Anna O by Matthew Blake says you can kill someone while you sleep. The mystery is how do you get away with it? The story's narrator is Dr. Benedict Prince, who is in the first person POV in this story. 
Anna wakes up of course, but not without sacrifices. A simple story of proving someone's innocence turns out to be anything but that. As the story unwinds, so does the realization that this is story within a story.

Verdict

The ending is mind-blowing, and I don't use the word often. If you think Gone Girl was good, Matthew Blake ups the ante and delivers something else entirely. While curiousity about resignation syndrome is attractive, I waded through the more boring parts to get to the juicy end.

It is does not disappoint, this is a rollercoaster ride and please hang on. Do not close your eyes in case you don't wake up when it ends.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book. However, it was a slog to get through and eventually I gave up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this book ahead of the release date.

Anna O is an outstanding and compelling book, Matthew Blake feels like he has put his soul intothis piece of fiction.  The research, the storyline, is just fantastic.  

Anna O, if you google her, is a story of Bertha Pappenheim, who whilst this story is not about her the hysteria and the work of Freud is discussed throughout the book. 

Matthew Blake's Anna O fell into a deep sleep after committing a hideous crime 4 years previously.  Dr Benjamin Prince, a sleep specialist, is brought in by the Department of Justice to wake her up. By waking her, if it is at all possible to wake the ironically name 'Sleeping Beauty' he is subjecting her to stand trial, but whilst studying her and learning more about Anna, he's also not sure if she is guilty.  

This book covers in detail sleep studies, particularly around crime and those who wake after many years in a coma. 

And just when you think you have the answers, the story continues to further delve into the characters' lives and the after-effects of Dr. Princes studies into Anna O. 

Studying the minds of killers has consequences.

The final pages floored me, I pride myself through process of elimination on being able to work out who the culprit is in murder mysteries, usually,  but Matthew Blake gives us no clues as to the astonishing (not even sure thats  the right word to describe it) outcome, or maybe there where clues and I just missed them

The fact there's extreme hype around this with over 6 months til launch made me approach this with some trepidation. Hype always makes me nervous, but the logical part of my brain thought - dude's got huge book deals out of this, publishers are calling it an "instant global phenomenon", so there's gotta be something to it that made them so excited??

Well I certainly hope that in the next six months this is going to get a SIGNIFICANT substantial edit. It starts out pretty intriguing but slowly it just turns into a meandering mess. The ending and "climax" is unbelievably drawn out and repetitive, and why the Dr Prince character just allows what happened to happen despite clearly seeing it coming makes no sense. Then at the end you get pages and pages of dense prose in an Agatha Christie-style "I am the bad guy and this is exactly why and how I did it" exposition which feels like someone telling you their plot idea, not actually the writing of it.

As soon as the book started, with a sinking feeling I thought "oh no, please don't just be The Silent Patient". For the record, that particular book also got 2 stars from me for being glaringly obvious while also making absolutely no sense, and for the use of the diary trope which can rarely be done believably. Well, I don't want to spoil this gem so I won't tell you it's check, check and check. Sigh.

I kept waiting for the stomach dropping twist in this one but everything was pretty obvious from a mile off. I also didn't like any of the characters enough to care about them. I took an instant dislike to the central character when he just would not shut up about how fat his boss was. Like omg she's so *corpulent* and she eats all the cheesecake and she never takes the stairs (meanwhile he is shown taking the lift himself approximately eleventy times). Even at her *SPOILER ALERT* funeral, he's thinking about how the coffin seems too small for her, like duuuuuude.

I think the overall idea had a lot of potential. Maybe the people who thought The Silent Patient was good will like this too. If you're a hardened thriller reader who needs a truly wild twist to surprise you, you're probably not going to find it here imo.

Thanks to Harper Collins Australia, Netgalley and Matthew Blake for letting me read Anna O early in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! I absolutely LOVED this book! It had everything you need in a great psychological thriller, a compelling and intriguing storyline, likeable characters and fantastic twists that I didn't see coming.

Anna and Ben were interesting and mysterious, the writing was excellent and the twists were crazy. I thought I had it figured out at one point, but I was wrong. The author was great at throwing me off by making me suspect a few characters.
I was really shocked with the final twist too.

I highly recommend and will definitely be on the lookout for more books from Matthew Blake.

A well deserved 5 stars from me.

I loved the premise. The did she/didn't she was an intriguing concept. Throw in being asleep for 4 years and you have an interesting story. But I didn't love the end. It's repetitive, dragged out and somewhat predictable.

Overall, this is another one of those books that I didn't love but also didn't hate. It had an interesting premise but was really let down by the unlikeable characters and the rambling end.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Compelling psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Anna O is found asleep with two stabbed colleagues nearby. A text message sent indicates she's confessed to the murders, but she can't be woken. Four years later, she's still not awake, and Dr Benedict Prince is engaged to try and wake her. so Anna can be tried for her alleged crimes.

Complex and intelligent, it's a read I didn't want to put down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollinsAustralia for this ARC.

