Marta está dormida

by Romy Hausmann, Laura Manero Jiménez (Translator)

Ya te tengo.

Ahora vamos a jugar.

Jugaremos a celebrar un juicio.

Una voz a mi espalda dice: «Ese es uno de tus mayores problemas, ¿verdad, bonita? Que no puedes confiar ni en ti misma. Y no me extraña, claro, con tu historia».

Una casita apartada en el bosque del Spree acaba siendo el escenario de un juego macabro...

Hace años que condenaron a Nadja por algo terrible. Tras su puesta en libertad, lo que más desea es poder llevar una vida normal, pero inesperadamente se produce un asesinato. Y alguien tiene que ocuparse de ello. Una casa apartada acaba siendo el escenario de un juego macabro... porque el pasado de Nadja la convierte en la víctima perfecta. Y también en la perfecta asesina.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense

328 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2020

About the author

Romy Hausmann was born in the former GDR in 1981. At the age of twenty-four she became chief editor at a film production company in Munich. Since the birth of her son, Romy has been working as a freelancer in TV. DEAR CHILD is her thriller debut, and her second mind-bending thriller SLEEPLESS publishes in 2021. She lives with her family in a remote house in the woods near Stuttgart.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a unique enigma! It feels like you walk in the dark, collecting bread crumbs to find your way to the end of the tunnel which will lead you the bad witch’s candy house! You keep gathering missing pieces of puzzle : from different timelines, unreliable characters’ narrations.

Here are facts I gathered after reading nearly 50
pages: Nadja Kulka opens her eyes, fell from a cliff, probably pushed, suffering from concussion, blood oozing from her head, forcing herself to drive to some cottage in the woods after attracting suspicion of gas station owners. She’s carrying something in her baggage, wearing a wig( we don’t know why)

We are also introduced to Nelly Schütt by moving 5 years backwards: she’s young girl, with keen interest in black and white noir movies, working at her parents’ inn, having an affair with a married, older man which will be her ruin.

And we are also introduced Nadja’a workaholic and intimidating boss Gero and his free spirited, vivid wife Laura who was former assistant of Gero and resigned from her job to be stay at home mom to take care of her their daughter Viv!

And we also read so many letters describing chaotic mind of a woman who’s seen a therapist talking about her past: taking care of a woman named Martha! We don’t know who she is or to whom the were letters written.

All those storylines seem like separated but keep reading, be patient, the author is so smart, a mathematics genius: creating unique equations.

Eventually Nadja finds herself trapped in a very complex, dangerous game and only way to survive is confronting her past mistakes and unleashing the animal she’d locked inside!

I honestly didn’t like this book as much as Dear Child .

None of the characters were relatable. They did horrible things. They are mean, manipulative, cheater, killer, abuser, liar scumbags with psychopathic tendencies!

But this a creepy, ultra smart, well developed thriller with lots of cryptic mind games so dealing with very irritating characters didn’t affect my enjoyment!

But the bothering thing about my reading is at last third the pace was wobbled and I felt like the author had second thoughts about how she would end this story and which characters would be punished! Well, at the end she finally wrapped up well but the wobbling feeling left bad taste in my mouth!

I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 enigmatic, chaotic, tragic, dark, bleak, harsh, intense stars!
I loved the author’s extremely dark and extraordinarily smart mind. I’m looking forward to read her future works.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a midwinter break) · Rating 3 out of 5]

EXCERPT: He realised he had to notify the police. This was serious, this was real; someone had snatched Vivi away from him and every second counted. With child abductions the first forty-eight hours were crucial. Gero felt his insides wrench. He didn't want to think of his daughter as a victim; she couldn't be one. As he took his hand from his brow, his gaze fell on another door: the metal one that led to the roof terrace. He went over to it as if on automatic pilot, pressed the handle and climbed the first few steps of the metal staircase. And then he suddenly sensed it: Vivi's presence. He sensed it even before he saw her in the arms of the woman who was standing perilously close to the edge of the roof. Only the panel railing - a thin sheet of perforated metal - lay between her and the ground below, between Vivi and a good fifteen metres of free-fall.

'Nadja,' he said, stretching out a hand. 'Please don't do anything silly.'

ABOUT 'SLEEPLESS': It's been years since Nadja Kulka was convicted of a cruel crime. After being released from prison, she's wanted nothing more than to live a normal life: nice flat, steady job, even a few friends. But when one of those friends, Laura von Hoven - free-spirited beauty and wife of Nadja's boss - kills her lover and begs Nadja for her help, Nadja can't seem to be able to refuse.

