This story has such a realistic, plausible and *current* feel that it will make you think twice about what so many of us consider entertainment value (in this case, a viral podcast digging up an old murder case) and how the real people behind these stories are affected by public fascination/intrusion into their personal tragedies. I felt deeply for Kathleen Barber's characters, even when I was unsure who the victims really were, who the accomplices may have been, and who shared the blame. This was an engrossing, fast-paced read and I'm grateful to have lucked into an ARC. I'll be looking for Kathleen Barber's next book!

When I saw that this was going to be a television show, I knew I had better get to reading before it came out. It is very topical in this age of podcasts and Netflix shows that go over older criminal cases. Is it sensationalism or is it really news?

Josie has tried to forget her past and move on but can you ever really do that? Especially when your past is about the murder of your father. Polly Parnell’s podcast about convicted murderer Warren Cave has brought everything into the limelight again. Did Josie’s twin sister Lanie tell the truth?

This is about so much more than just the murder case. It is about the feelings of abandonment and the feelings of sadness at not being able to help the ones you truly love. You will want to slap Polly Parnell quite a few times. Though I do feel as if a lot of these shows do really want to get at the truth for truth’s sake, I did not get that feeling at all with Polly. Polly was out for Polly. I cringed a few times when she would turn up at the wrong time. I also felt a lot for Josie. I could understand her need to move on but I also could understand the need to reconnect, even when she thought she didn’t want to. I loved her relationship with Caleb. I always enjoy a sympathetic partner and not a jerk.

I look forward to seeing how the show turns out. I hope it does justice to this wonderful writing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Are You Sleeping starts out with an excerpt of a transctiption of the fictional podcast, Reconsidered. It is a podcast that promises to delve into the 13-year-old case of the murder of beloved father, history professor, and member of the Elm Park community, Chuck Buhrman. The thing is, it's not a cold case, far from it; it's a case that went to trial, and the killer is now serving out a life sentence in prison. It is a solved case. Or is it?

Next, we're introduced to Josie Buhrman, daughter of Chuck Buhrman, who has spent the last 10 years of her life trying to get away from her past: her father's murder, her mother abandoning Josie and her twin sister by joining a cult, and her sister's betrayal. In that time, she travelled the world, and she met her boyfriend Caleb. Not expecting to have a future with Caleb, she gave him the standard lie she told everyone she met in her travels: her parents had died in a car crash, and she didn't even mention her sister. But now, five years into the relationship, the podcast is released and it looks like the lies she has built her new life on are going to fall down around her. When she is called by her cousin to let her know her mother has died, that possibility becomes much more of a certainty.

In my opinion, this book was very well-written. I went into it thinking it was going to be more about the podcast, and was initially a bit disappointed when it ended up being more about the story behind the podcast; that is, the effect that the murder had on Mr. Buhrman's family. Once I got over myself and settled into the story, I found I really enjoyed the book. Of course, the focus is on Josie, who has a twin sister, Lanie. Josie has spent the better part of a decade trying to forget (or at least avoid) her past, and had done so pretty successfully. But when her mom died, she had to return to her hometown and confront her past head-on. The podcast just adds to the complexity of the story, because it casts doubt on the original case, which was greatly hinged on Lanie's testimony that she saw the guy next door pull the trigger. The author does an excellent job of mixing in excerpts from the podcast, Twitter feeds, and posts from reddit to tell the story in a rather unique way. Not only do we get to see the story from the perspective of the Buhrman family (through both current events and flashbacks), but we get to see it from a journalist's perspective, and also the point of view of fans of the podcast.

I felt like the characters were developed very well, the contrast between Josie and Lanie was very clear and interesting. I absolutely hated the podcaster/journalist Poppy Parnell, but considering that was kinda the point, I thought the author handled her character excellently. The only part of the book that frustrated me was that I knew from the beginning that Josie had a major issue with Lanie, that her sister had betrayed her in some unforgivable way, but it wasn't until about a third of the way through that the actual betrayal was made clear. Even then, it was a little while longer before the effect on Josie was thoroughly explained.

