Thank you, NetGalley,

I wanted so badly to like this because I enjoyed Dear Child, but I got about 50% through the book and still was clueless as to what was going on. I like books that keep me on my toes, but I couldn't find my footing at all. I could not tell you a single detail about what was happening. in the story. Sadly, I gave up which isn't something I do often. I didn't want to start again, as I had restarted twice already thinking I had missed a key point. I wish you luck.

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 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 in which she is both the perfect victim and the perfect murderer...

I honestly was not a fan of this book to start. I almost DNF several times at first. I did read the whole thing and it was okay towards the end.

I loved Dear Child by this author a few years back so I was delighted to recieve a review copy of this one and am embarrassed I just now am reading it!

This book is not for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend if you’re not a big thriller reader. It was like a giant spool of thread that very slowly unraveled . The beginning had me confused BUT the story worked itself out in such a way that was so genius + captivating. I pretty much read it in a day and I would say definitely pick this one up when you have a free day to sit with it! It moves fast and you will fly through it. If the timeline is confusing at first, keep going I promise it’s worth it! The author’s ability to weave it all together is mind blowing!

I had such high expectations for this book since I fell in love with Hausmann's "Dear Child". Generally a book synopsis will give away almost TOO much information about a book and can possibly spoil a book's plot. In this instance if I hadn't had the GoodReads synopsis I would've been completely lost.

Hausmann allows the reader to get well into the novel without establishing who Nadja and Nelly are and how they pertain to each other. The book is disjointed. I had no clue what was going on (and in this instance it wasn't fun to be confused). I had no clue what was happening and the plot simply can't be followed.

The transitions between the points of Nelly, Nadja and randomly journal entries were a mess. In order to have the urge to continue to progress through the novel we as readers needed to know who was writing the journal entries and why we should care.

The novel reads like a random look into somone's brain and what they're thinking in their head. It was scattered and disjointed. I really wish the publishers had handed this back to Hausmann after highlighting areas and saying "elaborate more, what are you trying to convey, how does this pertain to the other main character in the book".

I was granted a free copy of this text by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Hausmann needs to craft a better story with characters that are interesting to the reader next time. This was a disappointment for sure.

While I loved their previous book, Dear Child, this one was just not for me. The jump in timelines and stories was confusing and hard for me to follow. Also, the multiple characters were hard for me to separate and follow their stories.

Nadja grew up as the neglected child of a prostitute. When her mother is found murdered, Nadja doesn't really understand what is going on as the police question her and before she knows it she is picked out as the scapegoat for her mother's death. That protects all the influential men in the town who were customers. Nadja is sent to prison for several years as a child offender.
But those days are behind her. Now she is out and living her life as normal people do. She has a job and likes her boss who is kind to her. She has a few friends and a life where she can go where she wants and do anything that appeals to her. Nadja is fairly content until the day Laura comes to her.

Laura was Nadja's first friend when she came to her job. That continued until Laura caught the eye of the boss and soon married him and left the workforce. Now Laura is distraught and begs Nadja to help her. Nadja agrees of course. But when Laura takes her to her house, Nadja finds the dead body of Laura's lover on the floor. Laura begs Nadja to help her hide the body.

Nadja agrees and the two women take the body to a lodge deep in the forest. But Nadja discovers that her past has come back to haunt her and that she is being set up as the victim to take the blame again for a crime she did not commit. Will this be the same as all those years ago?

Romy Hausmann is a German author whose debut novel, Dear Child, became a runaway bestseller. This is her second novel. The reader will sympathize with Nadja. The plot contains many twists and turns and it goes back and forth in time, some of which can confuse the reader. There is a separate thread about another woman who is found dead in the forest also and it takes quite a while to reconcile the two plotlines. This book is recommended for thriller readers.

Sleepless is a suspenseful story that started off a little slow for me. It took several chapters for me to get into the book, but is a very twisted story.

The first one third was a hotch-potch of scenes which felt to be 3 parallel plotlines. It was only in the latter half that they were connected to form the foundation of the story with thrills and twists.

The writing style too needed some warming up as thoughts and actions were kept intermingled and most times felt to be on a tangent and quite rambling.

But the book soon adjusted itself to be a thriller that it was. There was a pulse spike – mine with time jumps – the book’s. Yet the layered storyline grasped my interest to lead me to a finish which again fell slightly flat.

