When I Wake Up

While Anna is in a coma she is the only one who knows her attacker. The reader is told all about the betrayal on both sides of her marriage and how life is not as it seems. A quick easy read.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

This novel is a gentle whodunnit which manages to explore each character in detail and allows the reader to make their own judgement on them. The few sex scenes are very tastefully done and none of it gratuitous. I really enjoyed the pace of the novel which kept me company for a few evenings. Not sure if you could describe the ending as a twist but it certainly wasn't predictable.

** spoiler alert ** I don't know how to review this book without spoilers so I have check the box to hide this review. The book is about the lives of Anna and Erik, who are married and have twin boys. Neither person is happy in their marriage. They both end up sleeping with other people but it's Anna's affair that sets this whole book in motion. At the very beginning Anna is beaten really bad and ends up in a coma. You go back and forth between 6 months previous and the present. You end up with 3 likely suspects but who the person actual is in the end still doesn't make sense to me. Sometimes when I see it I can picture him being that mean but most times it just doesn't fit with the story. He isn't violent in his past or through most of the book so how he could all of sudden have such violent rage I don't get. I mean it does happen, it just would make more sense if it was one of the other 2 suspects. Maybe that is why the book is so good because it's not who you suspect.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers I was able to read a copy of this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast paced thriller which I really enjoyed. I kept thinking I knew "who done it" but it could have been any of the many characters as they all had a motive.

When I Wake up by Jessica Jarlvi.
When Anna, a much-loved teacher and mother of two, is left savagely beaten and in a coma, a police investigation is launched. News of the attack sends shock waves through her family and their small Swedish community. Anna seems to have had no enemies, so who wanted her dead?

As loved-ones wait anxiously by her bedside, her husband Erik is determined to get to the bottom of the attack, and soon begins uncovering his wife's secret life, and a small town riven with desire, betrayal and jealousy.

As the list of suspects grows longer, it soon becomes clear that only one person can reveal the truth, and she's lying silent in a hospital bed...

An absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. But I did not trust Erik. I loved Anna. I did not see that coming. Shocked. 5*. Netgalley and aria.

Set in a small town in Sweden, When I Wake Up centers on Anna, a young, committed teacher and mother of five-year-old twins. Anna is in a coma after a brutal beating in the parking lot of her school. Why would anybody want to harm a young woman who was 'teacher of the year'?
As it turns out, there are actually quite a few suspects with a motive. The story switches timeframes from the present to the months leading up to the attack on Anna. There are numerous points of view as well, but the story was always easy to follow.
It wasn't at all what I had expected. Warning: The story contains some explicit sexual scenes.
It was incredibly intriguing trying to work out who was behind the attack on Anna. I found this very difficult to put down and was thinking about it when I couldn't read it. The book is full of obnoxious characters. But it worked. I didn't need any likable characters in this. They were complex people and well drawn. Daniel, a seventeen-year-old pupil of Anna's, was particularly well characterized. It was really compulsive reading until the attacker was revealed. At that point, the story fell apart for me, or perhaps better, I felt cheated. Difficult to explain why without giving the entire plot away. But I didn't like the way the author manipulated one of the perspectives in order to get to the admittedly completely startling twist. Apart from that, this was a really good, gripping debut and I would certainly read more by Jessica Jarlvi.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

Disturbing passions

Anna is a popular teacher, voted 'Teacher of the Year', and it is a great shock to everyone when she is found viciously beaten and left for dead in the school car park. She is rushed to hospital where she remains in a coma with no guarantee she will ever wake up.

For Anna's husband Erik and their five-year-old twins Sebastian and Lukas this attack is life-changing, and all they can do is wait to see if she recovers. With help from his mother he keeps up the boys' routine as far as he is able, making sure they are supported both at home and at their day care where the familiar face of Pernilla, their carer is comforting.

There seems to be no motive for the attack, that is, until details of Anna's life begin to emerge. Her marriage is not as happy as it seems, with Erik resenting the time she spends at school, and her commitment to her pupils. His job is unrewarding and he dreams of a career in music with his friend Rob. Then there is Daniel, a new seventeen-year-old pupil who is fixated on Anna and her seemingly ideal family life, so different from his own home where his mother is frequently drunk and entertains a succession of men. Struggling to find some time for herself Anna drives to the next town and stumbles upon a small library where she meets Iris.

