When I Wake by Jessica Jarlvi takes place in a small town in Sweden. Anna is a teacher-of-the-year award winner, respected by her peers and beloved by students, who always goes the extra mile. She is married to a house-painter who hopes to make it in the music scene, and has two young twin boys.

So who would viciously attack Anna and leave her for dead? The longer she lies in a coma, the longer the list of suspects grows. Turns out the small town is not as sleepy as we thought, and Anna has more enemies than we ever expected.

Only Anna knows the truth, and her waking from the coma is not the happy event dreamed of by so many. Certainly not for the attacker. Jarlvi weaves the story, and multiple sub-stories so well that I really wasn't sure who the attacker was until Anna revealed it. There were so many plausible possibilities! This book is a suspenseful page-turner, and a terrific read. I recommend it highly.

Caution: there are explicit sex scenes in this book, and if that bothers you, you should stay away from it. That's the only reason not to put this book on your shelves or in your e-reader as soon as you can!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria publishing for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book.

Teacher, and mother of two, Anna, is great at her job and seemingly well-liked so why would someone beat her so brutally that she is left in a coma? The police in the quiet Swedish town where she lives are investigating but Anna’s husband, Erik, decides to start a bit of detective work of his own. Soon he discovers his wife, and the people of their ‘perfect’ town had secrets they would rather stay hidden. The only person who can solve the mystery of the attack is the very woman who is lying in a hospital bed. Will Anna ever be able to reveal the truth?

It is fair to say that this book did not go in the direction I was expecting and the subject matter was most definitely a surprise! As a result, some of the very descriptive scenes were slightly uncomfortable to read, although they were integral in explaining Anna’s state of mind. What started off as a straightforward ‘whodunnit’ soon became a twisted tale of passion, infidelity and unhealthy fixations. To muddy the waters further, once the main suspects began to cross paths, more and more motives began to rise to the surface.

Each chapter is devoted to one of the main players in the plot. In addition to Anna and Erik, we also have Daniel, a student with an unhealthy interest in Anna; Iris, a local librarian and close friend of Anna, and Rolf, the artist husband of Iris. Initially, I found this quite confusing but once the characters were established, it provided the author with a way of exploring the same event from the perspective of multiple characters. I found it difficult to like any of the main characters, especially as more and more secrets began to emerge, and could fully appreciate how any one of them could be the guilty party.

There were several times in the book when I wanted to shake Anna for the poor decisions she was making, especially when dealing with the Daniel situation, and felt that the whole sorry affair could have been avoided if only she’d spoken to someone about what was happening. Of course, this would not have made a good plot, though!

I think I must have suspected every character at some time whilst reading When I Wake Up, so when the perpetrator was revealed, it was not a huge surprise. Although others had a motive, in the end, for me, there was only one person who could have possibly have done it and I feel that Jessica Jarlvi has chosen the correct one.

This is a great debut and I thank Net Galley and Aria for the ARC.

Anna is a very dedicated teacher who was beaten in the school parking area and is in a coma. The novel is about her, the people in her life, the incidents that led up to the beating and the aftermath. Each chapter is narrated by one of the people involved or by Anna herself. The plot is sufficiently complex to keep he reader involved and the characters, both good and not so good, are equally complex. All in all, a remarkable first novel. Thanks to Net Galley and Aria for an ARC for an honest review.Q

It’s vibrant, attention grabbing and it is one I would definitely purchase if I came across it in the bookshop or on Amazon. With the catchy bright colours

My favourite Quote/Sentence:

“I wish this smell could be bottled,” Iris said between bites. “Cinnamon, dark roasted coffee and books. It would be a bestseller.”
My Thoughts

The book hooks you from page 1, with an array of unusual and dodgy characters, you do not know who to trust. They all have a reason to be the culprit. Jarlvi gives you just the right amount of important information and your brain goes into overdrive. A literary tease in more ways than one.

This book is heavily charged with sex, there all at it. Not my usual sort of thing in a book. But it works with When I Wake Up.

There was a trickle of Swedish brands, furniture, mugs and even backpacks spread throughout the book. A gentle reminder of where you were. It was refreshing, I am now lingering to try a Vanilla Heart.

Characters

A wide variety of characters control the story. With a chapter here and there for each one. Some I loved, Iris, for example, is smart, loving and someone I would love to meet if she was real. I would love to talk to her about books. Some I strongly disliked, Daniel being one of them, his contempt and lack of love for his poor mother.

Ending

I was happy that for once I didn’t know the end of the story. It kept me hooked right till the last page. Don’t worry you can keep reading, I don’t do spoilers. I didn’t guess who it was so was very shocked when the truth was told.

