This is quite a quick thrilling read which has masses of twists and turns in it! For some reason I found the pace a bit slow but in saying that, once it gets going then there were certainly a whole host of red herrings, twists and turns that you just don't see coming. I did skim a few bits but I also couldn't stop reading because I needed to know just what on earth was actually going on. The characters were well written, even if some of their choices and behaviours were a bit unrealistic. Some people do just make stupid decisions in life. It's definitely one of those books that gets under your skin and it was also a really unique concept with a number of different sub plots running through it. It doesn't end abruptly or rushed and there are no massive plot holes left either which was super satisfying. A very clever thriller and a perfect beach read.

3.5 stars


As someone who's struggled with sleep, I felt the first few chapters of this book did a great job of summing up how it sometimes feels... and it connected me to the characters in sympathy.

Beyond that I just went with the flow, and was entertained by it all.
The plot is slightly ott, but it's all the more fun for that.
Plenty of twists along the way.
I enjoyed it.

Good book!! Oooh I really enjoyed reading this one! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and a great who done it! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! There were so many shady characters that it kept you guessing till the end! Great who done it! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I was excited to see Claire McGowan's upcoming novel, Are You Awake, available as a "read now" on NetGalley, so of course I had to read it right away! Sadly, I have to say that I was very disappointed with this one. It was painfully slow going and extremely boring at first. The writing felt stilted and lacking in connection. The characters were very blah and I didn't care about any of them. I thought about giving up a few times, but I stuck it out hoping that it would be worth it. Around the 60% mark, the mystery aspect of the story did become more interesting and I raced through to the end hoping for some redemption. Nope! The end was just there...and then poof, it was gone. Over and out. No bells, no whistles. No WTF moments nor shocking revelations. It was extremely anticlimactic and a huge let down for me.

I really wanted to love this book. It was a decent mystery, but everything else just fell flat for me. I am a huge fan of McGowan and will continue to read her books even though this one wasn't my favorite. I am hoping that others will enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you to the author, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine if you thought you witnessed a brutal crime? A young girl is missing in London. Two insomniacs swear they witnessed the crime. Mary is an exhausted and sleep deprived mother of two little ones. Tim is an insomniac suffering from trauma that causes him to be scared to sleep. Both of them believe they witnessed the attack on the missing girl. They meet at a park one night and form a friendship. Now they are on the path to figuring out what really happened. The police think they are crazy. But are they really just crazy and imagining things in their sleep deprived brains? This book will take us on their paths in figuring out what really happened. Can their sleep deprived minds figure out all the clues?

What I loved:
- first off the author is one of my favorite thriller writers. I am so excited to read another one of their books! This one did not disappoint.
- Dual POVs between Tim and Mary. And ocassionally we get a POV from the missing girl, Samantha. I also loved the dynamic between Tim and Mary. I enjoyed their journey of sleuthing.
- Trying to figure out who to trust. Or what was even real. This kept me on my toes the whole time!
- the twists!! I didn't see any of them coming

This was a well paced, interesting, and fun book. The last half of the book flew for me.and I couldn't put it down. This author continues to keep me on my toes with their writing. 4 stars out of 5! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Having enjoyed the authors previous works I was looking forward to reading this book but I struggled to engage with the plot or characters

I was intrigued by the cover, title, and description of Are You Awake by Claire McGowan and loved the friendship/connection portrayed between the two main characters, a harried mom and a former detective. There were many twists and turns, which I loved, but the pace felt a bit off -- some parts moved slowly and some sped up so fast I almost missed them. I had to skim at points throughout the narrative to get to more action. Still, a good mystery and I liked the characters. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Can't sleep? Do not read this one at bedtime as it is mysterious and thought provoking...will keep the reader up at night. This author has woven a story that is difficult to put down. Despite the fact that the story moves slowly at times, it is intriguing. The characters are a man...just a man...and a woman with a husband and two children...one wonders why she had the children as she complains so much about them...and the husband. don't try to determine the end of this book too close to the beginning...surprises abound. The book was sent to me by Netgalley for review.

