Open Your Eyes is a fantastic domestic thriller with a strong and believable leading woman.
Jane and Leon Campbell have a good life, Jane does a few hours teaching a writing group as she’s never been good enough to have a book deal and Leon is an acclaimed writer and at this moment in time suffering from writers block. We start the thriller in the driveway of the Campbell’s with the children in the back seats with earphones on in their own little world, Jane and Leon bickering as it’s Leon’s birthday and he hates going to his mothers every year, Leon is also arguing with the neighbour over the road about the cat going in their garden. Jane goes back in the house for some beer, comes back out and Leon reversed out into the neighbours wall, from here the mystery deepens when Leon is put into a coma as he has brain damage. The book goes into the side effects of brain damage which was an eye opener to say the least. Not going to go into what happens next as your best coming in blind to this one.
The book has good strong likeable characters, over along at a good pace and was full of twists and turns and intrigue. A really, really good read.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Transsorld Publishers, Corgi for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I have become somewhat jaded by all the psychological thrillers that seem to be around at the moment and although I often find the blurb intriguing I struggle to persevere unless I am fully gripped within the first few pages.... 'Open Your Eyes' was one that kept me hooked throughout, Great characterisation, a compelling plot and as a former resident of Aigburth in Liverpool I loved the setting! A terrific beach read perfect for genre fans and easily as good as 'The Mistake that I Made' (which I really liked too).

A fantastic book, plot-line and ending, I couldn’t put it down!

Leon and Jane Campbell are a happily married couple with two young daughters. Leon is a successful author of crime fiction whereas Jane has always wanted to be a writer but has had nothing but rejections. She teaches Creative Writing always hoping that one day her break will come.

Suddenly her world is turned upside down when her husband is attacked outside their house while her two young daughters are in the car. Jane had gone inside to get a drink and also to avoid an altercation between her husband and the elderly neighbour opposite. While she was inside someone had picked up a nail gun form the garage and shot Leon twice in the head. He is rushed to the hospital and after a long time in an induced coma regains consciousness but remains brain damaged.

Jane becomes a prime suspect when her fingerprints are found on the nail gun but Leon has no memory of his attacker, and the children were oblivious as they were listening to their music. Jane then discovers that Leon has not finished his latest book, has borrowed money that he cannot repay and has been accused of plagiarism by another local author. Jane is offered a job teaching Creative Writing in the local jail. In her first lesson, a local inmate threatens her and tells her not to investigate the attempted murder of her husband.

This book is full of twists and turns, and I did not suspect the attacker until the very end of the book. To my mind, that is how a crime thriller should be. However, this was not the only reason to read this book. The author describes the terrible symptoms that can affect a brain-damaged person, the memory losses and gains, the violent episodes and frustration so well. It also highlights the fact that Jane is more or less on her own not only trying to discover the identity of the would-be murderer but also trying to keep her family together.

I really enjoyed this book, and I was delighted to find that Ms Daly has written other books. I have now got to try and find time to read some of them! Read this book if you can, you won’t regret it!

Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Paula Daly does tremendous setups: in this one a couple are bickering in their car in the driveway, about to go to visit family. An annoying neighbour latches onto them. The wife, our narrator Jane, dashes back into the house to pick something up, then takes her time in the hope everything will have calmed down when she gets back. So far, so familiar, and most of us can identify with the situation. But actually – when she gets back there has been a weird and inexplicable attack on her husband, one he may not survive…

Apart from the mystery of what happened to Leon, what comes next is an all-too-convincing picture of illness in the family – Jane trying to juggle childcare and work and hospital visits, wishing her mother-in-law would act differently, annoyed with her own mother. The grim details of the dreadful head wound to her husband, and the aftermath, are not played down - there is an almost-documentary feel to it.

