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While You Were Sleeping
Yesterday your life was perfect. Today you’ll find out that was all a lie.
Tara Logan adores her perfect little family: husband, Noah, and two children, teenager Rosie and eleven-year-old Spencer.
But her happiness is shattered when she wakes up one morning in her neighbour’s bed, with no memory of how she got there or what happened between them. And worse – he has been stabbed to death.
Convinced she didn’t kill Lee and scared of losing everything she cares about, Tara flees home and stays silent, holding her breath as the investigation grips the neighbourhood.
But as her daughter spirals out of control, and her husband becomes increasingly distant, Tara starts to wonder if someone in her life knows what really happened that night. When the police turn their questions towards her, Tara realises she has to find out.
But what will it take to uncover the real story, and can she survive the truth?
Tara Logan adores her perfect little family: husband, Noah, and two children, teenager Rosie and eleven-year-old Spencer.
But her happiness is shattered when she wakes up one morning in her neighbour’s bed, with no memory of how she got there or what happened between them. And worse – he has been stabbed to death.
Convinced she didn’t kill Lee and scared of losing everything she cares about, Tara flees home and stays silent, holding her breath as the investigation grips the neighbourhood.
But as her daughter spirals out of control, and her husband becomes increasingly distant, Tara starts to wonder if someone in her life knows what really happened that night. When the police turn their questions towards her, Tara realises she has to find out.
But what will it take to uncover the real story, and can she survive the truth?
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 811 reviews
November 5, 2016
*Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review*
*3.5 STARS*
The 'finger of suspicion' has had a real workout in 'While You Were Sleeping'. It pointed first this way, then that, and then veered off in a completely different direction, bringing almost every character into the spotlight.
Tara Logan lives an unassuming life with husband Noah, and her children,17 year old Rosie and 11 year old Spencer. That is until she wakes up naked in her married neighbour Lee's bed, only to find him dead next to her, having been stabbed multiple times. Tara has no recollection of what happened - the last thing she remembers is being downstairs having a few glasses of wine with Lee.
Tara flees the house in a panic, but she's convinced she wasn't responsible for Lee's death, so she decides to keep quiet and hopes she wasn't seen leaving Lee's house. Her decision to maintain her silence though, brings those she loves to the attention of the team investigating the case, and their whole lives threaten to collapse around them.
This was such a complex storyline, and each time the aforementioned finger of suspicion pointed to various suspects, the author made each of them appear absolutely capable of carrying out this murder. The only thing I couldn't believe from a police procedural point of view, was that the lead detective was only too happy to share details of the case with Tara? That would never happen in reality. Having said that, I still found it an enjoyable read.
*3.5 STARS*
The 'finger of suspicion' has had a real workout in 'While You Were Sleeping'. It pointed first this way, then that, and then veered off in a completely different direction, bringing almost every character into the spotlight.
Tara Logan lives an unassuming life with husband Noah, and her children,17 year old Rosie and 11 year old Spencer. That is until she wakes up naked in her married neighbour Lee's bed, only to find him dead next to her, having been stabbed multiple times. Tara has no recollection of what happened - the last thing she remembers is being downstairs having a few glasses of wine with Lee.
Tara flees the house in a panic, but she's convinced she wasn't responsible for Lee's death, so she decides to keep quiet and hopes she wasn't seen leaving Lee's house. Her decision to maintain her silence though, brings those she loves to the attention of the team investigating the case, and their whole lives threaten to collapse around them.
This was such a complex storyline, and each time the aforementioned finger of suspicion pointed to various suspects, the author made each of them appear absolutely capable of carrying out this murder. The only thing I couldn't believe from a police procedural point of view, was that the lead detective was only too happy to share details of the case with Tara? That would never happen in reality. Having said that, I still found it an enjoyable read.
December 23, 2016
Well, here I am finally writing a review for this one. I want to start by saying this isn't a bad book; on the one hand it was a fast paced, thrilling, and suspenseful read that easily kept the pages turning. When I started comparing this story to the quality of the author's previous 2 books I've read, it just fell a bit flat. I've always felt that Kat's books are well researched, well written, and have a compulsively readable notion, but this one only held sparks of those aspects. I do feel part of the reason I'm having a hard time finding a psychological thriller to really wow me these days is due to the fact I've just read so many of them, which has made it more difficult to find ones that stand out and shines bright.
The premise of this story is utter brilliance, and it did contain that page turning, can't put this down, have to finish it tonight component. This right here shows how excellent her form for fine tuning suspenseful narration is. As other's have stated, I think the plot holes in the investigation and the whiplash we received from massive amounts of red herrings and finger pointing is what caused this read to fall a bit flat for me. The entire relationship with the detective feeding a prime suspect intimate details of the case bothered me quite a bit, and I just couldn't overlook that there were no redeeming qualities in a single character. If those two aspects had been tweaked- 5 stars from me. I loved the ending and was genuinely surprised by the "whodunnit"! I'm a big fan of Kathryn Croft and will continue to look out for her books, as she is an immensely talented author who knows how to deliver thrills and chills!
Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via NetGalley; it was a pleasure to provide an honest review.
The premise of this story is utter brilliance, and it did contain that page turning, can't put this down, have to finish it tonight component. This right here shows how excellent her form for fine tuning suspenseful narration is. As other's have stated, I think the plot holes in the investigation and the whiplash we received from massive amounts of red herrings and finger pointing is what caused this read to fall a bit flat for me. The entire relationship with the detective feeding a prime suspect intimate details of the case bothered me quite a bit, and I just couldn't overlook that there were no redeeming qualities in a single character. If those two aspects had been tweaked- 5 stars from me. I loved the ending and was genuinely surprised by the "whodunnit"! I'm a big fan of Kathryn Croft and will continue to look out for her books, as she is an immensely talented author who knows how to deliver thrills and chills!
Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via NetGalley; it was a pleasure to provide an honest review.
November 7, 2016
2.5 Stars
While You Were Sleeping has an enticing premise: While her husband is out of town, Tara Logan innocently has a glass of wine with her neighbor, Lee. The next thing she knows she wakes up naked in bed next to Lee, who has been brutally stabbed to death. Tara can’t remember any details of the night. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, there are just too many unbelievable events and foolish characters that prevent this book from being a must read.
Tara, who cannot figure out if she slept with Lee, decides not to call the police because she doesn’t want her husband or kids to find out that she might have had sex with their neighbor. She uses the fact that there was no blood on her body to rationalize her decision to because since she didn’t have any blood on her body, she feels that she couldn’t have murdered Lee.
Despite all of the problems I had with While You Were Sleeping, it’s still a very entertaining read. It’s a page turner that will keep you guessing. Just don’t start thinking about the events too much or you will begin to notice more and more that doesn't add up.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
While You Were Sleeping has an enticing premise: While her husband is out of town, Tara Logan innocently has a glass of wine with her neighbor, Lee. The next thing she knows she wakes up naked in bed next to Lee, who has been brutally stabbed to death. Tara can’t remember any details of the night. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, there are just too many unbelievable events and foolish characters that prevent this book from being a must read.
Tara, who cannot figure out if she slept with Lee, decides not to call the police because she doesn’t want her husband or kids to find out that she might have had sex with their neighbor. She uses the fact that there was no blood on her body to rationalize her decision to because since she didn’t have any blood on her body, she feels that she couldn’t have murdered Lee.
Despite all of the problems I had with While You Were Sleeping, it’s still a very entertaining read. It’s a page turner that will keep you guessing. Just don’t start thinking about the events too much or you will begin to notice more and more that doesn't add up.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
November 18, 2016
Imagine yourself waking up in a bedroom that's not your own.
A bed, that's not your own.
By a man that isn't your husband.
And you are naked.
The man is covered in blood, but you aren't.
There begins the drama right at the opening chapters.
Of course, you need to read on......
And so I did, halfway through the book later I just do not want to put this book down. It's compulsive reading material and I'm being ensnared by all the spinning spiders webs that have reeled me craftily within the very core of it's existence.
I needed my sleep.
In the morning I'm telling my hubby and daughter about it.
It's on my mind. I need to get back into this story, I need to revisit all the people that surrounded me last night.
I needed to Investigate!
The author has written this intrigue with such precision that you won't find out until the end unless you can read a crystal ball or cheat and look at the last chapter, but, no, don't do that......
It's a journey that I page by page read carefully.
All the characters are real people. Oh yes they are.....to me they were. I could envision this like a good movie thriller sitting on the edge of my seat.
This is so much a 5* from me.
My thanks to Bookoutour for me copy via Net Galley
A most stimulating read.
A bed, that's not your own.
By a man that isn't your husband.
And you are naked.
The man is covered in blood, but you aren't.
There begins the drama right at the opening chapters.
Of course, you need to read on......
And so I did, halfway through the book later I just do not want to put this book down. It's compulsive reading material and I'm being ensnared by all the spinning spiders webs that have reeled me craftily within the very core of it's existence.
I needed my sleep.
In the morning I'm telling my hubby and daughter about it.
It's on my mind. I need to get back into this story, I need to revisit all the people that surrounded me last night.
I needed to Investigate!
The author has written this intrigue with such precision that you won't find out until the end unless you can read a crystal ball or cheat and look at the last chapter, but, no, don't do that......
It's a journey that I page by page read carefully.
