Classic isolated Scottish Island whodunnit with a modern slant and a whiff of Agatha Christie. I needed to escape and this was perfect.

Thanks to Net Galley & Avon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Anna survives a car accident where two of her work colleagues are fatalities and another is left with serious injuries, Ann was the driver and blames herself for the death of her colleagues but she was not at fault,
Home from hospital and recouperating she constantly feels she is being watched, her boyfriend thinks she is paranoid, she breaks up with him and takes herself to a small remote island in Scotland, to work as a hotel receptionist in the only hotel there where she is looking forward to being anonymous and leaving her troubles behind.
David the hotel owner is glad to have someone to share the workload. A group of guests arrive for a hiking holiday, they are a mixed bunch but once again it’s not long to Anna has the eerie feeling that she is being watched, she locks her bedroom door at night. A storm brews and the guests are all coupled up together, everyone is irritable and things start to go wrong.
Some parts of the story flowed and other parts I felt were dragged out and for me not believable , I’m also not sure I would call it a psychological thriller. Not an awful read but for me it just didn’t work.

I really enjoyed this book - the mystery will keep you guessing right until it is revealed! Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC.

After a car accident, which claimed lives of Anna's two colleagues and severly injured another one, she decides for a complete change in her life and takes up a position of a receptionist and general dogsbody in a small hotel on the Scottish Island of Rum, hoping to get rid of the guilt she has after being a driver of the car. She needs a time out and sleep and overcome the night terrors that keep plaguing her, and what better place to start if not on a remote island with only 36 residents? Soon after she starts working there, seven guests arrive at the hotel and strange things and events occur, making Anna think if her stalker followed her from London to Scotland? Is she in danger? Is someone trying to... kill her?

I like the fact that the twists and turns in this novel were so straight to the point. I can't give you an example (obviously!) but I simply loved how the things happened and without all the extras, there wasn't any unnecessary building the tension, will it happen/won't it happen/what ifs, it was such a pleasant change and made the reading so much more dynamic and thrilling.

The book started in a perfect and very promising way: "If you're reading this then I am no longer alive" - wow, right? The remoteness of the hotel has added so much to the storyline, it was a great idea to set it on the Scottish Island of Rum, cut off from the world because of raging storms. This really sets the scene, dark, mysterious and dangerous and the feeling of isolation, of being cut off from the outside world - literally - was there, and was overwhelming.

The characters were very well written and vividly described. They were troubled and full of flaws and they kept secrets, and what was great was the fact that actually I was all the time changing my mind about them - I always like this feeling of uncertainty, of not knowing who I can trust. They were not likeable to be honest, and in fact, personally, I didn't really care who's the culprit, because they were all able to do this and because well, I didn't have my own favourites. They simply didn't quite hit the mark for me.

But guys, I'm not sure what it was but I've missed something in this book. Maybe I've simply expected much more? C.L. Taylor is an author that's getting raving reviews and I keep hearing brilliant things about her books so probably I went into "Sleep" expecting unimaginable things. Don't get me wrong, it was a good book, interesting and hooking but also somehow flat for me, not reaching the promising height it could have. Yes, I was intrigued but I've missed the tension, this overwhelming feeling that something bad is going to happen. And Anna seemed to me very cold, lacking in emotions and while I was worried about her, I didn't feel any connection to her, a connection that would make me vibrate, that would make me sit on my tenterhooks, shout "watch out" and completely fell for her.

"Sleep" was a story full of twists and turns. I had, however, a feeling that the author didn't engage with the characters, that she was not fully in their skin - I've missed the connection there, or maybe it was intentional? Never mind, it didn't work for me too well. But I still enjoyed the storyline, the surprises that the author has thrown our way, and the fact that actually till the very last moment I was kept guessing. It was a solid and interesting psychological thriller with addictive writing style - the prose, the assortment of words has me reading every sentence, every word, as I simply didn't want to miss anything. The clues and red herrings were placed masterfully, in all the right places yet it really took me till the end to find out who was the one trying to kill Anna and why - because the why is also not so obvious. Recommended!

