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When I Wake Up
A breathtaking, heart-pounding, dark debut, sure to delight fans of The Girl on the Train and Before I Go To Sleep.
'Why won't Mummy wake up?'
When Anna, a much-loved teacher and mother of two, is left savagely beaten and in a coma, a police investigation is launched. News of the attack sends shock waves through her family and their small Swedish community. Anna seems to have had no enemies, so who wanted her dead?
As loved-ones wait anxiously by her bedside, her husband Erik is determined to get to the bottom of the attack, and soon begins uncovering his wife's secret life, and a small town riven with desire, betrayal and jealousy.
As the list of suspects grows longer, it soon becomes clear that only one person can reveal the truth, and she's lying silent in a hospital bed...
'Why won't Mummy wake up?'
When Anna, a much-loved teacher and mother of two, is left savagely beaten and in a coma, a police investigation is launched. News of the attack sends shock waves through her family and their small Swedish community. Anna seems to have had no enemies, so who wanted her dead?
As loved-ones wait anxiously by her bedside, her husband Erik is determined to get to the bottom of the attack, and soon begins uncovering his wife's secret life, and a small town riven with desire, betrayal and jealousy.
As the list of suspects grows longer, it soon becomes clear that only one person can reveal the truth, and she's lying silent in a hospital bed...
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2017
925 people are currently reading
1414 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Jarlvi
2 books53 followersBorn in Sweden, Jessica moved to London before her career in publishing, editing and PR took her to the USA and the Middle East. Having also completed her Masters in Creative Writing and taught journalism to undergraduate students, writing is her true passion. Jessica won a Montegrappa First Fiction Award at the Emirates Festival of Literature in 2016, catching the eye of her agent Luigi Bonomi. Having since secured a multiple book deal, Jessica, known by friends to be infectiously positive, balances her time between her writing and her growing young family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
March 8, 2018
When I Wake Up by Jessica Jarlvi is a 2017 Aria publication.
This book is a bizarre, twisty, little thriller that caught me off guard.
When a popular, dedicated teacher is savagely beaten, leaving her in a coma, her family and colleagues are shocked and devastated.
Investigators seem stumped. By all accounts Anna was highly regarded, lived for her job, and lead a quiet life. Who would want to hurt her? But, as the case unfolds, it becomes obvious that several people closely connected to Anna, has secrets. We also learn that Anna’s marriage wasn’t exactly charmed, her parents are apathetic and her kids are lost and confused. But, Anna, may be harboring the biggest bombshell secret of them all. The mystery deepens as the story unfolds and more and more suspects are added to the list. All we can hope for is that Anna will awaken and name her attacker-
I added this book to my ‘currently reading’ list with the best of intentions, as always, but for some reason I kept putting it off. The cover, while eye popping, is similar in design to a few other thrillers I’ve read, which left me thinking this book was most likely a ‘been there, done that’ type thriller, probably generic, the type that is entertaining enough, just not much of a challenge.
Adding to my lack of enthusiasm was my mistaken impression that this is a psychological thriller, a genre I am still very burned out on right now. However, I knew I needed to get this book read and reviewed, so I admit I pretty much forced myself to start reading it.
Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong about this book. First of all, this not a pure PT, although it does have that tone or atmosphere running through it. However, it is more accurate to say this novel is a dark, cleverly plotted whodunit, and is far from ‘run of the mill’, or generic. I can’t recall reading anything quite like it, at least not recently. So, suffice it to say, I was more than adequately entertained by this one.
Interpersonal issues, family dramas, and marital discord always grab my attention and this book has all these elements in spades. So riveted was I to all the secrets, jealousies, sexual games and manipulations, and unexpected character developments, that I was totally blindsided by the conclusion.
I’m not a big fan of multiple points of view, but in this case, I didn’t find it confusing, annoying or distracting. The only issue was that the story did drag in places. The sexual exploits and games only held my attention for so long before I began to lose patience with it, but the twists always came along just in time to placate me.
The author did a fabulous job of luring me into her trap, leading me willingly down the paths and corridors she wanted me to take. I was so taken aback by my failure to puzzle everything out in advance, I felt embarrassed. That’s what I get for being so over confident!! LOL!
In my defense, the formula is not exactly a new one, but because I had somewhat underestimated the book, so sure was I that I’d sail through it on ‘auto-pilot’, I let my guard down. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!)
Overall, this is a short, wildly entertaining, offbeat mystery you will not want to take lightly!!
This book is a bizarre, twisty, little thriller that caught me off guard.
When a popular, dedicated teacher is savagely beaten, leaving her in a coma, her family and colleagues are shocked and devastated.
Investigators seem stumped. By all accounts Anna was highly regarded, lived for her job, and lead a quiet life. Who would want to hurt her? But, as the case unfolds, it becomes obvious that several people closely connected to Anna, has secrets. We also learn that Anna’s marriage wasn’t exactly charmed, her parents are apathetic and her kids are lost and confused. But, Anna, may be harboring the biggest bombshell secret of them all. The mystery deepens as the story unfolds and more and more suspects are added to the list. All we can hope for is that Anna will awaken and name her attacker-
I added this book to my ‘currently reading’ list with the best of intentions, as always, but for some reason I kept putting it off. The cover, while eye popping, is similar in design to a few other thrillers I’ve read, which left me thinking this book was most likely a ‘been there, done that’ type thriller, probably generic, the type that is entertaining enough, just not much of a challenge.
Adding to my lack of enthusiasm was my mistaken impression that this is a psychological thriller, a genre I am still very burned out on right now. However, I knew I needed to get this book read and reviewed, so I admit I pretty much forced myself to start reading it.
Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong about this book. First of all, this not a pure PT, although it does have that tone or atmosphere running through it. However, it is more accurate to say this novel is a dark, cleverly plotted whodunit, and is far from ‘run of the mill’, or generic. I can’t recall reading anything quite like it, at least not recently. So, suffice it to say, I was more than adequately entertained by this one.
Interpersonal issues, family dramas, and marital discord always grab my attention and this book has all these elements in spades. So riveted was I to all the secrets, jealousies, sexual games and manipulations, and unexpected character developments, that I was totally blindsided by the conclusion.
I’m not a big fan of multiple points of view, but in this case, I didn’t find it confusing, annoying or distracting. The only issue was that the story did drag in places. The sexual exploits and games only held my attention for so long before I began to lose patience with it, but the twists always came along just in time to placate me.
The author did a fabulous job of luring me into her trap, leading me willingly down the paths and corridors she wanted me to take. I was so taken aback by my failure to puzzle everything out in advance, I felt embarrassed. That’s what I get for being so over confident!! LOL!
In my defense, the formula is not exactly a new one, but because I had somewhat underestimated the book, so sure was I that I’d sail through it on ‘auto-pilot’, I let my guard down. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!)
Overall, this is a short, wildly entertaining, offbeat mystery you will not want to take lightly!!
May 21, 2017
This is a book that I would encourage everyone who knows me about my love for books, should read. It's had me glued. When I had to put it down I couldn't stop thinking about what I was reading.
Anna is a teacher, she's a committed teacher who goes that extra mile for her pupils.
There is one pupil who has "issues" that Anna gets involved in. But this pupil has other ideas.
He wants more than Anna can give, but, does she know that?
The other couple in this story has an unconventional lifestyle. Sooner or later they get tangled up and interwoven in each other.
I found this a compulsive read, an eerie read. I also didn't have a hunge who was the culprit although some seemed a little too obvious. The author took me on a guessing game, a thrill of a ride that I thoroughly enjoyed and was reluctant to get off.
I can't wait for more.
My thanks to Aria for the chance to read this.
And via Net Galley.
Anna is a teacher, she's a committed teacher who goes that extra mile for her pupils.
There is one pupil who has "issues" that Anna gets involved in. But this pupil has other ideas.
He wants more than Anna can give, but, does she know that?
The other couple in this story has an unconventional lifestyle. Sooner or later they get tangled up and interwoven in each other.
I found this a compulsive read, an eerie read. I also didn't have a hunge who was the culprit although some seemed a little too obvious. The author took me on a guessing game, a thrill of a ride that I thoroughly enjoyed and was reluctant to get off.
I can't wait for more.
My thanks to Aria for the chance to read this.
And via Net Galley.
August 5, 2017
WHEN I WAKE UP is a dark mystery/thriller debut novel by author Jessica Jarlvi. This fast- paced novel packs a punch and will have you totally gripped from beginning to end. I can just say set some time aside to where you will not be disturbed so you can devote to figuring out who the attacker is. I loved this book!
'Why won't Mummy wake up?'
“When Anna, a much-loved teacher and mother of two, is left savagely beaten and in a coma, a police investigation is launched. News of the attack sends shock waves through her family and their small Swedish community. Anna seems to have had no enemies, so who wanted her dead?”
The novel is set in a small town in Sweden, where Anna, “teacher of the year” and the mother of five-year-old twins is left in a coma after a vicious attack in the parking lot of her school.
Her husband Erik is determined to get to the bottom of the attack, and soon begins uncovering his wife's secret life, and a small town alienated with betrayal and jealousy.