All the characters are real people. Oh yes they are.....to me they were. I could envision this like a good movie thriller sitting on the edge of my seat.
This is so much a 5* from me.
My thanks to Bookoutour for me copy via Net Galley
A most stimulating read.
November 6, 2016
This is the third Kathryn Croft book I have read and I have found them all to be great reads and this was probably the best of the three.
In this novel Tara Logan wakes up naked in a neighbours bed to find him dead and has no recollection of the events leading up to it. Tara lives with her husband Noah and her two children Rosie and eleven year old Spencer. Her normal quiet life is thrown into turmoil, not knowing what has happened and how her neighbour has been murdered.
She is convinced she didn't kill Lee her neighbour but fears that her family will be ripped apart if she is found at the scene.
The book is full of wonderful characters and the finger of suspicion moves with virtually every chapter. This is an excellent psychological thriller with lots of secrets to uncover that kept me reading having to know the truth.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.
In this novel Tara Logan wakes up naked in a neighbours bed to find him dead and has no recollection of the events leading up to it. Tara lives with her husband Noah and her two children Rosie and eleven year old Spencer. Her normal quiet life is thrown into turmoil, not knowing what has happened and how her neighbour has been murdered.
She is convinced she didn't kill Lee her neighbour but fears that her family will be ripped apart if she is found at the scene.
The book is full of wonderful characters and the finger of suspicion moves with virtually every chapter. This is an excellent psychological thriller with lots of secrets to uncover that kept me reading having to know the truth.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.
November 17, 2016
2.5 stars.
I enjoyed Kathryn Croft's previous books, The Girl You Lost and The Girl With No Past, but I'm afraid While You Were Sleeping wasn't the right book for me. It had a really intriguing premise: A woman wakes up next to her murdered neighbor without memory of the previous night. Unfortunately, the execution had several flaws.
I think this will appeal to readers who don't mind ignoring plot holes and things that just don't make sense and who can just enjoy this for what it is, a piece of fiction.
I struggled with the actions and reactions of the characters. Their behavior was frustratingly inconsistent. The plot just wasn't credible enough. In particular, the police procedural aspects and the character of the detective didn't feel authentic at all. I would have preferred this without the detective relationship angle. As far as the writing is concerned, the protagonist's first-person perspective became repetitive at times and slowed everything down. The dialogue seemed to go round in circles.
I was going for 2 stars but I appreciated that the identity of the perpetrator ended up being a complete surprise and I enjoyed the Harvey twist at the end, so on account of those aspects, 2.5 stars, and I'm rounding up because at least I didn't feel like not finishing it.
Thanks to Bookouture for providing an ARC via NetGalley.
I enjoyed Kathryn Croft's previous books, The Girl You Lost and The Girl With No Past, but I'm afraid While You Were Sleeping wasn't the right book for me. It had a really intriguing premise: A woman wakes up next to her murdered neighbor without memory of the previous night. Unfortunately, the execution had several flaws.
I think this will appeal to readers who don't mind ignoring plot holes and things that just don't make sense and who can just enjoy this for what it is, a piece of fiction.
I struggled with the actions and reactions of the characters. Their behavior was frustratingly inconsistent. The plot just wasn't credible enough. In particular, the police procedural aspects and the character of the detective didn't feel authentic at all. I would have preferred this without the detective relationship angle. As far as the writing is concerned, the protagonist's first-person perspective became repetitive at times and slowed everything down. The dialogue seemed to go round in circles.
I was going for 2 stars but I appreciated that the identity of the perpetrator ended up being a complete surprise and I enjoyed the Harvey twist at the end, so on account of those aspects, 2.5 stars, and I'm rounding up because at least I didn't feel like not finishing it.
Thanks to Bookouture for providing an ARC via NetGalley.
May 7, 2017
Secrets and lies. Who's telling the truth and who is keeping a secret? That is the question.
This was one fascinating concept, and something that is easy to scare the pants off anyone - what if you woke up naked, in your neighbors bed, and not only do you have no recollection of how you got there, but he is also stabbed to death. Scary premise.
I could honestly not put this book down, I read it in less than 24 hours and it would have been faster had I not had to adult. This is a gripping, fast-paced, suspenseful tale and I could not wait to found out what happened. Unfortunately, the reveal, although I didn't see it coming, was a bit of a let down for me. I had my eye on another suspect, and although I really try not to put on my detective hat when reading a whodunnit, I can't help myself. (But that is half the fun of thrillers, right?!).
For anyone who is a Ryan Phillipe fan, this felt very Secrets and Lies to me (anyone else see that show? Just me?). I was completely intrigued as to how this crime affected the whole neighborhood but particularly this family. There were a lot of players involved, and I had no idea how they would come together in the end, but it all clicked nicely (just not the way I saw it clicking!).
Overall, loved the premise, the story, the suspense; not a fan of the last 10% of the book. 3.5 stars, will definitely be reading more by this author!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.
This was one fascinating concept, and something that is easy to scare the pants off anyone - what if you woke up naked, in your neighbors bed, and not only do you have no recollection of how you got there, but he is also stabbed to death. Scary premise.
I could honestly not put this book down, I read it in less than 24 hours and it would have been faster had I not had to adult. This is a gripping, fast-paced, suspenseful tale and I could not wait to found out what happened. Unfortunately, the reveal, although I didn't see it coming, was a bit of a let down for me. I had my eye on another suspect, and although I really try not to put on my detective hat when reading a whodunnit, I can't help myself. (But that is half the fun of thrillers, right?!).
For anyone who is a Ryan Phillipe fan, this felt very Secrets and Lies to me (anyone else see that show? Just me?). I was completely intrigued as to how this crime affected the whole neighborhood but particularly this family. There were a lot of players involved, and I had no idea how they would come together in the end, but it all clicked nicely (just not the way I saw it clicking!).
Overall, loved the premise, the story, the suspense; not a fan of the last 10% of the book. 3.5 stars, will definitely be reading more by this author!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2016
Looking at my one singular star, you can probably tell that I did not enjoy this book. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, but it was probably one of the worst I have read this year. So whilst I give 1 star for effort, and perhaps another half for getting it published, I am finding it hard to point out anything I actually liked about While You Were Sleeping, except the title, which sounded intriguing, and the general premise of the story, which I thought held great potential and made me request this book in the first place. So where did it go so terribly wrong?
Firstly, I found it very hard to get any sense of character, place or time in this novel. Without actually searching for it, I am still unsure of where this book was actually set. Some non-descript cul-de-sac in a suburbian neighbourhood in ??? England? Australia? Siberia? Tara’s rather bland and somewhat juvenile monologue is non-descriptive, telling rather than showing, and saying very little that is actually worthwhile knowing. Whilst the teenage Rosie can maybe be excused for being a complete strop due to her age, there was no defence for Tara’s faulty reasoning. There was no blood on me, therefore I couldn’t have killed my neighbour. No, I just woke up naked in his bed, with no recollection at all of what happened, but never mind, let’s just get on with our lives, shall we? I have seen plenty of people in shock through my work to know that there can be a certain sense of denial, but Tara really takes it to the extreme. She either is on a high dose of daily valium, or needs a mental health assessment – stat!
The writing often struck me as amateurish, and the police investigation is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever come across in a murder mystery. Forget about forensics, who needs them? No, instead, DI Holden Hunt (the name!!!), bases his whole investigation on: “Call me crazy, but I’ve always trusted my instincts, and you are not a murderer”, and shares the details of the ongoing murder investigation with one of the main suspects of the crime. Just to bring this point home to the reader, he repeats this several times in different passages: “But I am trusting my instincts here.” Perhaps this is a new technique we have not heard about, set to entrap the unsuspecting murderer? Forget method – you have instinct? Welcome to the force! I am hoping that no real police detective out there ever picks up this novel, or my emergency department will be full of police officers with sore abdominal muscles from laughing too hard!
So, giving up on taking anything that comes out of Tara’s mouth seriously after statements like: “Turning back to me, he shakes my hand, and I hope he doesn’t take my clammy palms as a sign of guilt”, I read on with the sort of wry amusement that comes from resignation. This book was never going to do it for me. I was either going to give up on it, feeling slightly cheated out of the good read promised to me by comparisons of the novel to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train (I should know by now that this usually means very little), or see the strange humour in between the lines. I hate giving up on any book, but it proved difficult. Sadly, While You Were Sleeping never managed to redeem itself to me with anything clever in its revelations or twists.
Perhaps I have been spoiled by recent 5-star reads such as The Trespasser (now there is one of the best fictional police investigations I have ever had the pleasure to read!), or I See You (a real suspense thriller), but While You Were Sleeping did not deliver for me at all. I certainly did not get the palpitations experienced by another reader, except perhaps from laughing too much about one of Tara’s more absurd statements. Thrilling? No. Believable? No. Even the mystery is questionable, as in the end I really did not care about who killed the man. But, as always, this is only my very personal opinion, so if you are game, pick it up and judge for yourself. Rant over.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly, I found it very hard to get any sense of character, place or time in this novel. Without actually searching for it, I am still unsure of where this book was actually set. Some non-descript cul-de-sac in a suburbian neighbourhood in ??? England? Australia? Siberia? Tara’s rather bland and somewhat juvenile monologue is non-descriptive, telling rather than showing, and saying very little that is actually worthwhile knowing. Whilst the teenage Rosie can maybe be excused for being a complete strop due to her age, there was no defence for Tara’s faulty reasoning. There was no blood on me, therefore I couldn’t have killed my neighbour. No, I just woke up naked in his bed, with no recollection at all of what happened, but never mind, let’s just get on with our lives, shall we? I have seen plenty of people in shock through my work to know that there can be a certain sense of denial, but Tara really takes it to the extreme. She either is on a high dose of daily valium, or needs a mental health assessment – stat!