One thing I did think was going to happen was a twist of a story from Iris and Rolf’s daughter but it never came to fruition but that was just my own thoughts.

I don’t have anything negative to say, I would thoroughly recommend the book. It was different, in a word truly fantastic!

The book is being promoted as similar to Girl On A Train or Gone Girl, both of which I have read and I have to say even though I enjoyed them both I don’t think they even come up to scratch with When I Wake Up.

I would love love love it to be made into a movie or tv series.

It leaves you wanting more, and I will have zero delays in buying anything by Jessica Jarlvi in the future. An author we should all be watching out for.

Intrigue in small-town Sweden

Anna is married with two young twin boys. She is a high school (I guess it's considered high school in Sweden) teacher in Mörna, Skåne County, Sweden. Her husband, Erik, is a house painter but has big dreams about making it as a rock star.

One night Anna is working late at school and ends up being beaten and left for dead in the school parking lot, falling into a coma.

The story is told from multiple points of view and covers a few months in time - before and after the attack.

This book was difficult for me to finish. It seemed to drag on FOREVER. Many people are presented as suspects of the brutal attack against Anna - too many, in my opinion. The characters are well defined but I did not find one of them I liked.

So it was draining to read and finish the book. I really didn't get a feel for the Swedish locale either.

I think this could have been a good mystery - with the verbiage cut by about half. It did have some rare good moments.

I received this book from Atria Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was a good read. Lots of suspense to keep you guessing. A solid, well written whodunit.

When I Wake Up is told through various viewpoints both before Anna’s attack and afterwards. There is a lot going here and several characters to follow, but it wasn’t confusing at all. The chapters are clearly labeled by name and the month and year so it’s super easy to keep up with. Part of the fun of this book is with so many characters, virtually everyone is a suspect. At first glance, it seems really strange that a well respected teacher like Anna would be a target of a violent crime, but as the story unfolds, you learn that Anna had some really dark secrets she was hiding and plenty of people had the means and motivations to want to silence her.

I really liked the setting of a small Swedish town that looks and sounds idyllic but had some skeletons in its closet. All of the characters were unlikable and made poor decisions and had me shaking my head several times, but that never bothers me. It only adds to the mystery and tension as I try and figure out if anyone is actually a good person. I do want to point out that there are some very sexually explicit love scenes that I was not expecting, so be warned. I’m usually not a huge fan of that stuff in thrillers but it did work here and fit into the twisty storyline well.

This is a really, really good psychological thriller. From the moment I started this I knew I was going to struggle to put it down, I loved that the chapters were split into different main characters as you got a deeper sense of understanding them.
Anna is a school teacher who loves her job, is married to Erik and has twin 5 year old boys. Anna is found outside school battered to within an inch of her life and is in a coma for months. Who wanted to hurt Anna and she did she have secrets from her family?
There were a lot of characters that were in the guilty corner for me and that kept this book interesting although when I found out who'd done it they weren't in my top 2!!!
I flew through this book and can't wait to read more by Jessica Jarlvi, there were quite a few sexual scenes but this just added a different dimension to this book.
I would like to thank netgalley and Aria for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Anna is a high school teacher in a small Swedish community who is viciously attacked in the parking lot and left for dead. She is in coma and her husband Erik, looking after their twin boys is out for revenge. Little by little Erik starts unravelling Anna’s life and her secrets which includes a student stalking her and a secret affair with a married lover. Erik meanwhile has his own problems as his one night stand has become very emotionally invested in him. There are a lot of people that have a hidden motive to hurt Anna and when finally, the suspect was revealed it was quite a surprise.

This story is told from multiple POV’s and multiple timeline but is easy to keep track of. The characters though not very likable were complex and very well developed. A fair warning the book did have some explicit sex scenes. Overall I would rate it 3 ½ to 4 stars and would definitely look forward to reading more by Jessica Jarlvi.

Many thanks to Aria & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

Oh my goodness! This book took me on a wild ride that I wanted never to end! It was a thriller, a mystery, a love story, packed full of action. Anna is a popular teacher, married with two children. She is brutally attacked in the school's parking lot, taken to hospital, and remains in a coma for some time. There are several people in her life who would have a motive, but Anna is well loved, so who would attack her? The story is told from several perspectives in alternating chapters, but it was so well done, I did not find it confusing at all, which I usually do. This will surely be a best seller!

This story set in Sweden in a small town was something a bit different. A teacher wife, husband painter twin sons. Middle class background. Normal family life. And one day the wife is attacked so brutally in the school car park that they fear that she will survive.

