I read this book through NetGalley (thanks!) because I liked the blurb and the concept seemed interesting. Turns out that an interesting concept does not necessarily mean an interesting book.

<i>Anna O</i> took me months to get through, when it normally takes me days to finish a book. Reading this book on my phone (which I rarely do) and <i>Anna O</i> not being the primary book I was reading at any time, also contributed to the long time taken to read it. But mainly I couldn’t find the motivation to read the book and I never got into it.

This book was just not for me and I did not enjoy it at any part, other than the epilogue, but, <b>spoiler</b> having the real killer revealed at the very end of the book felt stupid considering the rest of it was so repetitive and stretched out. However, I do like how everything tied up neatly and it was evident how the content of the book lead up to that reveal.

Also, there were just so many technical acronyms that the reader is supposed to assume and even when I searched them up, often I could not find the meaning.

I've finally finished this book after weeks!
I've been travelling and haven't found the time, even though the snippets I read from time to time were compelling.

The twist ending....of course. The only person left standing

Anna O, suspect in a brutal murder of two of her colleagues on a work retreat, immediately falls into a traumatic coma and is unable to be wakened. The press are calling her Sleeping Beauty. Enter Dr Ben Prince, sleep specialist, to try to wake her and solve the mystery of what happened on that fateful night.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book.

This was a really good book but a not so good one at the same time? I gave it a high rating (4/5) as I felt I did enjoy reading but I wouldn’t rush back to it anytime soon.

So here’s the set up for the book:

“What if your nightmares weren’t really nightmares at all. We spend an average of 33 years of our lives asleep. But what really happens, and what we are capable of, when we sleep?”

A young woman (Anna O) commits double murder while sleepwalking, then never opens her eyes again.

Anna was a budding 25 year old writer with a bright future. Then one night she stabbed her two best friends to death with no apparent motive, and hasn’t woken up since.

Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome”.

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O” case and waking Anna so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect-he's got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own.

As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes. Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it. And they're both in danger from what they find out.

Anna has become famous within the true crime community and everyone knows her name. She’s been asleep for 4 years (I think) And she is sent to the Abbey (a sleep clinic where Prince works) for Prince to wake her up.

I won’t spoil the book. This is all within the first 30 pages in a 448 page book.

One thing I hated? The amount of Harry Potter references. Was it really necessary? Like there were references in 4 consecutive sentences like dude? Not to mention the constant references to “WhatsApp” honestly I hate when these things happen because it just really dates a book. Especially social edit references. Either make up your own or refrain from using it.

Also like one Harry Potter reference is enough but the amount that was there? It is too ridiculous honestly.

Story wise I didn’t see that plot twist at the end. Like I was blindsided.

Honestly this was a mostly enjoyable book to read despite the fact that people made some strange choices, specifically Mr. Prince throughout the story.

I would recommend if you enjoy crime based books.
This was very different to what I usually read so I enjoyed it.

Have a day

Proffessor Nutkins

My review also shows up on my Goodreads and Blog which I have linked.

It took me a while to get into this book but when I did…..wow. Twist after twist with a final doozy at the end. Anna O is accused of having murdered two people while sleepwalking and then remaining asleep for years after. The story is told from the viewpoint of Benedict Prince the psychologist tasked with Anna’s case and excerpts from Anna’s diary. Interesting read with a surprise ending. Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of Anna O. Unfortunately I had to Dn’f this book at around 64 pages.

Anna is accused of murdering two people in her sleep (whilst sleep walking) and cannot be woken through any medical means. Although not in a coma she is in an extremely deep sleep. Psychologist Benedict Prince is tasked with trying to come up with a treatment or means of waking Anna up so that she may be tried for the murders.

I found Anna O to be very slow and long winded. Nothing happens at all it and it feels like you are being told everything that has happened and everything that is unfolding rather than being shown. I just found it all to be very boring which is disappointing as it had a very promising premise.

