Wow this book had me fooled. I really enjoyed it, thought I had figured everything out and then in the last few chapters I was blown away by the absolutely shocking twist.

Fantastic writing, a great plotline and plenty of red herrings. This was an outstanding book.

I really enjoyed this fast paced book! Hooked me from the start and while I figured out one twist, the other I didn’t! Great on audiobook as well!

Tw are pregnancy and postpartum depression. Both are heavily written about so please be aware before you read this book.

I would definitely recommend her book and look forward to reading more by her.

Feeling tired? I hope that, like me, you don't know the meaning of the word. (4.5 stars)

My calendar over the last two weeks has gone something like this:

Week 1: plan to take the time off work to have a blitz on some home decorating. Realise that, after it's taken 3 days to strip paint of two skirting boards and half of one balustrade, that a week isn't going to be anywhere near long enough. Realise also that the amount of dust generated by an electric sander is horrendous, and that if paint stripper doesn't stink, it doesn't work. Pause to respond to a few work emails that just won't wait. Spend the next day-and-a-half painting some walls with emulsion, just so it would look like I'd achieved something.

Weekend: go to London to see Abba Voyage. It was fantastic, and well worth driving for a 300-mile round trip.

Week 2: go back to work, and spend most of the week playing catch-up.

Weekend: try to fit a bit more decorating in on Saturday trying to get some more decorating in, and then spend Sunday at a workshop to encourage me to do some more of my own writing. It was successful, but my brain didn't know what had hit it.

Ordinarily, I'd have said today that I was feeling tired.

The thing is, though, that I've been using my last wakeful moments whilst all this was going on to read While My Baby Sleeps by Natali Simmonds. Which has explained to me, clearly and terrifyingly, that what I' actually feeling right now is nothing at all.

On the face of it, the situation that Natali has created for her main character, Lu, this time round is very different from that which she had previously written for Em in her novel Good Girls Die Last. But it works for exactly the same reason: it's perhaps a bit extreme, but it never feels it because each aspect is completely relatable. She's a new mum, and her baby son never sleeps through the night. She's recently moved to a new area and has no real friends. She can't really call on her family for help, because her parents live abroad and she's not close to her brother and his wife. And her partner Tony works night shifts. So it's left entirely to Lu to cater for her baby's every need, including waking when he cries in the night. Every night. Every. Single. Night.

But how to explain the continuous, relentless and oh, so overpowering exhaustion that this creates to people who just don't understand? To a partner who is never there? To acquaintances met in the local park, or at playgroup, who all seem, at least outwardly, to be coping better than you are? And even if you felt able, how do you even find the vocabulary? All poor Lu can think of to say is "I'm tired", which doesn't even begin to convey what she's really going through.

The storyline feels authentic, and that's because it is. Natali - again, much as she did in Good Girls Die Last, and again, successfully - used her own experiences to put herself into the main character. This works, not only because it makes the beginning of the book feel more personal but also because, when some perhaps less probable, but still plausible curveballs were thrown in, I was still ready to believe every word. What if the only person who seems to understand what you're having to deal with is your neighbour's sister, who is a stranger to you? And what if you wake up outside your front door, with blood on your hands and no idea how it got there? And then learn that an antisocial neighbour has been murdered ... ?

Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't mind that much of the first two-thirds of the book felt repetitive. To me, this just helped it seem more real. I could easily understand how Lu's thoughts would be much the same every day, apart from them becoming increasingly angry and violent as, day by day, she became a little more desperate. I also didn't mind that Tony is portrayed as being extremely selfish and self-centred, because I could see that he needed to be that way for the story to work. And, whilst I did start to feel a bit annoyed at the seemingly very naive trust that Lu was prepared to put into her only friend Maggie, I forgave this when the truth was revealed. Because, wow. I hadn't seen it coming at all and yet it made perfect, horrible sense.

My gripes with this book lie in part with some of the details. Would it really be the case, for example, that you'd have no idea what day of the week it was if you lost your phone? Especially if you also have a laptop? Mostly, though, I thought that the ending didn't work as well as the rest of the book. After the slow build-up, it all felt a bit rushed. I'd have liked a longer explanation of what had really happened to Lu, and how - even though I appreciate that it would probably have been very hard for Natali to write. And, for the same reason really, I didn't think that the final twist at the end worked at all, because there simply hadn't been enough time to develop the idea.

Let's be clear, though: these are niggles. And to be put off reading a book because of these would be akin to not wanting to go on holiday to your favourite resort if you couldn't see the sea from the only remaining hotel room. Or refusing to eat a plate of your favourite meal because you didn't like the dressing on the side salad.