But there is also a crime plot and it absolutely keeps you turning the pages, partly because it is so difficult to imagine who would want to attack a harmless midlist crime writer…

Open Your Eyes is short, and tense, and I didn’t have much idea where the story was going, it was full of unexpected turns. (Though let’s just say, there isn’t a huge cast of characters.) I read the second half in one tremendous sitting, and enjoyed it hugely. I have to say that afterwards, when I thought about it, I had a LOT of questions about the plot, there seemed to be plenty of things that didn’t quite make sense or were flatout impossible, and background details of some of the characters were weirdly absent – I couldn’t get a mental picture of Erica and Charlie (what did he do?). The mother who promised so well was much under-used, and then, the sudden revelation that someone had underworld contacts…

And, I’m whispering this because it seems mean, but it wasn’t quite as good as Daly’s The Trophy Child (reviewed on the blog last year) – which was SO good, and SO funny, and a really unusual book.

But Daly certainly carried me along with this one, even through a slightly annoying ending.

This book is set in Liverpool, in areas I know really well: just about every street name and shop and building and place was familiar to me (Keith’s Wine Bar… ) The other books I’ve read by her were set in the Lake District so this was a surprise, and a nice one.

And Open Your Eyes is absolutely to be recommended for a tense, entertaining read.

Pictures are of Rula Lenska, and Start Rite school shoes.

Open Your Eyes had my attention right from the beginning. Leon Campbell, a crime writer is attacked while sitting in his car with his children on the drive outside his house. His wife struggled to make sense of what happened.

I really struggled to put this book down! I was intrigued throughout the whole book and had no idea who had done it.

This book opens with Leon, Jane’s husband, being attacked in the driveway of their house in front of their two young children. Jane then is left to try and work out who did this to Leon as he is in hospital in an induced coma. In doing this Jane discovers that Leon has lots of hidden secrets and worries whether she and her children are safe. When Leon comes home from hospital he is a totally different man and the book describes well his struggles with his brain injury and his recovery. It is a gripping and tense read but I was a little disappointed with the ending which I felt was a bit rushed and an anticlimax.
Thanks to NetGalley and Transworld for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Leon and Jane are a happily married couple with 2 kids Martha and Jack. Leon is a writer who has a best selling series out, Jane is still struggling to publish her first book, she takes creative writing classes. On the day of his birthday, they are off to mother's house when Leon gets into an argument with Lawrence their neighbor. While Jane goes back to get something, Leon collapses in the car. Later Jane comes to know that he was attacked, when Leon returns back home he is a changed man. 

Who attacked Leon?

Why was Leon attacked?

Read to find out.

It was a fast paced story and I enjoyed it. I found Leon 's mother unsettling. Usually I love to play detective, but in this I didn't who to suspect, finally the perpetrator was someone I never expected. I felt bad for Jane. The book talks about brain injury and how that affects the victim as well as his family.

A rollercoaster of a book. Page turning frenzy - such strong characters and lots of twists and turns. This book was fab

Jane and Leon are both writers, Leon is a successfully published crime writer, Jane is still waiting for her work to be discovered, all she's ever wanted is to be successful, it would be her dream come true.  Whilst setting off to Leon's mum's to celebrate his birthday, waiting in the car for Jane, Leon is brutally attacked on their driveway, right in front of their children.  Who would do such a terrible thing, and in broad daylight too?

Whilst dealing with the aftermath of the attack, Jane begins to discover things she never knew about Leon and she finds much of it very hard to believe, but she knows that she has to stick by him because without him she and the children have nothing.

The story is told by Jane and I really sympathised with everything she had to deal with , whilst still trying to lead a normal life for the sake of her two children.  Even though I have two of Paula Daly's books on my tbr list, this is the first I've read by her and I really enjoyed it.  It's a real page turner and shows that even in the world of writing you can have enemies. 

I would like to thank Random House UK for the approval and will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads

Here is an author that can start her latest book with a seemingly mundane argument, one of the kind that many married couples have, and yet for all its familiarity, I was instantly pulled into the story. Jane and Leon Campbell are off to his mother’s to celebrate his birthday. Both are tetchy; Leon because he’d rather spend his birthday doing what he wants to do and Jane because having to visit his mother for his birthday is somehow her fault. Put two young children, a car journey and a declined manuscript, her sixth, into the mix and it is easy to get the picture. So far so predictable as is the opposite neighbour’s untimely moan about an ongoing neighbourhood niggle. Jane is relieved when she can return to the house to pick up the forgotten beer while the disagreement rumbles on taking a deep breath before returning to the car. By the time she returns, this is no longer a normal day, it is one of the worst days of their lives.

