I have read several books by Paula Daly and enjoyed them all. I enjoyed this too for the most part, however, I was a little disappointed by it. It starts with a neighbourly dispute. Leon Campbell, a successful writer, is arguing with his neighbour Lawrence. Lawrence is a pensioner with seemingly little else to do than worry about where neighbours park their cars and where their cats shit. Leon's wife, Jane, an unsuccessful writer, can't be bothered listening to them so she goes inside for just under ten minutes. When she returns Leon is not quite how he was and a few seconds later he collapses. He has been shot in the head by a nail gun. After this reasonably good start though, it goes downhill for me. Jane is soon under suspicion for the reason that only her and Leon's prints are on the nail gun (which is theirs so no surprise there). Jane finds out that they have no money left and that Leon has had writer's block so his latest novel is unfinished. What's more his personality has completely changed so he is difficult to live with. All in all, before and after the incident he comes across as not very likeable. But what lets the book down most is the ending which is rather banal. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this, like Paula Daly's other books - story gradually developed to the final reveal with genuinely likeable characters in a frightening life changing situation. Just a tad disappointed in the 'twee' ending, otherwise it would have been five stars.

This was the perfect read from start to finish for me. When Jane's husband Leon is attacked on their driveway for no apparent reason, Jane sets to find out who did this and why. Leon is a successful crime author but appears to have a secret life from Jane, and when she starts digging deeper she feels she doesn't really know Leon at all.
As with all of Paula Daly's books there are plenty of twists, turns and suspects and I couldn't put it down.
Highly recommended.

I love Paula's work, I think she's one of the most distinctive and intelligent voices in British crime at the moment. Following a fantastic beginning this raced along and was thoroughly enjoyable.

4-5 stars! Engaging and twisty! Definitely a book you don't expect to turn out the way it does, but still have your brain spinning a few days after. I highly recommend to those who love the suspenseful books, that make their mind spin! And will be recommending to members of Chapter Chatter Pub, mid July before release date!

Leon is in hospital...who has attacked him on his own front drive ? Jane his wife is searching for the answer.......as she tries to find out she becomes frightened for her own safety and that of her children. Very well written with an interesting item used to perpetrate the crime against Leon. The author keeps you guessing as to who committed this offence whilst working through the trauma sensitively and realistically of living with someone who has a brain injury. Could not put this book down read it in 2 days!

Just finished this book and ...Well, what can I say? Paula Daly quotes Aristotle, informing us that a story should have a surprising but inevitable conclusion. And I was blown away by the final conclusion of the novel, which I won’t spoil! You know when you think what?! Is this true?
The references to writing and writers did seem autobiographical, which really helped me connect with the characters, the conclusion was satisfying, the book perfectly crafted. Well developed characters, but not too many that it felt confusing. Set intimately enough that the right amount of tension is created, the book is difficult to review fully without giving away spoilers. I love Paula Daly. I want to be her and this novel took me into a place where I felt I could be!. I wanted to get my notebook out and write all her writing tips (I still might).

After reading my first Paula Daly novel “what kind of mother are you”, I instantly downloaded and devoured all of her books so I was really excited to receive this advanced copy via NetGalley. I knew straight from the opening words, where the protagonist gets her manuscript rejected, that I was in for a day or two of “getting nothing done”!

Protagonist Jane is a struggling writer and her husband Leon is a too, albeit more successful. One day, a minor accident causes Leon to collapse and suffer severe brain injury, resulting in a coma and memory loss.. What follows is the opening of a can of worms that Jane (and the reader) just cannot make sense of. No more spoilers- read the book!!!

Open Your Eyes had me gripped right from the outset. Leon Campbell, a successful crime writer, is brutally attacked - sustaining a serious brain injury - while seated in his own car, in his own driveway, with his children in the back of the car. The story is narrated by his wife Jane, also an aspiring writer and creative writing teacher, as she struggles to make sense of what has happened to Leon and why.

There was something about this book which had me captivated - I really struggled to put it down. The mystery of who attacked Leon and for what reason runs alongside Leon’s gradual and very partial recovery and his family’s struggle to deal with the changes in him. Meanwhile Jane is having to deal with a growing sense of threat from various quarters, and a dawning realisation that there’s a lot she doesn’t know about her husband.

