Book Title: The Night of the Sleepover
Author: Kerry Wilkinson
Series: Sleepover #1
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: October 23, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages 287


Four girls close their eyes. Only one wakes up.

December 1999 when Leah was fifteen she, Jazz and Harriet all best friends are invites to Vicky’s for a slumber party. They eat pizza in their PJs, Vicky finds some vodka, and they get a bit tipsy and have a major discussion on what VHS to watch- It seems “Titanic” won. . They laugh most of the night. (Vodka can help with that!)
The birds wake Leah the next morning- she blinks and realizes she is the only one in the room. ~ Her friends have disappeared.

Now on the twentieth anniversary, the brother of one of the missing girls is doing a documentary.
Additionally Leah is getting strange text messages. ~ How could she have slept through it all?
She is clueless as to who is sending these messages.

Story alternates several storylines ~ present day ~ days before the sleepover~ during the sleepover and of course after the sleepover.

Story had me curious and Yes! ~ there is a twist at the end (which I always love!)
Hmmm - It seems I now need to put the sequel on my TBR list!

I have read other Kerry Wilkinson stories that I just love.
I didn’t love this story, however, I know this is first in a series and sometimes I have to let a series grow!
If you haven’t read his other stories there are short teasers at the end of this book.
One of my favs was- “The Party at Number 12”!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 23, 2023.

Something all girls have done, a sleepover with friends. Unlike most sleepovers, you don't wake up with missing friends. Leah has. She slept through her friends going missing and some people don't believe that's true. A documentary is being made to look into what could have happened that night. Not everyone is happy that is going to be made.

Great storytelling and a fun mystery. I wish it wasn't a series but other than that, I really enjoyed the story. Good characters and an okay 'ending'.

This is another breathtaking thriller by Kerry Wilkinson. The story just drew me in from the first page and I was lost. There would be no putting this book down before the very last line. The idea that 3 teenage girls could disappear without a trace and more than 20 years later could still be missing was so intriguing. And this author excels at taking you back in time so well you honestly feel as if you were a witness. When I finally found out what had actually happened I was stunned especially when I came to the last shocking twist. Another 5 star read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

A well written book with good length chapters which flow well despite the moving between past events and the present type format.
The book sets the background of the main character well but is a slow burn until the last few chapters and I struggled to keep my interest because of this.

A sleepover with friends. We’ve all been there, but my experience always was, if there was more than just me and one other friend there, things might get nasty, and I might be the odd man out. This book starts with a girl waking up at her friend’s house after sleeping the night - and her three friends are missing. Now twenty five years later, there has never been enough time and resources to do anything, but don’t worry, the sibling of one of the girls is here to make a documentary about it and hopefully drive some people out of hiding what’s they know.
It was very cathartic for me that the ended the way it did, but it was also very unpredictable! I enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to the sequel!

I liked this thriller. At the beginning of the story, I felt a connection with Leah and wanted to know more about the situation she had found herself in. The book in general felt very relatable, as it began with an everyday situation that had obviously taken an unexpected turn. There was also some time-shifting, and part of the story took place in the late 90s. For me, that felt quite nostalgic. I also felt there were a lot of chilling, suspenseful moments, usually at the end of the chapter, and that kept me turning the pages. I'm pleased to hear that there'll be a sequel to this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

2.5 stars

The Night of the Sleepover by Kerry Wilkinson is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 

My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Leah is a community support worker in her small town.  Her own past has made her perfect for the job.  Neither of her parents were very good role models.  She has a 14-year old son Zac, and an ex-husband.

Over twenty years ago, Leah and her three best friends had a sleepover.  They were 15, ate some pizza, drank some vodka, and watched Titanic.  When Leah woke up, she was the only one there.  Three empty sleeping bags surrounded her. Vicky, Jasmine and Harriet were gone.

Now, a tv documentary is going to delve into that night,  with the aim of finding out what happened to those three girls.   But not everyone wants that to happen.

Leah has never gotten over the fact that she slept through the entire thing...and not everyone in town believed that.  Her life has been difficult at times, and this documentary may not help.

 

My Opinions:
First, I just found out it is the first in a series...and I'm really ticked!  I need to know that up front so that I can make a decision whether I want (or have time) to read another series.  So, this did not help my rating.  

