Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview CLose Your Eyes by Darren O'Sullivan.
Unfotunately, I did not connect with this novel so cannot give a fair review. I just could not engage with the characters or plot.

What a twisty, clever thriller! This was a new author to me, but I already look forward to reading more by O'Sullivan. His way of creating an atmosphere is very good and there characters engaging. Recommended!

This book was recommended to me by two fellow bloggers and as soon as I read the plot synopsis, I was intrigued.

The book gets going very quickly and keeps you guessing the entire way through. Who is The Voice on the phone and what is it that Daniel took? He has no clue where to start looking as he has only had brief flashes of memory from before his accident. Slowly, he starts to piece together the snippets of his past and this triggers more memories, which he chases to try and figure out what secrets his life held from when he was younger.

The chapters are told from the viewpoints of both Daniel and Rachael, with later ones from their 6 year old son, Thomas. Rachael is desperate to protect her son from being traumatised by the abduction and convinces him they’re in a story, which I thought was inspired. Not everyone is as good or bad as they seem and I was gripped reading how Daniel gets through it. A very good read and I will be reading his first book-Our Little Secret-too.

Rarely does a book grip me from the beginning, but usually if it does, the tempo dies down and falls into a lull until the final few explosive chapters.

This book not only gripped me from the get go, but the shocks, twists and heart stopping turns just continued to hit me with a force that just left me begging for more. This is the first book from Darren I’ve read and have now purchased his first book.

Part of me was angry at Darren for parts of the storyline I won’t mention for fear of spoilers, his execution of this book was on point!

A brilliant 5⭐️ read that did not disappoint!!

I thought this book started off quite slowly but mid-way through turned into a roller coaster read with lots of twists

Wow, I did not see that coming. The twist at the end that is.
He doesn’t know his name. He doesn’t know his secret.
When Daniel woke up from a coma he had no recollection of the life he lived before. Now, fourteen years later, he’s being forced to remember.

A phone call in the middle of the night demands he return what he stole – but Daniel has no idea what it could be, or who the person on the other end is. He has been given one warning, if he doesn’t find out his family will be murdered.
Daniel goes on a hunt to find out about his past and what it was that he took. As he is looking memories start coming back and he wasn't the person that he thinks he is. I started this book in the morning and finished it late afternoon. I could not stop.

Daniel is suffering from retrograde amnesia, where he has no memory of his life from before an accident more than a decade ago. He has learnt to deal with that loss. He has a healthy relationship with his ex-wife, Rachel and her their son Thomas. He gets along well with Sean as well, Rachel’s current husband; and he has a new girlfriend, Katie, to whom he intends to propose to, sometime soon. Life couldn’t have been better.
Yes he has nightmares, but he knows he will have to deal with it and live with them forever,

Then, one phone call turns his life upside down. The voice on the phone demanded that he return something he stole, all those years ago; something he has absolutely no idea about. In return for the thing, they have kidnapped Rachel and Thomas. How can Daniel return something he has no recollection of stealing?
He has just a few days to work out what it was. He needs his mother to tell him the truth and find his estranged father, who may have the answers to his questions. He needs to keep Rachel and Thomas alive, and Katie safe as well. As he races against time, to try and find what he stole, he comes across snippets of his life he has no recollection of.

Will Daniel remember in time to save his family?
Will his memory come back or will he fail as a father?

Fast-paced, racy, brilliantly written, you will be left guessing what it was that comprised his past life.
Fans of psychological thrillers, this one is a must for you!

Another gripping read by this author. Amazing story line, great characters. I read all this in a day. I can't wait for more from this author

Wow! Fast paced action story with a lot of psychological twists. The story starts with some family dynamics that seem to good to be true. Of course that is absolutely the case! Definitely recommend!

I enjoyed reading this fast paced thriller. The star rating throws me a bit as I think it really is a 3 1/2 stars. The story is told from a variety of POV and some characters really came to life. The second half certainly gripped me and I was focused on reading to get to the end. Some parts however felt a little clunky which made me award less stars than maybe it deserves. I feel a bit that I wanted to be ‘shown not told’. That said the story is a clever mix of twists and turns as the plot unfolds and certainly hooks in the reader as the layers peel away. One part in the book surprised me as it wasn’t what I was expecting to happen, sadly, so good job with that! I did work out the ‘villain’ but plenty to keep me interested and reading. Strangely the fact that I am local to some of the places named made those parts harder to read as my mind went to what I know rather then what I was reading. Good read overall.

So I had the pleasure of meeting the author Darren not so long ago, and as he is local to me, it was a huge incentive to read his book, not that I needed it as blurb sounded hugely intriguing. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this despite finding it a little slow to begin with, but that didn't last long and before I knew it I was literally engrossed by the storyline. I found myself turning the pages really quickly in a bid to find out what would happen next and I was routing for Daniel all the way.

I loved that places such as Stamford and Burghley House got a mention in the story as they are places that I know well and have visited many occassion. I felt it bought me that little bit closer to the story because of it.

Overall I enjoyed the story and how it all turned out, but there was one part of the story's outcome that I didn't like and when it happened, I was like No no no, so I was a little sad by that.  But with that said, I thought the ending was good, and totally didn't see it coming, was completely shocked by it.

This is a great book that will have you hooked from the first few pages.
Daniel receives a call one night asking him to give back what he took, or else his ex wife and son will die.
The only problem with is that Daniel lost his memory 14 years ago after an accident so anything that happened before then is gone from his memory.
Daniel faces a race against time to save Rachael and Thomas and he is shocked with the answer his Mum gives him when he asks her for help.
Daniel has to re-trace his life all those years ago and is faced with quite a few shocks and surprises along the way.
This book is full of twists and turns and will have you on the edge of your seat.
Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This isn't an easy read.