So, who did it? Actually, there are a lot of suspects with motive and opportunity. This book was very difficult to put down, as I was intrigued to figure out who was behind the attack on Anna.
The story switches time frames with numerous points of view, from the present to the months leading up to the attack on Anna. Each chapter is devoted to a character and time frame, to present multiple points of view and easy to follow. Warning- The story contains some explicit sexual scenes.
The complex list of characters was well flushed out, especially Daniel, a seventeen-year-old pupil of Anna's. So many lies and secrets! The pages flew by in this fast- paced suspenseful thriller and I enjoyed every bit of it.
I am not going to say anymore as I don’t want to give the plot away, but this is a very riveting and powerful story. I loved it. All I can say is read this book… I don’t think you will be disappointed.
As the list of suspects grows longer, it soon becomes clear that only one person can reveal the truth, and she's lying silent in a hospital bed...
Many thanks to Jessica Jarlvi, Aria & NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
'Why won't Mummy wake up?'
“When Anna, a much-loved teacher and mother of two, is left savagely beaten and in a coma, a police investigation is launched. News of the attack sends shock waves through her family and their small Swedish community. Anna seems to have had no enemies, so who wanted her dead?”
The novel is set in a small town in Sweden, where Anna, “teacher of the year” and the mother of five-year-old twins is left in a coma after a vicious attack in the parking lot of her school.
Her husband Erik is determined to get to the bottom of the attack, and soon begins uncovering his wife's secret life, and a small town alienated with betrayal and jealousy.
So, who did it? Actually, there are a lot of suspects with motive and opportunity. This book was very difficult to put down, as I was intrigued to figure out who was behind the attack on Anna.
The story switches time frames with numerous points of view, from the present to the months leading up to the attack on Anna. Each chapter is devoted to a character and time frame, to present multiple points of view and easy to follow. Warning- The story contains some explicit sexual scenes.
The complex list of characters was well flushed out, especially Daniel, a seventeen-year-old pupil of Anna's. So many lies and secrets! The pages flew by in this fast- paced suspenseful thriller and I enjoyed every bit of it.
I am not going to say anymore as I don’t want to give the plot away, but this is a very riveting and powerful story. I loved it. All I can say is read this book… I don’t think you will be disappointed.
As the list of suspects grows longer, it soon becomes clear that only one person can reveal the truth, and she's lying silent in a hospital bed...
Many thanks to Jessica Jarlvi, Aria & NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
May 14, 2017
Anna is a young mother of two little twin boys living with her husband who is a house painter by day and want to be rock star by night while Anna is the main support for the family with her job as a teacher. One thing about Anna is that she cares deeply for her students and her job which can be a subject of conflict in her marriage.
One night after returning to the school Anna is attacked in the parking lot and savagely beaten and left for dead. Fortunately though Anna is found in time and rushed to the hospital where her family and friends wait at her side for her to awaken from the coma while the police are investigating just who could have attacked her.
The story in When I Wake Up is told by alternating the point of view between multiple characters and alternating the time line between what is happening in the current and back months before Anna was attacked. Even with the changing timelines and POV I still found the story easy to follow and the mystery of who attacked Anna very engaging.
However, this story was another I struggled on deciding on my rating due to some content within the book. I don't want to be too specific as to spoil the story but in my opinion with this one the author went a little too far with connecting everyone together, I kept thinking of the six degrees of separation theory and thinking who this is becoming one degree if possible. There's shadow and doubt cast on all the characters but it could have been done without so much overlapping in the who knows who department, especially a couple of them being from another town nearby but still intertwined in the lives of everyone else.
In the end I'm rating this one down the middle-ish at 3.5 stars. The story was engaging to find out what happened to Anna but just a tad unbelievable when it came to the overall character building.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
One night after returning to the school Anna is attacked in the parking lot and savagely beaten and left for dead. Fortunately though Anna is found in time and rushed to the hospital where her family and friends wait at her side for her to awaken from the coma while the police are investigating just who could have attacked her.
The story in When I Wake Up is told by alternating the point of view between multiple characters and alternating the time line between what is happening in the current and back months before Anna was attacked. Even with the changing timelines and POV I still found the story easy to follow and the mystery of who attacked Anna very engaging.
However, this story was another I struggled on deciding on my rating due to some content within the book. I don't want to be too specific as to spoil the story but in my opinion with this one the author went a little too far with connecting everyone together, I kept thinking of the six degrees of separation theory and thinking who this is becoming one degree if possible. There's shadow and doubt cast on all the characters but it could have been done without so much overlapping in the who knows who department, especially a couple of them being from another town nearby but still intertwined in the lives of everyone else.
In the end I'm rating this one down the middle-ish at 3.5 stars. The story was engaging to find out what happened to Anna but just a tad unbelievable when it came to the overall character building.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
January 13, 2018
Well, this year is off to a good start. I can't believe I wasted an audible credit on this hot mess of a book.
I was hoping this would be a psychological thriller, like 'Before I Go To Sleep', but I should've been wary of something that's so clearly trying to emulate something else. While this is definitely trying to be'Before I Go to Sleep', it is so spectacularly unsuccessful in this attempt that it made me roll my eyes so hard, an exorcist was called and it was quite an ordeal.
The characters are paper thin collages of irritating traits. We are to suspect everybody, hence everybody has to be annoying without any redeeming depth or even actual personality. The whole thing is written in the third person from the different POVs but then it turns out one of the POV basically lying so that the author can have a surprising ending. We are supposed to be in this person's head! And it wasn't some clever "this person is in denial and lying to themselves". It wasn't a clever unreliable narrator. It was just a fantastically poor understanding of writing techniques.
There was a completely unnecessary, overlong and detailed sex scene every twenty minutes that served absolutely no purpose. There were even detailed scenes of sex that was happening inside some of the characters' heads. I have read plenty of trashy romance novels, but this, my friends, defeated me. I listened to the audiobook, so no skimming, I had to listen to it, word by excruciating word. Listening to the audiobook meant also there was no escaping how bad the writing was.
If you would like to know how not to do exposition via dialogue read the epilogue and cringe. Two characters that supposedly live together, suddenly, in a 5 minute conversation, relate to each other everything that happened in the last few months. That's how we get a closure. One character asks the status of every plot thread and character of the book and the other character dutifully describes.
And don't get my started on the ham-fisted literary references. One of the characters was a librarian, so we were treated to the most bizarre and pointless roll-call of books and authors that made me want set fire to something and watch it burn.
tl; dr - bad writing, bad characters, bad plot
I was hoping this would be a psychological thriller, like 'Before I Go To Sleep', but I should've been wary of something that's so clearly trying to emulate something else. While this is definitely trying to be'Before I Go to Sleep', it is so spectacularly unsuccessful in this attempt that it made me roll my eyes so hard, an exorcist was called and it was quite an ordeal.
The characters are paper thin collages of irritating traits. We are to suspect everybody, hence everybody has to be annoying without any redeeming depth or even actual personality. The whole thing is written in the third person from the different POVs but then it turns out one of the POV basically lying so that the author can have a surprising ending. We are supposed to be in this person's head! And it wasn't some clever "this person is in denial and lying to themselves". It wasn't a clever unreliable narrator. It was just a fantastically poor understanding of writing techniques.
There was a completely unnecessary, overlong and detailed sex scene every twenty minutes that served absolutely no purpose. There were even detailed scenes of sex that was happening inside some of the characters' heads. I have read plenty of trashy romance novels, but this, my friends, defeated me. I listened to the audiobook, so no skimming, I had to listen to it, word by excruciating word. Listening to the audiobook meant also there was no escaping how bad the writing was.
If you would like to know how not to do exposition via dialogue read the epilogue and cringe. Two characters that supposedly live together, suddenly, in a 5 minute conversation, relate to each other everything that happened in the last few months. That's how we get a closure. One character asks the status of every plot thread and character of the book and the other character dutifully describes.
And don't get my started on the ham-fisted literary references. One of the characters was a librarian, so we were treated to the most bizarre and pointless roll-call of books and authors that made me want set fire to something and watch it burn.
tl; dr - bad writing, bad characters, bad plot
May 3, 2019
I have been in a mystery book slump for awhile. As you know the mystery genre is my favourite so I have read a lot. If a mystery can keep me guessing or keep interested I am sold on that author. Jessica Jarlvi is an author I am going to be looking forward to in the future!
RATING: ★★★★
June 2016; Aria
Anna, a teacher and mother of twins, has been savagely beaten and is now in a coma. Her husband, Erik is in limbo and it is driving him crazy. He must take over as the sole parent and figure out how to support them if Anna does not wake up. While juggling his family life he is also out for justice for Anna. In this small town, in Sweden, there does not seem to be any suspects until you look beneath the surface of those around her.