The two women make for a remote house in the woods, the perfect place to bury a body. But their plan quickly falls apart and Nadja finds herself outplayed, a pawn in a bizarre game in which she is both the perfect victim and the perfect murderer . . .

MY THOUGHTS: I wanted to love Sleepless, but it was just too disjointed. Imagine if you will, ripping all the chapters out of a book except the first and last, shuffling them into random order, and rebinding the book. That was how it felt. There was no rhyme or reason for order of the chapters. The timeline jumped about erratically. It drove me insane!

There are two separate storylines - the common factor being Nadja. Plus there are letters written from one unknown person to another, but which are never sent. The author and intended recipient are revealed at the end.

About halfway through the book, things started to come together and I got excited, but it didn't last. What should have been a suspenseful, thrilling and chilling section of the book disappointed, because the timeline jumps continued, interrupting the flow.

My honest opinion? This could have been an absolute amazing and brilliant read. But the author has tried to be too clever to the detriment of the read.

And the epilogue? NO. IDEA.

There is some beautiful writing in here. It just gets lost in the chaos, as does the rather wonderful plot.

Please note: no books were harmed in the writing of this review.

⭐⭐.8

#Sleepless #NetGalley

I: @romyhausmann @quercusbooks

#contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama #murdermystery

THE AUTHOR: Romy Hausmann was born in the former GDR in 1981. At the age of twenty-four she became chief editor at a film production company in Munich. Since the birth of her son, Romy has been working as a freelancer in TV. She lives with her family in a remote house in the woods near Stuttgart.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Quercus Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Sleepless by Romy Hausmann for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The central character of the latest book by this talented author is Nadja who many years ago was convicted of a terrible crime in her native Poland. In the present day, Nadja finds herself caught up in a situation she cannot make head nor tail off. The novel is about guilt, retribution and sacrifice and is intriguing to the very end.

I’m not going to pretend that this is an easy read because it takes a long time for the seemingly disparate threads to connect from the various timelines which initially seem random. You have to be patient as little by little the pieces of the jigsaw are released and you begin to see the bigger picture. It’s clever writing because it ought to be really annoying but somehow the author manages to keep you engaged by the quality of the writing. At the start there are a lot of film references especially from the 1940’s and the novel does have a sort of ‘celluloid’ feel to it. You have no idea what to make of the characters, Nadja remains enigmatic to the very end as you go through a whole range of emotions from being sorry for her to urging her to wake up from the somnambulant state she’s been in for years and then she really shocks you on occasion. I can’t say any of the characters are likeable as they all have extreme dark sides and some of their actions beggar belief. They’re so manipulative and lack morality. There are some good descriptions such as characters feelings that are quite unique and original. At times the storytelling is very creepy and chilling and you gulp in shock at what’s unfolding as it’s so malicious. You read on with baited breath as plans unravel, are reformed to meet the changed circumstances until SOME sort of justice is achieved. There’s twist after twist and at times it’s dizzying as your brain rushes to try to keep up.

Overall, this is very different and you have to persist and roll with it. It’s very intricate storytelling and there’s a masterful connection of the multiple threads in a very complex plot. I don’t think this is quite as good as ‘Dear Child’ but it’s still darned good and well worth reading.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[Phils Osophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natürlich ist es kein "Liebes Kind". Aber ich glaube, genau das ist der Grund, warum es so viel Kritik hagelt. Ja, "Marta schläft" ist ganz anders, und extrem verwirrend. Aber das ist doch der Reiz an dem Ganzen?!... Mich hat das Buch beschäftigt wie ein großes 1000-Teile-Puzzle, ich habe mitgefiebert und wollte wissen wie es ausgeht. Über das Ende lässt sich streiten, ja, aber alles in allem ein solider Thriller mit einigen zum Nachdenken anregenden Themen.

[Melissa (Distracted by New Grandbaby) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up, but just barely.

I really loved last year's Dear Child, I thought it was inventive and exciting. This one, not as much. I read one review (thanks Sandy for this image) where it said this book was like you took all of the chapters out except the first and last and shuffled them all around and then put them back in the book in a random order. This is pretty much what reading this book feels like, up until about 60% into it when things start to become a bit more straightforward.

You have a past storyline with Nadja when she is younger, you have some random letters from a person to another, you have Nadja and Laura and past and present all mixed around with an incident there, and you have this woman Nelly and her lover Paul. The threads are eventually somewhat tied together, but the Paul storyline was basically a throwaway to me.

To me, it was like the author was trying to be super creative with storytelling but it didn't really work to tell it all out of order. I want to enjoy my reading, not have to work to figure out what is happening and when and why. The author needs to do that heavy lifting for me, not the other way around as it occurs with this novel.