Overall, this was a good book, maybe even a great book. Once things really started to pick up about halfway through, I had a very hard time putting the book down, I just had to know what would happen next. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes psychological thrillers and who is tired of always reading books with the same basic storyline and the same predictable ending.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book for review.

You know it the sign of a great thriller when you can't put it down. I started this book yesterday and finished it before bed. It was that good. 

An interesting premise, hit podcast reopens a murder case, and an immediate pull of interest with the characters and how the story is written guarantees a fantastic thriller.  Transcripts of the podcast mixed with Reddit posts make the story move along at a brisk pace. Cults, twins, adultery, murder lead to twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend for beach reads, thriller readers etc.

I usually love thrillers. Before I started blogging, they were my favorite thing to read. Yet, somehow, I have given up completely on that genre without even realizing it. A few days before picking up "Are You Sleeping" by Kathleen Barber, I had finished "Friend Request" by Laura Marshall because it was March's pick for a book club I'm part of. In a few words: thought it was great but with a terrible ending. Seeing how I was kept at the edge of my seat for most of the book, I started becoming hungry for more! That's how I basically picked up "Are you Sleeping" and boy was I not disappointed! It deserves all the nice things said about it.

Are You Sleeping tells the story of Josie Buhrman, our main character, who has spent a long time away, trying to make a "new life" for herself (away from her family) which she will see ruined because of one podcast. Before all of that happened, she lived with her boyfriend, Caleb, in New York. A serious relationship and yet, he knows nothing about her past. Not even her real last name! I guess after having her father murdered and her mother running away to join a cult, she just wanted a normal thing going on for her and that's why she lied. What she wasn't expecting though was that a reporter was going to reopen the whole case with a brand new podcast that was a big hit. Because of that and also because of her mother's recent death, she had to go back to her old town to figure out a way to deal with this with the same family that she ran away from years ago.

One thing I really liked about this book was the way the story was told. Throughout the book we get snippets from the podcast, some comments and tweets as well as some articles about the murder and what people thought of it and the people related to it. This format definitely made the story more gripping, more interesting and more fun to read. This book could've easily got 5 stars if it weren't for the ending and for the main character that I couldn't quite love. I did manage to get over the latter detail though towards the end. As for the ending, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't so nice either. Especially because it was a bit predictable and it felt like it came too soon. I still enjoyed a big part of this book which is why I wasn't so harsh with the rating.

If you're looking for a slow-paced psychological thriller, definitely check out "Are You Sleeping". Bonus points if you enjoy Crime Podcasts!

rating// ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

I absolutely loved this book. It had the mixed media stuff that I go crazy for and also a fantastic and gripping story with a wonderfully unexpected twist. I would recommend this to everyone (and have been doing so for a while now!).

3 stars.

It's been ages since I finished this book but my life has gotten so busy that I simply couldn't sit down and write this review till now.

Barber's novels revolves around murder of a father of two sisters who drifted apart after the incident. Josie left the small town and started a new life in the city, Lanie settled down where she grew up. Years pass by and a podcast reopens the case picking at questions that remained unanswered. The events force Josie to go back to home and confront the people she left behind along with the truth.

The main thing that distinguish this novel from the hundreds of other psychological thrillers are the excerpts of the podcast and various forum posts about the case. 

While the story is interesting enough the plot and the characters aren't outstanding or very memorable. Maybe it's just that there are too many similar stories these days and it's getting harder and harder to write something truly original in the psychological thriller genre. 

Barber's writing style is enjoyable though it doesn't scream 'exceptional talent'. Another thing that bothered me is the lack of depth in the characters, it felt like we were only scratching the surface while the genre itself suggests a need to go deeper into psychological affairs. 

