Whoa...talk about suspense!  Twins who grew up together shared a very sad secret for years, but it looks like it has finally caught up to them.  Josie and Lanie's father was murdered, and a man has been in prison for over ten years, due to Lanie's eyewitness account.  But when a woman who runs a podcast begins to question if the right person is serving time, it shakes the remaining family members to the core.  Did Lanie tell the truth?  If she didn't, who killed their father?  

The sad truth too, is that Josie, unable to trust her twin, moved away after the murder and has no relationship with her sister.  When their mother, who had run off to join a cult commits suicide, they are brought together to unravel the lies, determine the truth and shut down the suspicion of the podcast following.  Their interactions are believable (I have a sister) and I was able to relate to Josie very easily.   

I loved the book, enjoyed the characters and appreciated the outcome.  Very well written first book!  I would gladly read another book by Kathleen Barber.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery, Threshold and Pocket Books for the advanced reader copy and the opportunity to read and review this book honestly.  It is a privilege and an honor.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Josie Buhrman has runaway from her life and tried to bury her former self, even from her long-term partner, Caleb.  But, why? Well, because her father was murdered when she was younger and then her mother ran away to join a cult. And everything was going well until an investigative reporter, Poppy Parnell, decides to muddle up the murder of Josie's father because not everything is as it appears.  Thanks to Poppy and her new podcast, Josie has to come face-to-face with her past and reveal her former self when all she wanted to do was run away.

Review: I went into this book thinking I was going to be reading a podcast similar to Serial, you know, murder mystery, whodunnit, clues, etc. But, alas, no. That is not at all what I got.  

This book focuses more on character development and the effects that drudging up the past can have on all the people related to the case (this makes me wonder what "Serial" did to all those involved). It also looks at the relationship between family and how crime and murder affect personal relationships because not every family can truly bounce back from something like that. 

The ending was shocking, I did at least like that part. There were a couple of times where I suspected the true murderer but didn't think it could actually be this person.

I did also appreciate the different formats throughout--such as the newspaper articles, tweets, and straight-up narrative pieces. 

So, overall, this just wasn't for me either because I went into it looking for a true crime story, much like what I experienced as I listened to "Serial" but it isn't what I got.

An unscrupulous reporter, Poppy Parnell starts a podcast to reopen the murder case of  Charles Buhrman and it quickly goes viral. His two daughters, Josie and twin sister Lanie haven’t spoken to each other since the day of the murder. A horrid event that sadly tore the family apart along the way.  
Now, years later, the recent death of their mother is bringing them back together. Can Josie let go of the past and reunite with her sister? 

Told from Josie’s perspective, as well as Poppies’ pod-casts and the avalanche of tweets that followed. Then the ensuing crazed masses getting caught up in an internet witch-hunt. 

This book highlights how social media can influence people, creating a frenzy in whatever direction the curser is pointed. While this pseudo-power can be applied for good, or in many cases, for pure sensationalism at the expense of those the spotlight is on.  

This is a very quick and easy read that kept me guessing through most of the book. I did figure out the curve-ball before the end but still enjoyed getting there. I enjoyed the ride and would certainly recommend it. To me, this book would make a great light vacation/ beach....mountain getaway kind of read!

A traveling sister read with Norma, Brenda and Lindsay!

To find this review along with our other Traveling Sister Read reviews please visit Brenda and Norma's fabulous blog: http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Kathleen Barber for an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars!   I enjoyed this suspenseful, gripping, page-turning debut psychological thriller!

This story follows the main character, Josie, through the reassessment of her father’s murder case from thirteen years prior.  Investigative reporter, Poppy Parnell, creates and releases six mega-hit podcasts titled “Reconsidered” that reexamine this murder trial.  Through the podcasts, Parnell asks questions to  uncover facts and theories which end up reopening the case that was ‘solved’ years ago.   Was the convicted killer who has been sitting in prison since the trial actually innocent? 

I loved the format of this book and the way this story was presented.  I liked reading from Josie’s perspective. The six podcasts along with several blog posts and interviews are included throughout the chapters.  This provided a unique and refreshing reading perspective which I greatly enjoyed. 

I found myself glued to the pages for the majority of this engrossing story, however, the ending didn’t quite live up to the excitement of the rest of the book for me.  It was still a good, satisfying ending, but not as excellent as the rest of the novel.   Things seemed to wrap up a little too quick and neat for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this fast-paced and creative story and would be very interested in reading more from this author!   This was an impressive debut novel.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Threshold Pocket Books and Kathleen Barber for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

This was an ok book. The story was interesting but it didn't jump out and grab my attention

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.  I enjoyed it very much!

