Brilliant! I love reading a thriller that’s different to anything else I’ve read and this very much ticked that box for me.

Are you guilty of a crime if you committed it in your sleep? If you’re still asleep four years after the event, how can you stand trial?

Told across multiple timelines, using case files and a diary, Anna O’s case is very high profile and the Ministry of Justice needs Anna to wake up and face the music. Sleep Psychologist, Dr Benedict Prince is the man tasked with bringing Anna out of her sleep state in a top secret facility, a treatment that will either make or break his career.

It’s difficult not to get personally involved with a case like this though, and that puts Ben, his team and his family in grave danger.

The writing flowed well, the pace was slow but impactful and the research that has gone into this book is clearly very thorough, which I really appreciated. Some mind blowing twists were the icing on the cake 👏🏻

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Matthew Blake and Harper Collins, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I found the subject around whether you can be guilty of a crime if sleepwalking fascinating and really enjoyed the book. The story unfolded and you became aware there was things you couldn’t see/work out but unsure what they would be,

The twist at the end was expected but it wasn’t the one I had thought would happen so was kept guessing.

If you are looking for a twisty addictive thriller to kick off 2024 then look no further than Anna O from Matthew Blake. This is a book everyone will be talking about.

I didn’t know much about the world of sleep disorders, so this in itself was fascinating, however add to this an astonishing multi layered thriller and you have a recipe for success.

In short with NO SPOILERS the eponymous Anna A is accused of a terrible murder, however at the crime scene she is found in an unwakeable sleep. Dr Ben Prince, a sleep expert is then charged with waking her. What follows is a story told from multiple POV that slowly unravels the story. However, just when you think you know where this story is going it hits you with twist after twist after twist which will keep you on the edge of your seat as the book speeds towards its startling conclusion.

An absolutely stunning psychological thriller that you won’t be able to put down. A definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five.

I was looking forward to reading this after being intrigued by the synopsis and the marketing campaign.

This is a story focusing on the case of Anna O, the suspect of a double murder who has remained been asleep since the event despite all attempts over the 4 years since. As another attempt is started with sleep specialist Ben Prince, will his different techniques be successful in bringing Anna out of her deep sleep and able to be tried for her crimes?

This was a very slow-burning read which, while interesting, the technical explanations seems to pull me out of the story and made it feel more like a manual than a story!

A interesting and thought provoking book about the study of sleep. I thoroughly enjoyed it. A brilliant read.
I was hooked from the very start and the story had me gripped and wanting to find out what had happened. Was Anna O asleep or awake, was she innocent or guilty of the crimes.
The story is told through flashbacks of Anna’s diary and multiple POV’s. I enjoyed the short chapters, these kept me reading and I loved the twist at the end, so unexpected. Just brilliant.
Overall, a brilliantly written twisty debut, well worth the read.
Definitely recommend if you enjoy crime, psychological books.
With thanks to #NetGallery and @harperfiction for an eARC of #AnnaO in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
Book publishes 01 February 2024.

I really enjoyed this book, I liked the references to other fiction works and quotes by famous psychologists, it’s well written and interesting

A book written about the study of sleep provided a different and thought provoking book but perhaps a little thin on content. If you are looking for a different book to stimulate your imagination then this might be for you. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I wanted to love this one and I did for a large part of it, but the ending let it down for me.

I was hooked from the very beginning, it’s clever and so much was based on truth so the author had obviously done their research. I had a lot of thoughts about who could have done it and started piecing it all together. It was fast paced and gripping and I was desperate to find out what had happened.

Until I got close to the end where it all changed and slowed right down, became too repetitive and quite frustrating. The whole book had been tense for me so this was just a bit overkill, I was fully ready to know all the details and I had to read another million chapters to find out. (Not really a million, but that’s how it felt 🤣)

Sorry I don’t leave negative reviews often and you may not feel the same, maybe it was my self imposed deadline which made me too impatient to get to the end but I’m just left feeling a bit meh.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4.5 stars rounding up to 5. This had me hooked from the blurb!

Anna O fell asleep 4 years ago and hasn’t opened her eyes since. Nicknamed sleeping beauty. Anna was found with a knife in her hand having murdered her 2 best friends whilst apparently sleepwalking. Dividing the public the case has gone viral with everyone having their view as to whether Anna is guilty or not. We enter the story with Anna transferred to a sleep clinic. The ministry of justice wants to puts Anna on trial, which they can only do if she’s awake. Step in Dr Benedict Prince, psychologist and sleep expert tasked with waking Anna.

Having suffered with sleep walking as a child I was hooked on this. This story has so many twists. I actually had the who at the very start, but it took me a while to get to the why. The story is told through flash backs of Anna’s diary and multiple view points. Fans of crime/ psychological books will love this. If it hasn’t already been snapped up it won’t be long before you see this on Netflix or in the cinema! Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy!

Well this sounded fantastic from the blurb and started off great.

A sleep specialist, a murderer asleep for 4 years since the killings and brought to his clinic by the government to try and revive her. This one really had me intrigued.

After a really promising opening this one slowly fell apart somewhat with too many characters, too many twists, too many unbelievable scenarios and just too bloody long.

When I was maybe a third of the way through the book I was wondering why this book didn’t score higher in reviews but by the end I understood unfortunately.

It’s a real shame as I really did enjoy the first third immensely. I don’t want to be too harsh but it’s just the frustration of what could have been a 5 star read slowly fall apart as you turned the pages.

Don’t get me started on the ending. It went on forever and the reveal really want much of a reveal at all.