Second, I was disappointed with this book most of the way through.  Nothing happened.  I was bored.

The book is about secrets, and about neglect and abuse.  It is  about how the loss of someone can affect people differently. It is also the story how one one turned her life around with a good support system after tragedy struck.

The story is told in two time-lines, both from Leah's perspective.  The first was around the time of the sleepover, and the second in current time.  This worked very well, and there was no confusion.  The characters were okay.  I liked the women that Leah surrounded herself with as an adult, and I think both Mandy and Esther will be good additions to her friendship circle.   The premise was quite intriguing, but it lacked a spark.  The twist at the end was okay, but nothing earth-shattering.

I guess I will be in the minority, but this book really did nothing for me.  I am a big Kerry Wilkinson fan, but this just didn't live up to his usual standards.

The Night of the Sleepover by Kerry Wilkinson is another well crafted novel, compelling enough to pull you in and keeps you hooked.
Kerry Wilkinson is one of my ‘ go to ‘ authors and his newest title didn’t disappoint.
A really great read, very well written with interesting characters.
Thrilling and tense and completely addictive. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you engaged, the characters are interesting and the plot engaging.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

For 24 years Lee has been played with being the girl who survived the sleepover. When she was 14 she slept by her friend Victoria’s house with her other two best friends Harriet and Jasmine when she woke up the next morning her three friends were gone without a trace. Now Jasmine‘s brother Owen is grown up and a celebrated documentary movie maker and he’s back in town wanting to make a movie about the missing girls. Lee is a single mother in asocial worker and mostly she is A-OK with Owen doing this but once she starts getting threatening emails telling her to stop the documentary she is baffled as to who could be sending her the emails and why do they want her to stop it? Four years she has been accused of doing something to her friends or they say her dad who is now in prison for killing a man must’ve done it but during the interview for the documentary when they say her ex-husband told them something she thought she told him and confidence she doesn’t know how she feels about the whole documentary making this is when she goes to talk to Victoria’s sister Esther Leigh finds Esther‘s whole attitude strange and a surprise that Esther is totally on board with the movie. When they start sending pictures with their threatening emails Lee starts her own investigation and it will even bring her to prison to meet with her dad who is she hasn’t seen in years but when she starts asking too many questions this is when it becomes dangerous. I know this is a horrible review but ultimately this is basically with the book is about The book is just way better. I love the authors books and couldn’t wait to read this one and was totally not disappointed this was an awesome read. I want to thank Bookoucher and net galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Yikes!
Four girls on a sleepover.
Next morning one is alive and three are missing.
What happened?
A enthralling, suspenseful psychological thriller that will have you reading late into the night!
I wonder where the author is going to take the next book in the series? I am already imagining different scenarios in my mind.
Definitely a must read for those wanting a can’t stop reading thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I normally really enjoy the writing of author Kerry Wilkinson but some reason I just couldn’t get into this one. It was an okay read but in my opinion not his best work.

Four girls are on a sleepover but only one of them wakes up in the morning. Leah is on a sleepover with her three best friends but after a night of pizza, television and lots of fun that goes into the small hours she wakes to find she is all alone. Her three friends are nowhere to be found and their empty sleeping bags are still lying on the floor. They have disappeared.

Now twenty years later Leah still faces rumours and tittle tackle about what really happened on that night. What happened, where did her friends disappear to and does Leah know more than she is saying. A documentary is now being made about the night Leah’s best friends disappeared so will the truth finally be discovered. Leah receives an anonymous email instructing her to ‘stop them’. Does someone know what really happened on that night twenty years ago and does this put Leah’s life in danger.

Not really sure why it didn’t grip me in the way Kerry’s books normally do. I kind of guessed what was happening but like I said I really struggled with this one. You can’t like them all I suppose and feel sure I will like the next one.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I found this very well written with a good plot. It was filled with action and suspense that kept me interested throughout. I didn’t guess the killer and was surprised at the ending. I enjoyed the read and highly recommend it.

I enjoyed this book a lot.

It was a slow burn, which normally makes it hard for me to get into, but this one kept me engaged well.

