Very light beach read.
Character development light
Not recommended

Josie Buhrman has spent the last ten years trying to escape her family’s reputation and with good reason. After her father's murder thirteen years prior, her mother ran away to join a cult and her twin sister Lanie, once Josie’s closest friend and confidant, betrayed her in an unimaginable way. Now, Josie has finally put down roots in New York, settling into domestic life with her partner Caleb, and that’s where she intends to stay.

The only problem is that she has lied to Caleb about every detail of her past—starting with her last name.

When investigative reporter Poppy Parnell sets off a media firestorm with a mega-hit podcast that reopens the long-closed case of Josie’s father’s murder, Josie’s world begins to unravel. Meanwhile, the unexpected death of Josie’s long-absent mother forces her to return to her Midwestern hometown where she must confront the demons from her past—and the lies on which she has staked her future.

I found this book engaging, quickly got into it and was keen to know more about the mysterious background to the sisters' situation. I liked the extracts from the blog and social media that were interspersed between chapters - they were an outside commentary on the review of the historic murder case and were believable and added interest. With a few twists along the way that kept me guessing about the identify of the murderer, the novel came to a satisfying conclusion.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  These are my own opinions.  Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and the author.

Are You Sleeping is an intense story that will keep you reading way past your bedtime.

Her father brutally murdered, her mother joined a cult, and her sister married her high school sweetheart.

When a podcast brings up harsh memories, sisters Josie and Lanier need to find the truth.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I actually checked goodreads when I was about 10% into this book to see if I had read it before because it seemed so familiar. I hadn't and I kept reading. Fairly predictable, it is part murder mystery, part coming of age (very late) story. It once again reflected how much the past influences the future. The pages kept turning and ends seemed to get tied up. I've read better and I've read worse.

Despite a vague sense of hovering contrivance (could it be the framing device of someone re-investigating a cold case on the internet? Polly is a heel and desperate to go viral with it all - not very attractive, but this is what initially drives the whole piece .. her re-examination). But over that hump, the book reads like a shot - a peaceful life with her boyfriend (albeit he does not know it all), the daughter of a murdered man lives with her boyfriend, denying her twin sister's existence. And we learn why - it's all wound up with her witnessing what happened to her father, pointing the finger at a neighbour and suffering their mother's abandonment of them to a cult. She's dead now and the twins find they need each other - after the years when the accused has been in prison and Josie is estranged from her sister, it will all cler up now - or will it? Her twin has a daughter who is repeating the same estrangement she'd had with her sister (and mother) - so history repeats itself and in the end of this novel, things are sorted but can never be the same. I read it all in one amazing gulp.

Are you sleeping by Kathleen Barber starts with a creepy phone call at 3 am that unsettles Jo and brings back buried memories of her sister who she hasn't seen in ten years. Not long after the phone call Jo hears about a podcast started by Poppy Parnell. Everyone is talking about it. Poppy Parnell is an investigative journalist who is using her podcast to look at evidence and uncover the truth of who murdered Jo's father ten years earlier.Jo and her partner, Caleb live in New York. Jo has changed her name and Caleb does not know about her family.
This is a psychological thriller mystery full of secrets, lies and family relationships.

As a fan of SERIAL’s first season, the premise of this book drew me right in, and I was eager to delve into the twisty ups and downs of following a murder case in which all may not be as it seems. ARE YOU SLEEPING did not disappoint. By exploring the family with the lost loved one, this story deepened my understanding of how harrowing it must be to have the past dredged up and exposed for the world to pick apart and criticize. I became completely absorbed in this clever novel and could not put it down. Highly enjoyable. #justiceforjosie

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! Are You Sleeping has been compared to Serial (audio Podcast) hosted by Sarah Koenig, and Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood which I absolutely devoured in one sitting, so it took no convincing for me to read this book! Are You Sleeping is told from the alternating viewpoints of Josie, who suffered unspeakable trauma as a child, and Poppy Parnell, annoying investigative journalist determined to reinvestigate the murder of Josie's father thirteen years prior. Josie has distanced herself from her past with layers of lies for her own protection, but Poppy's (a character you love to hate) podcast goes viral. Suddenly, Josie has no choice but to reveal herself and fears losing her boyfriend, Caleb, when the truth is revealed. Though a twisty, satisfying thriller, Are You Sleeping is also about relationships, redemption, and the power of forgiveness.