This would make a great Midsomer Murder mystery for sure! There is so much scandal in this small town…and I was so intrigued. The first half of the novel had me gripped as I didn’t know what was going on with the people around Anna. All I could think of was how did they fit in and what was their purpose? I love when I “have” to figure things out. I figured out who the murderer was but Jarlvi had me right till the end. I wanted to see how it wrapped up but also enjoyed the ride to the end. I didn’t necessarily identify with the characters or love them but they were so interesting I was hooked. I really recommend this novel for those that like a scandal suspense story.
***I received an eARC from the AUTHOR/PUBLISHER via NETGALLEY***
https://mynovelesquelife.wordpress.co...
RATING: ★★★★
June 2016; Aria
Anna, a teacher and mother of twins, has been savagely beaten and is now in a coma. Her husband, Erik is in limbo and it is driving him crazy. He must take over as the sole parent and figure out how to support them if Anna does not wake up. While juggling his family life he is also out for justice for Anna. In this small town, in Sweden, there does not seem to be any suspects until you look beneath the surface of those around her.
This would make a great Midsomer Murder mystery for sure! There is so much scandal in this small town…and I was so intrigued. The first half of the novel had me gripped as I didn’t know what was going on with the people around Anna. All I could think of was how did they fit in and what was their purpose? I love when I “have” to figure things out. I figured out who the murderer was but Jarlvi had me right till the end. I wanted to see how it wrapped up but also enjoyed the ride to the end. I didn’t necessarily identify with the characters or love them but they were so interesting I was hooked. I really recommend this novel for those that like a scandal suspense story.
***I received an eARC from the AUTHOR/PUBLISHER via NETGALLEY***
https://mynovelesquelife.wordpress.co...
May 30, 2017
Set in a small town in Sweden, When I Wake Up centers on Anna, a young, committed teacher and mother of five-year-old twins. Anna is in a coma after a brutal beating in the parking lot of her school. Why would anybody want to harm a young woman who was 'teacher of the year'?
As it turns out, there are actually quite a few suspects with a motive. The story switches timeframes from the present to the months leading up to the attack on Anna. There are numerous points of view as well, but the story was always easy to follow.
It wasn't at all what I had expected. Warning: The story contains some explicit sexual scenes.
It was incredibly intriguing trying to work out who was behind the attack on Anna. I found this very difficult to put down and was thinking about it when I couldn't read it. The book is full of obnoxious characters. But it worked. I didn't need any likable characters in this. They were complex people and well drawn. Daniel, a seventeen-year-old pupil of Anna's, was particularly well characterized. It was really compulsive reading until the attacker was revealed. At that point, the story fell apart for me, or perhaps better, I felt cheated. Difficult to explain why without giving the entire plot away. But I didn't like the way the author manipulated one of the perspectives in order to get to the admittedly completely startling twist. Apart from that, this was a really good, gripping debut and I would certainly read more by Jessica Jarlvi.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
As it turns out, there are actually quite a few suspects with a motive. The story switches timeframes from the present to the months leading up to the attack on Anna. There are numerous points of view as well, but the story was always easy to follow.
It wasn't at all what I had expected. Warning: The story contains some explicit sexual scenes.
It was incredibly intriguing trying to work out who was behind the attack on Anna. I found this very difficult to put down and was thinking about it when I couldn't read it. The book is full of obnoxious characters. But it worked. I didn't need any likable characters in this. They were complex people and well drawn. Daniel, a seventeen-year-old pupil of Anna's, was particularly well characterized. It was really compulsive reading until the attacker was revealed. At that point, the story fell apart for me, or perhaps better, I felt cheated. Difficult to explain why without giving the entire plot away. But I didn't like the way the author manipulated one of the perspectives in order to get to the admittedly completely startling twist. Apart from that, this was a really good, gripping debut and I would certainly read more by Jessica Jarlvi.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
September 26, 2020
A book usually takes me two or three days to read it, even one if I’m completely hooked on. “When I wake up” took me 6 long days so, NOT A GOOD SIGN! Although it has almost 500 pages it felt twice as long.
When Anna is beaten into a coma, the small Swedish community where she lives is shocked, as apparently she was leading the perfect life and didn’t seem to have any enemies. But not all that glitters is gold!
I was expecting a suspense/mystery novel, following the police investigation, but instead I got a drama where every one was more concerned about sleeping with someone other than his/her spouse (awkward sex scenes and a totally unnecessary rape scene).
The story is told through several characters, but they were all so unlikeable I couldn’t care less about their fate. Anna was ridiculous in the way she faced Daniel’s demands. Daniel was so delusional that he started to feel like a cartoon. Erick seemed more concerned with his reputation than his wife’s health. Iris and Rolf...if you have an open marriage what do you expect?🤦🏻♂️
Although the different points of view made it a bit more dynamic, the story went on and on and on for so many pages with nothing happening that it became tedious.
There was no tension at all, some characters seemed to change completely from one chapter to another, and the ending was quite abrupt and a bit ridiculous, imo. And if you’re adding an epilogue at least make it count, cause this one was pretty absurd.
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
When Anna is beaten into a coma, the small Swedish community where she lives is shocked, as apparently she was leading the perfect life and didn’t seem to have any enemies. But not all that glitters is gold!
I was expecting a suspense/mystery novel, following the police investigation, but instead I got a drama where every one was more concerned about sleeping with someone other than his/her spouse (awkward sex scenes and a totally unnecessary rape scene).
The story is told through several characters, but they were all so unlikeable I couldn’t care less about their fate. Anna was ridiculous in the way she faced Daniel’s demands. Daniel was so delusional that he started to feel like a cartoon. Erick seemed more concerned with his reputation than his wife’s health. Iris and Rolf...if you have an open marriage what do you expect?🤦🏻♂️
Although the different points of view made it a bit more dynamic, the story went on and on and on for so many pages with nothing happening that it became tedious.
There was no tension at all, some characters seemed to change completely from one chapter to another, and the ending was quite abrupt and a bit ridiculous, imo. And if you’re adding an epilogue at least make it count, cause this one was pretty absurd.
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2017
Anna is a high school teacher in a small Swedish community who is viciously attacked in the parking lot and left for dead. She is in coma and her husband Erik, looking after their twin boys is out for revenge. Little by little Erik starts unravelling Anna’s life and her secrets which includes a student stalking her and a secret affair with a married lover. Erik meanwhile has his own problems as his one night stand has become very emotionally invested in him. There are a lot of people that have a hidden motive to hurt Anna and when finally, the suspect was revealed it was quite a surprise.
This story is told from multiple POV’s and multiple timeline but is easy to keep track of. The characters though not very likable were complex and very well developed. A fair warning the book did have some explicit sex scenes. Overall I would rate it 3 ½ to 4 stars and would definitely look forward to reading more by Jessica Jarlvi.
Many thanks to Aria & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
This story is told from multiple POV’s and multiple timeline but is easy to keep track of. The characters though not very likable were complex and very well developed. A fair warning the book did have some explicit sex scenes. Overall I would rate it 3 ½ to 4 stars and would definitely look forward to reading more by Jessica Jarlvi.
Many thanks to Aria & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
June 3, 2017
When I Wake Up opens up with a breathtaking scene. Anna is brutally and savagely attacked at what seems to be a parking lot. Then she loses conscious.
With such an opening, I was fully alert. Anna is a well-loved school teacher. She goes into coma after this brutal attack. Her husband Erik is devastated and her little 5 years old twins can’t make out what’s wrong with their mum. No one can figure out what happened to Anna and who could ever attack her with such hate. After all, everyone loves Anna!
But there’s a lot beneath the still waters. As we read forward, we find out that there’s a lot beneath the calm surface. The happy marriage is more like a boring dead marriage. The couple’s life had turned into a monotonous everyday routine where each of them had lost their true selves as well as their youthful spirits. Still they are so united by their old love and above all the lovely twins they have.
Erik is devastated. It seems to him the police are not involving him as much as he wishes and he wants to know what’s going on. In return, he holds to Anna’s laptop and doesn’t turn it to the police. It’s his window to Anna’s life in the months before the attack. He searches her emails and documents trying to know what might have been going on. But what would he find?
Anna’s life had been focused around her students and her twins. Everyone at school loves Anna especially her students. But maybe too much love can hurt. But that’s not all. Anna seeks to find her true identity again. And this might have taken her to new boundaries she never thought she could reach.
As more characters are introduced into the plot, secrets start to unravel. You will keep guessing and thinking. But no matter how good you guess, the twists and turns will keep swinging you left and right till the last pages.
When I Wake Up was such an interesting and enjoyable read. I couldn’t put it down. I thought many times that it was clear to me what was going on. However, I would discover soon that it wasn’t what I had thought. I kept guessing and expecting. However, the major twist was so good and took me by surprise.
Jessica Jarlvi did a great job with her debut novel, When I Wake Up. Her writing style was so interesting. She moved her plot on so swiftly that there was no moment when I felt bored. The pages flew by in this fast paced suspenseful thriller and I enjoyed every bit of it.
With so many suspense thrillers hitting the shelves, it’s becoming a tough job to write a suspense thriller that can stand out. I think Jessica Jarlvi is one of those authors who can just do that. I love her style and the way she builds her plot. I expect to read more great books by this amazing author.
