“While My Baby Sleeps” by Natali Simmonds is a psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. From the very first page, I found myself questioning what was real and what was a delusion. The author masterfully blurs the lines between reality and perception, creating an atmosphere of suspense and uncertainty that had me hooked. As I read, I couldn’t help but feel the protagonist’s confusion and paranoia, which made the twists and turns of the plot even more gripping. Just when I thought I had figured things out, a new revelation would throw me off, making it impossible to predict what would happen next.

What really sets this book apart, though, is how the author handles the theme of postpartum issues. The portrayal of the protagonist’s mental and emotional state felt incredibly authentic and relatable. Simmonds doesn’t shy away from the complexities and struggles that come with new motherhood—especially the darker, often unspoken realities of postpartum anxiety and depression. It was both enlightening and heartbreaking to see these experiences explored in such a raw, compassionate way. As someone who could relate to the challenges of new motherhood, I found the depiction to be not only insightful but also deeply moving.

Overall, “While My Baby Sleeps” is a gripping, thought-provoking read that masterfully combines psychological suspense with an honest portrayal of postpartum struggles. If you enjoy thrillers that keep you guessing and stories that delve into real-life emotional experiences, this one is definitely worth picking up.

— Ugh! I need 1/2 stars - 3.5 Stars —
Okay…..where do I start? Admittedly, this one started slower than I prefer but it DEFINITELY earns its pages!!

Louise (aka Lu) is a new mom, in a new city and she is not adjusting well. She. Is. Tired. Nothing quite makes sense, she’s missing gaps of her memory….and people are dying. But there’s hope.

Maggie, a neighbor, shows up just in time to give the help Lu is struggling to ask for. But who is Maggie? Why is she here? Why does she care so much for a stranger?…and what are her motives?

This book is a slow burn but stick with it. The twist and turns really have you (as the reader) questioning what’s real and what’s a manifestation of her own mind.

Additionally, it is a glaring glimpse into the realities of sleep deprivation and motherhood. Where we can all argue that Lu should’ve been more diligent in expressing her need for help we have to also take care of those around us. It’s a conversation that needs to be had more.

Natali Simmonds delivers a psychological thriller that is as gripping as it is unsettling in While My Baby Sleeps. This novel is an intense, heart-pounding exploration of motherhood, trauma, and the darkest corners of the human mind.

From the very first chapter, Simmonds masterfully builds suspense, pulling readers into a narrative that keeps them second-guessing every character and every moment. The story is laced with unexpected twists and turns, making it impossible to predict what will happen next. The tension is palpable, and for those who experience heightened emotions while reading thrillers, this one will certainly get your pulse racing.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its psychological depth. Simmonds doesn’t just rely on shock value; she crafts a haunting atmosphere that seeps into the reader’s psyche. The protagonist’s journey is filled with paranoia, dread, and moments of sheer terror, making her struggles feel alarmingly real. As a listener, the audiobook experience adds another layer of intensity, amplifying the eerie and unsettling nature of the story.

What truly sets While My Baby Sleeps apart is its ability to make readers question their own instincts and judgments. Just when you think you have it figured out, Simmonds throws in a twist that makes you doubt everything. The slow-burn suspense is expertly paced, ensuring that every chapter leaves you desperate for more.

Overall, While My Baby Sleeps is a masterfully executed thriller that keeps readers on edge until the very last page. Natali Simmonds has crafted a chilling, anxiety-inducing story that lingers long after it’s over—making it a must-read for fans of dark, psychological suspense.

Wow! This is twisty and so sad. I was both expecting the ending and absolutely not expecting it. What a crazy book! The narration was wonderful.

Really great psychological thriller. This one will make you lose sleep at night. I had a hard time not finishing it in one listen. Great suspense. Great narration.

My goodness i am EXHAUSTED!

While my baby sleep is following exhausted mother Lu who just cant seem to get any rest. Its even worse because her partner Tony is not being supportive and her parents and her brother just think she is overreacting and are doing nothing to help.
She just wants to get some rest but her neighbour will not stop blaring his music and its keeping her up further. When she wakes one night at her doorstep all bloody and finds out that her neighbour has been killed. Lu cant remember a thing, but surely she is not a killer right?