Loved this gripping, engaging, and fast paced novel. So timely with America's obsession with the podcast culture.

I never listened to the Serial podcast. I love reading mysteries and thrillers, but real crime shows or podcasts are not my thing, but I went into reading this book with an open mind. It was a well written tale. I think the story line was conceivable and understandable with no plot holes. But despite the pace of reading, I wasn't really into the story. I didn't connect with any of the characters. The narrator, Jo, wasn't interesting or likeable. I didn't feel sad for her plight as the often ignored and brooding twin.  
The mystery didn't feel as mysterious as I'd expected, having long figured out the crime. What I did like about the book was the mother's connection to a cult because I'm on a Scientology documentary kick and anything about Cults is appealing. 
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read for review this novel. I wish the author well.

I loved this book! 

Josie has made huge strides to let go of her family and her past. However, it all comes back to bite her in the butt when a blogger decides to do a podcast about the murder of her father a decade ago. This brings everything back to the surface and Josie has to put herself back into the family again. Unfortunately, Caleb, her live-in boyfriend thinks her parents died in a car crash and she is an only child.

The secrets that come out when Josie has to attend her mother's funeral are dark and jaw dropping. I sped through this book and enjoyed it very much.

Huge thanks to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Jo has had a pretty tough life. Her father was murdered at a young age, afterwards her mother ran off to join a cult, and her sister was turning into a washed up drug addict. Despite all of that she's managed to create a pretty good life for herself in NYC, until a brand new podcast starts to reexamine her fathers murder and Jo begins to question everything she believes to be true. 

The premise of this book sounded really good and it was definitely a little more thrilling than other thrillers that I've read recently, but it just wasn't my favorite book that I've read reverently. I felt like it jumped around a bit between the past and the present which was sometimes hard to follow. What I did like though was reading the excerpts from the podcast which was pretty interesting. I'd consider it more like a 3.5/5 stars.

Josie Buhrman spent a lifetime running from her complicated past, the murder of her father, the betrayal of her sister, and her mother joining a cult. The death of Josie’s mom sends her back to her hometown to face her dark past; just a reporter reopens her father’s murder investigation.  Kathleen Barber’s psychological thriller is comparable to First One Missing and Remember Mia. Barber’ s writing engaging, suspenseful, and well-paced. I would recommend to fans of Ruth Ware.

Are You Sleeping? is based on an interesting premise - does our society's obsession with true crime help keep our justice system accountable or unnecessarily upset and intrude upon a family's private grief? Unfortunately the inclusion of a true crime podcast and social media responses (via tweets, Reddit feeds, and transcripts of the podcast itself) were the most interesting part of this novel for me. The characters, while not entirely unbelievable, fell flat for me. I was massively annoyed with the one-sided relationship the protagonist, Josie, had with her significant other, Caleb. It quickly became tiresome listening to her complain that "he's *too* good" and "she never understood what he saw in her." It all got a bit schmaltzy for me and after a while I started to hope they'd split up just so I wouldn't have to listen to her talk about how little she deserved him. This book wasn't particularly dark and was more mystery than suspense with no graphic violence.  Overall it's a solid debut with an interesting story line that had some unique aspects. I look forward to seeing what Barber writes next.

I enjoyed the social media/serial podcast aspect of this one.  Having read a ton of mysteries, this added a new element to the story.  There was also a great cast of characters, not all likeable but it worked really well.  My only real complaint is that the mystery really wasn't too hard to figure out.

⭐⭐⭐☄(3.5 stars)

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or the review itself.

Josie Burhman works very hard to make a new life separate from her family and her past with her sweet, loyal, humanitarian boyfriend Caleb. However, her past comes up to haunt her when she gets news of her mother's death.

Trudging up the past becomes more complicated by a podcast called Reconsidered, completely dedicated to investigating your father's murder and whether the imprisoned murderer actually committed the crime. Your sister Lanie was the sole eyewitness who named the murderer.

This book kept me hooked throughout and I found the juxtaposition between the podcast episodes and Josie's narration effective. I give it a 3.5 because though it was fairly predictable, it was a fun ride.

I would recommend this to true crime enthusiasts and people who loved the Serial podcast. It makes you see a different perspective on how invasive investigative journalism can be.