This story weaves its way between the relationships Anna has with Erik, Daniel and Iris and the impact each has on her life. The characters are diverse, each with their own agenda, which emerge as each tells its own story. As in life generally little is as it seems. The lesser characters, Daniel's mother Frida and Iris's husband Rolf add colour and depth.

The mystery of the identity and motive of Anna's attacker is multi-faceted, with the author presenting sub-plots to muddy the waters, and misdirection in spades.

I really enjoyed this book and whilst there were many clues to the attacker his or her identity evaded me until the end. If I have any criticism it would be that there was possibly too much going on; so many stresses and strains on Anna and Erik's relationship at the same time seemed to be unlikely, but then again, truth can be stranger than fiction!

A satisfying read.

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This story set in Sweden in a small town was something a bit different. A teacher wife, husband painter twin sons. Middle class background. Normal family life. And one day the wife is attacked so brutally in the school car park that they fear that she will survive.

Whilst Anna is in a coma, the story of the various characters emerge and as usual life is not what it seems to be. Erik her husband is questioned but there seems to be no reason to link him to the attack. Her colleagues at work are all in the clear and whether this was a random attack or one that was pre planned has the police in a quandary. There seems to be no hidden factors in the attack and no reason for her attack.

Investigation slowly unravels several strange happenings. Daniel a student is obsessed by Anna. He wants to leave his drunkard mother and go and live with Anna in her home. He looks on Anna as part lover and part saviour and Anna does not know how to handle the situation. At the same time, Anna has fallen in love with a woman in the same town and intends telling Erik about it and leaving him. Erik himself has had a one night stand with his sons nursery school teacher, who is now trying to blackmail him into continuing the relationship. The woman with whom Anna has fallen in love has a husband who is having a relationship with Daniel's mother but it is only a sexual one and when he realises that his wife is going to leave him for Anna, he is filled with hatred for Anna. So there are several suspects coming out of the woodwork with reasons to hate Anna. The suspects are also in many ways linked to each other and the police have to work on each suspect separately.

The police work seemingly very slowly to unravel the mystery because though Anna has survived the attack, she has lost her memory so she is unable to help them with the investigation.

The Swedish background and setting was a different kind of read for me and one I enjoyed. The story unraveled very slowly. I felt it could have been slightly quicker but it did not detract from the evolving story.

Goodreads and Amazon review up on 12/6/2017. Review on my blog October 2017

In When I Wake Up Jessica Jarlvi takes the reader back and forth in time with the various main characters. As the story progresses the list of suspects grows, building the suspense. Fair warning, there is explicit sex in When I Wake Up. Good story and there comes a time when the book is difficult to put down. I was given a copy to review.

With an intriguing opening scene, this book then continues to draw you in with its unlikeable characters. You are kept guessing whom the offender is right to the very end and you might not even deduce it! Enjoyable read.

When I Wake Up is an absolute page-turner! Everyone is shocked by Anna’s horrible attack and no one can figure out who would have done such a thing. However, as the book unfolds flashing back to the past, as well as, following Erik in the present, everything starts falling into place. Except, every time I thought I figured out who the attacker was, I was so wrong! Author Jessica Jarlvi weaves a complicated and tangled web of secrets and deceit leaving it almost impossible for the reader to figure out “whodunnit” until she decides to reveal everything.

I was blown away by the complexity and suspense of the plot, but have to mention the amazing character development. There are a lot of key players in this novel – most of which are possible suspects – but Jarlvi’s writing allows the reader the feeling that they truly know each character. This is most likely why I was so shocked when the attacker was revealed! I knew the character wasn’t perfect, like all of the characters, but never suspected that they were responsible for the attack.

For lovers of suspense/thrillers, do not miss out on reading this amazing novel! Hats off to Jessica Jarlvi, her incredible writing, and this amazing novel!

*Thanks to Aria and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5 Penguins

Quick Reasons: there are some super creeptastic scenes, with a SUPER creeptastic POV; these characters are vibrant, well-written, and so individualized; I'm not so sure I like the epilogue chapter, I feel it cheapened the rest of the book somehow; this was a wild, unexpected journey--and I adored it

HUGE thanks to Jessica Jarlvi, Aria Publishing, and Netgalley for sending me a free egalley of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.