What's far more important is that Natali Simmonds has managed not only to tell a gripping and often moving story, but also raise awareness of a condition in such a personal way that even I - a mere man who isn't even the father of a child - could understand. And for that she deserves my congratulations, and thanks.

My thanks also to Bookouture and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book, which was published by Bookouture on 7th February. I will publish my review on my blog as well as Goodreads, Amazon and my social media pages.

Natali Simmonds' book My Daughter's Revenge was outstanding, so I was very excited about this book. I appreciate the fact that this author does not shy away from difficult topics. I also enjoyed the ever-mounting suspense throughout the book. I love a good unreliable narrator, and the switch between what was reality and what wasn't kept me guessing up until the very end. The plot was clever, and there were lies and With that being said, I found this book to be somewhat repetitive, and I felt that this story could've been slightly shorter.

The narrator, Sofia Zervudachi, did a phenomenal job bringing all of the characters to life and building the mounting suspense as the story developed.

This suspense thriller had me suspecting what was going on, but it tied things up with some surprises. And there’s a jaw-dropping twist at the end!

I enjoyed the soothing & perfectly timed suspense-growing narration by Sofia Zervudachi.

Thank you, Natali Simmonds, Bookouture, Bookouture audio & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

This book is incredibly hard to put down!! I literally could not read it fast enough, an amazing thriller with a twist that I did not see coming!!!

Simmonds smashes it out of the park again with another stonker of a thriller. It's got five stars written all over it, as did her previous books!

I went into the book blind with no idea of the uncertainty that awaited me. The story flows fast and with my bingeing skills I had it finished in a few hours. I couldn't leave it half way through.

It had me gripped from the opening chapters and had me invested right up to the end. Why did I not see that one coming? I had no idea!

Brilliant characters, a disorientating plot and unpredictability.

Superb book, absolutely loved it!

Louise (Lu) is mum to eleven month old Riley, recently having moved house with her partner Tony, she is struggling to sleep and it's leaving her with huge blanks in her memory and having seriously bad thoughts about those around her, so much so that she finds herself locked out of her house in the early hours of the morning with blood all over her hands and her pyjamas, and no recollection of what happened, then a police officer turns up at her door declaring her neighbour has been found dead on his doorstep, could Lu be responsible for what happened to him, it appears that Maggie, another neighbours sister, is the only one that knows and she promises to be there for Lu, when nobody else is, but can Maggie be trusted and is she really who she says she is?

While My Baby Sleeps is the new thriller by this author and it pulled me in firmly from the prologue and I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. Lu has been struggling since giving birth to Riley nearly a year ago and it's no wonder, with no family support, a husband that works nights, seven days a week and a new house to contend with is enough to make the strongest person eventually reach breaking point. This is a fast paced thriller, with a sliding doors persona, which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, told from the perspective of Lu, with many twists and highlighting a condition that a lot of new mums suffer, often going unnoticed for a long time. The author keeps the reader intrigued on this rollercoaster ride of suspense and horror and I was praying that Lu would get the help she needed and prove, for her own sanity, that she'd not committed any crimes. I loved the cliffhanger of an ending, could this be the opening for a sequel? Simmonds is a new to me author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

I wasn't able to get into this one, it just didn't work for me. I am unsure why, I think I just didn't click with the writing. I had to DNF.

Lu has recently had a baby but is struggling with a lack of sleep and having terrible rages. One night she finds herself locked out of her house with no memory of how she got there but luckily her neighbour Maggie is there to help. The next day she sees police outside and finds out a different neighbour has been killed, the neighbour who she has been furious with for weeks.

I read my first book by this author not so long ago (My Daughter’s Revenge) and really enjoyed it so I knew I wanted to read the new book by Natali Simmonds. This had a slightly different vibe to the last book but I still really enjoyed it. I absolutely love how the author weaves such a tense, dramatic story, which creates a creepy, disturbing atmosphere.

The story is told in the voice of Lu and you really start to feel her anxieties and journey into despair. Once I picked this up I could not put it down, I was hooked to the intense and crazed writing style, while changing my mind what to believe. The story created a range of emotions from anger to empathy, which I know means it is a gripping read. The story is repetitive which I don’t usually love but here it really works to understand the character’s mindset and create a frantic ambience. This is a great book to pick up if you enjoy suspenseful, intense psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators and a dark plot. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

While My Baby Sleeps by Natali Simmonds is a well written psychological thriller filled with brilliant twists and turns throughout that will have you gripped from the beginning till the very end, It was a brilliant read and a book that was hard to put down once you started to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Natali Simmonds, and Bookouture for the ebook. As someone who is postpartum, this book was incredibly emotional. The portrayal of postpartum and its progression into psychosis was masterfully done. It’s a gripping thriller with shocking twists at the end that will leave you speechless.