Thanks to netgalley and Avon for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read and enjoyed all of C.L. Taylor’s novels and this was no exception. This is about Anna, who is driving during an accident that kills 2 of her co workers and severely injured another, while she walks away with minor injuries. Unable to deal with the guilt and also feeling that someone in London is stalking her, she takes a job on the small Scottish island of Rum, at a small hotel. While there, she fears that her stalker has followed her and is one of the guests.

I liked the format of this book and I like when there are a number of people that could be guilty because it keeps me guessing. I didn’t sniff out who was guilty or why and was happy to be surprised. I look forward to C.L. Taylor’s next novel.

This was an interesting psychological thriller with a different plot line but there was something that just didn't excite me. It was readable but just didn't quite hit the spot for me and I don't know why. Perhaps it was the characters didn't appeal to me or I couldn't engage with Anna. There was so much scope for building an atmosphere on the island of Rum but I didn't feel it.
Many thanks to Netgalley/C.L. Taylor/Avon Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow just wow as this is really intriguing with so many different things happening all the time, who is doing this or are there more people with grudges towards Anna.

Escaping to an island so leaving everything she knew behind seemed like a really good idea until more things started to go wrong. Was someone out to get her and which one of the guests did not like her?

David the owner was now dead so can Anna keep it all together as the storm had closed all routes in and out from the hotel. So many secrets coming from the guests but no answers. Anna ends up fighting for her life and still not knowing who wants her dead until the end and then it all makes sense.

Brilliant piece of work by C.L. Taylor that you will not want to put down, you just don’t know what will happen next, who will survive and who will end up dead. I loved it.

This is the first book by C.L. Taylor that I have read and I have to say that I wasn't overly thrilled with it. Despite everyone's raves reviews I found it a little monotonous and not overly exciting. I will say that I had some difficulty sleeping after reading it though, waking in the night thinking I heard something. But that would be the most effect it had on me.

SLEEP begins with promise - a chilling promise of things to come - and yet it failed to reach those hair-raising heights. I don't know why but it just never got there.

All Anna wants to do is sleep but she is plagued with crushing insomnia, terrifying nightmares and memories of the horrific crash that killed two of her colleagues and left one crippled with life-changing injuries. Anna walked away. As she was driving she feels responsible and since then has blamed herself.

But she is not the only one who feels she is to blame. Someone has been leaving her messages with the word SLEEP. A note on her car, a postcard in her pocket. Someone is watching her, stalking her. Someone wants her to suffer. Her boyfriend Alex believes she is just so sleep-deprived she is imagining things. But Anna knows better. She believes she knows who is behind the messages and thinks it's time for a clean break. A new start, a new place, a change in direction.

Anna decides to take a position with a small hotel on the Scottish island of Rum - an island so small its population is just 35. Perfect, Anna thinks. Far away from people and her old life in London. And hopefully, far away from the person stalking her. What better way than to escape the aftermath in the hope she can finally find some peace...and sleep.

Soon after her arrival a walking group book into the Bay View Hotel just as a storm is approaching. However, they don't let that deter them as they spend their first day exploring the island. But soon, the storm builds and becomes worse with torrential rain and cyclonic winds keeping the group indoors to amuse themselves. And before long, the rain cuts them off from the rest of the island, leaving them alone with just each other as the storm continues to rage.

But then strange things begin to happen and Anna again has that awful sense she is being watched. Then her new colleague and friend dies suddenly in front of them and when she sees the words pertaining once again to "SLEEP" drawn into the condensation of the window, terror begins to flood through her. Anna knows that whoever was stalking her in London has followed her here. And it can only be one of seven people. One of her guests wants her dead. But which one?

I must admit I didn't guess the culprit in this one, and many of the characters weren't completely likable. They did, however, all have their own secrets as the reader tries to unravel which of them has it in for Anna.

There is an obvious nod to Agatha Christie (and her "Ten Little Indians") with the setting of the scene but there the similarity ends. There was the makings of a truly chilling tale here but it fails to live up to them spectacularly. It certainly lacked the creepiness I'd expected to feel and instead I found myself increasingly frustrated with Anna.

A dark psychological thriller, SLEEP should leave you breathless and unable to sleep yourself but for me, it didn't quite live up to its hype. However, I won't let this deter me from exploring the author's other books as I have heard nothing but rave reviews about them and look forward to immersing myself in another, hopefully more thrilling tale.

