This was better in concept than in execution. A rare pass from me but thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Powerful characters, gorgeous setting, and a sneak peak into a corner of history that I knew nothing about. Very well written story with great attention to detail.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Nighingale Won’t Let You Sleep is about a man named EliS who is suffering from PTSD he attained from the war in Afghanistan. He is brought to a new town to help recover, named Verosha, once a popular resort town that appears like a ghost town, frozen in time. A story of strength and overcoming, I would recommend!!

Great concept, very popular on Goodreads, just wasn't for me.

I struggled with this read, quite a bit. The language and syntax used is odd - sparse and disjointed. As a reader, I felt like I couldn't quite get my equilibrium to really dig in and enjoy the novel. In fact, I felt very lost throughout most of the plot setup.

I appreciate the heavy topics this tale attempts to communicate- PTSD, political turmoil. These are great plot points. However, I didn't feel they were crafted into the story in a cohesive and interesting way.

I really wanted to like this novel but I had a hard time getting through. At first, I was intrigued with the action and Elias's discovery of Varosha. I sympathized with him and enjoyed learning about the people living in this town. I liked that the story switched perspectives and the reader was able to glimpse the life of Colonel Kaya. However, none of this was enough to get me to push through the rest of the novel. I could feel my interest waning as each new character was introduced. It felt like the story wasn't moving at all, and after a while I didn't care about Elias's healing time. Because of this, I stopped reading at about 128 pages. I hope this doesn't deter other people from reading this novel; it has received strong positive reviews from other readers.

Elias Trifannis joined the military to make his father happy. The irony is that it didn’t do that. He is sent to Cyprus to recover after an incident in Afghanistan that causes PTSD. He meets a Turkish journalist and finds temporary comfort only to have her ripped away from him by an act of violence. He escapes into Verosha, a city that was invaded in 1974 and then abandoned. He discovers a small group of refugees living in this city that seems frozen in time. The citizens of this city are protected by Colonel Kaya, who protects their secret. Elias finds love and companionship there and is finally able to feel “at home”. However, plans are in motion to endanger their community.

I have recently read quite a few historical novels. This one is very different from anything I have read. I did enjoy it. I think the idea of an abandoned city that is just left as a snapshot of 1974 is an intriguing concept. My issue with this story, was that it took a long time for it to develop and an equally long time for me to start “bonding” with the characters. In addition, there were a few pieces of the story that I felt were unnecessary and didn’t really add anything to the book. About 70% of the way through, I was finally able to get into a rhythm and finish the novel.

I found the basis for the story very intriguing. I read that this is Heighton’s fourth book and I’m interested in looking at some of his previous novels. I would give this one a 3 out of 5 stars. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.