Liked the concept, certainly very different but after a while I found it quite irritating. Some of the scenarios were not plausible and I found I was skipping a lot of the padding - some of which had no bearing on the story whatsoever! Am also a sucker for happy endings and therefore the conclusion did not help my irritation!

This was an incredibly addictive novel that I could not put down once started. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting a thrilling page turner with fantastic characters

Written from an unusual point of view from someone in a coma, Alex had a terrible climbing accident and has been in a coma ever since. Unable to move, speak or eat however Alex is very aware of his surroundings. The book is really fast paced and I enjoyed it immensely. It kept me enthralled right to the very end. Without spoiling for others it is a powerful, emotional psychological thriller that I devoured in one sitting. Thoroughly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by Emily Koch.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance copy in return for an honest review.

Written from the very unusual point of view from someone assumed to be in a coma, but in fact very aware, this is a thrilling debut.
Everything is seen through the little that Alex remembers from before his accident, and the snatches of conversation he hears in his hospital bed. Gradually he begins to piece things together, and so does the reader. It's a slow process for him but full of tension for us.
I don't want to give anything away so will just say this is a must-read book.

I enjoyed this book immensely I can't say too much as it's not she out until next year but I will say it was amazing and a really good read.

Alex is in a coma and has been for 2 years after a climbing accideng(or was it an accident?) but he can hear everything that goes on around him.

This book is based around him trying to figure out what happened, as he can't remember a thing. He hears his visitors snippets of conversation and desperately tries to piece it all together, and that's the story!

But....there's a fair few twists in there and I didn't guess the ending! The characters were good I hated one of the nurses though for reasons you will see yourself and really felt fo Alex who went from hope to despair so often.

A really original book and plot and a fantastic read ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

A .unique story unlike any I have read before. Highly recommended

I really enjoyed this book which kept me puzzling till the end. In some ways it was quite a thought provoking book, how much are you aware in a coma? Quite a scary thought, being aware but unable to move. I found myself willing Alex to move throughout the story. In the parts where he is trying so hard to make parts of his body move I found myself stretching parts of my body in an effort to help! I don't want to spoil it so can't say too much about the ending other than I loved this book, which was a roller coaster of emotions and a very good read.

Wow. I was captivated from the beginning of this book. It was a tremendous and thought provoking read. Alex in a PVS and able to hear and having not lost his sense of smell was able to piece together from overheard conversations what had happened to him. The victim of a climbing "accident" with life threatening injuries the story unfolded with the reader never really knowing what the outcome would be. A gripping read and a brilliant first novel by Emily Koch. I will certainly keep an eye out for her next book.

I had to give up, I'm sorry! JUst couldn't follow it.

A genuinely really good book! I loved the way this book was written - all from one perspective, rather than scattered between different personalities, but in a way that made it easy to get to know each of the characters and form different feelings about them. Its not very often I read a book like this where I don't guess 'who-dunnit' but this one had me reeling.

Will definitely recommend :)

I know that this book is not going to be published until January. Plus, I have plenty of books on my reading list that I should be reading first. But I felt like I just needed something a bit different, something that stood out from the fray– what would fit the bill better than a mystery told from the POV of a character in a permanent vegetative state, his active mind trapped in a lifeless body and unable to communicate? I just couldn’t resist!

Alex is in a coma, unable to move his body, eat, speak, or even move his eyes. Two years after a terrible climbing accident, the doctors have long given up on him ever regaining any function and have been unable to prove that Alex is even aware of his surroundings. Pneumonia has almost claimed his life several times, but still Alex clings on to the small hope that one day he can return to his old life, his girlfriend, his family. Lying helpless in bed, totally at the mercy of others, he overhears his visitors talking about the incident that has cost him his life as he knew it, but as hard as he tries to think back, he cannot remember anything. Hearing that the police are investigating his accident as a possible attempted murder, Alex is determined to find out what happened – if it’s the last thing he will ever do.

I really loved the premise of If I Die Before I Wake, which was both original and captivating. Imagining what it must feel like for our main character, Alex, trapped in his own body unable to communicate even his most basic needs or pain, created an almost unbearable tension. His frustration over his helplessness was highlighted by the many scenes in which he had to endure pain or suffering, simply because of being locked into his lifeless body. It was horrible to imagine what this must be like! The mystery element is well thought out and kept my attention, and it was interesting how slowly but surely all the pieces of the puzzle came together in Alex’s mind. The interpersonal relationships were sensitively drawn – the nurses, the doctors, Alex’s girlfriend and family – and made for some touching and some infuriating moments.

The main issue I had with the book was the pacing. Whilst Alex’s predicament made for an original plotline, it also slowed down the story quite significantly in places, whilst the reader follows his long internal dialogue and his daily frustrations. It reminded me a bit of Tom Hanks’ epic movie Castaway, where a marooned Chuck Noland only has his volleyball to talk to – which, to be fair, is very original, but wore a bit thin after a while. Parts of the story dragged a bit for me, and I would have liked to have a different element introduced, a different POV perhaps, just to move the story along and shed light on some other aspects of the investigation Alex was not privy to. Some threads didn’t seem to go anywhere, like the scene where Alex’s catheter “fell out”, which made me wonder if I had missed something? Because of this, I struggled at times to fully connect to Alex, hoping for things to move along a bit faster than they did.

