I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book. On the whole I really enjoyed this book, although it did feel like the ending was quite a drawn out affair. Great twist at the end. I really liked the characters in the book and felt their stories were told well.

WOW!! 😲
There are a lot of great books out there but there's not a lot of really original stories and Anna O is definitely one of the latter.
Can people be held responsible if they commit acts of crime while sleepwalking?
At least 68 cases of sleepwalking murder have been used as a defense, leaving a jury the task of deciding whether a murder committed while asleep means criminal responsibility for the unfortunate sleepwalker.

There are a lot of references to Greek Mythology in the book in particular Medea; references to 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote and also references to Freud. (interesting fact Freud was fascinated by a case of hysteria that was treated by the physician Josef Breuer. It was the case of Bertha Pappenheim or better known as Anna O)

August 30th, 1999
August 30th, 2019

The first is the date that Sally Turner aka the Stockwell Monster was found dead in her cell. It was ruled as suicide.
Sally was accused of murdering her two stepchildren with a kitchen knife but she claimed to have no memory of the attack and used the legal defence of insane automatism or sleepwalking. She was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced indefinitely to a hospital in Berkshire.

The second date is the day that Anna Ogilvie, patient RSH493 also called Anna O, was found covered in blood and the bodies of her two friends, each with 10 stab wounds, close by.
Surely this cannot be a coincidence. Are these cases related?

To complicate things further, when they found Anna she was asleep. Four years later she is still in a state of sleep and has been diagnosed with resignation syndrome. (Resignation syndrome also called traumatic withdrawal syndrome is a catatonic condition that induces a state of reduced consciousness; a functional neurological disorder)
Dr Benedict (Ben) Prince is an expert in sleep and someone who studies people who commit crimes when they sleep. He is tasked with trying to wake her up.
Will he succeed and what will the consequences be if he does?

It is a story about deceit and the ultimate betrayal.
It is the story of Anna O, Sally Turner, Ben Prince, and Patient X.
It's about Sleeping Beauty and her Prince...

I can see why this has been dubbed as one of the most anticipated debuts of 2024.
It is an intelligently written book with a fascinating plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first to the last page.

With the author's background as a screenwriter, the story comes alive on the pages and it will make a brilliant movie.
This one is definitely unputdownable!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I really enjoyed this story of a sleep disorder specialist who wants to crack the crime of the century. It is a very suspenseful story yet at the same time is a real slow burner. The story is told through the eyes of Benedict as well as flash backs to Anna’s life and varying diaries and newspaper articles. This gives the story an interesting dynamic as you almost feel that you are discovering the truth alongside Benedict.

The characters are a mixed bunch of people, all of whom have secrets they are hiding. The more we delve into the mystery the more blurred the lines become between good and bad as motivations are revealed and backstory appears.

As is the case with all good stories there are plenty of twists and turns along the way. Anna’s homelife is revealed through her diaries and we gain an understanding of the Sleeping Beauty. Whilst there were some bits that felt a little repetitive and padded out, overall this was a really intriguing read that I can imagine being a huge success when it comes out next year.

A traditional tale for the 21st century. When Dr Prince is asked to try and wake up the suspected murderer, Anna O, nicknamed Sleeping Beauty he knows this could make or break him as a professional. As she begins to awaken, Benedict is consumed by curiosity - did she kill her friends or is there a more sinister explanation? As he investigates, secrets abound and the story teases and tantalises the reader, reaching an unexpected climax.

Can you commit a crime in your sleep?
With homicidal sleepwalking, insane automatism, non-REM parasomnia or homicidal somnambulism, a person may unconsciously commit murder while sound asleep.  
Anna O., the perpetrator of a double murder “escapes” persecution by falling into a near catatonic state, upheld for four years. The powers that be want her concious to bring her before court for trial. She is transferred from a secure mental hospital to a Harley Street sleep clinic. Enter the dishy Dr Prince (yees, slightly tired allusion to Sleeping Beauty) to “wake” Anna Ogilvy.
Where the plot initially had some momentum, it slowed to amoebic pace a quarter in. The various references and quotes of type “look-how-well-read-I-am” and (why?) Harry Potter references contributed nothing to the story and soon became annoying.
Those lengthy ruminations by Dr Ben Prince became tiresome and in the end I did not really care who had done what to whom.
Squeaked in at three stars since the subject is interesting. Plot needs severe nipping and tucking.

📚 Anna O by Matthew Blake 📚

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What if your nightmares weren’t really nightmares at all? What if you could kill someone in your sleep and not remember anything? That’s the premise of this gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Anna Ogilvy is a young writer who allegedly stabbed her two best friends to death while sleepwalking four years ago. Since then, she has been in a coma-like state, dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the media. Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist who specializes in sleep-related homicides. He gets the chance to treat Anna and find out the truth behind her crimes. But as he delves deeper into her mind, he realizes that there is more to Anna than meets the eye. And he might be in danger from what he discovers.

This book was a roller coaster of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. The author did a great job of creating suspense and tension, as well as exploring the fascinating topic of sleep and its effects on the brain. The characters were well-developed and complex, especially Anna, who was a mystery within a mystery. I also liked the dual perspective of Anna and Benedict, which gave me insight into both of their thoughts and motivations.

If you’re looking for a book that will keep you up at night, look no further than Anna O by Matthew Blake. It’s a dark, twisty, and shocking read that will make you question what you know about yourself and others. Just don’t read it before bed 😉

Yes! A book I really got stuck into and didn’t want to finish… this is one I’ll be re-reading, recommending & purchasing :)
I was hooked from reading the blurb on this and I’m so so grateful to Netgalley for allowing me a copy ⭐️
Highly recommend to all!!