I liked Leah (MC) and felt like I had the 'correct' feelings towards each of the other characters as well. When I feel this way, it always makes me think the author wrote the characters well and gave them distinct voices. sometimes when you're reading, all the characters feel and sound the same, and they didn't here.

I definitely didn't guess the twist....which is another thing I usually do. Sometimes these mystery/thrillers are very predictable and you can tell where the author is trying to 'trick' or lead you and I was completely wrong with this one.

I'm excited to read there books by Kerry Wilkinson. Thank you to her, the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read the ARC of The Night of the Sleepover.

I really enjoyed this story. I was in a reading slump before this so it was a slow start for me, but by halfway I couldn’t put it down and finished it in a day. I was completely shocked by the plot twist. I had lots of theories but that wasn’t one of them. I enjoyed the very unique plot line, like nothing I’ve ever read before. I definitely recommend this book and don’t think you will be disappointed.

Content warnings: very infrequent cursing (a handful of A-holes and one B word that I remember), no sexual content, domestic abuse throughout but not disturbingly graphic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was an awesome book. It was a slow burn mystery that I could not put down and finished in two nights because I had to know what really happened.
Leah was a very likable character in the middle of this mystery.
The ending I definitely was not able to guess. There were a few things about it that were not too believable but ultimately it was a great twist and surprise I wasn’t expecting.
I wasn’t sure if the other girls were dead, alive, had run away, been taken. . . So the ending was a surprise to me.
If you like a slower but addicting mystery that keeps you wondering then this book is one you will love.

The morning after a vodka-fueled teenage sleepover with her three closest friends, Leah wakes up to the sight of three empty sleeping bags. Her friends are missing, never to be seen again. Twenty years later, a documentary filmmaker is raking up mud, determined to uncover the truth about what really happened to the missing girls. Then the threatening anonymous notes start arriving, imploring Leah to stop the documentary at all costs…. or else.

This is an interesting read but an extremely slow burn. It feels like not a whole lot is happening for about 75% of the book with all of the twists and payoff at the end. It’s not exactly gripping but it’s a solid read worth sticking it out until the conclusion, which did really surprise me! There will be a sequel in December, but most of the major loose threads felt wrapped up, so we’ll just have to wait and see what’s in store!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book.

The Night of the Sleepover by Kerry Wilkinson is the first book I’ve read by the author and I got to say this was actually really good. I thought I had the ending figured out but I was so wrong! When Leah was 15 she and her 3 friends had a sleepover. When Leah awakens they are gone. 15 years later a documentary is being made. Leah starts getting weird texts and has no idea who's sending them. This was a very exciting read and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

Thank you Netgalley, Kerry Wilkinson, Bookoture for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC due to be published October 23, 2023.

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing up until the last few pages. Can't wait to read the sequel!

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Night of the Sleepover’ written by Kerry Wilkinson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Fourteen-year-old Leah and her friends, Vicky, Jazz and Harriet, are at Vicky’s house having a sleepover. The following morning Leah awakes but there’s no sign of her three friends just three empty sleeping bags. It’s nearly twenty-five years later and Owen, the brother of Jazz, is making a documentary about the missing girls and wants to interview Leah to get her side of what happened.

I’m a great fan of Kerry Wilkinson and when I pick up one of his novels I never know what to expect, a massive five star thriller or a more mediocre three stars. The story of ‘The Night of the Sleepover’ is told by Leah, firstly in 1999 when she was at the sleepover to the present time, and although the initial description sounded the sort of book I enjoy unfortunately it was a slow-burner that took a while to get going. It lacked that initial excitement that kept me reading and it wasn’t until later on that things started happening, but by then it was too late and the truth of what happened at the sleepover didn’t come as the surprise it should have done. Kerry Wilkinson is still one of my favourite authors but I’m afraid that although well-written this is one of his books that didn’t live up to my expectations.

Storyline is slow but good. Not a lot of fill-in chapters. The fill-in chapters did keep with the flow. The ending was not predictable but not shocking.

Teenage Leah is trying to survive through what hardships she has going on. When she wakes up from a sleepover, three of her friends have mysteriously disappeared.
An adult Leah discovers secrets not only of hers.

Good psychological thriller. Definitely recommend to have on ones TBR!