What a freaking page turner. Book had me guessing from page to page and I never wanted to put it down. Literally did not see the end coming. At all. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Don't Wake Me is a cracking and breathtaking psychological thriller set against a stunning, snow-covered Norwegian backdrop by bestselling author Martin Krüger; this is his first novel to be translated into English. Jasmin Hansen, a doctor from Oslo, travels to the Norwegian island of Minsøy with her five-year-old son Paul and three-year-old Labrador, Bonnie. She hopes that in the seclusion the memories of her terrible accident one night several months ago will finally return. Because although her husband Jørgen assures her that she has only run over a deer, they are tormented by nightmares in which a homeless person is fatally injured in the impact. But she cannot calm down on Minsøy either. Instead, the dark island gives her new riddles. When a dead person washes up on the beach near the village of Skårsteinen, Jasmin is horrified because he resembles the stranger in her dreams. Only a little later she receives a mysterious threatening letter with the words: "I know what you are." But who on the island knows her past? Somebody wants to prevent her from remembering at all costs...This is a riveting and seriously scintillating work of Scandinavian noir and the type of book you enjoy so damn much that you hope the author will race to translate the rest of his fiction into English.

It's dark, compelling and twisty throughout with great attention to detail and an excellent use of misdirection to steer you one way and then another with total ease. I was putty in Krüger’s hands, right from the off, that's for sure. Both the mystery and intrigue are adeptly executed, and as the narrative progresses the tension is ratcheted up to the point where I was desperate to know what was going on. I usually have an inkling of where a thriller is heading, but I can truly say that I was wrong on multiple fronts this time, which was a refreshing and welcome change. The characterisation was some of the most intricate and interesting I've encountered of late; other writers should use this as an example of how to develop engaging, relatable and believable characters. Speaking of characters, the beautiful Norwegian setting of the island with no escape, due to the weather stopping the only mode of transport to and from the mainland, was very much a character in itself and added a claustrophobic and extra sinister atmosphere to the plot; it certainly increased the suspense and created a delicious sense of impending doom. All in all, this is a captivating, tense and entertaining thrill ride I cannot recommend highly enough, and a real must-read for Scandinavian crime connoisseurs.

I don’t know what I think about this book. For a large portion of the story I was confused, not really understanding what was happening which does tie in with the main characters experience and the story itself. At times I found the content to be far scarier than I had expected which isn’t really to my taste, I don’t like scary and this novel really pushed me outside of what I consider comfortable. I found the main character okay but didn’t really love her, the more the story went on the more frustrated and annoyed I got with her, I found her son’s voice to be far older than the 5 years he was supposed to be, but this again could be connected to the storyline. I wonder if some of my issues are to do with the way the story was translated as I’m conscious that some things may get lost or changed during this process.. I did find the story gripping, however, and I didn’t want to put it down. I read it very quickly because it was easy to get into and when I had to put it down I really wanted to continue reading. Not a favourite book, not a hated book, just a book that I have read and enjoyed enough to read quickly.

This book started off with all of the right ingredients - a woman traveling to an isolated part of an island alone with her son, a ferry that might be unavailable due to an approaching storm, a creepy old house, with an even creepier basement, and an obvious trauma in her past.

This could have worked so well, but there were several things that took away from this being more enjoyable for me: the unreliable narrator you could see from a mile away, the way the Jasmin constantly left her 5-year-old alone, even though (spoiler alert) there was a dead body on the beach and a lurker in her backyard. It might have worked better if the son was a bit older. And then there's the title - which sort of gives away the plot.

What I did like: the atmospheric descriptions, the characterizations, the impending dread, and the great translation by Jozef van der Voort.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader's copy for review.

I absolutely loved the first half of this book. The pace was perfect, the suspense building so well and I felt genuinely anxious and tense over what was going to happen. The concept of the story was also really intriguing: a woman who believes she hit someone in a car accident, despite no one else believing her because only the body of a deer was found, travels to a remote island with her dog and son to work through this trauma and see if she can work out what happened.

When we reached part 2, however, it all went a little bit crazy. The pace became a lot faster, which ruined a lot of the suspense for me. The narrator seemed incredibly paranoid, but also jumped to confusing conclusions which just didn't make any sense but just so happened to be correct. I was expecting this craziness to build into a big finale, but instead it just descended into the explanation in a bit of a 'meh' kind of way.

I did love the idea of this book, and the explanation of what was going on was a very interesting concept - I just didn't enjoy the craziness of the second half and spent a lot of time being very confused. If you enjoy an unreliable narrator - you may enjoy that element.

Don’t Wake Me was worth the wait, Trust me. It’s a thriller that works even when you think it doesn’t. Jasmin is the star, an unreliable narrator who wakes from a coma after a terrible accident where she hit, possibly a deer, on a remote Norwegian island We are wondering as much as she does when she feels the need to resolve the traumatic nightmare. We are confused, unsure and sometimes our minds wonder as we follow Jasmin and her husband Paul into a downwood spiral.

2.5 stars rounded up.

I read so many reviews telling me that the 'big twist' was so obvious it's impossible to miss. They were right. Barely three chapters in I knew the ending. That was disappointing.
However, the writing was nice and the setting was lovely. Not bad just way too predictable.

