DNF at 30%. For a story based on the axeman of New Orleans this is terribly boring. The characters feel flat and it’s just generally not engaging.

On top of that this is one of the worst audiobook narrations I’ve ever encountered.

I won't lie, I judged a book by the cover, but I don't regret it because this book was SO interesting. I thought it had such a unique plot, and I LOVE the era of history it's set in.

This was definitely a slowburn for me, but ended with 4 stars. The first chapter was chilling, but quickly switched to a more mundane, kind of boring story. I kept going though, knowing that once the main plot really started to come together it would get more exciting, and I was not disappointed.

Gianna and Enzo's families were attacked by the Axeman seven years ago, and for whatever reason, he left Gianna unscathed. Now, he's back and she's determined to find him and get her revenge for what he did to her parents. Enzo is her boyfriend and trusted sidekick in this well-intentioned but unintelligent endeavor. How does Gianna think she's going to take down a serial killer??

The writing is strong, and you feel for the families that have been hurt by the Axeman. You see the physical damage it has done to Gianna's parents, and the effects it has had on them for the past seven years. The point of view is only from Gianna, so we don't know what each character is thinking, we only see what she thinks is happening and how it all affects her.

This was an interesting take on a set of historical murders. You can sense the fear and trepidation from the get-go of the book and really keeps you until the resolution. I do love that the person that helped Gianna get to the bottom of things was a woman detective b/c that sort of thing just wasn't common back in that day! I also enjoyed the eerie connection between the murderer and Gianna.

#DontGotoSleep
#NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for my advance readers copy of Don't Go to Sleep.


While I was intrigued by this novel's premise and was looking forward to an enticing murder mystery, unfortunately the book did not deliver. I felt that the writing was a bit too choppy and the narrator did not convey the tone of the book well.

Gianna and Enzo have a tentative friendship and the main protagonist comes off as a bit selfish and disregards her friends wishes to leave the case to the authorities.

The combination of the narration and writing threw me off and I DNF the book.

Sorry that this one just wasn't for me. Hopefully the narrator can be changed or the writing of the plot devices can be expanded upon.

Okay, so, the narrator didn’t do a bad job, but I had a hard time picturing the characters as they’re appropriate ages because of the voice. Even listening on 2x speed didn’t help.

Gia is an average seventeen-year-old girl living in 1918 New Orleans.
She worries about her family's store, the great war, and a mysterious illness that's about to take hold of the city she loves.
Enzo and Gia have a traumatic event that both experienced that they have bonded over. When they were younger Gia was 10 an axe killer broke into their homes and attacked their parents. While everyone survived it was a hard time because the killer was never found. Now, the attacks have started happening again and this brings Gia to start having flashes of the killings in her dreams.

I didn’t love the supernatural angle, but that is all on me, but I can’t deny that it made the read less pleasurable to read personally. For others this might not be the case however.

Putting that aside, the book was well-written and the story unfolded logically. I loved Enzo and Gia, the courage they showed. But I didn’t get as invested in what happened to them and their families as I had hoped. I also found the description of the murders hard to stomach, maybe that shut off my emotions generally, making it harder to feel the fear and sadness that I otherwise might have felt.

https://blujeansbooks.co.za/dont-go-to-sleep-by-bryce-moore/ You can find my full review on the book as well as the narrator on my blog. I liked the easy flow of the book. But the narrator's voice was far too old for our main characters 17 years of age.

I had high hopes for this book! The concept was interesting, and I think as a print book I would have enjoyed it. As an audiobook it just moved a bit slow for me and I couldn’t get invested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A totally unputdownable thriller, this book will have you gripped from the very first page until the jaw-dropping final twist. Flawlessly plotted, the story unfolds in layers, each one more shocking than the last. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.

The New Orleans axe murderer is a subject most of us know next to nothing about. It makes for compelling reading, especially when you add in the war and the beginnings of a pandemic. Gianna is a solid character, determined and self-possessed. The secondary characters could use a bit more depth but they are enough for a straightforward tale. For the most part, this book is more entertaining than deep. The ending leaves us with nearly as many questions as answers. Even so, it's an atmospheric tale with some basis in history. The pacing is spot-on, drawing us along but still allowing space for reflection.

