While My Baby Sleeps by Natali Simmonds is a haunting and gripping psychological thriller that delves into the darker side of motherhood. Lu, a new mother struggling with severe sleep deprivation, finds herself unraveling as her once-manageable world spirals into chaos. Her partner, Tony, is often absent, her support system is virtually nonexistent, and the relentless cries of her baby push her to the brink. When a noisy neighbor is brutally murdered, and Lu wakes up bloodied and disoriented, she starts to question her own sanity.

Simmonds masterfully captures the visceral exhaustion and isolation of new motherhood. Lu’s fragmented thoughts and intrusive rage-filled fantasies feel disturbingly real, pulling the reader into her fractured reality. The tension builds as Maggie, the sister of a neighbor, steps into Lu's life. What starts as a helpful gesture soon morphs into something far more sinister, as Maggie’s presence becomes suffocating and the line between ally and adversary blurs.

The pacing is impeccable, and the twists are unpredictable. Just when you think you have a handle on the story, Simmonds takes you in a completely unexpected direction. The hallucinatory quality of the narrative keeps you guessing—what is real, and what is the product of Lu's sleep-deprived mind? The social commentary woven throughout—on the unrealistic expectations of mothers, societal indifference to their struggles, and the weaponized incompetence of men—adds depth to this already compelling read.

This book is not just a thriller; it’s a raw exploration of the pressures of parenthood and the fragility of mental health. Fans of The Yellow Wallpaper and Gaslight will appreciate the way Simmonds expertly blurs the lines between perception and reality.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. While My Baby Sleeps is a must-read that will keep you awake late into the night. Highly recommended!

DID NOT SEE THAT COMING AT ALL!! I'm in the same boat as Lu as far as Maggie and her ultimate plot. Never would have guessed the ending! Lu finds out she is pregnant with baby number two while struggling with baby number one. It's clear she has post partum psychosis as she wants to kill everyone. However, if I were a sleep deprived mother who got no help from anyone and was basically put down all the time, I can appreciate her feelings! Lu gets some help in the form of the neighbor's sister, Maggie. As Maggie shows up more often, Lu starts to think something is wrong and she needs to get out. Great book!

A fast paced thriller of a read, just loved it from the beginning until the end. Great characters, plenty of twists that just kept coming, absolutely brilliant.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

Natali Simmonds' previous novel 'My Daughters Revenge', was quite possibly my top read of 2024, as such I had high hopes for 'While My Baby Sleep'....and I was not disappointed!

Lou and Tony, along with baby, Riley, have just moved to a less than desirable street in London, Tony works nights and Lou is struggling with sleep deprivation, not helped by an inconsiderate neighbour playing music all nigh, every night. One night, Lou wakes from a night terror in the street covered in blood, she finds herself locked out and is helped by a neighbours sister, Maggie, who helps her back into her flat. The next day Lou learns that the music playing neighbour has been brutally murdered, leading Lou to question exactly what she was doing those lost hours. As the days pass, Maggie becomes an increasingly frequent visitor, and soon becomes embroiled in Lou's life. Maggie becomes controlling, seemingly complicit when the significant people in Lou's life start to mysterious disappear....

I absolutely love how this author doesn't shy away from the difficult topics. This is such a great read - I was utterly hooked!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Well what a read this has been! I was pulled in and kept awake far too late by this book. However, I regret NOTHING! This was superb from beginning to end.

There was no way of predicting where this book was going to go. Simmonds has a remarkable talent for taking readers to the dark side. I loved it!

While My Baby Sleeps is a book that introduces us to Lu and Tony. A couple with a baby that doesn’t sleep. Sound tough? Know how they feel? It’s so realistic that you feel the tiredness and frustrations of our main protagonist.

Simmonds has paced this gem perfectly. As the events have unfolded, I’ve found myself completely lost for words. In my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have predicted where this goes.

Simmonds really does know how to reel in her readers. This is a book I devoured in just one sitting. MY only regret, I can’t experience this as a first read all over again.

I have read a few of this author’s books now. I can safely say Mrs S is a mastermind and really will take readers to the unthinkable places. This is unlike any other book I’ve read. I loved the uniqueness of this one. It definitely kept me turning page after page with no regrets.