I would like to thank #CLTaylor, #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUK for this ARC of #Sleep in exchange for an honest review.

What drew me to Sleep was not only my love of Ms Taylor's previous novels but also the remote setting of the Scottish island of Rum. There really is nothing better than a gripping thriller set in a claustrophobic landscape that leads to a dark, unpredictable and deeply atmospheric story. There are twists, turns and red herrings galore and the author does a superb job of throwing you off the scent. This is a writer at the top of her game and who just gets better and better with each book. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining addition to Cally's catalogue of work and a real page-turner to boot. If your a fan of psychological thrillers you could do a lot worse than picking this up.

Many thanks to Avon for an ARC.

I have read a few books by this author and she writes a fantastic story and an excellent psychological thriller so when I saw that she had a new release out, Sleep (this book), I knew it was definitely one I wanted to read – I prided myself in my self-control for this one as I resisted the temptation to dive right in the day it landed on my Kindle and I actually saved it to read on New Year’s Eve/Day – and I have to say it was the perfect way to start my 2019 reading!

I loved the setting for the story and how it was told from the views of different characters. The start of the book was superb – a brilliant hook to get me engaged and I finished it within hours of starting. I completely devoured it and it was a brilliant page turner.

Everything about the book worked for me, the setting was great, it was eerie, windswept and the perfect setting to make the plotline work and if anything it has made me want to visit Rum and the Highlands and Islands again.

I loved that I was guessing (incorrectly) what was going on only to find that there was a plot twist and I was left guessing again – that is what makes for a perfect read for me.

The ending was very well crafted and it is definitely five stars from me, it was a fantastic book to start my 2019 reading with and I cannot recommend this one highly enough!!

I honestly cannot wait to see what this author releases next – her books for me just keep getting better and better – this one was a belter!!

Anna has many reasons for wanting to get away from her past but she simply can’t escape ‘herself’. There had been a terrible accident and two people she worked with had died and one was left paralysed and she couldn’t help but put blame on herself, although it wasn’t her fault. Someone else blamed her too, as she felt that she was being followed and strange messages kept appearing. Her unsympathetic partner jumped at the chance of a split when she announced that she had taken a new job way out on one of Scotland’s smallest and least populated Islands, Rum.
The owner of the small hotel where she was to work, the only hotel on the Island, was a lovely bloke, who like her had moved to the Island to escape life really after his partner had died on the main land. Anna was to help run the hotel, make guests welcome, clean the rooms, serve meals and attend the bar in the evening. When the seven guests arrive they are a varied bunch, each holding their own secrets but there was a bit of a cuckoo amongst them who had a much larger agenda in mind.
When a huge storm hits the Island, cutting them off from the mainland both by boat and any form of communication things really begin to go bump in the night. The Island retreat for Anna has now become a very small world that she cannot escape from. From being the new employee everyone is looking to her to know the answers and someone is winding everyone up. Since the accident Anna couldn’t sleep without waking from night terrors. Now she daren’t close her eyes, there is no-one she can trust.
This is a cracking story that just holds you from the very first chapter to the last page. All the characters on the Island have complicated pasts which come to light bit by bit, each one of them I had at one point or another thought as the person after Anna. It really is a heart in your mouth plot as she tries to delve into all of their lives to find her stalker before it is too late. The story also jumps back and forth to the main land with up dates about what is happening there too which had some pretty top quality red herrings to throw into the mix to make my pulse pound even more. Excellent stand alone story!
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I don’t usually like to see an initial chapter or forward in a novel that foreshadows what is to come. In most cases, authors are using it as a hook, hoping a reader will get caught up and purchase their book based upon what will be happening later. Although she used this technique, C.L. Taylor exercised it with novelty and control, creating something that easily led me to the next chapter.

The early story introduces Anna, who was the driver in a horrible accident that resulted in people dying. There are people who blame Anna for the deaths of their loved ones, and the suspense begins early as Anna begins to feel that she is being watched. Ms. Taylor slowly ratchets this feeling higher with each page and the book became impossible to put down (yes, I was forced to finish it in one morning).