The writing often struck me as amateurish, and the police investigation is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever come across in a murder mystery. Forget about forensics, who needs them? No, instead, DI Holden Hunt (the name!!!), bases his whole investigation on: “Call me crazy, but I’ve always trusted my instincts, and you are not a murderer”, and shares the details of the ongoing murder investigation with one of the main suspects of the crime. Just to bring this point home to the reader, he repeats this several times in different passages: “But I am trusting my instincts here.” Perhaps this is a new technique we have not heard about, set to entrap the unsuspecting murderer? Forget method – you have instinct? Welcome to the force! I am hoping that no real police detective out there ever picks up this novel, or my emergency department will be full of police officers with sore abdominal muscles from laughing too hard!
So, giving up on taking anything that comes out of Tara’s mouth seriously after statements like: “Turning back to me, he shakes my hand, and I hope he doesn’t take my clammy palms as a sign of guilt”, I read on with the sort of wry amusement that comes from resignation. This book was never going to do it for me. I was either going to give up on it, feeling slightly cheated out of the good read promised to me by comparisons of the novel to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train (I should know by now that this usually means very little), or see the strange humour in between the lines. I hate giving up on any book, but it proved difficult. Sadly, While You Were Sleeping never managed to redeem itself to me with anything clever in its revelations or twists.
Perhaps I have been spoiled by recent 5-star reads such as The Trespasser (now there is one of the best fictional police investigations I have ever had the pleasure to read!), or I See You (a real suspense thriller), but While You Were Sleeping did not deliver for me at all. I certainly did not get the palpitations experienced by another reader, except perhaps from laughing too much about one of Tara’s more absurd statements. Thrilling? No. Believable? No. Even the mystery is questionable, as in the end I really did not care about who killed the man. But, as always, this is only my very personal opinion, so if you are game, pick it up and judge for yourself. Rant over.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2017
From one of my favorite UK authors, following Kathryn Croft’s The Girl You Lost (2016) and The Girl With No Past (2015)- comes her latest, WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, Croft’s best yet!
The author possess a knack for crafting engrossing psychological thrillers, in the event, you have not heard.
An edgy and tightly constructed, "impossible to put down" mind-boggling crime mystery suspense. Cleverly crafted, a wickedly smart twisty domestic page-turner.
As the book opens, Tara wakes up in a bed naked, in her neighbor’s bed, Lee Jacobs. He is dead. She has no memory of sleeping with him. She could not do this to Noah, Rosie or Spencer. Was she drugged?
Twenty -four hours earlier.
A teenage daughter, Rosie. Who has issues, self-destruction, meltdowns. She has stalked a guy, Anthony in the past. Under her psychologist care, Dr. Marshall—she says she is under control. Spencer is the younger brother, age eleven.
Noah, the husband is packing for a business trip to New York and plans to return on Sunday. Tara is worried about her submission for the London Art Gallery competition and her limited time to complete. She is looking forward to having the house to herself to complete her project.
Rosie is staying with a friend, and Spencer is staying with grandparents. She is delighted to have the house to herself to get some work done. We also meet her jet-setter sister as we move along- Lisa and Australian hubby Harvey. Lisa and Tara are very close, yet a world’s apart, in lifestyles.
Despite her good intentions to paint all day, somehow she fell asleep while taking a break on the sofa. She receives a text from her husband he has landed in New York (he is in the advertising industry). She replies to his text.
Then she receives a text from Serena, a neighbor, and friend from across the street. She wants her to come over ASAP- she needs a shoulder to cry on. She does not pay attention to the time, the text came in. Serena and her hubby, Lee had been trying for years to have a baby and often Serena needed support from her friends, while they continued trying, with one test after another.
The calm before the storm.
Tara decides not to bother with texting back. She will take a short break and walk over. When she arrives, the hubby said the text came in earlier that morning and she is not currently home. She apologizes and turns around, to head back home.
Until Lee offers her a glass of wine. Across the road her unfinished painting awaits, but why not? It would be nice to have company and laugh for a bit. Right? Wrong.
This is where the novel stands out from the ordinary. From this point on. This situation could actually happen to anyone. It is realistic. In a split second, a choice. A choice which would forever change lives. Note to self: Never have wine with a neighbor husband in the wife’s absence. You never know who is watching.
A real whodunit mystery. Why would someone violently kill a man and leave the woman unharmed, while she was unaware of anything happening around her? Drugged? Did they have sex? What in the heck happened?
She wakes panicked. The facts: One: She knows she did not kill Lee. There was no blood on her. Two: whoever did it saw her. The killer knows her face. What if they come back for her? She leaves. Who will see her leaving Serena's house? Who will believe her? She has to call the cops, or let him be found?
CI (Holden) Hunt and DS Aldridge are heading the murder case. A crime of passion. With many suspects, red herrings, and suspects, Croft takes you down many twisted intriguing paths; however, she keeps you in the game.
"The truth is, how well do we ever know anyone? Secrets and Lies. Are things black and white?"
From Part I (the murder) and events leading up to the incident.
Part II (Three weeks later) an arrest. Everyone in the neighborhood is shouting accusations at Tara and her daughter Rosie (murderers), even though no evidence. How could there be charges, when no one could prove the connections? Some distressing news. So many suspects. A complex web of deceit and lies. The person you least expect.
Part III (Six weeks later) The aftermath. The jealousy, greed, a suitable scapegoat, someone to take the fall. More deaths. All is unraveled. The killer comes to light.
“Sometimes it’s just hard to see the truth when it’s hidden in so many lies.”
Her own husband is not where he says he was, Serena is acting weird, Rosie says she has a new boyfriend whom they have not met, was Lee having an affair, a mysterious engraved watch, Lee’s wedding ring. A stalking teacher. A voice from the past.
A setup? Lee. Serena. Mikey. Rosie. A witness. Tara is driving herself crazy, trying to figure out the killer's identity, while protecting her own family. Is she safe? Now her sister Lisa needs her help. The strong cool one. How could things be any worse?
Tara cannot trust anyone, especially those close to her. Can she trust herself? Blackmail. Nothing makes sense. A stalker? A past.
“Lies and secrets are only ticking time bombs, waiting for the moment they can wreak the most havoc.”
Time is running out. Is someone trying to frame their family? The person you may trust the most could be the one to fear the most.
I love Croft’s writing style! It is crisp, taut, and keeps you focused (read in one sitting). There is never a language barrier, no matter what part of the world you are may reside. Heart-pounding action, with so many suspects, yet each one is so believable, keeping you reading to find how this complex scenario will end.
Engrossing and completely absorbing, the intensity and suspense is riveting. You are in the mind of Tara; confused and bewildered as the events unfold before her very eyes. The desperation is felt and the intensity electrifying. I have enjoyed immensely, Croft’s previous three books and now a strong desire to go back and read her first two. An author to follow.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING is fast-paced non-stop action; reflecting the dangers of suspicion, revenge, and obsession. Truly addictive, keeping you guessing until the breathless conclusion. Highly recommend!
A special thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
The author possess a knack for crafting engrossing psychological thrillers, in the event, you have not heard.
An edgy and tightly constructed, "impossible to put down" mind-boggling crime mystery suspense. Cleverly crafted, a wickedly smart twisty domestic page-turner.
As the book opens, Tara wakes up in a bed naked, in her neighbor’s bed, Lee Jacobs. He is dead. She has no memory of sleeping with him. She could not do this to Noah, Rosie or Spencer. Was she drugged?
Twenty -four hours earlier.
A teenage daughter, Rosie. Who has issues, self-destruction, meltdowns. She has stalked a guy, Anthony in the past. Under her psychologist care, Dr. Marshall—she says she is under control. Spencer is the younger brother, age eleven.
Noah, the husband is packing for a business trip to New York and plans to return on Sunday. Tara is worried about her submission for the London Art Gallery competition and her limited time to complete. She is looking forward to having the house to herself to complete her project.
Rosie is staying with a friend, and Spencer is staying with grandparents. She is delighted to have the house to herself to get some work done. We also meet her jet-setter sister as we move along- Lisa and Australian hubby Harvey. Lisa and Tara are very close, yet a world’s apart, in lifestyles.
Despite her good intentions to paint all day, somehow she fell asleep while taking a break on the sofa. She receives a text from her husband he has landed in New York (he is in the advertising industry). She replies to his text.
Then she receives a text from Serena, a neighbor, and friend from across the street. She wants her to come over ASAP- she needs a shoulder to cry on. She does not pay attention to the time, the text came in. Serena and her hubby, Lee had been trying for years to have a baby and often Serena needed support from her friends, while they continued trying, with one test after another.
The calm before the storm.
Tara decides not to bother with texting back. She will take a short break and walk over. When she arrives, the hubby said the text came in earlier that morning and she is not currently home. She apologizes and turns around, to head back home.
Until Lee offers her a glass of wine. Across the road her unfinished painting awaits, but why not? It would be nice to have company and laugh for a bit. Right? Wrong.
