Based on the blurb, this had great promise. On the whole it is a good read, but it is a slow burner and you need to persist with it. It is worth it!

Leah’s abusive father is in prison, her mother is dead. All she has are three friends. But one night during a sleepover the three friends disappear. Where are they? How could they disappear? Why did they disappear?
Most of this book is slow paced with the telling of Leah’s life after the sleepover until it’s the 25th anniversary of the girl’s disappearance. As the pace picks up the book becomes more absorbing until its shocking conclusion.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the early copy. The comments and review are my honest opinion.

It took me a bit longer than usual to get into this storyline but then I began to enjoy it and I gelled with the characters, it was well written and the book flowed well.

For me personally it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat but I can thoroughly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

This was so good! The twists I never saw coming and I was hooked the whole time! I’m definitely looking forward to reading more book by Kerry Wilkinson. I loved the involvement of every character. Especially Zac, Leah, Esther and Owen. The past moments were phenomenal and I loved seeing that flashbacks. And honestly I loved Leah and was routing for her the whole time as she had been through so much. Also I loved how everything was foreshadowed like the little touches (such as the moles) but it wasn’t obvious as well.

Oh the twists the turns the gripping intense feeling. This was amazing! My first read of this author and now I need her other books. I was gripped from the get go and couldn’t put it down. I was on edge literally. So many emotions while reading which is my favourite part of a good book.

"The Night of the Sleepover" by Kerry Wilkinson is a psychological thriller that promises a gripping mystery but takes its time to unravel. While the book is not without its merits, it suffers from a slow-paced narrative that may test the patience of readers seeking immediate thrills.

For approximately 90% of the book, it feels like nothing substantial is happening. The story revolves around Leah and her three best friends who mysteriously disappear during a sleepover. The premise holds great promise, but the execution falls short. The majority of the narrative focuses on mundane details of the characters' lives, with only sporadic hints at the central mystery. Readers may find themselves waiting impatiently for the plot to kick into high gear.

The alternating timelines, switching between the present day and the days leading up to the sleepover, offer insight into the characters' pasts and the events leading to the disappearance. However, this approach can make the story feel disjointed at times and may lead to a sense of detachment from the characters.

It's not until the final portion of the book that the mystery is resolved. Unfortunately, the resolution lacks the expected impact. The revelation of what happened during the sleepover is underwhelming and fails to live up to the anticipation built throughout the story.

Despite its shortcomings, "The Night of the Sleepover" does have its moments of intrigue. The author skillfully weaves in twists and red herrings, keeping readers guessing about the truth behind the girls' disappearance. The characters, especially Leah, are complex and well-developed, and their personal struggles add depth to the narrative.

In conclusion, "The Night of the Sleepover" is a book that demands patience from its readers. While it does have some redeeming qualities, such as a well-drawn cast of characters and occasional moments of suspense, it ultimately falls short of delivering the gripping mystery it promises. If you're willing to endure a slow burn and appreciate character-driven narratives, you may find this book worth your time. However, if you're seeking a fast-paced thriller with a satisfying payoff, you might be disappointed.

4 stars

I really enjoyed “The Night of the Sleepover“. The first half of the book sets the scene and can be a bit slow, but the second half takes you through twists and red herrings, slowly revealing what actually happened the night of the sleepover.

The author did an excellent job with the main character Leah- she was well written and her emotions were clear. While I understand the desire for a side story and how it further develops our MC and her motives/emotions/past, I found myself wanting to skip through it, to continue the “main” story. But, I’m not sure if that’s just me being impatient and wanting answers.

To be honest, I don’t think I will read the sequel- I like where the story ended, even if there are some loose ends to wrap up.

I fully recommend for fans of mystery and thrillers! With a release date of Oct 23, this would be a great spooky Halloween read 👻🎃

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS:
- Leah is a teenager, and she’s having a sleepover with her 3 best friends (Vicky, Jazz, & Harriet) at Harriet’s house. They eat pizza, watch Titanic, and sneak some vodka. When Leah wakes up in her sleeping bag the next morning, she is alone & other three girls are gone.
- Twenty years later, Leah, a single mom raising a teen son, is still living in her hometown. The town still is shrouded in mystery. What happened to the other girls? A film crew has recently shown up to make a documentary about the infamous night & look for answers. At the same time, Leah starts receiving anonymous emails from someone.

MY THOUGHTS
- Interesting premise that pulled me right in.
- I liked the author’s writing style, and I found it easy to read.
- Dual timelines (around time of sleepover vs present day).
- Tumultuous family dynamics.
- Some things were predictable, but it didn’t bother me much. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, even so it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book.
- The story itself was gripping & kept me turning the pages. I got through this one in two days.
- Author does a great job providing Leah’s backstory & developing her character.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️interesting premise. kept me turning pages. quick read. finished in two days.

Four girls close their eyes. Only one wakes up.

Leah and her three best friends get changed into their pyjamas, eat pizza, and argue about what film they are going to watch. They laugh together until the early hours. But the next morning, Leah blinked open her eyes, and saw three empty sleeping bags. The other girls have gone.

