This is a very interesting psychological thriller. I had read one book by this author before, so I generally knew what to expect. And I was not disappointed.

Two people living in a London suburb cannot sleep at night. Mary is a young mother whose two children won't let her close her eyes for even a few hours. Tim is a former journalist struggling with a serious case of PTSD. One night, these two see something in the empty house next door that really bothers them. Soon they are convinced that they have seen Samantha - a young girl who disappeared in the area not so long ago. Mary and Tim try to help the missing girl at all costs.

I really liked the very idea for the story. Two strangers, very different people, are connected by efforts to save a young girl, creating unlikely allies. Mary's struggles with motherhood and Tim's problems with coping with his past provided an excellent background for this story. And the main mystery is also really good. The author gives us some really nice twists, some of them I did not expect. The author also managed to build a really suitable atmosphere of the stuffy suburbs of London during the heatwave where everything is possible.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good time with an interesting story. This is my second book by this author and I will definitely reach for another.

Set in the depths of London, Are You Awake? is a book drenched in atmosphere, suspense and deceptions. The insomniac angle is a fascinating one which I understand too well. The first half of the book is anxiety-inducingly slow in such the best possible way and gets snappy the last half. It is told mostly from the perspectives of Mary and Tim but also occasionally by a third.

Mary is a married mum of two wee ones who is desperate to sleep. She is also a lawyer which in this story is almost irrelevant. One tormented sleepless night up with her babies she looks out the window and questions what she sees...is it her insomnia-induced state or did she really see something? Meanwhile, Tim is awake but for different reasons. His terrible past prevents him from falling asleep. But on that same fateful night he, too, sees something from his window. The two meet one night and make a decision to investigate. Is there a link to the missing neighbourhood girl? The pasts become the present as other characters appear. And there is reason to question each of them.

Though Mary's occupation as a lawyer isn't convincing enough to add depth, it did not really matter to me as the story is super good. If you seek a clever and atmospheric thriller to curl up with, make it this one.

My sincere thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this taut and claustrophobic book.

This was an enjoyable read.
It started out slow for me and it kinda made me want to stop reading after the first 30% in but I kept going and I’m glad I have.
There are some interesting characters and many twists. Some very predictable and some very unexpected.
The ending was satisfying for me and I think I’ll be reading more by the author in the future.
Perdido any domestic thrillers lovers.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

The synopsis for this one pulled me in, but sadly the story seemed to drag on and didn’t really hit the mark for me.

'Decent Thriller'

Mary and Tim are neighbours who get caught up in finding a missing girl, Samantha. They both see something in a house across the park, that pretty much seem like violence.

Mary is a mother of two and Tim is a journalist on a break. This incident makes them both curious and they work with each other to solve the case, when police ignores their calls about them seeing someone in an empty house with over-security protocols.

This is a decent thriller. Held my curiosity from the start. Plot is good. Character development is good. Author also added about the struggles of raising babies, insomnia,loss and guilt.

It would be nice if some more scenes are added for Samantha. Overall, it is fine. A page-turner and enjoyable.

Thank you @netgalley and the publisher for the Arc.

The first three or four chapters of this book were very slow, but I kept reading, and what a treat it was! This was a fast-paced thriller after those chapters and kept me turning pages. Well done!

Clare McGowan is a favourite author of mine and this book was really good.
The two main characters who are strangers both unable to sleep because of different reasons look out one night and both see something that unsettles them - they join together in an unlikely friendship to try and work out what they saw. A great thriller.
Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK, NetGalley and Claire McGowan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An original story from Claire McGowan that I thoroughly enjoyed. A stressed out mum with 2 young children struggles to sleep. Whilst up at night she thinks she sees a missing girl in the window of a house that is being renovated, She meets Tim, traumatised by his experiences in war zones who helps her investigate. Are they right?

This story reminded my of “The Woman in the Window”. Did what they see really happen? Was it a figment of their imagination, or was this a result of some kind of sleep induced hallucination? Although this is a work of fiction, I found the plot unbelievable. It kept me interested, and found the characters likeable. This read a little more like a cozy mystery which is not my typical read.

A huge thanks to Amazon Publishing UK for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Can Claire McGowan do no wrong? Of course not! This is a wickedly clever premise that features a mother of two (Mary) who is on maternity leave and of course like every mother needs a good night's Sleep. One night when she can barely get some shut eye looks out the window and seemingly sees something at the same time her neighbor who suffers from PTSD does the same and witnesses the same event. They wake up to news of a missing girl and these two neighbors suddenly become sleuths. Did they actually see what they saw? Are you awake will have you pinching yourself to see if you are awake too. I enjoyed it!

