I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of the audio book and I have to say, this new novel by Natali Simmonds kept me gripped from the outset. The story is told from the perspective a new mother Lou. The unbridled joy of new motherhood and all that goes with it rapidly descends into a very dark place with numerous plot twists and shocks that are expertly woven into the narrative throughout. Yes, the book contains the odd overused trope for this genre ( how many times I have read about a fox crossing the road in the dead of night) and at times, I did question whether in a supposedly caring loving family, their attitude towards Lou and her plight was completely believable. However, any doubts were soon mitigated by just a really good plot structure and superior dialogue.

A word of praise also for Sofia Zervudachi whose performance on the audiobook was outstanding.

“While My Baby Sleeps” by Natalie Simmonds is a psychological thriller.
Thank you Bookouture Audio for the ALC. The opinions from this review are completely my own.

Lu and Tony have a small boy (almost 1 year old) and they moved to a new house. Tony works nights and Lu is a stay at home mom.
The issue is that she suffers from extreme sleep deprivation and starts to sleepwalk, forget thinks and have disturbing thoughts. She has no help from relatives, but her neighbor’s sister, Maggie, starts helping her.
The audiobook is narrated by Sofia Zervudachi and she does a great job transmitting the emotions that Lu is feeling.

The suspense and the twists are enhanced by listening to the book. The story is full of suspense, there are some dark twists and the ending is surprising.

This was a great book portraying how postpartum depression can affect some women. It was mostly about a woman, her husband and a neighbor who tries to help her. Great job and worth the read!

it was quite a good read. it's interesting to get into the main character's head and to see how she lives with the images and the crazy thoughts in her head and how she seems to be losing her mind day after day. of course it ends how it was supposed to which I'm glad. the only thing i didn't like was that all her thoughts were the same and kept repeating all the time. the narrator was really good

While My Baby Sleeps by Natali Simmonds


BIG thank you to #NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC in return for my honest review ❤️

This book is releasing February 7, 2025

Plot: This story follows protagonist, Lu and Tony. They met years ago and were just friends at first, but after bad relationships they date one another. Shortly after Lu becomes pregnant and they have a boy. They are happy and trying to setting into being a little family. Everything seems fine.
But Lu is NOT fine. Lu is the opposite of fine. While she was pregnant she started feeling excessive anger and range. No one took her seriously and told her that the feeling would eventually go away. But they don’t. After their son, Riley, is a year old, Lu is still experiencing these horrible thoughts of range. Super violent thoughts. Lu isn’t sleeping and she’s so exhausted that she starts sleep walking and forgetting things.
To make things even worse for her, Lu doesn’t have any help. Tony doesn’t seem to be very helpful at home, because he’s constantly working and her family lives far away. Plus, no one seems to be taking her seriously.
One night Lu wakes up outside and covered in blood, and locked out of her house. She goes to her neighbors for help and that’s when she meets Maggie.
Maggie becomes a great friend to Lu and steps in to help her out. Maggie is like a gift from God to Lu, or is she?

What I thought: WOWZA! This story had me HOOKED the entire time! I highly recommend it! It definitely gives a great insight at what Postpartum depression does to a new mother.

Sofia Zervudachi does an absolutely excellent job narrating this audiobook!

I’m giving this book FIVE STARS! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of While My Baby Sleeps by Natali Simmonds in exchange for an honest review. This gripping psychological thriller delves into the raw and often unspoken realities of new motherhood.

The story follows Lu, a sleep-deprived first-time mother struggling to care for her baby while grappling with growing paranoia and fractured memories. When her neighbor is found dead, Lu begins to question her own actions, leading to a suspenseful and unsettling journey into her mind. Natali Simmonds masterfully captures the intensity of Lu’s exhaustion and the claustrophobia of early motherhood, making her experiences feel vivid and real.

The tension is palpable, and while some twists are predictable, the story kept me engaged, especially with the introduction of Maggie, whose motives add a layer of complexity to the narrative. Simmonds does a great job of exploring the fine line between reality and delusion, creating a haunting atmosphere that lingers even after the final page.

Overall, While My Baby Sleeps is an emotional, suspenseful read perfect for fans of psychological thrillers. A solid 4 stars!

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the female narrators voice and the way she read the story! I can imagine this book would have been rather challenging to narrate since the main character (whose point of view it’s written from) is one of the most unreliable narrators I’ve ever read. That being said, I could guess the twist a mile away but enjoyed the story regardless. There were still dots to connect and other aspects that were a surprise. I would recommend if you like psychological thrillers with an extremely unreliable narrator!

