Don't close your eyes is a very slow burn at first but it gathers pace and becomes so gripping you won't want to put it down and the ending wow didn't see that coming absolutely brilliant.I loved the short chapters alternating between past and present .Altogether a fabulous read .

I enjoyed this book but i cant say that it would be a book that i would remember or talk about. It reminded me of Girl On The Train but for me, it was just lacking something. I didn't really connect with the characters in the way i was expecting. Good story line though and tackles big issues.

After reading this authors debut novel I was very excited to read this ..... Unfortunately for me it wasn't as good. Interesting characters and insight into their lives built up a good story which I throughly enjoyed .

Robin and Sarah are non-identical twin sisters; Robin is small, dark wiry and wild; Sarah is golden haired, well behaved and eager to please – we meet them as children. They make friends with Callum Grainger, the new boy at school who is scared of his father: a loud, boasting, opinionated ‘career guy’ and bully, who’s into one-upmanship and giving out unwanted career and investment advice to anyone unfortunate enough to listen. Gradually the two sets of parents meet, make friends and relationships are re-forged and the families split.

The story is told from three time periods – when the twins were children, the 1990s and present day. There is an ominous atmosphere about how Robin lives in the present day – you don’t know why her circumstances are as they are (just that they are wrong!) The present day Sarah seeks out her twin after not seeing her for many years. You don’t know why the rift has come about and you know nothing of how either of them has lived in the years in between. Cut off from her family a desperate Sarah tries to find Robin to help her gain access to her daughter again. The story she tells her sister and the way her husband and family are described in their attitudes and actions towards her makes you empathise with her.

The feeling of ‘things not being right, leading to ‘dread’ builds through the story – you want to know why the girls have grown apart after being initially parted then reunited again. You also wonder why Callum doesn’t have a voice. You are gradually drip fed details... and just when you think it couldn’t get worse…

The answers as they come at you are shocking; truths come out after years of lies, cover ups are revealed. This book made me gasp out loud, twice. I had to put the book down to go and have a break after one of them! I didn’t know what to expect before reading as I have not come across this author before. I loved that it was very ’English’ and very relatable to me. It made the revelations that bit more real and shocking. A superb thriller which makes your skin crawl – I recommend this highly.

This psychological thriller grabbed me from the start and kept me riveted throughout, with twists and turns I did not see coming. A story of twin sisters who are very different despite coming from the same dysfunctional family, it is written from the viewpoints of both sisters and from different points in time.

This story is well-written and builds tension right to the end, taking you by surprise many times along the way. Once you start it you won’t want to put it down till you’ve finished it!

Intriguing story wih lots of twists and turns, you really get a feel for the characters.
Well written and even though referring to past and present it's easy to follow the various storylines.
Once I was into the story I couldn't put it down!! Highly recommend.
Holly Sedona is an author I will be looking out for.

I used to think that I wasn’t a fan of books falling in the Thriller genre but I have recently realised that the reality is that I was just reading the wrong books. Don’t Close Your Eyes is a prime example of why I was wrong to write off an entire genre.
Holly Seddon had my fooled into thinking I knew where the book was heading, I spent the first quarter to the book congratulating myself for guessing what was going to happen next. I am pleased to say that from then on I was unable to predict what was going to occur.
Don’t Close Your Eyes had so many things going on in it that it felt like I had been reading it forever even though it only took me a day to finish it because I enjoyed it so much.
Robin and Sarah are twin sisters who have grown apart and haven’t seen each other for a number of years.
Robin is agoraphobic and hasn’t left her house in years. She relies on a series of obsessive routines to keep her safe. When a stranger from her past comes knocking, and demands to be heard, Robin realises she is not as safe as she thought.
When we first meet Sarah she is reeling from the collapse of her world. Her husband read her a list of concerns he had about how she deals with their daughter Violet and know he has kicked her out and changed the locks. Sarah will do anything to get Violet back but in order to do that she needs to come up with a plan.
Through a series of flashbacks the reader gets to view the traumatic events of their childhood which made them into the women they are today. Don’t Close Your Eyes is a book that will keep you gripped until the final page.
Don’t Close Your Eyes deals with many emotive topics which I think Holly Seddon handles with incredible insight and sensitivity. For example, Robin’s agoraphobia and OCD, are thoroughly outlines throughout the book, as are the reasons she developed both conditions.
“Robin did not go out yesterday and she will not leave her house today. Bar fire of flood, she’ll still be inside tomorrow. Just as she has been inside for these last years.”
Robin carefully sorts her post to intercept unwelcome greetings from the past and she will only open the door to pre-arranged visitors such as the man who brings her online food shopping to her house. The reader Is frequently left to wonder what occurred to transform Robin from the bright, vivacious girl she is in other areas of the book.
She has daily rituals she needs to complete around her home before she can go about her day within the confines of her home.
“There are other essentials too, of course, that slot together to make Robin’s day. The steps. The weights. The sorting and careful disregarding of the post. Always the watching. When I don’t pay attention Robin thinks, people die, unlike most of her ‘what if’ thoughts, this one carries a certain truth.”
Sarah’s life is no easier, since her husband stopped her seeing her Violet she is at a loss and keeps replaying the scene over and over in her mind.
“My child has been torn from me and there’s nothing I can do. Four days ago she walked off happily holding her uncle’s hand and that was the last I’d seen of her golden hair, doe eyes and tiny pink nose. Violet was smiling and oblivious, waving to me while I sat at my own dining table and heard accusation after accusation with no right of reply.”
Robin and Sarah don’t have each other to lean on because a series of events in their childhood caused a rift between them.
The flashbacks in the book begin in 1989 when the twins were still at school. Already the twins have two very separate identities, Robin is very much a tomboy and favours spending time with her dad. Sarah, on the other hand, is more prim and proper and enjoys more attention from their mum.
The girls gets on well despite the odd sibling rivalry and their very different personalities. Then a new boy named Callum arrives in their class.
Callum’s parents and the twins’ parents soon become friends and start spending time. Before long life as they know it is irrevocably changed, as is the close relationship between the girls.
This was a really interesting read and the characters were clearly well-developed despite none of them being particularly likeable. In particular, I disliked the parents and can’t believe one particular big decision they made which was supposedly in the children’s best interest but was actually quite selfish.
Don’t Close Your Eyes is a story of the fractured relationships that can occur when there is a lack of communication. It is also about the guilt and regrets that can haunt memories of lost opportunities. It was haunting and gut-wrenching and frequently disturbing. It has definitely made me a fan of Holly Seddon’s writing.

