Despite the slow start in this thriller, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and plot of this novel. Once things starting picking up, I was constantly on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out the real murderer. The book's biggest flaw is definitely the lack of privacy and security for their family after the podcast has started. I feel as though that should have been a bigger issue, but somehow this reporter was just walking into their house. Overall, still very enjoyable.

Unique format - this novel used a fictional podcast and it's social media posts to move the story along. I thought it was clever and made this family drama / murder mystery more interesting.
I would have liked to have the story be more about Josie and her life rather than dwell so much on her self destructive twin. Josie's boyfriend and Lanie's husband seemed two dimensional. They clearly loved Josie and Lanie. I think there should have been more about the back story of each couple.

I am glad I was wrong about who did it - that was a good red herring! This book was entertaining and I don't feel as if I wasted my time reading it, but I didn't care enough about the characters to make it a suspenseful page turner.

The cover is what drew me to this book-- every time I saw it, I wanted to pick it up. I started reading it without seeing what the description was and immediately was hooked. Interesting characters, amazing story, and a conclusion you didn't see coming. Looking forward to sharing this with my customers!

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in about two days – it was really hard to put down.

Barber’s writing is immersive and entertaining, balancing fantastic dialogue with just the right about of delving into the emotional journey of our protagonist, Jo, and snippets of modern media – reddit threads, twitter feeds and, the most important, podcast transcripts. All these elements blend together really well, flow seamlessly from one section to the other.

I really enjoyed reading the podcast transcripts and experiencing this murder mystery through the eyes of those outside of the family, especially when these characters crossover with the main body of the story.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Josie Buhrman and her family, and how their lives are all turned upside down (again) when a woman starts a podcast to reexamine the murder of Josie's father, Chuck. Thirteen years ago, Chuck Buhrman was murdered in his home with his twin girls in the house. A man named Warren Cave was arrested, tried and convicted on scant evidence that he had killed Chuck, and now Poppy Parnell, an "investigative journalist," is using the case as a subject matter for her true crime podcast. Josie and her twin sister Lanie were both affected in different ways by the murder of their father and their mother's subsequent abandonment. And after all that happened too, Lanie did some very awful things to her sister that cause Josie to run away and basically abandon her whole life. After traveling abroad for 5 years, she returns to the States and settles in New York City with her boyfriend Caleb. The podcast though, is bringing a lot of truths to light and there will be unfortunate consequences.

Overall I liked this book. There were some pieces of it that I couldn't buy into (Josie's reaction and the running away to Europe seemed extreme and I thought Lanie should've actually like apologized without trying to also be manipulative) but overall I didn't want to put this book down. I was dying to find out who the real killer was and what would happen in the end. And maybe it was that build up of extreme tension throughout the book that made the ending kind of seem slightly anti-climactic but I think that's how I ended up feeling. I was so intensely into the story but then at the end I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never really did. And none of the characters in the book were particularly likable, they all had so many flaws and many of them were actually awful not nice people. Even with these draw backs though I still really liked the story and I would recommend it!

Are You Sleeping is a psychological thriller that uses social media and its intrusive nature to dissect a decade’s old murder and the characters who were affected by it. Two sisters are torn apart by the murder of their father, the abandonment of their mother, and a shocking betrayal, must come together and finally deal with the past. Barber flips back and forth between the podcasts and Josie as she struggles to understand what is happening and how to control the damage being created by it. Through Josie, we are guided down a long and twisting road of lies and secrets, manipulated by faulty recollections and the obligations of family.

While the mystery is a strong base the story is built on, I found the character dynamics far more prevalent. Josie is an intense neurotic character whose fear and anxiety are a tangible presence. She annoys, distracts, and wears you out as she tells her story, showing us the different ways people react to grief. Josie chooses to disappear. She leaves her hometown and heads to NYC to reinvent herself, leaving her past and family behind as she felt they left her. Now she is poised to lose it all. Her mother’s suicide sends her home and here the real Josie begins to emerge.

There is almost a sense of self-punishment involved as Josie simultaneously avoids the interview attempts of the extremely pushy Poppy Parnell (the investigator) while religiously listening to the podcasts and reading all the threads devoted to the podcast as the public begins to weigh in on the podcasts, asking their own questions and offering up advice and condemnation.

As the story plays out, Barber lets us form our own opinions about what happened as we follow along with the investigation and hear from all those involved from the police detectives to the man convicted of the murder itself. Barber does an excellent job of balancing the mystery with the internal conflict between Josie and her sister, Lanie. We learn the reasons behind their estrangement and watch their awkward attempts to move past it. We see the fragile yet unbreakable bonds that tie us to those we love regardless of how desperately we seek to escape them. Barber highlights the complicated dynamics that make up family, made more so by parental influence, flawed memories, and personal experiences.