---"I wish this smell could be bottled," Iris said between bites. "Cinnamon, dark roasted coffee and books. It would be a bestseller."

Anna nodded in agreement. It was a pleasant thought.

"Of course, you would have to add sweaty feet to make it realistic," Iris added and wriggled her toes, the red lacquer on her nails glowing.---


There is something to be said about an author who, seemingly effortlessly, can weave their readers into the heart of a mystery...and keep them enthralled there throughout. Jessica Jarlvi promised a tapestry of drama, intrigue, and fear in the blurb of this book--and then delivered beautifully on those promises! I was sucked in from the very beginning, and taken through a whirling journey spanning the past and present.

These characters are SO defined--super vibrant, complex in their emotions and reactions. Each character was individualized and believable, while still maintaining a sense of "suspicion" that kept me wavering between who might have done it. In fact, I was SO focused on hoping that Jessica Jarlvi wouldn't go for the obvious, wouldn't take the scapegoat she provides early on, that I *might* have missed some of the hidden foreshadows....and was caught completely off guard when the answer was finally revealed! This was brilliantly written, honestly--the leaps back and forth between past and present, with the alternating POVs, only helped to confuse and meander my mind from the truth!


---And there it was again. A flickering memory. He had said that before. I won't do it. Her memory was still fitting together like a puzzle, the pieces finding their place one at a time.---


I'm not entirely sure I like the epilogue chapter of this book, though I feel this is mostly a personal opinion than anything inherently wrong with the writing. I just felt, after such heavy buildup and tension, that the ending sort of cheapened the read a bit--probably because it ends on a bit of a "and they all lived happily ever after" note, which I just can't wrap my head around I guess. I wish we had been given a DIFFERENT perspective for the ending, honestly--in fact, there was at the end one character I wish we'd been shown the TRUTH of. I went so far as to imagine how that closing scene could be written, even--though I'd bet Jessica Jarlvi would do much more justice with it than I. Regardless, the rest of the plot was fast-paced and filled with disturbing tension, and I adored the read overall.

This was a SUPER creepy read filled with some unique, sometimes creeptastic, characters. The action was tension-heavy and fast-paced, though I felt as if the ending didn't quite live up to the rest of the read. I cannot WAIT to see what Jessica Jarlvi will deliver next, as I had a ton of fun stepping out of my head and into these characters' for a while! I recommend this to lovers of mysteries, alternate POV journeys, and slightly unhinged characters. The coma's over, penguins; can you figure out who-dun-it before the big reveal?!

When Anna is attacked no one could think of anyone who would want to hurt her. She was a loving mother, wife and teacher who tried to help everyone. When she wakes she has no memory of what happened but her memories start to return but can it save her.
This was a step away from what I usually read and I enjoyed it. The characters were believable and interesting. Although it has some sex scenes which didn't really appeal to me, they were part of the story.

When I Wake Up was an absolute brilliant psychological thriller, I was totally hooked all the way through, the flow throughout the story was really good and had me quessing, a brilliant ending, and a fabulous read that I totally recommend.

Oh my goodness! This book took me on a wild ride that I wanted never to end! It was a thriller, a mystery, a love story, packed full of action. Anna is a popular teacher, married with two children. She is brutally attacked in the school's parking lot, taken to hospital, and remains in a coma for some time. There are several people in her life who would have a motive, but Anna is well loved, so who would attack her? The story is told from several perspectives in alternating chapters, but it was so well done, I did not find it confusing at all, which I usually do. This will surely be a best seller!

I admit I was skeptical about this book when I saw the description provided because I am kind of tired of the Gone Girl/Girl on a Train kind of books. However..THIS book is very well written. I became quickly engrossed from page 1 and could not stop reading until I had finished it. I look forward to lots more books from this author

Absolutely loved this book!! I couldn't out it down until I finished it. The characters were well written & the storyline was easy to follow. It kept me guessing until the very end. Would highly recommend it to all my friends and family.

I’m on a roll with my thrillers at the moment so as I said previously it needs to be an intriguing plot to keep me entranced, something different to all the other books out there.

When I Wake Up starts with a bang and continues to reel the reader into the plot throughout. Set in a small town in Sweden so that makes it slightly distinct from the norm.

