This book had a great premise but fell a little flat for me. The book starts out with a bang, when Lily sees a man in her yard on her security camera wearing a mask of her daughter's face. Seriously creepy stuff, but the rest of the story went over the top. After seeing the man in the mask, Lily and her daughter Maisie wake up in what they think is their house, but turns out to be a replica, from which they cannot escape. This part was also creepy, but I had a lot of questions about how an exact replica, down to dishes, knick-knacks, clothes, and toys, could possibly be created. I have plenty of things in my house that I haven't been able to find again, so this seemed like a stretch to me.

The majority of the book after this point revolves around Lily trying to find a way to escape; there was definitely a creepy vibe, but not a whole lot of action here. A some other reviewers stated, I felt that the dialogue between Lily and Maisie was a little stilted, and they didn't feel all that authentic to me.

The end of the book is fast-paced but happens rather abruptly, and there wasn't enough back-story for it to really matter when you find out who the villain was and why they did what they did. Again, the premise was there but we didn't get enough detail to pull it all together.

All in all, this is a fast and somewhat creepy read, but missed the mark of what it could have been based on the plot. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars from me

This was the perfect bank holiday, lazing in the garden, no reason to move all day, thriller for me.

A huge amount of this book is 'heart in your mouth' stuff - I could virtually hear the 'clank, clank, clank' of the roller coaster chains as it pulls you ever tighter to the top of the enormous descent.

Then, suddenly, and I mean suddenly, you are in absolute and terrifying free-fall as you hurtle to the end of the book.

Like nothing I've read before, top-dollar creepy-as storyline.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and Harpercollins Uk for the ARC In exchange for my honest review.

What an absolutely heart pounding story. R.J. Parker. This has always been one of my worst fears, seeing someone watching my daughter '

This book is intense, and will get your heart pounding.

Wow! Just WOW!
This is the story of Lily and her daughter who go to bed at home, like any other evening, and wake up to a nightmare. They are in a house identical to their own. Every last thing is the same and nothing is out of place. But how did they get there? And why? This was an engaging story and a quick read. I enjoyed it but felt the ending was wrapped up too quickly with not enough back story. The final twist at the end though - interesting! But again, with so few answered questions at the end, I'm not quite sure what to think. Maybe that was what the writer was aiming for? Regardless - this is a good story and a quick read. I'd definitely recommend it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me an advance copy of this book.

This was an easy to read thriller that kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend....go and pick this up!

Lily and her daughter Maisie wake up in a house that looks exactly like theirs - but it isn’t, and they’re trapped. It’s a interesting premise and the story has lots of potential but I wasn’t convinced about this book. The first half is quite engaging but the ending felt rushed and the kidnappers reason for doing so came completely out of the blue as left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Thanks to netgalley for the advanced copy fro review

Lily is a newly divorced, single mother and is raising her daughter Maisie alone. At work one day her security cameras turn on and she sees a man in her garden, in Noy that man is wearing a mask featuring her daughters face.

As she watches the security footage, the intruder, being rather unintimidated, waves at the camera and knowing she is watching. Lily, with advice from her colleagues immediately calls the police who agree the intruder is disturbing but there isn’t much they can do except keep watch and promise to send a patrol car round to check they are okay.

The following morning when Lily and Maisie wake up, they aren’t in their home at all, they’re in a replica of their home but it’s a prison, there is no escape and worse still they are being watched. Confused and afraid, Lily has no idea how this happened but vows to find out why, even questioning whether her ex-husband is the main culprit.

This is one creepy story which keeps you on the edge of your seat. I needed to know why Lily and Maisie had been taken, but annoyingly the ending was so rush there are huge gaps left in the story and it didn’t fulfil my curiosity sadly. A good read but could have been amazing!

What would you do if you woke up in your home… but it wasn't your home at all?
Surrounded by the rooms and things that once provided comfort and now only promote fear, Lily and Maisie must fight to survive. Because when no one knows where you are, you are your only hope.

I can't say that I liked this book, I try but it just didn't click with me.
The general idea was interesting and promising, but the way it was putted together it left holes and unanswered questions. It was little flat, haracters without interest and dialogue were just a bit off. I felt like the daughter were saying things and speaking in ways that did not sound normal especially for a small child.
No tension, no suspense, an ending that came out just okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was quite intrigued with the blurb and excited to read this, but sadly it fell flat for me. I was expecting some suspense and excitement. The characters were well developed as I felt for the mother and child. Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book, it seems to have produced a marmite like response you either love it or hate it looking at the other reviews.I loved it you have to suspend your disbelief in some places, but then I read vampire books, Sci Fi and other genres that I have to be able to do that with so why should this be any different.I was kept guessing until all was revealed at the end and I stayed up way too late to finish it as I was intrigued and wanted to find out what was going to happen.I really did like reading it.

2 stars

For me, a good thriller has a character I can get behind, an interesting twist or two, and pacing that makes me feel like (1) I can't stop and (2) I don't want to stop. Unfortunately, this novel does not produce in any of these areas.

The novel begins with a promising premise, but there are so many ways in which the narrative falls apart after that. At the start, the m.c., Lily, sees footage of an intruder in her yard. That's creepy enough, but what sends it to the next level - and provides all the potential - is that he is wearing a mask of...HER DAUGHTER'S FACE! This is scary and creative. After that, I did not find myself scared at all. I kept going hoping that there would be some level of suspense or intrigue, but honestly, it was so hard to root for the characters. Lily is flat, and her daughter, understandably, is scared and whines a good amount. I didn't wish bad things for them, but I also didn't care enough about their success. Throughout most of the novel, I found myself somewhat bored. By the end, the resolution is so random and over-the-top, that I found myself audibly laughing at the revelations. Oh, and the very end? No. I expect readers are intended to find this creepy. I found it, again, laughable and inexplicable, and it made me turn the corner on Lily from apathy to dislike. If she has these questions, why has she made these choices?