This is where the novel stands out from the ordinary. From this point on. This situation could actually happen to anyone. It is realistic. In a split second, a choice. A choice which would forever change lives. Note to self: Never have wine with a neighbor husband in the wife’s absence. You never know who is watching.
A real whodunit mystery. Why would someone violently kill a man and leave the woman unharmed, while she was unaware of anything happening around her? Drugged? Did they have sex? What in the heck happened?
She wakes panicked. The facts: One: She knows she did not kill Lee. There was no blood on her. Two: whoever did it saw her. The killer knows her face. What if they come back for her? She leaves. Who will see her leaving Serena's house? Who will believe her? She has to call the cops, or let him be found?
CI (Holden) Hunt and DS Aldridge are heading the murder case. A crime of passion. With many suspects, red herrings, and suspects, Croft takes you down many twisted intriguing paths; however, she keeps you in the game.
"The truth is, how well do we ever know anyone? Secrets and Lies. Are things black and white?"
From Part I (the murder) and events leading up to the incident.
Part II (Three weeks later) an arrest. Everyone in the neighborhood is shouting accusations at Tara and her daughter Rosie (murderers), even though no evidence. How could there be charges, when no one could prove the connections? Some distressing news. So many suspects. A complex web of deceit and lies. The person you least expect.
Part III (Six weeks later) The aftermath. The jealousy, greed, a suitable scapegoat, someone to take the fall. More deaths. All is unraveled. The killer comes to light.
“Sometimes it’s just hard to see the truth when it’s hidden in so many lies.”
Her own husband is not where he says he was, Serena is acting weird, Rosie says she has a new boyfriend whom they have not met, was Lee having an affair, a mysterious engraved watch, Lee’s wedding ring. A stalking teacher. A voice from the past.
A setup? Lee. Serena. Mikey. Rosie. A witness. Tara is driving herself crazy, trying to figure out the killer's identity, while protecting her own family. Is she safe? Now her sister Lisa needs her help. The strong cool one. How could things be any worse?
Tara cannot trust anyone, especially those close to her. Can she trust herself? Blackmail. Nothing makes sense. A stalker? A past.
“Lies and secrets are only ticking time bombs, waiting for the moment they can wreak the most havoc.”
Time is running out. Is someone trying to frame their family? The person you may trust the most could be the one to fear the most.
I love Croft’s writing style! It is crisp, taut, and keeps you focused (read in one sitting). There is never a language barrier, no matter what part of the world you are may reside. Heart-pounding action, with so many suspects, yet each one is so believable, keeping you reading to find how this complex scenario will end.
Engrossing and completely absorbing, the intensity and suspense is riveting. You are in the mind of Tara; confused and bewildered as the events unfold before her very eyes. The desperation is felt and the intensity electrifying. I have enjoyed immensely, Croft’s previous three books and now a strong desire to go back and read her first two. An author to follow.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING is fast-paced non-stop action; reflecting the dangers of suspicion, revenge, and obsession. Truly addictive, keeping you guessing until the breathless conclusion. Highly recommend!
A special thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
December 4, 2016
I loved the premise of this book. The setup is great and should make for an intriguing read, and at times it is, but sadly it loses its way plenty of times and ultimately leaves the reader cold and unsatisfied.
Our main character and narrator in the book, Tara wakes up in her neighbours bed, a man called Lee, with no recollection of how she ended up there. She's naked and Lee is lying beside her. But Lee is covered in blood and Lee is dead.
Tara flees the scene back to her own house shocked and confused at what may have happened and decides for the good of her family(she's married with two kids)that she should say nothing about being there, hoping she can find out what happened.
So a great start and a lovely set up for mystery and intrigue. The story is told through Tara's eyes and has plenty of twists and turns throughout. Plenty of finger pointing and red herrings before finally getting the reveal at the end.
I liked the premise of the book and initially I really liked the story as we travel through it with Tara as she tries to make senses of what happened and we try and guess who the killer is.
The thing is, this is quite a small intimate story with a relatively small cast of characters. The majority of the story takes place in a small locality and is a case of what happened that Tara can't remember and who is the killer. It's going to take some pretty clever writing and story telling to flesh this out into 300+ page novel and this is unfortunately one of the areas where the book falls down.
There are plenty of plot holes, plenty of frankly ludicrous decisions by some of the main characters, that feel torpedoed into the story as a plot device to move the story along and it just kills any tension that is starting to build up. I remember the first couple of times it happened I just said to myself I'd go with it as I was somewhat enjoying reading the book but it quickly began to grate. Some of the decisions the characters made really were silly, stood out like a sore thumb as an awkward means to an end by the author and killed any flow that the reader was enjoying. Hell even a couple of the characters I found ludicrous and awkwardly placed in the novel purely as plot devices and that's never a good sign.
There's the making of a good novel here. It's just poorly executed.
It's by no means terrible and I always intended to finish it but it's too long for its own good, it's too convoluted with too many manufactured twists and too many totally unbelievable decisions by characters which are obviously being written as a plot device and just feel very forced and awkward. I found myself saying to myself "ah here, this is just silly" on numerous occasions. Never a good sign.
A case of what might have been. I'd mark this 2.5 stars.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC for an honest and unbiased review.
Our main character and narrator in the book, Tara wakes up in her neighbours bed, a man called Lee, with no recollection of how she ended up there. She's naked and Lee is lying beside her. But Lee is covered in blood and Lee is dead.
Tara flees the scene back to her own house shocked and confused at what may have happened and decides for the good of her family(she's married with two kids)that she should say nothing about being there, hoping she can find out what happened.
So a great start and a lovely set up for mystery and intrigue. The story is told through Tara's eyes and has plenty of twists and turns throughout. Plenty of finger pointing and red herrings before finally getting the reveal at the end.
I liked the premise of the book and initially I really liked the story as we travel through it with Tara as she tries to make senses of what happened and we try and guess who the killer is.
The thing is, this is quite a small intimate story with a relatively small cast of characters. The majority of the story takes place in a small locality and is a case of what happened that Tara can't remember and who is the killer. It's going to take some pretty clever writing and story telling to flesh this out into 300+ page novel and this is unfortunately one of the areas where the book falls down.
There are plenty of plot holes, plenty of frankly ludicrous decisions by some of the main characters, that feel torpedoed into the story as a plot device to move the story along and it just kills any tension that is starting to build up. I remember the first couple of times it happened I just said to myself I'd go with it as I was somewhat enjoying reading the book but it quickly began to grate. Some of the decisions the characters made really were silly, stood out like a sore thumb as an awkward means to an end by the author and killed any flow that the reader was enjoying. Hell even a couple of the characters I found ludicrous and awkwardly placed in the novel purely as plot devices and that's never a good sign.
There's the making of a good novel here. It's just poorly executed.
It's by no means terrible and I always intended to finish it but it's too long for its own good, it's too convoluted with too many manufactured twists and too many totally unbelievable decisions by characters which are obviously being written as a plot device and just feel very forced and awkward. I found myself saying to myself "ah here, this is just silly" on numerous occasions. Never a good sign.
A case of what might have been. I'd mark this 2.5 stars.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC for an honest and unbiased review.
October 22, 2016
She wakes up naked ... not in her own bed, not in her own room. Beside her is a man who is not her husband...but she knows who he is. He is dead, covered in blood. She has no memory of how she got there or what has obviously happened.
Tara Logan makes a decision ... get home and pretend this never happened.
She has a husband and two children. Her husband, Noah, is away on business. Her daughter, Rosie, has problems. The son, Spencer, is the only bright spot in this dysfunctional family. Noah has had an affair. Rosie stalked a former boyfriend and has a really nasty habit of lying. Spencer knows things about Rosie, but won't tell.
Someone killed her neighbor .. her friend's husband ... and she knows that someone has seen her in his bed. She needs the police to solve this crime before her family learns the truth.
This is a very good psychological who-done-it... very well written with a cast of many possible suspects. As in every good mystery, there are lies and secrets that are exposed. Twists and turns abound until the reader has no idea who is telling the truth. I was somewhat disappointed in the finale. I was expecting sizzle and got fizzle.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Tara Logan makes a decision ... get home and pretend this never happened.
She has a husband and two children. Her husband, Noah, is away on business. Her daughter, Rosie, has problems. The son, Spencer, is the only bright spot in this dysfunctional family. Noah has had an affair. Rosie stalked a former boyfriend and has a really nasty habit of lying. Spencer knows things about Rosie, but won't tell.
Someone killed her neighbor .. her friend's husband ... and she knows that someone has seen her in his bed. She needs the police to solve this crime before her family learns the truth.
This is a very good psychological who-done-it... very well written with a cast of many possible suspects. As in every good mystery, there are lies and secrets that are exposed. Twists and turns abound until the reader has no idea who is telling the truth. I was somewhat disappointed in the finale. I was expecting sizzle and got fizzle.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
February 6, 2017
I now understand why there are so many conflicting reviews for this book.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING by Kathryn Croft is a psychological suspense/thriller that is fast paced and a page turner, with many red herrings and twists. It will keep you reading until the end, but it was not my favorite.
When Tara Logan wakes up naked next to her dead neighbor in his bed, she has no memory of how she got there or what happened. She dresses, runs across the road to her own home and decides not to say anything.