3.5 stars

Thank you to net galley and the publisher Grove Atlantic for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

The format of the book really engaged me. Narrative mixed with excerpts from the podcast, tweets and discussion threads felt really topical and Kathleen Barber raises questions around the media and social media, and its intrusiveness into ordinary peoples lives. This then raises the issue of perception, and whether the truth is what matters, or whether the perception of the truth is more important.

The 10 year old mystery of who killed Chuck Buhrman and whether it was the boy convicted for the crime is re awakened with a hugely successful podcast by the terrier-like journalist Poppy Parnell. We see the repercussions of this on his surviving family, in particular the daughter Josie, who had managed to create a new life for herself and, to a lesser extent, her twin sister Lainie. When Josie has a meltdown which manifests in the haircut and colour from hell, this felt like such a relatable moment.

As Josie starts to question what she remembers about the night her father was killed, and just how well she remembers her family, the truth about the night in question starts to emerge. The plot ticks along at a great pace, and this was a quick and enjoyable read.

I would have liked to have known more about Lainie, instead the reader only sees her though the medias eyes, or through Josie's hurt. Sometimes the pair behaved inconsistently, which rather than suggesting a nuanced relationship, actually felt confusing. Some of their actions also felt disingenuous and simply a way to drive the plot forward.

However, this was an advance copy, so there may be differences in the released version.

I would definitely be interested in reading more by this author .

Perception.

And how exactly do we arrive at our view of the world and all of its clingy entanglements?

Is it purely ours to hold within or has it been tainted and smeared with the handprints of others?

Kathleen Barber presents her story of Are You Sleeping through the lense of social media. Poppy Parnell, an investigative reporter, is resurrecting a murder case from 2002. It involves a beloved college professor from Elm Park College in Illinois. Although the murderer has been convicted and serving his sentence, Poppy feels that there is more to this story.

Enter josie Buhrman. Josie is the victim's daughter who has purposefully embraced the anonymous lifestyle of New York City. She's made no contact with her twin sister, Lanie, in over ten years. Lanie has made sure of that with quite the betrayal from years ago. Josie lives with her boyfriend, Caleb, who is presently working in the Congo. She met him while traipsing through Europe and Africa on her avoidance tour.

But there's plenty of breadcrumbs left behind on this Josie trail. Poppy eventually locates Josie and pursues her with her relentless podcast. Josie has erected stone walls in the form of jagged lies in regard to Caleb. He has no idea about her backstory until this "orphan's" mother dies and she must return to Elm Park. The jig is up and it's time for Josie to face the music and the sister she left behind.

Are You Sleeping had all the makings of quite the read. Kathleen Barber created a story lined with all the intrusiveness of social media into our lives topped off with the subjective nature of the human eye. What exactly is our own truth and how much of it is brushed with the strokes of other's verbal involvement? How easily are we swayed by another's words?

I know that there are and will be much higher reviews for this one. The element of "time" did me in. Barber sets out a loop that has widened over the years in this novel. To cinch it back in was a cumbersome undertaking for the reader. Of all the gin mills in all the world, Poppy picks this one. The actions taking place in the finale were so contrived. The tension at this place point was not due to a surprise element, but it was more in question of how to get all the disjointed pieces back in the box.

This is a debut novel for Ms. Barber. I'd like to take another spin around the block in her next one for sure. She has the makings of a successful author.

I received a copy of Are You Sleeping through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Gallery Books and to Kathleen Barber for the opportunity.

3.5 stars

I loved the concept of this book. The storyline was interesting and fresh. It was a well written, easy read that held my attention throughout. I thought the ending was a little obvious but I still enjoyed the journey to get there. I'd recommend to serious mystery readers.

This book is an all-nighter because the reader will definitely want to finish it in one sitting. Written in first person, the reader is drawn into the story of Josie Buhrman and the past she would do anything to forget. However, the past always finds a way of creeping back into the present and the reader is transported on the journey to solve the mystery a la who shot J.R. Ewing. Great read.