Ok Natali Simmonds, I see you. While My Baby Sleeps reminded me a lot of The New Mother by Nora Murphy - the beginning so much so, that I assumed it was going to have the same ending. I thought this was so going to be *so* predictable from the third or fourth chapter. My smug, little reader self was ready to give this a three star review for being a “good story, but I played out plotline”

WELL.

Simmonds sure showed me - first, by proving me wrong, then giving me a happy ending, and THEN PULLING THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER ME. In the best way.

Lou just moved and has a baby, she’s not sleeping well, and her baby-daddy/partner is picking up more hours at work. Days begin blending together and the tip of the iceberg is when Lou finds out she’s pregnant again. We all know what a lack of sleep can do, and Simmonds handled Lou’s slip in to madness and battle with post partum depression/anxiety/psychosis so so well.

4.5 stars for this solid psychological thriller with a deep plot and lots of twists 🤌🏻

Gosh this was a hard listen, for any parent who has been at that brain fog, sleep deprived time with a baby or young child this felt raw! I loved the premise and wanted to beat Tony to death almost every time he spoke for his lack of understanding or even picking up what was going on with the main character Lou, who was so tired she didn't know what day it was.
A great read which I found a little depressing but that was the point I think, we felt what Lou felt and the narrator certainly brought her to life.
A good twist which I had an inkling about but delivered well. I absolutely loved Natali's last book and I'm sure this will be as much of a success.

This book was a bit confusing but reminded me why I don't want children. But I could see why she was so tired....

After another night of no sleep, the last thing Lu expected was a police officer at the door. Her neighbour has been found dead. He’s been playing loud music for weeks keeping her and the baby awake. But last night she woke up on her doorstep with blood on her hands with no recollection of what happened. She’s a sleep deprived mother, not a killer right?

Ahh I was so intrigued by the premise of this book and it didn’t disappoint. Being deep in sleep deprivation, I’ve felt irrational before where I would do anything for a good nights sleep. Obviously not kill anyone 🙈 Lu’s boyfriend was useless and I wanted to tell him to look after his gf and step up more and he annoyed me in the story a lot. There were twists that were unexpected and that last line.. Loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the audio Arc of this book.

A solid 3.5 stars 🌟

Lou is exhausted, angry and alone. She’s a stay at home mum to Riley, has recently moved to a new home in a new area, and she has a boyfriend who thinks working a full time job is enough of a contribution to their household. Amongst all the other postpartum struggles she faces, she just desperately needs some sleep. One night after sleepwalking outside her home, she finds herself mysteriously connected to the murder of her neighbour with no memory of what happened. Fortunately, she has also found a new friend, her other neighbour, Maggie.

Straight from the prologue, this book HAD me. It wasn’t so much about the murder, but the psychology of it all. Lou’s struggles with her sanity as she tries to manage her new life, feeling like she’s about to snap at any second and her not being able to tell what’s real anymore, all add to the tension and it was a non-stop ride. It got frustrating when Lou talked in circles all the time, because although it was realistic, it became far too repetitive and I wanted to move ahead in the story. Overall, the mystery was satisfying, shocking and enjoyable. .

The narrator was fantastic, truly showing the frustration, fear and rage in her storytelling.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was an easy read, but I just couldn’t get into it. I found it repetitive and predictable, and the story dragged on for me.

Prepare yourself for a tsunami of emotions. A gripping listen that will have you shouting, doubting and exhausted just like protagonist Lou. Will resonate on so many levels with parents everywhere.

Wow, wow, wow! From the very first moments of the prologue, I was absolutely captivated, and once I started, I couldn’t stop listening. Some of my other responsibilities may have been momentarily neglected as a result!

The narrator, Sofia Zervudachi, was the ideal voice for these characters—her performance was impeccable, with flawless production that made for an incredibly smooth listening experience.

I believe many mothers will find themselves resonating with Lou, a new mom who is sleep-deprived, overstimulated, isolated, and feeling utterly alone. There were moments when I found myself shouting, "Someone help her!" This book truly draws you in, and Natali Simmonds knows exactly how to immerse the reader in the story. Just when you think you know where it’s headed… it takes a surprising turn.

This is a must-read (or must-listen)! Truly, wow, wow, wow!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC audiobook!

This was the first audiobook in a long time to give me anxiety. What a rollercoaster!