I was a few chapters in before I really became absorbed by Holly Seddon's, Don't Close Your Eyes. I wasn't sure I'd make it to the end until I started to sympathise with the cast of characters. These were developed with a skilful, yet light, touch..

As I went along I really began to appreciate the relationships, plots and twists that Seddon delivers. Every time I thought I'd worked out 'whodunnit', Seddon threw in a curve ball. It is hard to guess the outcome of this thriller.

The chapters are short and the action moves along at a good pace. There are time shifts that are easy to follow, though I didn't always get a sense of the sisters' ages (a minor niggle). I thought the dialogue was totally convincing and was a joy read. I could tell that Seddon had done her research into issues such as mental health, drug abuse and domestic violence. If not, she certainly convinced me she had because these issues are woven with sensitivity and care into the narrative..

On the whole, this is a mostly well written book that I'm pretty sure will pay off for fans of this type of contemporary thriller which has a good sense of drama and intrigue.

This book irritated me at first with the constant shifting of time scales, something that seems to be somewhat of an obsession with authors nowadays. However I did begin to enjoy it and thoroughly enjoyed it to the end. A bit of a depressing tale, rather harrowing in parts, but a good read nonetheless.

So to start with, this is my first Net Galley read and therefore my first book review.

Don't Close Your Eyes is the story of twin sisters Robin and Sarah. It is told in alternating chapters between the two girls and between past and present. So you get a past Robin chapter, followed by a past Sarah chapter and then a present Robin and a present Sarah. This book is like four stories in one, all interlocking and it does work at keeping the pace moving along nicely.

While this book did keep me hooked till the end, I wouldn't say it was particularly gripping. Maybe that's because I prefer more chilling thrillers. This wasn't a thriller in my opinion. It was a family drama - much like an episode of Eastenders. All the major themes were there; mental health issues, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, family breakdown.

However, I liked the writing style and the characters although a tad stereotyped were well drawn. Even if some of the things they did were a bit unrealistic.

All in all, Don't Close Your Eyes was a quick, uncomplicated read. I didn't have to think too hard while reading this and so I believe this will appeal to readers looking for a book to while away a few hours on the beach. I don't think it'll be a book that changes the world nor will the characters stick with me like some other books I've read.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy to read.

An interesting story dealing with many aspects of a dysfunctional family. I didn't find it to be much of a 'page turner'as the story wasn't as gripping as it could have been. I guessed about whom the twist would be quite early on but not exactly what it was. A good read, but not a great one.

I really enjoyed reading this novel by Holly Seddon. The story follows the life of identical twins that are completely different in looks and character.

Sarah is looking for her twin Robin after seemingly getting into some relationship problems with her husband who takes away her daughter from her until she gets help; Sarah goes to track down Robin who she hasn’t seen for a number of years and when she finds her she discovers that Robin is having problems of her own.

The further Robin tries to come to get out of the world she has been living the harder it is for her. This fast-paced novel has a real twist at the end and keeps you hooked until the very last page. There were moments that I couldn’t carry on reading as it was making me feel really anxious myself!!

