Thank you to Netgalley for the preview of this book. If you are looking for a creepy & unnerving thriller than this is the book for you. Once you start reading you'll find it hard to put down!

This book turned me into pillow biter, feather choker, heavy breather and high pitched screamer!

I still don’t know how I survived after reading this high tensioned, claustrophobic, mind spinner, terrifying, dark, disturbing novel! It was brilliant till the end. Especially when you suffer from side effects of lockdown in your own house and read something more terrifying like waking up some place which is exact replica of your house, kidnapped, being watched by some batshit crazy guy who is wearing your daughter’s face as a mask, you learn to be thankful about your situation. You say: thanks God, I have lots of booze, an irritating, talkative husband I may use as my private chef and a gorgeous Mount TBR where I could rent for hikers as soon as this madness ends.

As I mentioned at the first paragraph: the book starts at the work place of Lily Russell who checks the security cams of her house (she just moved there, won full custody of her six years old daughter Maisie, as a widow she gets their safety seriously) and realizes a peeping Tom wearing her daughter’s face as a mask, standing outside of her house. She tells him she’s gonna call the police. (Yes, she can yell at him from her office space and the man can exactly hear what she tells him from mics.) And the man disappears after her warning.

Lily gets suspicious with her husband Ewan who recently moved to his brother’s house and cut the connection with them for 8 months after losing custody. From a few flashbacks we get that he was suffering from alcoholism and anger management problem but we don’t get informed enough about their marriage and problematic marriage.

And of course her husband denies his connection with the intrusion. Lily calls her sister, sharing a bottle of wine with her and the very next day, she opens her eyes to a place where is exact copy of her house (even their furniture, accessories and the food they stocked are the same. Somebody should have been stalking them for a long time to get this detailed information about their lives.)

The windows are reinforced. The doors are plate steel. Lily and Maisie might have been kidnapped and caged in this house and they have no idea what their captor’s true intentions who still watch out them from their own house. Is he going to kill them? Why is doing that? Is there any possibility to escape from their prison?

This book can be easily adapted into the screenplay and it could be great, one location, suffocating, nerve bending thriller movie! The chapters are short, riveting, mysterious and they made me feel as if I have been reading action packed movie scenes. The mystery captures you from the beginning and you cannot put it down, disconnecting with outside world, screaming, breathing heavily and shitting yourself (it was so close, that’s why I already stocked human diapers for my thriller reads!)

But ending and revelation part was a little undeveloped for my needs. I’m still having so many questions about the outcome because we didn’t get much background information about heroine’s past. So it was hard to predict the captor’s identity and the motives as well. There are still unanswered parts for me. Maybe the author wanted to write a sequel and he intentionally left those parts open ended for us!

So I cut 1.5 points for the big revelation part but it was still dynamic, horrifying, dark, twisty and fast reading. I’m giving 3.5 stars and as usual I’m rounding them up to 4! It was still brilliant and enjoyable work and a great choice to turn into a movie script as well.

Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for sharing this heart throbbing ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Immediately I was engrossed in this book! The plot- waking up in a house that looks exactly like your own, but isn’t, is so creepy & thrilling! I loved the characters, the plot, and the details. I’m still thinking about the ending & will be for a long time

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of While You Slept.

The premise sounded exciting so I was pleased when my request was approved.

One day, Lily sees a man wearing a photograph of her daughter's face on his head, like a mask. How disturbing! She calls the cops but the intruder disappears.

The next day, Lily and Maisie wake up in their home. But's its not their home. It looks like their home. It's got the favorite foods in the fridge. Books on the shelf, photo albums where they're supposed to be. But it's not home. Where are they? How did they get here? Who is to blame?

This was a scary premise with great, creepy elements and my adrenaline was high as I was reading but there were too many moments of disbelief suspension I was forced to take. Before long, I had to suspend disbelief entirely by the time I got to the end.

First, Maisie doesn't act like a five year old child, much less a distraught five year old dealing with her parents' separation. She sounds and acts more like a tween.

Second, reading this felt like watching a movie but starting from the middle. The actions starts abruptly.

There's no exposition. We don't know anything about Lily or her family; all we know is that she separated from her ex after a physical assault that left their daughter emotionally damaged.

Third, the identity of the villain makes no sense whatsoever. It all comes out of left field. There's no background on Lily's family, what her father may or may not be capable of, if there was any suspicious activity about her father's professional life.

This wasn't for me but While You Slept would appeal to readers who can suspend disbelief easily and often.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of While You Slept!

This book was just “meh” for me... at the beginning I found the concept really interesting and I couldn’t put the book down but the ending, there was just no big climax. Lily and her daughter Maisie wake up to find themselves in a shell of their home. Their bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, food, cat, everything is an exact replica of their apartment, but it’s not their apartment. Lily’s phone only works when the kidnapper calls who tells her she will stay in this fake house for 314 days!!! I thought finding out who was doing this to Lily and Maisie was going to be a huge shocker but honestly, it wasn’t. Not because it was easily predictable, it was just like hmm ok... and some things like how this kidnapper pulled this off wasn’t even addressed. Because this was such a fast read, if the plot sounds interesting to you I’d still recommend reading it. Just don’t expect a big “wow” moment!