I thought I knew what was going on and then I didn’t and then I did! Back and forth! All of these characters made me mad. All of them. I truly understood why Lou felt rage! A husband who doesn’t notice she is struggling, a family who are so consumed in their own lives to notice her. Let’s be real, most first time moms can relate to some of Lou’s frustrations and anxieties.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. An unreliable narrator story line always keeps me engaged and attentive,

The narrator was also great, I listened at 2x

Highly recommend this book!

Natali Simmonds has once again provided readers with a twisty phycological thriller that is sure to stay with us and make an impact! Following Lu and Tony we are welcomed into the couples lives as a new parents to their newly one year old son, Riley and the very real ups and downs of parenthood. Lu and Tony had a fast paced relationship that saw a baby come into the picture sooner than planned but the happy couple welcome their baby into a loving warm home but things don't quite stay great and blissful for long.

This book really did capture the realities of being a first time parent and the narration along with how well each chapter was written allowed me as the reader to feel as though I was physically in this book. I can honestly say I haven't felt the emotions I felt reading this for a single other book in all the years I have been a reader. I felt every drop of anger, frustration, tiredness, fear and desperation Lu felt as though they were my own feelings. You want to scream at Tony for his poor moments as a husband and give Lu a break yourself as the reader and comfort Riley. We were truly able to feel as though this characters were real and emphasises with their struggles. The narration was full of emotion and brought Lu to life adding to the reading experience.

As the book progresses and we learn more about Lu's mental health and her growing friendship with Natalie, a neighbour who may just be getting a little too close we too are able to feel Lu's paranoia, not knowing what is real and who to trust and this kind of suspense leaves us hooked throughout. This was a suspenseful read that left you on the edge of your seat asking questions while also touching on so many important topics around pregnancy and life as a first time mother. Simmonds keeps things raw, true and to the point shining a light on topics that women still struggle to discuss with each other. This book come the end felt like a hug and the message that you are not alone.

I would highly recommend this book and I'm so grateful to of had the opportunity to listen to this audiobook thanks to NetGalley.

3.5⭐️ rounded up.

When I began listening to this, although I genrally knew how the plot was going and none of anything that happened was of surprise, I still found myself immersed in this.

I believe the way in which the post natal depression was depicted wasn't overly accurate my take was that whilst being pregnant for the 2nd time, witnessing a murder, moving home with a baby and dealing with severe sleep deprivation it is absolutely plausible that anyone could and would have hallucinations even in the extreme nature that these seemed to be. With that being said the storyline really mainly focused on this one character and her mental health for the most part, whilst I felt it was obvious where this was going it isn't exposed until the end so this may not be the case for everyone to have thw same opinion or understanding ans may actually question the character of Maggie. There could maybe have been a little more done in the backstory as it felt the beginning just started off running, then slowed down to focus on intricate details of the characters mental health.

Particularly if someone reading this has never suffered from severe sleep deprivation, which I felt was more the issue, they may not find this very relatable or believable although it was a little conflicting at times with the description of post natal depression. To add to this, I don't believe this is true of course in reality for all people, but for the purposes of a fictional story, it is absolutely believable with the amount of stress she was experiencing overall. She begins with irritatability, leading to paranoia and uncertainty of herself. With little support, she then finds herself absolutely lost in an episode of psychosis.

A relatively quick listen, I enjoyed the narration by Sofia Zervudachi, and I did feel like I was able to visualise the story, so this was well delivered with good changes in pitch and tone of all characters.

With thanks to Netgalley & Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ELC in return for an open, honest review.

While my baby sleeps is a twisty, gripping psychological thriller with high anticipation and filled with unpredictable twists and turns.

Lu is tired. She needs to rest. However her toddler, Riley takes up every moment of her life and her partner, Tony is of no help whatsoever. Having the post partum depression and bone tired, she begins to have morbid thoughts of killing other people in ways that are horrifying and gruesome. Her suppressed rage results in sleepwalking until one day one of the residents is found murdered and her hands are covered in blood.

Distorted and unsure, her neighbour's sister becomes her light in her darkness by befriending her. But is Maggie truly the friend she claims to be?

This was my first book from Natalie Simmonds and I was absolutely intrigued by the way she weaved suspense and anticipation in an intriguing manner. The narrator has done a commendable job in bringing the emotions and expressions of the protagonist. The story follows a steady streak of engaging elements of surprises, shocks, and curiosity. By the middle of the novel, everything is darkly twisted and I was on the edge of the seat. The clever plot, manipulation, and lies are significantly thought out and were weaved in an engrossing way through and through.

Yes, I would definitely recommend it.

The narration for this audio was very hard to digest. The story had great potential but was repetitive and confusing at times.