I tend to race through thrillers, particularly very dark ones, because I simply have to have answers. The cover definitely caught my interest and I’ve heard really good things about Romy Hausmann’s debut Dear Child, so I was looking forward to diving into it.

As a teenager, Nadja Kulka was convicted of a horrific crime but now she is determined to live a normal life. When a murder occurs in a house deep in the woods, Nadja’s past makes her the perfect scapegoat.

Nadja is still trying to make amends for what happened when she was younger. She writes letters to her younger brother who she hasn’t seen since it happened, trying her best to explain the events of that night and the guilt that she is saddled with. These thoughts are a comfort to her and a way of her trying to lessen the severity of what she’s done. I really wasn’t sure whether Nadja had really murdered her mother Marta or not. At times, it felt like she wasn’t even sure herself. It actually wasn’t until the very end that everything was cleared up, so there was a lot of guessing what was real and what wasn’t for most of the book.

There is another storyline running alongside Nadja’s, which is loosely intertwined with the main plot. A young woman’s body is found at the bottom of a hill and her older lover is the main suspect. As this is a case being handled by the law firm that Nadja works for, we get a little bit of insight into this too. However, it took a long time for me to connect the threads together and I spent most of the book wondering why these stories were in the same novel. It started to make a bit of sense eventually but I really wasn’t very invested in this part of the story at all.

Nadja does a lot of self-soothing. She is genuinely innocent of this latest murder and has somehow found herself helping a friend clean it up. There is a twist that comes towards the end of the book where this friendship is turned on its head and a very strange, dark game begins. I wasn’t sure how believable this really was and I think that’s when I started to zone out while reading. However, I have a feeling that it might translate better on screen. I didn’t see the sudden turn coming and it may have been because there weren’t the subtle clues that you can sometimes read in facial expressions and tones of voice.

There is some beautiful writing in this book and Hausmann seems to be very good at creating very visceral metaphors. Describing grief as a vicious animal isn’t a particularly common comparison but I’m sure that there are people who have experienced deep, heartbreaking grief who would agree with it. I can’t read ‘it pushes my ribs apart and reaches right into my open chest to squash my heart like an old sponge’ without physically flinching and that’s a sign of good, immersive writing!

Sleepless is a confusing, disjointed narrative that I couldn’t read huge chunks of at a time because it took a lot of brain power. All of the characters were thoroughly unlikeable and very morally ambiguous, so I couldn’t even really bring myself to root for anyone, which caused my interest to wane more. It’s a shame because I enjoyed the writing in parts but it wasn’t as pulse-racing as I wanted it to be. I can see it being a good Netflix Original film though and I think I’d probably digest it better in that format.

3.5 stars rounded up.
Released from prison from her murder conviction, all Nadja wants to do is get on with her life. To be normal, to do what normal people do. Get a job, move into a nice home, get some friends, a social life, just be happy. And she is just starting to make that happen. Until one day she receives a call from her boss's wife, Laura. She's in bits as she has just killed her lover and needs Nadja's help. Having few friends and wanting to keep the one she admires the most, Nadja agrees to help... and so begins a rather, well, implausible but action packed and fun tale which, although had me rolling my eyes, did entertain me along the way...
As well as what is going on in the "hide the body and the crime" storyline, we also have another main-ish thread that meanders alongside the main one, and a couple of others, all with vastly differing timelines. For the majority anyway. It's all a little bizarre and disjointed and hard to see where all the threads connect. But, stick with it and you will be rewarded as it does all get there eventually. And it's all a bit clever too. But I do fear that the author may lose readers along the way.
But as already mentioned, once all the secrets and lies are out, you'll see how incredibly clever the plotting is - delivering shock after shock, as it twists and turns its way to a satisfying conclusion.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley & Quercus for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I found this book a little hard to get into. The different storylines/timelines didn't seem to have any links. I felt it took a bit too long for any links to become apparent and at times I found it a little frustrating. But it is worth sticking with. I definitely enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first, when the pieces begin to fit together more. Some interesting twists and turns, and one seemingly random part of the storyline finely fits in the closing chapters.

The characters weren't very likeable but somehow I was still rooting for Nadja, and wondering whether or not she was guilty of the crime she was convicted of as a teenager.

I loved Deat Child so was hugely excited to get the chance to read Sleepless.

I have to say it did not blow me away as Dear Child did. That said it is a dark and chilling novel that will keep your attention.

