Ummmmmm.........

I was hoping I'd like this one becuase the plot sounded incredibily intriguing and the fact it was a historical thriller peaked my interest as well.

But I had some issues. First off, the audiobook narration was not good. There was no emotion behind it and every word and interaction sounded forced.
Secondly, I couldn't connect with any of the characters; especially Gianna (whose our protagonist) who I found to be incredibly naive.
Lastly, the pacing was slow for a thriller. To me, it felt like I'd been reading this book for 84 years, while I'd only been listening for about an hour. Nothing really picked up until the last 20% and by that point, I'd already lost interest.

My only postive was that I LOVED the New Orleans setting and the historical elements; like having this be set in 1918 and during the start of Spanish Influenza?! I've never read a book with that back drop, so I thought it was different on that front.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an interesting YA interpretation of the axe man of New Orleans. Giana is linked to the murder mentally. I liked the concept of the book. But I thought the pacing of the book was just a bit slow for my liking personally. The narration on this book was stellar though. Absolutely spectacular!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the ARC of this audiobook
Thank you Bryce Moore for this book
Thank you Daniela Acitelli for the incredible narration.

I am going to buy this book and read it. The Audio really didn’t work for me. I need more emotion. I tried. I really did.

Nope! I had heard Bryce Moore talk about this book and was intrigued. But I did not make it far into the book before I was OUT! A child listening to her parents being hacked apart in the other room in the night was too much for me!

This is the second historical fiction book I have read by Bryce Moore - the first being The Perfect Place to Die. As soon as I heard that Moore was releasing another book, I was all in. I love the way that he blends fact and fiction, creating plausible characters and storylines rooted in history.

In the case of Don't Go to Sleep, Moore did an excellent job of bringing historical events and concerns into the MC's life - from a serial killer stalking the streets to the threat of Spanish Influenza. I was astonished at how some of the thoughts regarding the epidemic were very paralleled to what has been happening in the world due to COVID-19. It also makes me wonder whether or not the author would have picked a different serial killer/time for inspiration if there had been a COVID-19 outbreak.

I also quite enjoyed how Moore linked his previous book into the new one, but bringing the heroine from "A Perfect Place to Die" into the mix as a seasoned Pinkerton Detective. At first, the references to her character were so subtle that I didn't even realize what he was doing until more than halfway through the book.

Overall, it was an entertaining mystery, and I look forward to the next one.

Don’t Go To Sleep by Bryce Moore is a compelling psychological thriller about an serial killing axe man targeting Italian American families. Based on true crime, this story takes place in New Orleans during the war and Spanish influenza outbreak.

I was captivated by Moore’s vivid depiction of Gianna’s dreams and could not decipher if the events were real or fantasy. Gianna and her friend Enzo’s family were attacked by the same man and lived to tell their story. On a quest to find the man that harmed her family Gianna relives the night her family was attacked and picks up something that was dropped by the axe man unbeknown by her family. What started out as help from a seer soon turned into a dire warning. Not heeding her warning leads to a brutal life or death situation for Gianna and Enzo.

I enjoyed all the characters and Gianna had a teenager invincibility attitude. The mother and daughter scene towards the end of the book was priceless. A mother always knows. I thought Enzo was a true friend and grounded Gianna. Daniela Acitelli does a wonderful job narrating and giving Gianna a voice. I recommend this book to fans of true crime, mystery and psychological thrillers.

4.5 stars

#NetGalley #DontGoToSleep

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooksfire and Tantor Audio for providing me with a complementary electronic copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving this review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a somewhat creepy read. The characters were unlikeable and that made it difficult to listen to. Overall the story was ok and had a decent amount of suspense.

"A seventeen year old girl goes up against the notorious axeman murderer in 1918 in this suspenseful historical fiction story from the author of Perfect Place to Die."

I normally don't read historical fiction books but this was really good! I was intrigued from the beginning and didn't wanted to stop the book! It was an interesting, unique book with a surprising twist. I would definitely recommend this even if you doesn't normally read historical fictions.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Release date: August 2nd 2022

An axe murderer on the loose and Gianna finds herself linked to him in an unimaginable way. I found this one fast paced with a good catchy storyline. It did need a bit more development around the characters as I did not fully connect with all of them. I really liked the add in on the 1981 Influenza pandemic. The narrator was a bit monotone at times and wished she could do more voice changes at times. Overall a nice little book with something unexpected. Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for this ARC.

Gianna lives in New Orleans during 1918 just as the influenza pandemic is beginning to break out within the city. But this isn’t the only thing she has to worry about: a killer is on the loose near her home, one who almost killed her and her family seven years earlier. Plagued by dreams and worries, Gianna asks her friend Enzo to help her hunt the killer. But as the killings increase and her dreams become more debilitating, Gianna wonders if she’s taken on more than she is capable of handling.