Sleep deprived mothers gather here! This book was so claustrophobic and stressful, i started to question my own sanity! I was feeling so bad for Lu and i wanted to smack every other character in the book for not noticing the obvious signs that she was clearly struggling.
The twist took me by surprise and the ending was a corker!
The narration was absolutely phenomenal and you really could feel all the anguish and emotions that Lu was trying to express.
Very impressed and will be checking out this authors backlist :)

While My Baby Sleeps is an intense psychological thriller that grips you from the first page with its chilling premise and unreliable narration. Natali Simmonds captures the overwhelming exhaustion of new motherhood, blending it with a suspenseful murder mystery that keeps you questioning what’s real and what’s the product of sleep-deprived paranoia.
While some plot points feel slightly predictable, the atmospheric writing and emotional depth make up for it.
A solid read for fans of psychological thrillers with a maternal edge—this one will leave you second-guessing everything.

I enjoyed this book….. I really did but not sure how much!

I felt engrossed by the events and the struggles facing this new mother, but the story seemed to just go on and on forever, without nearing the conclusion.

I felt the ending came abruptly and whilst I loved the twists and the emotional fight, I did feel a bit let down by the ending.

Overall I would say the book is filled with suspense and good twists but just too long and drawn out.

I listened to the audiobook which was read fantastic by Sofia Zervudachi which took my review from 3.5 stars to 4!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of the audio book and I have to say, this new novel by Natali Simmonds kept me gripped from the outset. The story is told from the perspective a new mother Lou. The unbridled joy of new motherhood and all that goes with it rapidly descends into a very dark place with numerous plot twists and shocks that are expertly woven into the narrative throughout. Yes, the book contains the odd overused trope for this genre ( how many times I have read about a fox crossing the road in the dead of night) and at times, I did question whether in a supposedly caring loving family, their attitude towards Lou and her plight was completely believable. However, any doubts were soon mitigated by just a really good plot structure and superior dialogue.

A word of praise also for Sofia Zervudachi whose performance on the audiobook was outstanding.

“While My Baby Sleeps” by Natalie Simmonds is a psychological thriller.
Thank you Bookouture Audio for the ALC. The opinions from this review are completely my own.

Lu and Tony have a small boy (almost 1 year old) and they moved to a new house. Tony works nights and Lu is a stay at home mom.
The issue is that she suffers from extreme sleep deprivation and starts to sleepwalk, forget thinks and have disturbing thoughts. She has no help from relatives, but her neighbor’s sister, Maggie, starts helping her.
The audiobook is narrated by Sofia Zervudachi and she does a great job transmitting the emotions that Lu is feeling.

The suspense and the twists are enhanced by listening to the book. The story is full of suspense, there are some dark twists and the ending is surprising.

This was a great book portraying how postpartum depression can affect some women. It was mostly about a woman, her husband and a neighbor who tries to help her. Great job and worth the read!

it was quite a good read. it's interesting to get into the main character's head and to see how she lives with the images and the crazy thoughts in her head and how she seems to be losing her mind day after day. of course it ends how it was supposed to which I'm glad. the only thing i didn't like was that all her thoughts were the same and kept repeating all the time. the narrator was really good

While My Baby Sleeps by Natali Simmonds


BIG thank you to #NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC in return for my honest review ❤️

This book is releasing February 7, 2025

Plot: This story follows protagonist, Lu and Tony. They met years ago and were just friends at first, but after bad relationships they date one another. Shortly after Lu becomes pregnant and they have a boy. They are happy and trying to setting into being a little family. Everything seems fine.
But Lu is NOT fine. Lu is the opposite of fine. While she was pregnant she started feeling excessive anger and range. No one took her seriously and told her that the feeling would eventually go away. But they don’t. After their son, Riley, is a year old, Lu is still experiencing these horrible thoughts of range. Super violent thoughts. Lu isn’t sleeping and she’s so exhausted that she starts sleep walking and forgetting things.
To make things even worse for her, Lu doesn’t have any help. Tony doesn’t seem to be very helpful at home, because he’s constantly working and her family lives far away. Plus, no one seems to be taking her seriously.
One night Lu wakes up outside and covered in blood, and locked out of her house. She goes to her neighbors for help and that’s when she meets Maggie.
Maggie becomes a great friend to Lu and steps in to help her out. Maggie is like a gift from God to Lu, or is she?

What I thought: WOWZA! This story had me HOOKED the entire time! I highly recommend it! It definitely gives a great insight at what Postpartum depression does to a new mother.

Sofia Zervudachi does an absolutely excellent job narrating this audiobook!

I’m giving this book FIVE STARS! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of While My Baby Sleeps by Natali Simmonds in exchange for an honest review. This gripping psychological thriller delves into the raw and often unspoken realities of new motherhood.

