"The average human spends thirty three years of their life asleep"

"The mind is its own place and can make a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven"

Dr Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist specialised in sleep related crime, works as a partner at The Abbey Sleep Clinic.
One night he is summoned by Professor Bloom to come to the clinic, to meet Donnelly from the Ministry of Justice, re Anna O case back in 2019. Ben is given task to make Anna O awake before she kills again using the method he wrote through his journal article.

On Aug 2019, Anna O was found sleeping with twenty centimetres kitchen knife on her hand, in a cabin at farmhouse retreat. Her two bestfriends were found dead with ten stabbing wounds each. There's a whatsapp message from Anna O to the family "Sorry, I think I've killed them"

Anna O is both a killer and a medical mystery who has been sleeping for 4 years.
So, did Anna actually kill them while she's sleeping? Or, did she just try to avoid the murder charge like a group of people believe that's what she did?

It's written in straight forward narrative, and eventhough it's not a fast paced story, I totally enjoyed words by words of this author's writing style. I love the concept of putting Anna's diary entries in the book.

The huge twist towards the end definitely worth the read. And, I ended up googling a lot about " "resignation syndrome", the science about sleepwalking, conscious and unconscious.

A twisty turny thriller with an interesting premise.

I loved the idea of having a suspected murderer who has been asleep ever since the murder took place. The story is told from several points of view as forensic psychologist, Ben tries to uncover what happened on the fateful night four years previously. It includes some interesting facts about real-life murders along the way and the link to Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” was a nice touch.

I had several ideas about who the killer could be, but I didn’t guess correctly until near the end, which is exactly how I like my thrillers.

I knocked off one star because I appreciate fast-moving stories and, while it held my attention at the beginning and the end, there were some slower passages in the middle. But overall, it’s a great book for anyone who enjoys thrillers that make you think.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Well I wish I'd started this book sooner! I loved it right from the start. Anna killed 2 people in a sleep walking state and has been asleep.fir 4 years since the murders. Ben, a sleep.doctor and psychologist tasked with waking Anna up so she can stand trial.
The book goes back to the origins of the crime and looks at Anna"s family relatio ships. There are so many twists, turns and dysfunctional relationhips its hard to keep up! I've got to admit to finding the ending a bit confusing but overall the book was totally enthralling! Read it!!

The concept and idea of the storyline is so unique, and I loved the various scientific and psychological views, intertwined with fiction. It was a little slow paced towards the middle of the book which meant it took me a little longer to read this one as I wasn’t hooked in that middle section, but the ending picked up with some wonderful twists and turns as the story concluded.

The story is told in multiple POV which kept it interesting and it was very much character driven which I love. It was sometimes complex with the psychology references, but this was necessary to support the plot.

Overall, I found this an interesting, well-written read. It is a well thought out and carefully planned thriller, but do not expect a fast pace with lots of suspense. On reflection I think this slow pace was perfect for the story of Anna O, and I really enjoyed the twists at the end.

It seems a copout to just say this book is a good book. If you're reading a review from someone who is obsessed with words and books and is trying to master her own writing, and who is trusted by publishers and authors with early copies of their work, you want more than "it's a good book". But, whilst I will go into further detail, for now, I'll leave you with this.

This is a very good book.

Ok. Got that? Now time for the why.

I have seen how excited this book has made people and I was so thrilled to be reading an early copy of it. It's so very enticing. If I'd started it earlier in the day I might have read it all in one sitting, it's that addictive.

So much of the brilliance of this book comes from the unknown. Going in blind. And therefore I've tried my best to review it carefully, not giving too much away.

Yes, obviously, there is a plot. A very good plot in fact, but for me, this is a character study through and through. Of Anna, or the sleep expert Ben, of the mysterious Lola, of everyone mixed up with this case past and present, and it is so good. Everyone is exactly as they should be. We know a lot about some, and too little about others, playing perfectly into Matthew Blake's hands.

Whilst we do hear from other characters, our main two POVs are Ben and Lola. Ben is our main protagonist, the sleep expert working on the Anna O case, learning everything he can in order to wake Anna up. And Lola...well, I can't say too much about Lola, that's best read for yourself, but the two of them are great contrasts.

It's not just written in a straight forward linear narrative. We have the present POV, we have diary entries, medical notes, blog posts, online comments - all fitting perfectly to unravel this complicated story.

You end up questioning everything and everyone almost from the off, trying to work out what happened and what can happen at the same speed as the characters, which was fun. It has so much depth and so many layers, full of quirks, how can Matthew Blake have kept up with all he was creating? I'm in awe. I was second guessing myself constantly and still ended up in the dark.

