Don't Wake Up - Liz Lawler 3/5 stars
Not only did I receive a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I also bought a copy through Amazon's Kindle First program
Wow, this was one book that I was really not digging. Lawler sets us up with a great beginning, but Alex Taylor is not a great lead character. I get it in hindsight, I really do. This is a woman we're supposed to think is crazy, so crazy that she made this crazy abduction. From the outset it does seem that way. There's no evidence at all that Alex was abducted. Problem is, Alex is a borderline alcoholic and annoying. When writing a book like this it's important to have something about the lead character you can relate to, but here, not the case. I was ready to throw the towel in on this and just give it a bad review. Not because the story was bad, but the lead character was boring, and if anything I wanter to see her die a horrible death.
Then something happened. Around chapter Twenty an amazing thing happened. The secondary characters were given a chance to shine, which allowed me to actually care about Alex. We begin to know more about the character and are even given some insight into who she is. Don't Wake Up is an interesting novel that starts slow, but once it picks up speed it's a decent suspense thriller that wants to give us something unique, and almost does. Problem is, the first half isn't all that great, and I really didn't care if Alex was imagining it, or if it really happened. It was the subtle shift that made this an interesting whodunnit, and provides a bit of distance from your average suspense novel.
The how, and even the why of Don't Wake Up will truly blow your mind. Comes totally out of left field and lifts the novel out of mediocrity. Had Lawler started the book as strongly as she finished it, we'd easily have a must read book on our hands. With the way its structured you have to make it to chapter twenty before the book becomes something you can't put down. Not a lot happens, and it's Alex who bogs the book down, but once you hit that chapter it's full speed ahead. It takes a while to hit her stride, but as a first time author it's easily forgivable. This is still a decent read, and if you're a fan of suspense I would certainly urge you to check this one out. Lawler has given us something different which is great to see in a genre cluttered with authors who attempt to create something different and end up a clone of someone else.
The end is something I never saw coming, and the reasoning behind it blew my mind. I love books that take sharp left turns, and take you for a bit of a ride. Lawler is a decent author who I can't wait to read more from. I just hope her follow up doesn't take so long gain speed. What we have is a decent novel that could have been perfect, but settles into worth a read status. Just be warned, you may hate this book for the first nineteen chapters, but don't give up. Trust me., it's worth it.
Not only did I receive a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, I also bought a copy through Amazon's Kindle First program
Wow, this was one book that I was really not digging. Lawler sets us up with a great beginning, but Alex Taylor is not a great lead character. I get it in hindsight, I really do. This is a woman we're supposed to think is crazy, so crazy that she made this crazy abduction. From the outset it does seem that way. There's no evidence at all that Alex was abducted. Problem is, Alex is a borderline alcoholic and annoying. When writing a book like this it's important to have something about the lead character you can relate to, but here, not the case. I was ready to throw the towel in on this and just give it a bad review. Not because the story was bad, but the lead character was boring, and if anything I wanter to see her die a horrible death.
Then something happened. Around chapter Twenty an amazing thing happened. The secondary characters were given a chance to shine, which allowed me to actually care about Alex. We begin to know more about the character and are even given some insight into who she is. Don't Wake Up is an interesting novel that starts slow, but once it picks up speed it's a decent suspense thriller that wants to give us something unique, and almost does. Problem is, the first half isn't all that great, and I really didn't care if Alex was imagining it, or if it really happened. It was the subtle shift that made this an interesting whodunnit, and provides a bit of distance from your average suspense novel.
The how, and even the why of Don't Wake Up will truly blow your mind. Comes totally out of left field and lifts the novel out of mediocrity. Had Lawler started the book as strongly as she finished it, we'd easily have a must read book on our hands. With the way its structured you have to make it to chapter twenty before the book becomes something you can't put down. Not a lot happens, and it's Alex who bogs the book down, but once you hit that chapter it's full speed ahead. It takes a while to hit her stride, but as a first time author it's easily forgivable. This is still a decent read, and if you're a fan of suspense I would certainly urge you to check this one out. Lawler has given us something different which is great to see in a genre cluttered with authors who attempt to create something different and end up a clone of someone else.
The end is something I never saw coming, and the reasoning behind it blew my mind. I love books that take sharp left turns, and take you for a bit of a ride. Lawler is a decent author who I can't wait to read more from. I just hope her follow up doesn't take so long gain speed. What we have is a decent novel that could have been perfect, but settles into worth a read status. Just be warned, you may hate this book for the first nineteen chapters, but don't give up. Trust me., it's worth it.
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