As we head towards the finale and Barber begins to tie off all loose threads, the answers we have been seeking become crystal clear as the truth is finally revealed. I did have some issues. I wish Lanie and Caleb had evolved more beyond their preconceived roles. Both were never able to fully grow beyond Josie’s shadow. Josie’s lies about her past and reluctance to come clean to Caleb was odd and I felt she dragged it out for all too long. Also, I found the narrative tended to repeat itself when expounding on Josie’s past.

Regardless, Are You Sleeping is an engaging story that addresses the pervasiveness of social media and the harm it causes when it is used as judge and jury.

Grade: C+

A blogger/podcaster takes on a long forgotten, but putatively solved, murder case and begins to ask questions about its resolution. As she digs, she upends the lives of the Buhrman family in ways that they could never have expected.

The main characters of this book, Lanie and Jo, the Buhrman daughters, their mother, aunt, cousin, and partners along with the podcast are richly developed and believable, if not necessarily likable. This is a quick and entertaining read.

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.

Wonderfully readable. Compulsive even. Loved the podcast, twitter, and Reddit angles. Very modern. Definite "pick."

Well guys, it’s time for me to officially topple your summer reading list. Sorry, but I’m not sorry! (Not even a little bit, haha) Are You Sleeping is a perfect addition to your TBR, it’s compulsive, engrossing and highly addictive, I loved it!

Two things that always catch my eye in a thriller is sister or twin relationships and a cold case and this gem had both. Josie and Lanie have an extremely complex relationship and haven’t seen or talked to each other in ten years. Both were the kind of character that can frustrate the hell out of you on one page and then the next they’re tugging on your heartstrings. That sense of unease and uncertainty really added to this tale of lies and betrayals. The girls moved in with their Aunt A and cousin Ellen after their father was killed and I really liked Ellen. She’s kind of bossy and overbearing, but she has a huge heart and was super endearing.

My favorite thing about this book was how engaging it was, there is something about Barber’s writing style that just hooked me. There is a great social media addition in the form of podcast excerpts, Reddit threads and updates from Twitter and Facebook feeds that added something really unique and current. If you’ve read Six Stories there is a similarity but not completely the same, this one easily stands on its own feet.

This was one of those reads where I kept thinking I had things all figured out and then Barber would throw in a new twist to shake things up. Ultimately, I did have some aspects worked out but it absolutely did not take away from my enjoyment of this highly entertaining read. This would be perfect for readers who don’t like graphic violence, it’s on the lighter side and has very few truly dark moments, but it’s still very compelling. Pack this one in your bag next time you’re going on vacation, I think it would be ideal!

Her father was murdered, her mother left her and her twin sister Lanie to join a cult, and she and Lanie haven't talked in ten years, but all of this is in the past for Josie Buhrman. She now lives a quiet and normal life with her boyfriend Caleb in New York until a reporter starts a podcast to investigate the 13-year-old murder of her father. The podcast goes viral and everywhere she goes Josie hears people talking about it. And Josie has never told Caleb the truth about her past that is now catching up with her.

I was addicted to this suspenseful novel from the beginning. The author does an amazing job in keeping the reader glued to the page by creating well-developed characters and a unique and consuming storyline. The transcripts of the podcast along with comments and tweets from the followers are realistic and entertaining and perfectly portray the power of social media in today's society. Unlike many psychological thrillers I have read recently, this novel is not violent because, although the murder of Josie's father is central to the story, most of the novel focuses on her relationship with her family and her boyfriend. A fresh and unforgettable novel that you can't (and won't) put down!

This was definitely a book I couldn't put down. Just when I thought I had the mystery figured out, there was another twist and I had to re-evaluate. The author did a good job with the characters and while I couldn't stand Lanie for most of the story, my feelings towards her changed at the end.

This is a good book! It has everything you want in a murder mystery. But the thing I love most about it is that it is relevant to today! I am a HUGE true crime podcast fan. Serial. Up and Vanished. And I love that these journalists are breathing life into old and cold cases. This book does the exact same thing. I love how Barber wove the story together with excerpts from the podcast, tweets and the unearthing of a case one family thought was solved years ago.

I love the diverse characters in this book. Barber did a great job at writing the personalities of the sisters and how their father's murder and mother's running away impacted them as teens and as adults.

