This is the first book I’ve read from JE Rowney, and I believe it’s also her first thriller. She totally kills it.

Becky Braithwaite can’t sleep. She is a freshman at Wessex University- Becky has suffered some tragedy, but we don’t know what it is. All we know is that she can’t sleep. She becomes friends with Cally, one of the girls in her dorm, and it seems like maybe Becky will have a promising future. As she and Cally begin to become closer friends, strange things start happening to Becky. She is convinced that someone is stalking her, but nobody believes her and there is no evidence. Is Becky imagining things due to sleep deprivation? Or is someone actually coming for her?

The ending will really surprise you. My only gripe is that I was still left with questions!

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for my free e-ARC In exchange for an honest review.

Great book that really makes you think. I thought I would just dip in and out of this one whilst reading other things, but I was very wrong - I couldn't put it down and finished it in one afternoon. It's one of those books where nothing really happens but everything happens all at the same time. On the surface it's a day to day story of a girl getting used to being at university after a number of terrible things have happened to her, but underneath it's so much more.

It ill definitely leave you a little bit unsure of what you think you know about the storyline. Rowney has written a really good book that explores many complicated issues but inspires you to keep reading.

"I CANT SLEEP"
I was sold just by the title as I myself suffer from episodes of insomnia on quite a few nights.
An edge of the seat, fast paced, unputdownable psychological thriller. 4/5 stars
The story tells us about the debilitating effects and the mental state of a person who loses the privilege to sleep.

The protagonist, Becky hasn't been able to sleep normally since last two years due to a tragic event that took place. She struggles with consternation and it hampers with her daily activities to the point that she cant seem to be certain about anything anymore. She tries to leave the past behind and embarks on a fresh start by joining a university far away from her city. Being an introvert she doesn't really have many friends and leads an isolated life. Soon, some weird things start happening and you cant really understand whether they are real or our unreliable narrator's mind is playing tricks.

What I liked about it (4/5 stars)
- Page turner, short read, devoured it at once (good for getting you out of a reading slump)
- Chatty narrative
- Mystery/ Thriller punch keeps you hooked
- You wont be able to anticipate the ending. (I am usually quite good at that )

I do low key wish that the ending could have been better.

If you are someone who likes a good mystery and are looking for an intriguing, adrenaline filled read definitely pick this one!
If you cant sleep , start reading "I cant sleep". I would definitely look forward to reading more from the author.

Thankyou @NetGalley and @JERowney for an arc of this book.I would definitely look forward to reading more from the author.

It is well-written book that you want to read from start to finish so you can find out what actually happened that made our protagoinst as she is. I just couldn't realte to the main character somehow.

This book had so much build up just for the last five percent to leave me speechless in frustration and disappointment. Becky is the definition of an unreliable narrator to the point that she's unsure if she can trust her own judgment. Ninety-five percent of the book is really good but the ending ruined the whole experience.

I received a copy of this book via the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unless I’ve simply forgotten a previous read, I do believe I Can’t Sleep by J.E. Rowney is the first psychological thriller I’ve ever read. I absolutely adore the genre in movies, so when I saw this book featured an LGBTQ+ main character, I jumped onboard with both feet. Luckily for me, it was worthy of being my first-ever read in a genre I will likely start keeping a closer eye on.

I loved the tension weaved into this story. It kept me turning the page and the gears in my brain spinning. I guessed—to an extent—the ending fairly early on, but not exactly as it played out. And there was just enough mystery as to whether what was happening on page truly was happening or if it was all in Becky’s head, that I couldn’t be sure my guess was accurate. So, I was delightfully on edge the entire read. Not usually something I say with a smile on my face, but I am apparently here for the heart-pounding thrill.

As a completely new reader of the genre, I can’t speak to how the ending played out in comparison to other stories with similar themes and constructs. However, I’ll admit it was a tiny bit of a disappointment to me. After being on the edge of my seat the whole book, the ending felt like a clunky and disingenuous resolution. And one I guessed fairly accurately rather early on. Still, because this story was written with an unreliable narrator and left the reader wondering with every flip of the page, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing that I was able to predict the ending. I just happened to be one of the lucky ones who decided to lean one way rather than the other based off the information provided.