I loved this thriller and the pairing of the unlikely duo Mary and Tim. In London, Mary a mother of two is balancing life with two small children, lack of sleep and thoughts of returning to her job as a solicitor. Her neighbour Tim, a journalist is experiencing insomnia, anxiety and PTSD. They meet one sleepless night and witness what appears to be a violent attack on a young woman in a neighbouring house. They soon link this to the disappearance of a young woman but despite calls to the police there is little interest or follow up on what they've witnessed.
This is a really gripping thrilling, full of twists and turns and a believable partnership of Mary and Tim that I'd love to see more of in future novels. Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I really enjoyed this and think it would make a fantastic TV drama. The story took a little while to get going but once it did, I couldn't put it down. I didn't really see what the little 'adverts' brought to the book, but otherwise well thought out clever thriller. Many thanks.

It’s my first time reading one of this author’s books and according to the reviews, I’ve been missing out. This one was fast paced and while not exactly an original plot, it’s very well written and brings the reader in a lot of directions with red herrings here and there before settling on the suspect being not exactly a surprise as the blurb give a huge hint. I also wonder from the end if we’re going to meet Mary in another story.

Claire McGowan doing what she does best!
Mary who with two young children struggles to get any sleep meets up with Tim the insomniac. A local girl has gone missing and they are convinced they have seen her being held against her will. The police don't take much interest when they report what they have seen so the pair do there own investigation.
What i like about this story is that even though Mary is married i had a feeling that the pair of them would end up in some sort of affair but no, how refreshing is that?
Great characters, loads of red herrings, highly recommend this book.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in return for leaving my honest review.

Mary and Tim meet one night in a park and witness a terrifying scene through a window. Mary is escaping from the never ending demands of motherhood and Tim is walking to keep his nightmares at bay. Mary and Tim decide to investigate the disappearance of a woman last seen where they were walking, but the police don’t believe that Mary and Tim saw anything sinister. Still, another murder compels the unlikely duo to continue their investigation, regardless of what happens to them…or to the families

Claire McGowan is an accomplished writer of thrillers and the premise of ‘Are You Awake’ sounds promising. Two people, unable to sleep for very different reasons, believe that they see a missing girl being assaulted in the middle of the night. The police do not appear very interested.
McGowan writes about insomnia very well and her portrayal of Tim, a war journalist, suffering from PTSD is convincing and sympathetic whilst also allowing the reader to appreciate how difficult he would be to live with. In contrast, her depiction of Mary, mother of two children under three, is not so convincing. I completely understand the bone-tired state that she operates in, having experienced it myself way back. However, I am just not convinced that a woman up to her eyes in nappies, breast feeding, toddler tantrums and professional self-doubt would have the energy or the inclination to put a great deal of time and effort into sleuthing, given all that she is juggling!
Unfortunately, the story only works if the reader can buy into her all-consuming need to solve the mystery of the disappearing Samantha. And I couldn’t. There is no doubt that McGowan can tell a beguiling tale. Sadly, ‘Are You Awake’ is an exception. Well written but increasingly unbelievable as the narrative unfolds.
My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

For me Claire is author that is pure hit or miss. I first came across her work via a BBC radio play which I loved and it made me seek out her books, I started with the Paula McGuire series and was hooked, I very much enjoyed them all and highly recommended them. After finishing this series I started reading her stand alone novels and I have to say I have been disappointed by each and everyone, they lacked any grit, proper story, strong well written characters they were outrageous boarding the fantastical in term of storylines but I held out hope and continued to read them, perhaps this was due to lockdown , flying though and running our books but I kept the faith. I am glad to report I did as I really enjoyed this book.

Full disclose if this book had not been a read now on NetGalley I wouldn’t have requested it or indeed bought it on publication, I would have waited until it was a free read in include in Prime Reading for my kindle if even then. So a massive thank you to NetGalley for having the ARC as a read now as it is a good book I’d other wised have missed on. My review is honest, unbiased and fair I hope it makes you want to give this book a try.