Josie’s father, Charles, was murdered in their kitchen when she was fifteen-years-old. Her twin sister said that she saw their neighbour’s son, Warren, do it. His presumed motive was because his mother was having an affair with Charles. He was convicted and is now in prison. Josie’s mother joined a cult after her husband’s death. Josie’s sister, Lanie, became a drug addict and betrayed Josie. Poppy Purnell, an investigative journalist, has decided to look into the case at the request of Warren’s mom. Poppy puts out a podcast called Reconsidered. But when Josie’s mother dies suddenly, she has to return to her hometown. Josie is reunited with her sister after 10 years of separation. The girls have to face each other during this difficult time, and deal with the reopening of their father’s murder case.

I was hooked on this story from the beginning. There have been crimes and murders investigated in podcasts and TV shows recently, so it’s on trend. There were so many hooks and twists surrounding the murder that I couldn’t put the book down.

I thought I had figured out the mystery about halfway through but I was wrong. I’m always glad when the solution isn’t simple, but it makes sense.

I really enjoyed this book!

What if your personal tragedy--the one you've spent a decade of your life trying to outrun--was suddenly the subject of a popular podcast (think: Serial), with armchair sleuths delving into the minute details of your life? I found myself wishing for a more satisfying ending, but loved the basic scenario of this book--a very modern take on family tragedy.

Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber is a highly readable psychological suspense novel that kept this reader turning pages quickly! I give it 4 stars.

The story is told via the voice of Josie Buhrman and the notes and transcripts from investigative reporter Poppy Parnell's mega-hit serial podcasts about the 13-year old murder of Chuck Buhrman, Josie's father. The interweaving of the viewpoints offer the reader an intimate glimpse as to how the podcast affects the families of the victim and the convicted perpetrator. Social media has a long reach and wide impact whether it is truthful or not.

Chuck Buhrman was murdered in his home when his children were 14 years old. After the murder, Josie's mentally unstable mother ran away to join a cult leaving her sister to raise Josie, Josie's twin sister Lainie, along with her sister's own daughter, Ellen.

It was the testimony of Lainie, the only eye-witness to the murder, which put teenage neighbor Warren Cave in prison. Lainie spins out of control after the tragic events, becoming a drug user and pushing Josie and everyone else who loves her away. Josie, wanting to leave her family's past behind her, leaves her hometown right after high school and travels for 10 years, even changing her last name. Finally, she stops running and settles in New York City with her partner Caleb, telling him nothing but lies about her family.

Poppy's first investigative reporting podcast about the murder of Chuck Buhrman comes right before the death of the girls' mother. Josie goes home for the funeral in support of her aunt, and her past bubbles up, haunting and threatening to overwhelm her.

Who really killed Chuck Burhman? Can the sisters, who haven't spoken in ten years, reconcile? Will Warren Cave go free?

The story is fast-paced and the characters entirely believable. A good read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

*3.5 stars. In October, 2002, in suburban Elm Park, IL, Chuck Buhrman is shot in the back of the head in his own kitchen. The seventeen-year-old neighbor boy, Warren Cave, is convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison. Buhrman's daughter, Lanie, is the one who gives the evidence that convicts him, testifying that she actually saw him pull the trigger.

Now thirteen years later, Poppy Parnell, a radio personality who hosts an expose podcast called 'Reconsidered,' is looking into whether Warren Cave was wrongly convicted.

In New York City, Josie, Lanie's long-estranged twin sister, overhears chatter about the podcast on the train and nearly passes out. She has spent over a decade creating a new life for herself, even changing her name. She has told her live-in boyfriend Caleb a complete fabric of lies about her past. He thinks both of her parents died in a car crash and she has no siblings. In reality, her mother deserted her two daughters shortly after the murder of her husband and joined a weird cult. They were then raised by their Aunt Amelia with her daughter, Ellen. Lanie went a little wild, ran with a tough crowd, and got into drugs. But the action that caused the split with her sister came when she slept with Josie's boyfriend, Adam. Josie packed a bag and left, backpacking through Europe and Africa for a few years, until she met Caleb and finally settled down.

Will Josie have to confess her lies to Caleb if she is identified as one of the Buhrman daughters? Josie is in a near panic, but then Ellen calls to tell her that Erin Buhrman, the twin's mother, has committed suicide. Was the podcast a contributing factor? Josie has to go back to Illinois for the funeral but tells Caleb one more lie--that it is Aunt Amelia who has died.

When will this complicated web of lies fall apart? And will Caleb still love you when he knows the truth? How can she face her sister again? Was Lanie telling the truth so many years ago...or was it yet another one of her lies? "The truth will set you free." Or will it destroy everything?

