Omg 😮 what a book!

I’ve literally had so many emotions I’m unsure how to write a review that will do this justice.
I definitely recommend this book, I’ve bitten my nails wanted to scream and on times been slightly terrified.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was pretty twisty- some more obvious than others but still an enjoyable ride. You really do you fall in love with the main female character.s Solid four

Lily and her daughter Maisie are in for the fight of their lives in R.J. Parker's While You Slept. This book was a classic thriller that was disturbing and chilling.

Lily is a single mother raising her daughter with little help from her ex. Her divorce is pretty new and she hasn't dated too much. At work one day her security cameras turn on and she sees a man in her garden. Not the average intruder, this man is wearing a mask with her daughter Maisie's face on it. The intruder knows she is watching and waves at her. Lily calls the police. The police agree the intruder is disturbing but there isn't much they can do except keep watch.

When Lily and Maisie next awaken they aren't in their home at all. This prison is an exact replica of their home and they are being watched. Their prison has been prepared for them meticulously. Everything is the same, but not. As she is taunted by an unknown person in her new prison she can't figure out who would go to this much trouble to hurt her and why.

While You Slept was a definite page turner. Readers will be engrossed and vested in Lily and Maisie's safety. Highly recommended!

3.5 - 4 stars. I liked the concept of this book and the ending was great too! I felt like some of the details put into descriptions lost my interest a bit and found I was skimming a few pages to get past them.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Holy Cow! This was a crazy good thriller. Will will get goosebumps from this one. Even from the first page you read down to the last it has you pulled in to where you can't stop. I mean who would really cut out a picture of you daughters face and wear it.... that is haunting right there.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange in my honest opinion.

This was a heart pounding and fast moving book. Lily and her daughter wake up realizing that they are prisoners in a replica of their home. Who would do this and why? I enjoyed the story and there were moments of sheer stress but the author rushed the reason for why this was done to Lily and Maise. I wish he would have explored that angle in depth. I also felt the wrap up was too abrupt and left me thinking is there more to the story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for ARC.

4 NAIL BITING STARS!

THIS
BOOK
WAS
SO
INTENSE.

Guys. GALS. From page ONE, I was STRESSED. This is one of those thrillers that never relaxes. Had I of read this in non-Coronavirus times, I would have bitten all of my nails off. But since I'm trying to avoid touching my face and biting my nails, I did not literally bite my nails, BUT OMG I WANTED TO.

This book made me sweat. It made me heartbeat go crazy. It gave me ANXIETY people. For the entire book.

But I've finished the book, have taken many deep breaths, and feel ready to tell you about it. NAMASTE BITCHES.

I read a lot of thrillers. So many, that I find a lot to just be a retelling of a similar one I've already read. But this one was different. The story revolves around a mom and her darling little daughter. They are living their best life (for maybe 2 sentences) until some creepy-ass man shows up on her home camera wearing a paper cutout of her daughters face. And he's just standing there waving at the camera.

UM NO.

The next morning, mom and daughter wake-up in a complete replica of their house, but it's not their house. They've been kidnapped by creepy mask man and are being held hostage in this weird mirror apartment of theirs. You have no idea why or who these people are.

AND YOU ARE STRESSED THE ENTIRE BOOK.

That's all you need to know. I loved this thriller. I sorta felt like I was reading a (good) Pretty Little Liars episode (dollhouse episode anyone?).

I'm still unsure how I feel about the ending though....looking forward to hearing what other people feel about it.

If you like thrillers, definitely give this one a shot!

And wear a lot of deodorant because you will be sweating.

A big thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC and wanting my honest opinion!

I requested this title through NetGalley entirely based on the synopsis and title name itself. I had no idea that R. J. Parker was new to the fictional world of writing, and more known for his work on true crime, serial killers and cold cases.

I’m rather partial to dark twisty thrillers, and the darker the storyline the more hooked I find I am. Finding an author that has the ability to write in a way that draws you in and makes you want to read more is rare, but that is exactly what R. J. Parker does here with “While You Slept”.

This is a fast-moving storyline with short and snappy chapters, so if you are someone who overthinks how things are carried out, you may not enjoy elements of this, such as you never find out exactly how the kidnapping was achieved.

I whipped through this title in record speed as I really enjoyed the concept overall. My one and only criticism is R. J. Parker could have made this a much longer and more involved read. There was certainly more scope to give us more information surrounding the main characters and I would have liked to see some sort of reference to those left behind who must have been worried in the absence of their work colleague and school friend etc.

Regarding the ending I cannot say too much without giving away the plot’s secrets, but the cliff-hanger that we are left with, is certainly one that stirs up an emotional response and plays on your mind.

UK Release Date: 24th July 2020

#OneMoreChapter | #HarperCollinsUK | #WhileYouSlept | #RJParker

Great premise, but I didn't love the execution. As the story goes on, it just reads as more and more implausible. The amount of money alone that it would take to pull off something like this puts this story squarely in the realm of fantasy. And the resolution of it all is underdeveloped to say the least.

A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of this book. Last fall i read my first R.J. Parker book The Dinner Party, and enjoyed it. So, I was really looking forward to this one. What an unusual premise, so intriguing. I really enjoyed this book. The creep factor is high right from the start and I had no idea where the story would end up. There is a lot of mystery and then a ton of action. I stayed up nice and late to finish this one. I was just slightly disappointed by some of the ending since it seemed to lack set up. Part of the final plot seemed to come out of no where. I may have missed something but I am not sure. However, despite this, I still would give this 4 out of 5 stars. It earns this rating by having a seriously interesting plot, and an amazing start plus the last couple of pages are wow!

