I found this a pretty good read. Nice to have the different setting, I found. And I did like the gradual reveal.
I like twisty novels, so this was fairly satisfying in that respect, and the characters were interesting. I had no objection to the sex scenes, unlike some others it appears, so don't be put off by other reviews!

A great thriller that kept me out of my reding slump! This was a one sit read for me. I loved the fast paced thrill of this one. Will definitely be keeping g this author on my radar!

Omg talk about a roller coaster read wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat threw out I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go I found this book thrilling the characters were fantastic and well thought out and the little clues all the way threw keep you guessing until the end this book stays with you long after you close the book this book is well worth the read I promise you wont be disappointed

Starting with a bang, When I Wake Up jumps straight in at the deep end with the brutal beating of teacher, wife and mother, Anna.

From the outside it appears that there are no enemies to be found, no one who would have the motive to do this to such a wonderful person, but as the plot unravels, so do the secrets of those in Anna's life - but would any of them really go so far as to try and kill her to keep their secret a secret?

A solid debut, When I Wake Up is a twisty tale of intrigue and although in places there is a little too much detail, a little too much in terms of descriptives and information, the flow and pace of the book are good.

Jarlvi writes very well, managing to pull you into the pages and I found myself lost in the characters, who are very well developed - I didn't particularly like any of them, and that was the whole point! Any one of them could have been the perpetrator.

There are several characters in this and with such a range in the cast, it could be easy to get lost as to who is who, but you don't, Jarlvi keeps it simple enough to remember but twisted enough to make you wonder and second guess your own guesses.

I really enjoyed this one and I think that for a debut novel Jarlvi has done a sterling job! On with the next one now please! I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!

A book usually takes me two or three days to read it, even one if I’m completely hooked on. “When I wake up” took me 6 long days so, NOT A GOOD SIGN! Although it has almost 500 pages it felt twice as long.

When Anna is beaten into a coma, the small Swedish community where she lives is shocked, as apparently she was leading the perfect life and didn’t seem to have any enemies. But not all that glitters is gold!

I was expecting a suspense/mystery novel, following the police investigation, but instead I got a drama where every one was more concerned about sleeping with someone other than his/her spouse (awkward sex scenes and a totally unnecessary rape scene).

The story is told through several characters, but they were all so unlikeable I couldn’t care less about their fate. Anna was ridiculous in the way she faced Daniel’s demands. Daniel was so delusional that he started to feel like a cartoon. Erick seemed more concerned with his reputation that his wife’s health. Iris and Rolf...if you have an open marriage what do you expect? 🤦🏻‍♂️

Although the different points of view made it a bit more dynamic, the story went on and on and on for so many pages with nothing happening that it became tedious.

There was no tension at all, some characters seemed to change completely from one chapter to another, and the ending was quite abrupt and a bit ridiculous, imo. And if you’re adding an epilogue at least make it count, cause this one was pretty absurd.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aria and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of When I Wake Up. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Anna, much loved teacher, wife, and mother of two, is savagely beaten and left for dead. The attack yields little clues, so the authorities must wait until Anna wakes up and remembers what happens to give her justice. When small town secrets reveal more suspects, will Anna ever be able to assist the police in discovering what happened?

When I Wake Up was good at the start, but becomes very convoluted and unrealistic by the ending. There is so much going on, with so many side plots and cliches, that the story itself gets lost. The idea of a woman, beaten and left for dead, is nothing new, so the author needed something else to set the story apart. When I Wake Up was not a successful mystery thriller for me, especially the lackluster ending. For the reasons listed above, I would not recommend When I Wake Up to other readers.

Erik is shocked when his wife Anna is beaten and left for dead. Everyone thought she was well loved but was she? It's a page turner where there are secrets around every corner.

I really enjoyed this gripping and tense thriller. It was very well written and quite dark. Id like to read more from this author.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

A gripping, intense story which held my attention throughout. I found myself thinking about this book when I was working around the house. Would definitely read more by this author!

When I Wake Up by Jessica Jarlvi is a 2017 Aria publication.


This book is a bizarre, twisty, little thriller that caught me off guard.