I won’t say anything further about the plot because all of the above happens upfront, what comes next is thrilling, baffling and at times almost incomprehensible. How can such devastation occur out of the blue. To Jane, to Leon, to his brilliantly portrayed mother and sister, and to his two children. Life will never be quite the same again. Paula Daly has painted her supporting cast in equally bright characters from the Police who visit and tries and fails to be comforting, to the circle of friends that are most supportive but balk at revealing the secrets that they know Leon has concealed from Jane. Their actions, dialogue and interactions are all totally believable.

If all the excitement about what happens to Leon, why the police are involved, what they find and plenty more ‘whats’ besides, isn’t enough it should be noted that the couple are authors; Leon Campbell a well-known crime thriller writer while Jane is an aspiring women’s fiction. Leon has been very supportive of Jane in her quest to be published even if he does use his writing to get out of the many mundane jobs that are part and parcel of parenthood. Readers will be pleased to know that the fact he is an author is woven throughout the plot and what us readers love more than anything, is reading about books. So it’s a winner all around.
All I can say is that Paula Daly has done it again, by which I mean take an everyday event and transform it into the most gripping of reads. I will confess, despite having visitors this book was barely out of reach and I snatched it up at each and every opportunity. I anticipated another pure read of entertainment, and I got that in spades, but below the fast-paced thrills there is also a strong vein of truth of not just the emotional

consequences of serious injury but the ongoing change to the person and those who are part of their lives.
Open Your Eyes is a psychological thriller that stands out from the crowd, perhaps because the characters are far from dislikeable, but you will have to be on the ball to work out the truth of the seemingly unsolvable puzzle. Even better I let out a pleased and satisfied sigh at the ending.

I'd like to thank the publisher Random House UK for allowing me to read a copy of Open Your Eyes prior to publication on 26 July 2018, and to Paula Daly for the rollercoaster ride.

It’s always an exciting time of year when Paula Daly has a new book out and I actually read this one as soon as it landed on my kindle. It’s a bit different to her previous books but just as addictive and I read it in one sitting! Yes, it’s one of those books that will have you up until the wee small hours desperately trying to work out who has attacked Jane’s husband and why.

Sometimes in a novel, you recognise something of yourself in a character so that you understand totally the reactions they have to situations even if they aren’t always the right ones! Jane hates confrontation and when her husband and a neighbour have a bit of a disagreement whilst they are on their way out one day, Jane is very happy to avoid involvement when she pops back into the house. But coming back to find her husband critically injured, she now needs to confront their life together and work out who has committed this terrible crime.

I felt a real affinity with Jane from the very beginning. Her confidence was rather low especially with the literary success of her husband Leon contrasting with her own failure to become a published author. And that industry was well communicated here as obviously most authors know the ins and outs of the publishing world! But for me, it was the relationship that Jane had with Leon after his attack that felt the most realistic and intriguing. Without going into too much detail and give away too much information about the plot, Jane had to deal with some very distressing emotions and situations whilst trying to shield her entire family from the fallout.

Paula Daly sure knows how to write family drama and she does it very well indeed. Open Your Eyes is a real page turner of a read, shocking in places but impossible to put down. The denouement was perfectly pulled together-a satisfying ending as everything unfolded with a few surprises along the way.

Paula Daly remains one of my favourite authors and Close Your Eyes was definitely worth the wait.

When Jane’s husband Leon is brutally attacked in the driveway of their suburban home, suffering a severe traumatic brain injury, the whole family’s life is suddenly turned upside down. Not only does Jane fear for her own and her children’s safety whilst the assailant is still on the loose, but she has also discovered that her husband has been keeping secrets from her – secrets that may put their future in jeopardy.