**Special thanks to NetGalley and Aria for supplying my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. **
For all my reviews please visit http://www.meshascorner.net
“Then everything turns eerily quiet”
With such an opening, I was fully alert. Anna is a well-loved school teacher. She goes into coma after this brutal attack. Her husband Erik is devastated and her little 5 years old twins can’t make out what’s wrong with their mum. No one can figure out what happened to Anna and who could ever attack her with such hate. After all, everyone loves Anna!
But there’s a lot beneath the still waters. As we read forward, we find out that there’s a lot beneath the calm surface. The happy marriage is more like a boring dead marriage. The couple’s life had turned into a monotonous everyday routine where each of them had lost their true selves as well as their youthful spirits. Still they are so united by their old love and above all the lovely twins they have.
Erik is devastated. It seems to him the police are not involving him as much as he wishes and he wants to know what’s going on. In return, he holds to Anna’s laptop and doesn’t turn it to the police. It’s his window to Anna’s life in the months before the attack. He searches her emails and documents trying to know what might have been going on. But what would he find?
Anna’s life had been focused around her students and her twins. Everyone at school loves Anna especially her students. But maybe too much love can hurt. But that’s not all. Anna seeks to find her true identity again. And this might have taken her to new boundaries she never thought she could reach.
As more characters are introduced into the plot, secrets start to unravel. You will keep guessing and thinking. But no matter how good you guess, the twists and turns will keep swinging you left and right till the last pages.
When I Wake Up was such an interesting and enjoyable read. I couldn’t put it down. I thought many times that it was clear to me what was going on. However, I would discover soon that it wasn’t what I had thought. I kept guessing and expecting. However, the major twist was so good and took me by surprise.
Jessica Jarlvi did a great job with her debut novel, When I Wake Up. Her writing style was so interesting. She moved her plot on so swiftly that there was no moment when I felt bored. The pages flew by in this fast paced suspenseful thriller and I enjoyed every bit of it.
With so many suspense thrillers hitting the shelves, it’s becoming a tough job to write a suspense thriller that can stand out. I think Jessica Jarlvi is one of those authors who can just do that. I love her style and the way she builds her plot. I expect to read more great books by this amazing author.
**Special thanks to NetGalley and Aria for supplying my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. **
For all my reviews please visit http://www.meshascorner.net
June 23, 2017
Marketed as a “heart-pounding thriller to delight fans of The Girl on the Train and Before I Go To Sleep”, When I Wake Up is a story told through multiple perspectives and flashes back and forth between past and present. A teacher, Anna, is in a coma after being savagely beaten. Only two people know the truth: Anna, who is lying silently in a hospital bed and the attacker.
As mentioned, the chapters move back and forth through time and feature various character perspectives. Anna’s chapters discuss events prior to her accident, her husband Erik in the present, struggling to find out what happened to his wife and random alternating chapters between a woman, Iris, working in a bookstore, Iris’ eccentric husband (an artist) and one of Anna’s students, Daniel. Each character was intricately developed and three dimensional; Jarlvi brilliantly is able to make these characters jump off the pages. I was left struggling to piece together how all of this would fit together, and by the end, when all was said and done, my jaw dropped at the twist.
I was drawn into this one immediately; the main protagonist is an educator working with troubled youth. This mirrors my job exactly so I felt especially connected to Anna as she tries to remain politically correct, show the student she cares and keep some distance for self-preservation.
By the time I reached the half point in the plot, I was completely immersed in the story and, as I mentioned, was baffled trying to figure out all these pieces were going to fit together; each situation became more intricate and involved and, soon, there was quite a complicated web. However, although I loved it in the middle, I found by the ¾ mark, I was feeling quite confused. It was as if the plot was becoming too complicated. There were too many things unfolding and it seemed to be happening randomly. However, Jarlvi flips the switch brilliantly in the end and I was left feeling impressed with the resolution of the novel.
There is quite the amount of explicit sexual material within the pages; I, personally, prefer my thrillers to be “thrill focused” so I did find this a little bit distracting but I did applaud the author for her choice to be true to the characters and their sexual exploration.
Overall, I enjoyed When I Wake Up and feel like it would suit fans who like character heavy thriller. Lots of developed faces, intricate webs and fast paced plots.
As mentioned, the chapters move back and forth through time and feature various character perspectives. Anna’s chapters discuss events prior to her accident, her husband Erik in the present, struggling to find out what happened to his wife and random alternating chapters between a woman, Iris, working in a bookstore, Iris’ eccentric husband (an artist) and one of Anna’s students, Daniel. Each character was intricately developed and three dimensional; Jarlvi brilliantly is able to make these characters jump off the pages. I was left struggling to piece together how all of this would fit together, and by the end, when all was said and done, my jaw dropped at the twist.
I was drawn into this one immediately; the main protagonist is an educator working with troubled youth. This mirrors my job exactly so I felt especially connected to Anna as she tries to remain politically correct, show the student she cares and keep some distance for self-preservation.
By the time I reached the half point in the plot, I was completely immersed in the story and, as I mentioned, was baffled trying to figure out all these pieces were going to fit together; each situation became more intricate and involved and, soon, there was quite a complicated web. However, although I loved it in the middle, I found by the ¾ mark, I was feeling quite confused. It was as if the plot was becoming too complicated. There were too many things unfolding and it seemed to be happening randomly. However, Jarlvi flips the switch brilliantly in the end and I was left feeling impressed with the resolution of the novel.
There is quite the amount of explicit sexual material within the pages; I, personally, prefer my thrillers to be “thrill focused” so I did find this a little bit distracting but I did applaud the author for her choice to be true to the characters and their sexual exploration.
Overall, I enjoyed When I Wake Up and feel like it would suit fans who like character heavy thriller. Lots of developed faces, intricate webs and fast paced plots.
June 14, 2017
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
When I Wake Up is told through various viewpoints both before Anna’s attack and afterwards. There is a lot going here and several characters to follow, but it wasn’t confusing at all. The chapters are clearly labeled by name and the month and year so it’s super easy to keep up with. Part of the fun of this book is with so many characters, virtually everyone is a suspect. At first glance, it seems really strange that a well respected teacher like Anna would be a target of a violent crime, but as the story unfolds, you learn that Anna had some really dark secrets she was hiding and plenty of people had the means and motivations to want to silence her.
I really liked the setting of a small Swedish town that looks and sounds idyllic but had some skeletons in its closet. All of the characters were unlikable and made poor decisions and had me shaking my head several times, but that never bothers me. It only adds to the mystery and tension as I try and figure out if anyone is actually a good person. I do want to point out that there are some very sexually explicit love scenes that I was not expecting, so be warned. I’m usually not a huge fan of that stuff in thrillers but it did work here and fit into the twisty storyline well.
When I Wake Up is told through various viewpoints both before Anna’s attack and afterwards. There is a lot going here and several characters to follow, but it wasn’t confusing at all. The chapters are clearly labeled by name and the month and year so it’s super easy to keep up with. Part of the fun of this book is with so many characters, virtually everyone is a suspect. At first glance, it seems really strange that a well respected teacher like Anna would be a target of a violent crime, but as the story unfolds, you learn that Anna had some really dark secrets she was hiding and plenty of people had the means and motivations to want to silence her.
I really liked the setting of a small Swedish town that looks and sounds idyllic but had some skeletons in its closet. All of the characters were unlikable and made poor decisions and had me shaking my head several times, but that never bothers me. It only adds to the mystery and tension as I try and figure out if anyone is actually a good person. I do want to point out that there are some very sexually explicit love scenes that I was not expecting, so be warned. I’m usually not a huge fan of that stuff in thrillers but it did work here and fit into the twisty storyline well.
June 1, 2017
I think I must be getting picky in my old age, getting harder to please. I loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I thought Gone Girl was stunning, and Before I Go To Sleep was a delicious treat. So, I was intrigued when I read the premise for this book, eagerly digging into it. However, it turns out this is really not my kind of book. The premise is fantastic, but I found the pace of the novel difficult, feeling as though there were moments that I knew I was meant to find tense and didn’t. I ultimately finished the book more out of a sense of loyalty to the process of seeing the book through rather than being gripped.
I was hoping for a mind-blowing ending that, for me, never happened. For me, if you are going to have multiple suspects in a whodunit, and then tell the story from each of their points of view, as well as giving all of them sufficient motive, there needs to be a clue that it could have been them when the point of view of the narration is focused on them. The one who actually ‘dunnit’ is shown, even in their own point of view, to have been hurt by the accident, and filled with concern for Anna’s well-being. The only sign that they are a fallen angel is a one night stand, and they show regret and a want to recommit themselves to their spouse in light of their guilt. That this person, who doesn’t show a hint of violent tendency or desire for 90% of the book, only shows a violent streak at the end, confirming themselves as the attacker, is disappointing and feels like the never before mentioned candlestick holder that condemns the villains of old murder-mystery stories. Especially as all the other suspects are shown to have violent/seriously dodgy streaks.
So, all in all, I found it to be a disappointing read - sadly, not my kind of book.
Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for supplying me with an advance ebook of this story in exchange for an honest review.
I was hoping for a mind-blowing ending that, for me, never happened. For me, if you are going to have multiple suspects in a whodunit, and then tell the story from each of their points of view, as well as giving all of them sufficient motive, there needs to be a clue that it could have been them when the point of view of the narration is focused on them. The one who actually ‘dunnit’ is shown, even in their own point of view, to have been hurt by the accident, and filled with concern for Anna’s well-being. The only sign that they are a fallen angel is a one night stand, and they show regret and a want to recommit themselves to their spouse in light of their guilt. That this person, who doesn’t show a hint of violent tendency or desire for 90% of the book, only shows a violent streak at the end, confirming themselves as the attacker, is disappointing and feels like the never before mentioned candlestick holder that condemns the villains of old murder-mystery stories. Especially as all the other suspects are shown to have violent/seriously dodgy streaks.
So, all in all, I found it to be a disappointing read - sadly, not my kind of book.
Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for supplying me with an advance ebook of this story in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2017
Quiet sleepy small town. A beloved teacher, a devoted wife and mother of young twins...who would want to brutally beat her up and leave her for dead? The book actually starts with the attack scene and then cleverly unfolds in present and recent past timelines to answer that very question, because no one is really what they seem at first glance. Few things are currently as popular as female authored female driven suspense mystery thrillers and Scandinavian crime fiction. This one combines both and delivers on both accounts. Despite the misleadingly zombie reminiscent cover and title, despite the somewhat over Anglicized/Americanized nature of writing (or is it just the names?), this book is unmistakably a proud Swedish export and an exciting one at that. Essentially a domestic thriller, it goes on to explore the mental atmosphere of the situation with an astuteness equaling any serious drama, unraveling the psychological makeup of marriages and relationships within the story with a deftness and emotional intelligence that's most inspiring to see, especially in a debut. There's realism and vividness to Jarlvi's writing that makes for an absolutely engaging read. I read most of it in one prolonged seating, unable to out it down. A thriller that genuinely thrills and suspense that's expertly maintained throughout until the very end. The author has obviously spent some time in the US, the ending is entirely too cute and upbeat for Scandinavian fiction, but I don't even care, the characters were so compelling, you end up wishing them a proper happy ending. Very entertaining read. Enthusiastically recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
June 25, 2017
Story and characters are shallow, unproductive and not very enjoyable. Filled with unnecessary sexual encounters and partners of all varieties contributing very little to the story. Reviews and ratings seem significantly stronger than warranted. Either that or I miss a whole bunch somewhere.
May 31, 2017
When teacher Anna is viciously attacked, leaving her in a coma, the reader is taken on a gripping and tensely dark ride where you suspect everyone! A great read :) xx
August 16, 2017
Anna is left for dead after being attacked in a carpark which results in her being left in hospital in a coma. Her husband Eric wants to know why this has happened and begins digging into Anna's life to see what he can find out, who would want to hurt her? Eric is quite surprised and devastated by what he does find out and it seems there is more than one person that may have wanted Anna harmed. I really enjoyed this story and found the characters and story both believable. I would like to thank Netgalley and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 30, 2023
This sordid book is chock full of deviant behavior and dysfunctional families.The mystery takes back seat to ALL the smut and bawdiness that is prevalent throughout the entire book will ALL the cast of characters. The premise of the plot seemed intriguing at first....until the lewd and lascivious onslaught took over and overwhelmed. Additionally, there are no likeable characters, and I did not connect with any of them. The author seemed more interested in creating a ribald storyline than creating dynamic, well rounded characters. Big mistake, in my opinion. Character development is the substance that "makes a book"! The flat characters and their lack of motives in this book lost my interest. At the 33% mark I skipped to the 95% mark because I certainly did not want or need to read more of the tawdry scenarios, but I did want to find out how the mystery concluded. The climax and ending were very exciting and satisfying so I give it 2*
I received WHEN I WAKE UP from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received WHEN I WAKE UP from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 20, 2017
There was a lot thst went on in this book. Relationships, blackmail, obsession, abuse & the list goes on. So much went on that towards the end it was a tad much. But a good read.
Thanks to NetGalley for this copy to review.
Thanks to NetGalley for this copy to review.
May 24, 2017
When I saw the blurb for When I Wake Up, I was intrigued. I’ve been dipping my toes more into the Scandicrime genre but this is different to the police procedural style novels from Staalsen and Dahl I’ve read.
The time jumps in the story works really well. it provides the intrigue, building as we learn what has happened in the weeks running up to Anna’s attack. The way the story drops in more and more information, the more I felt I didn’t know who it was. With each chapter set in the past, each individual around Anna gets motive and I could not decide who was the culprit!
In places the story didn’t feel like it was a crime thriller. It is saucy in places – Iris and Rolf are very sexual people and this sensuality transfers itself to their bedroom partners. I wasn’t overly convinced at the ease people fell for Iris; it didn’t feel real to me.
I didn’t love this book but there was nothing in particular wrong with the story; I just didn’t click with it. I felt it was a book of 3 parts, the start and the end were good and but the middle was only OK. I get that the middle was needed for the ending but it didn’t feel that tense or suspenseful in comparison to other crime thrillers.
Many thanks to Aria Fiction and Netgalley for giving me a copy of When I Wake Up.
The time jumps in the story works really well. it provides the intrigue, building as we learn what has happened in the weeks running up to Anna’s attack. The way the story drops in more and more information, the more I felt I didn’t know who it was. With each chapter set in the past, each individual around Anna gets motive and I could not decide who was the culprit!
In places the story didn’t feel like it was a crime thriller. It is saucy in places – Iris and Rolf are very sexual people and this sensuality transfers itself to their bedroom partners. I wasn’t overly convinced at the ease people fell for Iris; it didn’t feel real to me.
I didn’t love this book but there was nothing in particular wrong with the story; I just didn’t click with it. I felt it was a book of 3 parts, the start and the end were good and but the middle was only OK. I get that the middle was needed for the ending but it didn’t feel that tense or suspenseful in comparison to other crime thrillers.
Many thanks to Aria Fiction and Netgalley for giving me a copy of When I Wake Up.
September 22, 2017
***SPOILERS***
***Note I wrote this review before finishing the book. Now that I have finished I can confirm it is just a bad as my initial thoughts, just the end wasn’t exactly as expected (and I don't mean in a good or satisfying way). There is a TLDR at the end for that. ***
This is truly the worst book I have ever read. I am astounded to see so many excellent reviews on here. Were they bought by the author? Did you all get a different copy of this story than I did? There must be some mistake.
Let me preface this with I have never felt compelled to write a review. I have read hundreds of books and while I am happy to talk with people about them, and do have plenty of opinions, I am not a fan of writing reviews. Not even with the horror that is Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey provoked me into writing a review. When I Wake Up is, somehow, worse than those. Much worse. Even the actual writing itself was worse. How is that possible?
The beginning of this story opens with one of our main characters, Anna, having been attacked and is beaten into a coma. The narration then jumps back and forth with multiple people - including Anna and her husband, Erik - narrating the months leading up to her attack, as well as what happened immediately after Anna becomes comatose.
Ann’s husband Erik is pathetic. He constantly is complaining about Anna’s love for others, especially for her job as a teacher. There are many petty thoughts and jabs about Anna and Erik’s se life that quickly grew old. This follows on with him having an affair with his children’s teacher, Erik being awful to said teacher (Pernilla), awful to his mother, awful to his best friend, awful to literally everyone. But “It’s okay, he has been through a lot” we are reminded over and over again. After Anna is attacked and put in the hospital, her attacker at large, he starts going back to fooling around with Pernilla again waxing on about how much his cock wanted to feel something. While his wife sits beaten into a fucking coma?!? Oh but it’s okay, he’s been through a lot, right? That’s why he later on rapes said wife right after getting out of the hospital while still struggling with amnesia.
“He walks into the living room deciding to play it by ear. “Hej,” he says jovially. She’s sitting up, cradling her knees. “What’s going on?” he asks. “Are you okay?” Is she upset about her mum leaving? At least she’s not crying but he sits down and hugs her. She hugs him back. That’s a good start. Then he kisses her cheek, her forehead, her lips. She doesn’t exactly kiss him back but she doesn’t pull away. “I’ve missed you,” he says. He strokes her back and moves his hands to the front, over her breasts. She closes her eyes so he pushes her down onto the bed, pulling at her knickers. “Wait, Erik,” she says, opening her eyes again, and perhaps he’s moving a bit fast but at that moment his fingers reach her magic spot and it sounds as if she’s letting out a moa, which spurs him on. He rubs and circles for a few seconds before he yanks his trousers down.
“Erik, I’m not…” she starts but he’s already hard, she’s his wife, and he’s waited patiently. Surely he can’t be expected to stop now? This will be good for her memory, it will bring them back to the beginning when they were newly married and couldn’t keep their hands off each other. He separates her legs and she doesn’t stop him so we quickly pushes himself into her, moving in and out. “I’m your husband!” he pants but at that moment she starts to bang her hands on his shoulders, begging him to stop.