I don’t like to give any spoilers, so I won’t go into the story too deep.
As a fanatic Thriller reader, it is hard to surprise me. Unfortunately, I figured the plot out pretty quickly. The premise intrigued me enough to keep reading. There are lots of twists and turns and I really hoped that the end would be a surprise, but it wasn't.

Keeping in mind that I received the uncorrected advanced version, I was still surprised by the ‘lack’ of editing. This book had 400+ pages which could be reduced by cutting out repetitive, boring and unnecessary parts. I think by cutting out these parts, the book will have a better flow and the tension will work so much better. The characters were not likable, although I did enjoy the development of Anna and learning more about her. As I have worked in the forensic field, the technical jargon didn't bother me, but I can imagine that for others it might be too much. I also liked the psychological insights, but again, more out of professional curiosity. The book reminded me of the Silent Patient (which I enjoyed). The other parts that made me cringe were the Harry Potter references. Don't get me wrong as I am a massive Harry Potter fan, but the references were just off and out of place. There were also some unbelievable parts that didn't make any sense. This book will be great for people who like to read a good Thriller once in a while, but for die-hard Thriller readers, it might be predictable, too much and a bit boring.

I did enjoy this book although I found it heavy going at some times with all the medical jargon. I did find myself thinking I wish they would stop repeating things and get on with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book.

Well, that was hard to get through. After three long weeks I've finally finished this book. I kept hoping for that special twist that would turn around an otherwise slow read but sadly no. The premise was so intriguing and reminded me of The Silent Patient. As one of the few people who really liked that book I wanted to like this one just as much. However, the characters were all insufferable, the plot line was patchy and bounced all over the place and the ending was lacklustre to say the least. Other readers seek to be enjoying this; I guess I'm in the minority.

(Also, the only option to read this was on the Netgalley app which seriously impacted my enjoyment. I would have much preferred to read this on my kindle.)

I have heard so much hype about this book, so was really excited to read an early copy of this. The concept was absolutely fabulous but unfortunately the execution just didn't quite land for me. The book was way too long and drawn out to start and the twists were so easy to guess, I was hoping they were clever misdirects but that wasn't the case. I am sure there will be many readers who love this book though, but it just wasn't for me.

This book sucked me in and I really wanted to continue reading to find out more. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and changes in time. There were many layers and lots of mystery. I really wanted to know who Lola was, who suspect X was and enjoyed the small teasers along the way. It really made me think, consider all possibilities and think I missed a few clues along the way.

I would have liked a little more detail at the end of this book in regards to Ben, Clare and their daughter. It felt a tiny bit rushed. I would have liked more of an ending for Anna's parents as it felt a bit unfinished.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

"Anna O" by Matthew Blake offers an intriguing premise that delves into the complexities of the human mind. The author's exploration of psychological themes is commendable, providing readers with a thought-provoking narrative. The story's structure, with its intertwining timelines, adds an element of mystery to the plot. However, the execution occasionally falls short, leading to moments of confusion and disconnect. The character development is uneven, with some figures feeling more fleshed out than others. While the ending ties up loose ends, it might leave some readers wishing for a more profound resolution.

In summary, "Anna O" presents compelling ideas but struggles to consistently engage the reader, resulting in a mixed reading experience.

A psychological thriller that chills you to the bone. Brilliantly written story that is impossible to put down. Anna O has been asleep for four years, suffering from Resignation Syndrome, after murdering two of her close friends. Explosive twists and turns that lead to a sensational finale. Highly recommended and well worthy of five stars.

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

Anna O is a victim of Resignation Syndrome, a condition that causes long term sleep for months, sometimes years. She is to be put on trial for the murder of her two friends, but first, she must wake.

An interesting concept and idea and may I say, very well researched by the author. The book was not one I’d put up there as "fantastic". It’s an "ok" book.

Note to Publisher. August 13, 2023: This feedback is based on the digital review copy of Anna O dated June 28, 2023. It contains two parts.

The first part is my review/recommendation of the book, which will be published in my weekly column "Passion for Prose" via The Star Mail in Melbourne, Australia, on August 22, 2023. (The newspaper is part of the prestigious Star News Group [founded in 1909], whose community newspapers in Victoria and other Australian states have a combined circulation of more than 500,000 copies per week.) After that, the book review/recommendation will be published in my blog "Voices under the Sun" and further publicised via various social media platforms, and in GoodReads.

The second part of this feedback is a list of suggestions offered by this reviewer, in the hope that it can help the publisher further improve the book prior to its formal launch. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the publisher for providing this digital review copy. It is a great book. Best wishes re sales.

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Part One: The Book Review/Recommendation

Forthcoming notable crime thriller
A review of Anna O by Matthew Blake
By Christine Yunn-Yu Sun

Anna O, written by British debut author Matthew Blake, is lauded as “the biggest new crime thriller novel for 2024 from an astonishing literary fiction voice”.