Overall it's engaging enough, though really slow at the beginning and completely unnecessarily so, BUT I would never compare it to Gillian Flynn or BA Paris.

This reads so much more like a commercial gang/mafia chase. And even at that, the "bad guys" felt soo far-fetched, kind of Hollywood-like and not very believable. Almost like this was written inspired by some B-rated bank robbery movies, sans the robbery itself (there is no bank in this book and that's not a spoiler).

The only psychological elements in it are the fact that it drags on with the chase forever and the fact that Daniel/Michael has retrograde amnesia (which is half masked off by the term "confabulation" right at the beginning to throw the reader off should the main narrator start remembering things) - writers really LOVE playing this card lately, almost every single PsThriller is more or less dependant on someone's not remembering something.

Aside from that, the rest of the story is pure gore, blood, torture, and chase. It takes an actual gut to not weep or throw up at some of the scenes.

I'm not exactly regretting reading this, but I'm also not sure if I would exactly recommend this to people who usually like psychological thrillers. Maybe more Lee Child sort of commercial murder mysteries etc.

Thank you Netgalley! I received an uncorrected ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What if one day, out of the blue, your past just flat-out catches up to you.....

After a bad accident 15 years ago, Daniel has been plagued with amnesia. It was as though his life started all over that day. He moved forward, making a nice new life for himself. Thomas, his son whom he loves deeply, and Rachel, his ex-wife who he’s still close friends with. And now he’s been blessed with a new girlfriend Katie who adores his son.
A perfect life...right? Well, not so fast. With one late-night phone call, all that happiness and joy is about to fly out the window.

Someone from Daniel’s past is demanding he return a certain ‘something’ or they’ll harm his family. Problem is, Daniel has no idea what that ‘something’ could be. He does know, if he doesn’t figure it out quickly his family may not make it out alive.
It’s a race against time as Daniel attempts to put the pieces of his past together before the deadline approaches.

Told from dual points of view from Daniel and Rachel. The tension is high-level throughout the book making it a real challenge to put down. A great spin at the end for a real added bonus!

A fast paced thriller that truly will keep you on the edge of your seat! My second book by Darren O’Sullivan, I enjoyed this one as much as his previous release Our Little Secret.
I’ll be waiting and watching for his next release!! (Please hurry!)

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Darren O’Sullivan for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Respect to Darren O'Sullivan on giving a voice to a child as well as to adults to reveal his plot. I found the second half more compelling than the first. Overall interesting premise with twists - the most dramatic and surprising being near the end.

I absolutely loved this book. From page one to the epilogue you are on the edge of your seat. A terrible accident means he can't remember his past, then his past comes back to haunt him and he has to remember everything to save the lives of the people he loves. Gripping ! I could not put it down. Great twist at the end, followed by another ! You will love this book, it is awesome !!!!

3.5 stars. I liked the premise of this book because it is essentially about uncovering secrets from one's own past. That seems to be common in Harlan Coben books and he is my favorite author. The other element that I enjoyed was the Daniel, the main character was in a sort of race against the clock to get the bottom of these secrets which took him to France and back to the UK in a fast paced scenario found in a lot of Joseph Finder books. The book is told mostly from 2 perspectives, Daniel, who is one the run trying to find the item that he stole years before an accident that robbed him of his memory to give to the kidnappers and free his ex girlfriend and son, and Rachel the ex girlfriend, who with hers and Daniel's son is being held hostage. I really could have done with less Rachel's story. They were really just sitting in a room and I found that pretty boring. Luckily, there was a bit of a twist at the end in terms of who was behind the kidnapping. I would probably read more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 Stars* (rounded up)

Fourteen years ago, Daniel was in an accident. When he awoke from a coma he had no recollection of who he was before. Now he is awoken in the middle of the night by a phone call. The caller asks for “Michael” and tells him that he must return what he stole or his family will suffer. Of course, he has no idea what the caller is talking about, but they mean business and he immediately fears for his son, Thomas, his ex-wife, Rachel. Thereafter, he immediately rushes to his ex-wife’s house to find evidence of a crime having been committed and discovers that Rachel and Thomas are gone. Dread fills his soul. It is real.

The clock is ticking - Daniel has 5 days to recover what he stole fourteen years ago. Daniel does his best to uncover a past he knows nothing about. Talking to his mother, trying to track down a father he hasn’t spoken to in years. Meanwhile, Rachel does whatever she has to do to protect her son. Their love for each other is evident.

“Close Your Eyes” by Darren O’Sullivan is a race against time, it gives you heart palpitations and makes your breath catch in your throat. The characters are very real and likable and their emotions are felt as if they are your own. If you are looking for a mystery/suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this is it.

Kaceey and I read this one together. We enjoyed all of the twists and turns this book had to offer. Thanks for reading it with me Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Darren O’Sullivan for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 4.29.18.

A fast paced thriller that had me hooked from the first page. I loved it. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Darren O’Sullivan for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

This book is intense from start to finish. The pacing was amazing and I never wanted to put it down.

The main character has suffered amnesia and can not remember anything from before his car accident. Nothing. We start out learning about his current life. His relationship with his young son, girlfriend, ex wife and her husband. Despite his memory loss he has great relationships with all four of them.

Then one day, someone kidnaps his loved ones and demands he returns something he took prior to his accident. WHAT?! He has no idea what they are referring to but he has to figure it our before his family is killed.

For most of the book we switch between the main character and his ex-wife. I quickly felt attached to them and became really invested in the story. The plot was great and easy to follow. So why not 5 stars? There were a few things that did not feel very logical and it pulled me out of the story to think how that probably would not happen in real life but it worked for the story.

I would highly recommend thins book if you are in the mood for an intense thriller. It will take you for a ride.