I would recommend this to any psychological thriller lover, but I think it’s also an excellent gateway read for those who might be intrigued by the genre but never found themselves motivated enough to dip their toes in.

Far from the kind of book I'd usually read but being somewhat of an insomniac I was intrigued......
The single voice of self centred character both free me in and annoyed me. Overall this is a bizarre, self absorbed teen/young adult novel.
Unfortunately not for me.

Becky Braithwaite is traumatised by the accident of her older brother, Jordan, two years ago and the unfortunate tragedy has led her to having insomnia since then. Now a university student at Wessex, she intends to put the past behind her but it isn't as easy as she's thought.

For starters, she keeps receiving calls from an unknown number and when she answers them, the other party refuses to speak. Then, there are times that she thought someone is stalking her and when she turns around, no one is there. And the most troubling is, someone left her a note and a book titled "You Killed Him" and after a wild goose chase, these items have mysteriously gone without a trace after she returned. Is her mind playing tricks on her given her mental condition, or is there someone out to get her?

First off, the storyline was gripping and the unreliable narrator theme always appeals to me. Becky's insomnia condition sounds terrible and this made me worried about her and yet this also made me wonder about her credibility at the same time. The first half focused on her life at the university and her relationship with her flatmates as well with a glimpse of her troubled past although it is vague and not much information is given, which is understandable. The second half was better intense-wise but I was a bit disappointed with the ending given it was rather abrupt. That said, the author has done a good job in creating the claustrophobic atmosphere of uncertainty and the character's distrust in herself, her fear and anxiety so this made an interesting case of character study alongside the suspense.

Traumatized by the events of her past, and exhausted by insomnia, Becky Braithwaite believes a new start will help her to recover. She leaves home to fulfill her brother’s dreams, and honor the life he never had. She soon finds that escaping from the past is not as easy as she imagined. Is her mind playing tricks on her, or is the danger truly lurking in the shadows?

J.E.Rowney is an award-winning poet. She also writes short stories. "Charcoal", her first novel, was published in 2012 to critical acclaim.

Becky Braithwaite can't sleep. She's suffered from insomnia since her brother's tragic death two years ago. Overcome by grief, guilt and fatigue from her insomnia, she enrolls in college with plans on leaving the past behind and making a fresh start. However, strange things start happening and she believes she is being targeted. The problem is, she's unsure if the events are real or just paranoid delusions brought on by her insomnia.

This is a fast paced, engaging novel about a young woman's slow spiral into madness.
I enjoyed this book so much until the end. It was such an abrupt and confusing ending that left more questions than answers and some of the story lines unfinished. This was a pretty short book. I wish it had been a bit longer so the ending could have been fleshed out in a more meaningful way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Deep into the mind of our main character, Becky is a scary place to be. Partly because she can't sleep and partly because she keeps catching people acting strangely- staring at her, knocking things off shelves, threatening her.

This read was like a roller coaster, all up and little down. The suspense is tangible, you can almost taste it. The author is skilled in this, the gift of making even the reader paranoid. For myself, the ending was predictable but left me with a lot of questions that I don't know if I'll ever figure the answers out to. Something about the balance of the novel felt off.

That being said, I enjoyed the writing style tremendously and will keep a close eye on what this author will release. It's clear J.E Rowney isn't afraid to 'go there' with plot and intention.



I received this novel through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

J.E Rowney's debut book is a well written psychological thriller centred round Becky who ever since her brother Jordens death has suffered from insomnia.Becky has moved away to university to try and start afresh but it seems someone has followed her and is hellbent on destroying her new life for some unknown reasonas the book progresses we learn more of Becky's past and just how Jorden died,the story rattles along at a good pace to keep you interested,i would say though i thought the ending although good was a little bit rushed but a promising debut book from J.E Romney and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.A decent 3 star read.