Wow, this novel was phenomenal. It blew me away. It kept me guessing and I was really engaged in the story and the characters while reading this novel. R.J. Parker is my new favorite author. It was well written and developed.

This is a good read, excellent, actually. But you have to feel comfortable that has a sadistic plot. I was happy to finish it, including the shocking ending, but again, read the introductory plot and other reviews to ensure your level of comfort with the subject matter

Thank you to R. J. Parker, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for this ARC.

What a creepy book! I really enjoyed the story of how Lily and her daughter are basically stolen from their home and placed in an exact replica of their home. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I felt it was rushed, and left so many questions unanswered. I actually thought there were missing pages when I read that final sentence.

Good premise, creepy story, but I think there needs to be a sequel or a novella to finish off the ending.

While You Slept is a creepy and intense thriller! Obsession at its finest! Definitely recommend this book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine you wake up in your home, but it quickly turns out that it isn't your home at all...
When Lily and Maisie wake up one morning, Lily instantly senses that something is wrong. As she wanders around the house, her foreboding grows, and when she opens her garden door only to discover that she is 10 floors up and looking down on a building site, her misgivings are confirmed.
Held captive in a replica of her house, with no way out, Lily is told that she and her daughter are to stay there for 314 days.

The story follows Lily's first-person account of events and draws you in instantly.
The idea is very original, and I found myself racing through it with bated breath.
The book ticks a lot of important boxes; it's fast-paced, suspenseful, thrilling, and unputdownable.
As I kept madly turning the pages, I was convinced it would be a solid 5 star read. However, the ending left me very unsatisfied.
The captors' reason for imprisoning Lily and Maisie seemed to have been plucked out of nowhere, with no clues leading to it. I also think that the way Maisie spoke and behaved was way beyond her age of 5.
Either way, overall, it was a gripping and thrilling read, and I will definitely be checking out the author's other novels.
If you're looking for a fast and thrilling read, then you shouldn't hesitate to pick it up.

What if you woke up and realized you were home but not really?Very creepy good, but intense read! I loved how the author kept us guessing as to what was going on! It all started when Lily’s home security system alerted her at work that someone was in her back garden. She checked her phone and saw someone in her garden staring into the camera with a mask on of her daughter Maisies face! She went to bed that night very afraid and woke up the next morning petrified. Have I piqued your interest? You must read the book to find out what happens.

What would you do if you woke up in your home, but it wasn't your home at all?

When a man wearing a picture mask of her daughter Maisie's face stands tauntingly in her garden, Lily Russell does the smart thing and calls the police. When she and Maisie wake up the following morning in an exact replica of their home, held captive by that same man, the police are no longer an option.

Surrounded by the rooms and things that once provided comfort and now only promote fear, Lily and Maisie must fight to survive. Because when no one knows where you are, you are your only hope.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I knew I needed to read this once I read the premise, very creepy, original and way out there! Lily is at work and gets a message on her phone from her home security. A man is in her backyard, wearing a mask of her five year old daughter. Police pick up her daughter, Maisie, from school make sure she safe. The police think it is someone that Lily knew and they are pulling a sick prank on her. Lily wakes up the next day and everything is normal until she realized her home doesn't seem normal, little things are off. Mostly she notices the window in the kitchen. It's supposed to look out into her garden, but it looks out to rubble. Lily and Maisie have been kidnapped and are thrown into an exact replica of their home. How did they get there?!

It seemed a bit short and rushed for how much the author could have done. I got thru it pretty fast because I couldn't put it down. And the conversation between mother and daughter were a bit advanced for the little girl being only 5 IMHO.

While You Slept had me so on edge!

Lily and her daughter Maisie wake up to find themselves in a copy of their home. Everything is the same, even the contents of the drawers and the drawings on the fridge but it feels wrong. Why are they here and who has done this to them?

Suspense nearly killed me. The writing is perfect, the serious of the situation comes perfectly through the pages and you really feel for Lily and Maisie. The only downside is I would have liked to see the who explained a bit more, it was unexpected.

The last line of this book will take your breath away.

Suspenseful and Nail-Bitingly Chilly!

Sometimes I like to deviate from women's fiction or historical fiction with a psychological thriller. This was a great one to choose. What distinguishes the good psychological thrillers from the great ones (Gone Girl or this title) ? Character development and plot development. In addition, careful pacing is key. If you give away the twist too early on, what's the fun in that? This novel had perfect pacing and I wanted to read on to get to know the characters more. Sure, a purely plot-driven title is fun, but if there is depth to the characters it makes for a more enjoyable read all around. That was definitely the case in 'WHILE YOU SLEPT'. Any customer looking for a readalike to The Silent Wife or You, this would be a great recommendation. I definitely enjoyed this book.. and look forward to reading more from this author.

Where to begin?

While You Slept holds an excellent, yet creepy premise. So intriguing, that, how could I not want to read it?