I was intrigued throughout and I’ll admit that for most of the story I didn’t guess either the culprit or the reason. I wasn’t entirely sure about the very “meta” ending, though.

I'm a fan of Paula Daly's books and I couldn't wait to start her latest release – Open Your Eyes.
Absolutely brilliant! I sat and read the book in a day and did not want to put it down.
The story line was gripping, Paula has created another dark, intruiging novel that has many layers to it. It will draw you straight in and keep you filled with suspense as you race through every page, desperate to know what happens and discover the truth. Highly recommended.

This was a brilliantly addictive novel from the pen of one of my favourite writers Paula Daly. I read it fast, utterly caught up in Jane’s battle to learn to live with a man who is completely changed from the man she married and to discover what happened to him in those short moments after she left him in the car…

 

The story encompasses many themes and is set in the literary world so will resonate with readers everywhere. The emotional core of it sits within the trauma of life after severe brain injury, the terrible affect not only on the victim but on those that love them. Having had some experience of this with friends of mine I was struck by how well the author captures the heartache and the challenges, authentically and emotionally, the writing is beautifully immersive and resonant.

Add to that a truly intriguing and unpredictable mystery element with some well placed and surprising twists of plot, plus a pitch perfect ending that will keep you thinking about it long after reading and you have an excellent read, well worth the wait and Open Your Eyes definitely comes highly recommended by me.

Open Your Eyes by Paula Daly is a psychological thriller that had my attention from the first page. Jane's husband is attacked in his car outside their house as is now in hospital in a coma. Jane is left to look after her two young children and is afraid that whoever attacked her husband will come back for her. I really enjoyed this book and all its twist and turns.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jane is happily married to Leon, a successful writer, with two teenage children. Jane is happy apart from an unfulfilled dream to be a published author. Jane plays the typical housewife and mother being given money by her husband to run the house.
Jane is heading out with her family when the neighbour starts an argument ent with her husband. Jane walks into the house to collect something and when she returns her husband has been violently assaulted.
Who would want to do this and why does it look like Jane did it?
Jane starts to unravel that her husband is not who she thinks he was.
I enjoyed the novel but it’s not as good as Paula Daly’s previous novels. In the modern world it’s difficult to believe that Jane does not know the finances of her family. I dislike the aftermath of how the family change and shift to fit the circumstances.
I would read the author again.

Paula did not disappoint with her new book. A man is shot in the head t the beginning of the book and Paula keeps you guessing to the very end who is responsible. Paula touched on a very sensitive subject and done herself proud.

I loved this book and love this author. She has not disappointed with this new story. I was hooked right till the end and unlike what normal happens with me I had not guessed the ending, I spent the whole book feeling so sorry for the main character and not liking her husband for most of the story. I couldn’t put this down!

I enjoyed this, maybe not quite as much as her other books but it kept me interested. Leon is a writer who gets brutally attacked. Jane is his wife who sets out to find the culprit, uncovering deceptions and lies along the way. I found it a bit of a slow burn.

A well written book about an author who unexpectedly receives a brain injury and his wife’s determination to discover who did it.

I always look forward to reading a paula daly book. This was worth the wait. A well written book and story line that keeps you wanting to read more. A writer receives a devastating brain injury but who made this happen? It wasn’t the person i thought it would be!

I love Paula Daly’s previous books,she is one of my fav authors,
Unfortunately this book for me lacks the thrills and excitemnet of previous books
Very slow in parts and the ending just kinda fizzled out
I found the talk about the publishing world etc although interesting at times detracted from the story
Not a bad book,just not my favourite by this author

I have enjoyed other work written by Paula Daly and this novel was also quite good.

It is a slow burn of a novel, but there is a lingering sense of dread in the back of it while you read. You know something is going to happen, you just don't know when. I truly enjoyed this one!

What a book Paula Daly!!

I devoured this book in a day. I loved all the references to Liverpool as that is where I am from but mostly I loved the pace of the book. Alot of books tend to slow down in the middle but not this book.

The story starts with Leon, a well known author being shot in the head with a nail gun leading to an induced coma and later resulting in memory loss. His wife Jane then has to try and put the pieces of their lives back together after stumbling upon a multitude of secrets and debt Leon failed to disclose before being shot. Will she figure out the truth?? And at what cost??