She has a husband, Noah, who has cheated on her, a teenage daughter, Rosie, who has a history of lying and stalking and her young son, Spencer. As the investigation into her neighbor’s death progresses everyone comes under suspicion for differing reasons. The picture of the perfect family is no longer perfect and Tara no longer knows who to believe. Besides the family, there are secondary characters that are creepy and questionable.
This is a well written plot that constantly keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat and the ending was a big surprise but it didn’t deliver. It just sort of fell flat for me and then it is the end very quickly. I also had a huge problem with the DCI working the case. He gives a suspect information and becomes involved with her, but then he is worked out of the story. If his purpose was just to deliver info, it wasn’t realistic and another way should have been considered.
Very interesting premise and plot, great use of plot twists, interesting characters, just not a good ending for me.
Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for allowing me to read a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING by Kathryn Croft is a psychological suspense/thriller that is fast paced and a page turner, with many red herrings and twists. It will keep you reading until the end, but it was not my favorite.
When Tara Logan wakes up naked next to her dead neighbor in his bed, she has no memory of how she got there or what happened. She dresses, runs across the road to her own home and decides not to say anything.
She has a husband, Noah, who has cheated on her, a teenage daughter, Rosie, who has a history of lying and stalking and her young son, Spencer. As the investigation into her neighbor’s death progresses everyone comes under suspicion for differing reasons. The picture of the perfect family is no longer perfect and Tara no longer knows who to believe. Besides the family, there are secondary characters that are creepy and questionable.
This is a well written plot that constantly keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat and the ending was a big surprise but it didn’t deliver. It just sort of fell flat for me and then it is the end very quickly. I also had a huge problem with the DCI working the case. He gives a suspect information and becomes involved with her, but then he is worked out of the story. If his purpose was just to deliver info, it wasn’t realistic and another way should have been considered.
Very interesting premise and plot, great use of plot twists, interesting characters, just not a good ending for me.
Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for allowing me to read a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2017
Readathon 1/26: Ένα αστυνομικό βιβλίο
OMG.... !!!!!
What was that!?!?!?!?
The story was mixed in a tricky way with a lot of suspects. Of course there were mistakes and omissions. It was like the writer not felt 100% safe for the choices or even be afraid that would be lost in complexity.
I felt that it went from a safe distance.
But the point of the book achieved ... the guilty was caught and the most important was that it did not go my mind to that person only when I discovered by the writer ...
4 stars ... although it could better ..
OMG.... !!!!!
What was that!?!?!?!?
The story was mixed in a tricky way with a lot of suspects. Of course there were mistakes and omissions. It was like the writer not felt 100% safe for the choices or even be afraid that would be lost in complexity.
I felt that it went from a safe distance.
But the point of the book achieved ... the guilty was caught and the most important was that it did not go my mind to that person only when I discovered by the writer ...
4 stars ... although it could better ..
November 1, 2016
Tara Logan wakes up one morning in a strange bed with no memory of the night before. When she finds that she is in her neighbor's bed and he is covered in blood and has been murdered she panics and heads for home. Tara knows no matter what she remembers she would never have killed anyone so in order to protect her family she keeps her secret.
When the police come knocking on their door though Tara and her family find themselves right in the middle of the investigation. Not only does Tara have her secrets but so do her husband and her teenage daughter so the family finds themselves all suspects as the investigation takes place.
My third time reading a Kathryn Croft novel and the third time I find myself glued to the book until the very end. At the start of this story I thought perhaps I knew what would happen but believe me I kept changing my mind with every page turn so congrats again to keeping me guessing Ms. Croft.
My one complaint with this book though came with a relationship that formed in the middle of the book. Without giving away any spoilers I'll just say I found it odd and somewhat out of place but it wasn't really pursued too terribly much so I didn't take off too much for this one. Thankfully I was too busy following the suspects and enjoying the suspense portion of the read.
Overall, 4.5 stars, another great page turning thriller from this author. I definitely count myself as a fan and will look forward to reading more.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
When the police come knocking on their door though Tara and her family find themselves right in the middle of the investigation. Not only does Tara have her secrets but so do her husband and her teenage daughter so the family finds themselves all suspects as the investigation takes place.
My third time reading a Kathryn Croft novel and the third time I find myself glued to the book until the very end. At the start of this story I thought perhaps I knew what would happen but believe me I kept changing my mind with every page turn so congrats again to keeping me guessing Ms. Croft.
My one complaint with this book though came with a relationship that formed in the middle of the book. Without giving away any spoilers I'll just say I found it odd and somewhat out of place but it wasn't really pursued too terribly much so I didn't take off too much for this one. Thankfully I was too busy following the suspects and enjoying the suspense portion of the read.
Overall, 4.5 stars, another great page turning thriller from this author. I definitely count myself as a fan and will look forward to reading more.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
February 9, 2017
Oh my goodness you guys, I loved this book! I was literally hooked from the first page!
Definitely one of my favorite thrillers I've read this year!
While You Were Sleeping starts with Tara waking up in her neighbor Lee's bed, with no memory of how she got there. She remembers going to his house having a drink or two, and then nothing. Problem number one? They are both married to other people. Problem number two? She wakes up to Lee's dead body next to her. Dun dun dunnnnnn!
The story continues as Tara rushes back to her house...she has no blood on her, so she can't have committed the murder, can she? She knows she'd never cheat on her husband either, so how did she end up in Lee's bed? What happened? As more questions arise, we learn that someone close to Tara may have been somehow involved in Lee's death.
This story had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. I constantly was guessing and re-guessing as to what really happened, and I loved the turns the book took. I was so engrossed and invested in Tara and what would happen to her and her family, and in finding out what really happened that night!
I won't give anything away, because I think this book is a must-read for all thriller fans! It was so good! I really loved how the story progressed. I didn't feel like anything was too drawn out or unnecessarily long, which is an issue I've had with some recent books I've read. I felt like the author did a great job of moving us through the story quickly and making us invested in the characters (even if we didn't like them). I like that there was context developed into why Tara and her husband Nate's relationship was strained. I loved the fact that Tara's neighbors were so nosey and judgmental, because I feel like that was a totally accurate representation of small-neighborhood life. Everyone wants to know what's going on with everyone else so they can gossip about it!
I have to say, just when I thought I had everything figured out, I was totally wrong! I didn't see the ending coming, and I loved that!
Anyway, if you haven't gone out and bought While You Were Sleeping, DO IT NOW! Seriously, go!! You won't regret it!
Thank you to Netgalley, Kathryn Croft, and Bookouture Publishing for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Definitely one of my favorite thrillers I've read this year!
While You Were Sleeping starts with Tara waking up in her neighbor Lee's bed, with no memory of how she got there. She remembers going to his house having a drink or two, and then nothing. Problem number one? They are both married to other people. Problem number two? She wakes up to Lee's dead body next to her. Dun dun dunnnnnn!
The story continues as Tara rushes back to her house...she has no blood on her, so she can't have committed the murder, can she? She knows she'd never cheat on her husband either, so how did she end up in Lee's bed? What happened? As more questions arise, we learn that someone close to Tara may have been somehow involved in Lee's death.
This story had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. I constantly was guessing and re-guessing as to what really happened, and I loved the turns the book took. I was so engrossed and invested in Tara and what would happen to her and her family, and in finding out what really happened that night!
I won't give anything away, because I think this book is a must-read for all thriller fans! It was so good! I really loved how the story progressed. I didn't feel like anything was too drawn out or unnecessarily long, which is an issue I've had with some recent books I've read. I felt like the author did a great job of moving us through the story quickly and making us invested in the characters (even if we didn't like them). I like that there was context developed into why Tara and her husband Nate's relationship was strained. I loved the fact that Tara's neighbors were so nosey and judgmental, because I feel like that was a totally accurate representation of small-neighborhood life. Everyone wants to know what's going on with everyone else so they can gossip about it!
I have to say, just when I thought I had everything figured out, I was totally wrong! I didn't see the ending coming, and I loved that!
Anyway, if you haven't gone out and bought While You Were Sleeping, DO IT NOW! Seriously, go!! You won't regret it!
Thank you to Netgalley, Kathryn Croft, and Bookouture Publishing for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 16, 2016
I have read a few books by this author now and hands down this is the best one of hers I have read so far.
The author had me well and truly gripped right from the start. Not only is Tara desperate to know how she ends up finding herself waking up next to her dead neighbours body, but so was I.
It feels like Tara is going slightly mad, she is racking her brain to try and remember what happened that fateful evening. She knows there is no way she did it but she has no other explanation.
Not only is Tara coming apart, things within her family seem to be falling apart also. I felt quite sorry for Tara as she really has enough on her plate, not only is she frightened that it looks like she has killed someone, she also has a husband and daughter who seem to struggle to tell her the truth and she has all sorts of things going through her mind.
There are so many twists and turns in this story my heart was literally pounding. Like Tara, I didn’t know what or who to believe. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough so I could find out who the murderer actually was and it was well worth the wait.
While You were Sleeping is a brilliant psychological thriller that had me gripped and guessing right until the very end. It is a fast paced read that will have your heart racing. Loved it!
My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
The author had me well and truly gripped right from the start. Not only is Tara desperate to know how she ends up finding herself waking up next to her dead neighbours body, but so was I.
It feels like Tara is going slightly mad, she is racking her brain to try and remember what happened that fateful evening. She knows there is no way she did it but she has no other explanation.