Anna, a bright young teacher, married to Erik and mother to young twins. She is absolutely committed to her job and lives and breathes for her students. Erik is a painter and a wannabe musician .. he plays in a band with his mates occasionally.

Anna has a close relationship with work colleague Kent and finds herself sharing her concerns about an awkward student Daniel with him rather than Erik. Her husband tends to switch off listening when all she does is talk work.

All is well until Anna is brutally attacked on her way home one evening .. the plot thickens as the police investigate and many stones are uncovered to locate the culprit. As each person is questioned it feels as though there are plenty who may have a motive or are just keen to keep their own skeletons securely in the closet!

Told from varying viewpoints there are quite a few characters to follow but Jessica makes it seamlessly join up and I wasn’t overly confused just keen to know the answer! Exactly who has done this dreadful thing to Anna and more importantly why?

Another story running alongside involves Iris and Rolf, they have an alternative relationship .. do either of them play a part in Anna’s life?

This kept me hooked, it’s so easy to fall into the ‘coma’ alongside Anna and feel the tensions mount. I thought I had it figured out but the author manages to keep you guessing until the end.

I really enjoyed this .. thanks to Jessica, Aria and Netgalley for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

4/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a really good mystery/thriller, and kept me guessing from start to end. I kept thinking I had it all figured out, and then I didn't! It's always nice to find a story that keeps you guessing. The story is told from the perspective of multiple people, and goes back and forth in time - about a 6-9 mo period.

This book was a wonderful roller coaster ride full of twists and turns and surprises! A thoroughly enjoyable read.

It was a love ,mystery and thriller story like no other i have read lately .It pulls u in to the story and keeps you guessing right up to the end .Loved it ! A definite must read for all mystery and thriller lovers out there . Looking forward to more books by this amazing author ..

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book description had me intrigued right away. This was truly a very good suspense novel. Right at the beginning, Anna, a beloved high school teacher, is badly beaten outside her high school. There are no witnesses and the beating is so bad that she is in a coma in the hospital. The story is told in flashbacks through several alternating points of view and flip flops between past and present. As it does, it leaves the reader with several ideas of who may have harmed Anna making for quite an interesting read. The ending is one you probably don't see coming until closer to the end. There are quite a few descriptive sexual scenes, which is not always indicative of this genre. However, it did not take away from the story.

Brilliant book. What more can I say?

Every page and every chapter took me on a journey I wasn’t expecting. I changed my mind about each character so many times my head is still spinning now.

The book begins with Anna being attacked. Whilst she is lying in a hospital bed in a coma, we start learning about the people around her. We learn about her husband Erik, who drove me absolutely potty and I can only describe as Anna’s third selfish child, who on the surface seems like the devoted husband. Nut has secrets of his own.

We learn about her student Daniel and his unhealthy obsession with her, but who could blame him, taking into account his own painful background.

And we also start learning about her other relationships - the ones from Anna’s second life that she hides from everyone else.

This book journeys into the deep, dark corners of every character’s soul and takes you through all their dirty laundry, their deepest secrets and desires and just proves that not all is what it seems.

I don’t like giving the plot away and you wouldn’t want me too. This book is a page after page of discovery and really worth the read. Very clever writing with many plots and twists and turns. Just my cup of tea – surely life would be boring if we could work everything out from the start?

Thank you to the author and Aria Fiction for access to this book in return for this honest review.

