This twisty tale quickly became in Indigo Staff Pick of the Month. It received mixed reviews from customers and staff. However, it kept people talking about books and plot during the doldrums of winter.

Well if I wasn't faced with my own disappointment.

I hyped this book up way too much in my head and by the time I finished it I was feral because it made me so frustrated. I just felt like it didn't hold up to the hype at all.

Anna O is about a young Anna who is being accused of killing her two best friends in her sleep and falls into a coma shortly after. Told through multiple perspectives, you follow this psychological thriller and try to unveil the truth behind that horrific night. I did like the diary POV but other than that I just felt this was so SLOW. There was no thrill and at some points I was just reading to have gotten further into what I had hoped would be the more exciting part of this story.

Twas not excited. Twas frustrated. Nothing makes me more sad than a thriller that I just want to be over. The end did not make up for the journey there and it was disappointing that the illusion felt shattered after the big reveal.

Thank you to NetGalley, Matthew Blake and
HarperCollins Canada for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I had some concerns when I started this one because I wasn’t super interested, but it was a totally unique concept and one I actually got really into. The twists were good and I enjoyed the characters even though I kept wondering what they were up too! They were all suspicious.

Anna O is a riveting psychological thriller. The story follows Dr. Prince as he works to wake Anna from her deep sleep, referred to as resignation syndrome. The reason everyone wants her to wake...she murdered her two best friends before she fell asleep. The question everyone wants answered - was she awake or sleepwalking when it happened?
The multiple characters and mysteries had me on the edge of my seat and guessing until the very end.
I would highly recommend to anyone that loves a good mystery.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I appreciate Harper Collins for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in return for my review.

The narrative revolves around Anna Ogilvy, who is implicated in the horrific murder of two colleagues during her sleep. She is discovered in a deep slumber at the crime scene, she presents as a baffling case. Ben, a psychologist, believes in the possibility of awakening someone from a four-year sleep. He is affiliated with the Abbey, a clinic specializing in sleep disorders, where Anna is subsequently transferred. As Ben strives to revive her, the plot unfolds.

The story is told through various perspectives, adding depth and allowing readers to witness the unfolding mystery and the truth behind the night of the murders.

While reading, there were moments that unnerved me, but my curiosity propelled me to see the story through to its end. The book is replete with intriguing twists and subtle clues for the discerning reader. It's a commendable read, especially for those who relish mysteries and thrillers. I give it a rating of 3.75 out of 5.

This is an intense story! I did struggle with this one up to the 50% mark and then it really picked up and I was all in. The story centres around Anna who has been asleep since she killed two people. Ben is the doctor tasked with waking her up so she can stand trial. Everyone in this book has secrets and personal motivations for their actions so it was hard to tell what was real or not. In the end there were some great twists and I definitely enjoyed the book overall.

Anna O was a novel idea that kept me captivated until the great end. Sleepwalking has always been an interesting and awe inspiring concept. Matthew Blake nailed this concept with plausible facts and explanations. Although, in my opinion this book was a tad too long winded I truly believe in order to explain the scientific background of such sleep disorders it was necessary.
Dr Prince is a likeable character who takes his job seriously. Anna becomes an obsession and very risky one at that. The suspense mixed with the mystery of how Anna committed multiple murders while sleeping is a thrilling and definitely worth a read. Thank you to NetGalley and Matthew Blake for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was so excited to get my hands on this one as it reminded me of The Silent Patient. Unfortunately Anna O fell flat for me. Don't get me wrong- it pulled me in pretty quickly but I felt it went on too long. It could have been 100 pages less than it actually was.

4 .5 "elegant, well-constructed, immensely satisfying" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Harper Collins Canada for an ecopy. This was released January 2024. I am providing an honest review.

I am a believer in psychological thrillers once again. This debut novel by Mr. Blake knocks this out of the park. Elegant prose and absolute perfect plot construction and development.

How many unreliable characters inhabit this novel ? Sleep disorders, privilege and twisted personalities. Who is the villain and how many antiheros ? This is so carefully created and you need to pay very close attention and I mean very close attention. Each twist is surprising and plausible. What the fuck is going on ? Hell if I know but NEED to know. Aha I got it. No I don't.