It is for that reason I rate this book 1 out of 5 stars.
.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins Australia for letting me read this book for an honest review. Anna O was an interesting read, it took me a while to get into it at the start with the bizarre concept of a person committing a horrific crime and then falling and staying fast asleep. Then throw in a few interesting characters; Doctor Bloom, his ex wife Clara who is in the police force, the location of The Abbey which specialises in sleep disorders and a few twists which were unexpected. The thing that I didn’t really get was the Harry Potter references throughout the book.

Actual Rating: 3.75/5 rounded up.

Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive—and hasn’t woken up since. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome.” Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O”case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect—he’s got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own. As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes. Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it. And they’re both in danger from what they find out.

When I saw this pop up I just knew I had to have it. The concept of a real life and modern Sleeping Beauty with a twist of murder. The story is told over multiple points of view, which can at times leave you scratching your head and rethinking the last chapters and everything that has happened so far. Even as someone who prefers to read a book in a single sitting, I found this one better to take a slower approach to reading and read it over a period of a few days instead of in one go, since I really think I needed that time to process the whole thing and what could be going on. I did find that unreliability was used and quick short chapters to make the characters seem deeper and more complex than they really were, which is okay but also felt a little unnecessary. I think the hardest thing with the one was the repetitiveness of everything. I also managed to pick the ending from the giant red herring early on - but it doesn't take too much away from the enjoyment of the story. This one is definitely for fans of Freida McFadden & Alex Michaelides.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Aus and Matthew Blake for an advanced copy. Anna O is set for release February 1st, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I recommend this book if you like a slow burn story, with a little mystery thrown in.

I did think this was going to be more of a fast-paced psychological thriller, so I was a bit disappointed. That is probably just my expectations though, if you know what you're getting going in and are excited by that then I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I do feel like it could have been a much shorter book, but again that may just be my taste, I do like a more action-packed thriller.

PROS: well written. No extraneous sex scenes as we see far too often with male authors. I liked the London setting. The psychology/sleep walking stuff was good, but I thought it would be more in depth and interesting. It was an easy read, despite the length.

CONS: I didn't connect with any of the characters, I just didn't really care what happened to any of them. The 'mystery' didn't land for me, by the time I got to the end I was pretty over it and I wasn't surprised.

I was VERY tired when I was finishing this book, so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

Anna O by Matthew Blake

Thriller | Dual POV

•Anna O is suspected of committing a double murder while sleepwalking and then never opened her eyes again. Benedict must determine if Anna should be held responsible for her crimes. Is this forensic psychologist in danger from what he discovers?
•I loved the opening chapter of this book. It pulled me in and set me up for massive expectations. I tend to read a chapter here and there, so every time I picked this book up again the plot confused me. I found the plot dragged for so long and then rushed into a confusing conclusion. I wasn’t sold on this, I loved the story concept but it didn’t match up with what I had expected.

★★★ 3/5

(Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC)

*DNF*

ARC kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

Tried to read this, but given that it's a PDF and through the NetGelly shelf app, its just too hard to read. The format and text is too small.

2023 Book 72 - Anna O by Matthew Blake

Release Date: 31st January 2024

I recorded an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Holy hell, I did not see that ending coming - in fact, the ending was so good that it lifted my rating of the book all the way right up to five stars.

The first novel from Matthew Blake is a complete doozy - it's simply awesome.

I admit, I felt it slow going for the first half or so, and was beginning to get a bit bored actually - but by the time you've finished, it makes it all worth it to see it all come together like the New Year's Eve fireworks - a work of art, filled with suspense!

Two young people are found dead in a corporate retreat cabin - and the primary suspect is sleep, unable to be woken. Anna O has resignation syndrome, where she is not in a coma, simply asleep - but absolutely unable to wake up.

Enter Dr Benedict Prince - a psychologist and sleep expert. His job is to wake Anna so she can be put on trial for the murders of her two best friends. But, did she do it or not? And what else is going on under the surface of this crime?