All in all, If I Die Before I Wake was a very original mystery written from the POV from the most unlikely character – a man trapped inside his lifeless body, surely one of the most terrible situations a person could find themselves in. Koch explores this topic with sensitivity and insight, realistically portraying the frustrations of her helpless character as he strives to find out the truth. Whilst the pacing was a bit slow for me at times, the story certainly made up for it in originality. One of the most unusual mysteries I have read this year.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a gut-wrenching story, told in a remarkable way by the patient in a vegetative state. A very well informed insight into the horror of that situation . It was very very emotional and it is a story that will stay with me for a very long time. I read over just a few hours and could not out it down. Amazing book. Thank you

If I Die Before I Wake is Emily Koch debut novel. Several things jumped out at me with this book which was why I was super keen to read it. Firstly, its a new author and I love finding new authors to read. The book had an interesting cover which caught my eye and a synopsis that was original and intriguing. This was gifted to be from NetGalley and as with all my NG reads, I give a full 100% unbiased opinion regardless as you will see.

I cannot lie and have to say at first I struggled with this book. The book opening was interesting and grabbed my attention. But then it felt a bit slow until the investigation starts. From then onwards the book got very interesting. I wasn't sure who to trust and at times whether Alex was reliable. The book is told from Alex's point of view. A character whom is in a coma and cannot talk, move and communicate with the outside world. This made Alex a unique character I felt, but also at times slightly (Dare I say) boring especially when the interaction was from visitors. Let me add that it took a while for me to get into the style of the book and how it was wrote and I didn't quite mesh with it. Although I will add the story is good and worth a read.

I do feel with If I Die Before I Wake that the story is original. I've not read anything like it before and feel that Emily (Author) portrayed Alex's emotions and frustrations with realism. Alex's situation when I think about it is extremely frightening and not something I would ever want to imagine feeling. I do recommend this book even though I have only given it 3 stars as I feel many will love the suspense and feel for the book. I just had trouble with the pace at times and Alex who I never really warmed too. 3 stars.

This is a unique murder mystery where the murderer and motive are gradually revealed through the visitors’ interactions by the victim’s hospital bedside as he lies in a coma. What a great premise for a story.
It is a powerful, emotional, psychological thriller told as a haunting, heart aching story that lingers long after the book ends. Emily Koch is an exciting new talent.

We follow Alex, who is in a coma, unable to move but can still hear everything that is going on around him. Although this brain activity doesn't show up on any scans.

Alex is an extremely likable character and you'll find yourself feeling so uncomfortable knowing what he's going through and the frustration that he can't make anyone see that he's aware of everything.

Upsetting in parts, shocking in others, this is well worth a read.

I'm afraid I didn't enjoy this book. It was a great idea for a thriller, however, for me, in this case, it just didn't work. I found the ending to be over emotional, and in extreme contrast with the rest of the book. Not for me - Sorry!

Oh my gosh this book so very nearly had it all. The story is so incredibly gripping and told with such perfect, teasing pace that I couldn't help but read on, even when it was way past my bedtime and my eyes were so tired, the unfolding plot rammed matchsticks under my eyelids and demanded I read on..

This is storytelling at its best; the sense of aproaching menace is so cleverly created, the frustration the protagonst feels is conveyed so intimately. Even with the very limited dimensions of a single hospital room setting, there is such dramatic atmosphere.

As the tension built, along with my hopes, I kept thinking: "This is why I love to read fiction - I can root for the good guy, the underdog, knowing that, unlike in real life, it will be worth all my faith and trust - there will be a happy ending!"

I hoped against hope until the very last paragraph of the very last page - and was then utterly devastated with disappointment. What a terrible ending, and what a terribly shame - this book did very nearly have it all.

How do you solve your own attempted murder when you are in a coma and everyone thinks you are in a vegetative state? Written from this point of view, Alex is a climber who has supposedly had an accident while climbing but he can't remember the fall. His girlfriend, his closest friends and his father and sister are his most regular visitors and the plot unfolds through their conversations and Alex's memories. Well crafted, this mystery doesn't miss a beat and even has a rational resolution. Not just a 'whodunnit' this novel explores 'locked-in' syndrome, and how long we keep someone alive when in a persistent vegetative state. An excellent read.

The narrator is in a coma after a climbing accident; can he recover? Family and friends visit and talk to him so he finds out that his girlfriend is seeing another man. Then the police turn up; was hi in an accident or was it attempted murder? If so, how can he defend himself? I enjoyed the book very much

I haven't read a book like this one in a long time. It tells the story of Alex who wakes up in hospital following a climbing accident but isn't able to communicate that he's awake. He reminisces about his life and wonders if his actions have led him to the place he finds himself in.