There are a couple of very good twists that I did figure out ahead of time. Still, it did elevate the book to have those included. The Nadja/Laura/Gero storyline, once it gets going in a more straightforward way, is the best one of the bunch. The epilogue though...I have ZERO idea what that was all about.

I listened to this as an audiobook with multiple narrators. I did like Lucy Paterson, who voiced Nadja, but Michael Fenner's voicing of Laura is way too fake falsetto. He's fine for the male parts and background narration, but I didn't like his inflections with females.

Overall, my opinion is that you should skip this one unless you're committed to doing the work of wading through the chaos to find the core story.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

I can't do it anymore. I'm officially pulling the plug at 62%.



I have no clue what is happening. I can't tell any of the characters apart. There's strange timeline issues happening that I can't keep track of. In short...



I'm fairly disappointed actually, since I did enjoy Hausmann's novel, Dear Child, quite a bit. Even though that one started off a little confusing, it was in a fun way and it was also easy to track the storyline.

This one is just ALL OVER THE PLACE!



For those of you who care about such things, I am altering the dates of this so it won't show up in my 2021-reading tracker.

Thank you, Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. Even though it didn't work out for me, I am sure there are Readers out there who will enjoy it!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing blah blah blah

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a clever, multilayered and very twisty thriller that starts off as a slow boiler but transforms into a creepy and intense struggle for survival.

Initially there are three distinct threads that don't obviously intersect, two featuring crimes and the third a series of letters by an unknown author. In the main thread, a young Polish woman, Nadja Kulka, gets caught up in a bizarre game to help a friend hide a crime. Nadja had an abusive childhood and was jailed for killing her mother when she was a teenager. After her release from prison, her lawyer helped her find a job in a law firm in Berlin where no one knows her past history, but her traumatic past has left her anxious, socially awkward and easily manipulated. In the minor thread, a young woman having an affair is found dead in the woods and it's only later that this will slot into the main story, as well as bring into focus the relevance of the letters.

It takes a talented writer to make us care about what happens to a weak and prickly character like Nadja but Hausmann manages to do just that. Nadja is not someone who makes friends easily and her 'friend' Laura is a selfish manipulator. Her husband, Gero van Hoven is a ruthless lawyer out for revenge and together Gero and Laura set out to abuse Nadja’s naivety and trusting nature. After the build-up to set the scene, the story becomes dark and twisted and makes for a very compelling read. Smoothly translated from the original German, the writing flows effortlessly and it's well worth the effort of untangling the complex threat to get to the finale.

With thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for a copy to read

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really, really loved the author’s previous book, Dear Child, but this one - not so much.

I love complex thrillers, convoluted plots and mind bending stories but somehow it took until around halfway for this story to start making any sense. Nadja Kulka, originally from Poland, had a pretty terrible start to life. Her mother made a living entertaining ‘gentleman callers’ and was very neglectful of her children. Nadja pretty much brought up her younger brother, Janek. But when she was 15 her mother was brutally killed. Despite claiming her innocence Nadja was convicted of the crime and spent 7 years in youth detention. Now she lives a small life, sees a therapist regularly and suffers panic attacks. So when one of the few people who have been nice to her, Laura van Hoven, the wife of her boss Gero van Hoven, asks for her help she readily agrees. That was a big mistake and she gets sucked into an insane conspiracy to cover up a murder whereby her own life hangs in the balance.

None of the characters were likeable. Even Nadja, the fall guy, seemed to be complicit in her own downfall. She was so spineless and weak - until finally she wasn’t. The other characters were various shades of awful. The theme of this book was all about guilt and its terrible burden and the lengths people go to and so on but I have to say it was all very messy. There was a whole other plot thread about a married guy having an affair with a young woman who died in a forest that really had no bearing on the story and could have been left out. The guy, Paul, had a small part to play later in the story but it could have been played by anyone.

Maybe I missed the point of it all but it seemed a very complicated way of saying not very much. The writing was, again, excellent and the second half of the book had some good moments, for that I am giving the book three stars. I will be interested to see what Hausmann comes up with next but this book was a bit of a miss for me. I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[JaymeO · Rating 4 out of 5]

What are people capable of doing out of love or fear?

After being released from jail, Nadja Kulka attempts to live a modest lifestyle. She has a job and one good friend named Laura. Despite the fact that she suffers from panic attacks and compulsions, she agrees to help Laura cover up a murder she committed. Soon the plot to hide the body at Laura’s grandmother’s cabin goes awry, and Nadja begins to question her past, present and future. She may have just fallen into a trap that will threaten to upend her new life.