#books
#bookstagram
#matthewblake
#annao
#2023books
#harpercollins
#harpercollinsaustralia
#netgalley

“Anna O” is a fascinating thriller which utilises a frontier of science that most people don’t know a lot about: sleep science. Blake has crafted a strong thriller with multiple mysteries at its’ heart, all of which will strongly engage readers.

Dr Benedict Prince has spent years building his reputation in the area of sleep science. He now works at The Abbey, a very exclusive sleep clinic in Harley Street. Most of their very wealthy clients have trouble getting enough sleep.

And then The Abbey is pressed to take an entirely different kind of client: Anna O. Or Sleeping Beauty, as some call her.

Four years ago, Anna Ogilvy brutally murdered two people, and then fell into an unbroken sleep. This has fed the sensationalism and public interest around the case: why won’t she wake up? Did she kill those people while sleepwalking, making her morally innocent? Or is she hiding from her own culpability?

Now, with a deadline to charge her looming, the Ministry of Justice pressures The Abbey to use Ben’s ground breaking approaches to awaken Anna. Given his area of interest, Ben is both fascinated by the case and apprehensive about the challenge. He already has links to the case; his estranged wife was the first police officer on the scene the night of the bloody murders. Although she’s never shared confidential information, the case has infiltrated their lives in multiple ways.

Blake presents readers with multiple mysteries, all of which intertwine and all of which are fascinating. There are the blunt, factual questions, such as why Anna killed two people. There are the knottier moral ones, such as whether she should be held responsible if she was sleepwalking at the time. There’s the scientific mystery of how and why she’s been asleep for four years, and how she might be awoken. And finally, it becomes clear that the case is not over yet, and danger may still linger.

The plot is fascinating, and although a little dense in places, will keep most readers hooked. There are plenty of twists and turns, a few red herrings, and some genuine surprises towards the end. Without spoilers, I’ll say there were two particular twists towards the end: one was entirely convincing and surprised me.

The other? Well, I’m not quite sure I’m completely on board with one character’s actions in the final chapters. Then again, that means I’m still thinking about the novel days after I’ve finished it, and it’s rare that a novel makes that kind of impression.

The main characters were strong and individual. It was easy to empathise with their thoughts and actions. I generally found the action quite convincing, and the setting atmospheric.

Overall I really enjoyed this. It’s a thriller that requires you to use your brain, and calls for a bit of concentration to keep track of everything. It’s challenging but also entertaining, and has a very original central premise. It’ll probably appeal most to thriller or crime readers, but may also engage readers looking for stories with strong characters.
I will post this review on public sites (including my blog) closer to publication date. I will return then to add the appropriate links.

Anna O.
Matthew Blake
4 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher, Harper Collins for my copy of Anna O by Matthew Blake. I have not received any compensation for this review and therefore all views and opinions are of my own, the reviewer.

In summary: A multi character perspective thriller, murder mystery whodunnit. Ben is a divorced psychologist specialising in sleep disorders, invited to treat a murder suspect who has been asleep for four years suffering from resignation syndrome (Anna Ogilvy). A race against time to wake Anna up to face trial for the murders she committed.


I gave this book four stars, however that may be a bit too generous.

This book reads like a cold, unimaginative psychology journal article in the beginning. I felt there was too much showing and detail that probably wasn’t necessary to the plot or character.
Being a multi perspective character book I understood there would be maybe three or so perspectives, however on this book there were too many voices to keep track of. Perhaps this book could do well better written as a singular character or two unfolding the story. Another issue I had with the story was the journal inserts to the body of the story. I didn’t really see the point in those and the narration of the journals from Anna were not written well. I struggled to see how Harry Potter references would appear in a highly (presumably) educated daughter of a politician who I believe is not a child in the story. The language used in the diary devices to the story went from educated to a regular joe. Again, I would assume consistency in the diary entries.
Anna O’s story was interesting all the same. I found places where it was hard to concentrate and hence it took me longer than usual to finish this book. There were a couple of points where I was tempted to walk away from it. I gave Matthew Blake’s Anna O the four stars as I felt the ending was satisfying and the twists were enough to push through the story.