Rating: 2.0/5

This is my second experience of Claire McGowan's work, having previously read and enjoyed "I Know You". The premise for "Are You Awake?" was an enticing one and I had every reason to hope that I would enjoy this novel every bit as much as the previous one I had read. Unfortunately, I didn't.

Claire McGowan is clearly a talented writer and, as she showed in "I Know You", she is perfectly capable of producing a well-constructed, tense and enthralling mystery thriller. Sadly, those are not words I could use to describe "Are You Awake?" I am not averse to a slow-burning novel, but this one never really got going at all. There were a few false dawns when I briefly felt like the pace was about to be ramped up a few notches, but it wasn't to be. I was never convinced by the central characters, nor did I ever find myself feeling compelled to get being them in their endeavours. There were times when I found it quite a struggle to carry on, but I hate not finishing a book, so I made sure that I got there in the end. This is certainly not the author's best work and with content as tedious as this often was, the choice of title may be ironically appropriate.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Tim and Mary both see unusual lights, like signs of a struggle, from a house near the park. They get to know each other and become sleuths, fearing it is to do with a missing girl. As the investigation continues, the case becomes complicated, with lots of twists.
An edge of your seat novel, with the situation getting scarier by the minute! Superb read!

I thought this book sounded quite different, and original. And it did not disappoint I liked the two main characters and could sympathise with their sleepless nights. I enjoyed reading this book, it kept my interest.

A very slow burner just not for me.
Two sleep deprived neighbours witness the same thing, a young girl being attacked in the house opposite they believe its the young girl that had gone missing and was on the news but the police don`t believe them so they go out on their own to find out if what they saw actually happened.
Mary has young children and unable to sleep and Tim suffers from PTSD and can`t sleep.

I found the story just didn't flow easily for me and couldn`t gel with any of the characters.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC

I quite like thriller novels, but found this one quite hard to get into. Some parts were a bit long-winded and overall, the ending didn't really move me or surprise me. I would say it's a run-of-the-mill thriller novel.

After the past two unprecedented heat-wave summers here in the Pacific Northwest, I understand Mary’s predicament. Trying to escape the heat became an obsession, to the point where I wasn’t thinking rationally. Although I don't suffer from PTSD, I’m a worrier and often have difficulty getting to sleep because my mind wants to revisit every single negative situation I can imagine. Mixing this with having been prepped as a witness for a trial, I understand the controversy over eye-witness reliance. All of these allowed me to become part of the story while still maintaining some objectivity.

I eagerly followed the amateur sleuths and became invested in the mystery. There were times that Mary’s questioning left me unsettled because her thoughts weren’t indicative of her career mindset. Although the characters were irksome, they were representative of what law enforcement deals with on a regular basis…people (witnesses) who think they know more than they really do!

This story hinges upon the three Ss: secrets, surprises and suspense. It is a well-written multi-POV and well-paced story that had me questioning who I could trust and what was reliable enough to believe.

I’ve wanted to read a Claire McGowan book for a while now and appreciated the introduction to her writing. I’ll search out her backlist.

I was gifted this copy by Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Honestly, it started out pretty intriguing, but soon turns into just a chaotic day in the life of Mary. She is a mom who apparently hasn't read this book because she can't sleep! Tim, is her neighbor who was a former journalist and suffers from PSTD.

They end up being partners who are trying to find out what they saw one night in an abandoned home in their neighborhood. Window gazing..........

I wasn't invested in any of the characters and didn't care what happened in that house, I just wanted them to find out something! This dragged on far too long and Team Mary and Tim were as frustrating as the police team.

I've heard good things about some of her other titles, maybe I'll find a good fit!

My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for a. Copy of “ Are You Awake ? “ for an honest review..

I’ve loved the last few books by Claire McGowan , and was also drawn to this title, as someone who has had sleep problems in the past.
Although I appreciated the style of writing and found the.book very readable, I didn’t enjoy this title as much as the previous ones.
For me , an average read from a usually very suspenseful author, hopefully her next will wow me more .

This was an interesting premise for a novel, with 2 unreliable narrators. Can you really believe the words of 2 sleep deprived people? My biggest gripe with this book was Mary. As a MC, she is a lawyer but she seems to have no grasp of the law at all. Unfortunately this leaves a gaping personality/character flaw that ruins some of the book. I enjoyed Claire McGowan's other books and will continue to look forward to her future books but this one just was not as good a read as her previous books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC.

This was a big skim for me. At the beginning, the description of being unable to sleep was so spot on that I thought for sure it was going to be good, but the plot was soooo slow moving, and then when it finally did pick up (around maybe 60-65%), it wasn't enough for redemption. Lots of twists and turns, but it's a slog to get to them.