So the story essentially, is that we see Lily's daughter, Maisie's, face on a man in their garden while Lily is at work. She calls the police, but since no harm was done... there's nothing they can do. The following morning when she and Maisie wake up, they're in their home... or at least, what is an exact replica. They are being held captive by a man they cannot see, but whom one can only assume was the man in their garden the day prior.

Sounds interesting, simply because the idea behind it is SO freaky! Like what if this were to actually happen.. how would you react? I love a good book that really gets under my skin. This seemed like just the thing... until it wasn't.

Ok, so here's what turned me off about this book.

The dialogue. There's all this conversation held between Lily and her 5 year old daughter, Maisie, while they are held captive. I, personally, don't have children, but I can't imagine that most 5 year olds can hold this level of conversation. Maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't sit right with me. It was as if most of the conversations were held between a teenager and an adult, or even adult to adult.

Next point, the characters. We are introduced to several characters, who in the grand scheme of things, are entirely irrelevant. Why do we need to know who Julie, or the office bachelor is? We don't.

The story itself... it wraps up entirely too quickly (or maybe not quickly enough, depending on your perspective on this novel). The ending is thrown at your face as a way to tie up loose ends, in my opinion. We learn who the mystery man is behind it all, but the story for why HE does it is not entirely clear. I don't want to give anything away, so I will leave it at that. I think to improve the story or, at least to, make it a bit less forced at the end, would be to have a little back story at the beginning of the novel. At least then, it would potentially make a bit of a smoother wrap up.

Oh, and the ending. The actual ending... like the last 3 lines... WHAT IS THAT? Cliffhanger central is what it is. Is there going to be another book? Can we have a little more information on how exactly this happened? Cause that's a bomb that got dropped in from left field with NO explanation and I'd like to know how/when this happened. In my mind there are two options, one is completely fine, natural even. The other is just plain CREEPY and weird, not to mention outside of current social construct. Wondering minds would like to know.

Anyways, that's just me. Decent read, with a lot of prospect... just seems to have fallen flat on my end.

2.5/5 stars.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!</i>

#WhileYouSlept #NetGalley
RJ Parker has done it again with a mind blowing psychological thriller.
When a man wearing a picture mask of her daughter Maisie's face stands tauntingly in her garden, Lily Russell does the smart thing and calls the police. When she and Maisie wake up the following morning in an exact replica of their home, held captive by that same man, the police are no longer an option.Surrounded by the rooms and things that once provided comfort and now only promote fear, Lily and Maisie must fight to survive. Because when no one knows where you are, you are your only hope.
His characters were inspired from real life people and are amazing.
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for giving me a special widget for this book.

I wasn’t sure about this book. It was an interesting premise but it didn’t really work for me.

I found the conversations between Lily and Maisie too advanced for Maisie’s age. There also seemed to be an awful lot of unnecessary description, which was often quite clumsily written.

The ending of the book felt very rushed and it wasn’t particularly satisfying. An interesting story, but not for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

First of all thank you to NetGalley!!!

This book took me about three hours to read, very easy and fast. Now the synopsis...

Lily is at work when she receives a notification on her cell phone from her home security app. There is a man in her backyard wearing a mask, a mask of her five year old daughter. Police are called and Maisie, the daughter, is picked up from school early to keep her safe and close. The police deemed is was someone that Lily knew and they were playing an evil trick. Next day, Lily awakes and goes about her normal day, until she realized it wasn’t. Her home seemed normal to her, but little clues threw her off, especially the window in the kitchen. The window is supposed to look out into her garden, but now it looks out to rubble. Lily and Maisie are kidnapped and are thrown into a personal jail which is the exact replica of their home for...comfort? The photo albums in their prison has photographs in them, but Lily didn’t take them, but they are replicas of the photos Lily has at home. How long has this person been watching them? How were they always so close? Who took them? Who wanted them to feel like they’re at home while prisoners?


So, I LOVED the concept. Super freaky right?? Can you imagine going about your day believing your home until you realize you’re not and you’re being held captive??
The reason I’m giving this book 3/5 is because it was so short and rushed to me. I feel like there could have been a little more in the history of the secondary characters (read and you’ll understand why I say this). The ending was completely out there! You never really know who is always watching you.

While You Slept by R.J. Parker is everything you crave in a top notch thriller; addictive, edge of your seat tension that does not let up, even for a moment, and a conclusion that you will never see coming. You will want to devour this one in a single session.

Lily Russell is at work when she checks the security app on her phone. Staring back at her is someone who is wearing a mask in the likeness of her five year old daughter, Maisie. So begins a chilling nightmare that is endless in its intensity. I could not turn the pages quickly enough. If I have one small quibble, it is that five year old Maisie's words and actions seem to be more characteristic of a fifteen year old than to a young child but, nonetheless, this observation in no way detracts from a spine-tingling read that will grab you from the very first page.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for this ARC.

#WhileYouSlept #NetGalley
RJ Parker has done it again after the success of so many psychological thrillers.
When a man wearing a picture mask of her daughter Maisie's face stands tauntingly in her garden, Lily Russell does the smart thing and calls the police. When she and Maisie wake up the following morning in an exact replica of their home, held captive by that same man, the police are no longer an option.
Without further a do, just go for this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for giving me an advanced copy.