**Thanks to Netgalley for my free copy.

I really enjoyed this book as found incredibly suspenseful. I literally couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read more by this author. Highly recommend this as

Spoiler alert. A good psychological thriller with a suspenseful narrative to begin with but became predictable once I guessed it to be in the lines of Shutter Island. The plot had the potential of a noire thriller which I felt was wasted. On the plus side the character development and the narrative is good. On the negative side the psychological illness is not adequately explained like the differences between delusion, illusion, projections, dissociation.

A dark gritty read. I have given this 3 stars because I worked out the ending as it was similar to a film I have watched a few times.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Interesting mystery and premise, but something just felt off to me. I didn't feel pulled in or really any interest in the mystery. There were just too many question early on that didn't make sense. The atmosphere was great, this small town on a small island, felt very secluded and frightening but everything else just felt off. I wish I'd liked this one more.

Title very interesting but the story is very disappointing very confusing with lots of rambling all over the place and found it very difficult to get into and struggled to continue.
It`s very atmospheric and Jasmine is a nervous wreck from the start with no reason why and the son talks not like a five year old at all.
The end does give a reason why Jasmine is like that but I think its too late to explain by then.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows Jasmin who moves to a remote island with her five year old son, with the hope of uncovering the truth of a car accident she was in several months earlier. Jasmin is convinced that she killed a homeless man in the accident although her husband and the doctors insist it was an animal. As soon as Jasmin moves to the island it is clear all isn’t what it seems.

I enjoyed reading this book and liked the mysterious atmosphere and suspense that Krüger builds up from the beginning. I found that this detail really helped make the book darker and more thrilling. I really had no idea how the plot would unfold and it kept me guessing until the end.

I found Jasmin quite a conflicting character, I could definitely sympathise with her but also found her actions questionable. At times I did become confused with the plot and what was happening and I’m glad this all got explained at the end, however, I did feel I would have benefited from a more detailed explanation to make this clearer.

I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy psychological thrillers such as The Silent Patient!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jasmin and her 5 year old son, Paul, are on the way to their summer home in Norway. Jasmin continues to tell herself "this time it will be different". Yet, while on the ferry to the island, she still searches the news for information about an unknown victim. None.

Memories begin to unravel as Jasmin reminds herself what had happened the last time she was at that house. The car accident... Yet, desperate to get back to her "old self" - she needs to return there after 5 years..

But more questions arise as Jasmine rediscovers herself in the house...

What really happened during the accident? Did Jasmin REALLY hit a deer or was it something even worse?

Well-detailed story with great visualization.

Many Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK , Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. RECOMMEND.

Jasmin Hansen travels to Minsøy to finally understand what happened on the night of the accident. She is very anxious at the start of the book and somehow the author of Don’t Wake Me manages to transfer that feeling of anxiety to me as a reader. I can’t exactly pinpoint why – it might be the lack of resting points in the narrative – but it is a nice feat. You’re jumping from scene to scene, feeling disoriented as you don’t know ‘when’ a scene is taking place.

You are in a constant dream-like state, but for Jasmin it is her reality. Her subconscious knows something that her rational mind can’t piece together yet. She feels uncertain and is constantly questioning herself and her memory. The eerie feeling that she has when observing her surroundings is emanating from the pages. I’m impressed by the ability of Martin Krüger (author) and Jozef van der Voort (translator) to keep me in that state for quite some time.

Then I picked up on some very clear (too clear and too early) hints; I won’t tell you where so that you won’t be looking for them too much when reading this book. When I figured out how the story was going to end, some of the magic faded and the story gripped me less. From that point on, I was simply reading to finish the book.

Don’t Wake Me is a solid thriller with a great atmosphere that I did enjoy reading. As said before, the plot is not surprising, but the setting and delivery of (especially) the first part of the book are strong.

I wasn't sure I was going to like Don't Wake Me by Martin Kruger, and I almost put it down several times. But I'm glad I stuck it out. Don't Wake Me is a gripping story of denial and a mental health breakdown. The story did get confusing at the end, but I felt the epilogue was done well.

This was just an okay story and read for me. I would consider reading more from this author.

#DontWakeMe #NetGalley

I thought the premise of the book sounded interesting but something must have gotten lost in translation as it ended up being really boring. It is a noir thriller and I was taken in by the blurb, but I somehow found the execution lacking and I had to force myself to complete it and not pull a DNF. I found some parts of the book to be kinda crazy out there with the twists and turns, it made the book really confusing at times and very muddled...and then the end just fell so flat.

Martin Krüger sure can make a story from what can be considered a psychic dilemma. Jasmin Hansen had been in a coma for years after an accident where she swears she killed a man. What the story entails is her delving into a trip onto an island with her dog and her little boy. Things seem to be drawn out in her belief that people were against her. I would like to use spoilers but I can't in good reasoning do it without giving everything away. Let's just say the Martin uses psychological sense in following up with the truth. This book is a well written novel that leaves you with a sense of doubt. Read it and you will find out for yourself.

Remote Island Setting....
A dreadful accident, heavy secrets. Is an escape the answer? Remote island setting, disturbing well drawn suspense. A tension mounting read with often uncomfortable and distressing themes, dark, brooding and atmospheric.

I was absolutely going to give this book 3 stars until about 70% in. There’s no “domestic-ness” at all. No BFF or work buddies but the reason is revealed towards the end. I wasn’t enjoying it much at all but from around 70% on I couldn’t put it down. At all! It quickly got fast paced & awesome if you hang on that long.