I have always enjoyed Paula Daly’s writing style, and Open Your Eyes is no different – it drew me in from the very first page and kept me interested until the very end. With so many psychological thrillers out there, it is becoming more and more difficult to find an original premise, but Daly has delivered a clever narrative with a very unique twist that totally took me by surprise. I especially appreciated her portrayal of Jane, a mother of two young children, facing the difficult task of caring for a husband who has suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that has not only changed his intellectual capabilities, but also his personality – and the whole family’s livelihood. Throughout the story, I could not help but put myself into Jane’s position, wondering how I would cope with this difficult situation – on top of fearing that her husband’s assailant is still out there posing a threat! I also enjoyed the background of the publishing world, as Leon and his best friend are both successful novelists, and Jane an aspiring writer who has yet been unsuccessful in getting her books published. Daly’s portrayal of her characters is insightful and sensitive and really brought this story to life for me.

Whilst this was a bit of a slow-burner in terms of action, the character driven narrative held an underlying sense of tension that had me frantically turn the pages to find out more, wondering what deep, dark secrets Leon has been hiding from his wife. I love a good relationship drama, and when this is combined with a mystery, it makes for the perfect weekend read! Each character was relatable, from the nosy interfering neighbours to Jane’s aloof mother, creating a background I could really empathise with. There were a couple of instances where I thought that some scenes had not been used to their full potential in creating even more menace and threat, but it probably satisfies the general audience who don’t crave their stories quite as dark and sinister as I do!

In summary, the background of dealing with the repercussions of a brutal attack in Jane’s own home and Leon’s severe traumatic brain injury gives this clever mystery an extra depth not found in many other novels. I thoroughly enjoyed how Daly’s mind works, and the air of danger and menace underlying the story that had me frantically turning the pages to find out the answers.

I’ve read books by Paula Daly before so knew I was in for a good read. And I wasn’t disappointed. Jane's husband Leon, an award winning author, is shot in front of his small children. But who did it? And why? Jane makes investigations of her own and is warned off if she doesn’t drop her enquiries. Who can she trust?

A great plot - highly recommended

I didn't quite see that coming, after being transported on a fabulous journey, where I really wasn't sure who had injured Leon, or what the motivation was, the ending made a lot of sense and was rather quite satisfying.

As a result of a brutal attack Leon's life hangs in the balance and it soon becomes apparent that Jane knows very little about her husband, or about things like her own finances as he looked after them. So when he is incapacitated she suddenly realises she needs to take control.

I found Jane to be a rather likeable character, who was certainly believable, who is forced into an unthinkable situation. She is an aspiring author and her husband is a published author, and one of the themes running through the book is one that all authors will relate to.

That being said at some point it seemed like there was a degree of snobbery about any self published authors which did get my back up as I have read plenty of self published books that are incredibly enjoyable, yet when I had those thoughts it was clear that either the character or author isn't keen on it.

There are all sorts of references to problems that authors have, or could have and it all seemed to ring true to what I know about the book industry.

At times this is a book that pulls on your heartstrings, and then there was an incident that made me regret reading that part of the book in bed, as I knew I needed to sleep but my heart was racing and the book was just getting more addictive but it was 3am!!

Whenever I wasn't reading this my mind was on the story, and I suspect it will infiltrate a few more nights sleep too. It was addictive, and I really felt for both Jane and Leon. It was clear a lot of research had been done into portraying Leon realistically after the attack.

A thoroughly enjoyable story which has reminded me how much I love Paula Daly's books. I really should purchase the couple I haven't read yet.