I enjoyed the premise of this work; it was fun to read a work set in New Orleans during the beginning of the influenza pandemic. I also liked that it was inspired by real events and that between chapters there were little excerpts that seemed as if they were from newspapers. The best parts of this book revolved around the portrayal of typical attitudes towards Italians/Italian Americans at this time in New Orleans. The author included realistic depictions of how people responded to the international outbreak of the flu, though the flu talk became repetitive and began to detract from the work after a certain point. In fact, it seemed as if the work was more focused on the pandemic than the serial killer for much of it, which became frustrating.

The characters fell flat overall. The characters had almost no real depth or development and there was really nothing that made the characters likeable or relatable. Gianna was awfully naïve and silly for a seventeen-year-old, and it made her difficult to tolerate. There were also instances when her internal dialogue would resolve one thing, but then for no explainable reason, she’d go and do something completely different. These inconsistencies were frustrating.

I hated the ending. It was extremely rushed, and nothing was meaningfully resolved. I just read a whole book about a girl trying to hunt down a serial killer for personal reasons, and then within a chapter everything comes to a head and is “resolved.” There was no real discussion or explanation for the mysterious connection between Gianna and the murderer, which was a massive oversight. The supernatural/magical realism bits were also brushed over even though the rest of the book felt firmly grounded in actual historical events, which made for an unsatisfactory read. In fact, there were many plot holes and loose ends that made this work infuriating, as well as many instances of happy accidents that were much too convenient to feel realistic. Not to mention there were many occurrences of anachronisms throughout that were just awful for a work of historical fiction (one example included Gianna’s use of the phrase “skin in the game,” which wasn’t a thing until sometime in the 1980s).

I listened to the audiobook version and did not enjoy it. The narrator was not a good choice for this work. Her voice sounded much older than a 17-year-old’s voice, I had to listen to it at 1.75X speed because it was painfully slow at regular speed, there was no feeling in her voice during most of the reading, and the Italian accents were awful. And almost all of the characters with dialogue in this work were Italian.

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend the audiobook version of this work. I think that those who enjoy historical fiction and murder mysteries may enjoy this book if you don’t think about it too much. My thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing a review copy of this work, which will be published August 2, 2022. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook.
I was intrigued the moment I read the book summary. The book was well written and well researched. At some points, it was nail bitingly tensed. I didn't expect any supernatural angle to the thriller, which in some cases I do not like. Here the reason for the supernatural connection felt flimsy, even though it made the story line more interesting. The major problem was the narrator, who didn't sound Italian in my opinion. In addition, it was difficult to read about the flu as the world is just coming out of the horrible pandemic.

ARC audiobook provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I must make it very clear: this review ONLY applies to the audiobook. “Don’t Go to Sleep” is the very first book I have not finished in my entire life, and it is all because of the narrator. Right out of the gate, this narrator was awful. She was so bad I had to double-check that it wasn’t a synthesized/computer voice – TWICE. She sounded as if someone had given her too many sedatives and removed any ability to use inflection. I have always finished every book, even the ones I didn’t like, just in case a book got better at the end. I pushed through about 40 minutes of this audiobook, painfully I must add, but then I just couldn’t take anymore. I had to end my own suffering.

I feel terrible about having to write this review, as I was looking forward to exploring the story as it had a good description. I struggled to hold on to give the author his due, but I just couldn’t do it. I intend to pick up a written copy of this book down the line, and I will, of course, update my review appropriately. For now, unfortunately, my only experience must remain the audiobook version.

Overall, I would say give this author and his book a chance. I plan to. However, absolutely stay away from the audiobook!

TW: Murder, gory scenes, death of child, loss of parent, death of parent

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Gianna is the 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. It doesn't help that there also appears to be a mad man on the loose in her neighborhood. The attacks started as burglaries but soon escalate to cold blooded murder. There's a killer out there, and the police can't seem to figure out how to stop him. Gianna enlists the help of her friend Enzo to investigate. And as they study the crimes, they see a common link between the victims, and Gianna can't help but wonder if it's the same man who attacked her family years before. As Gianna gets closer to the killer, she discovers a connection between them that she never would have suspected.
Release Date: August 2nd, 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 320
Rating:

What I Liked:
1. The cover is to die for


What I Didn't Like:
1. Tons of holes in the plot
2. The writing wasn't good

Overall Thoughts:I love that this story played on the Axeman of New Orleans.

I feel like the Spanish flu was a fill in for Covid. When she talks it's all the same things that people said about covid. It really gets annoying after the 1000 time it is mentioned. This book should have been titled “The Spanish flu during the Axeman murders because that's what this book felt like it was about”. I feel like I’ve heard more about the flu then I have about the murderer, which is odd because the synopsis makes it out like it’s murder forward and flu in the background. Feeling hoodwinked on that front.

