Anna O took my breath away. I whipped through it in a day, not wanting to stop for a moment. Cleverly written with an addictive atmosphere and plenty of tense moments. I shall be seeking a finished copy when it’s out next year.

Anna O is the center of a media frenzy. Everyone knows her by name and everyone has an opinion on her. Because Anna O commited murder. There are those who believe she is innocent and those who believe she is guilty but no one can know for sure since her eyes have been permanently closed since the crime happened.

Dr Benedict Prince has been doing research on resignation syndrome. The belief that if there is no hope someone will fall into a deep sleep. He thinks his research could be the one to awaken Anna and give everyone the answers they have been wanting!

Anna O is a captivating thriller. With themes of psychology, the unconscious mind and scientific advancement it is quite dark and twisty.

This book had a dual timeline which helped piece the story together. You hear from multiple characters within the book and from excerpts from Anna's diary. The narrator's all have their own beliefs and issues which adds depth.

I would say up until the half way point the book was a bit slow but I appreciate that the story needed to be set up so the second half could fly.

The premise was intriguing to me, so much so, I actually googled to say about resignation syndrome and sleep comas. I am a prolific sleepwalker myself and so the element of people committing crimes when sleepwalking was terrifying to me. Might have to start locking my bedroom door 😂😂.

The book did make me want to read on but I did feel like there was some repetition that could have been cut out.

I have read alot of views who said they totally saw everything coming but I have to admit I did not. 😂😂. I loved all the twists in this book.

Overall the repetition of Dr Benedict Princes internal thoughts were a bug bear. And I felt like the book did not need to be so long! But I am glad I read the book. I enjoyed the concept of sleep psychology and I really enjoyed the twists.

Would be 3 and a half stars. But unable to give halves on here.

I had heard a lot of hype about this book so was appreciative of the fact I could read an advanced copy. It was a compelling read, a definite page turner, if a little overblown and contrived in places. I’m sure it’ll be a big hit.

Compelling read. I really enjoyed the writing style and it was an interesting plot. I got sucked in straight away and couldn’t put it down.
The layers and the twists make it fun to try and work out the who and the why. The different perspectives, including the diary entries, gave a nice depth to the storytelling. It’s a fascinating concept, especially for me as I suffer night terrors occasionally, and sleep walk even as an adult. Although not to any extreme, so don’t worry I’m not building my defence.
I think this is going to be a big hit, especially with the hype that’s already building

NetGalley Only - My only concern was the lack of viable suspects. It was too easy to work out, but still enjoyable.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I was really intrigued by the vague description of this book, as well as its claim to be a 'global sensation'.

However, this book was a difficult read. I found myself willing myself to read this to the end, I nearly gave up several times. I feel the book was written as more of a script for a series or film, rather than a novel.

I assume that the author has studied or has experience in psychology, because a vast amount of this book was about Greek myths and psychology cases from history which I have no interest in reading for reference.

Other than the main character of Anna, the characters weren't very well-rounded. There was very little history given about Dr Prince and his wife, which would have added to the story as it went along.

**Spoilers**

The ending of this book came out of the blue and made absolutely no sense. As mentioned above, if Dr Prince's history had been described in more detail, it may have made a little more sense. I feel that the twist was there but there was no build-up or clues for the reader to follow. I understand maybe the author wanted a shock at the end but it just didn't gel with the rest of the book.

Also, the ongoing saga of Elementary magazine's purchase/takeover also didn't really make much sense either. It was as if the friends' betrayal was described in a lot of detail, but then the RO involvement was just stuck on at the end without any history of this behaviour previously explained. Then the affair made even less sense because that wasn't built-up-to either.


I hate to leave bad reviews as I understand so much work must have gone into writing this. I just couldn't recommend it as I didn't feel it was a good read.

Anna O by Matthew Blake is my favourite book this year so far, and it is an absolute belter! Part medical mystery, part psychological cat & mouse thriller, it ends as an incredibly stylish who done it, why did they do it, was it really them, wow, who'd have thought it, page-turner.

Anna O, dubbed by the press as the sleeping beauty, killed her two friends and business partners whilst sleep-walking and hasn't woken since. Four years on and the Ministry of Justice is keen to get the conviction of the murderer and Dr Benedict Prince, forensic pathologist and expert in the field of sleep-related homicides is tasked with waking Anna from her rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome". His plan is a simple one; sensory awakening by giving her the one thing she's missing in her present state; hope! Which is disingenuous at best, seeing that her future is likely to be life in prison.

Prince is a fan of old Hitchcock films and before long he's embroiled on his own machiavellian nightmare reminiscent of Vertigo, or North by Northwest! Brilliantly plotted, superbly twisty, a little bit dark and fabulously engaging so you just have to keep reading. You can lie in tomorrow, right!? 😉

I'm telling everyone I know that they should read this book, before it's undoubtedly made in to Hollywood Blockbuster, which will do it's best to match the quality of the original, but will inevitably fail.

So just read it.

Soon.

You'll be hearing an awful lot about this one in the very near future. Guarenteed.

An 'Oh! so easy' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!

Theres a lot of noise about this book already. Due to be released in February 2024, its set to be one of Harper Collins most anticipated reads for next year. I was expecting to be gripped straight away but this was a slow burn for me. It held my interest from the start but I felt the story took a while to build which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just put me off a little. I liked the multiple pov and the short chapters made it easy to fly through. There was ALOT of Harry Potter references, too much if I'm honest. I started to find them quite cringey. I also thought it was repetitive in parts and a little longwinded. The plot was an interesting premise and new to me but without spoiling, there was a couple parts I thought were abit too far stretched. However, there was some great twists that did keep me turning the pages, I had to see how it ended! That all said, I enjoyed it and I would recommend. I'm looking forward to seeing where this book goes after release. I don't doubt it will be a success. I think it could be a good one for a book club as it would provide lots of discussion!

