This book for me was a 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3. The premise started well, but I found the storytelling somewhat repetitive, and could have been a shorter, but more engaging read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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.

I was hooked into this book by the blurb and the cover, seemed like just the type of psychological thriller that I’d be into. And it was in a lot of ways, there were just some issues.

I found it hard to keep up with the plot flicking between narrators and timeframes. That being said the plot was slow and could have skipped chunks out without it affecting the storyline too much. The book was much better while Anna was still asleep!

Great idea just not the best execution.

2024 52 Book Challenge - 37) Palindrome On The Cover

This book had me so hooked that I stayed up until 2.30am to finish reading. I think the premise is really interesting and while I guessed one of the major twists early on, the second one had me guessing until the last 10% of the novel.

I really liked how you read parts from Anna's Diary, allowing you to see the past events from Anna's perspective in the lead up to the events, as you read the present events from primarily Ben's perspective.

I did find the final 20% to be a bit of a drag, because the main mystery had been solved, and you're waiting around for the secondary mystery to be solved, and it was just a bit of a slow because there was a lot of talking about events.

That being said, this book is all I've talked about for two days, and even my friends who haven't read the book have become invested in finding out the ending.

That was a mind blowing journey!

The characters and story lulled you into a sense of security. Reading this felt like a leisurely stroll as you were guided along, with hidden clues peppered throughout, making you feel like you knew where the story was heading but never really understanding why until the last possible second.

The plot was very complex and psychology theories heavy. I got lost and had to stop and reflect on the ramifications of what I was reading, but this was necessary, while making it feel a little long-winded.

However, what truly gripped me was the reveal upon reveal leading up to the unexpected twist that made my skin crawl!

ANNA O by Matthew Blake
DEBUT NOVEL
Publish date: 01 Feb 2024
Publisher: HarperCollins

I am not quite sure what I think of this DEBUT novel, as there was no information given regarding its plot,

The 400 page book begins slowly and builds as the plot continues. With twists & turns on every page and red herrings thrown in for good measure the story confused me. I enjoyed the writing style, descriptions and vocabulary.

The story is about this date & location, 30th August 1999, The Farm, Oxfordshire (described as a cross between Go Ape and Centre Parcs). Anna O, who sleepwalks, has been charged with the murder of two people at The Farm. Since this event, Anna has been asleep for the past four years, in a secure hospital ward awaiting trial. What follows is a series of investigations by Dr Benedict Price, forensic psychologist, tasked with finding the truth about Anna O and awaken her, to allow Anna to stand trial for the murders.

Each chapter is told by a different character and timeline. The character development is believable but I thought the plot to be confusing at times.

I give a 4 star rating, but only as the writing was excellent.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY & HARPERCOLLINS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED READING COPY OF THIS NOVEL IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

When this book first came on my radar, there was very little in terms of blurb telling what the story was about. The mystery surrounding it intrigued me, and so I was excited to pick it up.
Unfortunately, the reality of this book did not live up to the mystery that the author and publishers wanted to convey. I found it to be a little disappointing, mainly because there was nothing original.
As other reviewers have commented - the staggering amount of references to Harry Potter was embarrassing. Seriously, could this author not have included any other pop culture references to get his point across??? It came across as juvenile and annoying.
Another thing that annoyed me about this book, was the americanisms. The main narrator of this story was meant to be an English person, living and working in London, and yet uses phrases like "public defender" and "district attorney" - which do not exist in the English legal system! A quick google of the author revealed a very basic history of him being English educated - so one would surmise that he would know that these americanisms out of place. I would imagine that this was something added in during the editing process to make the book better to be spoon-fed to an American audience, but unfortunately it makes the book feel like it lacked any surface-level research.
The story itself is, as I have said before, completely unoriginal. The same type of story can be seen in other, and in my opinion, better executed novels such as The Silent Patient and Verity, to name just a couple of popular books with the same type of plot.
The "twist" of this book can be seen a mile away - I myself knew who the "killer" was only a couple of chapters in. I also found myself a little bored towards the last 30% of the book.
Unfortunately I don't think this book is the "masterpiece" that the author or the publishers believe it to be.