Told from Josie's first person point of view, we find that she is not always a reliable narrator. And interspersed with her accounts are the transcripts from Poppy Parnell's podcasts and reactions from the public in the form of tweets, emails, phone calls, Reddit posts, which are sometimes pretty wacky.

Although this debut thriller has lots of interesting elements--death, betrayal, lies, estrangement, family dysfunction--I had mixed feelings about it. I think the writer definitely shows talent but I found myself losing patience with the story, thought the pace dragged (especially after I figured out who the killer was) and I didn't always find the characters believable. But I'd be interested to read more from this promising author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Are You Sleeping is a predictable psychological thriller. In spite of this, it’s very readable...so much so that I found that I HAD to keep reading, even though I knew how things were going to play out.

10 years ago, Josie Borden nee Buhrman fled her small Illinois hometown to start a new life. She travels the world, changes her last name, and finally settles down with her boyfriend, Caleb, in Brooklyn. What’s she running from? 13 years ago, Josie’s father was murdered. Lanie, Josie’s twin sister, witnessed the murder and identified the killer. As a result of this tragic event, Josie’s mother joins a cult, Lanie becomes a drug addict, and Josie lives in a world of denial.

Josie’s done her best to keep the past at bay, to the point where she even lied to Caleb about her family background. BUT she can’t hide anymore when the podcast Reconsidered starts investigating her father’s murder.

Reconsidered ( ala Making a Murderer ) is hosted by Poppy Parnell, who is unrelenting in her efforts to cast doubt upon the man who was convicted of killing Josie’s father, Warren Cave. In order to sensationalize the podcast, she tears Josie’s family apart, and quetsions their integrity. Did Warren Cave really kill Josie’s father? Or is Poppy Parnell just trying to profit off of one family’s tragedy.

Told through primarily Josie’s POV, but mixed with the podcast, articles about the murder, interviews, discussion threads on Reddit and Twitter, I really enjoyed the format of this book.

Are You Sleeping is flawed (I'm too lazy to go into detail), but as I said above, I got sucked in.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was Really Into This book, my friends. I finished it a while back & have been thinking of the best way to review it because there are so many things I enjoyed.

First off, the idea of a podcast looking into a murder is perfectly timed. Everyone I know was crazy about Serial & Jessica & I were totally hooked on S-Town, which has a similar premise. The main character, Josie, hears that a podcast is looking into her father’s murder & re-examining what Really happened & it throws her for a loop. She has spent the last several years running from her family’s complicated history by changing her last name & traveling around the world. Even her live-in boyfriend doesn’t know the truth about her family.

Of course, this is no ordinary murder case. Her twin sister, Lanie, supposedly witnessed the murder & placed their young neighbor as the culprit. He was sent to prison & has always maintained his innocence. After losing their father, their mother ran away and joined a cult and left the twins without parents. Instead of turning towards one another for support, these events placed a wedge between the sisters that is still present years later when they get word their mother has died.

Kathleen does a heck of a job depicting the anxiety & stress that is place on Josie by forcing her to face what she has spent years running from – her family and its sordid history. The novel is ripe with suspense, family secrets, misplaced trust & a longing for closure & understanding. At the heart of the story are the questions of what Really happened that night? What did Lanie actually see? Can Lanie or Josie be trusted? Why did their mother leave them?

This is one of my favorite books of 2017 & y’all know I am Really Into mysteries. Something about this family & these characters are so relatable. I am a 48 Hours love & reading this book from the view of the family changed my perception of how some of these murder stories can be exploited and/or open deep family wounds. Overall, this was an intriguing & satisfying read & I can’t wait to see what Kathleen does next. I am Really Into This!

Special thanks to Kathleen Barber, Gallery Books & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

When she was a child, Josie's father was murdered, and her twin sister, Lanie, witnessed it. Their lives were completely torn apart, causing Josie to pull away and even change her name. But now a new podcast is revisiting the case, and suggesting that Lanie lied, putting the wrong person in jail.

I could not put this book down! It was so gripping and so suspenseful. Barber did a fantastic job of planting these little clues so the reader felt like Josie and the listeners of the podcasts, trying to put the true story together.

The use of a podcast-theme throughout was also genius. I loved Serial, and that immediately drew me to this book. I loved the use of social media throughout the book's pages, from podcast transcripts to reddit threads to twitter. I also really liked that through Josie and her family, Barber also explored the other side of these podcasts-how they affect the victims and their families, knowing everyone is talking and speculating about the crime that tore them apart.

There really wasn't anything not to like about this book. It completely drew me in, and kept surprising me.

Definitely read this book! You won't be able to put it down.