The story is an interesting one- A young woman is missing in London. Two insomniacs swear they witnessed a crime. Mary is an exhausted and sleep deprived mother of two little ones. Tim is an insomniac suffering from trauma that causes him to be scared to sleep. Both of them believe they witnessed a attack on the missing woman . They meet at a park one night and form a friendship. Now they are on the path to figuring out what really happened. The police think they are crazy. But are they really just crazy and imagining things in their sleep deprived state or did they really see something- it keeps your interest and make you want to read to the end tho I did guess fairy early on what had happened but there was enough twists in the story to question yourself and there was slight twist in conclusion I misread.

The plot is slightly OTT, in what in fact was actually quite a slow paced book . The writing felt stilted at times like the author wasn’t sure where the story was going and was trying to drag it out to create the tension it was sometimes lacking. Around the 60% mark, the mystery aspect of the story did become more interesting but it was dragged out with pointless parts and it got annoying how the main characters were reacting. I skimmed though parts to get the end looking for the big ending but while it drew conclusion to the main story as well as the sub stories it felt a little bit flat, I did like how it ended but it felt rushed and anticlimactic

The characters were very blah and extremely stereotypical, dare I say lazy in how they were written I didn’t really care what happened to any of them ,however they did not distract from what ,while was very OTT plot, a fairy interesting mystery . The lack of strong characters just shows the writer needs to take her time and instead of churning out novel after novel working on one,taking what is a clear talent for writing and writing one amazing book rather than lots of alright ones, her early work in the Paula McGuire books shows the roots of a great writer are there.

What I will say I liked how she portrayed Mary, and the feelings she has about being a new mum struggling with her new role in life, I feel she captured that perfectly and did not go down the easy route of PND instead showing how you can have these feelings without it being something deeper, she actually showed a bit humour in this which made Mary less 2D than the other blah characters. Also liked the slight cosy crime feel I got from both Mary and Tim with their amateur detection though am not sure if the author meant them to read like that I suspect not.

Furthermore I found the message, awareness around violence against women and the highlighting of the woman’s movement well done it was subtle and cleverly intertwined into the story.

This book was not brilliant but it is a good read that will keep your interest, just don’t expect to too much and it will make a ideal beach read, go with the flow at times, accept the slightly annoying bits and you will be left with a story that leaves no plot holes , will give a bit of thrill and even a laugh in the process.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The characters were well written and I feel like we got to know our two leads very well, especially Tim. I liked the writing style and found the story interesting.

I wasn't fully convinced by Mary or Tim's motives in becoming so involved with the investigation, but I appreciate there wouldn't have been a story if they hadn't! The only other drawback for me is that whilst the plot held my interest, it wasn't twisty. There were no surprises or 'wow' moments which would have elevated this to a five star read.

Delicious Hitchcockian Premise…
A girl missing, two sleep deprived insomniac strangers, a heatwave and an incident which may, or may not, have devastating consequences. Tim and Mary, both unable to sleep, meet in a local park during a particularly humid night. It seems as if the whole of the world is asleep - excepting them. They are soon to witness what they interpret as a violent attack through a window of a nearby house. The police take their account with a large pinch of salt and an unlikely friendship ensues as the pair hunt for clues and investigate themselves. What did they really see and how credible are they themselves? Wholly immersive and compelling with a delicious Hitchcockian premise which, although an initial slow burn, really does deliver in terms of atmosphere, character and the solid mystery at its heart.

I’ve been waiting for a fantastic summer read and this one checked all the boxes! I’ve been a fan of Claire McGowan for some time and this book reinforced the fact, she can write a great thriller with well developed characters. While my mind immediately figured out who the likely culprit was, there were some twists and turns throughout the story, Besides the actual mystery, was the storyline of Tim and Mary which was rich and well developed, I found myself looking forward to finishing my work day just so I could finish this book. Great story overall and I highly recommend!

Okay, so this one wasn’t for me.

It’s like, I started thinking that the title, ‘Are you awake?’, was actually just a question being asked to the reader because…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I probably stepped away from this book a dozen times because nothing was happening.