This is a brilliant book and one I have no hesitation recommending to other readers. Everything about this one was as I hoped it would be. Brilliant and unforgettable- this is a must for the TBR.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was WILD. I loved the fast pace and I loved Lu's character. This was a relatable book if you have ever been a Mom and are in the throes of sleep deprivation. This was a propulsive page turner that I binged in 2 sittings. LOVED it

Having a baby and being a stay at home mom is for many people a dream come true. You can spend all day with your bundle of joy, doing everything you want whenever you want to. Perfect life, right?

People who claim this are those who have never done it or who have little angels 24/7. They cannot understand that some angels turn into little nightmare once they are alone with their mom, keeping her from sleeping or doing anything around the house with them following her or claiming every ounce of her energy and attention.

And when said moms say they are tired or did not have time to do the cooking or the cleaning, people are shocked. How dare she claims such things? She must be a lazy so and so because their kids were picture perfect and they even went to work.

When you silently scream for help and nobody pays any attention, it all becomes clear what lack of sleep can do to a person.

I did not see this story taking the path it took and I was utterly, but pleasantly surprised by it.

I wished I could have stepped into the book and talk some sense in those know-it-all people. 

A great but also heartbreaking story with a couple of characters I would loved to have a word with. 5 stars

Thank you

This was my first book by this author. It was a slow burn, which made being hooked difficult. About half way through, the story picked up and there were many twists and turns that left me stunned. I'm glad I finished it, and recommend it for those who don't mind the slow burn books that have a satisfying ending.

The story follows Lu, a new mother, as she embarks on her motherhood journey, with live in boyfriend, Tony. Lu struggles but you're not sure if she struggles from mental health issues, post partem depression or if it's a dream. When Tony goes missing, things begin to unravel at a rapid pace. Then Lu loses her baby. Will she find him? Does Tony return? It all gets wrapped up at the end, but you won't see the ending coming!

Lu and Tony have a newborn and with Tony's heavy workload the main caring goes to Lu.

Sleep deprived and tired out she tries to maintain everything she has to do but something changes in Lu.

This is a book that you can't say much about .. it will spoil other readers reading time but quite honestly this book is explosive.

It is intriguing and quite nervewracking.

Telling the story of a new mother and how a mind can unhinge ..

Just brilliant

Lu is disconnected after moving to a new area of London with her partner and baby. Her parents are abroad and indifferent, her brother is patronising, and her partner is always working. No one cares that the baby won't sleep and that Lu feels like her sanity is fragmenting with every hour of lost sleep.
As her sleep deprivation worsens , she starts to have intrusive rage filled and violent thoughts. When the noisy neighbour is killed in the street, she can't help but think she might have had something to do with it.

This is a tense, hallucinatory thriller. Think 'Soldier, Sailor', 'Rosemary's Baby', 'The Yellow Wallpaper', and 'Gaslight' all blended into one heady mix. I found this to be a compelling read that took me on a ride where I couldn't work out what was true or false.
There's also a serious message here about motherhood. This is a visceral depiction of the expectations put on new mothers and the weaponised incompetence of men. I loved how this fed into the story.

Wow this book went in a direction I was not expecting. We meet a young mother who is struggling with a new born that won’t sleep and a partner that works nights and expects her to run around doing everything for him when he is there. No one seems to understand how much she is suffering and when she finds herself outside covered in blood she has no idea what she has done. I can’t say any more without spoiling it but this is one of those books that will keep you up all night so you can find out the ending.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the copy. What a great book! The author has a great gift for characterisation - nuanced, interesting, believable people. This book has so many gigantic twists in every chapter. And once again I just Loved reading it. I suppose all you need to know is that it’s a cracking action-packed story !!!

I have adored the last two books by Natali Simmonds so was really excited to get an early copy of this one. Lu is a new mum who is in a happy but new relationship with Tony. She fell pregnant quickly after they got together and she's living away from family in an area that's handy for Tony's work. She's struggling to keep it together with a newborn but in steps Maggie, a helpful relative of a neighbour. She can't do enough to help Lu and she is unable to get through the days without her. But is Maggie who she says she is? This is a twisty psychological thriller that will have you guessing all the way through. Putting yourself in Lu's shoes it is difficult to tell what exactly is happening and there are some brilliant twists in it.

This book is very suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat. There are plenty of twists and turns you won't see coming. Great way to spend a cozy night.