Some of the writing had the smooth intricacy that was a pleasure to read. But only some parts of it in latter sections. This surely was a roller coaster ride with highs and lows and everything in between and some unlikable characters of different shades.

Maybe this style of writing would take some getting used to…both by the author and readers to pull it off.

I really loved Dear Child by this author and was highly anticipating this book. This book left me feeling a little confused as it seemed to jump around a bit and I had difficulty keeping up with who was who. I'm pretty sure it was just me but sadly I didn't love this book.

Nadja had a difficult childhood and spent time in prison after being convicted for a crime. But it's been years since her release and she's wanted nothing more than a normal life since: a quiet flat, a job, and maybe some friends. But when one of those few friends, Lauren--the wife of her boss--asks for help covering up a murder, Nadja cannot help but agree. Even if it means endangering all the peace she's worked for. The women quickly make a plan, but when it all starts to crumble, Nadja begins to question exactly what her role is in this plan.

I really enjoyed Hausmann's book DEAR CHILD, but this one didn't have quite the same flair. There are books with confusing timelines that you enjoy and then there are books with confusing timelines that simply muddle things and make it hard to enjoy the plot. This book was the latter for me. There are a lot of interconnected stories in varying timelines and points of view and, truly, it's a lot to follow.

This read seems rather slow and rather blah until the last bit, where it takes off and gets exciting. You sort of know where it's going, which makes it even harder to keep reading. The characters are not that engaging, making it hard to get attached. It's difficult to root for this gang--especially Lauren and her husband. The plot is crazy and rather violent, spinning toward preposterous. If you can suspend disbelief, you'll enjoy things a lot more.

Overall, this had hints of enjoyment, but wasn't my favorite.

Told in a series of letters as well as straight narratives from several perspectives on various timelines, Sleepless is the story of Nadja Kulka, the crime she committed twenty years ago, and the current crime in which she finds herself embroiled.

After enjoying Romy Hausmann's first novel Dear Child earlier this year, I was excited to read Sleepless. Unfortunately, this wasn't a great read for me. I struggled with several elements of this story: the narrative structure, which was muddled and confusing; the characterizations, which were shallow and emotionless; the atmosphere, which was completely lacking; a conclusion that felt unearned and illogical and too convenient; and an epilogue that seemed like it belonged to another book entirely.

Hausmann has interesting ideas, and there is a cinematic quality to her writing that makes sense with her background in TV and film production. Something about her ideas didn't translate well to the page for me this time, though. While the various threads of her plot do eventually come together, she never really made me care about anyone in her story, and so I never really connected with Sleepless. Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for my digital review copy.

Last year, I read and thoroughly enjoyed Hausmann's English-language debut novel, DEAR CHILD, so I was ecstatic to get my hands on an early copy! At first, it is a little hard to get over the fragmented style that flits across both years and perspectives, making it more challenging to see where this is all building. The narrative includes letters that try to communicate the truth of past horrors, multiple affairs that end ugly and an overall building of menacing tension that steadily makes this one impossible to put down. Honestly, I read it in practically one sitting! The latter half moves especially fast. While the characters aren't always likable, Hausmann develops them all to have moments where you can't help but feel sympathy towards them. This really rounds out the characters and makes them feel so real.

It's a suspenseful read and the format really makes it hard to predict just where the plot will go. But, I especially appreciate that by the end, nothing is left dangling. It really is a truly satisfying read! Hausmann is a talented author and the translation here feels smooth and flawless. I will definitely continue to keep an eye for more of her work to be translated into English! this one is quite original and a definite page turner!

While this didn't hit me quite as hard as Husmann's last book, I read this in one day because I simply had to know what was going to happen. This was chilling and well written.

A slow burn crime novel that paced somewhat slow. It took sometime to dig into the plot but once moving I loved it. Great sophomore novel.

This novel was well crafted but slow moving. It has an intricate plot that bobs and weaves as the pieces come together. Patience is needed, but after about 35% of the story, the tiny nuggets of mystery begin to make sense. This is perfect for those who enjoy trying to put the pieces together themselves. I loved Dear Child and this one was different but absolutely worth the read.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

2.5 Hearts Ok I just didn’t get it. This book was so jumbled that I had a hard time following everything.

The story of Nadja is back and forth of what happened to her when she was convicted. Now she wants a normal quiet life so why in the world would she help a friend (or is she?) deal with the lover she killed. Why can’t she say “I can keep quiet but I am not helping you?”