Twenty years later, in her small hometown, still haunted, Leah has never been able to shake off the rumours and whispers. How could she have slept through it all? She must know what happened. Now a documentary is being made about the night Leah's best friends disappeared. Is the truth about to come out? Then an anonymous email arrives in Leah's inbox. "Stop them."

Three young girls went missing at a sleepover at their friend Leah's house. All Leah ever wanted to be was loved, she got that from her friends, but not her parents. Her father was always in and out of prison, her mother was always distant with her. But twenty years later, it's the girl's disappearance is still a mystery. There are so many twists and red herrings, but there are also clues along the way, so watch out for them. There's a documentary being made about the girl's disappearance, will the truth about the sleepover be unravelled? The chapters switch between the present day and the days before, during and after the sleepover. I'm not quite sure on my thoughts on how this book ended, but I was thoroughly intrigued by the story.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #KerryWilkinson for my ARC of #TheNightOfTheSleepover in exchange for an onest review.

So for about 90% of this book…nothing happens.

Really. Nothing. I mean there was an interview and chat with people from the past and a marginally interesting aside with a domestic violence case, but as for our big mystery? Nothing at all.

Then, in the very last bit of the book, there’s some conversation and reflection and we learn what really happened and, boy, it was not interesting at all.

I waver between a 2 and a 3 star rating for this book, with 3 star winning because I did finish it and I was curious enough to see it through to the end. Boy, I just wish I actually ended this feeling at all satisfied.

A marginal 3 stars. Marginal.

• ARC via Publisher

The Night of the Sleepover by Kerry Wilkinson is the stuff of nightmares. Well, the stuff of my nightmares from 1994. See, in 1994, I was a frequent sleepover haver and goer. Every weekend, I was waking up in a house full of girls. I can not imagine going to sleep with those girls and waking up and being alone.

Leah did just that. When she was 15, she went to sleep after a night of pizza, Titanic, and soda (and maybe some vodka). When she woke up, her friends were missing. 25 years later, no one has seen them and there have been no traces of them.

Now, a documentary crew wants to try and find out what happened that night, and Leah starts receiving emails from someone who appears to know what happened.
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This was an excellent thriller and kept me turning pages late into the night BUT (and this is a big BUT) there is NO need to have a sequel. I felt that the story wrapped up with it's final twist and there's really nothing more that needs to be expanded on. But perhaps that's just me.

Either way, this is a fun read, and tons of people will enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

15 year old Leah is at a sleepover with her 3 friends. They’re sneaking drinks of vodka and eating pizza. The next morning Leah wakes alone. Fast forward 25 years and the mystery of the disappearing girls has not been solved. The brother of one of them is making a documentary. Will they find out what happened?

I loved this. The way the story is told, flipping from past to present day Leah worked really well. There is a huge amount of suspense.

I really liked the character of Leah. She came across as really genuine. Someone who really cared about her job and the women, like Fiona, that she helped. She was written really well and the reader really experiences her emotions. Her hatred of her father was so strong!

No spoilers, but that ending. Bravo! 10/10. Highly recommend. Must read!

Kerry Wilkinson is one of my favourite authors in terms of writing style - I love the way he adds little humorous passages about everyday life. I really liked the premise of this one - I love an 'impossible' mystery and it doesn't get more confusing than one girl waking up after a sleepover to find all of her friends missing.

I enjoyed following the story, and I never guessed what had happened to the girls. The twist at the end was really good and I'm happy with the way the book ended.

My only critique would be that I never really felt like I knew who Leah was as a person, her character development could have been a little better in my opinion.

Overall I would recommend this book as it's an exciting premise with a good payoff at the end.

#TheNightOfTheNightmare #NetGalley
Loved this.
Leah, Jasmine, Victoria and Harriet - crawl into their sleeping bags after a night of chatter, consuming copious slices of pizza and even more copious glasses of vodka-laced drinks. The next morning, one wakes up - only to find three other empty sleeping bags. Now, some 20 years later, what happened to the girls remains a mystery and the only "survivor" - Leah - has moved on to get married (and divorced) and have a 14-year-old son. What happened that night, though, continues to haunt just about everyone in town - especially the missing girls' parents and relatives like Esther, now a lawyer and Victoria's sister.
Enter Owen, younger brother of the missing Jasmine. Now a filmmaker of sorts, he's returned with his team determined to make a documentary on the disappearances that he hopes will turn up evidence that will lead to the truth. Leah, of course, is on his list of people to interview; her first one doesn't go well, but quickly, it gets worse: she gets an email warning her to do whatever it takes to stop Owen's project.
Loved this so much. My recommendation.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.

Okay so conflicted with this review the author is one of my go to authors and most of the book I loved, could get to the ending but would have loved more on the ending wondering if this comes out in book 2 which I now must read as I really need closure on Leah's journey there is something more to happen I can feel it.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I was really intrigued by the tagline of of "four girls cose their eyes. Only one wakes up." I really felt gripped and immersed in the book.