How ridiculous is it that when Gianna is in this dream like stage that she knows to look for tattoos. Like we are in 1918 and that is not something that she would normally be looking for. Then she comes out the trance saying she had the most important piece of the clue to finding out where the Axeman is; the curtains! The curtains?..I laughed at that. Her and Enzo then find the place that has the curtains in like 3 minutes. She just HAPPENS to know all of New Orleans and they can walk it all in 30 minutes or less. She also HAPPENS to catch the wind blowing a curtain on a second floor room and sees the maroon and stripes. They enter the room and meet the landlord who tells them what the guy looks like, his profession, and that he left that day. The dude tells them that the “axeman” had a large scar on his forearm but how did she not see it?

Some of my issues with this book are the things the author put into it. It’s not from that time period. Gianna says that they have skin in the game and that wasn’t even a saying until the 80’s of the 20th century, so unless she is a time traveler then she wouldn’t be quoting that. The book did not feel as though we were in the early 20th century. The writing made me feel as though I was reading a book talking about that time period. It took me out of this historical book.

Gianna is so concerned about catching the Influenza but she just keeps putting herself outside and around as many people as she can.

So the killer is a cop that was in her house but how did she not recognize him when they had already seen each other on the road and she heard his voice? Makes little sense.

Final Thoughts: I wish this book was better but it wasn't. I didn't care for the writing nor what direction the book took. The ending was predictable and made no sense.

Recommend For:
• True Crime rewritte
• Supernatural elements
• Relatable scenes with covid

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed about 50 percent of this book, it really had my attention, but then fell completely flat for me. It was a slow burn and at some points repetitive . Story line was great, characters were good but it left me wanting more. What relations did the main character have with the axe man ? Just left a bunch of questions unanswered. Right when I thought the big reveal would happen, it didn't. Thank you for the opportunity for this audio I enjoyed the narrator's voice and just wish this had a big Wow ending .

I enjoyed this book. I like true crime, I like historical, I like New Orleans.
The pandemic talk was a little triggering. lol (I'm a retail employee too)

But at least we didn't have a serial killer also running around.

I liked the characters, I like the locations. I like the slightly supernatural element.
And of course all the slashy-slashy unaliving scenes.

It was a good time.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of Don't Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore in exchange for an honest review. I'm not quite sure what I thought of this book. I was interested in it because it took place in 1918 in New Orleans and I am interested in New Orleans and viruses. It ended up being about a seventeen year old girl who's parents were attacked when she was a girl and formed a link with the attacker. Now he's attacking Italian families again and she is having visions. It was an interesting premise and I enjoyed parts of it.

Who doesn't like a good based on true crime story right?

Don't Go to Sleep takes place a midst the New Orleans Axeman killings and the 1918 Influenza epidemic, so as could you imagine there´s a lot going on. In fact you could actually see the recent pandemic influence on the story just translated to 1918. People complaining about the mask, and worrying about having to close their stores and all.

The story is solid, well researched, fast paced and compelling but a little bit gory to my taste. It mixes together true crime, fiction, a bit of NOLA´s magic and a set of cool characters if only I could wish for a different ending but it had to remain true to the actual story.

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/4c4d2e75e16f3be5e4412755ae8cb5e0a213b3ff" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>

Pretty good, It was a little confusing about her parents being attacked then them somehow survived took away from the story because there was no explanation on how they apparently died but then were ok with no residual problems. I feel like the influenza stuff was more covid than how it probably was at that time. Hygiene wasn't great back then and the author tried to modernize it a lot. But overall an enjoyable read. The cover and narrator and great.

3⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thankyou #netgalley #brycemoore #tantoraudio for a audio copy of this book for a honest review.
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Historical thriller based on true events in a Spanish flu era when gianna is trying to find who did what to her family with her friend enzo.
Gianna was a strong girl, wanted to know more and want to solve what happen to her family.
In real honesty, I’m having a hard time to listen on this one. The narrator doesn’t have any feelings to portray the story. I have to speed up the story telling but doesn’t justify the goodness of the story. Will probably read the story in a physical book. Dnf.


❤️Shaye.reads

In the throws of War and Spanish Influenza, Gianna and her friend Enzo are on the hunt for the serial killer who attacked their families.

5 stars
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Don’t Go to Sleep had me not wanting to sleep until I finished it. What a wonderfully written psychological thriller.

Based on true events of the War, Influenza and the Axeman murders of the early 1900s, this book was thoroughly researched and felt like you were right in the thick of it all. This book had everything I didn’t know I needed in a historical thriller. I was the perfect amount of spooky and bloody. The characters were all really well written and Gianna was such a wonderful narrator to follow. Everything about the book was neatly tied up in the end and the ending was satisfying.

This book is not one to miss.

(I did not love the narrator. I found her voice very slow and monotone and I could have fallen asleep listen to it slower than 2x speed. )

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the audio galley in exchange for an honest review!