I was fortunate to get early access to the audiobook, and I loved it! The narrator, Sofia Zervudachi, was expressive and brought the story to life. The book kept me guessing until the very end! I ended up binge-listening to it in one day. Highly recommend it!

Publication date- February 7, 2025
#WhileMyBabySleeps #NetGalley

Well that was a wild ride! I thought I was losing my mind along with the FMC. I didn’t know what was real or not. I also didn’t know who to believe. I didn’t expect that ending at all! It surprised me! This is a great thriller book that I think thriller lovers would enjoy! The audiobook was great! I couldn’t stop listening to it.

Thank you to: Bookouture Audio & NetGalley for this ARC audiobook by Natali Simmonds
Release date is set for: February 7th 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - This book was very slow to start & there was a moment I did question if I could finish, but I am glad I did because about 1/2 way through it became unputdownable with twists & turns where you just had to find out what happens.

This book does brings mental health into question and through the authors writing, you were really able to empathize with Lu & felt her exhaustion, anxiety & fear. The ending as a whole is what brought this book together.

Once again, thank you @NetGalley! Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen this advanced audio copy. 

#NetGalley #BookoutureAudio  #WhileMyBabySleeps

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator- nice, clear voice with proper emotions. This book captivated me from the very beginning. Yes, it is repetitive but stick with it- there is a purpose. There were a few twists, some I saw coming but others were a surprise. Highly recommend this one!

Great read. Thank you for letting me listen to this audiobook. It was great. Cant wait to recommend.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I really enjoyed it.
I wasn't quite sure how it was going to go - I thought Lou may have postnatal depression, but also thought it was possible it was a crazy woman trying to take over their lives.
It kept me guessing and the twists and turns were enough to keep me interested!
I didn't expect the ending!
I liked the narrator.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect thriller for any new mom! My baby is already 4 years old and yet this took me right back to those exhausting fourth trimester days (and while that sounds kind of awful, it was actually really comforting and cathartic).

Premise - Lou is a new mom whose baby doesn't sleep through the night and whose husband thinks it's a good thing that he's 'not letting himself go after the baby,' though really that means he's off at the gym living his best life while she's sleep deprived and overstimulated at home a crying baby. Riley is going on a year old, but it feels like fourth trimester will never end. Lou's mental health starts tanking, as exhibited through her murderous fantasies. When she comes to one night, covered in blood and standing outside in the cold, she fears the worst. Her neighbor's sister, Maggie, rescues her. She gets rid of the blood-soaked pajamas and tells Lou it's for the best that they put this behind them. But as Lou's tenuous grip on reality slips more and more, and people who've wronged her start to disappear, even Lou starts to wonder if motherhood has turned her into a monster.

Phew! PPD and PPA are no joke, and you'll recognize that horrible, unstable feeling if you ever flirted with either. That said, Lou's murderous impulses aren't the way most of us respond to extreme stress... I loved the whole ride. This was an incredibly nostalgic read, even as it was layered with the high stakes life-or-death drama of thrillers, and pretty healing, too. I loved the way things ended for Lou (until maaaaybe the very last page). If you parented without a village and you were the primary parent, with a working spouse who didn't participate in night wakes, you'll love the way things turn out at the end.

In addition to the topic and execution of the plot, I loved the voice in this. The protagonist was so relatable, to the point that unfamiliar experiences (her insane rage and bloodlust) almost seem reasonable. She's exhausted, she's alone, she's not allowed to complain or she'll seem ungrateful for her tiny miracle.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sofia Zervudachi. Her read was perfect! Reassuring, thrilling, relatable, like being inside the head of a dear friend. I highly recommend listening to this story in particular as an audiobook, as I think that really adds to the experience (especially for moms, as it lets you revisit the isolation of the newborn period with the comfort of a 'friend' by your side).

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 🌟

Unfortunately this was a miss for me, firstly because the mental health trope is massively overplayed. Especially post partum psychosis, in fact I’d go as far as to say it was actually in really bad taste Secondly the story was extremely repetitive and predictable. Something kept me intrigued thought so that showed good stole, and good character development, I certainly wouldn’t dismiss giving the author a try again on any future work.

Really sorry I’d have loved to have loved it and left a glowing review but it would’ve been dishonest.

The narration was nice.

New readers to the genre might really enjoy it.

I’m much obliged to Bookouture audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

3.5 rounded up - Lou loves her baby Riley so much, but since he was born, she feels like she is losing it. She doesn't sleep, is losing track of time, and has sudden rushes of rage that scare her. Her partner works nights and sleeps during the day so most of her time is spent alone with the baby. After another night of not sleeping, Lou finds herself outside in her pajamas, hands bloodied and locked out of the house. She doesn't remember coming outside and is panicked to get back into her baby. She remembers her neighbor has a spare key to their home and even though it is the middle of the night, she knocks hoping for some help. Her neighbor's sister, Maggie, answers and helps Lou inside and to get cleaned up.

When police turn up at the door the next day investigating the death of her noisy neighbor down the block, Lou worries about her lost time in the night. She couldn't have had something to do with his death. She is just sleep deprived. Lucky for Lou her new friend Maggie is there to give her the support her partner and family have not. Maggie starts to come around every day to help with cleaning, shopping, and caring for Riley. But as Maggie is there more and more, other people in her family start to disappear... What does Maggie really want with Lou and her life?

I have very mixed feelings on this one. I was only so-so with it for most the book and then the last 20% flipped the script and shocked me. This one majorly plays into mental health and postpartum depression, and it made for a twisted and shocking storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the audiobook for review.

This is a gripping and intensely suspenseful thriller! The author masterfully builds tension from the very first page, using the protagonist's sleep deprivation to create a palpable sense of unease and paranoia. The mystery unfolds cleverly, keeping the reader guessing until the shocking twist. The characterization is superb, making the protagonist's desperate struggle for survival both believable and deeply affecting. A truly unputdownable read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. (⁠・⁠o⁠・⁠)