it a bit less forced at the end, would be to have a little back story at the beginning of the novel. At least then, it would potentially make a bit of a smoother wrap up.

Oh, and the ending. The actual ending... like the last 3 lines... WHAT IS THAT? Cliffhanger central is what it is. Is there going to be another book? Can we have a little more information on how exactly this happened? Cause that's a bomb that got dropped in from left field with NO explanation and I'd like to know how/when this happened. In my mind there are two options, one is completely fine, natural even. The other is just plain CREEPY and weird, not to mention outside of current social construct. Wondering minds would like to know.

Anyways, that's just me. Decent read, with a lot of prospect... just seems to have fallen flat on my end.

2.5/5 stars.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!</i>