The beginning is confusing with different characters and perspectives and letter extracts which we are not sure who they are written by or who the recipient is. Stick with it though as things slowly fit into place and reveal a haunting history.

My only criticism is the inclusion of Hannes, I didn’t feel that this part gave much to the story…it did add another dimension about motives and complexity of human decision making but I felt there was enough already.

Nadia is a complex character who has had a troubled childhood. I loved how the book allows us to see how different things can be depending on decisions made and help offered.

Dark and chilling this book will keep you engrossed and make you think about what it means to love and when it is acceptable to take justice into your own hands.

I found this book sadly lacking for me, unlike her last one which I enjoyed. This one I just didn’t enjoy it unfortunately it was a slow burner and I found my mind wandering all the way through. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I loved Romy Hausmann’s first book Dear Child, a five-star read for me so I was pretty excited to hear that she had another book coming out and I could not wait to get my hands on it!

Sleepless did not quite hit the five star like Dear Child for me but in saying that, it was still a really good read. A bit slow burn to start and somewhat confusing with a few story lines that leave you wondering where this is going but once settled in, the connections start to make sense and the twists keep you wanting to see where this is going to end up!

Nadja was convicted of an awful crime as a juvenile but did she kill her mother or did she just witness the horrific crime. In any case, she has done her time and is leading a normal adult life working as a legal assistant to Gero. When Gero’s wife Laura comes to Nadja in a panic needing her help, Nadja cannot refuse helping her and soon ends up on a road trip with a dead body on a mission dispose of it in a remote location Laura claims is her deceased grandmother’s house.

Nelly, a young receptionist is having an affair with Paul, a salesman who travels for work and stays in Nelly’s family Inn regularly. When Nelly is found dead in suspicious circumstances, Paul is a prime suspect and Gero becomes his defence lawyer.

Among these two storylines we also have Nadja writing letters to her younger brother…. Letters she never sends but that provide us with insight to the life Nadja and her brother had growing up with their mother.

Overall, another enjoyable read by this author and I look forward to what she has in store for her readers next!

Two perspectives written in the form of narrative plus letters dispersed throughout will have your mind working to try and fit together all the pieces of this smokescreen of a puzzle.

Although it begins as a slow burn of a thriller, the plot intensifies until you’ll find yourself turning the pages trying to figure out what’s going to happen. The setting plays a big part in building up to an eerie and creepy atmosphere and after this one, I’m definitely going to be checking out Romy’s previous book, Dear Child.

I know this review is short but the less you know the better. That’s the thrill of a suspense novel after all.

This is an intriguing and twisty thriller that starts off as a slow boiler but transforms into a page turner about the intense struggle for survival. Told from multiple points of view and in different flashbacks, it can be a bit confusing until the story all comes together.
If you've enjoyed Dear Child, then definitely take a look at Sleepless.

Loved this book, it had so many tiwts and turns, i kept shouting No Dont do it, Dont trust her....couldnt put it down, Loved the characters

I’ve just read this book and still couldn’t tell you what I think of it. I really don’t know if I enjoyed it or not. There is something about the way the prose is written that is really good but at the same time it is jumping between storylines in such a way that half the time I didn’t know what the heck was going on. I wanted the storylines to develop and intertwine but it never really seemed to. Overall it felt like it had a lot of promise that was never really fulfilled but I would still read more from the author.

To begin with, this story is told from the point of view of Nadja, Nelly and an Unknown in the form of a letter, and the first few chapters had me gripped.
There are multiple time lines and its one of those where your kept guessing who is who and how they are linked and I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.
More characters are slowly added to the mix and we start to learn things from others POV.
Although I enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down at times, I didn't feel that compulsion to pick it up and read.  It started off strong with the feeling that there was so much to be revealed, but the pace flattened out and didn't really pick back up again.
My rating is 3.5⭐ as it lacked pace, and the twists and turns I love in a thriller. 
I would definitely recommend going into this one blind as the synopsis pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the plot, so I felt this ruined it slightly for me. 
Although I didn't love this book, it was very well written and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author

Thanks to Net Galley and Quercus Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I found this book totally confusing, two storylines, unlikeable characters , I struggled to differentiate between the characters and the different timelines. I did consider abandoning this book, but persevered though I felt equally as confused at the end as I did at the beginning of this woeful book.