When a popular, dedicated teacher is savagely beaten, leaving her in a coma, her family and colleagues are shocked and devastated.

Investigators seem stumped. By all accounts Anna was highly regarded, lived for her job, and lead a quiet life. Who would want to hurt her? But, as the case unfolds, it becomes obvious that several people closely connected to Anna, has secrets. We also learn that Anna’s marriage wasn’t exactly charmed, her parents are apathetic and her kids are lost and confused. But, Anna, may be harboring the biggest bombshell secret of them all. The mystery deepens as the story unfolds and more and more suspects are added to the list. All we can hope for is that Anna will awaken and name her attacker-

I added this book to my ‘currently reading’ list with the best of intentions, as always, but for some reason I kept putting it off. The cover, while eye popping, is similar in design to a few other thrillers I’ve read, which left me thinking this book was most likely a ‘been there, done that’ type thriller, probably generic, the type that is entertaining enough, just not much of a challenge.

Adding to my lack of enthusiasm was my mistaken impression that this is a psychological thriller, a genre I am still very burned out on right now. However, I knew I needed to get this book read and reviewed, so I admit I pretty much forced myself to start reading it.

Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong about this book. First of all, this not a pure PT, although it does have that tone or atmosphere running through it. However, it is more accurate to say this novel is a dark, cleverly plotted whodunit, and is far from ‘run of the mill’, or generic. I can’t recall reading anything quite like it, at least not recently. So, suffice it to say, I was more than adequately entertained by this one.

Interpersonal issues, family dramas, and marital discord always grab my attention and this book has all these elements in spades. So riveted was I to all the secrets, jealousies, sexual games and manipulations, and unexpected character developments, that I was totally blindsided by the conclusion.

I’m not a big fan of multiple points of view, but in this case, I didn’t find it confusing, annoying or distracting. The only issue was that the story did drag in places. The sexual exploits and games only held my attention for so long before I began to lose patience with it, but the twists always came along just in time to placate me.

The author did a fabulous job of luring me into her trap, leading me willingly down the paths and corridors she wanted me to take. I was so taken aback by my failure to puzzle everything out in advance, I felt embarrassed. That’s what I get for being so over confident!! LOL!

In my defense, the formula is not exactly a new one, but because I had somewhat underestimated the book, so sure was I that I’d sail through it on ‘auto-pilot’, I let my guard down. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!)

Overall, this is a short, wildly entertaining, offbeat mystery you will not want to take lightly!!

Loved this twisted, dark tale - even though I thought I knew the end, it kept me guessing.

I thought this book started out well, but then it lost it's grip on me. I initially started to get annoyed with Erik's chapters. He was so annoying and whiny. He made terrible decisions and was so self centered. I eventually started to skim his parts, Then, I struggled with caring about who the attacker was and just sort of lost interest. I don't this is a bad book. It just wasn't really for me. I prefer to have characters I can root for.

Interesting book. I wasn't quite sure who was going to be in the guilty party in the end, and found myself rooting for different characters along the way.

There really should be 0 stars. I did not finish this book. I found the content to be inappropriate.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

The blurb on this book sounded good and I always love a thriller, but I found this book hard to like. The premise was good, but there were too many suspects, and the flip flop of the book was a little too much. With a few less suspects and a few more likeable characters this would have been a good book. It was a bit draggy to read, the overall storyline was good just not well laid out.

This was an absorbing murder, mystery. Lots of potential suspects and red herrings. Some very good characters and issues raised which would make it a great read for a book club. Very difficult to solve the murder as the dialogue kept sending you off in different directions. The tension built rapidly towards the conclusion which although good seemed rather abrupt.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to have read another brilliant read. This book was very relevant according to me as these days its daily in the news of teachers having relationships with their students. Only question is, did Anna have one, and did she wanted to have it............ Great read, recommended!

A thrilling read with complex characters and dynamic storylines. The book successfully melds characters stories together while maintaining an exciting and detailed account. Very good read. This is an author I will keep my eyes on

There is a lot going on in this story that is told by many different people as well as the victim, Anna, before and after the attack that left her in a coma. A very dark, disturbing tale.