I loved Hausmann’s Dear Child, and was excited to read her next book. Originally the synopsis on Goodreads insinuated that this was a sequel, but it is a stand alone. It is translated from German, and at times I found parts of it to be confusing. I am not sure if it is due to the translation or to the writing. It takes place over multiple timelines and is told by multiple narrators. Eventually, all of the stories meet up and the pieces fall into place. Due to the very short chapters, it is a fast read. However, I felt like too much of the beginning part of the book was spent on Nelly’s story, which really was a minor player in setting up the real main character, Gero van Hoven. Nelly’s story also makes numerous references to the classic movie, Woman in the Window, which I have not seen. I highly recommend either researching or watching this movie in order to help understand this part of the book.

I really enjoyed getting to know Nadja’s wonderfully flawed character. Her story is the heart of the book and I wish that more time was spent on it. She is full of hope and is willing to make all kinds of crazy sacrifices in order to help others. Is she innocent or guilty? You won’t know until the very last chapter.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. However, as usual, I found the epilogue completely unnecessary.

4/5 stars

Thank you to FlatIron Books for the ARC of Sleepless by Romy Hausmann in exchange for an honest review.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, I don't hate you. I feel sorry for you; I always did. For "guilt" is just another synonym for "death"--a crueller, more agonizing death.

At the heart of this twisty, turny tale are two women. We meet Naja very early on and it is clear that she is executing a plan for someone else. Is it Laura? Who is writing the letters we read in between chapters and who is the intended recipient. Patience, dear reader. All will be revealed in Romy Hausmann's timing. Throughout we see the main characters dealing with sacrifice and loyalty along with the guilt an death mentioned in the above quote. Hausmann has a knack for telling a dark tale that draws in the reader like moth to a flame. I thought this one stumbled a bit and was not quite as compelling as Dear Child, but still one I would recommend for thrills and chills.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Rainz ❤️rainnbooks❤️(on a break) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Net Galley, Quercus Books, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Have you seen colorful marble balls that children use to play and how the rainbow colors in these balls seem to reflect different colors when light falls on them? That’s what this story is about!

Till about 30% of the book, I couldn’t make head or tail of what in the world was going on? There is some sort of letters that are written, then there’s the current story of Nadja who has a severe case of anxiety and is on medication talking about standing on a cliff but she is inside a store, there is another girl called Nelly a few years in the past, running an inn and in love with a married man, Tabea, a lawyer assigned to the married man, then the boss in the law firm Gero Van Hoven married to Laura, and Nadja who once considered Laura to be her friend and is ready to do anything for her, honestly, that first 30% made me dizzy.

There were so many different threads running thru the story but after the first part, the tale just begins to untangle and became so compelling and I had to literally devour it one sitting. BRAVO, Romy Hausmann, and more fool me; expecting a thriller like DEAR CHILD which still gives me nightmares by the way, but this one is intricate layering at best with the kind of devious storytelling that had me glued to my kindle. The spider web is intriguing and it was amazing to see the varied threads forming a cohesive plot at the end. It was simply a stunning journey unraveling the twisty story but once the truth gets revealed, the ending fell a little flat for me. Again, I think it was my expectation that played the spoilsport but I did expect a resounding finale.

Nevertheless, Sleepless is an addictive crime thriller littered with bread crumbs that is hard to pick one, from the author of the hugely successful Dear Child.

4.5 stars!

This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Meduim.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nadja had a difficult childhood and spent time in prison after being convicted for a crime. But it's been years since her release and she's wanted nothing more than a normal life since: a quiet flat, a job, and maybe some friends. But when one of those few friends, Lauren--the wife of her boss--asks for help covering up a murder, Nadja cannot help but agree. Even if it means endangering all the peace she's worked for. The women quickly make a plan, but when it all starts to crumble, Nadja begins to question exactly what her role is in this plan.

I really enjoyed Hausmann's book DEAR CHILD, but this one didn't have quite the same flair. There are books with confusing timelines that you enjoy and then there are books with confusing timelines that simply muddle things and make it hard to enjoy the plot. This book was the latter for me. There are a lot of interconnected stories in varying timelines and points of view and, truly, it's a lot to follow.

This read seems rather slow and rather blah until the last bit, where it takes off and gets exciting. You sort of know where it's going, which makes it even harder to keep reading. The characters are not that engaging, making it hard to get attached. It's difficult to root for this gang--especially Lauren and her husband. The plot is crazy and rather violent, spinning toward preposterous. If you can suspend disbelief, you'll enjoy things a lot more.