Kathleen Barber's new novel Are You Sleeping is a little bit mystery, a little bit thriller, and a lotta bit pop culture--the story is great vacation reading. Or, since the fall and winter are fast approaching, it would also make a good blizzard read! (Does anyone else remember books by winter storms?!)

Twins Josie and Lanie aren't speaking. After their father's murder when they were young teens both Lanie and their mother fell to pieces. Lanie lived life in the fast lane--sex, drugs, and outrageous behavior. Their mother Erin turned in on herself, curled up in bed, and lived in a medicated haze ... until, that is, she joined a cult, the Life Force Collective. The girls' Aunt Amelia steps in for her sister and provides a warm and loving home for the girls, but the trauma plays out in a series of betrayals that separates them. Josie goes so far as to legally change her name, move to New York, and re-invent her backstory to include being an orpahned only child

Lanie was the only witness to the murder and her testimony sent their teenage neighbor Warren Cave to prison for the crime he committed. Or did he?

Enter Poppy Parnell and her podcast Reconsidered. Cast in the same mold as Serial and Sh*t Town, Poppy opens the thirteen-year-old case and interviews the accused, his mother, police officers, the DA--exactly the voices we'd expect to hear from on a podcast like this. The only players who aren't interviewed are the girls and Erin, but Poppy shadows them, even going so far as to show up at the funeral home when their mother dies.

As the podcast plays out (Twitter comments and all!) Josie begins to doubt everything she had believed about her family, their life together, and the horror of the murder. A great exposé into what drives us to remember--and why forgetting might be most difficult thing of all.

3.75/5 stars

"Are you sleeping" by Kathleen Barber tells the story about Josie Buhrman, who has spent the last ten years trying to escape her family’s reputation: her father was killed thirteen years prior, her mother joined a cult and her twin sister betrayed her. Now, Josie has finally put down roots in NY with her partner Caleb, the problem is that she has lied to him about every detail of her past. However, when reporter Poppy Parnell starts a podcast that reopens the long-closed case of Josie’s father’s murder, Josie’s world begins to unravel and she is forced to confront the life she left behind. 

The story is told from Josie's pov, except for the podcast transcriptions, Twitter threads, Reddit discussions, etc. I LOVED THE FORMAT! Also, I just found out that this was a debut novel and I'm pleasantly surprised! The writing is mysterious but very easy to read, it kept me interested. The pacing was quick and it definitely makes this book a page-turner. 

I usually don't say this, but I really enjoyed the family drama...I liked the characters, and it was fun to discover all those nasty secrets. I just wished that the book had gone more into their backstory! I loved Ellen (Josie's cousin), and Adam was definitely an interesting character

When I was reading the book, I was constantly making theories about what it was going to happen, and most of the times I was wrong haha. However, this would have been a solid 4 stars book (maybe even 4.5) if I hadn't predicted the ending. That being said, I still enjoyed the story, a little predictable, but it was fun, it was gripping, and I highly recommend it for people who are new reading mysteries.

This book is about a woman whose traumatic past comes back to haunt her. The narration is compelling if a little simple and there are no real surprises in the end. I am sorry to say that this book did not really work for me.

I received this book for an honest review from Netgalley. Unfortunately, it just isn't my cup of tea. I didn't liked it, couldn't get into the story or characters, even after 60% of the book.  I was drawn to the cover and the concept of the book and expected a gripping read but I just didn't care for the characters and found it tedious despite many positive reviews from readers who loved it.  It wasn't for me.

Josie is running from her past but it isn't long before it catches up to her, ripping open old wounds. Ten years after her father's murder and mother's suicide, Josie is hiding out in NYC with her boyfriend, Caleb. No one knows of her past and she prefers it that way but when a podcast investigator has her family's case reopened, Jamie can no longer hide from the truth.

"Are you sleeping?" kept me on the edge of my seat. I was consumed by Josie's dark past, by her secret and the truth of what happened.. Josie's character was complex and a little frustrating but that made me like her. She was human and clearly affected by the past. There were moments of comedic relief that weren't overdone or inappropriately placed. I felt the narration was consistent and the pacing even.

Overall, an excellent mystery I plan to read again and again for an adrenaline rush.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved all of the characters and felt attached to allow them. Josie and Lanie were twins but complete opposites..which I think worked well in this book. It was hard to put this book down as I wanted to find out all that happened, past and present. The following of the podcast really added to the story and gave a great perspective. Can't wait to read more by this author. I highly recommend this book if you like a good mystery/thriller!