It took me a couple of days to think hard about my review for this book. I wanted to read it, just as many others, because I loved Dear Child so much. When I read the blurb on Goodreads, I was convinced I would like this book too.
Unfortunately, I ended up giving it two stars. What I read on Goodreads is exactly what is happening in the book: Nadja Kulka and her friend Laura von Hoven make to the woods with the body of Laura’s dead lover in the trunk. They want to get him out of the way before Laura’s husband, who’s also Nadja’s boss, finds out.
But then. The author is very gifted but this time she uses a little too much of her gift. There is a second story going on in this book, and both stories are being told in short chapters in different timelines. This means that the more you read – and yes, of course I finished the book – the more you expect both stories to come together. They don’t, at least not in the way you would expect. And in between the two stories we read letters from an unknown person to another unknown person telling… part of the first or the second story or is it a third story? You must read the book to find out.
It was just too much for me. I could have done with just the first story with a little more background. We hardly learn anything about Laura and the bad guy.
I would love to read more by Romy Hausmann because if you concentrate on just the first story it is quite a good story, it just needs (for me anyway) a different way of telling.

Initially confusing, with several different viewpoints and timelines, this novel gradually settles to an enjoyable, page-turney thriller, a sort of road trip but with deaths instead of laughs. I was not fully emotionally engaged with Nadja, or Laura, or any of the various male characters, which I found to be a bit of a problem, especially as the different strands take some effort to follow. Nonetheless, a rewarding, pleasant read.

Nadja Kulka was convicted of a crime. Years later all she wants to do is to live a normal, quiet life. However, her friend and wife of her boss, Laura , kills her lover and asks Nadja for help in disposing of the body.
Nadja finds it difficult to refuse but finds herself in a cat and mouse game where she could end up a victim or murderer.

I found this a very difficult read, it took a long time for me to understand what on earth the story was about .I found the timelines and the different characters very confusing .Only in the last few chapters did it all become clear .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

I love a good thriller, and am always on the search for my next favourite. I have seen this book being hyped up all over the place so was excited to read an early copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I haven't read anything from this author before, so really didn't know what to expect...

I didn't like it.

I found the premise of the book to be much more exciting than the book itself. It took a long time to get going, and even when it did start to get exciting it still felt very slow paced - far too slow for a thriller! I felt like not a lot happened in 300-or-so pages! Not really great for this genre, and not was I was hoping for from the synopsis/blurb.
Not for me!

I loved Romy Hausmann's previous novel, Dear Child which instantly drew me in and captured me completely. For me, Sleepless was a good read but I did find it a slower burner at times and I did find myself quite confused with the plot. Nevertheless it is a good story and I love they way Romy Hausmann's style of writing.

The main character, Nadja has been in prison since she was a teenager for committing a crime and has now been released back into the world. She is trying to live a quiet and relatively stress free life when one of her friends asks for her help with covering up a crime that she has committed, Laura has killed her lover and to top it all of is Nadja bosses wife. Nadja helps her out and the story really takes hold. I do not want to give much away with the plot but there are lots of twists and turns and has your head spinning with what is occurring.

Worth a read if you like a slow burner but intensely twisty plot. Thanks to Romy Hausmann, NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinions.

It's been years since Nadja Kulka was convicted of a cruel crime. After being released from prison, she's wanted nothing more than to live a normal life: nice flat, steady job, even a few friends. But when one of those friends, Laura von Hoven - free-spirited beauty and wife of Nadja's boss - kills her lover and begs Nadja for her help, Nadja can't seem to be able to refuse.

The two women make for a remote house in the woods, the perfect place to bury a body. But their plan quickly falls apart and Nadja finds herself outplayed, a pawn in a bizarre game. A fantastic book - really enjoyed the story, and by the middle couldn’t put it down until I saw how it ended! Great read!!!!

Nadja had a difficult and troubled childhood and always in trouble at school, but vowed to look after and protect her younger brother, Janek. When her mother is murdered, the police detective convinces Nadja that she is guilty and is sentenced to prison for seven years. On her release, an old friend of her moms got her a job at his lawyer company and she managed to settle into her new life, although still struggled with social interactions.
She made friends with Laura but this fell apart when Laura married the boss Goren. When Laura gets into trouble with her lover, Nadja rushes to help in the hope of rekindling their friendship but gets dragged into a dangerous situation where she has to fight for her life.
The story jumps between various time periods, sometimes with no clear distinction between them which can be a little confusing but the story itself is a great read. You really start to connect with Nadja as the details of her childhood are revealed and understand her desperate need for friends.