This book was so compelling, the very idea of not trusting your own mind and dealing with the intensity of this situation was so scary but also exhilarating, I could not put it down.

"How do any of us know what is truly real?"
While My Baby Sleeps by Natali Simmonds is a dark and intriguing novel that focuses on the issues of postpartum. Postpartum depression and extreme fatigue are very real and this novel showcases those disorders brilliantly.
Lu is a new mom to 11-month-old Riley. She is struggling massively and has very little help. Her partner Tony is the breadwinner so he goes to work overnight leaving Lu to take care of all aspects of child raising. But while Lu desperately loves little Riley she is slowly starting to fall apart. Riley never sleeps enough, and the neighbor insists on blasting techno music every night further impeding Lu's sleep. When one night she wakes up on her porch, locked out and covered in blood, Lu has no memory of what happened. Needing help to get inside her house to Riley, Lu seeks out another neighbor for help. She meets Maggie her neighbor's sister and Maggie helps Lu get cleaned up and sorted. Soon Maggie and Lu become close with Lu depending more and more on Maggie's help. But even though she has someone to talk to, Lu is still struggling, envisioning people's violent deaths and how she would kill them is not normal right?
I'm not going to say much more because I don't want to spoil the plot but I will say this book had me captivated. The very real and raw look into intrusive thoughts and postpartum depression and fatigue really intrigued me. I struggled postpartum with all three of my kids so it brought me right back into those bleak days / months. I feel like some of the descriptions might be too much for someone who likes a tamer psychological thriller but overall I really loved this book. This was my first introduction to Natali Simmonds but definitely not my last.
Thank you to NetGalley, Natali Simmonds and Bookouture for this ARC. Expected release date is February 7th 2025.

Natali Simmonds brings her readers a new totally twisted tale that will have you on the edge of your seat in While My Baby Sleeps. This book is fast paced, addicting, intense, suspenseful, gripping, jaw dropping twists and turns and at times heartbreaking.

Within the first paragraph I was hooked by how dark and detailed the beginning was. The rest of the prologue followed suit with the same intensity. I knew I had been hooked.

Natali tackled a very important issue that predominantly dominated the book. However, later Natali educates us that in fact that this is an actual medical condition.

While My Baby Sleeps is one of those books where the story builds up and keeps getting better the deeper you get into it.

Goodreads Review
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

While My Baby Sleeps is a tense and gripping read that perfectly captures the raw stress and exhaustion of early motherhood. I could vividly picture those early days with my own kids, and Natali Simmonds does an incredible job of making you feel every ounce of the main character’s anxiety.

I’d both recommend and hesitate to recommend this to mothers—it’s compelling but undoubtedly triggering. A well-written, intense thriller that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished.

3.5⭐⭐⭐



* Trigger warning - postpartum depression, family drama , psychological thriller .



* lu was a new mother who suffers with sleep deprive and fatigue . It goes to show to postpartum depression as she is getting annoyed with other people aswell including her neighbour . She kind of making a way to relieve a way for her to become a great mum by making a person who is trying to help her. ( make any sense?) Nope? You better read the book as it was highly addictive. May trigger some peope.

*it was a predictable ending when it comes to chapter 7 as you can recognise what is happening to her . The ending was a good to end things and nt to add more in to the series.

* thankyou bookouture for the arc copy of this book for a honest review.



⭐shaye .reads

Just when I thought I’d guessed the twist…. It surprised me again! I struggled to put this one down I had to know what was happening!!! Definitely a must read!!

I love how the author makes us question Lu just like she is. I began wondering whether this woman really is seeing reality.
I don't like books with twists for twists sake. But this one had plenty but all done in the right places. And leave you waiting and needing the next.
I definitely see the ending coming and did take a audible gasp when I finally figured it all out.
This books was a great thriller. Fast paced and leaves you wanting more.

A brilliant thriller packed with substance, excitement, and heart! I thoroughly enjoyed another tremendously satisfying read from Natali Simmonds. This isn’t the first of her books I’ve devoured in a single day, and I’m certain it won’t be the last. She takes you on a wild ride through the sleep-deprived mind of Lu, leaving you questioning what’s real and what’s imagined at every turn. A true psychological thriller to the very last page, it masterfully evokes a spectrum of emotions with each chapter.