Not only is Tara coming apart, things within her family seem to be falling apart also. I felt quite sorry for Tara as she really has enough on her plate, not only is she frightened that it looks like she has killed someone, she also has a husband and daughter who seem to struggle to tell her the truth and she has all sorts of things going through her mind.
There are so many twists and turns in this story my heart was literally pounding. Like Tara, I didn’t know what or who to believe. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough so I could find out who the murderer actually was and it was well worth the wait.
While You were Sleeping is a brilliant psychological thriller that had me gripped and guessing right until the very end. It is a fast paced read that will have your heart racing. Loved it!
My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
November 17, 2016
While You Were Sleeping is a psychological thriller which focuses on Tara Logan and her family and the effect that keeping secrets can have on your family, friends and those you are closest to. Tara wakes up next to her dead neighbour, in his bed. What happened to Lee? And why is Tara there?
I read this book in two sittings. I couldn’t put it down because the narrative is almost compulsive in its delivery. The characterisation is interesting too. To be honest, the only character I liked, was 11 year old Spencer. Intuitive but searingly innocent, he is the least tainted character in a book full of terrible people.
Secrets have the ability to destroy lives, and While You Were Sleeping is a good example of what can happen to those who hide things. It seems as though everyone is hiding something, which creates seriously unreliable narrators and makes the reader question everyone and their motives.
I found While You Were Sleeping to be a fast-paced read. Full of characters that are divisive and morally wrong, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how other readers will get on! For me personally, it was not as gripping as her previous books but still a good read all the same. Pure escapism, with a hint of implausibility, but I was hooked nonetheless!
I read this book in two sittings. I couldn’t put it down because the narrative is almost compulsive in its delivery. The characterisation is interesting too. To be honest, the only character I liked, was 11 year old Spencer. Intuitive but searingly innocent, he is the least tainted character in a book full of terrible people.
Secrets have the ability to destroy lives, and While You Were Sleeping is a good example of what can happen to those who hide things. It seems as though everyone is hiding something, which creates seriously unreliable narrators and makes the reader question everyone and their motives.
I found While You Were Sleeping to be a fast-paced read. Full of characters that are divisive and morally wrong, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how other readers will get on! For me personally, it was not as gripping as her previous books but still a good read all the same. Pure escapism, with a hint of implausibility, but I was hooked nonetheless!
November 15, 2016
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
Holy smokes, what an exciting and suspenseful read! There was twist after twist, and turn after turn in this one. What a completely addicting read, I was sucker punched repeatedly and the hits just kept on coming. I LOVE when a book can keep blindsiding me, and this one managed to do it many times. I was feeling like the dreaded reading slump was knocking on my door, but after reading this, the slump is no longer lingering!
Tara wakes up, naked in her neighbor, Lee’s bed. She can’t remember what happened the night before, and when she wakes up enough to realize Lee is dead beside her, she’s shocked and horrified. With an opening chapter like that, naturally I was hooked. Then, you quickly realize that the entire Logan family has problems with telling the truth. We’ve all read books with unreliable narrators, but what if an entire family is unreliable?!
With all of the plot twists and secrets and lies, I won’t be discussing many details. I will say I wasn’t fond of any of the characters though, but the teenaged daughter, Rosie, was by far the worst. She was so bratty and selfish I wanted to wring her neck. The rest of the family wasn’t much better as they all constantly lied and betrayed each other, but this added so much tension to the story that I loved. You really never knew who to trust, and just when one person seems believable, Croft throws a wrench into things and you’re back to square one, guessing and questioning all over again.
My one small issue with this was the involvement of the police, specifically Holden Hunt. He just didn’t seem to handle the investigation properly whatsoever, and it wasn’t very believable. However, I didn’t really care all that much because everything else about the book was so fantastic! I was able to easily suspend my disbelief and shove my doubts to the side. The ending more than made up for my moments of doubt, I never saw it coming and was stunned.
Holy smokes, what an exciting and suspenseful read! There was twist after twist, and turn after turn in this one. What a completely addicting read, I was sucker punched repeatedly and the hits just kept on coming. I LOVE when a book can keep blindsiding me, and this one managed to do it many times. I was feeling like the dreaded reading slump was knocking on my door, but after reading this, the slump is no longer lingering!
Tara wakes up, naked in her neighbor, Lee’s bed. She can’t remember what happened the night before, and when she wakes up enough to realize Lee is dead beside her, she’s shocked and horrified. With an opening chapter like that, naturally I was hooked. Then, you quickly realize that the entire Logan family has problems with telling the truth. We’ve all read books with unreliable narrators, but what if an entire family is unreliable?!
With all of the plot twists and secrets and lies, I won’t be discussing many details. I will say I wasn’t fond of any of the characters though, but the teenaged daughter, Rosie, was by far the worst. She was so bratty and selfish I wanted to wring her neck. The rest of the family wasn’t much better as they all constantly lied and betrayed each other, but this added so much tension to the story that I loved. You really never knew who to trust, and just when one person seems believable, Croft throws a wrench into things and you’re back to square one, guessing and questioning all over again.
My one small issue with this was the involvement of the police, specifically Holden Hunt. He just didn’t seem to handle the investigation properly whatsoever, and it wasn’t very believable. However, I didn’t really care all that much because everything else about the book was so fantastic! I was able to easily suspend my disbelief and shove my doubts to the side. The ending more than made up for my moments of doubt, I never saw it coming and was stunned.
November 29, 2016
I really enjoyed reading The Girl You Lost so I was really pleased when I was approved for a arc of this one by netgalley and was looking forward to getting comfy in my favourite chair and enjoying a really good book.The synopsis made the story sound like my sort of thriller and the story does have quite a few twists and red herrings that keep the reader guessing.The mystery of who murdered Tara`s neighbour Lee was intreguing,my problem with the book was the actions and behaviour of the characters.
Tara Logan's quiet life starts to fall apart one morning after she wakes up next to the very dead body of her neighbour Lee Jacobs.She is naked and can't remember what happened the night before but she does know one thing,she didn't kill him.She doesn't want to break up her already dysfunctional family so instead of calling the police she gets dressed and goes home and tries to pretend that the awful event never happened.Even when her seventeen year old daughter Rosie becomes under suspicion Tara still doesn't say anything about being at her neighbours house that night.The story is narrated by Tara who is a very frustrating and indecisive character especially when it came down to the quilt or innocence of her daughter.The most annoying thing about Tara and something that really puts me off when it happens in a book is that almost every male character that interacted with her throughout the book wanted to be involved with her romantically including DCI Holden Hunt (that name cracked me up...lol) who was quite happy to share the details of the investigation with her and came running everytime she called him.Most detectives need evidence before they question a suspect,not this detective,Tara says that they are acting suspiciously so that`s enough for him.
Tara`s husband Noah was a hypocrite who did a runner when he found out something about Tara that he didn't like even though he told his fair share of lies himself.
I think that Rosie was a telling so many lies because it was her way of trying to get some attention from her parents.Rosie had a younger brother called Spencer who was a goody goody little Angel and obviously was their parents favourite.He spent the whole of the book either watching films or at his grandparents or friends house, when he was at home everyone had to talk quietly so that Spencer didn't catch wind of the problems in the house.The problem will that was if he was as clever as Tara insisted that he was then he would have worked out that something was wrong all by himself.
I gave the book two stars because I thought the premise was good,any one of a number of the characters could have been the killer and there was a interesting twist at the end.From reading through the other reviews I can see that I am in the minority but unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did The girl you Lost but it won't stop me reading more books by this author in the future.
Many thanks to Bookouture for a arc of this book in exchange for a honest review.
Tara Logan's quiet life starts to fall apart one morning after she wakes up next to the very dead body of her neighbour Lee Jacobs.She is naked and can't remember what happened the night before but she does know one thing,she didn't kill him.She doesn't want to break up her already dysfunctional family so instead of calling the police she gets dressed and goes home and tries to pretend that the awful event never happened.Even when her seventeen year old daughter Rosie becomes under suspicion Tara still doesn't say anything about being at her neighbours house that night.The story is narrated by Tara who is a very frustrating and indecisive character especially when it came down to the quilt or innocence of her daughter.The most annoying thing about Tara and something that really puts me off when it happens in a book is that almost every male character that interacted with her throughout the book wanted to be involved with her romantically including DCI Holden Hunt (that name cracked me up...lol) who was quite happy to share the details of the investigation with her and came running everytime she called him.Most detectives need evidence before they question a suspect,not this detective,Tara says that they are acting suspiciously so that`s enough for him.
Tara`s husband Noah was a hypocrite who did a runner when he found out something about Tara that he didn't like even though he told his fair share of lies himself.
I think that Rosie was a telling so many lies because it was her way of trying to get some attention from her parents.Rosie had a younger brother called Spencer who was a goody goody little Angel and obviously was their parents favourite.He spent the whole of the book either watching films or at his grandparents or friends house, when he was at home everyone had to talk quietly so that Spencer didn't catch wind of the problems in the house.The problem will that was if he was as clever as Tara insisted that he was then he would have worked out that something was wrong all by himself.
I gave the book two stars because I thought the premise was good,any one of a number of the characters could have been the killer and there was a interesting twist at the end.From reading through the other reviews I can see that I am in the minority but unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did The girl you Lost but it won't stop me reading more books by this author in the future.
