Sleep Deprived by Therese Heckenkamp is a fascinating psychological thriller. Readers of this genre will definitely enjoy this book. I found reading this book to be absolutely mesmerizing. It was hard at times to know which character to believe. Overall, this was a solid, quick read that is perfect for a long weekend. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This one is unique, but you would expect that from the synopsis! Mae is drowning in grief and shame after losing her infant. She can't sleep because of it and it has put a strain on her home and work life. She is estranged (sort-of) from her husband and regularly spends the midnight hours in the dark cemetery at her little one's gravesite. But then she sees a father in trouble and hurries to rescue his infant and him. Everything that follows gets more and more desperate as she is wrongly accused of kidnapping and must work to figure out a way to get her life back and forgive herself.

This reads like a Love-in-Suspense book, with a somewhat predictable outcome and some necessary suspended belief. The characters are also a bit more two-dimensional than my normal favorite reads. But for all that, it was an enjoyable and quick read!

Rated PG
--discussion about infant death
--some violence (non-graphic)
--no language
--clean romance

I received this ebook free from NetGalley. My opinions are voluntary and my own.

When sleep deprivation skews her judgment, grieving young mother Mae risks everything to save a baby—only to wind up accused of a crime.
I was breathless with anticipation… heart-stopping… gut-wrenching… I was on the edge of my seat… 5 stars all the way. WOW!

What a page-turner! This book really held my attention, had me on the edge of my seat, and really played with my thoughts and emotions. It was well paced, twisty, and difficult to put down. I found it easy to read in a day. This is the second book I've read by this author and I'm now interested in reading anything she writes from here on out.

Note: I was gifted an advance review copy of this book from its publisher, I am leaving this review voluntarily, and these are my honest thoughts.

A very well written and entertaining romantic suspense. Loved the plot and the character dynamics. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC. This is my unbiased review.

I typically don't love novella or very short books because I don't feel as though there are enough pages to get into the story and things feel rushed - NOT SO with this book. The author gets us into the story quickly but not rushed and I was hooked on this main character fast! I think the plot was on the author's side as it was a fast moving situation and that worked for a shorter book.

I enjoyed that during this book I was questioning the honesty of the main character and that kept me reading. I don't always love a main character you can't trust, but again with a shorter book, it works because it doesn't drag on and you aren't questioning it for a lot of pages.

My first Therese Heckenkamp read and I am intrigued to go look at her backlist and try another one.

Grief and guilt have damaged Mae's sleep, her marriage and her common sense. So far so understandable.
But John's actions are far from understandable.
There's some suspense but I couldn't get into it because my mind was constantly doubting everything.

Sleep Deprived
by Therese Heckenkamp
Pub Date 25 Jan 2022 | Archive Date 27 Feb 2022
Ivory Tower Press
Christian | General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers



I am reviewing a copy of Sleep Deprived through Ivory Tower Press and Netgalley:



An odd encounter in a cemetery. A baby in need.
Every mom’s worst nightmare.



When sleep deprivation, affects her judgement, Mae, a grieving young Mother risks everything to save a baby—only to wind up accused of a crime.


Now Mae’s freedom and her life are at stake.. She fights to clear her name but can’t do it alone. Her husband is the only one she can turn to. But with their relationship crumbling, even he may not be on her side.


Will their love be killed by the struggles or will it survive?

If they don’t work together to overcome past wounds and current danger, Mae might finally end up resting in peace. Permanently.

Riveting suspense with a thread of romance.



I give Sleep Deprived five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Therese Heckenkamp is a new to me author, and I was drawn into the unique idea behind this suspenseful story... a grieving, sleep deprived mother makes a poor judgement and finds herself in trouble. Dealing with loss of a child and kidnapping, this was a fast past story that kept me at the edge of my seat. There was almost a bit of a hint that perhaps things were not as they seemed, and I do wonder if that could have been explored a bit more were this a full length novel rather than a novella, but I found the story to be enjoyable nonetheless. While there were many moments that as a reader had me wondering what on earth our main character could be thinking, it certainly does go to show just what grief and sleep deprivation can lead to as well. Overall, a good read and one that fans of Christian suspense are sure to want to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

A gripping novel that had me unable to put it down from the start. Such an emotive draw into the beginning, looking at grief of loosing a baby. My heart breaks again for people facing that loss.

"Sleep Deprived" by Therese Heckenkamp was an excellent read! This book intrigued me by the title and the description, but it ended up being even better! I thought I knew how it was going to end, but it turned out totally different than what I expected. I love books that throw me for a loop! I highly recommend this book. It is a good, clean, slightly mysterious read!

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This was a short story more than a novel. I think it took me less than 2 hours to read it. The positives about this book is that the plot of unique. I have never read a book with a plot that is similar in setting, characters or plot twists. It was very new and I enjoyed that aspect of it.
The author brings in elements of grief and at times, I found myself questioning the main character’s reality because her grief was so heavy I wondered if she was actually the villain at times.
The book moves very quickly as well. You aren’t stuck in a space of excessive day to day living in this book. If you want a quick read, it’s a good one!