Thank you to Transworld and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I’ve read all of Paula Daly’s book, and she never disappoints. Her books are compelling and pacy.
Open Your Eyes follows Jane, who is married to successful thriller writer, Leon Campbell. Jane is an aspiring writer herself, and teaches creative writing. The couple have 2 children. One morning the family are on their way out and have an argument with an elderly neighbour. Jane goes back to the house to get something she forgot. When she returns to the car she sees her husband is unconscious, and later learns in the hospital that nails have been found in his head i.e. he’s been shot...But who would want to hurt him? And does that put Jane and her children in danger?
This was a pacy read. I couldn’t put it down. It’s filled with red herrings and dramatic reveals. I did, however, find that in the middle my interest was starting to wane and I found Leon’s character irritating and unlikeable which made me lose interest in finding out who wanted to harm him. But the ending was satisfying enough therefore I’m giving this book 3.5.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Open Your Eyes was an addictive read, having read and enjoyed everyone of Paula's books I was so excited to read this one and once again her books do not disappoint me,

As this book opens, our lead characters Jane and her husband Leon are arguing.

He fared far better in my mind. She's an aspiring author and her novel's just been rejected by publishers after a year of hard work. Leon - a published author - suggests perhaps she could take a break and focus her attention a little more on their kids.

Which would seem to be unfair, condescending and chauvinistic until we learn it's Jane's sixth novel and Leon's been pretty supportive so far.

Their fight's quickly forgotten however and they're about to head out when tragedy strikes. (Dum-dum!)
The argument in the opening scene between Jane and Leon seems minor and (like I said) almost-too-easily forgotten, but we're in Jane's head so know she's frustrated with her husband over his attitude towards their neighbours. She also comments on how quickly he becomes angry or petty, which is a side to him she dislikes.

However, it seems unfathomable to her that someone could have attempted to kill Leon. And in such a nasty / macabre manner.

Jane can't really think of any enemies - other than the fussy neighbours - so she too comes under suspicion of the police. Leon's in an induced coma as a result of brain injuries and no longer looks like the man she knows. On one hand she's not sure about this version of her husband, but on the other IF he wakes she's hoping - or assuming - he'll be able to tell the police who attacked him.

Of course things aren't that easily resolved and Jane uncovers all sorts of secrets her husband has been keeping as she attempts to understand what led to the attack on his life (and her family and its livelihood).

Because Leon's a novelist (as is his best friend) and Jane is an aspiring writer and creative writing teacher, there's a lot of focus on writing and publishing (including self-publishing which gets a bit of a dig here; as well as the world of literary prize-giving and certain prejudices it may have). I guess I particularly enjoyed that element given my interest in that industry.

The book touches on the concept of success and how the goalposts constantly change, and then there's this....

"I wondered what was worse for a person: never having had your dream realized, or having your dream realized and then having it all taken away again." p 231

This is an enjoyable read by Daly and includes a few twists I didn't see coming. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did but easily read it in a Friday night sitting.

3.5 stars

Paula Daly is fantastic author and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jane and her husband Leon are both writers, however, Leon is successfully published while Jane is struggling to be recognised. Leon receives a devastating head injury after an argument with a neighbour, and this throws the family dynamic into turmoil. Jane is determined to discover why her husband was attacked and is terrified when her children are threatened as a result of her investigations.
The aftermath of the attack is very realistically written, I felt so sorry for Jane having to deal with the changes in Leon while trying to hold the family together. I also loved the glimpse into the book publishing world and the competitiveness and jealousy that sometimes rears its head between authors. I loved the pace of the story and there wasn't a lull at all, I couldn't stop reading! Very well written and enjoyable.

This book grabs your attention right from the start.

Jane is getting ready to travel to her mother in laws with her husband, Leon, and their 2 children. After a run in with a neighbour Leon decides he needs beer to take to his Mums so Jane returns to the house leaving Leon and the kids in the car on the drive. When she returns Leon is acting weird and not himself, he has been attacked on their own drive. Who would do such a thing ? And why ?

Jane is left to look after the children and earn some money to keep the family afloat, whilst Leon is in hospital recovering. As Jane tries to investigate why Leon was attacked she discovers that maybe she doesn’t know her husband as well as she thought.

This is a book with lots of twists and turns to keep you interested. A great read and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of Paula Daly’s books in the future.

Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Another good book from Paula Daly but the ending................................................................I'm not sure about that !!!