O how satisfying is that first ending ? Very but wait there is more. Holy Shite...yes yes yes !

I am exhausted now and must sleep but I am no murderer and I do not sleepwalk and I will never forget Anna O !

Jessica Chastain...do I have a role for you and yes you too Rosamunde Pike and yes you too Ryan Gosling o and a cameo for Nicole Kidman....o yes o yes o yes.... Anna OOOOOOOOOOOOO !

Wow, what an intense, suspenseful, and twists filled read! There were many revelations that I never saw coming especially the ending! Expertly plotted and impossible to put down!

Anna O. by Matthew Blake is a psychological thriller that combines sleeping beauty with murder.

4 years ago, Anna O murdered her two friends, and she has been asleep since then; she has been diagnosed with resignation syndrome. Dr. Prince, a forensic psychologist specializing in disorder sleeping, has been tasked with waking her for her murder trial.

What will be the true price to pay for waking this beauty? Full of twists and turns, this fascinating read will keep you wondering.

A must-read for your 2024 TBR list.

Told in multiple POV's, Anna O is mostly told from the perspective of Dr Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist and expert in sleep-related crime, Anna O is the story of Anna Ogilvy, a 25 year old journalist who is accused of murdering her two best-friends in her sleep and now remains in a coma like-state called resignation syndrome. The second perspective is revealed to the reader through Anna's journal entries leading up to the deaths. It is through these writings and Ben's investigation into Anna's life that the reader stumbles upon the truth of what truly happened.
While there are certainly unexpected twists and layers in the story-telling, and fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this tale, I personally found it to be a little slow at times and am uncertain if I like the "grand reveal" at the end. This is outside of my usual genres, but may be more satisfying for other readers.

Thank you Netgally & Harper Collins for the ARC.

3. 5 stars

This psychological thriller novel has a very intriguing premise - a young woman is accused of murdering her friends with her eyes wide open and her brain still asleep - and she hasn’t woken up since. This is a complex, thoughtful thriller with references to Greek mythology, psychology, and sleep-related disorders.

The story is told from multiple points of view, including diary entries, which provide insights into the characters. However, I found the pacing very slow and I found myself taking breaks while reading it. There were some good, multiple twists, particularly near the end, and the ending itself was well done although it was a lot of after-the-fact telling. This thriller is similar to The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides but it is more complex and involved.

This book has received a lot of buzz so if you like thoughtful slow-burn thrillers, then make sure to check it out!

Thanks to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. Book Review ** Out Feb. 6/24.

This one seemed so promising and the first few chapters were very engaging and well written, but unfortunately the book as a whole didn’t work for me. First of all, it’s a long one (maybe a little too long), and there were a few times I found myself skimming. Secondly, it jumps around a lot, which sometimes worked to build suspense, but other times just got a little confusing and lost my interest.

Four years ago, twenty-five-year-old Anna Ogilvy is found covered in blood and in a deep sleep at a campsite. Her two best friends are found nearby stabbed to death, and her parents have received a text from Anna, confessing to the murder. Anna's deep sleep turns out to be a years-long coma, and she is given the moniker Sleeping Beauty. The prince tasked to wake her up is Dr Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist who specializes in homicides committed whilst asleep. His dilemma: he grows to care for Anna and care about her story, yet as much as he wants her to wake up, her regaining consciousness means she'll have to stand trial for her friends' murders.

Anna O has a compelling hook, and the mystery behind what actually happened the night of the murders is gripping stuff. What actually happened that night? The only person who can tell us is fast asleep. And, if she committed these murders while asleep, can she actually be held criminally liable? The book also begins with the factoid that we spend about a third of our lives asleep, so adds another layer of intrigue.

Some elements don't quite work as well: the conceit of a camp where people pay ridiculous amounts of money for their group to be split up into Hunters and Survivors, with the objective to be the last team standing after an overnight 'battle' just seems stupid. I get it for plot purposes, and I can imagine some terrible CEOs deciding that will be fun for company team building, but for wealthy families to have a fun weekend out? That stretches credulity. And for Anna's wealthy family to randomly decide to do it, and also randomly decide to invite Anna's two best friends is really more a plot device than an event that actually makes sense.