Overall, this had hints of enjoyment, but wasn't my favorite. 2.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Flatiron Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Smashbomb ~ Instagram

[Repix Pix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una trama inteligente y sorprendente.

[Anastasia Ts. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Βρίσκομαι κάπου στα 3,5 αστέρια. Δεν διαβάζω συχνά την κατηγορία, αλλά με κράτησε μέχρι το τέλος. Ίσως να ήθελα σε κάποια σημεία να είναι αναλυτική γιατί είχα κάποιες αποριούλες... αλλά οκ διαβάζεται ευχάριστα και περνάς καλά.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to Flatiron books for providing me with a free, physical ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: October 5, 2021

Romy Hausmann’s “Dear Child” was one of my best reads of last year, hands down. When I was given the chance to read her newest work, “Sleepless”, I jumped at the oppourtunity.

Nadja has been trying to live a quiet life after being released from jail for a crime she swears she didn’t commit. Working in a law office, she befriends Laura, the wife of one of the legal partners, and they become fast friends. One night, Laura calls her in a frenzy, begging for Nadja’s help—there’s a dead body, a bloody weapon and Laura knows that Nadja can help her make the body disappear. But will Nadja risk her quiet life to help her only friend?

The premise of this novel was intriguing, and I was immediately pulled into the drama. Hausmann’s short chapters make this novel compulsively readable, and I easily finished this book in one day.

Both Nadja and Laura are completely opposite in personality and appearance, yet they develop a tight, fast friendship that provides solace to them both. The characters were full of surprises in this story, and there was always a twist waiting around every corner. Nadja and Laura are instantly and immediately likable, and, until one extremely compelling twist, I rooted for them both.

Although the latter half of this novel was page-turning and addictive, I did not enjoy the first half as much as I expected to. With entirely different characters (who play a central role in the beginning of the book, then completely disappear only to make a tiny reappearance at the very end of the novel), I was confused and struggled to keep up. The novel switched between time frames too (from modern day, to two years ago) and had snippets of letters from one unnamed character to another, which also affected my level of engagement. Once I got to the end though, the beginning of the novel made sense and I almost wanted to re-read it so I could thoroughly enjoy the entire novel.

Hausmann’s writing style is powerful, her characters are compelling and once “Sleepless” hooked me, I couldn’t put the novel down. Although it did not quite have the same effect on me as “Dear Child” did, Hausmann’s sophomore novel should not be ignored. I look forward to more!

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️3.5 Stars⭐️
I absolutely loved Dear Child and couldn’t wait to read Romy Hausmann’s newest book Sleepless.

Our main protagonist is Nadja Kulka who was convicted of a crime many years ago as a teen. Is she a murderer or not, something to ponder for now!

Nadja was jailed and served her time and is now working in a steady job as an assistant for a criminal lawyer. When her boss Gero’s wife Laura gets involved in a murder and asks Nadja for help Nadja finds herself desperate to please and then in a situation where she finds herself struggling just to survive.

There is a further thread in the story where there are extracts of letters written to somebody but they are never sent. I think the story would of made more sense at the beginning if we knew who was writing these letters.

There’s another additional thread about a married guy Paul who is having an affair with a young woman that is obsessed with old films and dies horribly in a forest.

This was not an easy read, it was a slow burn and I honestly enjoyed Dear Child much more. It took about halfway through the book before I could connect all the seemingly discordant threads together from the present and past timelines and make sense of it all, so have patience it will be worth it.

Sleepless is cleverly written and is an engaging and complex story. I admire this author’s extremely dark and extraordinarily writing style. I’m looking forward to what she publishes next.

Publication date 24 June 2021

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advanced copy to read.

[Karina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mama said that when you died your life played out again in front of your eyes, like a film. You saw all the lovely places you'd been and the great moments you'd experienced. Maybe the wasted opportunities too. Those things that could also have been lovely and great if you'd been more courageous. Or more careful.

And that's what it's really like, Laura thought now, thirty years later. Yes, that's exactly what it's like. (PG. 255)

This was an exhausting, confusing read past the 180 page mark. I don't know why I didn't quit it sooner. There were too many twists and turns. Romy Hausmann could have saved half of it for the sequel. I did like that it was set in Germany bordering Poland. It's a nice escape from the predictable. All the characters were crap and the premise started off fine except when the reader discovers the women ARE NOT great friends. There was so much chaos I don't even know how this chaotic person ended up in jail afterwards. It was just so random from the anger he had and the planning of his revenge.