Marketed as “a heart-pounding thriller to delight fans of The Girl on the Train and Before I Go To Sleep”, When I Wake Up is a story told through multiple perspectives and flashes back and forth between past and present. A teacher, Anna, is in a coma after being savagely beaten. Only two people know the truth: Anna, who is lying silently in a hospital bed and the attacker.
As mentioned, the chapters move back and forth through time and feature various character perspectives. Anna’s chapters discuss events prior to her accident, her husband Erik in the present, struggling to find out what happened to his wife and random alternating chapters between a woman, Iris, working in a bookstore, Iris’ eccentric husband (an artist) and one of Anna’s students, Daniel. Each character was intricately developed and three dimensional; Jarlvi brilliantly is able to make these characters jump off the pages. I was left struggling to piece together how all of this would fit together, and by the end, when all was said and done, my jaw dropped at the twist.
I was drawn into this one immediately; the main protagonist is an educator working with troubled youth. This mirrors my job exactly so I felt especially connected to Anna as she tries to remain politically correct, show the student she cares and keep some distance for self-preservation.
By the time I reached the half point in the plot, I was completely immersed in the story and, as I mentioned, was baffled trying to figure out all these pieces were going to fit together; each situation became more intricate and involved and, soon, there was quite a complicated web. However, although I loved it in the middle, I found by the ¾ mark, I was feeling quite confused. It was as if the plot was becoming too complicated. There were too many things unfolding and it seemed to be happening randomly. However, Jarlvi flips the switch brilliantly in the end and I was left feeling impressed with the resolution of the novel.
There is quite the amount of explicit sexual material within the pages; I, personally, prefer my thrillers to be “thrill focused” so I did find this a little bit distracting but I did applaud the author for her choice to be true to the characters and their sexual exploration.
Overall, I enjoyed When I Wake Up and feel like it would suit fans who like character heavy thriller. Lots of developed faces, intricate webs and fast paced plots.

WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi sounded like a fascinating psychological thriller and I hoped that it would be worth a read but nothing prepared me for this shocking story that was completely unexpected, clever, and sharp.

When Anna is savagely beaten and left in a coma, this small community in Sweden is shocked that something like this could happen to such a lovely woman. A brilliant teacher, Anna takes her job seriously and really wants to make a difference in her student's lives and in her personal life she is married to Erik and a dedicated mother to her two adorable little boys. But as her husband and the police begin their investigation, confusing secrets begin to turn up and as the list of suspects starts to grow, will Anna wake up in time to name her attacker?

WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi is told from different points of view and at different times ranging from a few months before the attack to after it has happened, and this really worked in holding my attention. There are plenty of characters, most of which are unlikeable and highly suspicious, which had me questioning the attacker's identity numerous times. There are a lot of sexual scenes throughout this book which may seem unusual for this genre but like everything this author writes, there are reasons for this too. WHEN I WAKE UP by Jessica Jarlvi is absorbing, dark, and refreshingly different and I highly recommend it.

Clever intriguing story line with so many suspects and so many motives. Anyone one of them could have believably been the culprit. It was really refreshing to read a modern day mystery with great depth of plot and subplots. Slightly seedy and sinister characters and a few shocks. Slightly dark and erotic. It was unnerving to read about how seemingly normal people on the outside can have a very warped mind and life. Very well done. An easy read but well worth it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Aria Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Anna is a well-loved teacher, married to Erik who is a house painter/bandmate, and mother of two twin boys. The book opens with a vicious attack on Anna that leaves her in a coma. Erik tries to investigate who could have attacked Anna and uncovers many secrets.

This was a well-written psychological thriller with lots of suspects to keep you guessing to the end. Be aware that it is sexually explicit if that's an issue with you. I enjoyed all the different points of view and timelines that let us explore each of the characters' backgrounds and motives. Most of the characters aren't real likeable but that doesn't take away from the suspense of this book.

Well worth the read - I couldn't put it down!

When I Wake by Jessica Jarlvi takes place in a small town in Sweden. Anna is a teacher-of-the-year award winner, respected by her peers and beloved by students, who always goes the extra mile. She is married to a house-painter who hopes to make it in the music scene, and has two young twin boys.

So who would viciously attack Anna and leave her for dead? The longer she lies in a coma, the longer the list of suspects grows. Turns out the small town is not as sleepy as we thought, and Anna has more enemies than we ever expected.

Only Anna knows the truth, and her waking from the coma is not the happy event dreamed of by so many. Certainly not for the attacker. Jarlvi weaves the story, and multiple sub-stories so well that I really wasn't sure who the attacker was until Anna revealed it. There were so many plausible possibilities! This book is a suspenseful page-turner, and a terrific read. I recommend it highly.

Caution: there are explicit sex scenes in this book, and if that bothers you, you should stay away from it. That's the only reason not to put this book on your shelves or in your e-reader as soon as you can!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria publishing for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book.

Teacher, and mother of two, Anna, is great at her job and seemingly well-liked so why would someone beat her so brutally that she is left in a coma? The police in the quiet Swedish town where she lives are investigating but Anna’s husband, Erik, decides to start a bit of detective work of his own. Soon he discovers his wife, and the people of their ‘perfect’ town had secrets they would rather stay hidden. The only person who can solve the mystery of the attack is the very woman who is lying in a hospital bed. Will Anna ever be able to reveal the truth?