“Stop Erik, just STOP…” But he can’t. He’s so close, he just needs to…
“Argh!”
He comes hard, releasing his long-overdue spunk into her. He lies on top of her for a short while, realizing that he’s heavy and she’s still in recovery; he should move. She lies underneath him like a dead person, completely motionless, when he pulls out of her and sits up.”
I feel revolted having just retyped that expert from Chapter 75 (Erik). Did I forget to mention that Anna was almost raped in the previous chapter as well by someone else? She woke up to being assaulted in her sleep by a teenage stalked, and that was what Erik walked into her being upset over. I have included that part below as well for those with the same level of disbelief that I have on how this book was published.
I just cannot even begin to describe why this is so horrific. It is not even just that it is rape. I know that sounds bad, but for example there is quite a lot of rape in The Handmaid’s Tale , but is it still a excellent book? Yes. It is a cautionary tale. And one that is well written, with characters that are multifaceted and a cohesive story line. Is the rape still appalling to read? Yes, of course. But it is not vilified. It is a tale full of corruption and degrading behavior towards women - that is understood to be wrong. This as a possible future of America is terrifying. The MC is a victim, and she knows what is happening is wrong. In When I Wake Up though it is told from a rapist's point of view. But does then does the author get into that? NO. Is there any kind of punishment or acknowledgement from Erik that he just raped someone besides his remark that “He can’t look at her right now” directly after thinking how Anna laid under him like a dead her after he raped her? No. That line alone shows he knows he did something shameful, but that is it. The most he really says after is “I’m sorry is that was too soon,”.
THAT WASN’T SEX ERIK. THAT WAS NOT SEX THAT WAS JUST TOO SOON, THAT WAS RAPE. YOU RAPED HER.
I do not know why I expected better. There had already been a whole lot of manipulation, cheating, repeated comments of how the men in this book own, or at least want to, the women of this book, near-rape, physical abuse, verbal abuse, child abuse, an oddly projected Oedipus complex, a poorly handled and might I say inaccurate representation of a polyamorous relationship, and paintings made from blood and women’s hair (not always consensually taken) up until this point. At some point there is also the realization that not only is the story just poorly written, every character is completely one dimensional with seemingly no ability for introspection, the only people not nauseating are just supporting roles. The story really is supposed to be about Anna - who attacked her - but there's so much time spent on making Erik seem "innocent" and everyone is so insufferable, I found myself completely forgetting that Anna's attack was supposed to be the main plot. I can tell the idea was a psychological thriller; but it was not particularly psychologically intriguing besides horrifying, and certainly never thrilling. This book was entirely a 478 pages too long and gross.
TLDR: Rapist husband also is the one who nearly beat his wife. The whole book then has him feeling sorry for himself and us spending 400+ pages going in boring circles to find out it was him. He attempts to kill her again in the last chapter. Anna and her lesbian lover live happily ever after. The End.
I will leave you with some more insightful (/s) experts I noted though.
“Erik cheated. Only once. It barely counts, but he recognizes what he did. With Anna it is different. He never expected her to be unfaithful.” (Chapter 27, Erik)
“He got off the bed, drying his hand on the rough fabric before he pushed her out of the room. “Get out, I said.” Frida fell backwards but she was quickly back up on her feet. “Get the fuck away from me!” He shoved her hard. This time, she slipped on the rug and hit her head on the wall. Her body descended to the floor. A sad pile of bones. “Leave me alone,” she cried. He was too worked up and had no intention of listening to her pleas. He raised his leg and kicked her, is bare foot hitting the sharp outline of a rib. It hurt but he lifted his foot up again. This time he aimed at her stomach and his foot sank into the fat, the elasticity of her skin accommodating. No one would see the bruises apart from Rolf and he didn’t seem like someone who would care. When Dan grew tired of her whimpering , he stepped over her and went into the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a snack.” (Chapter 47, Dan)
“This time he tied her up. She was drunk enough to agree to anything, so it was easy." (Chapter 53, Rolf)
“You belong to me now!” he said, his words forceful. He needed to make her understand that he was in charge, not her."(Chapter 54, Daniel)
“Erik isn’t planning to get drunk. It just happens. No one can blame him though, he’s been through a lot.” (Chapter 59, Erik)
“At that moment, Erik shuts down his friendly feelings for Rob and activates his fists.” (Chapter 59, Erik)
“Rolf decided to end it with Frida. Apart from being beaten up by her son, the final straw was the downward spiral that had become their sealife.” (Chapter 61, Rolf)
.
.
.
“He carefully sits down next to her, which causes her to stir, but she doesn’t wake up. Maybe she’s just taken her medication? Her face looks relaxed. He places a hand on hers and squeezes gently. This feels so right. He looks at her heaving chest as she inhales. Transfixed, he feels a deep desire to touch her upper body. He’s sure she won’t mind. Letting go of her hand, he excitedly places his hands on Anna’s round breasts. They’re heavy and warm. He strokes them and watches the nipples harden. They actually stiffen under his touch! He feels himself grow hard. She’s [physically] responding to him. Excited, he leans down and tugs at a nipple with his mouth, the cotton fabric growing damp in his mouth. His heart beats fast, the thrill of being this close to her overshadowing anything he has ever experienced. This is what he’s wanted. He’s fooled around with girls before but this is different. His whole body wants Anna. It’s like he’s on fire, his cock is throbbing. He needs to be even closer, this isn’t enough; he lies down next to her. She smells of hospital but he doesn’t mind her flowery perfume is still detectable underneath. He snuggles closely, burrowing his nose into her neck, his hands stroking her stomach, sliding down between her legs. She’s warm down there and he wants to undress her so badly, to feel her skin against his, but first, he opens his fly and lets the hard-on out. It springs into position, leaning against Anna’s leg. He looks at it almost in awe: his cock on Anna’s leg. If only he had a camera to document this…” (Chapter 74, Daniel)
***Note I wrote this review before finishing the book. Now that I have finished I can confirm it is just a bad as my initial thoughts, just the end wasn’t exactly as expected (and I don't mean in a good or satisfying way). There is a TLDR at the end for that. ***
This is truly the worst book I have ever read. I am astounded to see so many excellent reviews on here. Were they bought by the author? Did you all get a different copy of this story than I did? There must be some mistake.
Let me preface this with I have never felt compelled to write a review. I have read hundreds of books and while I am happy to talk with people about them, and do have plenty of opinions, I am not a fan of writing reviews. Not even with the horror that is Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey provoked me into writing a review. When I Wake Up is, somehow, worse than those. Much worse. Even the actual writing itself was worse. How is that possible?
The beginning of this story opens with one of our main characters, Anna, having been attacked and is beaten into a coma. The narration then jumps back and forth with multiple people - including Anna and her husband, Erik - narrating the months leading up to her attack, as well as what happened immediately after Anna becomes comatose.
Ann’s husband Erik is pathetic. He constantly is complaining about Anna’s love for others, especially for her job as a teacher. There are many petty thoughts and jabs about Anna and Erik’s se life that quickly grew old. This follows on with him having an affair with his children’s teacher, Erik being awful to said teacher (Pernilla), awful to his mother, awful to his best friend, awful to literally everyone. But “It’s okay, he has been through a lot” we are reminded over and over again. After Anna is attacked and put in the hospital, her attacker at large, he starts going back to fooling around with Pernilla again waxing on about how much his cock wanted to feel something. While his wife sits beaten into a fucking coma?!? Oh but it’s okay, he’s been through a lot, right? That’s why he later on rapes said wife right after getting out of the hospital while still struggling with amnesia.
“He walks into the living room deciding to play it by ear. “Hej,” he says jovially. She’s sitting up, cradling her knees. “What’s going on?” he asks. “Are you okay?” Is she upset about her mum leaving? At least she’s not crying but he sits down and hugs her. She hugs him back. That’s a good start. Then he kisses her cheek, her forehead, her lips. She doesn’t exactly kiss him back but she doesn’t pull away. “I’ve missed you,” he says. He strokes her back and moves his hands to the front, over her breasts. She closes her eyes so he pushes her down onto the bed, pulling at her knickers. “Wait, Erik,” she says, opening her eyes again, and perhaps he’s moving a bit fast but at that moment his fingers reach her magic spot and it sounds as if she’s letting out a moa, which spurs him on. He rubs and circles for a few seconds before he yanks his trousers down.
“Erik, I’m not…” she starts but he’s already hard, she’s his wife, and he’s waited patiently. Surely he can’t be expected to stop now? This will be good for her memory, it will bring them back to the beginning when they were newly married and couldn’t keep their hands off each other. He separates her legs and she doesn’t stop him so we quickly pushes himself into her, moving in and out. “I’m your husband!” he pants but at that moment she starts to bang her hands on his shoulders, begging him to stop.
“Stop Erik, just STOP…” But he can’t. He’s so close, he just needs to…
“Argh!”
He comes hard, releasing his long-overdue spunk into her. He lies on top of her for a short while, realizing that he’s heavy and she’s still in recovery; he should move. She lies underneath him like a dead person, completely motionless, when he pulls out of her and sits up.”