The ending was tied up finally but by then it still felt like a hot mess and I was anxious to finish it. I don't want to believe Nadja Kulka was this dumb as to hide a dead body for someone she hardly knew but people can surprise you.

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hausmann’s second book is different from dear child. The suspense wasn’t comparable, but I liked that the novel was more slow-burning. The characters were complex and I could relate to them. Another plus is Hausmann’s writing. It was hauntingly beautiful and emotional, right up my alley.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a couple of days to think hard about my review for this book. I wanted to read it, just as many others, because I loved Dear Child so much. When I read the blurb on Goodreads, I was convinced I would like this book too.
Unfortunately, I ended up giving it two stars. What I read on Goodreads is exactly what is happening in the book: Nadja Kulka and her friend Laura von Hoven make to the woods with the body of Laura’s dead lover in the trunk. They want to get him out of the way before Laura’s husband, who’s also Nadja’s boss, finds out.
But then. The author is very gifted but this time she uses a little too much of her gift. There is a second story going on in this book, and both stories are being told in short chapters in different timelines. This means that the more you read – and yes, of course I finished the book – the more you expect both stories to come together. They don’t, at least not in the way you would expect. And in between the two stories we read letters from an unknown person to another unknown person telling… part of the first or the second story or is it a third story? You must read the book to find out.
It was just too much for me. I could have done with just the first story with a little more background. We hardly learn anything about Laura and the bad guy.
I would love to read more by Romy Hausmann because if you concentrate on just the first story it is quite a good story, it just needs (for me anyway) a different way of telling.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

SPOILER ALERT
What didn’t work for me at all was the fact that Nadja kept calling her boss, Laura’s husband, Mr Van Hoven the whole time when he was holding her prisoner. Can you imagine? I know German people are more formal at the workplace than Dutch people, but if my boss was to keep me at gunpoint, I wouldn’t stay so very polite and formal. On the contrary, I would use very different words for him.

[Vaso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Η Νάντια, μια γυναίκα που είχε καταδικαστεί στο παρελθόν για ένα ειδεχθές έγκλημα, δέχεται μια επίσκεψη από τη Λάουρα, ίσως τη μόνη που θα μπορούσε να θεωρηθεί φίλη της στο παρελθόν και μετέπειτα σύζυγος του αφεντικού της, η οποία της ανακοινώνει ότι σκότωσε τον εραστή της. Η Νάντια τότε, αποφασίζει, ότι θα τη βοηθήσει όπως μπορεί να αποσιωπήσουν αυτό το έγκλημα ώστε η Λάουρα να σώσει την οικογένειά της.
Η αφήγηση της ιστορίας κινείται σε δύο χρονικά πλαίσια, ώστε να κατανοήσουμε τον χαρακτήρα της Νάντιας με τις ψυχολογικές μεταπτώσεις. Δεν είναι όμως αυτή η μόνη ιστορία που επιλέγει να μας αφηγηθεί η συγγραφέας.
Μαθαίνουμε άλλη μια ιστορία η οποία αρχικά φαντάζει ασύνδετη και άσχετη, αλλά όμως έχει την σημασία της ώστε να κατανοήσουμε επιπλέον ορισμένους από τους υπόλοιπους χαρακτήρες και τις πράξεις τους.
Συνοψίζοντας θα πω ότι είναι ένα καλό ψυχολογικό θρίλερ, αλλά προσωπικά δεν το βρήκα ανάλογου επιπέδου με το προηγούμενο της, το Καλό μου Παιδί, χωρίς αυτό να σημαίνει ότι δεν ήταν ένα καλό page turner κι ένα βιβλίο που σίγουρα θα ευχαριστηθείτε την ανάγνωσή του.


3,5 αστέρια

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been years since Nadja Kulka was convicted of a cruel crime. After being released from prison, she's wanted nothing more than to live a normal life: nice flat, steady job, even a few friends. Laura Von Hoven - free spirited beauty and wife of Nadja's boss - kills her lover and begs Nadja for help, Nadja can't seem to refuse.

A story of love, guilt, jealousy and power. Nadja helps Laura bury her lovers body by a remote cottage in the woods.

Told from multiple points of view and in different flashbacks, it can be a bit confusing until the story all comes together. We are taken on a complex and suspenseful journey that's filled with twists. I love the authors writing style. The characters are intriguing and the plotline is thrilling. We are drip fed snippets of information but it just keeps you turning the pages to find out more. There is quite a bit of flashbacks, some of it in the form of letters that were written but never sent. Stick with this book, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #QuercusBooks and the author #RomyHussmann for my ARC of #Sleepless in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Romy Hausmann first book Dear Child. So, I was looking forward to reading Sleepless.
Nadja is troubled by her life as a teenager when she committed a a terrible crime.
She is asked by her friend Laura for help and Ger Van Hoven who owns a law firm. But, then she does they try and frame her for a murder that they committed.
I thank Quercus for a copy of Dear Child. But for me with the different characters and two timelines, it just totally confused me. It wasn’t a bad book I just couldn’t decide what storyline connected to which character. Only the last few chapters in the book it suddenly comes clear. Three stars from me.