The book became a global sensation on submission in June 2022, with a record-breaking 16 international offers within 48 hours. It ended up securing “three separate seven-figure deals in the U.S., the U.K. and Germany and another multiple seven-figure total from pre-empts and auctions in territories around the world”.

Anna O tells the story of a young woman who is accused of murdering her two best friends. Anna Ogilvy was found asleep, with a kitchen knife in her hand, her clothes bloodstained. There was even a text message containing her confession: “I'm sorry, I think I've killed them.”

Trouble is, no one and nothing can wake her up. Those who believe in her innocence call her Anna O. Those who insist on her guilt call her Sleeping Beauty.

Four years later, Dr Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist specialised in sleep-related crimes, accepts the task of supervising Anna's treatment at the Abbey Sleep Clinic in London. His professional duty is to wake her up and get her fit to stand trial. But his moral duty is to see her return to a healthy, normal life.

Such a premise, full of mysteries and possibilities, is every storyteller's dream. A lifelong fan of Agatha Christie and mystery fiction, Blake does a brilliant job pacing the story and maintaining its sense of suspense and thrill until the very last page, dishing out subtle clues and plenty of literary Easter eggs along the way to tease readers.

In true Christie fashion, the story is told from the perspectives of multiple characters, with Ben and Anna (mostly via her notebook) being the major first-person protagonists. Experienced readers would be looking for unreliable narrators (and often thinking they have found them), but anyone sneaking a peek at the end chapters would be risking their own peril.

Indeed, the fun of reading this story is to go through the twists and turns while deciphering the dizzying yet delicious details revealed through numerous journal article abstracts, webpage summaries, diary entries, interviews, and government, library and media archives. Particularly fascinating are the medical, legal and psychological sides of the story.

The dark side of the human psyche is forever awe-inspiring. Anna O not only delves deep into this darkness, but it further invokes empathy in the same way that some readers have felt for Dr Hannibal Lecter. In this sense, Ben's love for his family and his compassion for Anna makes him an identifiable character, and his methods for treating resignation syndrome is a shining beacon in the shadowy, snarling world made so.realistic in the story.

Anna O will be available for readers in the U.S. in January and for those in Australia and the U.K. in February 2024. Disclaimer: This review is based on a digital review copy of the book supplied by its publisher via NetGalley (output date June 28, 2023) .

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Part Two: The List of Suggestions re how the book can be further improved

1. P.154: Ben leaves the police station at 7:30am. Then P.156: After spending some time grieving and coping with trauma by thoroughly cleaning his flat, he “[checks] the time and then wait until after seven-thirty." in order to catch KitKat before she heads to school?

2. P.211, second last point: ES is of course Emily Shepherd, but that is only mentioned once back in P.55. Considering point #1 in P.210 uses the name Emily, and the fact that either “Emily” or “Emily Ogilvy” has been used many times so far, perhaps it will be a good idea to use “Emily” instead of “ES” here in order not to confuse readers?

3. P.251, typo in second line from the bottom.

4. P.277, and later P.304. It would be better if “@” and “PatientX” are one word, i.e. not separated. The same goes with P.327 @Suspect8.

5. Sometimes, Anna sounds amazingly like Ben. Perhaps this is because both are first-person narrators, and because both are increasingly doing investigative work by now. Or perhaps this is deliberate, showing how increasingly Ben is involved and even absorbed in Anna's case and past. But if it is the latter case, then the jarring feeling of Anna sounding more and more like Ben rather than the other way around becomes obvious and odd.

6. P.283, while “read-justment” is not incorrect, “re-adjustment” is definitely more appropriate..

7. The previous feeling/impression becomes painfully obvious that Anna is sounding more and mire like Ben. Both of them like Harry Potter! (But, who doesn't?) Then there is the use of “hoover”. And both of them are so well read. Later Ben even starts mentioning Macbeth.. Both refer to films and literature so often.

8. P.382, bad formatting.

9. P.400, third line from the top, typo.

10. P.422, somewhere mid-page, typo.

11. P.424, somewhere mid-page, typo.

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End of feedback.

Wow. I did not see the final twist coming. To be completely honest I only saw one twist within this whole book, the rest were shocks. And that is partly what makes this book fantastic.

The science and psychology within these pages is amazing. It is clever, heavily researched, and presented in a way that is fascinating and easy to follow. The ideas presented around sleep and the unconscious mind is fascinating.

The characters are top tier. Complex, confusing, incredibly intelligent. Their relationships intertwine so perfectly, the narration in their point of view chapters conflict so much that it is impossible to tell who is the unreliable narrator.

A fantastic read, that had me hooked from page one. Incredibly fast paced, a psychological thriller that everyone needs to read. I will 100% be purchasing a copy when it is published in Febuary 2024 and you should too!

This star rating is based on the fact that I can't read it, but really want it, so I'll be purchasing it. - so fantastic marketing on your behalf harpercollins.

Unfortunately my phone does not support this file and harpercollins was unable to help with a different version so sorry I wasn't able to give real feedback but like I said, I'll actually be purchasing this from Kindle when available.