The story itself is fast paced and kept me guessing and held my attention till the end despite it was lacking in certain aspects. 

All in all it is an entertaining, easy read, perfect for winding down after long hours of working or studying. 

*Arc was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review*

The author did a good job of pulling me into trying to solve the murder mystery. I like how she used a podcast series to lay out the case and bring up different questions about it.

As soon as I saw the reference to the podcast Serial I knew I had to give this book a try.  I thought this was a smart way to turn what could have been an ordinary mystery into something with a more current vibe.

This story moved along quickly.  I liked the way it slowly brought the truth out in the open.  It shows what can happen when someone has lived with a lie and then all of a sudden has to finally be honest.  The author created characters that seemed real.  It also brought attention to the impact of social media that we have to deal with on a daily basis.  It did keep me guessing until the very end.  All in all - a very enjoyable read.

I received this from gallery Books via Netgalley.

This one was really good. An Internet blogger decides to investigate an old solved murder. She questions what really happened the night that Charles Buhrman was murdered and if the right person is currently in prison. Josie and Lanie are twins and they haven't spoken in years. Josie even changed her name and never mentioned to her partner that her father was murdered or that she had a sister at all, let alone a twin. When their mother commits suicide, Josie is forced to actually deal with this life that she used to have as well as the fact that she never told anyone in her new life what happened to her family. I don't normally do a synopsis. Sorry. This was good. The story is compelling. The only thing that I found weird about it was that the mother of the convicted killer and Lanie are both named Melanie. It's like naming all of your characters Mary and then calling them all by their middle names, which I think only happens in real life, not in stories. I'm just curious why the author chose to do this.

A good murder mystery enhanced with fake social media posts. Also a good examination of how relationships can sour and maybe be redeemed.

Free copy given in exchange for an honest review.

When she was a teenage girl, Josie's father Charles was brutally murdered. Her twin sister Lanie said that she saw the neighbor boy shoot him, and her testimony sent him to prison. Shortly thereafter, their mother Erin ran away to join a cult, and Josie and Lanie drifted apart. Josie eventually ran away to New York and built a new life with a new last name, and fell in love with a good guy named Caleb. But now a popular podcast has taken up her father's murder and is starting to wonder if perhaps the wrong person has gone to prison. Josie's life is turned upside down, and when tragedy brings her back to her hometown and the family she left behind, she starts to wonder if perhaps something else did happen to her Dad.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. This was a good mixture of mystery and family drama. It was fast paced and kept me hooked to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

I may be one of the few left in the USA who hasn't listened to a podcast before! That, in itself, was an interesting twist for me in this great suspense novel.

Josie and Lanie are twins, a good-and-evil combination of sorts...or is it? The author weaves you through an interesting family past that these women have lived through, a great example of how our past shapes whom we become.

I'd always wanted a sister and thought it would be so cool to be a twin. I'm rethinking that after reading this story! (j/k) Lanie has many layers that are revealed little by little, keeping us in suspense as to what really happened years ago.

Josie has her own secrets she's keeping, and you find yourself not trusting any character - which makes it a good thriller/suspense. The whole podcast view was a good reminder of how often people find their personal grief in the spotlight for all to judge. It makes you realize how much we've invaded each other's lives through social media and news and what an awful effect it has on those in their personal grief-made-public.

'Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber' is a mystery novel about twin sisters who's father dies and 10 years later the murder case is reopened via a podcast. It's fast paced and modern with social media and podcast insights and I give it 4/5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Are You Sleeping is about a woman named Josie who has tried to escape her past. Her father was murdered 13 years ago, her mother joined a cult, and her twin sister Lanie betrayed her. After graduating from high school, Josie began traveling where she met her boyfriend Caleb who knows nothing about her past and together they moved to New York. However, following her mother’s death and the podcast started by the investigative reporter Poppy Parnell that re-opens the case of Josie’s father’s murder, Josie must return to her hometown to confront her family and face her past. The story is told from the viewpoint of Josie, and it also includes transcripts of Poppy’s podcast as well as newspaper articles, Facebook posts, reddit discussions, and tweets. I found that including the social media aspect with the story unique and it highlights how people on social media today will do anything to find out the truth. There are not too many characters to keep track of, and the minor characters are often reintroduced with how they are related to the main characters, which is helpful. Josie is a likable character, but at times she can be a bit frustrating. The other main characters have their own personalities which makes them either likable or unlikable. While I was reading the book, I did not want to put it down, but there were a few slow parts. I also did not figure out the truth until the end when it was revealed. After the story ends, Poppy’s last episode of her podcast neatly wraps up everything and does not leave any questions unanswered. I would definitely recommend this book if you like mysteries and family dramas.

This book was so crazy. Imagine you are riding on a train and you suddenly hear strangers discussing a murder case, a cold case, about your father's murder. One that you have tried to put behind you by changing your name and moving far, far away. That's what Josie tried to do, but Poppy Parnell has opened up that closed door and might have ruined Josie's new life. 

I never thought I would like a book like this as much as I did. I thought this was such a good read. Kept me really guessing and wondering what was going to happen.

I finished reading Are You Sleeping last night after a buddy read on it. This thriller was a joy to read. The story follow Josie, a twin daughter of a man who was shot in his own home many years prior while she and her sister were home. The neighbor’s teenage son has been in prison for the crime ever since. A new Serial-esq podcast enters the scene, forcing Josie and her family to relive their past and maybe even uncover the truth. I really enjoyed the mixed media format of inserting the Podcast, Reddit, Twitter, etc. throughout the book. It was interesting to learn the story in the same order that Josie was. I think this format led me to find this book more fun and truly enjoy the act of reading, much more than normal (which is really saying something since I love reading). I saw the ending coming for awhile (as did my buddy), but it was still enjoyable for me to see the characters arrive there. I recommend this book to any fan of Serial and any fan of thrillers. I look forward to seeing what’s next from Kathleen Barber. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery books for an advanced reader’s copy of this book. ALSO, thank you to Goodreads, Gallery books, and Kathleen Barber for the hardback version of this book. All views are my own.

While the premise sounded very intriguing, it didn't grab me enough to keep going so I ended up putting it down.

RATING: 4 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

The synopsis of this book had me intrigued! I was one of those people obsessively listening to Serial and watching Making a Murder, etc and felt passionate about the cases.   I did think about the  victim and their families, but I never thought about what they went through as these shows aired.  

Josie Buhrman's father was murdered boy his lover's son, and her mother has joined a cult.  Her twin sister and best friend has betrayed her.  Now she is living in New York trying to keep her past a secret.  Even her fiancé doesn't know her secrets or the truth of who she is.  Now a reporter is digging into her father's murder and who really killed him.  The podcast is getting popular and it will be a matter of time when she is exposed and her fiancé will know the truth.  Then when her mother dies, she is dragged home to face the truth

I liked this book not so much for the suspense but the psychological drama.  It was an interesting portrait of a family trying to move on from tragedy and infamy.  Barber wrote realistic and flawed characters that are caught up in their self-interest.  In the day and age of social media, you cannot hide your secrets, and people feel more entitled to comment and insert their views. This book is still in my mind churning...which makes for a great writing.

I have an embarrassing affinity for reality television programing.

The more salacious the better.

My attachment is so profound that an episode of the cringe-worth Botched was actually playing, on mute, as I gave birth to my second son (Mainly because he was born quite quickly… not because I selected that high-quality program as an appropriate birth-time viewing option).

Though the siren’s call of reality TV is just too tempting for me to resist, I, like many viewers would like to assume, have taken some time to consider the societal ramifications of this type of programing.

What do these programs ultimately do to the people featured on them?

And, perhaps more importantly, what impact do they have to those in the periphery? 

