The premise of the story is compelling. There are two parallel stories running 25 years apart.
Leah and her friends were 15 years old when they went to bed on a sleepover at her friend Vicky's place. And then Leah woke up alone and the mystery of her missing friends remained unsolved. In the present day, one of the missing girl's brother is making a documentary, thrusting the mystery back into the light.
This is a character driven novel told from a single POV. This works quite well given the conclusion.
The narrative does get saggy in the middle and there were points where I forced myself to keep reading.
Re: the conclusion, a part of me felt betrayed. How could this not have come up in Leah's internal monologues? Why would she emotionally react to things the way she did, eg being unable to contact her son for a couple of hours?
Having said that, overall I enjoyed this and was satisfied with the ending. The last few chapters are the best and will definitely put you on the edge of your seat

And then there was one….

Leah and her three best friends are throwing themselves a slumber party. Lots of giggles, plenty of pizza and even sneaking a bit of vodka. No harm…right?

Waking the next morning, Leah realizes she’s the only one in the room. Her friends have vanished.

Now years later, on the twentieth anniversary of the mysterious disappearance, the brother of one of the missing girls is back to film a documentary.

What secrets are about to be uncovered?
Also, who’s sending texts to Leah warning her to stop the show? And why?

I’ve been a huge Kerry Wilkinson fan as his books always deliver a gripping read with an ending guarantying you’ll be shocked. Once again he was spot on!

As with all well-crafted thrillers your mind plays the game of trying to stay one step ahead of the author, hoping to outguess the next twist. As I mentally flipped through every scenario for what happened to the missing girls not once did I imagine THIS ending! Well played, KW!

And yes! This is just book one! Meaning there’ll be a sequel, and I’m already looking forward to it! Though for the life of me I can’t imagine what potential direction it will take!🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

A stunning tale of abuse, bullying and a town’s biggest mystery. Some women who read this will relate to a lot of the issues here. Good story!

The premise of The Night of the Sleepover is so "wtf" (in the best way possible), that I was confident the story would be great. Unfortunately, the writing and pace wasn't compelling enough for me. The narrative jumped around too much, and I wished it would have been more focused on the present and unraveling the mystery. This sadly went in my DNF pile, but given all of the positive reviews around Kerry Wilkinson, I will definitely keep an eye out for his next books.

The Night of the Sleepover is an intriguing tale of mystery. Three friends: Leah, Vicky, Jazz and Harriet all have a sleepover at Vicky’s house. But in the morning, Leah wakes alone. Twenty four years later, Leah is still haunted by that night and as it comes up to the anniversary the town is once again talking about what happened and now a documentary is being made. Is the truth about to come out about what happened that night? Then Leah receives an anonymous email simply saying ‘stop them’. It seems someone may know the secrets of the past and could be about to expose them. I enjoyed this book and felt it gradually built the tension with some great twists added in. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Another of my go to author's and her latest The Night of the Sleepover has left me feeling a bit flat. Don't get me wrong this is still a good read. The first 70% of this book was what I have come to expect from this author. I feel as though I have been let down. I have so many unanswered questions. Do I want to read the next book, this reader is still on the fence.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

Brilliant! Wow what a book this was, completely new author to me but I was hooked from the beginning, I was trying to guess all the way through what had happened to the girls but I just couldn't figure it out and then that twist at the end! Honestly great book thank you so much

Wow so this book just spun me on my head and dropped me from a great height and I can’t believe there’s a sequel not far on it’s heels as well to see if it all pans out properly or not. Wow wow wow I loved this thriller about three missing children who all up and vanish during a sleep over leaving one left behind sleeping. As a true crime film investigates the story is the truth closer to home than anyone realises. Love it!!!

Goodreads and Amazon Review:

Thank you Bookcouture and Netgalley for the ARC! I really like how this book transitioned from the past to the present every other chapter; it was satisfying watching all of the pieces fit together! I read A LOT of psychological thrillers and while I thought this book was more of a slow burn, the ending (last 20% ish) was PHENOMENAL. It delivered twist upon twist that I did NOT predict.

What I didn’t care for: I feel like this book was meant to be centered around the lives of the four different little girls, but I don’t feel as though there was much character development regarding Harriet and even Jasmine. It was mostly about Leah and Vicky. I feel like it just as easily could have been about Leah and 1 little missing girl (instead of 3) and would have still delivered the same story. Yes, we were introduced to brief snippets of all their childhoods and we met some family members, I just wish the author would have gone more in depth on their back stories, past traumas, childhood highlights, individual idiosyncrasies -something to help the reader emotionally connect more with each missing little girl. I think that emotional attachment and any empathy we could have grown for these little girls would have made this book that much more encapsulating and exciting.

Overall, I’m very happy to have had the opportunity to read this book!

The Night of the Sleepover by Kerry Wilkinson is a psychological thriller with a unique premise. Timelines alternate between the present and the days preceding the sleepover. The first part of the book provides background information on the characters and the events leading up to their disappearance. The second half is full of twists and turns as it gradually reveals what transpired that night.

Thank you to the author , Bookouture. and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Leah wakes up one morning after a sleepover and her friends have disappeared. What happened to them? Years later someone wants to delve into the mystery but others don’t want Leah to talk. I always find it hard to believe in these books when they stop searching for answers and then years later it’s suddenly solved. I did not see the end coming. I didn’t see the second end coming either! Pretty good books. Didn’t have to read it word for word.

An intriguing and twisty novel. Leah has never been able to put her troubled childhood behind her especially the night she had a sleepover at her friend Vicki's house together with two other friends and awoke to find that the other three had disappeared. Now Owen, the brother of one of the other girls is making a documentary about that night. Will it solve what happened or just stir up trouble? The ending was a rug from under the feet moment!