[Simone Bücherwurm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Den Inhalt dieses Buchs zusammenzufassen, finde ich äußerst schwierig. Ich belasse es bei: Das Buch hat mir wesentlich besser gefallen als erwartet. Es war spannend und kurzweilig. Allerdings war das Ende für mich etwas enttäuschend und es gab auch Handlungsstränge, die ich nicht ganz nachvollziehen kann. Dennoch ein guter Thriller!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy confusing timelines Batman! 
 
Nadja Kulka has just been released from prison. Her life has been anything but “normal”. But that is what she seeks now, normalcy. However, that dream is about to be washed away. Laura von Hoven, the wife of her boss Gero, shows up at the job, begging for Nadja to help her. She has killed her lover. Laura comes up with a plan to take the body to a remote house in the woods. Nadja is on board and commits to helping, but everything does not go as planned...far from it!
 
I am a fan of two timelines in a book, but this, this was insanity! There were multiple timelines, multiple POV’s, and I honestly was unable to even put things together until about 55-65% into the book. It was literally a chore to try to keep up with who was who. At one point, I thought that Nelly and Nadja were the same person…WRONG! The inclusion of Nelly’s character was not necessary IMO. That literally threw me off the worst.   
 
Then the letters. The letters start at the beginning of the book and continue through the end. I was so utterly confused on who was writing the letters and who the letters were about until the last half of the book. 
 
This book would have worked much better if all of the timelines were not jumbled together. The last 25% of the book did offer some good twists and turns but it did not make up for the vast level of confusion for the majority of the book. This was my first book by this author.  Based off of other reviews I have read about the authors work “Dear Child”, I should have read it instead.  I am hesitant at this point to even entertain reading it. 
 
Thank you for Goodreads and the author for my copy of this book. 
 
 

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ersilia F. - per RFS
.
Penitenza e redenzione sono le protagoniste di questo thriller ricco di adrenalina e colpi di scena, dove i personaggi non sono quello che sembrano. Dove la verità è una sconosciuta tra le pagine.

Nel momento esatto in cui pensi che possa essere andata in un determinato modo, un piccolo dettaglio ribalta la situazione.

Dopo il successo de La mia prediletta, Romy Hausmann torna con una nuova storia ben congegnata. E anche questa volta si parlerà di famiglia, di madri che “non ce la fanno” a essere tali, di figli abbandonati a se stessi e della possibilità di scegliere.

La mamma si è addormentata racconta di Nadja e della sua presunta colpa che la perseguita dall’età di quindici anni, quando viene accusata dell’omicidio della madre e, nonostante si proclami innocente, costretta a trascorrere sette anni in carcere.

Dopo aver scontato la sua pena, con l’aiuto di un vecchio amico, troverà lavoro come assistente in uno studio legale di Berlino. E qui incontrerà due persone che cambieranno la sua vita: il capo Gero e la moglie Laura. Entrambi disposti a tutto per la propria famiglia, a sostenersi finché morte non li separi. Proprio così. Ma dove finisce l’amore e inizia la vendetta? Dove può arrivare il sentimento prima che venga a galla il risentimento?

E a causa del suo passato Nadja affronterà di nuovo il calvario di una colpa che non ha. Forse. O anche lei non è quella che sembra?

Attraverso flashback del passato raccontati con una serie di lettere che alternano i capitoli, la protagonista ci fa partecipi della sua vita, rendendoci complici di un mosaico in cui i vari pezzi si incastreranno perfettamente. Nulla viene lasciato al caso, ogni personaggio e avvenimento è collegato agli altri attraverso un filo invisibile che piano piano prenderà forma rivelando un puzzle difficile da comporre. Un romanzo che tiene col fiato sospeso fino alla fine.

Una storia raccontata con un linguaggio serrato che non permette di lasciare la lettura se non a libro ultimato per scoprire fino a che punto si sono spinti i vari personaggi.

Nonostante abbia pensato di aver intuito come sarebbe finita, in realtà non ci ho proprio azzeccato. La storia è troppo malata e disturbante e non mi aspettavo quel finale. Nessun personaggio ha la mia compassione, non salverei nessuno perché tutti manipolatori, bugiardi, codardi, colpevoli e traditori.