I really liked the premise of this book and actually quite enjoyed the twists and turns of the story but I found it a bit tedious in the middle. The book could have done with being a bit shorter and the ending felt really rushed.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s different to any thriller I’ve read and very cleverly written. It’s not as fast paced as some but totally worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC in exchange of an honest review

Sorry, not for me ,try as I might I just didn't connect with this book .I hope other readers enjoy it more than I did.

This was a really interesting novel for me and I was quite wary to read it, having sleep issues myself I was really dubious.

Anna was a young woman who suddenly murdered 2 friends and has been asleep ever since. We then are introduced to Dr Benedict Prince who is a sleep specialist and he is going to attempt to wake her up. Having read other reviews, I can see whey are comparing it to the movie Cinderella.

Obviously Dr Prince has a few issues himself and we learn about this also during the novel. He also has to determine whether Anna is an actual malicious murderer or something else happened that fateful evening. I did find some bits quite repetitive and confusing and found myself having to re-read some bit but overall a really good novel with a very good concept.

The novel is intricately weaved and I enjoyed this novel.

Thanks to Netgalley, Matthew Blake and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Anna O has an intriguing premise: Four years ago, Anna O seemingly killed two of her friends, caught near their bodies holding a knife before she fell into a deep sleep she has never come out of. The police are now calling upon Dr. Benedict Prince, an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides, to help wake her up so she can go on trial.

This premise kept me reading, but it soon became clear (I read this on Kindle) that this is quite a long book. It's helpfully broken up by different perspectives, such as Anna O's diary, and dashings of psychology and Greek mythology. Nevertheless, it felt long. And sometimes character POVs purposely hold back information, or don't ask the right question at the right time - which I suppose is designed to get you to read on, but instead felt drawn out to me.

It was compelling enough for me to finish it across a couple of days, but I did get frustrated with some of the characters and their 'beliefs' - seemingly believing in one person's or another's innocence without much evidence at all - and blindly ignoring others. I was also able to figure out whodunnit fairly early on and it was hard to believe the online communities around true crime wouldn't have looked into some of this stuff (instead of all blindly hating Anna O - there's usually at least one supporter group per potential culprit!).

There are lots of twists towards the end and I have no doubt the book will pick up plenty of fans as a result. An interesting read, if sometimes a frustrating one.

Really enjoyed this one, I loved the premise and how it really made me think about at what point a person is responsible for.

Terrible writing, terrible plot, full of cliched tropes and more than a little splash of fatphobia. The twist made absolutely no sense. Just ridiculous all the way down. However, it did distract me for a few hours while I was in terrible pain with a kidney stone, so I'll give it an extra star for that.

I was so super excited for this one I bumped it up my TBR! A really intense thriller full of so many twists! I didn't expect the ending at all. Great thriller! one to watch out for in 2024!

An exciting and thrilling read from start to finish with plenty of twists and turns.

I found myself gripped by the mystery loved the different POVs and Anna’s diary for the story telling.

Knocked one star off as did guess the final twist but overall a great thriller with plenty of surprises.

Being a fan of psychology and the workings of the brain I really enjoyed most of this book. It was clear a lot of research had been done and could be considered as faction as some of the writing was fiction based upon fact.
This was a slow-burn but did not detract from the reading. As it is a psychological thriller it gave an opportunity for the reader to think about the storyline.
I think this is a book you will generally enjoy, or not, depending on your reading style. I really enjoyed it up until the final last big twist but then it got quite confusing and the writing seemed to be a bit rushed and did not glow correctly.
This is one of those books where you will be wanting to search the internet to find out more about some of the things discussed.
A good debut and I will be looking out for more publications from this author.
The book is published on 1t February 2024 in hardback, audio book and e-book formats.
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK, NetGalley and Matthew Blake for providing me with an electronic advanced copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review

I was instantly gripped by the synopsis of this book and once I started reading it, could not put it down. It’s dark, mysterious and deadly and had me completely hooked. It’s one of those novels that you will keep thinking about for days to come afterwards. Did she do it, how did she do it. Brilliantly written, in an highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and the author for the chance to review.