I feel revolted having just retyped that expert from Chapter 75 (Erik). Did I forget to mention that Anna was almost raped in the previous chapter as well by someone else? She woke up to being assaulted in her sleep by a teenage stalked, and that was what Erik walked into her being upset over. I have included that part below as well for those with the same level of disbelief that I have on how this book was published.
I just cannot even begin to describe why this is so horrific. It is not even just that it is rape. I know that sounds bad, but for example there is quite a lot of rape in The Handmaid’s Tale , but is it still a excellent book? Yes. It is a cautionary tale. And one that is well written, with characters that are multifaceted and a cohesive story line. Is the rape still appalling to read? Yes, of course. But it is not vilified. It is a tale full of corruption and degrading behavior towards women - that is understood to be wrong. This as a possible future of America is terrifying. The MC is a victim, and she knows what is happening is wrong. In When I Wake Up though it is told from a rapist's point of view. But does then does the author get into that? NO. Is there any kind of punishment or acknowledgement from Erik that he just raped someone besides his remark that “He can’t look at her right now” directly after thinking how Anna laid under him like a dead her after he raped her? No. That line alone shows he knows he did something shameful, but that is it. The most he really says after is “I’m sorry is that was too soon,”.
THAT WASN’T SEX ERIK. THAT WAS NOT SEX THAT WAS JUST TOO SOON, THAT WAS RAPE. YOU RAPED HER.
I do not know why I expected better. There had already been a whole lot of manipulation, cheating, repeated comments of how the men in this book own, or at least want to, the women of this book, near-rape, physical abuse, verbal abuse, child abuse, an oddly projected Oedipus complex, a poorly handled and might I say inaccurate representation of a polyamorous relationship, and paintings made from blood and women’s hair (not always consensually taken) up until this point. At some point there is also the realization that not only is the story just poorly written, every character is completely one dimensional with seemingly no ability for introspection, the only people not nauseating are just supporting roles. The story really is supposed to be about Anna - who attacked her - but there's so much time spent on making Erik seem "innocent" and everyone is so insufferable, I found myself completely forgetting that Anna's attack was supposed to be the main plot. I can tell the idea was a psychological thriller; but it was not particularly psychologically intriguing besides horrifying, and certainly never thrilling. This book was entirely a 478 pages too long and gross.
TLDR: Rapist husband also is the one who nearly beat his wife. The whole book then has him feeling sorry for himself and us spending 400+ pages going in boring circles to find out it was him. He attempts to kill her again in the last chapter. Anna and her lesbian lover live happily ever after. The End.
I will leave you with some more insightful (/s) experts I noted though.
“Erik cheated. Only once. It barely counts, but he recognizes what he did. With Anna it is different. He never expected her to be unfaithful.” (Chapter 27, Erik)
“He got off the bed, drying his hand on the rough fabric before he pushed her out of the room. “Get out, I said.” Frida fell backwards but she was quickly back up on her feet. “Get the fuck away from me!” He shoved her hard. This time, she slipped on the rug and hit her head on the wall. Her body descended to the floor. A sad pile of bones. “Leave me alone,” she cried. He was too worked up and had no intention of listening to her pleas. He raised his leg and kicked her, is bare foot hitting the sharp outline of a rib. It hurt but he lifted his foot up again. This time he aimed at her stomach and his foot sank into the fat, the elasticity of her skin accommodating. No one would see the bruises apart from Rolf and he didn’t seem like someone who would care. When Dan grew tired of her whimpering , he stepped over her and went into the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a snack.” (Chapter 47, Dan)
“This time he tied her up. She was drunk enough to agree to anything, so it was easy." (Chapter 53, Rolf)
“You belong to me now!” he said, his words forceful. He needed to make her understand that he was in charge, not her."(Chapter 54, Daniel)
“Erik isn’t planning to get drunk. It just happens. No one can blame him though, he’s been through a lot.” (Chapter 59, Erik)
“At that moment, Erik shuts down his friendly feelings for Rob and activates his fists.” (Chapter 59, Erik)
“Rolf decided to end it with Frida. Apart from being beaten up by her son, the final straw was the downward spiral that had become their sealife.” (Chapter 61, Rolf)
.
.
.
“He carefully sits down next to her, which causes her to stir, but she doesn’t wake up. Maybe she’s just taken her medication? Her face looks relaxed. He places a hand on hers and squeezes gently. This feels so right. He looks at her heaving chest as she inhales. Transfixed, he feels a deep desire to touch her upper body. He’s sure she won’t mind. Letting go of her hand, he excitedly places his hands on Anna’s round breasts. They’re heavy and warm. He strokes them and watches the nipples harden. They actually stiffen under his touch! He feels himself grow hard. She’s [physically] responding to him. Excited, he leans down and tugs at a nipple with his mouth, the cotton fabric growing damp in his mouth. His heart beats fast, the thrill of being this close to her overshadowing anything he has ever experienced. This is what he’s wanted. He’s fooled around with girls before but this is different. His whole body wants Anna. It’s like he’s on fire, his cock is throbbing. He needs to be even closer, this isn’t enough; he lies down next to her. She smells of hospital but he doesn’t mind her flowery perfume is still detectable underneath. He snuggles closely, burrowing his nose into her neck, his hands stroking her stomach, sliding down between her legs. She’s warm down there and he wants to undress her so badly, to feel her skin against his, but first, he opens his fly and lets the hard-on out. It springs into position, leaning against Anna’s leg. He looks at it almost in awe: his cock on Anna’s leg. If only he had a camera to document this…” (Chapter 74, Daniel)
February 10, 2019
I enjoyed this one. Took me a while to get into it but that was more to do with moving house and not having time to read. I liked the style od writing particularly towards the end. Definitely worth a read in my opinion
August 29, 2017
Jessica Jarivi kept me going on who beat up Anna throughout most of the story one minute it was Pernilla the next it was Daniel the next it was Rolf the next it was Erik. She had me making my mind up before she had Anna find the incriminating evidence. As it turned out Anna had a full recovery. We won't give it away you must read this for yourself.
July 31, 2020
Well! This was a weird, but most enjoyable, wild roller coaster of a ride. I found myself thinking of the Great Ladies of Crime, Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie; Jarlvi has more suspects and red herrings than either of them, and the suspense lasts almost to the very end. I also recalled those great psychological thriller films, the vintage 1944 Gaslight (Charles Boyer) and Wait until Dark (Audrey Hepburn).
Jarlvi's characterizations are superb, and they act consistently throughout the story as she artfully weaves a tapestry of motivations, alibis, bad behavior and, over the course of the whole novel, pulls out the threads one by one. Any one of the "bad guys" (or women) would make logical sense; it's not contrived at all. I noted one reviewer comment that she was disappointed in the identity of Anna's assailant. I wasn't! No spoilers, but this was a person I intuitively disliked almost from the beginning.
The sexual scenes (quite necessary to the development of plot and character) are quite explicit which is fine with me; I mention it only to forewarn potential readers who might be offended. One TINY criticism: there are numerous instances where Jarlvi uses objective case pronouns where the nominative case is required. Readers of my reviews know how grammatical errors really grate on me and are often a big distraction. It's a testament to the strength of this novel that it didn't bother me (much).
NOTE: I chose to review the paperback edition published by Aria June 1, 2017 because it was the only GR edition that displayed the correct number of pages (476-480). I actually read the Kindle edition also published June 1 2017; I purchased it July 14 as an Amazon special for 99 cents! What a bargain! (BTW, Amazon still has the Kindle special).
Jarlvi's characterizations are superb, and they act consistently throughout the story as she artfully weaves a tapestry of motivations, alibis, bad behavior and, over the course of the whole novel, pulls out the threads one by one. Any one of the "bad guys" (or women) would make logical sense; it's not contrived at all. I noted one reviewer comment that she was disappointed in the identity of Anna's assailant. I wasn't! No spoilers, but this was a person I intuitively disliked almost from the beginning.
The sexual scenes (quite necessary to the development of plot and character) are quite explicit which is fine with me; I mention it only to forewarn potential readers who might be offended. One TINY criticism: there are numerous instances where Jarlvi uses objective case pronouns where the nominative case is required. Readers of my reviews know how grammatical errors really grate on me and are often a big distraction. It's a testament to the strength of this novel that it didn't bother me (much).
NOTE: I chose to review the paperback edition published by Aria June 1, 2017 because it was the only GR edition that displayed the correct number of pages (476-480). I actually read the Kindle edition also published June 1 2017; I purchased it July 14 as an Amazon special for 99 cents! What a bargain! (BTW, Amazon still has the Kindle special).