Anna and her friends also seem much younger than their mid-20s. There were occasional lines that reminded me Anna was an adult professional writer, but for most of the book, I kept picturing her and her friends as university students who publish their magazine as a side hustle. There's something very young about the concept behind their publication, more like teenagers wanting to be edgy than adults who actually are.

Still, the twists and turns were interesting, and the big reveal made sense. When the events of that evening and the killer's motive were revealed, there was that satisfying buzz. I did guess the big reveal, but not till fairly late, and it was nice to see how Blake dropped all these little clues along the way.

However, the major snag for me was how unnecessarily long Blake dragged out the ending. Without giving away spoilers, Dr Prince ends up moving to a different country maybe three fourths of the way through. A 'mysterious' patient (okay, it's Anna; the book makes a big deal about who she could be, but duh) books an appointment, and what follows is a game of cat and mouse that just seems artificially drawn out rather than natural. You know how Nancy Drew books would end chapters on cliffhangers so that readers would keep reading? It kinda felt like that, except not done as well. Anna and Dr Prince have their appointment, and instead of Anna saying why she's there, she then asks to meet Dr Prince for dinner. And when they meet for dinner, she then acts really coy and suggests they meet again at another time.

I understand that the author wanted to draw out the tension. But it just doesn't work. Dr Prince's anxiety also keeps rising with each meeting, since he's afraid Anna plans to kill him, but because the set-up is so stupid (why would he keep meeting with her then?), I just got to the point where I wanted to scream at both characters to do something! Anything! 

Unfortunately, Anna is a much more compelling character while she remained asleep. When the reveal does come, the events of that fatal evening do make sense...but they also remove so much of what made Anna interesting. The reveal deflates the Anna O mythos, and while it's natural for the reality to be less interesting than the myth, it still felt like a letdown.

Worse, after things between Anna and Dr Prince finally come to a head, and the book finally seems like it's reached its natural conclusion, there's still a full other chapter to go. The epilogue reveals some new details, and these are indeed important to know, but they were also pretty easy to figure out from the rest of the novel. At the very most, this part merited a page, maybe two. Stretching it out into a full chapter just repeats a whole bunch of information, and I kept flipping the pages waiting to see if there was another major shocker that would make this section merit its length. (There wasn't.)

So, overall, Anna O is a pretty good book. The hook is interesting, and even though I found the big reveal to be a let down, I still think the central mystery is fascinating. The novel just failed to stick its landing; the last few chapters were boring and unnecessarily drawn out, and the final chapter was the epilogue no one needed.

+

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was amazing! I don’t usually dive into psychological horrors or thrillers, but I am so happy I received an arc of this book. The concept and premise is what got my attention, and the author had me hooked with the writing. The storyline was gripping and I enjoyed every moment of it! Highly recommend!

I must first thank both NetGalley as well as the publisher Harper Collins for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Intelligent! Full of misdirection, will you ever know what really is happening? A true Psychological thriller for the reader who enjoys their conclusions constantly being challenged.

Honestly I don’t know how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the story line for the book but getting thru it was tricky. It was a story that was very long and drawn out. Dr. Prince must break sleeping beauty out of her 4 years of deep sleep. A sleep that is said to be caused by the murder of her 2 friends. Did she do it? Was someone else involved what was the real reason behind the murders!

I enjoyed the plot twists, but I prefer books where the story is written in a style where the characters are doing actions instead of explaining what they are doing.

** Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC of Anna O. All thoughts and opinions are my own **

Anna O is the story of Anna, a young lady with resignation syndrome. Anna is accused of killing her two best friends while sleepwalking and hasn't woken up since. Dr Prince is summoned to wake her up from his prestige sleep clinic in London. Dr Prince is successful in his mission and lots of dark secrets are revealed once Anna is awake.

I was so excited to read Anna O by Matthew Blake. This book was all the buzz so I dove into it with a lot of anticipation. I quickly found that the story was confusing, was repetitive and not much of a page turner. I was often not paying attention to what I was reading and really didn't care where it was going.

I liked the characters and the idea of what happened the night of the crime but this book was not for me. There were too many things that could have been explained in an easier manner without all the build up. The ending of Anna O had a good twist to it, but I was already disengaged by the final chapter so it was anticlimactic for me.