Whilst it is a piece of fiction, there is a lot of factual information in it that I found really interesting. The science about sleepwalking and conscious vs unconscious and whatnot that I wanted to start researching myself, which I found fascinating.

It's a whodunnit with a difference. It's twisty and turny, full of red herrings and complications. I struggled to figure it out like any good murder mystery. But by having a suspect whose been asleep ever since the crime, it turns the genre on its head and it's such a refreshing read.

Did I believe Anna was actually guilty? From the off, no I didn't. I can't say exactly why. I'm obviously not going to say whether she is or not or give away any of the plot, but my gut instinct from the off was that she was not the person to blame. That she was a third party who someone else used in their vulnerable state to, literally, get away with murder. Which meant that I was rooting for her throughout the story desperate to be proved right.

I won't mention the actual sentence of course, but whilst reading this there was a bit that mentioned the Neurological condition that I suffer from, and whilst that won't mean anything to anyone else, it was quite a morbid novelty to see it there because it seems that no-one has ever heard of it before.

It's a quiet thriller. It's not 100% all systems go go go in your face kind of thriller. It's not a full-blown scary one, someone breathing down your neck, rushing you, kind of thriller. It's a slow thriller. Building up enough tension to put you under stress. It eats its way into you and before you know it, you're looking over your shoulder, frowning, desperate to get through to the end. It's very difficult I think to write a quiet thriller, which makes it even more impressive to me.

I do advise that you don't read it on a late evening when it's pitch black outside, whilst you're on your own in a silent house, when there's wind and rain pouring outside making everything sound ominous and scary. That's where it goes from a character study to a thriller.

I have seen the odd critical review for this book. I completely understand that not all books are enjoyed by everyone, and every one person cannot love all the books they read, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I can't believe how this can be anything but a 5 star read (and I don't usually give star ratings), and a must-read for 2024 and beyond.

Oh I loved Anna O!! I regret having it on my NetGalley shelf to be read for so long. I could not get enough of this story. When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about just how it was going to unfold. I loved that all of my theories were wrong and the ending was jaw dropping. This book has been much hyped and is still not out until February. In my opinion, it is worth the attention. Do whatever you have to do to get your hands on this book.

Anna O is famous around the world. 4 years ago she killed 2 people in her sleep. And she hasn’t opened her eyes since. She is now being transferred to a sleep clinic for high profile people and it is Ben’s job to wake her up.

So many questions!! murdering in your sleep, how is that even possible? Why did Anna do it.. did she do it? why is she still asleep? I loved reading the chapters from Anna’s diary, getting to know her better and learning what happened in the lead up to that infamous incident.

Just fantastic!! Thanks so much to Harper Collins UK for sending me this advanced copy. Publishes on February 1st.

What an interesting book. Ben works at a posh London sleep clinic as one of their head psychologists. He is fascinated by sleep and one case in particular, that of Anna O. She had been sleep for years, since she murdered two friends . The powers that be want to put Anna on trial and therefore transfer Anna to the clinic for been to try his theory of how to awaken someone. What follows is fascinating. Both scientifically and in terms of this fast paced story. Had you gripped until the last twist/page!

Anna has been asleep for years, since murdering her two best friends Anna has slept since, the ministry of justice need to take Anna to trial and send her to the Abbey to see if Dr Ben Prince can wake her using a new technique he has been researching.
A good book that kept me guessing until nearly the end.

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Thank you Tandem and Harper Collins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and for having me along on this 6 month campaign.

Anna O commits the murder of her friends while sleepwalking. It has been 4 years since the murders and she still hasn’t woken up.

The unique story line was a breath of fresh air! Despite it being a slow burn book, it was a tricky one to put down, particularly during the first half of the book!

On day 2 of the read along, about 20% of the way into the story I called the major twist 🤣 I need to stop doing this!

This is going to be everywhere come February, keep your eyes peeled!

4 Stars from me

This is a dark and enticing thriller, about Anna Ogilvy, a young writer, who commits a brutal double murder while sleepwalking - this is bewitching enough but to add to the mystery, she hasn't opened her eyes since.

Some believe her to be guilty, some believe her to be innocent, either way, Anna O, Sleeping Beauty, has captured the attention of the world and everyone wants to hear her story.

Despite all efforts to rouse her, Anna O has seemingly remained asleep for years and in the book we see her brought under the care of esteemed forensic psychologist Dr Benedict Prince who firmly believes that he is the prince charming who can awaken the sleeping beauty.

