Kathleen Barber

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

When she was a child, Josie's father was murdered, and her twin sister, Lanie, witnessed it. Their lives were completely torn apart, causing Josie to pull away and even change her name. But now a new podcast is revisiting the case, and suggesting that Lanie lied, putting the wrong person in jail.

I could not put this book down! It was so gripping show more and so suspenseful. Barber did a fantastic job of planting these little clues so the reader felt like Josie and the listeners of the podcasts, trying to put the true story together.

The use of a podcast-theme throughout was also genius. I loved Serial, and that immediately drew me to this book. I loved the use of social media throughout the book's pages, from podcast transcripts to reddit threads to twitter. I also really liked that through Josie and her family, Barber also explored the other side of these podcasts-how they affect the victims and their families, knowing everyone is talking and speculating about the crime that tore them apart.

There really wasn't anything not to like about this book. It completely drew me in, and kept surprising me.

Definitely read this book! You won't be able to put it down. show less

I'm going to use the publisher's description to introduce you to Kathleen Barber's wonderful debut novel novel - Are You Sleeping.

"Serial meets Ruth Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood in this inventive and twisty psychological thriller about a mega-hit podcast that reopens a murder case - and threatens to unravel the carefully constructed life of the victim’s daughter."

Uh huh - it definitely caught my eye - 'twisty' and 'psychological' always do! Would Are You Sleeping live up to this blurb? show more Yes it did - Barber delivers as promised - this was a wonderfully addicting read!

Father murdered, next door neighbour convicted on her sister's testimony, mother running off and joining a cult. It's no wonder Josie left home as soon as she was able. But with the death of her mother, she reluctantly returns home for the funeral. She has created a life for herself with the man she loves. But she's lied to him about everything. The podcast opens not just the case, but the wounds and secrets in this family.

Past and present are explored through Josie's narrative. Those memories, the tumultuous present and that podcast raise nothing but questions for Josie. I really liked Josie as a main character. And I disliked her sister Lainie just as much. The dynamic between the two is quite complicated and underlines how much our younger years affect the present. There's something 'off' about a number of supporting characters and I had suspicions about many of them.

I thought Barber's format was an inventive premise. I loved the inclusion of tweets, news articles, transcripts, blog comments and more. The podcast as a driving part of the plot is so very current - as is the public's fascination with such cases. The 'right of the public to know' and invasion of people's lives in the name of news also speaks to today's society. The investigative reporter - Poppy - is a perfect caricature of this style of reporting.

Are You Sleeping is a commentary on society, an exploration of familial relationships and a really good whodunnit. (Yes, it's a twisty ending!) I really enjoyed it and will be looking for Barber's next book. show less

Are You Sleeping? was inspired by Serial, a podcast I have never listened to. Talk radio, documentaries, and audio books – all of that stuff puts me to sleep almost instantly. I have read books by lawyers who have helped free innocent men who were wrongly convicted and the topic interests me. I am interested in those cold case volunteers who work to identify the John and Jane Does, but I am repulsed by openly encouraging internet mobocracy speculating about the lives of real people. I show more think of the armchair detectives who falsely accused some people of being the Boston Marathon bombers. So, I felt antagonistic to Polly Parnell, just as the Josie, the narrator of Are You Sleeping? does, though for far less personal reasons.

The story begins when Jose learns that her father’s murder has been taken up by a Serial like podcast called Reconsidered. The mother of the man convicted of murdering her father insists he is innocent. Josie is estranged from her family. She’s changed her last name and told the man she lives with and loves both her parents are dead and denies she has any siblings. However, she has a twin sister and her mother, perhaps set off by the podcast, hangs herself, drawing her home for the funeral and back, face-to-face with her sister whose existence she has denied for ten years.

Can she forgive her sister for betraying her? Why did her mother kill herself? Could the man serving time for her father’s murder be innocent? These are the questions that Josie must address to ever free herself from her past.

I enjoyed and was emotionally invested in Josie’s progress. I seldom find myself crying over a suspense novel, but the shattered memories and the fracture between Josie and her twin Lacey broke my heart. This is one of those stories with all sorts of good people who twist in the wind because they don’t talk to each other and because mental illness has such stigma, it is left undiagnosed and untreated.

Barber is excellent at telling just enough and letting readers figure things out. She never assumes we are just passively reading, counting on us to put things together. This makes for a satisfying and wholly engrossing mystery, one that is fair, that lets us figure it out, bit by bit.

Mixed with the narrative, there are transcripts from the podcast, adding to Josie’s pain and challenging her recollection. There are also comments from internet posters that were reckless and irresponsible as you might expect, though far less horrible and malicious as you would find in real life. Thankfully, they were only a small part of the book.

So, it’s a fair mystery with some surprises and emotionally involving without being manipulative. That’s a win in my book.

Are You Sleeping? will be released on August 1st. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

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I read this mainly because I am fascinated by people who live their lives on the internet. This is a cautionary tale about how dangerous that can be.

Audrey documents her life on line. This has garnered her over 1 million instagram followers, and directly led to her dream job in Washington DC. Once there, she reconnects with her college friend, her college boyfriend, and finds herself in the same city where an obsessive fan lives. The book becomes a question of who is the one stalking her. show more

All of the characters here are flawed. The stalker could be anyone. It could be one of her old friends, one of her new coworkers, or the new man in her life. The reader can't rule anyone out because no one is totally trustworthy. I liked trying to guess the stalker's identity, but found myself unsure until the end. This book kept the tension high and kept me invested in the story. I enjoyed reading it.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. show less