It is fair to say that this book did not go in the direction I was expecting and the subject matter was most definitely a surprise! As a result, some of the very descriptive scenes were slightly uncomfortable to read, although they were integral in explaining Anna’s state of mind. What started off as a straightforward ‘whodunnit’ soon became a twisted tale of passion, infidelity and unhealthy fixations. To muddy the waters further, once the main suspects began to cross paths, more and more motives began to rise to the surface.

Each chapter is devoted to one of the main players in the plot. In addition to Anna and Erik, we also have Daniel, a student with an unhealthy interest in Anna; Iris, a local librarian and close friend of Anna, and Rolf, the artist husband of Iris. Initially, I found this quite confusing but once the characters were established, it provided the author with a way of exploring the same event from the perspective of multiple characters. I found it difficult to like any of the main characters, especially as more and more secrets began to emerge, and could fully appreciate how any one of them could be the guilty party.

There were several times in the book when I wanted to shake Anna for the poor decisions she was making, especially when dealing with the Daniel situation, and felt that the whole sorry affair could have been avoided if only she’d spoken to someone about what was happening. Of course, this would not have made a good plot, though!

I think I must have suspected every character at some time whilst reading When I Wake Up, so when the perpetrator was revealed, it was not a huge surprise. Although others had a motive, in the end, for me, there was only one person who could have possibly have done it and I feel that Jessica Jarlvi has chosen the correct one.

This is a great debut and I thank Net Galley and Aria for the ARC.

It’s vibrant, attention grabbing and it is one I would definitely purchase if I came across it in the bookshop or on Amazon. With the catchy bright colours

My favourite Quote/Sentence:

“I wish this smell could be bottled,” Iris said between bites. “Cinnamon, dark roasted coffee and books. It would be a bestseller.”
My Thoughts

The book hooks you from page 1, with an array of unusual and dodgy characters, you do not know who to trust. They all have a reason to be the culprit. Jarlvi gives you just the right amount of important information and your brain goes into overdrive. A literary tease in more ways than one.

This book is heavily charged with sex, there all at it. Not my usual sort of thing in a book. But it works with When I Wake Up.

There was a trickle of Swedish brands, furniture, mugs and even backpacks spread throughout the book. A gentle reminder of where you were. It was refreshing, I am now lingering to try a Vanilla Heart.

Characters

A wide variety of characters control the story. With a chapter here and there for each one. Some I loved, Iris, for example, is smart, loving and someone I would love to meet if she was real. I would love to talk to her about books. Some I strongly disliked, Daniel being one of them, his contempt and lack of love for his poor mother.

Ending

I was happy that for once I didn’t know the end of the story. It kept me hooked right till the last page. Don’t worry you can keep reading, I don’t do spoilers. I didn’t guess who it was so was very shocked when the truth was told.

One thing I did think was going to happen was a twist of a story from Iris and Rolf’s daughter but it never came to fruition but that was just my own thoughts.

I don’t have anything negative to say, I would thoroughly recommend the book. It was different, in a word truly fantastic!

The book is being promoted as similar to Girl On A Train or Gone Girl, both of which I have read and I have to say even though I enjoyed them both I don’t think they even come up to scratch with When I Wake Up.

I would love love love it to be made into a movie or tv series.

It leaves you wanting more, and I will have zero delays in buying anything by Jessica Jarlvi in the future. An author we should all be watching out for.

This was a good read. Lots of suspense to keep you guessing. A solid, well written whodunit.

When I Wake Up is told through various viewpoints both before Anna’s attack and afterwards. There is a lot going here and several characters to follow, but it wasn’t confusing at all. The chapters are clearly labeled by name and the month and year so it’s super easy to keep up with. Part of the fun of this book is with so many characters, virtually everyone is a suspect. At first glance, it seems really strange that a well respected teacher like Anna would be a target of a violent crime, but as the story unfolds, you learn that Anna had some really dark secrets she was hiding and plenty of people had the means and motivations to want to silence her.