Really impressive debut. A complicated and twisty story.
Anna O has been asleep for 4 years after committing 2 murders and sending a text admitting her guilt. Why did she do it?
Psychologist Ben Prince specialises in sleep disorders and when Anna O is transferred to The Abbey it’s his job to wake her up ready for her trial.
Told through several different POV’s including a notebook of Anna’s written leading up to the night of the murders we try and unravel, along with Dr Prince the real story of that night.

This book didn't go where I expected it to. That's not a bad thing, not at all. But if you are looking for a book that has echoes of The Silent Patient, and really has you questioning your understanding of what is going on and where the real guilt lies, then this will definitely be a book for you. With Anna O, Matthew Blake has served up a psychological thriller which is pulsing with suspense, steeped in atmosphere and rich in misdirection. It's a lesson in psychology, perhaps a touch of mythology, and a slow burning whodunnit. I can see why there is, and will be, a lot of talk about this book next year.

This is the story of the eponymous Anna Ogilvy, Anna O, or Sleeping Beauty, depending on your point of view, a young woman who has been lost in a deep sleep since an incident several years earlier when her to best friends and business partners were killed. Anna has been tried in the court of public opinion for the past four years, but now it is time for the real courts to decide. To convict, they need her toe be awake, a task they entrust to Dr Benedict Prince. He is a psychologist, specialising in sleep disorder, and with an untested theory on waking patients from prolonged sleep, or 'Resignation Syndrome'. Anna O is to be his guinea pig.

Matthew Blake has taken an interesting approach with the narration of this book. Most is told from Prince's point of view, but there are alternative chapters told from the perspective of an unidentified third party - at least we do not know their true identity or their role in all that occurred. There are also excerpts from Anna's diaries from around the time of the murders. All adds to the mystery and makes the reader question themselves and the truth of what happened. The diaries do little to aid Anna's case, or to make her appear sympathetic in the eyes of the reader, but Prince's absolute certainty that Anna is innocent, despite evidence to the contrary, including episodes of sleepwalking and parasomnia as a child, is infectious. There are so many moments when I found myself uncertain about what was truth and what was well orchestrated lies, that it really helped propel me to the end of the book.

The book is very atmospheric and deliberate in style. It's not a fast paced read, nor does it need to be, but there is a constant feeling of unease trickling throughout the narrative, and being faced with unreliable narrators, which they all are at certain times, keeps the suspense levels high. The psychological aspects of the book captured my attention too, the author making me want to learn more about sleep psychology (possible link to the fact I suck at sleeping on a good day). I honestly couldn't decide how I felt about any of the characters - still can't - but I felt some kind of affinity for Prince by the end of the book. It's the kind of story that will divide readers into a like or dislike camp for all of the characters, a bit like the Anna O/Sleeping Beauty divide.

The ending of the book ties everything up nicely, if not exactly neatly. Did it comes as a surprise? Yes, to a degree, although I had my suspicions about some of the characters. Was justice served? Well ... you'll have to read and decide for yourself. It's a very clever game the author has played so perhaps prepare to be blindsided. Not in all aspects of the case, but certainly in some. Thriller fans will love the switchbacks in determining guilt or innocence, and it's a book that will definitely get people talking.

WOW!!!!!! WHAT A READ!! I was not disappointed. Truly gripping, didn't want to put it down.
Anna is found with her best friends and business partners. She is holding the knife, they have been murdered. Anna has fallen into a deep sleep and has remained so for 4 years. There's a mysterious suspect 8 and patient X all involved somehow.
What happened that night? Did Anna kill her friends? She has been moved to the Abbey, sleep clinic where it is hoped Dr Prince will be able to wake her using a new technique.
More murder follows. Who is in danger? Who is the killer? Anna is still asleep.
What an ending!! Brilliant twist.
I absolutely recommend this book.