Before I Go to Sleep in Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC

Aug 30, 2025 Josiane Claremont rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-lit, e-copies, not-manga, horror

It already starts off kind of scary, when the main character wakes up with no memory and in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar man. And as the story progresses, things about her circumstances get more suspicious until I end up screaming internally.

Christine Lucas wakes up in an unfamiliar bed with a man she doesn't recognize in a body she can't quite believe is hers. She should be in her twenties, starting adult life with possibility. Instead she's middle-aged and married, and she can't remem It already starts off kind of scary, when the main character wakes up with no memory and in an unfamiliar room with an unfamiliar man. And as the story progresses, things about her circumstances get more suspicious until I end up screaming internally.

Christine Lucas wakes up in an unfamiliar bed with a man she doesn't recognize in a body she can't quite believe is hers. She should be in her twenties, starting adult life with possibility. Instead she's middle-aged and married, and she can't remember a thing. She wants to remember for her husband's sake, and she finds clues of her secret meetings with a doctor that could change everything she's believed since waking up this morning.

The pacing in the beginning is a bit slow, the climb to the dramatics is done perfectly, but then the resolution ends up feeling lacking because of the dramatic build. We spend a lot of time walking with Christine struggling to get her memory back. We've probably skipped bits and pieces of this "journal" type format the story is being told in, but we're definitely getting the important bits (except for some missing details which might give away the foreshadowing but otherwise we actually have hit the biggest details) that ramp up the suspicion and distrust and confusion of an amnesiac. And so when the great climax of the story is revealed, I had thought we could remain in that hyped-up spike space a bit longer than we actually did, and maybe have a pleasing conclusion like a bit of an epilogue. Instead I find it abrupt and underwhelming. The rating I'm giving this book is purely driven by the suspense build.

I should probably give a little disclaimer about domestic abuse and psychological abuse. It's not okay. Christine, our dear amnesiac, is so confused and clearly being taken advantage of at times by her suspicious husband Ben. The isolation from the outside world, with no steady contact with anyone except him. (view spoiler) and approached in a way I'm not entirely comfortable with. And most definitely, (view spoiler) and sure, yeah, points to him for stopping when she said no but minus points for being disappointed and minus even more points for the couple of times (view spoiler). And of course super negative points when he (view spoiler).

Ben is so suspicious. You know things are going to get dicey when the first book of your journal says "DON'T TRUST BEN" in all caps, in your secret journal, and you're an amnesiac. (view spoiler). I want an epilogue or some sort of side story about Ben. This wasn't a good ending. ...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-suspense

Although I love reading, I have a hard time making the time to read and I have a hard time getting invested in a book. What this means is that I read so little that it will take me about two months to get through a book. This one I finished in a week. Because it was that good. Not only was the writing good, but it was written in such a way that it drew me in. The topic itself if a good one, but it still could have been done badly. I could see a lot of repeat and often wondered while this sat on Although I love reading, I have a hard time making the time to read and I have a hard time getting invested in a book. What this means is that I read so little that it will take me about two months to get through a book. This one I finished in a week. Because it was that good. Not only was the writing good, but it was written in such a way that it drew me in. The topic itself if a good one, but it still could have been done badly. I could see a lot of repeat and often wondered while this sat on my "to read" list how the author would avoid that. There wasn't nearly as much repeat as I expected and the repeat that was done was done well. I was invested from the first couple of pages and often would wake up early during the week to read before work and then when I was at work, I couldn't wait to get back home and read again!

[Spoiler alert:]

I do have to say that I was beginning to suspect that Ben wasn't really Ben at all. But then there were some moments when I thought that the book was going to go through without any altercation and that Ben really was a good guy. I kept getting drawn in and would change my mind over and over. Yes it's Ben, no it's not Ben. Yes he's a good guy, no he's not a good guy. Yes he's lying for a good reason, no he's not. Yes Adam in alive, no he's not. And on and on. The character of Ben portrayed through Christine's journal was so well done that I couldn't even figure out whether I liked him or not.

And the aspect of Christine's journal all together was a good idea because I could not think of a better way to take the book than through someone's journal. How else would she remember what had happened?

My biggest issue with the book was that the two beatings that Christine took at the hands of Mike in Brighton were both so violent and I find it hard to believe that no one heard any of it. Even if the club next door was noisy and the music loud, surely the people in the rooms below hers (and we know there were people there because there was no vacancy and she was on the top floor) must have heard the multiple loud thumps, even the screams. This wasn't a hotel where you might think that people are spread out the floors are thicker - it sounded more like a bed and breakfast and the floors would be thinner and everyone would have a room near someone else. I just didn't buy that Mike was beating her so severely, and no one heard a thing.

And I usually have issues with endings. But this time I did not. The ending was perfect. It was optimistic, but not all tidy. I mean some of it wasn't perfect (for instance, how did Christine survive the fire when she was bound and had already suffered a black out from the multiple blows to her head, but Mike didn't survive, even though he had only been hit once with a stool and theoretically could have gotten up and walked away), but it was well done and I appreciated that. ...more

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Mar 17, 2016 Kathryne rated it really liked it

Few books keep me awake at night to finish. This was one of them.

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Jun 28, 2016 Jennifer Bowers rated it really liked it

Author does a good job of getting into the mind of an amnesia victim. Much of the book consists of this person's journal, which she reads every day to learn anew who she is. Fascinating! Watson manages to avoid inconsistencies, which I would imagine are the biggest challenge of this kind of writing.
This book is categorized as a thriller. It starts slow and the suspense builds gradually. I found it hard to put down. ...more

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