Whilst Anna is in a coma, the story of the various characters emerge and as usual life is not what it seems to be. Erik her husband is questioned but there seems to be no reason to link him to the attack. Her colleagues at work are all in the clear and whether this was a random attack or one that was pre planned has the police in a quandary. There seems to be no hidden factors in the attack and no reason for her attack.

Investigation slowly unravels several strange happenings. Daniel a student is obsessed by Anna. He wants to leave his drunkard mother and go and live with Anna in her home. He looks on Anna as part lover and part saviour and Anna does not know how to handle the situation. At the same time, Anna has fallen in love with a woman in the same town and intends telling Erik about it and leaving him. Erik himself has had a one night stand with his sons nursery school teacher, who is now trying to blackmail him into continuing the relationship. The woman with whom Anna has fallen in love has a husband who is having a relationship with Daniel's mother but it is only a sexual one and when he realises that his wife is going to leave him for Anna, he is filled with hatred for Anna. So there are several suspects coming out of the woodwork with reasons to hate Anna. The suspects are also in many ways linked to each other and the police have to work on each suspect separately.

The police work seemingly very slowly to unravel the mystery because though Anna has survived the attack, she has lost her memory so she is unable to help them with the investigation.

The Swedish background and setting was a different kind of read for me and one I enjoyed. The story unraveled very slowly. I felt it could have been slightly quicker but it did not detract from the evolving story.

Goodreads and Amazon review up on 12/6/2017. Review on my blog October 2017

In When I Wake Up Jessica Jarlvi takes the reader back and forth in time with the various main characters. As the story progresses the list of suspects grows, building the suspense. Fair warning, there is explicit sex in When I Wake Up. Good story and there comes a time when the book is difficult to put down. I was given a copy to review.

When I Wake Up was an absolute brilliant psychological thriller, I was totally hooked all the way through, the flow throughout the story was really good and had me quessing, a brilliant ending, and a fabulous read that I totally recommend.

Imagine this; everything in your life seems to be going swimmingly, you have two children and a husband. You love your job, but unfortunately your husband doesn't seem to love your job quite as much as you. Despite the minor hiccough, your life is just so, nothing really to complain about.

Still with me?

Now imagine this; all of a sudden, the rug from your 'normal' life gets pulled out from under you, you're brutally attacked and left for dead. Something doesn't quite add up really, does it? 

But all of the above is Anna's life, how did it go from normal to nearly ended, all in the matter of moments?

'When I Wake Up' is told via multiple characters across various time scales, predominantly in the past. For me, those types of storylines are a bit hit and miss because in one book the multiple viewpoints may work brilliantly, yet in other books I may struggle to keep up and find myself confused. Unfortunately, this book was the latter. I struggled to get to grips with all of the various characters and the parts they played in the storyline, which in turn made it harder for me to connect all of the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.

That said, the 'whodunnit?' factor was incredibly intense, making it harder (in a good way) to pinpoint which character had actually done the deed, if any. Each character made me go 'hmmm' with their involvement, but I couldn't work out who it was at all. I loved how the author managed to interlink each character and their lifestyles, whilst keeping the suspense level up to its full potential.

Some parts of the storyline weren't for me, I'll be honest. I didn't know where they seemed to fit with the overall theme of the book as I thoroughly enjoyed all of the secretive, and gripping parts. Too much duplication amongst characters viewpoints.

Overall, 'When I Wake Up' kept me engrossed, entertained, and determined to find out what happened to Anna, and why. For me, the chase of the storyline was the best part.

Thanks Aria Fiction.

With an intriguing opening scene, this book then continues to draw you in with its unlikeable characters. You are kept guessing whom the offender is right to the very end and you might not even deduce it! Enjoyable read.

When Anna is attacked no one could think of anyone who would want to hurt her. She was a loving mother, wife and teacher who tried to help everyone. When she wakes she has no memory of what happened but her memories start to return but can it save her.
This was a step away from what I usually read and I enjoyed it. The characters were believable and interesting. Although it has some sex scenes which didn't really appeal to me, they were part of the story.

When I Wake Up is an absolute page-turner! Everyone is shocked by Anna’s horrible attack and no one can figure out who would have done such a thing. However, as the book unfolds flashing back to the past, as well as, following Erik in the present, everything starts falling into place. Except, every time I thought I figured out who the attacker was, I was so wrong! Author Jessica Jarlvi weaves a complicated and tangled web of secrets and deceit leaving it almost impossible for the reader to figure out “whodunnit” until she decides to reveal everything.

I was blown away by the complexity and suspense of the plot, but have to mention the amazing character development. There are a lot of key players in this novel – most of which are possible suspects – but Jarlvi’s writing allows the reader the feeling that they truly know each character. This is most likely why I was so shocked when the attacker was revealed! I knew the character wasn’t perfect, like all of the characters, but never suspected that they were responsible for the attack.