The thing is that I actually liked the characters. The mom, Mary is just so freaking exhausted and I just felt her. Tim seemed like a really good guy and I was so sorry for all he went through. The husband, whose name I can’t recall, was kind of oblivious, but in general an okay guy. But my character like was not enough to sustain me.

The reason behind everything isn’t even all that interesting.

This one is a skip from me.

*ARC via Net Galley

An enjoyable read, great style of writing switching between the characters. Plenty of twists throughout and kept me guessing to an extent.

Mary is a family lawyer on maternity leave and Tim is an investigative journalist on sick leave. They both struggle with getting any sleep so when they both see something strange in the middle of the night they come together to solve the mystery.
Great read for me I enjoyed the little twists throughout and loved the unlikely paring of Tim and Mary. I would of liked a little more explanation at the end but apart from that thought it was fab. Thanks to #netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
Two strangers meet in the middle of the night in a park in London: Mary, who has a baby and a toddler who keep her awake most nights and Tim, who hasn't slept since a nightmarish experience has left him traumatized. They both think they've seen a girl in an abandoned building; could it possibly be the girl the police is looking for?
The two form a strange alliance, they decide to investigate. Hopefully that will keep their sleep deprived brains busy; something to focus on.
What starts out as an exciting idea though, soon turns into a fight for their freedom and their lives.
I really enjoyed this, even though it's a bit of an unrealistic story (but hey, it's fiction!), it clips along at an exciting pace and was hard to.put down. Definitely recommended!

Really enjoyed this book. Alot of twists and turns that kept me guessing. Highly recommend this one.

I had mixed feelings about this one. The premise was interesting albeit a little far fetched. Two unconnected insomniacs think they see a missing girl trapped in an empty house. The rest of the book is these characters trying to get the police to take them seriously whilst making various unsavoury discoveries along the way.

I liked the portrayal of Mary as a struggling mum, worried about her stagnating career and drifting apart from her husband due to the competitive tiredness and general strain of having very small children. Tim was also a complex character; initially we feel a strong empathy for him, but this becomes more reluctant as his infertility and reckless selfishness is revealed later in the book.

However the likelihood of two randomers uncovering the truth before the police did require a significant suspension of disbelief - and Tim’s discovery of the final location in the few seconds he had to look at a (conveniently unlocked) computer screen was a little too convenient. Some artistic licence is mandatory but there were a few too many cliches, convenient coincidences and glossing over of logistics for it to be a very convincing read.

That said, it was an interesting idea and it did keep me reading as I wanted to know what had happened - though the finale was a little flat; I was expecting a big twist but there were no real surprises at the end.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Mary and Tim are both sleepless for different reasons and witness a murder. The premise was exciting and I wanted this to be great but it didn’t land. The twists felt predictable and then a little silly.. Nothing really landed right.

I have read Claire McGowan before and enjoyed it, but not this book. Sorry

Mary has two young children and is awake through the night, not remembering the last time she fully slept. Tim is a journalist suffering from guilt and horrific memories of an accident - leaving him unable to sleep, suffering from insomnia. One night, both Mary and Tim look out to a house across from them, and witness violence through the window. A house that already has a past history of a brutal murder. Working together to try and find out what they saw, they'll head further and further into danger. A danger that might not allow them both out alive.

Another fantastic book by Claire! I haven't read a book that I've been disappointed with yet by Claire, she's just that good!

A chilling story of two sleep deprived strangers coming together to find a missing person, not knowing whether they can trust their minds. It's brilliant and tense, the tension building right up to the spectacular ending.

Two people who couldn't sleep are bound by a common sight they see across the street, in a house that is under renovation.

17 year old Samantha is missing and Tim, a journalist fighting his demons, and Mary, sleep deprived mother of 2, both think they have seen her across the street. They forge an unlikely friendship.

They join forces to track Samantha down after their calls to the cops don't yield immediate results. But they get caught up in so many other happenings that are more life threatening for them and Samantha as well.