I quite enjoyed this , read it very quickly as I was intrigued as to what was going on . The idea of this theme was good and it progressed at a steady speed . I loved the ending as it all came together quickly within the last few pages. I would definitely consider reading more from this author in the future

Insomnia. The silent killer. The mind that gets no adequate rest can get up to all sorts of things. At the very least it makes for a classic unreliable narrator. And that’s what you have here, an 18 year old university freshman (or is it freshwoman these days) thoroughly traumatized by her beloved brother’s death two years earlier and completely addled by lack of sleep, our protagonist stumbles through her days in a sort of hazy daze and, no matter how much she strives for some sort of normalcy, becomes increasingly more and more paranoid that someone might be after her. There are mysterious occurrences, voices, phone calls…or are there? That’s the thing, she just isn’t all that sure of her reality and neither can the reader be. You get to find out, of course, it is a fairly short book and it gives you a double whammy of an ending too, almost ambiguously so, but then again, very much along the lines of what you might have expected. So it’s a reasonably prototypical female thriller, although there’s no split narration or any of that, it’s a pretty straight forward first person descent into madness and it works pretty well for what it is. Despite the characters’ young ages, this definitely doesn’t read YA, so kudos to the author on that. And the claustrophobic atmosphere of uncertainty, inability to trust one’s own experiences, the constant exhaustion, the fear, the liminal sort of consciousness levels…that’s all very well rendered and makes for a fairly compelling read. It might have done with a more twisted of an ending, but, you know, for the time invested, it’s fine, it worked. Made for a decently entertaining quick read. Thanks Netgalley.

This was such a gripping and compelling novel!
The story really drew me in.
It was very well written with a strong plot and good characters.
A wonderful psychological thriller!

**Review will appear on my Instagram blog in two weeks, will update the links then**


Haunted by what happened in the past and suffering from insomnia, Becky moves to a new place, with hopes to graduate and start over anew. But soon strange things start happening, there are shadows lurking inside her room, and outside her window, someone keeps calling her name but don't show their face. Is her mind playing tricks on her? Has someone followed her from the past? Or is it something more sinister?

Absolutely gripping from get go, a quick, and fast paced thrilling ride. It's the kind of a book that you finish in one sitting and then gape at the wall once you've finished it. It's exceptionally written and has a spooky feel to it. This'll legit put you on the edge of your seat and will have you guessing throughout. And the ending will make you think, rethink, and overthink, just what you read. I kinda like such stories where the ending is left to the reader to take wherever they want, but I desperately wanted to discuss this ending with someone to make sense of it all, I guess I'll just wait 😅. Absolutely recommended if you are looking for something short and thrilling, but beware of how the ending will come at you 😄

Thanks to Netgalley, author and, publishers for the eARC.

This book is very gripping. I read it in two sittings and only stopped during the first because I had to do something. This is easily a book I could have read in a single sitting.

The story is very fast-paced and reveals little pieces of Becky's past throughout, only giving you enough to keep you guessing.

During thrillers and mysteries, I always enjoy guessing the ending, and I often end up guessing correctly. But I am always pleasantly surprised when I am wrong, and this book was one of them. The ending was something I didn't see coming and I think it was a great way to end a thrilling book.

A great read, very well-written and developed throughout. A book I recommend.

Review for 'I can't sleep' by J. E. Rowney

Read and reviewed via an ARC Copy

Will be available to purchase from the 16th October

This is the second book that I have read by this very talented author and it most certainly won't be my last.

This book was very well written and I found the characters very strong and believable meaning I managed to connect with the story and felt like I was really in the book. This was helped by the excellent descriptions.

I was immediately hooked from the first page until the last and found it a true page turner. It is filled with suspense and mystery and leaves you questioning who is behind it all. I was not expecting the ending at all which gives it bonus points from me, nothing worse than a crime thriller where you know the ending before you even get half way through!!

This book was set in the UK which is always a bonus for me as I live there!! This book is an excellent psychological thriller that I highly recommend to fans of mystery and suspense or anyone looking for a good read!!

Rated 5/5 on Goodreads and Amazon (I loved it)

#ICantSleep #JERowney