Anna is soon thrust into a situation where she has no place to run, and she knows that one of the seven people trapped with her is the killer. The amazing essence of the book is that the author continues to feed clues to the reader, though she makes it seem effortless and the number of red herrings could feed someone for a week. It was only near the end when I figured out who the killer was, although that was the same time Ms. Taylor was ramping up the terror and WANTED the reader to know. All books should be this convoluted, feeding us facts that continually send us walking down the wrong paths.

This is a fantastic suspense thriller, with enough twists and turns to satisfy the most demanding reader. Five stars.

Another absolute thriller from CL Taylor. I so enjoyed this story and just kept turning those pages until I reached the final one. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next or who was going to turn out to have ulterior motives. I really don't think you'll see any of the events of the book coming, it will definitely keep you guessing.

Anna is a wonderfully vulnerable character. We know she had respect in her job but wasn't happy in her relationship so when she tries to escape her past, it really is open game as to who or what is stopping her from sleeping. I totally love Anna's work ethic, she really want to do a good job and has ambition and that makes her really easy to like. We know about some of the events from her past but not all of them and so she has an element of mystery about her as well.

One of the other things I really loved about this novel was the setting. I enjoy a novel set in Scotland so much and so the setting of a remote island was just wonderful. Not only did the remoteness of the island provide so much tension for the events of the book, but it also allowed me to escape from my plane seat and be right there in the hotel with Anna.

This novel has such a claustrophobic atmosphere to it because of the setting and because of Anna's sleep problem. I too did not sleep whilst reading this novel. I began to feel as paranoid as Anna, and being trapped in a plane seat really made me feel the urgency of being in a remote location like her. CL Taylor does such a good job of letting her words and her world come off the page and engulf the reader. I loved this book and would definitely recommend it!

As always, C L Taylor knocks it out of the park! A book full of mystery, keeping me gripped all the way through!
C L Taylor never disappoints :)

I have loved all of C.L. Taylors previous books, ‘Sleep’ I liked!
The story revolves around Anna who is involved in a car crash where 2 of her colleagues die and one has life changing injuries, she walks away....was it her fault?
Anna cant settle back to ‘normal’ life and so moves to Rum (!) a near deserted isolated Scottish island to start work in the islands only hotel and welcomes her first set of guests....there is a storm...the hotel is cut off....someone is seeking revenge for what she ‘did’ but who is it? And why? ....
There is nothing like a hotel story, full of characters, getting to know them and who they are really are, everyone has a story but whose story includes revenge...
The hotel, Rum itself and the characters are as always in this authors books described with ease and draw you in and involve you immediately, the story is set, the players are ready and off you go
The conclusion and the person who is advocating ‘Sleep’ and their reasons for doing so is chilling if not just a tad unbelievable imo thats why this book for me is a like instead of a love, nonetheless a good, well written and involving story as always by C.L.Taylor
7.5/10 4 Stars

Sleep is a perfectly written psychological thriller that had me guessing the entire time. I haven’t yet read any of C.L. Taylor’s books, I only discovered her books a little over a month ago when she was one of the authors at a talk and signing I attended. However, after reading Sleep I cannot wait to dive into more of her books (I have The Treatment sitting on my shelf waiting).

The book starts with Anna driving herself and three of her colleagues along a motorway when a lorry drives them off the road. After surgery, Anna walks away practically unscathed (physically), but two of her colleagues are dead and the other is paralyzed and she is overwhelmed with guilt. Consumed with guilt she starts receiving anonymous messages referencing sleep, but no else seems to see the threatening tone. Desperate to start anew, Anna takes a job in the only hotel on a little island off Scotland. She is still having trouble sleeping but seems to be adjusting to life at the hotel, until a group of tourists arrive and the messages begin again.

This book is filled with plot twist after plot twist, and I was on the edge of my seat for every page. I’m going to recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers, because this is an incredible read.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Sleep is a well constructed thriller and kept me guessing pretty well throughout. I liked the construct and the characters - it’s hard not to feel empathy with Anna’s guilt, and with her desire to change her life.