Two and a half stars rounded up to three due to the excellent opening chapters.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Crime is not usually my go to genre but the premise of this one had me intrigued (and that cover!).
About 1/4 in to the book and I just wasn't sure it was for me , it seemed to be dragging , not a lot was happening BUT at the same time something was making me want to read on , what was going on...... Halfway through the pace changes and it becomes much more of a page turner , twists along the way and a final twist which is very clever . I felt it was very fleshed out and would have been better if it was shorter but I'm glad I stuck it through to the end and think it would make a great movie !

This is a fabulously twisted and atmospheric psychological thriller. Anne O, the 'O' is for Ogilvy, her surname and 'Oh my goodness' and 'Oh, I didn't expect that!'.

Anna O is asleep, she has been for four years continuously and the trial is on hold until she wakes. The trial is for the murder she committed, or maybe committed. Nobody seems to know what happened until she wakes and the case can finally close.

This is a book that is slower-paced as such and very deep, looking into several people and their interactions with each other. It is one where I was never sure where the story was going, well I thought I did, but then other things began to emerge and throw me.

Anna is moved to a sleep clinic where she comes under the care of Dr Benedict PRince, he is a lecturer and a forensic psychologist and he is tasked with trying to find a way of waking Anna up. He sort of has a connection to this case as it was his ex-wife who originally attended the scene, she is in the police and was first on the scene.

The story emerges and there are sections from a notebook Anna has kept. This gives you an insight into what was going on in her life before the murders and her falling asleep. Around that there is the main story of Ben, how he is trying to wake her, some psychological profiles, mentions of different diagnoses and all-in-all quite a lot of information relevant to the story. I really enjoyed this and for me, it really added to the story as it sort of added credence to the character of Ben.

Anna O was a real person, a search on the internet will give you information about her ( I should mention that this case was not something that the author has referred to, just something I have come across).

I have, however, seen an article from the author who based this book on real-life events, one is of people committing murder while sleepwalking the other is his study of resignation syndrome, which is where people fall asleep for years with no medical reason. Putting these two concepts together and then researching to create such an enigmatic story makes for addictive reading.

By the end of the book I found myself completely turned around, and so very far from where I thought this would go. I for one completely enjoyed this and it is one for those who like twisted thriller with a strong psychological premise, some great research and one that makes you think. There were a couple of times when I paused to think about what had just happened, to process the next twist or to just wallow in the eureka moment only to have another eureka moment later on!

Addictive, brilliant and one I would definitely recommend.

Beautifully written with such intricate delicacy, this story doesn’t hesitate in pulling its punches.
I simply couldn’t put it down, just like chocolate, just one piece isn’t enough and I was compelled to keep on turning the pages, fervently devouring every word in this must read masterpiece of a thrilling tale.
I cannot put into words the unique and chilling feeling on reading this until its astounding finale.
Highly recommended, a 5 Star rating doesn’t quite seem enough.

ANNA O

Thank you NetGalley for my eArc copy of #AnnaO and giving me the opportunity to read this eagerly anticipated novel before its publication.

Unfortunately I found there to be so much unnecessary dialogue making the starting pace slow, until over halfway through the story; which is NOT something I’m used to when reading a book which I’d anticipated to be a thriller.

But…

Despite this I was still hooked, I was convoluted I had to find out if Anna O was, Awake or Asleep. Guilty or innocent of this crime.

I enjoyed the short chapters and the different points of view this novel was told by; one of the main things keeping me hooked.

So the best bits of this book happen later on, much later on.

But one thing I can say is that, I really didn’t expect or see that ending coming.

#Annao #Thriller #eArc #AdvancedReadersCopy #SlowBurn #UnexpectedEnding

The description of this one had me hooked, unfortunately the actual writing did not!

The book was good overall but I feel it was lacking a lot of information. Though I will admit it did take turns throughout and left you guessing until the end, which I liked.

Anna O is a slow burning psychological thriller that deals with the interesting subject of sleep walking and committing crimes while alseep. The premise is really interesting but at times I felt bogged down too much in technical language but I felt that was a device for the narrator to flex their intellectual muscles. I didn't like any of the characters very much and I had determined the outcome from clues very early on. There has been a lot of buzz about this book and I was glad I had read it but perhaps the hype made me have higher expectations than I would normally have going into a read. I think this would make a brilliant film or tv series.

This was such an interesting and gripping read! I was hooked from the beginning and the reveals in this story were jaw-dropping!
I didn't realise this was a debut novel! It was so well done i was in shock when i found out!

A little slow at times, but honestly such a fascinating story with so much depth - i really enjoyed it!

Anna O has been in a deep sleep for four years after apparently murdering her two best friends. Rumours are rife that she was sleepwalking, others that she knew exactly what she was doing. Dr Ben Prince, an expert in sleep disorders was invited to attempt to wake her. She was taken to a private clinic in absolute secrecy and there Ben began his work. The complex story of how Anna arrived at this point is detailed through her earlier diary entries. Is she guilty? By waking her will Ben be simply sealing her fate at a murder trial? Tormented and confused by this case Ben’s own life is threatening to spiral out of control as it becomes all consuming. An exceptionally clever story that leaves the reader unsure of the truth until the very end.

I thought Anna O was an intriguing concept from the description but when I came to read it it just didn't work for me. It was definitely unique but I found it to be drawn out and very implausible.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a real mixed bag for me an intriguing story line involving murder sleepwalking and psychology a real did she didnt she but feel a bit short especially near the end.
The main story line was interesting and well researched but I guessed some of the twists from the start and was hoping it was too obvious to be right. It was also repetitive in some places making the book feel slightly too long. But it was compelling and I did find myself wanting to read on and solve the mystery.
Overall it was worth the read and the psychology aspects were interesting to read about and did add an extra layer to the suspense.