The story follows Lu, a sleep-deprived first-time mother struggling to care for her baby while grappling with growing paranoia and fractured memories. When her neighbor is found dead, Lu begins to question her own actions, leading to a suspenseful and unsettling journey into her mind. Natali Simmonds masterfully captures the intensity of Lu’s exhaustion and the claustrophobia of early motherhood, making her experiences feel vivid and real.

The tension is palpable, and while some twists are predictable, the story kept me engaged, especially with the introduction of Maggie, whose motives add a layer of complexity to the narrative. Simmonds does a great job of exploring the fine line between reality and delusion, creating a haunting atmosphere that lingers even after the final page.

Overall, While My Baby Sleeps is an emotional, suspenseful read perfect for fans of psychological thrillers. A solid 4 stars!

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the female narrators voice and the way she read the story! I can imagine this book would have been rather challenging to narrate since the main character (whose point of view it’s written from) is one of the most unreliable narrators I’ve ever read. That being said, I could guess the twist a mile away but enjoyed the story regardless. There were still dots to connect and other aspects that were a surprise. I would recommend if you like psychological thrillers with an extremely unreliable narrator!

Ok Natali Simmonds, I see you. While My Baby Sleeps reminded me a lot of The New Mother by Nora Murphy - the beginning so much so, that I assumed it was going to have the same ending. I thought this was so going to be *so* predictable from the third or fourth chapter. My smug, little reader self was ready to give this a three star review for being a “good story, but I played out plotline”

WELL.

Simmonds sure showed me - first, by proving me wrong, then giving me a happy ending, and THEN PULLING THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER ME. In the best way.

Lou just moved and has a baby, she’s not sleeping well, and her baby-daddy/partner is picking up more hours at work. Days begin blending together and the tip of the iceberg is when Lou finds out she’s pregnant again. We all know what a lack of sleep can do, and Simmonds handled Lou’s slip in to madness and battle with post partum depression/anxiety/psychosis so so well.

4.5 stars for this solid psychological thriller with a deep plot and lots of twists 🤌🏻

Gosh this was a hard listen, for any parent who has been at that brain fog, sleep deprived time with a baby or young child this felt raw! I loved the premise and wanted to beat Tony to death almost every time he spoke for his lack of understanding or even picking up what was going on with the main character Lou, who was so tired she didn't know what day it was.
A great read which I found a little depressing but that was the point I think, we felt what Lou felt and the narrator certainly brought her to life.
A good twist which I had an inkling about but delivered well. I absolutely loved Natali's last book and I'm sure this will be as much of a success.

This book was a bit confusing but reminded me why I don't want children. But I could see why she was so tired....

After another night of no sleep, the last thing Lu expected was a police officer at the door. Her neighbour has been found dead. He’s been playing loud music for weeks keeping her and the baby awake. But last night she woke up on her doorstep with blood on her hands with no recollection of what happened. She’s a sleep deprived mother, not a killer right?

Ahh I was so intrigued by the premise of this book and it didn’t disappoint. Being deep in sleep deprivation, I’ve felt irrational before where I would do anything for a good nights sleep. Obviously not kill anyone 🙈 Lu’s boyfriend was useless and I wanted to tell him to look after his gf and step up more and he annoyed me in the story a lot. There were twists that were unexpected and that last line.. Loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the audio Arc of this book.

A solid 3.5 stars 🌟

Lou is exhausted, angry and alone. She’s a stay at home mum to Riley, has recently moved to a new home in a new area, and she has a boyfriend who thinks working a full time job is enough of a contribution to their household. Amongst all the other postpartum struggles she faces, she just desperately needs some sleep. One night after sleepwalking outside her home, she finds herself mysteriously connected to the murder of her neighbour with no memory of what happened. Fortunately, she has also found a new friend, her other neighbour, Maggie.

Straight from the prologue, this book HAD me. It wasn’t so much about the murder, but the psychology of it all. Lou’s struggles with her sanity as she tries to manage her new life, feeling like she’s about to snap at any second and her not being able to tell what’s real anymore, all add to the tension and it was a non-stop ride. It got frustrating when Lou talked in circles all the time, because although it was realistic, it became far too repetitive and I wanted to move ahead in the story. Overall, the mystery was satisfying, shocking and enjoyable. .

The narrator was fantastic, truly showing the frustration, fear and rage in her storytelling.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.