When I finished the book, the first thing I did was breathe deeply. The second thing I did was to check to make sure this was actually an ARC and not a book I had purchased, because the quality was so high. (I read--and abandon--quite a lot of bad ARCs.] I loved the book. I loved Josie and OMG Caleb is amazing. I could empathize with Lanie, and I find Aunt A and Ellen to be beautifully done, multilayered and complex and so very human.

In fact, this was a human story about human beings, all of them, flawed and painful as they sometimes might be. I loved everyone. No one was the caricature of a villain (I hate books where the villain is transparently easy to hate). I found Poppy Parnell to be a bloodthirsty vulture, but at the same time, she did what an investigative reporter does, so she's a wash. I don't have to like her to respect her.

Five stars, well earned. I look forward to more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the interspersed podcast transcripts, tweets and Reddit threads. Over the past three months I’ve read a lot of thrillers and many have blurred into each other. But not this one!

I feel the story could have added one more twist at the very end. In fact, I was disappointed it didn’t end as I had wanted. Would have been five stars then!

More twists and turns than a full blown roller coaster. You will not be disappointed with this read. A thriller that is full of betrayal, murder, and mistaken identities.
Twin sisters are at the center of this story. One chose to stay in her hometown, the other to totally change her name and move far away from family and friends. No one knows who she really is, not even her boyfriend. And especially no one knows of her father's murder and the tons of questions that are not fully answered. The main question being, who should really be in prison for this horrendous murder, or is he already there?
5 Stars!!

Are You Sleeping
Kathleen Barber
Genre: Fiction, Suspense Thriller
⭐️⭐️

I read Ruth Ware and was excited to receive Are You Sleeping, it was compared to Ruth Ware, but there is truly only one Ruth Ware. This is a book more about relationships, sisters, boyfriends, parents etc... The biggest mystery was how Caleb would react once he learned she had pointlessly lied. I am a binge reader and once I start a book I will finish it pretty quickly, but not this one I was able to put it down and walk away. I pushed myself to finish. I had this book figured out very quickly, the plot, the killer, etc... I am always appreciative of anyone who can set down and write a book, create a world and for that reason I always give two stars. I feel like this book needs an accurate description...not a suspense psychological thriller.

The only I could not do was finish this book fast enough. I am interested in how the title is relevant to the book?

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read for a fair review.

Compulsively readable and with timely themes, this brand of escapist fiction is well-poised for success during beach/vacation read seasons.

The problematic nature of true crime-as-entertainment phenomenon, especially via widely accessible podcasting, was handled fairly well and may even hold potential for discussion with the right mix of participants.

One disappointment was the overall thin characterization, even among the the primary players, which for me kept the story from being more successful. It's difficult to truly engage with identifiable types that lack any life-like complexity, and that takes away from the narrative, even one that is intended to be plot-driven.

My initial enthusiasm may have cooled, but there is definitely an audience for this flavor of psychological suspense. Especially for those looking for a bit of creepy suburban noir and questioning-of-memory stories, I won't hesitate to recommend.

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and netgalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
If you enjoy suspense novels, this is one you shouldn't miss! A great psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages well after bedtime. A well written story that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Josie attempts to leave her past behind after her Father's murder and her Mother joins a cult. But as we all know, the past always finds a way to catch up to you.
When a journalist starts a podcast to investigate the murder and it goes viral, it becomes impossible for Josie to keep her secret past buried.
*Reviews posted on Goodreads 4/08/17, Google 4/08/17, and will post on Amazon 8/04/17.

There are a lot of domestic thrillers these days. In this one, twin Josie, estranged from her family for a number of years returns to her hometown following the death of her mother who had abandoned her daughters and joined a cult following the murder of her husband.
A new true crime podcast is investigating the murder and raising suspicion that the young man convicted of the crime is innocent.

It's not a bad book. There were a few aspects I had issues with: a lot of time is spent on Josie's change of identity but it doesn't amount to anything in the plot. Josie's boyfriend Caleb doesn't add much to the book and some of the other characters are a bit shallow.

I did like the "Greek chorus" provided by the commenters on Reddit and Twitter at the end of each section.

Not a bad book and I would recommend it to people who enjoy domestic noir but I felt it lacked depth.

This was just ok. It was obvious from the beginning who was at fault...and it seemed a long time getting to the acknowledgement of the truth.