Wow!!!! What a wild ride!!!! I did not expect that! This book had me guessing until the end! I loved it! I highly recommend it! Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc. All thoughts are my own.

A really really interesting read.
Anna has committed a crime, but she can’t ge held accountable at the moment for she is asleep, resignation syndrome it is called and 4years later after she committed that crime she is still asleep.
Benedict Prince is a sleep expert, who deals with what happens when we sleep and what people do when they are sleep walking. Anna has sleep walked in the past and never remembers what has transpired in that time.
Will Benedict be able to wake her up and find out the truth of why she murdered her two best friends.
The story is written from a few points of view and from letters that Anna has written.
There are a few reasons why Anna could have done what she done, but why is she sleeping all this time? Prince is determined to get to the bottom of what happened that night, but he might not like where it takes him.
A twist that I didn’t really see coming.

Thank you so much NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers Australia, and Matthew Blake for my ARC, the blurb had me intrigued from the get-go, I had no idea parasomnia was even a thing. The storyline had me spellbound, with my eyes wide open glued to my kindle.

I could not put this book down, as the story unraveled, I was even more immersed in this bizarre, strange, dangerous creepy world of the act of killing multiple people whilst asleep.

Ben lives and breathes Anna O 24/7, he can’t get enough of her, Ben interviews both of Anna’s parents, which throws up more queries than answers. Ben has his own tested theories and some new ones he wants to test out on Anna, some with more positive results than others.

This story kept me guessing, I hadn’t worked it out and was surprised by the ending, as a debut novel, Matthew Blake is definitely on his way, I can’t wait to see what he’s dreaming up next.

The plot of this book intrigued me. A double murder and the person who commits the murders while sleepwalking and is stuck asleep for 4 years. Enter psychologist tasked to wake her in a secure room away from any media. There were so many twists in this book that had you non stop reading to find out what happened. This book is a true definition of murder mystery. It certainly keeps you guessing right until the end. I would most definitely be keen to read more from Matthew Blake

I loved the premise for this book and was completely excited and on board to read it, but I couldn’t even finish it.

I just found after 150 pages, the story was too slow, repetitive , getting nowhere… I was simultaneously reading other books as I always do and I never wanted to pick this one up. It just didn’t grab me and I had to let it go.

I hate to do this as in some ways it isn’t fair to review if you don’t finish, but it is what it is I guess.

I also found it hard to read as there was no option to download on kindle so reading it on my phone with small print on the netgalley app wasn’t ideal either and could have added to the frustration with the book being tedious.

Anna O has been asleep for four years after allegedly stabbing two people to death while taking part in a creepy bonding activity with family members and friend/colleagues. The time has come for her to either face the charges or be committed, and sleep expert Dr Benedict Prince (aptly named) is bought in to work his magic and awaken this Sleeping Beauty. Can his experimental methods bring her back to life? Learning some of the background and history of “resignation syndrome” was fascinating …..linked to lack of hope, Dr Prince researches the background of the incident and interviews family, searching for clues and sensory input to nudge Anna back into the world of the living.
But a frantic call from his boss one night and another killing muddies the water. A historic murder case may have a bearing on Anna’s. Throw in a mysterious Patient X, a blogger with a secret, diary excerpts, a copper ex wife and daughter and the narrative becomes interesting, twisty and hard to put down.
Well written and fleshed out with literary and scientific references I enjoyed this novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anna O is a Sleeping Beauty who has slept since the incident where she murdered her two best friends. Or did she?
Benedict Prince is a parasomnia sleep expert who is tasked with waking Sleeping Beauty.
This is a very twisted tale which keeps you guessing from the first page to the last. Who is the murderer? Who is the hero?
There are many red herrings in this book.
I personally found it about 100 pages too long, too much detail about parasomnia and I give it 3 1/2 stars.
Thanks to Harper and Netgalley for an advance reading copy.