4.5 stars, actually.

I've lost count of the number of books I've read by this author, and while I've enjoyed some more than others, of course, I've never been disappointed. This one follows in that fine tradition - ending with an unexpected twist and the promise of a sequel (the latter by the author in his acknowledgements).

At a sleepover at one of their homes, three youngish girls - Leah, Jasmine, Victoria and Harriet - crawl into their sleeping bags after a night of chatter, consuming copious slices of pizza and even more copious glasses of vodka-laced drinks. The next morning, one wakes up - only to find three other empty sleeping bags. Now, some 20 years later, what happened to the girls remains a mystery and the only "survivor" - Leah - has moved on to get married (and divorced) and have a 14-year-old son. What happened that night, though, continues to haunt just about everyone in town - especially the missing girls' parents and relatives like Esther, now a lawyer and Victoria's sister.

Enter Owen, younger brother of the missing Jasmine. Now a filmmaker of sorts, he's returned with his team determined to make a documentary on the disappearances that he hopes will turn up evidence that will lead to the truth. Leah, of course, is on his list of people to interview; her first one doesn't go well, but quickly, it gets worse: she gets an email warning her to do whatever it takes to stop Owen's project.

Chapters switch from the present to days before, during and after the sleepover so readers get gradually more insights into the girls' lives and what might have happened on that fateful night. One of the biggest questions, for instance, is how Leah was able to stay asleep while three other people somehow got up and left the same room? And was Leah's father - a not-so-upstanding citizen who's about to be released from prison - involved in any way?

In the end, of course, everything is resolved - though probably not quite in the way most readers will expect. Overall, it's an engaging read - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get in on the action by way of a pre-release copy.

Okay, WTF was up with that ending?!? I was really into this book until about the 70-75% mark and now I'm just annoyed. I have to say, though, I certainly didn't see it coming.

Psychological thrillers are always hit or miss for me, but the premise for this one sounded really great so I had to give it a shot. And, really, despite it's ending, it was pretty entertaining. The plot is suspenseful and fast-paced, although things do get a little repetitive here and there. I was totally into the mystery and was eager to find out what truly happened the night of the sleepover. I was pretty sure I knew who the secret emailer was early on, but I had no idea why that person was so anxious to keep the truth hidden.

And then the “truth” was revealed, and then there was a twist and the actual truth came out. I was not at all a fan. I can suspend disbelief for these types of books to a certain extent, but the big reveal just seemed so implausible. Multiple characters did ridiculous things that pretty much no one would have done. All of the previous Goodreads reviewers appeared to love the ending, though, so I guess it's entirely possible that I'm alone in my dislike of it.

There were also several loose ends that weren't wrapped up at all, but it looks like there's going to be a sequel so I assume those will be addressed then.

So, did I enjoy this book? Yes … at least for the first 70% or so. But will I read the next book knowing how the first one ended? Probably not. But if you like psychological thrillers and can enjoy the book while knowing that there's a car crash of an ending ahead (according to one random online reviewer, anyway), it's worth a read. The premise is definitely original.

My final rating? Four stars for the first 70% and two stars for the last 30%. My husband tells me this averages out to a 3.4 star rating when adjusting for the percentages, and I'm just going believe him because I was an English literature major who can't math. 3.4 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

I loved this book since I read the synopsis. An entertaining story of a mystery that occurred in a small town 20 years ago, leaving 3 of 4 girls missing after a sleepover. Leah, the presumed only survivor is faced with the filming of a documentary to commemorate and investigate what may have happened, by the brother of one of the missing girls. When she starts receiving anonymous messages, she is confronted with her past. The denouement of the story left me with my jaw open, and I was impressed that there really were clues throughout the book, which make the ending very believable and not over the top.

Synopsis (From Netgalley, the provider of the book to review)
*******************************************************

Four girls close their eyes. Only one wakes up.

Leah and her three best friends get changed into their pyjamas, eat pizza and argue about what film to watch. They laugh together until the early hours. But the next morning, Leah blinked open her eyes and saw three empty sleeping bags. The other girls are gone.

Twenty years later. In her small hometown, still-haunted Leah has never been able to shake off the rumours and whispers. How could she have slept through it all? She must know what happened.

Now, a documentary is being made about the night Leah’s best friends disappeared. Is the truth about to come out?
Then an anonymous email arrives in Leah’s inbox. ‘Stop them’.
Somebody out there knows what happened the night of the sleepover. Is Leah in terrible danger? And will she ever find her missing friends – or are some secrets meant to be kept forever?

This book really creeped me out as I thought of the two surviving roommates in that Idaho house where all those beautiful, full-of-future-hopes college kids were slaughtered by that madman. These girls have just disappeared but nonetheless, it is a gripping and thrilling ride of a read in the pages of this book. Maybe don’t read it before bed…and double-check your locks. Highly recommended.

#shortbutsweetreviews