Are You Sleeping

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

The premise was intriguing, the real life behind a tragedy that becomes a podcast. The mystery is not the focus. It is at the center of the plot, but it is dealt with in terms of relationships. Josie is reconnecting with her past and correcting along the way.
I liked the podcast transcripts and Twitter/ sub Reddit conversations in between chapters. It gave you an exterior view of what was going on that was a strong contrast to what was going on within the family. We also get to see the difference between the way people portray themselves publicly and who they really are.
The ending makes sense without being heavily foreshadowed.
I enjoyed the plot although I wished a bit more ill on a couple characters than they got. But that could have made the book become unrealistic, so it is a good thing that author held back. It was a great read.

This was a great read! I would have finished it all in one day if I hadn't been reading it along with someone else. So I forced myself to take it slow.

I felt like it was a quick read that kept me consistently interested. The podcast transcript element was really neat to see since podcasts like this really do exist and suck in a wide audience. I found it interesting to contemplate what that must feel like for the family of the victim. I had some guesses as to who the killer might be, and the final reveal wasn't too big of a surprise to me, but it was for the main characters in a way that felt real. I appreciated that.

All and all I'd give it 4 stars, knocking off one since the ending felt a little rushed to me. And personally I wish there was some satisfying karma that could have made it to Poppy... but then again I suppose that's life.

Are You Sleeping? is based on an interesting premise - does our society's obsession with true crime help keep our justice system accountable or unnecessarily upset and intrude upon a family's private grief? Unfortunately the inclusion of a true crime podcast and social media responses (via tweets, Reddit feeds, and transcripts of the podcast itself) were the most interesting part of this novel for me. The characters, while not entirely unbelievable, fell flat for me. I was massively annoyed with the one-sided relationship the protagonist, Josie, had with her significant other, Caleb. It quickly became tiresome listening to her complain that “he's too good” and “she never understood what he saw in her.” It all got a bit schmaltzy for me and after a while I started to hope they'd split up just so I wouldn't have to listen to her talk about how little she deserved him. This book wasn't particularly dark and was more mystery than suspense with no graphic violence. Overall it's a decent debut with an interesting story line that had some unique aspects.

(Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.)