I wasn't at all sure what to expect from this story, I had some early ideas but there are many mysteries to unfold - least of all the big question of whether Anna O will wake up...

I was really looking forward to this book after reading the description however it didn’t meet my expectations which is a shame. I found it too slow for and a little heavy in parts.

Not all books are for everyone, kudos to the author as this was clearly very well researched.

We spend a third of our lives sleeping but what if a person couldn’t wake up? The premise of this novel is just that- with Anna who allegedly murdered two of her friends in her sleep (she was found asleep with a knife in her hand). She is in an unconscious state and has been for 4 years, and Ben is brought in, as an expert in sleep psychology to see if he can awaken her. However, the twist is that if he succeeds in waking her, she will be charged with murder and the detective in charge of the case is Ben’s ex-wife, Lola. The story is interspersed with Anna’s diary notes that gives us clues about Anna’s state of mind before the deaths of her two friends. Although a very clever idea with clearly a lot of background research undertaken, the building momentum is slow and the final plot twist a bit contrived. An intriguing story that doesn’t quite maintain the suspense.

I loved the original premise for this novel and was excited to start the Tandem Readalong for this highly anticipated read.
Anna O has been asleep for 4 years, since the night she was found holiding a knife next to her two murdered best friends. Did she do it and was she sleep walking at the time or was she in fact, innocent?
Can you be guilty if you commit a crime in your sleep?

Dr Benedict Prince, sleep psychologist is in charge of trying to wake Anna O up with the result that she will them stand trial.
I found this an engrossing read. I really liked all the links to psychology throughout it and found the theory of Regression Syndrome as well as the links to other crime stories fascinating.
I enjoyed reading from Anna's perspective through her diary leading up to the night in question. There were lots of twists that I didn't see coming although I did find one a bit confusing and the very last part a bit rushed after such a long build up.
Overall though this was a clever and original story that was obviously meticulously researched. It kept me turning the pages and I would definitely recommend it. I could also see this making a great movie!

I was excited by the idea of this book - a young woman in a state of perpetual sleep after committing two murders and a doctor who has secrets of his own who has to unravel the case and wake her. The first part of the novel did have me engaged but then I am afraid that I started to find it hard going so much so that I became less interested and I’m afraid that I did have to skim read to then end to finish the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this. It wasn’t for me but I am interested to see what the author writes next as there was a lot to like in the first half.

Hmm a difficult one, this. I loved the premise of the book and found it enjoyable to begin with, but I felt it was a bit slow and overlong. By the end, I was a bit confused and whilst it was a big twist at the end, I felt slightly underwhelmed. Three and a half stars.

I was intrigued when I’ve read the blurb as I received a promise of something really unique - and the author definitely delivered!

Anna O. is a psychological mystery, a murder that cannot be proven, and a potential murdered who cannot be convicted of their crimes as they’re asleep.

I’ve never heard about the resignation syndrome and it’s incredible what our brains can do to protect ourselves in heartbreaking circumstances.

Trying to save Anna and wake her up will cost Ben, the sleep psychologist, dearly. The amount of plot twists is huge! I had my suspicion early on about who is the perpetrator, but it kept changing when new twists were thrown at me!

A really well written and well plotted story.!

I did enjoy this but I had higher expectations. At times it was a little slow and felt slightly heavy, it wasn't quite enough to keep me really hooked as I thought it might but nonetheless a great thriller with a unique hook. A great twist at the end too!

Oh dear I really had high hopes for this book I was intrigued by the premise, it certainly sounded like a book I would enjoy but i found parts of this book very slow paced. I appreciate the author uses this time to build on the suspense. I like characters to have very distinct voices but unfortunately they all had very similar voices which I found off putting. I can understand why there are so many five star reviews so perhaps it’s me not the book. My impression from reading others reviews is that this is a marmite book

The premise of this book sounded great. A proper psychological mystery, was Anna awake or asleep when she killed her friends. I was fully on team awake for a long time into this book but I did have doubts and things went back and forth constantly.
I did really enjoy this and the ending was a surprise. However there was quite a lot of sleep psychology related terms which felt a bit heavy in places and I just wanted to know the answer!

Gripping and unputdownable psychological thriller…
I was so intrigued with this book and definitely was not disappointed.
I was hooked after the first couple of chapters and did not want to stop reading.
There is so much great information and so many moments where the facts are so accurate and reference true crime that I would have to remember myself I was reading fiction.
Matthew Blake did a wonderful job and I could simply not put the book down until I finished this amazing thriller!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this ARC