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this as an ARC.
A woman is accused of a double murder but has fallen into a coma like state. A sleep expert and psychologist is tasked with bringing her out of her slumber in order to face trial.
I mostly enjoyed this book. The story and concept is unique and definitely catches your eye. Matthew Blake can definitely write and it's fair to say he clearly did thorough research for this novel. For me personally, there was far too much descriptive writing, much of which could have been left out and not changed the story. I feel the book could be condensed. I got to the stage I felt it was dragging on needlessly without making a point. Even the twist at the end, albeit clever and I didn't guess it, really didn't come out as well as it should have because it took so long to explain it and it really didn't need to. The end result being I didn't feel as though I had it clear in my head because it felt so convoluted. I would still recommend this as an interesting read though.

This is a solid literary thriller about a really interesting topic. I enjoyed the different timelines and povs, though I must admit I strongly favoured Anna's chapters! She is such a good character and the author did an amazing job with her. I know this book will be compared to The Silent Patient a lot, but it's completely different in style and story.

Sleep is often a rarely examined aspect of every day life but on completing this read it definitely gave me food for thought! The concept of actions whilst sleeping is represented in other literature and film but I felt this book still offered a good exploration of the topic that gave different insight and areas for exploring. The book kept me wanting more by using short chapters that left details open.

A gripping, original thriller - truly didn't want to put this book down and delay getting to the truth of this epic tale. Twists and turns at every chapter have you guessing to the very end. A unique concept and the psychological theory behind sleepwalking and culpability expertly weaved throughout kept me glued to the story - and afraid to put it down to sleep at night! I loved this book and will be recommending to everybody, a fascinating story incredibly well written.

I picked this up as it sounded really up my street. A sleeping beauty, accused of murder, but no-one knows the true story as she hasn't woken up since.

And the first few pages had me hooked. But as I carried on reading it seemed to be unfocused and a little meandering. I felt there was a lot of padding for Ben and that not a lot was happening. I DNF at 20% as I felt that it was too slow for my tastes, and by then Ben was getting to me so I needed to put it down.

I'm sure it is other peoples cup of tea, just not mine.

I wanted to love this book so much but I struggled with it instead! It was so slow moving that it bored me which is always a massive no-no when reading! I found it really hard to want to pick up and read. I didn’t take to the ‘sleep expert’ either. This just wasn’t for me sadly.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this Crime Thriller by Matthew Blake. Was she awake or asleep when the murders of her best friends were committed. After being asleep for 4 years, sleep expert Dr Benedict Prince take on the job of waking her up. I found this quite an intriguing storyline and enjoyed the twists.

I wish I had some nicer things to say about Anna O as the premise of the book intrigued me.

Unfortunately, it's about 300 pages too long and easily could have fit into a novella.

There are continuity errors throughout, the writing style seems to jump all over the place and the errors towards the end (as well as the abrupt ending) make it seem as if the book just made it in under the deadline.

A good plot idea but just didn't work. Had I not read so much hype, my expectations would have been lower. The main character Ben Prince wasn't particularly likable. There was several main characters that were identified and four unknown ones, which had to be pseudonyms for known ones. There were lots of red herrings and information about sleep disorders, but it was easy to identify the elusive patient X early on. I nearly gave up half way through but carried on to the end. Unfortunately it was a book I read quickly so I could move on to another one. I would have given three and a half stars but generously rounded up to 4. I think it will be a marmite book.

Anna has been asleep for four years, not since that night. Known as Anna O to take who think she's innocent, and Sleeping Beauty to those who think shes not. Enter Dr. Prince and his revolutionary new untested technique to awaken her.

Ok, so the first half of this book was brilliant, really intriguing & totally had me in it's thrall. But as it moved on it got a bit too convoluted. Too many complicated things had to happen perfectly in the past for the book to come to the conclusion that it did.

I figured out who PatientX was fairly early on also so it kinda took away the surprise element at the end.

So a strong start that ended up being a lacklustre affair by the end.

Published 1 February 2024. I was excited by this novel which the pre-release hype is called the next global pheromone. A young woman, Anna, allegedly murdered her two best friends while sleepwalking and has been asleep for the past four years. A case that has attracted public attention and giving her the name of Sleeping Beauty. Dr Ben Prince is a forensic psychologist and he is also an expert in crimes that are sleep related. His book about Anna has attracted attention and the Ministry of Justice has decided that it is time for Anna to wake up and stand trial for murder, and Dr Prince is just the person to wake her. A super idea and the novel is full of twists and betrayals. For the first half I kept coming up with different suspects as events were slowly revealed through Anna's journal entries of the time leading up to the fateful night. Several times I was blindsided by a connection that I hadn't expected. The book is also full of references to Greek tragedy and Shakespeare - which I got - I could see a link. However, the many references to Harry Potter, I didn't understand and wondered why they were included. As I said, I enjoyed the first half of the book, but for me, the second half could have been condensed. I felt as if I was being toyed with and teased as the ending was dragged out. And sadly, by the end, I had sort of guessed where I was being led and so there was no bombshell moment. Having said all of that, I did mostly enjoy it and have no doubts that it will be a hit next year. As a movie - I think it would work very well.

This is just fantastic! Dark and full of suspense it has twists and turns that pull you in . I really enjoyed it .

I thought I was going to love this book as I enjoy twisty psychological thrillers and am fascinated by sleepwalking. Unfortunately I didn’t find this book to be at all compelling. The narrative felt laboured and ponderous and the characters all seemed to talk with the same voice, which made it monotonous for the reader. There was a really good idea behind it but it just didn’t come together for me.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.