I really liked the setting of a small Swedish town that looks and sounds idyllic but had some skeletons in its closet. All of the characters were unlikable and made poor decisions and had me shaking my head several times, but that never bothers me. It only adds to the mystery and tension as I try and figure out if anyone is actually a good person. I do want to point out that there are some very sexually explicit love scenes that I was not expecting, so be warned. I’m usually not a huge fan of that stuff in thrillers but it did work here and fit into the twisty storyline well.

This is a really, really good psychological thriller. From the moment I started this I knew I was going to struggle to put it down, I loved that the chapters were split into different main characters as you got a deeper sense of understanding them.
Anna is a school teacher who loves her job, is married to Erik and has twin 5 year old boys. Anna is found outside school battered to within an inch of her life and is in a coma for months. Who wanted to hurt Anna and she did she have secrets from her family?
There were a lot of characters that were in the guilty corner for me and that kept this book interesting although when I found out who'd done it they weren't in my top 2!!!
I flew through this book and can't wait to read more by Jessica Jarlvi, there were quite a few sexual scenes but this just added a different dimension to this book.
I would like to thank netgalley and Aria for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Anna is a high school teacher in a small Swedish community who is viciously attacked in the parking lot and left for dead. She is in coma and her husband Erik, looking after their twin boys is out for revenge. Little by little Erik starts unravelling Anna’s life and her secrets which includes a student stalking her and a secret affair with a married lover. Erik meanwhile has his own problems as his one night stand has become very emotionally invested in him. There are a lot of people that have a hidden motive to hurt Anna and when finally, the suspect was revealed it was quite a surprise.

This story is told from multiple POV’s and multiple timeline but is easy to keep track of. The characters though not very likable were complex and very well developed. A fair warning the book did have some explicit sex scenes. Overall I would rate it 3 ½ to 4 stars and would definitely look forward to reading more by Jessica Jarlvi.

Many thanks to Aria & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

Anna is a young mother of two little twin boys living with her husband who is a house painter by day and want to be rock star by night while Anna is the main support for the family with her job as a teacher. One thing about Anna is that she cares deeply for her students and her job which can be a subject of conflict in her marriage.

One night after returning to the school Anna is attacked in the parking lot and savagely beaten and left for dead. Fortunately though Anna is found in time and rushed to the hospital where her family and friends wait at her side for her to awaken from the coma while the police are investigating just who could have attacked her.

The story in When I Wake Up is told by alternating the point of view between multiple characters and alternating the time line between what is happening in the current and back months before Anna was attacked. Even with the changing timelines and POV I still found the story easy to follow and the mystery of who attacked Anna very engaging.

However, this story was another I struggled on deciding on my rating due to some content within the book. I don’t want to be too specific as to spoil the story but in my opinion with this one the author went a little too far with connecting everyone together, I kept thinking of the six degrees of separation theory and thinking who this is becoming one degree if possible. There’s shadow and doubt cast on all the characters but it could have been done without so much overlapping in the who knows who department, especially a couple of them being from another town nearby but still intertwined in the lives of everyone else.

In the end I’m rating this one down the middle-ish at 3.5 stars. The story was engaging to find out what happened to Anna but just a tad unbelievable when it came to the overall character building.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A great debut thriller. The book is well written and is a quick and easy read.

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Sue1958's review May 21, 2017 · edit
it was amazing
bookshelves: 2017-ng-readers-challenge-group, blog-tours, direct-from-pa, family-drama-marriage-relationships, love-and-romance, net-galley, psychological-thrillers, publishers-who-sent-paperbacks, suspense-mystery-crime, unputdownable

This is a book that I would encourage everyone who knows me about my love for books, should read. It's had me glued. When I had to put it down I couldn't stop thinking about what I was reading.

Anna is a teacher, she's a committed teacher who goes that extra mile for her pupils.
There is one pupil who has "issues" that Anna gets involved in. But this pupil has other ideas.
He wants more than Anna can give, but, does she know that?

The other couple in this story has an unconventional lifestyle. Sooner or later they get tangled up and interwoven in each other.

I found this a compulsive read, an eerie read. I also didn't have a hunge who was the culprit although some seemed a little too obvious. The author took me on a guessing game, a thrill of a ride that I thoroughly enjoyed and was reluctant to get off.

I can't wait for more.

My thanks to Aria for the chance to read this.
And via Net Galley.