Insomnia - Sarah Pinborough

In the dead of night, madness lies…

Emma can’t sleep.

CHECK THE WINDOWS

It’s been like this since her big 4-0 started getting closer.

LOCK THE DOORS

Her mother stopped sleeping just before her 40th birthday too. She went mad and did the unthinkable because of it.

LOOK IN ON THE CHILDREN

Is that what’s happening to Emma?

WHY CAN’T SHE SLEEP?

What did I think?

OMG!  This book is AWESOME!  I didn't think Sarah Pinborough could ever outdo the brilliant #WTFThatEnding in Behind Her Eyes but her new novel, Insomnia, is even better (in my humble opinion).  I even experienced temporary insomnia as I was up all night reading this fantastic book - I just couldn't put it down!

Emma has to be the most unreliable narrator I have ever come across; with her 40th birthday approaching, she can't sleep and believes she is losing her mind…just like her mother.  Strange things are happening to Emma, her husband is distant, her children are afraid of her and her estranged sister has just turned up.  Emma's whole world is falling apart but is she doing it herself or is someone else to blame?  

I'm not going to go into any more details of the stunning plot so I don't inadvertently release any spoilers, but it is breathtaking.  The shocking scene from the prologue was never far from my mind as it was very cleverly woven throughout the novel and I found myself holding my breath in anticipation as the story played out.

I love Sarah Pinborough novels as you really can expect the unexpected so the big reveal is pretty impossible to predict.  I had absolutely no idea which direction Insomnia was going in but I simply couldn't read it fast enough to find out.  I absolutely LOVED it and if this one isn't picked up by Netflix too I will be very surprised.

A stunning, addictive and intensely gripping novel, prepare to be up all night with Insomnia.  Insomnia has to be the must-read book of the year, and it's not even the end of January yet!

I chose to read a digital ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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AUDIO TOUR: Sleep - C.L.Taylor

All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn't feel so guilty.... 

To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare. 

Each of the guests has a secret, but one of them is lying - about who they are and why they're on the island. There's a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they've set their sights on Anna. 

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie. 

Someone's going to sleep and never wake up.... 

What did I think?

I read and reviewed the amazing Sleep by C.L. Taylor earlier this year and it has become one of the books that I continually recommend, so I was intrigued to find out how it would compare in audiobook.  The answer?  As gripping, intriguing and even more scarily chilling!

I'm a bit of an audiobook virgin as, although I have tried them a few times, I found that I would quickly get distracted by whatever I was doing whilst listening to the book and not have a clue what was going on when I finally tuned back in.  This most definitely wasn't the case with Sleep with the audiobook keeping me as wide-eyed and alert as much as the paperback did.  

Clare Corbett is the narrator and she has such an amazing range of voices.  I admit, it did freak me out a bit at first when the voices changed, especially from female to male, but I soon got used to it.  The different timbres and accents in Clare's voice made the characters very distinct and easy to identify during conversations; it actually sounds like more than one person is narrating.  I also love the slight huskiness to Clare's voice and her ability to read with such clarity that every single word is enunciated clearly.   I was amazed at Clare's ability to project a range of emotions through the power of her voice; I was surprised that I could actually hear emotions such as fear, anger, despair and concern being made tangible by the stunning narration.

Having scooped a myriad awards, it goes without saying that Sleep is a superb book to read but it has been taken to another level in audiobook, with perfectly paired stunning narration for a stunning book.  Having listened to every single word during the 8 hours and 55 minutes of Sleep, I'm now well and truly hooked on audiobooks!

I chose to listen to an audiobook and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Night by Night - Jack Jordan

'If you're reading this, I'm dead.'

Rejected by her family and plagued by insomnia, Rose Shaw is on the brink . But one dark evening she collides with a man running through the streets, who quickly vanishes. The only sign he ever existed - a journal dropped at Rose's feet.

She begins to obsessively dedicate her sleepless nights to discovering what happened to Finn Matthews, the mysterious author of the journal. Why was he convinced someone wanted to kill him? And why, in the midst of a string of murders, won't the police investigate his disappearance?

Rose is determined to uncover the truth. But she has no idea what the truth will cost her...

What did I think?

I've read every book that Jack Jordan has published and the talent of this outstanding young author continues to amaze me.  You know you're guaranteed a good read when you pick up a Jack Jordan novel and wow does he pull out all of the stops in Night by Night, his fifth book.  I was almost hyperventilating in shock after a huge gasp out loud moment in the opening chapters, in a part named 'Before'; so be prepared and buckle up for this thrilling literary rollercoaster ride! 

You would have to be completely heartless not to feel for Rose Shaw; she has such an emotional and heartbreaking back story with so much tragedy in her life and the punches just keep on coming.  When Rose finds a journal in the street one night, she is determined to find out what happened to its owner, but someone is equally determined to stop her.  As she continues to dig into the disappearance of Finn Matthews, it feels like Rose is very much alone, losing friends and family at every turn and even the police don't believe her.

I loved Rose's dogged determination to get to the bottom of the disappearances of young men in her area over several years.  When Rose puts an advert in the newspaper, a string of families come forward who have lost loved ones; vulnerable young men who are just trying to live the life they have chosen.  Someone is preying on these men and the local police force, filled with bigots and homophobes, won't take their disappearances seriously.

It's scary to see how people's prejudices affect their work ethic; I know this is fiction but I bet it does happen in real life.  It shouldn't matter what age, sex or sexual preference a person has but oftentimes it's the only thing that some narrow minded people see.  It's very brave of Jack Jordan to put this subject out there and it pains me to think of the suffering that many people will have encountered over the years.  I was particularly moved by Jay's story and how he was crying for help inside but couldn't voice it to those who cared most about him.