Fast and pacy thriller. Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK fir the ARC

I really enjoyed the set up of this book— introducing us to Mary, insomniac courtesy of two young children sharing a room and waking each other up all night long and a husband who is no help at night; and Tim, an insomniac investigative reporter dealing with PTSD after an overseas attack. Both of them see something suspicious in a neighbor’s house and think it might be linked to the disappearance of a local teenaged girl, but they can’t be sure. The police don’t seem to be making any headway, so they start to search out leads. It did get a bit convoluted by the end, but was nevertheless still a very good domestic thriller!
*Thanks to the author, Thomas and Mercer, and NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy for review.

I really enjoyed this book and was frustrated that I couldn’t read it in bigger chunks! I particularly liked the relationship between Tim and Mary and the fact that they never gave up! A lot of twists to this story and an ending which surprised me

What a great read this is ,two people who have trouble sleeping see something untoward in the dead of night and in doing so a series of events follow which will change their lives .keeps the reader involved until the very end .

Anyone who has suffered sleepless nights for any reason will immediately identify with both Mary and Tim. That awful watching of the clock and counting down how many hours you have left to sleep only to finally drift off half an hour before you have to get up is soul destroying. It is obvious immediately that Mary is only awake because of her children but the author kind of drip feeds the reader with the reason for Tim's insomnia a little bit at a time. The disappearance of Samantha seems clear enough at first but halfway through the story there is a massive plot twist that had me reeling. The plot gets a little convoluted from there but this only makes it more exciting. Claire McGowan has really cornered the market with her one off crime thrillers and this is another one well worthy of 5 stars.

This was a very intriguing mystery story. Tim is a man suffering PTSD and unable to sleep normally at night. Mary is a mother of two young children that sleep in the same room together waking each other up all night so she gets very little sleep too. The two meet one day when they think they see a young woman in a house across the park doing erotic things in the upstairs bedroom. They both feel it might be a young lady who was said to be missing from her home. The two get together to try to find out what’s going on in the house. The police come in to the picture and tell Mary and Tim to mind there business as they investigate and find nothing in the house. Tim and Mary don’t give up and continue investigating finding different people that maybe in involved. I enjoyed this book very fast paced and the characters were very believable to end up solving the case before the police.

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

Writing: 2/5 | Plot: nah/5 | Ending: thank god/5

THE PLOT

Mary is a mom-of-two who is TIRED AF. Tim is a former war journalist with crippling PTSD. Together they team up to solve "who the fuck is that lady in the dilapidated house across the street".

THIS BOOK IS LIKE...

...taking a bite of the juiciest, cheesiest, creamiest mac n cheese but the aftertaste is kraft dinner dry ass powder.

MY OPINION

AFOJFOJFOJ WHYYY!! ??? I absolutely loved Claire McGowan's writing in I Know You and What You Did, so naturally I was pumped af to grab her latest off NetGalley. The start was promising with Mary's raw af account of being a mom of two young kids with a bum ass husband. Her daughter, Audrey, was the uncontested star of this book—which is why I gave this two stars instead of one.

Ok so this could've been a guilty pleasure read but McGowan punched above the belt by making Mary a lawyer who didn't know the law from her left foot. If she had just been a SAHM or like a cupcake baker on maternity leave, that would've been fine. ANYTHING but a lawyer.

How can you make the MC a lawyer who asks questions like: "Wasn't it a crime to hide evidence too? But how did they even know that's what it was?" GURL??? ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS. THE BAG BELONGS TO A MISSING GIRL. OFC IT'S EVIDENCE. AND YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT'S A CRIME. HAVE YOU NEVER WATCHED CRIMINAL MINDS?? EVEN A LIL NCIS??? CMON!!!

Then you have Timmy boy who tells Mary he'll let the police know about the evidence they're obstructing "when they call him back." Pardon? Is he expecting someone to ring him like "hey is this Tim? Yeah this is 911. Did you happen to find a missing girl's duffle? Yes. Parfait. Could you bring it round let's say 7? Thanks so much."

