it was OK felt it was a little slow and dragged on a bit. Tbh I was expecting a bit more, I felt alot of this didn't really make much sense if I'm honesty I really love thrillers but this really wasn't for me.

A very mysterious and at times intense novel that was enjoyable at times but didn't grab me as much as I wish it would have

I found this book extremely disappointing. Seeing as Dr. Prince, the main character, is a psychologist, it was all very surface level, and even more annoying as a psychologist myself. I rolled my eyes every time he said ‘as a psychologist’!

This book had a lot of potential and I was genuinely intrigued by the blurb. However, the characters were dull, the plot was slow, repetitive, predictable and frustrating. I was waiting for an exciting twist.. which didn’t happen and the mediocre twist came wayyyyy too late, at which point I had lost all interest and the book was pretty much over. The last 10-20%, usually a page-turner, was dull!

Reading Anna O did feel similar to The Silent Patient, so I get the similarity, but both books are annoying and I’d say just go read the Silent Patient instead. I wouldn’t recommend this to read unless you had nothing left on your bookshelf (or actually liked the Silent Patient).

Thank you to NetGalley, and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this book and the opportunity to review it.

This was very mysterious and I loved it - there’s a lot of information to take on board. If you love a thriller, you’ll love this. Finished it in a couple of days

I had no idea how this was going to end. It was a compelling read as I just had to know the outcome. I found the plot complex, but clever. A completely unexpected ending.

Wow wow wow, what a book! Sophisticated, complex and addictive, Anna O is a thriller that delivers and then some.

A notorious patient, Anna O, is relocated to the Abbey under strict conditions of anonymity. She is asleep. And has been for four years. Dr Ben Prince is brought in to test this theory of how to wake a patient with stimulus that provides hope and a reason to wake up. But if she does, she faces trial for the murder of her two friends and business associates.

Ben's theory appears to work and Anna opens her eyes.

But this is just the beginning of the strangest set of events with a twist that will blow your mind.

Gripping, intricate and a page turner that kept me reading into the small hours, Anna O is just brilliant.

Anna O (where O is for Outstanding!!)

Absolutely got wrapped up in this book! Relatable characters, a mystery to be solved....and twisting, turning prose! Excellent writing from Matthew Blake...an absolute pleasure to read, 5 Stars!!

This was a 4 star read for me until the final few chapters - the pace knocking it down one. I do still think the pacing is off but wow that final twist, I thought the second to final twists was punchy but the final one, brilliant. Felt like it deserved the 5 stars as I didn’t see it coming at all.

"Anna O" is one of the best books I've read so far this year. Really interesting and gripping. I love psychologival thrillers and this one just hit the spot.
Nothing was too obvious and it was a great way to learn new things. I've never heard about resignation syndrome before and this book made me Google for more info.
Highly recommended!

A very interesting storyline. Can a suspect be tried for murder when they are asleep and can’t wake up ?
I enjoyed the book very much although it did slow down a bit in the middle. The characters were likeable but everyone was not who they claimed to be. Lots of suspicion and doubt along the way and I certainly didn’t see the twist at the end coming.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I was disappointed by this read despite the online hype within the bookish community. I was initially drawn to the concept of a murder suspect struggling to wake from a coma, which was a new concept to me; however, I felt this book failed to deliver on the entertainment factor.

The plot was not as fast-paced as I expected, and as the story unfolded, I found the enjoyment lacking somewhat. The conclusion does tie everything up for the reader, and there is plenty to discuss throughout, making this a contender for a book club read. It is a shame that it fell flat for me.

Despite this review, I would not discourage anyone from picking up this read. In fact, I recommend you do so in case this becomes your favourite read!

This started off so well and had me gripped but, halfway through it slowed and dragged and I began to lose interest. Shame, I had high hopes for this one. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

'Anna O' by Matthew Blake is definitely a read for 2024.

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. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome.”

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O’”case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect—he’s got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own.

This book is fast paced and it is helped by the different narration you hear in the different chapters. Each character tells you their tale from their perspective and from different time periods. The characters are very well described and they really stay with you.

This story definitely has twists and turns but due to the story telling of the author you can follow the story.

As much as you try and guess you can't imagine how the story is going to be concluded and it definitely kept me guessing until the end.

A great book and highly recommended. Can't wait for more from this author.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to read in return for a review.

A dark, sinister, psychological thriller, based on the question of whether AnnaO killed her friends in a premeditated attack, or whether she was actually sleepwalking at the time, and therefore should only be charged for some crime of ‘diminished responsibility’
There is a lot of information regarding the investigation of the police, the psychologists, and also reference to past cases which presented in similar circumstances.
There is a fair bit of a twisty-turny Events and suppositions in this story, and it’s quite a compelling read.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication and exchange for an honest review.

What a read! Great storytelling, fast paced and has you hooked from the first chapter. I HAD to know what was happening next and where the story was going. The story follows Anna, who kills her two best friends allegedly whilst sleepwalking and hasn't woken up since. Dr Ben Price is brought in as he has a reputation for working with people who claim to have committed crimes whilst sleepwalking - can he solve the mystery? Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC.

With its intriguing premise about a murder suspect who has fallen asleep after the crime and cannot wake, I was drawn to the charming and interesting lead character, Benedict Prince. But despite his 'groundbreaking' theories on how to wake people from Resignation Syndrome (a form of trauma related, prolonged sleep), which sound to me like simple common sense, it is actually Dr. Prince's success that ultimately killed my interest in Anna O as a thriller. Once the inevitable wakening occurs the book becomes fanciful and frankly quite dull as we led on a merry chase following half clues and guess work. The final payoff did make me glad I stuck with the book until the end, but I do think the tale is a huge missed opportunity after such good groundwork in the first third.

What a thrilling read! The pace of this novel is incredible, and it has you hooked from the very first page. I loved the concept but did feel as though the first half was a lot better than the second, but I think that's purely down to how gripping the beginning is.

I was so excited to get a copy of this book after reading a lot of rave reviews and the Sleeping Beauty murder premise sounded brilliant.

The book started really well and had me hooked at the start but then it just fell flat for me. It became way too drawn out and lost momentum and repetitive before getting to an ending I had predicted pretty early on.

I'm disappointed as it had such potential at the start.

This one was definitely different and had great potential..but was too drawn out for me to be honest. I got a tad confused as things were going in circles. Hate to say I didn't love it.

Anna Ogilvy seemed to have the world at her feet, she had a history of sleepwalking going back to when she was a child. One night she killed her two best friends, allegedly in her sleep & after four years she has never woken up. Dr Ben Price is a forensic psychologist & sleep expert. When Anna is brought to the sleep clinic where he works. He has a reputation for working with those who have claimed sleepwalking is to blame for crimes they seem to have committed. Can he solve they mystery of 'The Sleeping Beauty'- or even more exciting- get her to wake up.

Told from various points of view this is a really interesting premise. Although I was engaged with the story I felt it dragged a bit. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. It was a 3.5* read for me.