Don’t Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore had me at the title. However, it lost me in it’s execution.

The synopsis: A seventeen year old girl goes up against the notorious axe an murderer in 1918. A historical fiction story, was it my jam? It should have been. Unfortunately, it fell semi short for me. I enjoyed the premise of this book but the audiobook sadly I didn’t enjoy not even a little bit. The narration for me did not add to the story and the characters fell flat for me overall. Then there was the rushed ending. Sadly, this one wasn’t for me. I gave it 2.5 stars that I rounded up to 3 on Goodreads. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend the audiobook version of Don’t Go to Sleep but if you enjoy murder mysteries and historical fiction definitely give this one a try. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love reading thrillers but I think the format on this one didn't let me enjoy the story that much as the narrator's voice wasn't the best choice for the book's ambient. I wasn't motivated to pay attention, and in the end I don't remember much of what I listened to, which is a pity, I did like the summary of the book. I'll give it a try in the physical version.

Don't Go to Sleep was a great read by Bryce Moore. Gianna is a seventeen year old girl living in 1918 New Orleans. She has many things she worries about; her family's store, the Great War, and a mysterious illness taking ahold of the city. Unfortunately there is also a mad man loose in her neighborhood. He starts with burglaries but quickly escalates to murder. Gianna asks her friend Enzo to help her investigate since the police haven't been able to stop him. They determine there is a common link between the victims. Gianna believes it may be the same person who attacked her family years earlier. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

The premise of the plot is really interesting - at the start of the 1918 Influenza pandemic in New Orleans 17 year old Gianna is on the hunt for an axe murderer who attacked her family seven years before.
There are lots of intriguing elements here - the flu pandemic aspect, the family fearing for their lives, the treatment of Italian American families at that time, and the young heroine... But I just didn't love it enough to give it more than 3 stars.
I listened on audio and the narrator has a lovely voice, but not one that feels like a 17 year old character... I felt like the initial section (Gianna and friend Enzo deciding to try and find the axe man) went on far too long and the end was over too quickly entirely.
I didn't actually realise this was a YA title but I can absolutely see this might be much more enjoyed by that younger audience.

I really like that’s what I thought was interesting and different and I liked the narration lots of fun intrigue

3.5/5 stars
Overall I enjoyed this story. I only knew a little about the axeman so I liked learning new details about what happened/potentially happened. I also think that adding the extra detail of the influenza pandemic of that time was interesting and especially relatable currently. The MC was pretty good but at times she also was a little ignorant. She is 17 though so I guess that could be why. The story itself felt kind of unexciting a lot of the time, especially when you think there's going to be a big build up or reveal. It just fell flat, but I don't know if that's because of the writing or the narration. From the very beginning I was not a fan of the narrator's voice. It didn't seem to fit the story and was very monotone and void of any emotions a lot of the time. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

It kept me listening but nothing I'll remember any time soon.
Thank you for the opportunity of an advanced copy.

Don't Go to Sleep is a historical fiction based on the Axe murderer of New Orleans who went on a killing spree against the Italian immigrants living in New Orleans while the city was in the grips of the 1918 influenza pandemic.

I listened to the audiobook and I feel I should have opted for the printed version instead. When I listen to audiobooks I put a lot of importance on how the narrator narrates the story and I felt Daniela Acitelli's narration was not for this book. Her narration for the most part was slow, breathy and almost robotic and when she did try to infuse some emotions during the intense scenes, it just came out very loud and I had to constantly decrease and increase the volume throughout the audiobook.

The historical aspects of the book (the city of New Orleans in 1918 and the fear gripping the community as a result of the pandemic and the murders) were described very well as was the gory attack/murder scenes. I admit I was confused about the supernatural aspect of the book though and didn't fully understand how it came about. Maybe I missed it while listening to the audiobook. I was also a bit disappointed when the axe murderer was not identified in the end but then I googled about him and found out he (like Jack the Ripper) was never identified in real life as well!

I think the book might have worked better for me if I had read it instead.

My thanks to NetGalley, the audiobook publisher Tantor Audio and the author for the audio Arc of the book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