Una scrittura fluida e che cattura dai primi capitoli, buttandoti subito nel clou della storia, facendoti sentire in trappola e senza via d’uscita. Fino all’epilogo che non ti aspetti e ti lascia esterrefatta, senza parole.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5★s
Sleepless is the fourth novel by best-selling German author, Romy Hausmann. It is translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch. Late one Friday afternoon, at the offices of high-profile Berlin legal firm Abramczyk and van Hoven, Nadja Kulka gets a visit from her boss’s wife. Laura van Hoven is the closest to a friend that Nadja has ever had, so she won’t ignore a request for help.

The body on her living room floor is a shock, but Laura is the mother of four-year-old Vivi, so Nadja agrees: she can’t go to prison. And Laura is terrified of how her husband, Gero will react, so disposing of her lover’s body quickly is imperative.

Nadja had definitely not been expecting, the next morning, to be driving a Land Rover with a dead body in the boot to a remote cottage in the woods near Spreewald. A combination of nervous tension and PTSD flashbacks mean her journey is not quite as low-profile as she had intended, but when she arrives at the cottage, things get really bizarre.

There are several narrative strands: the present day (2019) is from Nadja’s perspective; from 2014 onwards is told from multiple perspectives; and extracts from unsent/unwritten letters to a sibling, written for the purpose of therapy, fill in some back story. Initially, the disconnect between these three strands make the whole story quite disjointed, but eventually there is some cohesion.

Hausmann has created a tightly plotted tale in which the reader will be constantly second-guessing initial suspicions as yet another pertinent fact is drip-fed into the narrative, although this technique does begin to wear a little thin by the final reveal. There are so many twists that the reader might want to pre-book a chiropractic visit.

Nadja might be an unreliable narrator and, despite her past, she seems to be readily influenced and less circumspect about trusting others than she ought to; certainly, her friendship with Laura borders on toxic. The behaviour of several of these high-profile lawyers towards their clients is questionable, at best. Unquestionably a page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Quercus Editions

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a difficult one to review for me.
The main storyline hooked me in straight away and I was enjoying seeing how it would progress through the book.
The side story, and with the different timelines, seemed to muddy the waters a little. Whilst it was interesting, I found it challenging to see how the two stories connected, and I feel it only really got explained in the latter stages. In my opinion, if a book has 2 storylines and or timelines, the reader should be fed small clues to keep them engaged and help them understand the connections.
I loved Dear Child, so maybe my expectations were too high from the outset.
It was enjoyable, but somewhat disappointing.

[Effie Saxioni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Μέτριο και εντελώς ανέμπνευστο, ένα συνονθύλευμα,προφανώς,όσων ψυχολογικών θρίλερ κυκλοφορούν και έχει διαβάσει η πλειονότητα των "εραστών" του είδους.
Ιστορίες ανούσιες και χωρίς στάλα αγωνία,που τρέχουν σε παρόν και παρελθόν για να ενωθούν σε μία τελική που δεν έχει τίποτα να δώσει,ούτε καν σε επίπεδο αναγνωστικής απόλαυσης.
Μετά το εξαιρετικό Καλό μου παιδί που ανέβασε τον πήχη πολύ ψηλά, η Μάρτα δυστυχώς ήταν μια επική απογοήτευση.
2/5 με δυσκολία.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished Dear Child by Romy Hausmann and I loved it so much! I obsessed over the story and characters for days after I finished it. So needless to say I couldn’t wait to read more of her work.

I am going to be very very brief with the synopsis because trust me, the less you know the better.
After being released from prison Nadja just wants to live a simple and quiet life. But when Laura, Nadja’s only friend kills a man, she begs Nadja for her help.

I am going to be honest with this one because even though I thoroughly loved this book, I did find an issue with it.
I felt as if the beginning is very confusing. Two different stories are going on with different characters in each. None of these stories tie together or start to make a lot of sense until 2/3 of the way in. Even though the writing is excellent and engaging, this book requires some patience. If the writing was anything less, I wouldn't have finished this one. But ultimately being patient pays off. Once all of the stories do come together, it's mind-blowing! Not only is there one major twist but there are multiple earth-shattering twists.

This book would be a perfect 5-star thriller but I had to knock it down a star since the beginning is too confusing at times. I still highly recommend this one to all thriller fans! Romy Hausmann is such a brilliant and talented writer. Sleepless has solidified her as an auto-read author for me and I cannot wait for her next English translation novel!

A massive thanks to Flatiron books for the gifted copy!