Anna O by Matthew Blake is a smart, gripping psychological thriller that deals with identity and trauma, and has such shocking twists I audibly gasped.

Although Blake's writing is sharp, Anna O, along with a lot of popular crime fiction, has too many red herrings that try and throw you off. This and an ending that felt a bit rushed by comparison to the rest of the novel were my only frustrations.

I am excited to see what Blake writes next.

To start with I was enjoying this book. It was fast paced and interesting. The concept had me engaged and I was invested.
However, I wound up finding if fairly predictable in many aspects, as well as just getting repetitive, which took my enjoyment down.
I did like all the perspectives we had, which added some layers to the story.
Overall, it was just OK for me.

2.5⭐ rounded to 3⭐

Anna Ogilvy hasn’t opened her eyes for four years. Not since that night at The Farm when she was found asleep with a kitchen knife in her hand, her clothes bloodstained, the bodies of her two best friends lying close. She’d committed the crime of the century – but nothing and no-one could wake her from the nightmare. Believers in her innocence call her Anna O. Believers in her guilt call her Sleeping Beauty. But no-one can take their eyes off the story . . .

I’m gonna be so real, I wish I had DNF’d this. I kept going because I was intrigued enough to know how it was going to end and I know so many people loved it, so I wanted to give it a chance despite feeling bored. To me, it felt like it was taking too long to get to the point, whilst becoming repetitive. It could have easily been 100 pages shorter and as a result, been a more impactful story.

The writing at times tried to do too much - there was so much information about certain medical conditions that I truly think could have been taken out or shortened because at times, it reminded me of reading journal articles for university as it felt quite info dumpy and not always necessarily needed in order for the plot/characters to progress.

Despite the unique plot that definitely had potential to be something great, this book was extremely predictable and I didn’t find myself shocked by anything that happened because I had already guessed the direction it was going to go in. Some parts also lacked logic for me but I can’t go into more details without giving spoilers, but it made the book feel even more unbelievable and unrealistic. One thing that the book does well is setting the atmosphere - I feel like you can really feel the tension and suspense that is created either through the weather or by the setting, which added to the eeriness of the story. I didn’t particularly like or dislike any of the characters but they did feel well fleshed out with flaws and all. I just struggled to feel any kind of connection or emotion for them, so it made it hard to root for any of them. I loved the use of mixed media as well. However, I felt so let down with the conclusion - I felt like I was left with so many questions still and it felt like a rush to attempt to wrap up the main plot.

Thank you to HarperFiction and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ CWs: murder, suicide, death, death of parent, animal death, forced institionalisation, medical content, emotional abuse, injury detail, alcohol use, stalking, animal cruelty, physical assault, mental illness, blood, derogatory language, confinement, vomiting, cursing, murder; mentions person with alcohol and substance use disorder, cheating, misogyny, postnatal depression, overdose, drug use, rape, bullying, verbal and physical abuse ⚠️

I finally got enough time to read this and I really wish I’d read it before now! It is just such a brilliant story and I will be buying a copy to keep. It really needs to be read! Perfect!

This was a clever book untangling a mystery surrounding an unconscious girl that was complicated but clever. Recommend for any mystery fans that want something a bit different. Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC

I did enjoy this book, the premise was intriguing and I was definitely wanting to know more, it kept me gripped right the way through. I don't know what it was but it just wasn't a 5 star read for me. I can't put my finger on it, I think I just didn't think any of the characters were likeable enough, It was a good read though and I'd still recommend it.

Anna O by @matthewblakewriter

Thank you to @tandemcollectiveuk and @harpercollinsuk for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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Synopsis:

ANNA O HASN’T OPENED HER EYES FOR FOUR YEARS
Not since the night she was found in a deep sleep by the bodies of her best friends, suspected of a chilling double murder.
For Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist on London’s Harley Street, waking Anna O could be career-defining. As an expert in sleep, he knows all about the darkest chambers of the mind; the secrets that lie buried in the subconscious.
As he begins Anna O’s treatment – studying his patient’s dreams, combing her memories, visiting the site where the horrors played out – he pulls on the thread of a much deeper, darker mystery.
Awakening Anna O isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning.

My thoughts:
From start to finish this book captured my full attention and I loved it!

To avoid any spoilers I will be vague but this crime thriller had me changing my mind so often on the question of Anna O’s guilt with some great twists.