I also really enjoyed how the killer’s and Steve’s viewpoints intermingled with Anna’s. Especially Steve’s - his is very intentionally written. Having said that, despite feeling sorry for his loss, I felt that he wasn’t a very sympathetic character.

I really like how Cally structures her books, and how she keeps the suspense and the pace up.

My only real quibble with the book is a personal preference - I’m really not a big fan of a revenge plot. To say spoiler free I won’t comment on how it plays out, though I did enjoy parts of it. It just dragged the review down to 3.5 stars for me. Still a very enjoyable read though!

From the very first chapter I was completely drawn into the book and one hundred percent focused on what I was reading. The only thing that pulled me away was a pre-arranged walk with my sister but as soon as I got home I was back to it and completely engrossed, finishing the book the same day. Believe me when I say that this has been very, very rare this year and hats off to author C.L. Taylor who had me so caught up in both the characters and the story that I didn't want to turn away. My cats were less impressed as they had to wait to be fed but that's an entirely different story ...

Sleep is the story of Anna, a woman whose life changes in an instant when the car she is driving is involved in a serious collision with life changing consequences not just for her, but also for her colleagues that she was driving home. It's a situation that, whilst thankfully most of us have never been involved in, is really quite relatable and this adds a layer of authenticity and sadness to the novel right from the start. Anna is plagued by guilt and unable to live with the consequences of what happened she decides to start her life over on a remote island in Scotland.

So far so ordinary, but Anna's life is anything but and moving to Rum is really just the start of her troubles and of a tense, atmospheric and at times claustrophobic read that had me on the edge of my seat, because someone connected with Anna's past is out for revenge and being on a remote island with a heavy storm drawing in makes her a sitting duck. But for whom? That's quite the question because this is where the author has you guessing all over the place with no end of potential suspects. The story had a kind of 'open plan' locked room mystery feel to it and all of the guests of the hotel Anna works at seem to be guarding secrets. It's fair to say that doubt is cast over each and every one of them over the course of the novel.

I grew to like Anna very quickly and you could feel her inner turmoil and natural fear following the incident, however there was enough of an erratic quality about her that made you question just how much of what was happening was real and how much of it paranoia. There is a sense of isolation which you get from her, both mental and physical as she gradually becomes cut off from anyone she knows or trusts. Now typically you'd wonder how this was possible given we live in an age of connectivity, but I love how the author has gotten around the whole problem of modern technology spoiling the suspense in the story, and has managed to add a very plausible edge to the tension which grows from very early on in the book.

Whilst I've been a fan of the author's for a while, I found myself absolutely racing through the pages of this book, keen to know what would happen next, whether Anna would work out in time who the real threat was. The author has cunningly used more a kind of sleight of hand than blatant misdirection in guiding the reader towards her suspects and this works brilliantly, keeping the truth a very closely guarded secret until right towards the end when it becomes a true fight for Anna's life. It left me with a smile on my face and a feeling of complete satisfaction when I finished it and that cannot be a bad thing now, can it?

Another fantastic psychological thriller by C.L Taylor, her book's have a habit of drawing you in and this one is no different. Clear space in your day as you won't be able to put it down.

"If you're reading this I am no longer alive. Someone has been stalking me for the last three months and, if I am dead, it wasn't an accident."

WoW.......What a brilliant way to open a book!

Sleep by C.L. Taylor was Just Brilliant all the way through...............This book gripped me from the very first few words and I just wanted more...........It's a book that is full of twists and turns, it will have you guessing who is stalking Anna throughout this wonderful book.

Don't fall a Sleep!!!!

Anna and her work Colleagues are driving back from a team building event. When they're involved in a car accident which involves a lorry. Sadly two of her work colleagues are killed and one colleague is left crippled. Anna is left with so much guilt even though it was not her fault.
Anna's relationship with her boyfriend ends and to escape her past, she starts a fresh, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum.
However, when seven guests join her at the hotel, what started as a retreat turns into a deadly nightmare.

Seven strangers. who all have Seven secrets. But, One deadly lie.

Sleep!!! You wont get much or even any if you start to read it in the evening! So be warned!!!

Highly recommend all of C.L Taylor's books.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advanced readers copy of this book.
All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway