There was not a lot of character development which made it hard to connect with any of the characters. The story was a bit slow at times and I was hoping to enjoy this more.

2.5 stars.
I listened to this one as an audiobook. I’d read and listened to podcasts and things on the ax murders in New Orleans so it interested me but I might have enjoyed it more with less previous knowledge.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The future isn't something you can force into being. You coax it toward you. Tempt it."


Don't Go to Sleep was interesting. In this, you will meet Gianna. She's seventeen years old and her family runs a grocery store. Her family narrowly escaped an axe-wielding attacker's attack approximately seven years ago. She constantly deals with nightmares from this attack, and they get worse once the axe man is back in action. Maybe with help from her best friend, Enzo, they might be able to figure out who is behind it all. Or maybe they will end up being the next two victims.

Knowing that this is a retelling of an actual true crime definitely made this book a bit creepier. For the longest time, I kept thinking Gianna was possibly the axe murderer because she could see into the other person's head. Then I realized that I was an idiot because this was probably a fantasy, paranormal, or supernatural twist. It just took me a bit longer than I would have liked to come to that conclusion because I was suspicious of her for so freaking long.

In the end, I actually ended up enjoying this book. The mystery behind who the axe murderer truly was definitely kept me going. The romance was okay but not really present either which I liked. One could only assume that Enzo and Gianna are happily living their life.

Real rating: 3.5

Don't Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore throws you into a mystery set in 1918 New Orleans. The city is on edge, not just from the looming Spanish Influenza outbreak, but also from a serial killer – the Axeman – who terrorized the streets years ago and seems to be back. Seventeen-year-old Gianna is haunted by the Axeman's attacks from her past. When the murders start again, and her nightmares become disturbingly real, Gianna teams up with her friend Enzo to stop the killer.

The book blends historical fiction with a suspenseful thriller, offering a glimpse into a dark chapter of New Orleans' history. Some readers might find the large cast overwhelming, but the creepy atmosphere and determined protagonist will keep you hooked until the final reveal.

DNF at 30%. For a story based on the axeman of New Orleans this is terribly boring. The characters feel flat and it’s just generally not engaging.

The ending was kind of ridiculous and all-around disappointing. I'm just glad I was able to get through this quickly and not waste too much time on it. Certainly won't be reading more from this author.

Regrettably, this book didn't resonate with me. The synopsis piqued my interest, and the cover was impressive, prompting me to pick it up. However, I found Gianna's character to be poorly executed, and overall, the story failed to capture my attention. The plot had significant holes, and I wasn't a fan of the writing style. Unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea, and it took me 4 months to finish the book.

This review is based on an ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fun and fast paced book. An excellent book for teens with likeable characters and easy to read language. It wasn’t too graphic in regards to the axe murders. A book I’ll highly recommend.

Gianna has the stress of every teenager in 1918 New Orleans but with an added stress of staying alive because of a murder loose on the streets. Don't go to sleep will definitely put you to sleep with the slow plot and bland characters. It was torture to try and get through this book. Nothing really pushes the start of the book and it is hard to engage in the plot at all. Listening to the audio made the experience worse.

I really wanted to love this book more as the premise was really awesome. Not to mention that I love any stories set in New Orleans. However, this didn't keep my interest as much as I had hoped.

I really, really wanted to love this book. I was very intrigued from the premise, especially as a person with a chronic sleep condition who also deals with very vivid dreams. I also love the location and the time period. New Orleans is fascinating to me, and I love the WWI time period. It was really fun to read about about a new place during this time and what life was like. The people in New Orleans were dealing with a plague as well as the murderer on the loose (in the book), and also with the cultural war going on, it seemed like there was maybe too much going on.

This may have been a case of this just not being the book for me, and I did really appreciate the writing style and the characters, but I think there was just too much crammed into the story, at least for me. But I do know that teens will enjoy it, and I really did enjoy the mystery aspect and the setting of the book.

I was so excited to read Don't Go To Sleep, but was a bit disappointed. Let's start with the things I liked: the cover immediately drew me in and I liked the description because it was fitting. The world building was okay and the pacing was decent. What made this a challenge to finish was that the characters were a bit dull. The mystery and suspense were okay, but I couldn't imagine myself buying a sequel with such under-developed characters.

Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks for this e-ARC.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention.

Truthfully the only way to get me into historical fiction is through a horror thriller and wow did I love this one. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the gifted ARC my honest review.

Don’t Go to Sleep could have been a good historical-crime-thriller, but slow paced procedural action and minor plot holes diminished that potential! Got some thrilling twists though.

Thank you Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley for the arc.

This was an interesting read. The subject matter, a serial killer loose in New Orleans, was extremely interesting, but the main character, oh....my.....WORD! Super annoying. Super noncommittal. Super flaky. Super....teenagy. Gianna just thought she knew what to do even while saying she didn't know what to do. She consistently put herself in dangerous situations without thinking about the consequences. I get that she had a bond with the Axeman, but what I didn't understand is why. Also, it talks about her friend 'Jake', but in the book all of a sudden it's 'Enzo'. She's the ultimate dunce when it comes to her relationship with him. One thing I can say is that Gianna does grow on you as well as grow in her character development through the book. I like that Bryce Moore seemed to try to meld a few genres together, paranormal, true crime, thriller/mystery, as well as detective, and almost YA genres. Kudos to that. A good first book, and will definitely look for his next one to see where he goes from here.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

The New Orleans axe murderer is a subject most of us know next to nothing about. It makes for compelling reading, especially when you add in the war and the beginnings of a pandemic. Gianna is a solid character, determined and self-possessed. The secondary characters could use a bit more depth but they are enough for a straightforward tale. For the most part, this book is more entertaining than deep. The ending leaves us with nearly as many questions as answers. Even so, it's an atmospheric tale with some basis in history. The pacing is spot-on, drawing us along but still allowing space for reflection.

First off, I love the cover of this book. It will catch a lot of attention--especially in the YA crowd. This title falls into the historical true crime fiction genre. I see this strand becoming more and more popular.

In this novel we meet Gianna, a young woman living in 1918 New Orleans. Gianna has had to deal with her own family tragedy and mystery deaths in her young life. There's been a mystery illness sweeping the city and there's a murder terrorizing the city. The police have no leads and everyone is living in limbo. So Gianna decides to take matters into her own hands and do something---she asks her friend Enzo to help her investigate this murderer.
The closer these two get to possibly finding the murderer, the more confusing the connection between Gianna's family comes into play.

This book will appeal to readers interested in true crime, historical retellings, and suspense. A well-told story that I greatly enjoyed---it definitely keeps you guessing.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Don't Go To Sleep by Bryce Moore.
Don't Go to Sleep is a combination of thriller and suspense and historical fiction. The premise will appeal to young adult readers as will the cover! This book is a must have for the library, but was a bit too young adult for my taste.

This was a really interesting read! The cover totally drew me in, and I thought it sounded like a fantastic mystery/horror type of read. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but I did enjoy reading it and trying to figure out what would happen next. All in all, not my typical read, but one I can see people enjoying. Definitely an autumn read, gives spooky season vibes for sure.