Jack Jordan remains firmly one of my favourite authors and I'm always on tenterhooks when he releases a new book.  Night by Night is an outstanding psychological thriller that succeeded in shocking and gripping me but it was also very thought-provoking as it highlighted the emotional torture that people hide so very well.  Although it's a thriller not a self-help book, if it makes just one tortured soul ask for help as a result of reading it, then it's a job well done.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Sleep - CL Taylor

All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn’t feel so guilty…

To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare.

Each of the guests have a secret, but one of them is lying – about who they are and why they're on the island. There's a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they've set their sights on Anna.

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie.

Someone’s going to sleep and never wake up…

What did I think?

Oh she's only gone and done it again!  CL Taylor continues to write excellent books which result in my exclaiming that each one is her best book yet.  Well I repeat myself gladly because Sleep is simply outstanding and most definitely her best one yet; I fail to see how this can be bettered.  With a first sentence that may very well be the hook of the century, this book grabs the reader from the start and doesn't let go until the final page is turned.

Events in Anna's past result in her leaving her job and relocating to a remote Scottish island to work in a small hotel.  Unfortunately, her memories travel with her so she continues to be haunted by her past.  If Anna thinks past events were bad, she hasn't seen anything yet.  When seven guests arrive at the hotel for a walking tour, they all have something to hide but one of them hasn't come for the walking tour; they've come for Anna.  Like a game of Cluedo, the reader must gather the clues and work out who the killer is but good luck with that as it could be absolutely any one of them.

I loved delving into the psyche of each character; seeing what made them tick and unearthing their deepest darkest secrets.  One of the guests is ahead of the game though; only letting us see a little part of the real person underneath, but they are so cleverly masked that I was completely thrown off the scent by CL Taylor's amazing art of deception.  

With all the perfect ingredients for a gripping murder mystery, CL Taylor has crafted a superb whodunnit.  Sleep is a completely addictive modern day murder mystery which the great Agatha Christie would have been proud to have written.  I couldn't read Sleep fast enough and it's so very well named as I didn't want to put it down to catch up on my own sleep until I had devoured every single word.

Breathtaking, enthralling and almost too brilliant for words, Sleep is well deserving of every one of the five stars I don't hesitate in awarding it.  A very highly recommended read and if you haven't discovered CL Taylor yet, make sure you put Sleep on your wishlist; you won't regret it but be prepared to be up all night reading!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Because I Was Lonely - Hayley Mitchell

Meet Rachel. She is caught in a spiral of endless crying, dirty nappies, and sleepless nights. She fears for her sanity and the safety of her children.

She's lonely.

Meet Adam. Suffering from the pain and trauma of a terrible accident that he blames himself for, he stays at home, unable to bring himself to leave the house.

He's lonely.

So when Rachel and Adam rekindle their long lost friendship online, what starts as a little harmless flirtation, soon becomes an unhealthy obsession, and slowly the threads of their lives unravel before them.

Four lonely people . Two unhappy marriages . One dangerous, but inevitable climax.

What did I think?

Ooh this was a book that quietly drew you in and then 'BAM!' pulled the rug out from underneath you.  I was happily reading along, learning about the the lives of two couples: Rachel (on the edge of crazy) and her husband David and Adam (a desperately shattered and lonely man) and his wife, Julia.  I loved the way that the first part of the book was set out with a chapter for each of the four characters before merging in spectacular fashion in part 2.

Rachel scared me from the start.  She is clearly verging on unhinged and I worried about what she could be capable of in a potential moment of madness with two young children in the house.  Rachel's husband, David, doesn't sleep in the same room as her as Rachel is a restless sleeper.  Obviously this has a disastrous effect on their relationship and David's eye begins to wander.  It is clear that he does love Rachel but he's not quite sure how to reach her.

Rachel finds an old friend, Adam, on Facebook.  Adam is perhaps the one that got away so a bit of harmless flirtation can't go wrong, can it?  Adam's relationship is also suffering due to the guilt he carries from his parents' death.  Adam is tied by his routine, making him a prisoner in his own home and his wife, Julia, being the sole breadwinner has to work away to keep the family afloat.  Adam breaks up his day by chatting to women on Facebook but Rachel is different to the others and suddenly Julia feels threatened.  Rachel and Adam live miles away from each other so surely Julia has nothing to worry about...

That's when the story takes on a slightly darker tone and obsession takes the driving seat - I thought absolutely anything could happen in the last quarter of the book.  Think Fatal Attraction bunny boiler and you'll be near where my mind was going.  It was actually a sobering thought for anyone who has 'met' somebody on the internet.  You never quite know who you are talking to and how much of your life you are giving away.  We must leave so many clues to our whole existence on the internet and all it takes is somebody with a mindset to follow the clues and turn up at our door - YIKES!

I really enjoyed the way that this book was written in two very distinctive parts - it really gave us a chance to get to know the characters and build a full picture of their thoughts and feelings.  I felt so much emotion for Adam, being stuck at home and feeling so much guilt - as human beings, we do like to beat ourselves up but this is the point at which we are vulnerable and a chink in the armour can let a psychopath into our lives.  You never really know what's going on in someone's mind and it was actually really frightening to see how something could be harmless to one party but meaningful to another.

Because I Was Lonely is such a fascinating book that I have thought about it long after I turned the last page.  In this digital age, where we all leave unknown fingerprints, virtual can quite quickly become reality.  An addictive book and one well worth reading.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.  I am releasing my review as part of the blog tour.

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