I cannot wait to read some more books by Holly Seddon what an excellent introduction for me.

This was a great read. It has a dark edge to it so keeps you wondering what is going on throughout. The main story centres around Two Families and the ups and downs and twists and turns. The last 4 or 5 chapters really keeps you guessing, and couldn't put it down.

This book is really well written and I enjoyed adding it. There are twists in the plot right up to the end. The book is written from the perspective of both twins. It is an interesting read about how they were brought up and how it has affected them. There was a lot of heartache, sadness and abuse in their upbringing. Their parents friendship with another couple and the aftermath of it affects them both in different ways. I found this story to be a compelling read and would definitely read another book by this author.

Well this is certainly a somewhat dysfunctional family.
So many questions?
I liked the way the twins became separated, living one different sides of the Atlantic.
All the way through I knew that when they came back together there would be some sort of twist.
It took a while to get there, but the twist is worth waiting for.
I will certainly look out for future books by Holly Seddon and will add her first book to my list of books to read.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Atlantic Books (Corvus) for a copy in return for this review

For the majority of the book I was really enjoying it, I was very curious to see just where it was going, and how it would turn out. However I can't help but feel the ending came out of nowhere, and its just left me feeling a bit unsettled and it just felt like the conclusion really didn't have enough explanation for my liking.

However as I say the majority of the book I absolutely loved. It's a story of twins, Robin and Sarah, both as they are now, but also as children and their life growing up. It was the chapters that were set in their childhood that I found myself really hooked on.

But yet if I say what I want to about their pasts, I'll probably be giving away key spoilers, and equally their present situations aren't the easiest to explain. I will say that the twins have been estranged for many years, are completely different from each other, and yet they may be each others only hope.

As children I felt really sorry for them, as adults I'm not sure how much I really liked or was drawn to either twin. The book touches on many different issues and I felt they were all dealt with sensitively and with a feeling of realism towards them.

Don't Close Your Eyes was well written and I did find large parts of it to be completely compulsive reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Corvus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The Marshalls and the Grangers become friends, as do their 3 children - twins Robin and Sarah and Callum. When the children are about 10 years old their four parents become rather too good friends with one another and family life starts to get messy...very messy.

As time moves on the twins, already very differing personalities, get separated on opposite sides of the Atlantic and as adults become estranged. Their relationship with Callum runs hot and cold with periods of intensity and then some roller coaster emotions as Callum’s life has many ups and downs. Callum is also nursing some dark secrets from the past.

The story is written in two timescales -the present and the childhood/teenage years of the children from 1989-1998. The chapters are short and snappy and all from the perspective of Robin and Sarah. The Sarah chapters are written in the first person and the Robin ones in the third person. This changes at the end but I won't say more as I don't want to give any clues to the plot. I found this an interesting style of writing and I'm not entirely sure why the author, Holly Seddon, did it like that.

It was very readable and gripping with unexpected twists and turns. It also covers some very sensitive, and current subjects, but with a great amount of respect and good writing. The author mentioned how she agonised over these issues in her writing and I applaud her for doing it so well. As someone committed to helping the mental wellbeing of the community around me I was very impressed by her writing on these issues.

An enthralling book covering very difficult subjects done very well.
At the same time managing to give us a good story with a few twists.

Really enjoyed this book, so many twists & turns! Excellent !!

Loved it! ''Don't Close Your Eyes'' is a delicious blend of family drama and psychological thriller that I devoured in a day - it was just so good.

Told through a series of flashbacks and present day, it's a chilling story of love, friendship, abuse and loss - and I think it is fair to say that it doesn't shy away from any of it. The fracturing of the bond shared by twins Robin and Sarah is heart-breaking, and the blame for this lies totally with the parents. The callous way in which the girls are treated is as devastating as the abuse Callum suffers at the hands of his father Drew. Though it is not spoken of directly very often (barring of course the horrific incident abroad late in the book) the tell-tale signs of abuse are all too evident and the effect it has is also clear to see. I was left wondering at times about the decisions Angela makes and just how she could be so blind, but I guess her level of self-absorption is frankly all too plausible.

It is the dynamics of the relationships between the family members that makes ''Don't Close Your Eyes'' such a great read - the ripples of events long past that steadily build up until they become these huge waves that engulf each of the children in different way. It seemed that there would be no way of escaping, even for Robin who after a short spell of success is now literally trapped by agoraphobia and a life lived in fear. Then we have the mystery surrounding Sarah and just how guilty she is of the horrendous charges accused by Jim - the charges that are laid out so matter-of-factly which she denies, yet insinuates that there is an element of truth within them. The slow build-up to the meeting between the two of them just lends to the sense of tension that unnerves and questions you throughout. Questions that challenge your perceptions right until the end in fact.

''Don't Close Your Eyes'' is a brilliant read and I am sure it will prove to be one of the big hits of the year - it's fantastic.