This was very formulaic like many thrillers from well-known authors this year, which was disappointing. Thankfully Audrey made the first part of the book slightly enjoyable.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: Audrey

Cons: Mary is the worst lawyer on the planet, didn't really care for the other characters, another dud ass husband, very formulaic, writing wasn't up to par with her other books

A wuick and easy read that was gripping, twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing all the way through. It started off a bit slow but pacing incresaed as tension did - which didn't take long at all.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Mary Collins is wide awake at 4 am thanks to her two small children. Tim is also awake, because he doesn’t sleep. They see a woman being attacked in a vacant house across the park from their homes. Mary, a lawyer on maternity leave, and Tim, a disgraced reporter, decide to find out what they can. Neither one of them is completely sure of what they saw but when a local girl, Samantha, turns up missing, they dig deeper. There have also been a series of disappearances over the years in the neighborhood. This could have been another line of mystery, but the author didn’t run with it. Both Tim and Mary are at loose ends in their lives and this is a great outlet for them. One thing that drove me absolutely CRAZY, editor please fix, is the use of the word alright. GRRR. It is one of my pet peeves, and it’s in the book quite a lot. Otherwise, it’s a pretty easy read, you won’t get lost if you put it down for a few days, and you probably won’t stay up late reading it.

Mary's two young children won't let her sleep; Tim, a journalist, just can't, following recent trauma. When these two sleepless people witness something concerning in the dead of night, perhaps linked to a recent crime, the unlikely pair - both experiencing their own form of desperation - come together to investigate.

I do like Claire McGowan's books, but this took a while to grab hold of me. It settles down into what feels like quite an old-fashioned adventure whereby Mary and Tim, finding the police less than helpful, set about their own amateur investigation into the disappearance of a nineteen-year-old girl, Samantha. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way and ultimately it's all a bit far-fetched, but enjoyable enough.

The insomnia stuff is done well, with Tim struggling to differentiate what's real at times. The mother reluctantly awake with her baby in the depths of the night gave me vibes of Celia Fremlin's classic The Hours Before Dawn (and if you're a fan of domestic psychological thrillers and haven't read Fremlin, you really should).

As someone who has spent a lot of my professional life in care homes, my jaw did drop in response to what was going on in one home in the middle of the night. I can't quite imagine anyone getting away with it, but you never know.

A good read overall but not McGowan's best.

I’ve loved all of Claire McGowan’s other books and this one certainly didn’t disappoint.
It’s unique, clever and well written. There’s plenty of twists and turns and despite me finishing it a few days ago, the story has stuck with me. I was super invested in the characters throughout.
It’s one I’d definitely recommend.

Having read Claire McGowan books before I was thrilled to get the chance to read her latest offing.
Sadly it just didn't hit the mark for me I found it to slow paced for my liking I was left dissapointed.
Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for the ARC

Book: Are You Awake
Author: Tess Stimson
Publisher: Amazon Publishing UK
Pub Date: November 22, 2022

Are you awake? Well I had trouble staying awake reading this…I put this book down a lot and had a hard time finishing it. This just wasn’t the book for me. I didn’t find it exciting enough to hold my interest. The characters themself are interesting but just not enough to carry the book.

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is November 22, 2022.

This is the story of two sleep-deprived people whose life experiences are poles apart but who come together to solve the disappearance of a young woman and a series of historic murders. Both of them believe they have seen a missing girl whilst they were awake in the middle of the night but they struggle to get anyone to listen so decide to investigate for themselves. I really enjoyed the way the story twisted and turned so that I could not be sure what would happen next. I did work out who the serial killer was fairly early on but this is not the only mystery that has to be solved and it did not detract from the pleasure derived from reading such a well-crafted story. As much as this is a whodunnit, it is also a story of redemption as a journalist with PTSD tries to get his life back on track and a mother who is struggling to cope finds ways to reinvent her life and her relationship with her family. I would highly recommend this novel for anyone who enjoys good crime fiction combined with a feelgood ending.