Many thanks to Bookouture for a arc of this book in exchange for a honest review.
December 27, 2016
Tara Logan wakes up naked in her neighbour Lee's bed, she has no idea how she got there, or why Lee has a knife hanging out of him. The first thing Tara does know is that she had nothing to do with this man's death and the second is that she does not want her family finding out. Tara's husband is away on business, her daughter Rosie has her own set of issues and her son Spencer is also keeping quiet about his sister's problems. This is a great psychological thriller, lies, secrets and people with their own agendas all add up to make another extremely enjoyable book from Kathyrn Croft.
February 6, 2017
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Kathryn Croft for the opportunity to read this book in return for a fair and honest review.
This book grabbed me from the very first page and kept me enthralled until the very last page. Psychological thriller is definitely the right genre for this book, I loved every minute of it.
Tara Logan wakes up in a strange bed naked and that is the least of her problems. Apparently, she is in this bed with her neighbor Lee Jacobs, who is also naked but covered in blood from being stabbed to death. The only thing Tara is sure about is that she did not kill Lee!!
This book is full twist and turns that will keep you guessing throughout the story. It is chocked full of lies, secrets, infidelity, murder and suspenseful thrills. The story is a fast-paced complex story told from Tara's point of view. Kathryn Croft does an extraordinary job of describing all the emotions and uncertainties that Tara is dealing with.
Basically, I found every character in this story a suspect at one point or another, which kept me guessing and glued to the pages. Just when you think you have it all figured out, more secrets and lies are revealed creating another possible suspect.
With my long list of suspects, I thought at one point or another I had to have figured this all out... HA... NOT!! The one person I never suspected was the culprit!! What a captivating amazing end to this incredible story!!
I highly recommend this book to lovers of the psychological thriller genre!!
This book grabbed me from the very first page and kept me enthralled until the very last page. Psychological thriller is definitely the right genre for this book, I loved every minute of it.
Tara Logan wakes up in a strange bed naked and that is the least of her problems. Apparently, she is in this bed with her neighbor Lee Jacobs, who is also naked but covered in blood from being stabbed to death. The only thing Tara is sure about is that she did not kill Lee!!
This book is full twist and turns that will keep you guessing throughout the story. It is chocked full of lies, secrets, infidelity, murder and suspenseful thrills. The story is a fast-paced complex story told from Tara's point of view. Kathryn Croft does an extraordinary job of describing all the emotions and uncertainties that Tara is dealing with.
Basically, I found every character in this story a suspect at one point or another, which kept me guessing and glued to the pages. Just when you think you have it all figured out, more secrets and lies are revealed creating another possible suspect.
With my long list of suspects, I thought at one point or another I had to have figured this all out... HA... NOT!! The one person I never suspected was the culprit!! What a captivating amazing end to this incredible story!!
I highly recommend this book to lovers of the psychological thriller genre!!
April 20, 2018
Terrible way to wake up
Imagine that you wake up in bed with a guy you don't know so well and you don't even remember how you ended up there. That's exactly what happens with Tara Logan. She wakes up in bed with a man who lives in the same neighborhood as her. She discovers something is wrong and she runs out in the middle of the night to her own house. Next day, the entire neighborhood gets shocked, when they get to know that Lee is dead. Tara doesn't tell anyone that she was with him the night before since she doesn't remember anything and she has her own family to protect. Lee was a married man, and his wife and Tara were good friends. The neighborhood is turned upside down when they find out that Lee is murdered, and memories slowly returns but not much of it. Tara keeps quiet about it since she is sure she didn't murder him despite her memory loss. Instead she is focusing on keeping the family together and trying to keep things going as usual even though her mind is a total chaos. A while a go, her husband, Noah, left them a whole year before returning and she doesn't want her family to split again. But is is possible to live a normal life in a neighborhood where a murder just happened? And she doesn't even remember the last night with the victim ...
There are a lot of psychological thrillers getting published these days. This one was published two years ago and Kathryn Croft was previously an unknown author to me but I explore both known and unknown writers. The concept had a promising starting point, although memory loss is not original in this genre. How many times haven't we read about it already? But it's not just to keep the secret that she was in the neighbor's house on the night of the murder she's struggling with and trying to get the memory back. Her eldest daughter, Rosie, is a girl with many problems. She is a good girl deep inside but tends to create a lot of problems around her, which has meant that Tara and her husband, Noah, often have to lecture her/have serious talks with her, despite the fact that the girl is soon to be eighteen years old. But a mother does anything to keep the family together, but are they strong enough this time? It's not easy when almost everyone in the family holds something back, and slowly, but surely is sliding apart.
This may not be a hardcore psychological thriller, but it's more about being a mother, following the mother instinct, family ties and trying to be strong when the storm goes on. That kind of a thriller. An emotional thriller may be a closer description where you do everything to protect each other, even when you feel that everything is falling apart. Family is a thicker band than anything else.
The book is only 320 pages long and although the story itself is thin and predictable for my liking, it gets a high score for the atmosphere and character developement. You get to know the characters really well even the characters that has small roles. Just a shame that the story itself is so thin. I would like a bit more suspense and undertones, because the story had a good starting point, but unfortunately it got ruined in too much itrigues and too much back and forth drama in the main character's family. It's so much of it that at times it became more annoying than immersive.
It's exciting to explore unknown authors. Sometimes you come across new favorites and sometimes not. This became a lukewarm experience. I like giving authors more than one chance, so I will read more by Croft later. Just glad I did not choose this book as Easter read. Then I would have been even more disappointed. There was too much drama instead of suspense, and the main character is not the brightest when it comes to the people she's involved with.
Imagine that you wake up in bed with a guy you don't know so well and you don't even remember how you ended up there. That's exactly what happens with Tara Logan. She wakes up in bed with a man who lives in the same neighborhood as her. She discovers something is wrong and she runs out in the middle of the night to her own house. Next day, the entire neighborhood gets shocked, when they get to know that Lee is dead. Tara doesn't tell anyone that she was with him the night before since she doesn't remember anything and she has her own family to protect. Lee was a married man, and his wife and Tara were good friends. The neighborhood is turned upside down when they find out that Lee is murdered, and memories slowly returns but not much of it. Tara keeps quiet about it since she is sure she didn't murder him despite her memory loss. Instead she is focusing on keeping the family together and trying to keep things going as usual even though her mind is a total chaos. A while a go, her husband, Noah, left them a whole year before returning and she doesn't want her family to split again. But is is possible to live a normal life in a neighborhood where a murder just happened? And she doesn't even remember the last night with the victim ...
There are a lot of psychological thrillers getting published these days. This one was published two years ago and Kathryn Croft was previously an unknown author to me but I explore both known and unknown writers. The concept had a promising starting point, although memory loss is not original in this genre. How many times haven't we read about it already? But it's not just to keep the secret that she was in the neighbor's house on the night of the murder she's struggling with and trying to get the memory back. Her eldest daughter, Rosie, is a girl with many problems. She is a good girl deep inside but tends to create a lot of problems around her, which has meant that Tara and her husband, Noah, often have to lecture her/have serious talks with her, despite the fact that the girl is soon to be eighteen years old. But a mother does anything to keep the family together, but are they strong enough this time? It's not easy when almost everyone in the family holds something back, and slowly, but surely is sliding apart.
This may not be a hardcore psychological thriller, but it's more about being a mother, following the mother instinct, family ties and trying to be strong when the storm goes on. That kind of a thriller. An emotional thriller may be a closer description where you do everything to protect each other, even when you feel that everything is falling apart. Family is a thicker band than anything else.
The book is only 320 pages long and although the story itself is thin and predictable for my liking, it gets a high score for the atmosphere and character developement. You get to know the characters really well even the characters that has small roles. Just a shame that the story itself is so thin. I would like a bit more suspense and undertones, because the story had a good starting point, but unfortunately it got ruined in too much itrigues and too much back and forth drama in the main character's family. It's so much of it that at times it became more annoying than immersive.
It's exciting to explore unknown authors. Sometimes you come across new favorites and sometimes not. This became a lukewarm experience. I like giving authors more than one chance, so I will read more by Croft later. Just glad I did not choose this book as Easter read. Then I would have been even more disappointed. There was too much drama instead of suspense, and the main character is not the brightest when it comes to the people she's involved with.
November 7, 2016
This was a crazy creepy read. Waking up next door at your neighbor's house in your neighbor's bed naked with your neighbor? No idea how you got there or what had happened the night before? Then to find out that your neighbor is dead?
Your a suspect, your teenage lying daughter who was stalking a boy last year in school is a suspect and your cheating husband who was supposed to be in New York, but was still in town is a suspect. Then you have this creepy guy, Mikey from school where you teach who is also a teacher who says he just happened to be sitting on her street that night and saw the murderer. He just happens to be stalking you.
Those pages were flying while I was reading this book. Tara, the main character who woke up with the dead neighbor, was best friends with Serena, the dead man's wife. Not any more. Then when Tara's daughter is brought in for questioning, she tells lies upon lies upon lies. You can't get a straight answer out of the girl. Then Mikey tells Tara that he was there and saw her daughter running from the scene of the crime covered in blood and proves it to Tara by telling her about a special birthmark. I mean, the list of suspects needs a spreadsheet to keep up with all the reasons why they are suspected.