Those whose stories are being told – or rehashed – despite the fact that they personally have not agreed to participate in the retelling.

This question is central to Are You Sleeping the stellar debut from Kathleen Barber.  

Josie, the protagonist of this novel, has spent the majority of her life trying to escape her troubled past.

She dedicated a meaningful period of time to backpacking around Europe (which is probably the most glamorous and enjoyable way to forget, TBH)

She even traded her tarnished family moniker of Burhman for a brand-spanking-new last name.

Josie had been surprisingly successful in leaving her past behind. That is until a podcast pops up that draws new attention to what is pretty much the most significant incident from her past that she was trying to escape – the murder of her father.

It seemed to Josie that she should be able to put this incident behind her. After all, the crime was solved and a killer convicted.

But though the once-emo-teen neighbor, Warren Cave, still remains behind bars, serving time for this murder, podcast runner Poppy Parnell (a former investigative journalist who I basically pictured as Nancy Grace but younger and ever so slightly less crazy) asserts that Warren is actually innocent and that justice has most certainly not been served.

Unfortunately for Josie, this podcast, catapults to Making a Murderer levels of popularity pretty much overnight.

This leaves her bathed in limelight and forces her to face her complicated past.

You see, unfortunately for Josie, her father’s murder isn’t the only skeleton in her closet. 

As you would expect, things weren’t exactly roses and sunshine after his death either. 

Following his murder her mother, who always had a precarious grip on her sanity, lost it completely and ran away to join a cult. Meanwhile, her twin sister, Lanie, floated through her teen years in a cloud of drug usage and promiscuity. 

Making matters even more complicated (as if it’s not already fucking complicated enough), Josie’s current live-in boyfriend knows absolutely nothing of this past, as she has always told him that both of her parents died in a decidedly benign manner.

So she just needs to prevent him from hearing the podcast, right? 

That can’t be that hard.

Well, not quite. 

Before Josie can even craft a simple plan like this something-fucking-else happens, literally forcing her to go home and actually face the demons she has, despite her best efforts, failed to outrun.

Complexed and layered, this plot grabs you from the start and – like Josie’s past – hangs on tight. 

From chapter one, readers are immersed in Josie’s life and invested in her as a flawed-but-real character. 

To my delight, the prose in this novel was beautifully lyrical. This is one of those books that it just feels wonderful to read (which is seriously like the unicorn factor I am always seeking in a book, so thanks for that, Kathleen Barber)

When it comes to faults, I can identify only two.

One is, admittedly, miniscule.

Josie – who works very part time at a bookstore and her boyfriend – who does something Peace-corps-ish – live in New York City in an apartment that, at least it would seem, isn’t super shitty. 

I mean, okay… I guess… there was just a part of me (probably the part that was always fearful of becoming a starving artist and literally subsisting on a diet of stale bread and toilet wine) that really questioned whether this level of living would be possible with the level of salaries our protagonist and her gentleman love would be bringing in.

But really, my NYC experience begins and ends with Real Housewives of New York City, so my perception might be a little warped.

My other issue is a bit more significant.

The ending.

Listen, I’ve had the worst luck with endings lately.

And, admittedly, this one wasn’t horrible.

But it also wasn’t amazing.

I felt like the climax just wasn’t quite climactic enough.

As readers, we were going up-up-up on that roller coaster (which felt really good) but then we never went down that big hill.

We just sorta… coasted.

It fizzled. 

Which sucked.

That said, however, the ending was logical and the answer to the driving question of “Who done it?” was pretty believable.

It was just that the way in which this key question was answered – and how quickly the book came to a close after – left me wanting more.

Were it not for the ending, this would have easily been a five cocktail read.

As it stands, however, I would still entirely recommend this book. (In fact, I probably will foist it upon friends and unsuspecting strangers for quite a while – especially now that I hear that it will be a movie starring the amazing Octavia Spencer).

All considered, I give it 4 out of 5 cocktails.