This book is approved for teenagers and appropriate for all audiences. I was given a free copy in exchange for this review.

This was such a good read that I read so quickly as I couldnt put it down. It is well written with good character development and an intriguing and compelling storyline. It was twisty and unpredictable, I loved it.

Sleep deprived by Therese Heckenkamp.
An odd encounter in a cemetery. A baby in need.Every mom’s worst nightmare.When sleep deprivation skews her judgment, grieving young mother Mae risks everything to save a baby—only to wind up accused of a crime.
This was a very good read. I loved Maes character. Great story. 4*.

This novella is the story of Mae whose young daughter has recently died. Mae's grief and guilt over the loss of her daughter has caused her to separate from her husband and move near the cemetery where her daughter is buried. She rarely sleeps and is finding it hard to cope with life. Since she has not been thinking clearly she makes foolish decisions to entangle herself with a strange who is trying to care for a young child. Things become dangerous when she learns it is not his child...

Since this is a novella the story moves very quickly and is resolved in a way that is unsatisfying. If the author had another 200 pages to fill out the story it could have been more enjoyable. The premise is good, but there is not enough depth to care deeply about the characters. This is an author to watch for a full length novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This faith-based story sees the lives of three missing babies intersect to save a marriage and destroy the life of one young man. Two of the children have died, one has been kidnapped.

Mea has lost a child and seeks to help another – but something backfires. She is accused of kidnapping and is set to spend the rest of her life in prison. The love of her husband and God’s answered prayer begin to rebuild her faith and allow her to regain her life.

This short novella served as a reminder of the pain of loss and the presence of God’s grace through that pain. I give the book five-stars.
______________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Sleep Deprived is a very good read, it flows nicely, and has enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. The emotions are relatable and real, staying with you even after the story has come to an end. The grief and the sorrow turn into happiness, joy, and love, leaving your heart feeling light, and a smile on your face!
This book makes for a great afternoon, so curl up and get ready to enjoy. Happy Reading!

Thank you to Netgalley and Ivory Tower Press for this Arc.
The review and opinions are solely my own.

This was a very quick read, a novella, but has a big impact! A grieving mother, a cemetery, and evil lurking.
Mae is visiting her infant daughter’s grave in the middle of the night, she is hurting and not able to go on with her life. Now she is really where she needs to be, and in the end save another child, but now the twist comes in this read.
Mae does have faith in God, and we are there to see how this all plays out!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Ivory Tower Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

Mae is grieving the loss of her infant. While at the cemetery, she encounters a man who claims to just have lost his wife while caring for a young baby - the same age as Mae’s little girl. He seems completely lost on how to care for this young child. Mae offers her help - and that is where trouble ensues.

This book honestly wasn’t my cup of tea. The premise of this novella drew me in, but it fell flat for me. There wasn’t enough content for me to truly dig n and enjoy this book

Thanks to the publishers and @NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book! This review has also been posted to GoodReads.

Although there were moments of suspense in the book, I didn't really buy the main premise. There were major discrepancies with the reality of human behavior and the realities of our world today.

In the modern world, Heckenkamp asked us to assume that a man, woman, and baby would have been living a perfectly ~normal~ life until (1) his baby dies when (2) his wife is on a business trip. This man then becomes a "psychopath" who buries his baby, preys on other children and kidnaps them with the assumption that his wife will just "buy it" because she's been away from home for so long? Was this a statement on women who work outside the home instead of care for their babies?

While I have never had children (and thus have never lost a child), the comic book villain origin story of a man losing a child and becoming a murdering psychopath doesn't hold up. If Heckenkamp was trying to demonstrate the effects of such grief on this father, she didn't demonstrate it well.

I also don't buy that this man had no online presence and that there was no record of the rental transaction. The danger to Mae hinged on a total lack of record of any John/Travis anywhere, including the rental of the remote house. Presumably, John/Trevor had been living a ~normal~ life until his baby passed away. Were there no pictures of him on the internet, geotagged with his wife, that could help in the investigation? The landlord brought the keys to the house when Mae was there, but he had no security deposit or information to give the police AT ALL about who actually rented the house? The police indicated the house "had been rented by a woman." Who was the woman? It certainly wasn't Mae who RENTED the house, she was just there to receive the key. Heckenkamp again asked us to suspend disbelief about how landlords function in the real world. Even if it was a low key rental, the landlord would have protected his investment. He would have collected names and phone numbers at the very least of the person renting his house, which would have led the police directly to John/Trevor and eliminated the "framing" of Mae as the supposed renter.

As a side note, all the allusions to God/Lord/Christianity felt unnecessary. It wasn't a crucial plot point, and there was no reason Mae couldn't be any other religion. Was it supposed to explain the absolute naïveté of going with a stranger to care for his child? The grieving mother psychology explained that well enough. The added allusions to Christianity made me worry there was going to be some big moral story at the end. If they had bigger implications to the story other than "Mae was Christian," Heckenkamp didn't make it clear.