The author did a great job with the characters and certainly with the subplots and the twists and turns. The ending was absolutely mind-blowing when the real truth comes out. Don't wait until bedtime to start this one. You will be sorry in the morning.
Huge thanks to Bookouture for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
Your a suspect, your teenage lying daughter who was stalking a boy last year in school is a suspect and your cheating husband who was supposed to be in New York, but was still in town is a suspect. Then you have this creepy guy, Mikey from school where you teach who is also a teacher who says he just happened to be sitting on her street that night and saw the murderer. He just happens to be stalking you.
Those pages were flying while I was reading this book. Tara, the main character who woke up with the dead neighbor, was best friends with Serena, the dead man's wife. Not any more. Then when Tara's daughter is brought in for questioning, she tells lies upon lies upon lies. You can't get a straight answer out of the girl. Then Mikey tells Tara that he was there and saw her daughter running from the scene of the crime covered in blood and proves it to Tara by telling her about a special birthmark. I mean, the list of suspects needs a spreadsheet to keep up with all the reasons why they are suspected.
The author did a great job with the characters and certainly with the subplots and the twists and turns. The ending was absolutely mind-blowing when the real truth comes out. Don't wait until bedtime to start this one. You will be sorry in the morning.
Huge thanks to Bookouture for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2017
I had to use Twitter to inform Kathryn Croft that her sign up page is not working. She finally got back to me that she is sorting it out.
I really enjoyed Kathryn Croft's fifth book While You Were Sleeping and it is an excellent thriller page turner that I recommend to bloggers. Married Tara had been drinking with her neighbour and she woke up in his bed, but the only thing was he was dead and covered in blood. Although Tara had no account of what happened she was certain that she didn't kill him. I was glued to this story, so many suspects with different reasons who could have come into her neighbours house and killed him. Everyone suspects Tara, but did she do it? Plenty of twists in this fabulous story. Highly recommend. One of my best thriller books that I have read this year.
I really enjoyed Kathryn Croft's fifth book While You Were Sleeping and it is an excellent thriller page turner that I recommend to bloggers. Married Tara had been drinking with her neighbour and she woke up in his bed, but the only thing was he was dead and covered in blood. Although Tara had no account of what happened she was certain that she didn't kill him. I was glued to this story, so many suspects with different reasons who could have come into her neighbours house and killed him. Everyone suspects Tara, but did she do it? Plenty of twists in this fabulous story. Highly recommend. One of my best thriller books that I have read this year.
January 7, 2018
Full review is on my blog here.
I've listened two books one after another from Kathryn Croft this week on Audible. Silent Lies and While You were Sleeping. I must admit they're pretty quick to finish, however I am not sure if I liked them. I guess they were okay, well at least Silent Lies were better I think.
The problem is that these books contain too much domestic drama! I know most thrillers have this sort of subjects going on, but the characters in these books were not feeling real at all.
While You Were Sleeping starts with Tara waking up next to her neighbour, Lee, completely NAKED. And Lee is Dead!!!
Yes you've read it right. Tara is a mum of two, married with a man who adores her. She has a lovely little boy, Spencer and a nightmarish teenage girl, Rosie. Almost anything Rosie says could be a lie. Rosie is not reliable. Bad Rosie!
Tara remembers going to Lee's house but has no memory of how she ended up sleeping next to him. Wow!
Right...A murder investigation starts, naturally. And we suspect everyone, literally everyone in Tara's life gets tangled into this murder mystery. Her kid, her weirdo stalker Mickey, her husband, her husband's platonic ex etc. There are too many people into each other, too many lies. It gets a bit repetitive and at one point I wanted to just shout out:
Just tell me who did it! What's going on?! Thankfully in the end everything is explained, and I understand Croft wanted to create a shocking ending but I didn't feel everything really fits together...But then that's just me. The book has such a high score on Goodreads so others seem to have enjoyed it.
I've listened two books one after another from Kathryn Croft this week on Audible. Silent Lies and While You were Sleeping. I must admit they're pretty quick to finish, however I am not sure if I liked them. I guess they were okay, well at least Silent Lies were better I think.
The problem is that these books contain too much domestic drama! I know most thrillers have this sort of subjects going on, but the characters in these books were not feeling real at all.
While You Were Sleeping starts with Tara waking up next to her neighbour, Lee, completely NAKED. And Lee is Dead!!!
Yes you've read it right. Tara is a mum of two, married with a man who adores her. She has a lovely little boy, Spencer and a nightmarish teenage girl, Rosie. Almost anything Rosie says could be a lie. Rosie is not reliable. Bad Rosie!
Tara remembers going to Lee's house but has no memory of how she ended up sleeping next to him. Wow!
Right...A murder investigation starts, naturally. And we suspect everyone, literally everyone in Tara's life gets tangled into this murder mystery. Her kid, her weirdo stalker Mickey, her husband, her husband's platonic ex etc. There are too many people into each other, too many lies. It gets a bit repetitive and at one point I wanted to just shout out:
Just tell me who did it! What's going on?! Thankfully in the end everything is explained, and I understand Croft wanted to create a shocking ending but I didn't feel everything really fits together...But then that's just me. The book has such a high score on Goodreads so others seem to have enjoyed it.
November 7, 2016
3.5 stars. When she wakes up in the morning Tara Logan realises she is not in her own bed. The man lying next to her is not her husband. She is naked and she is dead. Tara has no idea what happened the night before. She decides to leave her neighbours house without informing anyone what had happened and hoping no one has seen her leave the house.
With the police investigating, Tara and her family are right in the middle of it all. Tara is not the only one keeping secrets, so is her husband and daughter.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Kathryn Croft for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
With the police investigating, Tara and her family are right in the middle of it all. Tara is not the only one keeping secrets, so is her husband and daughter.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Kathryn Croft for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This is a tough book to review because I want to tell you that I didn't like it however, I wasn't able to put it down. I had to know who the "real" murderer was. There were so many people to choose from because this story is filled with liars and people who just like to avoid talking things out. So many of the situations in this story are just downright implausible and that's what makes this book so annoying. It is not a quick read because the story is so drawn out but it will consume you until the end.
February 28, 2017
Good God, where do I begin? Let me just say that as I write this review, I'm aware I am in the minority here.....
The whole story had every cliche in the book, literally. Let's take a woman with no history of blacking out from alcohol, mix in a hubby who strayed, some annoying neighbors, a little biyatch of a compulsive lying daughter, a stalky-stalker type fella, and an independent self-sufficient sister who never showed signs of cray cray. This. Effin. Sucked. Nothing was plausible. I felt absolutely nada for any of the characters. The writer makes everyone out to be suspicious instead of building an actual backstory and letting the reader come up with their own conclusions. I felt it was a smorgasbord of clumsy thriller shite.
If this is how all of Croft's novels are, I'll pass.......
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
The whole story had every cliche in the book, literally. Let's take a woman with no history of blacking out from alcohol, mix in a hubby who strayed, some annoying neighbors, a little biyatch of a compulsive lying daughter, a stalky-stalker type fella, and an independent self-sufficient sister who never showed signs of cray cray. This. Effin. Sucked. Nothing was plausible. I felt absolutely nada for any of the characters. The writer makes everyone out to be suspicious instead of building an actual backstory and letting the reader come up with their own conclusions. I felt it was a smorgasbord of clumsy thriller shite.
If this is how all of Croft's novels are, I'll pass.......
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2017
I found this book very easy to read, the overall plot was quite good, and the book well written, which is a must. But the characters were something else.
Tara Logan wakes up in her neighbor's bed. She's naked, he's dead. What on earth has happened? She can't remember anything, so she flees across the street to her house and family.
Enter her family: husband Noah, daughter Rosie, son Spencer and sister Lisa. Welcome to some of the most unrelatable book characters you've met. The husband is a cheater and the daughter is a born liar and a stalker. The son is quite nice, but don't get me started on the sister. You've also got the nosy, nasty neighbors, another stalker/weird character in Mikey, Tara's coworker and a detective that gives information to the suspects family
I know I don't have to like the characters, but if you really hate them (and I hated Rosie), then half of the enjoyment for the book is gone. For me, this is the kind of book that you literally devour only to finish it and realize some things didn't add up.
I received an ARC if this book in exchange for an honest review.
Tara Logan wakes up in her neighbor's bed. She's naked, he's dead. What on earth has happened? She can't remember anything, so she flees across the street to her house and family.
Enter her family: husband Noah, daughter Rosie, son Spencer and sister Lisa. Welcome to some of the most unrelatable book characters you've met. The husband is a cheater and the daughter is a born liar and a stalker. The son is quite nice, but don't get me started on the sister. You've also got the nosy, nasty neighbors, another stalker/weird character in Mikey, Tara's coworker and a detective that gives information to the suspects family
I know I don't have to like the characters, but if you really hate them (and I hated Rosie), then half of the enjoyment for the book is gone. For me, this is the kind of book that you literally devour only to finish it and realize some things didn't add up.
I received an ARC if this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2016
Preposterous. I despised every single character in this book and the ridiculous plot was completely unbelievable from both a police procedural standpoint and a mystery. The notion that someone could wake up naked in a neighbor's bed with said neighbor bloody and dead beside her compounded by amnesia and what must be completely inept police with no DNA or forensics capabilities...I'll stop here. Don't recommend.
This is the first by this author I've read. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC.
This is the first by this author I've read. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC.
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