I wanted to like this - but the domestic thriller is getting so old. When are we going to stop accepting books where the characters just do ... absolutely ridiculous things that would never ever happen? I wanted to like this - and I did care about the characters. But the tropes were soooo thick with this one I just couldn't get past it.

This is a chilling story about a missing girl and two potential witnesses. They both think they saw her. But can they trust their own eyes? And can you trust them? Told from differing viewpoints, I often felt I was surrounded by unreliable narrators but with all the twists and turns, that became almost secondary. I did not see the end coming at all which is what I look for in a good thriller and this one delivered. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I liked this book quite a bit. Mary is the mother of 2 young children. She doesn't feel like she has slept in 2 years. Tim is a reporter who is in London recuperating from an injury suffered in the Middle East...and the death of a love.

One night while they are both up, they see something in a window of an abandoned house. It looks violent. Over the next couple of days, they both become aware of a missing girl and wonder if that was who they saw. They meet in the park and discover they saw the same thing. After doing research, they discover this missing woman isn't the first one in the area.

The book covers their investigation. They're actually pretty good at it. The book leads in a different direction than I thought it would and I liked it a lot. Satisfying ending.

Ive read all of Claire McGowans books,, never disappointed! So excited to get this one. I binged this in one night and she did not dissappoint. Great thriller. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was not my cup of tea. It was slow, crawling. And even at the big reveal, the big climax, nothing really happens and it's a let down. Characterization was also weird and things didn't add up quite right.

My first Claire McGowan book. I like her writing style. It flows easily from page to page and I really was intrigued by this premise. This is a book I THOUGHT I would love. I was intrigued right about up to 40% and the direction seemed to change.

Mary is a mother of two who is on maternity leave and is in desperate need of some sleep. Her children keep her up at night. Tim, her neighbour is a former journalist who suffers from PTSD and can't sleep at night. These two are separately looking out the window one night and think they see something sinister occurring in one of the (abandoned) homes across the street. There is also a girl missing from the neighbourhood. Mary and Tim later bond and try to piece together what they saw that night and begin to connect it to the missing girl.

I enjoyed the beginnings of this one as the two neighbours were acting as amateur sleuths. This was more of a mystery than a thriller IMO. I didn't really feel a strong connection of friendship between the two main characters. One thing that did bother me a little was that Mary was a lawyer but did not seem to understand the law. A lot was packed into the last half of the book. It seemed to try a little too hard but in saying that it still kept me second guessing and reading.

This one reads a lot like a made-for TV movie and I think it would make a good one. I know that the author does write for television in the UK.

It’s a bit like rear window meets strangers on a train meets brief encounter. A really clever mix of plot lines and I loved it so much. This author never disappoints me and I wait hopefully for a new book. This is so good it’s so worth a read whatever your favourite.genre.

Are You Awake will definitely keep you on your feet and guessing until the end. I enjoyed it and turned page after page until the end. I did find the plot a little ridiculous towards the end, but will wanted to find out who the bad guy was. Overall, recommend for a quick easy read thriller!
Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. It was just so much fun. I love books where people who normally wouldn’t know each other team up or encounter each other and that’s really McGowan’s strength. In this book she brings together a tired lawyer mother and a reporter with PTSD who can’t sleep. I wish she would make them into a series! They had great skills and really pulled off an interesting mystery investigation. No one believes them and they are so tired they may be hallucinating but they save the day.

In this book we meet Mary who is a mother to two young children. Who is feeling like she has had enough. She hasn't slept in what feels like two years and really needs a break. So one night in the middle Mary decides to escape to the park for some much needed air.

Here Mary meets Tim who also cannot sleep and has alot of demons in his past and is suffering from PTSD after what happened to him in the park. Here they both witness a terrible attack in the window of one of the houses which faces the park.

Horrified by what they have seen Tim and Mary form a bond and work together to uncover what has happened.

This is a very tense, edge of your seat thriller by amazing author Claire McGowan. It has lots of twist and turns in this book to keep you guessing throughout and it is very well written. If you love physiological thrillers then this book is perfect for you.