The chapters are snappy so it feels like the story is moving at a good pace and did mean I struggled to stop reading and close the book a few nights 😂

I really enjoyed the different points of views and how the characters experiences/ perspectives were introduced in building both the story and the tension!

The theory around sleep was also fascinating and not something I’ve looked into before but has prompted some google searches since!

I love puzzles and whodunnits and this really did not disappoint in keeping me hooked to find out and hopefully guess right (spoiler: I didn’t 😂)!

This publishes in February 2024 and is available for pre order now and I would honestly and passionately recommend this book as a great read.

5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

ANNA O HASN’T OPENED HER EYES FOR FOUR YEARS

Not since the night she was found in a deep sleep by the bodies of her best friends, suspected of a chilling double murder.

For Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist on London’s Harley Street, waking Anna O could be career-defining. As an expert in sleep, he knows all about the darkest chambers of the mind; the secrets that lie buried in the subconscious.

As he begins Anna O’s treatment – studying his patient’s dreams, combing her memories, visiting the site where the horrors played out – he pulls on the thread of a much deeper, darker mystery.

Awakening Anna O isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning.

Although this was a good premise, this was at times a difficult read and sometimes overly wordy. It did drag on towards the end.

Amazing ! Just a fab book ! Loved it from beginning to end ! Pick it up you won’t be disappointed! Xx

Really interesting premise and I like the way the characters were developed. I did enjoy it, but it was slightly repetitive in places, and went on just a little too long.

Given the premise of this one, it covers some dark themes - reader beware! This one is billed as the silent patient meets sleeping beauty and it had me gripped from the start - but it didn’t go the way I was expecting.

You have multiple viewpoints, timelines, and sources of facts that are slowly revealed, and they each had me questioning how they all connect. Throw into the mix the conviction of a serial killer decades ago, I was really left confounded with there this was going. I really enjoyed the elements of true crime fiction as the story progresses, the flashbacks and Anna’s diary. There are lots of twists and red herrings, and when the big reveal was revealed - I was completely blindsided. A great read!

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Harper Collins, and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

The cover is what initially drew me in, but upon reading the synopsis I was really looking forward to this book and where it would go! Unfortunately this didn't last..
The writing was so slow and dragged on quite a bit. There were a few twists which weren't exactly twists and some of which were convenient / unecessary.
The concept of this story was great! The execution not so much.. especially for a thriller- I just wasn't hooked and by the time I finished I felt exhausted.
There seems to be quite a few mixed reviews on this book so I'd still recommend reading this yourself if you think you'll enjoy it, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC.

Oh ny goodness, what a read... this book what fantastic. From start to finish I was completely invested!! I just couldn't put it down!! Probably one of my favourite books of 2024!
Make sure this is on your tbr pile this year. I cannot wait to read more by Matthew Blake.

I loved the premise of this book, it sounded so intriguing. I found the main plot points of the story so riveting and was keen to learn more but the way it was written felt very long and slow at times which took the momentum of the reading experience away a little. I would read more from the author in future though as the idea of this book was great.

I enjoyed reading this book, characters were believable and he subject thought provoking. I look foward to reading more of this authors work

This is a moving book. I recommend this, best book I've read so far this year. I am interested in reading other titles by this author

A book that took me a little while to plod my way through, I didn’t sprint through it like I do some other books. The idea of the crime itself was really interesting though and I did find myself wanting to know what had happened!

I wasn't a fan of this book. I found the pace too slow, and this dragged down the plot. I loved the idea of a book around sleep disorders and how that might be a migitating circumstance in the judicial system. However the execution wasn't for me. I also never got attached to any of the characters which didn't help my enjoyment.

Anna O by Matthew Blake

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

THE WORLD WILL KNOW HER NAME

What if your nightmares weren’t really nightmares at all?

We spend an average of 33 years of our lives asleep. But what really happens, and what are we capable of, when we sleep?

Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive—and hasn’t woken up since. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome.”

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O’” case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect—he’s got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own.

As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes.

Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it. And they’re both in danger from what they find out.

My Opinion

This is one of those books that I have been wanting to read for a while but something kept telling me to wait. I shouldn't have waited. I read the majority of this in one sitting - I was hooked. A cleverly written book with plenty of twists.

Rating 4/5

Anna O is one of the most profilic suspected killers of modern times. It is said she killed her two best friends possibly while asleep and has remained in a coma like state ever since. A sleep expert has been called in to determine whether she had capacity. I found this book quite a slog, I didn’t think the writing was very gripping and I wasn’t particularly invested in the outcome.