The Night of the Sleepover is an interesting pychological thriller with a surprising end twist. A teenage Leah falls asleep with her three best friends at a sleepover, but when Leah wakes up, she finds herself alone. Twenty years later, there still has been no news of the three girls who had disappeared. Now, Owen, one of the girl's brothers is producing a documentary on the three missing girls. Leah, who still lives in her hometown, is asked to be in the documentary. Obviously, Owen thinks Leah knows more that she's shared. And, after giving her interview, Leah receives an anonymous text instructing her to stop the documentary at all costs. Does Leah know more than she's shared? Who is the anonymous texter? Will Owen's documentary result in long-awaited answers?

I liked the premise of The Night of the Sleepover; however, I found the pacing to be off. There were parts that were exciting and I just couldn't put the book down, and then there were other parts where I had to force myself to continue reading. The story is told through two timelines: one being the night of the sleepover and the other being the present day. Some of the characters were well-developed, while others almost seemed unnecessary. Owen is one of the under-developed characters, which is odd, since it is his documentary that is pushing the story forward. I also thought there could have been more time spent on the girls' friendship/relationship during their teenage years.

I was ready to give this book two stars, but then I got to the end. The end is definitely exciting and, at least in my opinion, there is a huge, unexpected twist. I was thoroughly satisfed with that ending! I do think it's unusual that there is going to be a sequel to this thriller, but I may just pick it up.

i was honestly pretty disappointed upon finishing this book. the idea behind it is genius—four girls go to bed and only one wakes up, what?!—but the execution… not so much. i’m sorry.

the writing just wasn’t gripping and i had a pretty hard time differentiating between the characters. it also felt like it was 500 pages when it was actually only 200+

and like many other reviewers i also felt underwhelmed by the “true” truth because…? …? …? ..?

I raced through this pacy thriller in two days and it was a wild ride. I had no idea where the author was taking me, but I knew I wanted to follow…..⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Kerry Wilkinson's propulsive new thriller, The Night of the Sleepover. Leah was only.a teenager when she fell asleep next to her three closest friends and woke up alone. Now, decades later, a documentary filmmaker is determined to find out what happened to his sister, who was one of the missing girls. As Leah is confronted with painful memories and long-hidden secrets, she is forced to reexamine what really happened on the night her friends disappeared.

Full of impossible-to-predict twists and turns, The Night of the Sleepover is a must-read.

The Whitecliff Bay series has been one of my favourites this year so I was keen to read something else from Kerry Wilkinson. In ‘The Night of the Sleepover’, she handles the double timeline really well with chapters alternating between the fateful night 25 years ago when Leah’s 3 closest friends disappeared and the present day when the filming of a documentary about it threatens to reopen old wounds. Characterisation is really well done with the story focusing on strong female characters who have suffered adversity but got through it. The plot moves swiftly and I was intrigued to see where it was going. My only complaint was that the resolution was only partial leaving the door open for an inevitable sequel. I can understand why, but still felt a little shortchanged.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟰, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯(𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲!)
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
4.75👏

𝖳𝗂𝖽𝖻𝗂𝗍:
Four girls close their eyes. Only one wakes up.

It was a typical sleepover in 1994 for 15 year old girls. Watching Titanic, sneaking vodka, pizza & then falling asleep in the living room all together. Except when Leah wakes up the next morning she is all alone. Where could 3 girls just vanish to?

Twenty plus years later in her small hometown where this still haunts everyone(mainly Leah herself!) a documentary is being made for the anniversary to hopefully find answers once & for all. Some around town still think Leah has to know something. How do you not hear THREE of your friends just leave? She starts receiving threats too on why she should stop this filming….

💭𝖬𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌
I absolutely loved it! I set a challenge to myself to find a book all on my own not from influence of booksta etc & this one was mine for this month!! This one will be known soon..just wait as it’s not even published yet. I was basically this same age in 1994 so I remember all the things from sleepovers that we don’t have now…video security every where, cell phones & tracking so finding answers on what happened wasn’t near as easy. I also binged Titanic many times. 😆I think slow burns thrillers are my jam because that’s what this was & it even had hints all the way through that were actually followed up on later 🤌. This one has a sequel coming out, however I was left quite satisfied with the ending…in the fact that I couldn’t guess it. This premise is completely my worst nightmare now that I have two girls but the book overall isn’t that scary for all of you that get too freaked out to read certain thrillers. I think this book would be great for everyone! I couldn’t stop flipping the pages. Loved how even though this was a serious novel the writer made me giggle at some points with how the characters talked. 🙌I am rounding up on @netgalley and @goodreads because that is what this one deserves. Thanks @bookouture for this advanced copy.

@kerry.Wilkinson thanks for the fun!! 🙌🩷

Omg what just happened this book totally encapsulated me … I literally read it every opportunity I had and just finished it !!

Huge fan of psychological thrillers - I mean who sleeps through 3 of their friends just disappearing from a sleepover never to be seen again …!

Fast paced with the introduction of many characters and many different side plots we follow Leah present day relieving the events of 20 years ago when her and her 3 friends , Vicky jazz and Harriet you have a sleepover involving pizza and vodka when Leah wakes up and three of her friends have mysteriously vanished !

All of this trauma re surfaces with the introduction of Owen and a film crew doing a documentary about the girls who vanished .. wanting to interview the only survivor to find out if she knew more than she’s let on …

Leah starts receiving anonymous emails telling her not to do it .. just superb and when you don’t see it coming huge plot twist and just when that settles in major plot twist again ..

You really know how to draw people I’m and keep them resting honestly superb !

Superb book thank you to net galley for the opportunity to read it in return for my honest review !

read in one afternoon. Could not put it down. Such a turn of events that was not expecting.
Would definitely recommend to friends and family.
Amazing