And then when they go hide even more happens. And none of it makes sense to me. I just kept thinking “Why? Why is Nadja doing this? And why am I still reading?”

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

After loving this author’s debut novel “Dear Child“, I was eager to read her second offering. This time, I didn’t feel the love quite so much.

The story was interesting, the characters damaged, and the plot somewhat confusing. This was ultimately Nadja’s story, and what a tragic story it was. Life has always been unkind to Nadja – and the older she became, the more cruel her life panned out.

This is a novel about twisted people playing mortally serious games. About manipulation, adultery, betrayal, actions and consequences, and framing the innocent.

It is a sad truth that some people are deemed expendable, that their lives are somehow less valuable than others.

The title of this novel was very fitting. It ended with a twist that I didn’t see coming. In summation, this was a convoluted psychological thriller perhaps written for certain acquired tastes. I hope that Hausmann’s next book is the same quality as her debut.

I gotta admit that this takes a bit of work. Nadja, convicted of killing her mother years ago, has remade her life. Laura accidentally kills her lover. An unnamed person who cares for Martha is writing letters to an unknown person. Nadja agrees, unwisely, to help Laura dispose of the body at a cabin the woods but that, as one might expect, goes badly. It wasn't clear to me at all how all of this was going to pull together (and I'm still not sure about it), which is sorta a good thing. The characters are not appealing or likable (ok by me) bt Hausmann has written them well. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A bit strange but worthwhile.

Thank you so much to Flatiron Books for gifting me a physical ARC of Sleepless by Romy Hausmann in exchange for an honest review.

This book publishes on October 19, 2021.

UGHH. No one is as upset about me giving this book a 3-star rating (at best) as I am.  I absolutely loved (and I mean LOOOVED) Hausmann’s debut novel, Dear Child—so much that it’s in my top five for this year and definitely one of my favourite crime books of all time (you can read my full review of Dear Child on the Cloud Lake Literary website, https://www.cloudlakeliterary.ca/blogposts/book-review-dear-child-by-romy-hausmann).  I wanted, so much, to love this book—perhaps even more than I do Dear Child—but unfortunately that just didn’t happen.

SYNOPSIS of SLEEPLESS:

After being convicted of a crime when she was still a child, Nadja Kulka has been out of jail for a few years. She is mostly content with her simple life: a decent job and one real friend, Laura. Lately Laura has been distant, but suddenly she shows up, shaking and pale. Laura tells Nadja she killed someone. She’s afraid to tell her volatile husband, and she needs Nadja’s help to hide the evidence.

Nadja can’t refuse her only friend. The two women set out for a remote house in the woods, the perfect place to bury a body. But their plan quickly falls apart, and Nadja is trapped, a pawn in a bizarre in which her troubled past could be her salvation… or her downfall.

MY THOUGHTS:

I’ll begin by saying this: I liked the overall story.  The plot was fine, there were a few surprising twists, the writing was creepy and chilling, and the entire book makes sense as a whole once you’ve finished reading it.  However, the process of getting to the end of the book is just really tiring, complicated, and unclear. 

I read a few other reviews that said that reading this book feels like someone took out all of the middle chapters, jumbled them up, and then put them back—which is the absolute perfect description for it.  The transitions between chapters were confusing, as were the transitions within the chapters themselves.  I think that Hausmann was trying to be creative with her story-telling but that it ultimately did not translate well onto paper, and definitely not well enough for the reader to fully enjoy the reading experience.  Now, this could also be a translation error in and of itself—however, I don’t read in German so I can't really tell you if it is or not..

The story also has a bunch of different threads to keep track of: there’s the past and present of Nadja and Laura; several random letters from one person to another (I thought I knew who was writing them at the beginning but I was very wrong, then I thought they were written by someone else, but I was wrong again); the story of Paul and Nelly (truly wondering if this story arc was even necessary); as well as some chapters that are told through some secondary character’s perspective.  The different threads are eventually tied together, but not in the most satisfying way. 

I just really wanted to love this book.  I thoroughly enjoyed how it started and where I thought it was going to go, but I got lost somewhere in the middle and unfortunately things didn’t start to clear up until just before the end of the book, which seems a little too late to really be able to enjoy the book.

https://rebekahreads.ca/sleepless-by-romy-hausmann/