Such a great, well written thriller with great pace, twists and a decent plot. I managed to finish this in two sittings and would thoroughly recommend.

Definitely a creepy thriller, but it felt a little rushed at times; especially towards the end. Also, I would have enjoyed a little more detail and to have things fleshed out a bit more.

Wow, wow, wow!!! What an intense thriller. I couldn’t put it down and had it read it in one day. I was holding my breath through a lot of it, scared to breath in case I was heard. This must be the most twisted psychological thriller I have read in a long time. It will scare the pants of you and leave you so paranoid. I’m not sure I walk sleep tonight. The mystery and terror starts in the first chapter and it doesn’t stop till the last page. I loved how I had no idea what was going on and why. There aren’t many books that leave me with my heart racing but this one did. The characters are awesome and I quickly liked them, wishing I could somehow help them. Anybody that likes mystery or thrillers is going to love this book. There was part of the ending I didn’t feel fit but the rest of the book made up for that. Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and R.J.Parker for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is extremely well written. It is something different from all of the mystery/thrillers in the market, and it kept me on the edge of the seat to the very last page.

Wow a chilling read a book that grabbed me from the first scene waking up in a home that is yours but is it.From the creepy opening scene the characters the story kept me reading late into the night.Highly recommend.#netgalley#harpercollinsuk

Reading the blurb of this book gave me some serious Pretty Little Liars: Extreme Edition vibes. For brevity's sake, I'll stick with the TV version, and one of the best parts of that series was when the girls woke up in exact replicas of their bedrooms somewhere underground in captivity. The premise of While You Slept reminded me of that, but with higher stakes and real-world consequences.

Lily's smart and cautious, especially following the separation from her abusive husband. She won't risk her five year old daughter, Maisie's, life. When a man wearing a Maisie mask is recorded standing in her garden, she's on edge and determined to be more vigilant. The next morning, however, she wakes up in her room, only to realize it's not her room. Somebody has kidnapped them, built a fortress by studying their buying habits, family heirlooms, and photos, and trapped them inside. With no explanation or guarantee of release, Lily has to figure a way out of their fake home before it's too late.

Right off the bat, the concept of this book terrified me. Outlandish, sure. The extent someone would have to go to in order to pull something like this off would require utter obsession and delusion. The risk felt all the more real as a five year old child was also in danger, and she's not above their captor's punishments. I found this to be the most traumatizing aspect and found myself comparing to other mother in desperate times seeking strength and redemption narratives; Enough is the one that came to mind most often.

As I continued reading, I was curious how the rationale would be revealed. After a few harried interactions, things seemed to snowball quickly, and the final events felt a little rushed. I would've liked there to be more of a twist, because the reveal seemed to come out of left field. I thought it was exciting and wrought with the ferocity of a mother's love, but ultimately, I wanted to feel more of a connection between the captor and Lily, and that missed the mark for me a bit. I also thought Maisie read older than five, but I loved her character, so I was willing to forgive some of her MacGuyver tendencies.

Overall, While You Slept is an unnerving, psychologically suspenseful read. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good redemption story, mother/daughter thrillers, or domestic suspense lovers.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK (One More Chapter) and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Lily has taken extra precautions to make sure she and her daughter, Maisie, are living in a secure house. Imagine Lily's fright when a man appears on the security camera in her garden wearing a mask of Maisie's face! It gets much worse in the morning when they wake up in what looks like their house in every detail...until they look out the window. This book will definitely have you triple-checking your locks at night! I felt tense and anxious the whole time I was reading this book but I couldn't put it down! Lily is a clever and brave mother who will do anything for her child. I did find, however, that Maisie seemed older than 5 years old in terms of her thoughts and actions. I loved how the ending left you hanging with a couple of new questions. #NetGalley #WhileYouSlept

Positives:
1. The opening. Honestly, it is completely captivating. You're thrown straight into the action, and while the man wearing Maisie's face on a mask is creepy, it's nothing compared to what comes next. Those initial chapters were genuinely gripping.
2. The idea itself is just amazing. It's so unique, and such a creepy thing to think about. I definitely hesitated before looking out the window the next morning!

Negatives:
1. While the premise itself was amazing, and the introduction is strong, it did just tail off from there. It quickly became repetitive, and the conversation between mother and daughter felt very unnatural given Maisie's age. I also got really bored of hearing about how Lily wasn't sleeping.
2. The climax of the action was just dull as hell. I won't say too much in case of spoilers, but there's a huge long section where there's a lot of moving around in different areas. The author obviously knew what she meant, but the descriptions of different areas was really confusing and hard to follow. Also, this took up basically the entire second half of the book. Way way too long.
3. The resolution of who did it and why was a bit unsatisfying and underdeveloped. The motive is completely out of left field, and there was a lot left unexplained. It almost felt like there was an element of not knowing how to end it, so just throwing in a new shock right at the end. There's no foreshadowing, and a lot left unanswered by who the author chose to have as the kidnapper.
4. The ending. I'm all for a cliffhanger, but the very end of this (literally the last few lines) just felt like an attempt to get one last thrill. Cheap and lazy writing I'm afraid.


I really wanted to love this one. Sadly, it just didn't do it for me. The premise was amazing, but the execution left a lot to be desired, and it's sadly not one I would recommend.

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.