Huge thanks to netgalley and Harper Collins for the arc in exchange for an honest review ✨️

3.5 🌟

I was a little surprised to discover that this book is expected to be a big hit when it's released, with a lot of hype being built up. It's decent enough as far as it goes, but it didn't strike me as anything much beyond the norm for this kind of book and I don't mean that as an insult - I enjoy a good thriller and this one was fine, but nothing particularly special. It seems that there is already a film of it being discussed and I can imagine it translating well to that format.

I found the characters quite hard to like or really get to grips with. I realise unlikeable characters are somewhat in fashion just now and I think perhaps the author was trying so hard to make everyone suspicious that they just came across as very distant but it made it quite hard to get truly involved in the story. The plot was also fine but nothing groundbreaking - I will avoid too much detail to avoid spoilers but it felt a little gimmicky to me.

I didn't dislike this book but I also didn't race through it, I kept putting it down and coming back to it and that doesn't really say a lot for a thriller to me. It's enjoyable enough though and would make a decent holiday read, and I did have fun coming up with who I'd cast! I believe it's the author's debut so fair play to him for the reaction he's getting and I would certainly read him again.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy in return for an honest review,
#AnnaO #NetGalley

I found this book slow/hard going and it dragged a lot for me. I did enjoy some of the twists even though I did manage to guess the ending however I didn’t really like the any of characters very much. It was generally an ok/mediocre read.

A fascinating thriller/whodunnit, based around the power of the mind, and how it can be manipulated, which then makes you question a lot of the narrative. It keeps you guessing right till the end. Lots of twists and turns. Quite a long read for me, and I had to concentrate at times. But a good debut novel.

Sadly, I found this book hard going. I struggled to get into it and didn't find the characters to be at all interesting. Not my cup of tea.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Thanks netgalley for my early review Copy.

Wow just wow. What a book? The twist just keep coming.

DON'T READ THE REVIEWS it will spoil it for you.
Let the title on its own grab you like it did me and be allowed to be drawn in to a thriller of murder/psychology and a question of, did she or didn't she?
Brilliant debut novel!
As previously said, this would be great for Netflix!
Thanks to Netgalley, Matthew Blake and HarperCollinsUk for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Wow Anna O - a story of many parts! This novel kept me guessing from start to finish, I thought I knew where this was heading and it got flipped completely!
Well worth a read!

Dr Ben Prince is a sleep expert. Practicing at The Abbey Sleep Clinic on Harley Street, he has already made a name for himself, working on cases for most major crime agencies. When the Ministry of Justice come knocking, Ben believes that the notorious case of Anna O will take his career to the next level. Already familiar with the original case, Ben’s job now is to try and get Anna to come out of the resignation syndrome state that she has been in for four years, ever since the murder of her two colleagues. When investigations start, Ben feeds back to his friend and Managing Partner, Professor Virginia Bloom, and what he tells her triggers memories of events from her spell working as consultant clinical psychologist in Broadmoor. Bloom realises there is more to this case than first appears.

Phew! This was a toughie. Loved the start but then it became a real chore. Enough psycho babble and ramblings to ensure a good nights sleep! Too clever by half, this was a book trying to impress, rather than entertain, with too many flowery phrases, for e.g “Tenderly get the bathroom mirror to shine”. Ben’s narrative had a very 30’s vibe, although the subject matter dealt with was up to date. However, I learnt the meaning of quite a few new words, so every day’s a school day!

A great idea for story but this version too convoluted and rambling. I want to ask many questions, why did Ben pick up the knife? for one, and though I did finish the book I confess it’s not one for me, but I’m sure others will love it.

I must ask how can a book be marketed as a global phenomenon, when it’s not out until February 2024, over five months away from my reading it?

2.5* rounded down, sorry :(

Thank you NetGalley.

Such a convoluted story that grips you and makes you want to find out the resolution. Beneath all the psychology there is a really sad story.

Already Matthew’s book is being touted as one of 2024's must-reads. Publishing in over 30 territories, I predict a bestseller around the globe. Anna Ogilvy hasn’t opened her eyes in four years, since a worrisome night where she was found, knife in hand, clothes covered in blood, the blood of her two best friends, whose bodies are lying close beside her. Dubbed Sleeping Beauty by her fans – and she’s a lot of fans – she cannot be tried for the crime (and yes, it’s pretty grim) until she wakes up. Wanting to move things along, Anna is moved into a special location where there’s one person who may be able to help. But while no one can take their eyes off the story, it’s clear that we all need to keep our eyes on the truth. Terrifying and gripping equally.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Fiction for the ARC of this book.
Sorry to say I was as disappointed with the story as I was with the bland cover of the book and the title.
None of the characters were interesting enough to make me want to find out anymore about them than I already knew. I felt the storyline dragged and I lost my concentration enough to not want to finish the book, but I did.
Not one at all for me, sorry.

I have seen this book doing the rounds all over twitter with very little premise so I just had to know what the fuss was about for myself. Oh boy, Anna O did not disappoint, I started this book almost as soon as I was approved and I just couldn’t stop reading. Matthew Blake really knows how to create suspense and have us on the edge of our seats, slowly feeding us breadcrumbs of juicy information that I just couldn’t get enough of. I had so many theories but honestly was blindsided in the last few pages of this book. I already can’t wait to see what this author publishes next.

An enthralling story where you can't work out if everything is as it should be.

Captivating from start to finish this will leep you guessing.