That mask deserved a better outcome, and so do readers. I don't often find myself feeling this down about a novel, but this was a rough one.

A suspenseful read. I started it and got through the main first chapters but did not want to continue reading about possible harm to children. Not a good review knowing the subject manner but personal decision to shy away from suspense crime novels that use children to create fear. Will try it again in happier times.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This book has a very unique and interesting concept...Lily and Maise (mom and young daughter) live alone in a very secure house. Lily is very concerned with safety and has taken extreme measures to protect her home with multiple locks and safety checks. When Lily spots a man in her backyard wearing a mask of her daughter, she instantly becomes concerned and calls the police. Then the next day, they wake up in a home that looks and feels like their home, yet they soon realize it is not their home, it is another version....hence while you slept....the novel follows Lily and Maise in their new locked down home being monitored by a mysterious man on a phone...

While You Slept by R. J. Parker is one of those stories that you don't want to put down. Edge of you seat moments leave your heart pounding. Looking forward to reading more by this author. I want to thank One More Chapter and Net Galley for an early copy to review.

Lily and her five year old daughter Maisie finds themselves trapped in a living nightmare when they wake up one morning and discover that they are trapped in a building that is a exact replica of their own home,right down to a replica of their ginger cat.

Why are they being held captive and by whom?.Was there any connection between the situation they have found themselves in and the mysterious man who had been standing in Lily's garden wearing a mask of Maisies's face the previous afternoon?. Lily's ex Ewan might hate her but surely he wouldn't subject his beloved daughter to so much anguish and terror?

When the truth is eventually revealed, it is even more shocking than Lily and the reader could ever have imagined.

This gripping, fast paced thriller hits the ground running from the very first page and rockets along at full speed until the final jaw dropping sentence..It is the chilling story of a mother's battle to protect her young daughter,whilst trying to figure out a way to escape and convince their captors that they were obeying their instructions. Lily and Maisie were believable characters, Lily with her realistic mood swings, her fear for her daughter's safety and her own fear and confusion. Maisie was a typical five year old, fearless, feisty, disobedient but she was also very intuitive and clever beyond her years. They were both likeable characters but there was one aspect to Lily's character that I struggled to understand especially considering the situation they have found themselves trapped in.

Wow...just wow and wow again, I really really loved this utterly brilliant, well written,enthralling, thrill ride, in fact I loved it so much that I read it in one sitting. It was packed full of action, shocks, twists and turns and had me completely hooked in from the first page and frantically turning the pages. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this outstanding book, I think it's worth far more than five stars and is very very highly recommended.

While You Slept has one of the most unique premises I have come across in a thriller in quite a long time. A woman named Lily is at work one day when she gets a mobile alert from her at-home security system. When she checks, she is horrified to find a hooded man wearing mask of her daughter's face. The next morning, she and her daughter wake up to find themselves in an exact replica of their home, the mask man from the previous day as their captor.

I was rooting for this book. I kept hoping it would improve as I continued to read. Unfortunately, the flaws do not outweigh its uniqueness. The syntax and dialogue were just a bit off. I felt like characters (particularly the daughter, Maisie) were saying things and speaking in ways that did not sound normal. The word choice frequently didn't make sense for the conversation. The twist at the end while good, didn't flow. It came out of left field. As a thriller lover, I enjoy being able to pick out the easter eggs throughout the book that lead to the twist. Unfortunately, I didn't find that in this.

Overall, While You Slept had amazing potential and R.J. Parker came up with some interesting ideas. It was almost there, but didn't quite make it this time. I look forward to seeing what else Parker writes in the future.

Imagine having a stalker show up at your door while you are at work, in a mask with your 5 year old daughter's face. You call the police and they promise to keep an eye on your family and your house overnight, but you wake up the next morning in your own personal prison, which is an exact replica of your house, down to the books you own and the pictures on the wall. There are no good explanations, just a kidnapper that has complete control of your life, and they want you to pretend this is perfectly normal.

Welcome to the reality of Lily and Maisie Russell as they fight for understanding and their lives.
I enjoyed most, but not all of this book. Lily's ex Ewan would have been the obvious choice for the kidnapper, but it was far more sinister once you found out the who and why. I do not recall any mention of a deceased relative, so it was something that was simply thrown in to the story later and really didn't feel like it fit very well. The last sentence was a terrible way to end it and from my perspective, had incestuous implications and really did not wrap the entire story up. Thanks NetGalley once again for this book, all opinions are truly my own.

I really need to be more selective when requesting these thrillers.

An amazing premise that was executed poorly. No tension, no suspense, an ending that came out of left field, and a cliffhanger to boot. Le sigh.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This sounded amazingly twisted but was quite slow. There's no rhyme or reason for them being kidnapped and held in a replica house. I didn't finish this book as it didn't make sense to me

When a man wearing a picture mask of her daughter Maisie's face stands tauntingly in her garden, Lily Russell does the smart thing and calls the police. When she and Maisie wake up the following morning in an exact replica of their home, held captive by that same man, the police are no longer an option.
Surrounded by the rooms and things that once provided comfort and now only promote fear, Lily and Maisie must fight to survive. Because when no one knows where you are, you are your only hope.
I had so much hope for this book.. I am so sorry to write this review, but I did not finish this book. It did not work for me. It was such a good premise, but I found the book very hard to get into and lost interest 1/4 of the way through!
Sorry!