For lovers of suspense/thrillers, do not miss out on reading this amazing novel! Hats off to Jessica Jarlvi, her incredible writing, and this amazing novel!

*Thanks to Aria and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2 1/2 Stars
While this book basically delivers exactly what it says in the blurb, this reader was very much taken aback by the graphic sexual content of this book! It should come with a warning label!! There were interesting points, but filled with an unlikable cast of characters and the sexual content, I found this book hard to finish.

Rating: 4/5 Penguins

Quick Reasons: there are some super creeptastic scenes, with a SUPER creeptastic POV; these characters are vibrant, well-written, and so individualized; I'm not so sure I like the epilogue chapter, I feel it cheapened the rest of the book somehow; this was a wild, unexpected journey--and I adored it

HUGE thanks to Jessica Jarlvi, Aria Publishing, and Netgalley for sending me a free egalley of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.


---"I wish this smell could be bottled," Iris said between bites. "Cinnamon, dark roasted coffee and books. It would be a bestseller."

Anna nodded in agreement. It was a pleasant thought.

"Of course, you would have to add sweaty feet to make it realistic," Iris added and wriggled her toes, the red lacquer on her nails glowing.---


There is something to be said about an author who, seemingly effortlessly, can weave their readers into the heart of a mystery...and keep them enthralled there throughout. Jessica Jarlvi promised a tapestry of drama, intrigue, and fear in the blurb of this book--and then delivered beautifully on those promises! I was sucked in from the very beginning, and taken through a whirling journey spanning the past and present.

These characters are SO defined--super vibrant, complex in their emotions and reactions. Each character was individualized and believable, while still maintaining a sense of "suspicion" that kept me wavering between who might have done it. In fact, I was SO focused on hoping that Jessica Jarlvi wouldn't go for the obvious, wouldn't take the scapegoat she provides early on, that I *might* have missed some of the hidden foreshadows....and was caught completely off guard when the answer was finally revealed! This was brilliantly written, honestly--the leaps back and forth between past and present, with the alternating POVs, only helped to confuse and meander my mind from the truth!


---And there it was again. A flickering memory. He had said that before. I won't do it. Her memory was still fitting together like a puzzle, the pieces finding their place one at a time.---


I'm not entirely sure I like the epilogue chapter of this book, though I feel this is mostly a personal opinion than anything inherently wrong with the writing. I just felt, after such heavy buildup and tension, that the ending sort of cheapened the read a bit--probably because it ends on a bit of a "and they all lived happily ever after" note, which I just can't wrap my head around I guess. I wish we had been given a DIFFERENT perspective for the ending, honestly--in fact, there was at the end one character I wish we'd been shown the TRUTH of. I went so far as to imagine how that closing scene could be written, even--though I'd bet Jessica Jarlvi would do much more justice with it than I. Regardless, the rest of the plot was fast-paced and filled with disturbing tension, and I adored the read overall.

This was a SUPER creepy read filled with some unique, sometimes creeptastic, characters. The action was tension-heavy and fast-paced, though I felt as if the ending didn't quite live up to the rest of the read. I cannot WAIT to see what Jessica Jarlvi will deliver next, as I had a ton of fun stepping out of my head and into these characters' for a while! I recommend this to lovers of mysteries, alternate POV journeys, and slightly unhinged characters. The coma's over, penguins; can you figure out who-dun-it before the big reveal?!

Set in a small town in Sweden, When I Wake Up centers on Anna, a young, committed teacher and mother of five-year-old twins. Anna is in a coma after a brutal beating in the parking lot of her school. Why would anybody want to harm a young woman who was 'teacher of the year'?
As it turns out, there are actually quite a few suspects with a motive. The story switches timeframes from the present to the months leading up to the attack on Anna. There are numerous points of view as well, but the story was always easy to follow.
It wasn't at all what I had expected. Warning: The story contains some explicit sexual scenes.
It was incredibly intriguing trying to work out who was behind the attack on Anna. I found this very difficult to put down and was thinking about it when I couldn't read it. The book is full of obnoxious characters. But it worked. I didn't need any likable characters in this. They were complex people and well drawn. Daniel, a seventeen-year-old pupil of Anna's, was particularly well characterized. It was really compulsive reading until the attacker was revealed. At that point, the story fell apart for me, or perhaps better, I felt cheated. Difficult to explain why without giving the entire plot away. But I didn't like the way the author manipulated one of the perspectives in order to get to the admittedly completely startling twist. Apart from that, this was a really good, gripping debut and I would certainly read more by Jessica Jarlvi.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.