April 28, 2017
An interesting mystery with a lot of very unlikable characters. Anna, a teacher, is in a coma after being attacked. We get different points of view of the aftermath, as well as the events leading up to it. There is no shortage of suspects. Daniel, her student, was stalking her. He lives with an alcoholic, neglectful mother. Erik, Anna's husband, is trying to hold it together. He is an immature mama's boy who thinks it's OK to leave his little kids and go on a boys' night out when his wife lies unconscious in the hospital. Even secondary characters are obnoxious and violent. Now, this normally is to a problem for me, but it was hard to root for them. Only Anna was redeemable. Her secret, understandable, even if she makes some very questionable decisions (sure, let's not report that you're being stalked and borderline sexually assaulted). There is only another character I liked, Iris, a librarian, also surrounded by horrible people. But my biggest problem with this novel was that it lied. I can't be more specific without giving something big away, but one of the characters is not like he or she seems, and the flashbacks pretty much cheat the reader. It is an interesting story, it's just hard to get invested in a story when you're just getting continuously aggravated.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Aria!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Aria!
April 6, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book's description was very intriguing and held a lot of promise for a great storyline. I found the characters to all be very unlikeable and the storyline to be rather disturbing. This book didn't appeal to me as a reader, but I think there will be other readers who find this story to be appealing.
June 15, 2017
Intrigue in small-town Sweden
Anna is married with two young twin boys. She is a high school (I guess it's considered high school in Sweden) teacher in Mörna, Skåne County, Sweden. Her husband, Erik, is a house painter but has big dreams about making it as a rock star.
One night Anna is working late at school and ends up being beaten and left for dead in the school parking lot, falling into a coma.
The story is told from multiple points of view and covers a few months in time - before and after the attack.
This book was difficult for me to finish. It seemed to drag on FOREVER. Many people are presented as suspects of the brutal attack against Anna - too many, in my opinion. The characters are well defined but I did not find one of them I liked.
So it was draining to read and finish the book. I really didn't get a feel for the Swedish locale either.
I think this could have been a good mystery - with the verbiage cut by about half. It did have some rare good moments.
I received this book from Atria Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.
Anna is married with two young twin boys. She is a high school (I guess it's considered high school in Sweden) teacher in Mörna, Skåne County, Sweden. Her husband, Erik, is a house painter but has big dreams about making it as a rock star.
One night Anna is working late at school and ends up being beaten and left for dead in the school parking lot, falling into a coma.
The story is told from multiple points of view and covers a few months in time - before and after the attack.
This book was difficult for me to finish. It seemed to drag on FOREVER. Many people are presented as suspects of the brutal attack against Anna - too many, in my opinion. The characters are well defined but I did not find one of them I liked.
So it was draining to read and finish the book. I really didn't get a feel for the Swedish locale either.
I think this could have been a good mystery - with the verbiage cut by about half. It did have some rare good moments.
I received this book from Atria Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.
December 28, 2017
This was supposed to be a who dunnit thriller, but I was so busy trying to keep track of who was sleeping with who that I actually kept forgetting about the woman in the coma.
Some awkward sex scenes, a few red herrings and a VERY disappointing reveal left me shrugging ny shoulders and saying "ehh..?"
At least I read it in a day..
Some awkward sex scenes, a few red herrings and a VERY disappointing reveal left me shrugging ny shoulders and saying "ehh..?"
At least I read it in a day..
June 23, 2017
Who would assault and almost kill a young mother and popular teacher, so much respected in the community that she has recently won the “teacher of the year” award? According to Anna’s friends and family, she had no enemies, no one who would wish her harm. Fighting for her life in ICU, Anna herself is unable to shed any light on the situation. Anna’s little twin boys are devastated that their mummy is not coming home, and her overwhelmed husband Erik is becoming convinced that the police have hit a dead end investigating the assault.
The more we delve into the storyline, brimming with dysfunctional and sometimes outright obnoxious characters, the more we become aware that not all is as it appears on the surface. Each and every character in this book has a nasty secret or two, and, ultimately, a reason to kill. Jarvli does a good job setting a dark and disturbing scene with an underlying sense of menace throughout, and reveals snippets of each character’s life through alternating POVs.
I love a good Scandinavian thriller and their honest exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche, and although I did not get the same sense of locale and atmosphere as a lot of others in the genre, Jarlvi is certainly not afraid to shy away from controversial topics in this novel. Unlike many other murder/mysteries, the police investigation features only very peripherally in this book, and the main focus always rests on the various characters involved in Anna’s life, who each could turn out to be her attacker. Perhaps the main “investigator”, if you could call him that, is Anna’s husband Erik, who has a lot of questions regarding his wife’s attack, and starts looking into her personal affairs a bit more closely – and there is nothing better in a mystery than a spouse who discovers that their loved one may have had secrets they know nothing about.
I was not so fond of some of the explicit sexual scenes in the book, but that is just my personal opinion and other people may enjoy the way they spice up the story and add further complications to the already rather complex relationships featured. Since I am not a fan of romance novels, I could easily have done away with quite a lot of the sexual tension, which would have moved the story along a bit better. As it was, the middle of the book dragged a bit for me, only to gain momentum again towards the end, as we begin to narrow down the suspects. And whilst I did not find the resolution of the mystery totally satisfying (for reasons I will not divulge here), it certainly had a surprise element.
When I Wake Up is a well-written mystery from a new voice in Scandinavian crime fiction. Focusing on a young woman’s brutal assault, it explores the relationships surrounding the victim from several POVs and takes the reader on a dark and sinister journey into the deepest, darkest corners of the human psyche. Lovers of Scandinavian noir and domestic noir, who are not put off by some sexual tension and explicit sexual scenes, may find this novel exactly what they have been looking for.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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The more we delve into the storyline, brimming with dysfunctional and sometimes outright obnoxious characters, the more we become aware that not all is as it appears on the surface. Each and every character in this book has a nasty secret or two, and, ultimately, a reason to kill. Jarvli does a good job setting a dark and disturbing scene with an underlying sense of menace throughout, and reveals snippets of each character’s life through alternating POVs.
I love a good Scandinavian thriller and their honest exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche, and although I did not get the same sense of locale and atmosphere as a lot of others in the genre, Jarlvi is certainly not afraid to shy away from controversial topics in this novel. Unlike many other murder/mysteries, the police investigation features only very peripherally in this book, and the main focus always rests on the various characters involved in Anna’s life, who each could turn out to be her attacker. Perhaps the main “investigator”, if you could call him that, is Anna’s husband Erik, who has a lot of questions regarding his wife’s attack, and starts looking into her personal affairs a bit more closely – and there is nothing better in a mystery than a spouse who discovers that their loved one may have had secrets they know nothing about.
I was not so fond of some of the explicit sexual scenes in the book, but that is just my personal opinion and other people may enjoy the way they spice up the story and add further complications to the already rather complex relationships featured. Since I am not a fan of romance novels, I could easily have done away with quite a lot of the sexual tension, which would have moved the story along a bit better. As it was, the middle of the book dragged a bit for me, only to gain momentum again towards the end, as we begin to narrow down the suspects. And whilst I did not find the resolution of the mystery totally satisfying (for reasons I will not divulge here), it certainly had a surprise element.
When I Wake Up is a well-written mystery from a new voice in Scandinavian crime fiction. Focusing on a young woman’s brutal assault, it explores the relationships surrounding the victim from several POVs and takes the reader on a dark and sinister journey into the deepest, darkest corners of the human psyche. Lovers of Scandinavian noir and domestic noir, who are not put off by some sexual tension and explicit sexual scenes, may find this novel exactly what they have been looking for.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
June 21, 2017
WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi sounded like a fascinating psychological thriller and I hoped that it would be worth a read but nothing prepared me for this shocking story that was completely unexpected, clever, and sharp.
When Anna is savagely beaten and left in a coma, this small community in Sweden is shocked that something like this could happen to such a lovely woman. A brilliant teacher, Anna takes her job seriously and really wants to make a difference in her student's lives and in her personal life she is married to Erik and a dedicated mother to her two adorable little boys. But as her husband and the police begin their investigation, confusing secrets begin to turn up and as the list of suspects starts to grow, will Anna wake up in time to name her attacker?
WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi is told from different points of view and at different times ranging from a few months before the attack to after it has happened, and this really worked in holding my attention. There are plenty of characters, most of which are unlikeable and highly suspicious, which had me questioning the attacker's identity numerous times. There are a lot of sexual scenes throughout this book which may seem unusual for this genre but like everything this author writes, there are reasons for this too. WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi is absorbing, dark, and refreshingly different and I highly recommend it.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
When Anna is savagely beaten and left in a coma, this small community in Sweden is shocked that something like this could happen to such a lovely woman. A brilliant teacher, Anna takes her job seriously and really wants to make a difference in her student's lives and in her personal life she is married to Erik and a dedicated mother to her two adorable little boys. But as her husband and the police begin their investigation, confusing secrets begin to turn up and as the list of suspects starts to grow, will Anna wake up in time to name her attacker?
WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi is told from different points of view and at different times ranging from a few months before the attack to after it has happened, and this really worked in holding my attention. There are plenty of characters, most of which are unlikeable and highly suspicious, which had me questioning the attacker's identity numerous times. There are a lot of sexual scenes throughout this book which may seem unusual for this genre but like everything this author writes, there are reasons for this too. WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi is absorbing, dark, and refreshingly different and I highly recommend it.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
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