kristymarie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
mccul114's review against another edition
4.0
This book pulled me in very quickly, which is why it took only 7 hours to finish. The podcast aspect of it was very interesting with how popular ones like Serial have become, and makes you think of the families of the victims having to relive the case that they feel is solved. My only issue was I predicted the end fairly quickly.
mandylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book! i received a copy of this book from net galley and could not wait to start it. it is a book that you just don't want to put down. the story keeps you on edge all the time, wondering what really happened. it is a modern story with a podcast digging up a murder case that is already seemingly solved but the convicted murders mother not having it. i highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a story that could go anywhere. one of the best books i have read this year.
demottar's review against another edition
1.0
The more I read this, the less enjoyed it. Overly dramatic and cliched writing, bad pacing, stilted dialogue, and unrealistic human psychology ruined what had the potential to be a very interesting indictment on entertainment journalism, had her characters been at all believable or interesting.
erincharp's review against another edition
3.0
Josie Buhrman lost her father in a tragic murder. She also lost her mother to a cult. Then, finally, she lost her sister and her boyfriend to each other, causing her to break ties with all but her aunt and cousin and try to put her past behind her. She does this pretty well, until a reporter named Poppy releases a series of podcasts about her father's murderer, questioning if Warren Cave--the troubled teen quickly charged with her father's murder--really did it. Now Josie can't escape her past, instead it follows her everywhere. As the podcast digs deeper, Josie finds herself wondering who really killed her dad.
I enjoyed the way the author tied in social media to this, following how the podcast would've unfolded on twitter and reddit, as well. While it was a quick read, it was also fairly predictable and some of the characters needed more depth. Still, it kept me entertained.
I enjoyed the way the author tied in social media to this, following how the podcast would've unfolded on twitter and reddit, as well. While it was a quick read, it was also fairly predictable and some of the characters needed more depth. Still, it kept me entertained.
gareindeedreads's review against another edition
5.0
ARE YOU SLEEPING is a spine-tingling, creepy, and atmospheric thriller with a phenomenal plot, beautifully dysfunctional characters, and a great twist on America's obsession with cold cases. Diving into this one, I knew that Barber was onto something great. This isn't your typical thriller as the multi-layered plot is often beating the living hell out of the characters without regret. The beginning of this one was creepy and left me with dry-mouth. Paranoia really set in as I continued to read this one hours after the sun had gone down. Let me tell you, I double-checked the locks on my doors before going to bed.
With an opening reminiscent of THE BREAKDOWN by B.A. Paris-another one of my favorite thrillers released this year, ARE YOU SLEEPING starts off with our main protagonist waking to a disturbing call at 3AM. Barber then pulls the reigns back and slowly builds our plot with a fantastic prose and a well-paced mystery that often goes back and forth between present time and the lives of our protagonist Josie and her twin sister Lanie from the night their father is killed until they part ways over a shocking reveal of the night they last saw each other. What I really enjoyed about this one was at some points, Barber did such a great job of delivering this twisted plot, that the murder of Josie and Lanie's father would sometimes slip to the back burner as I was hungry to find out what would happen next. By far, my favorite part that set this aside from other thrillers was not only the character of Poppy Parnell, but the added chapters of her podcast complete with interviews of people who knew Josie, Lanie, and their family. I loved the media spin on this novel combined with how hungry America treats this as well as real cold cases and crimes as entertainment, but we also get a look into the lives of the family and how this affects them. There are other entertaining Reddit articles and tweets that coincide with new plot developments that really draw a thin line between fiction and reality.
The characters in this one are all dysfunctional and beautifully written. While you may not like most of them (or in my case any), you will root for each and every one of them as you do not have a choice. Poppy Parnell, the investigating and often blood-thirsty puppeteer of the podcast about the murder of Josie and Lanie's father is the new-age Gale Weathers from the SCREAM film series. She is ruthless, brilliant, and will stop at nothing for fame and the truth of what happened that night. Josie and Lanie are two other standout characters as the couldn't-be-different twins. I loved how we got to see how each sister dealt with the death of their father, the disappearance of their mother, and the results of the podcast and America's fascination with the thirteen-year-old death of their father. This aspect brought heart to this thriller and brought some pretty heavy issues to the forefront of this novel. The character of their cousin, Ellen brought some lighter and often comedic elements to this novel as it is a pretty heavy and emotional read. As for the rest of the characters, I will say that after finishing this one, I miss them all already...even the terrifying and love-to-hate Poppy Parnell.
The ending to this one is not only brilliant, but gut-wrenching. With a beautiful final installment of Poppy Parnell's podcast, this one ends with one of the best last lines in a book I've read. As to not spoil anything, the reader will be left wondering where Barber will go from here...and maybe, just maybe we haven't seen the last of Poppy Parnell yet.
This book is a thrilling and gorgeous read that perfects every aspect of what thrillers should be and Barber did a fantastic job of really making it her own. Between the creepy plot, the amazing characters, and the media-obsessed element-this is one that will stick with the reader far after it's finished. I shudder to think how many times I will fly through this one again and again before Barber releases her next novel.
*This title releases 8/1/2017. Special thanks to Simon & Schuster for a review copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
With an opening reminiscent of THE BREAKDOWN by B.A. Paris-another one of my favorite thrillers released this year, ARE YOU SLEEPING starts off with our main protagonist waking to a disturbing call at 3AM. Barber then pulls the reigns back and slowly builds our plot with a fantastic prose and a well-paced mystery that often goes back and forth between present time and the lives of our protagonist Josie and her twin sister Lanie from the night their father is killed until they part ways over a shocking reveal of the night they last saw each other. What I really enjoyed about this one was at some points, Barber did such a great job of delivering this twisted plot, that the murder of Josie and Lanie's father would sometimes slip to the back burner as I was hungry to find out what would happen next. By far, my favorite part that set this aside from other thrillers was not only the character of Poppy Parnell, but the added chapters of her podcast complete with interviews of people who knew Josie, Lanie, and their family. I loved the media spin on this novel combined with how hungry America treats this as well as real cold cases and crimes as entertainment, but we also get a look into the lives of the family and how this affects them. There are other entertaining Reddit articles and tweets that coincide with new plot developments that really draw a thin line between fiction and reality.
The characters in this one are all dysfunctional and beautifully written. While you may not like most of them (or in my case any), you will root for each and every one of them as you do not have a choice. Poppy Parnell, the investigating and often blood-thirsty puppeteer of the podcast about the murder of Josie and Lanie's father is the new-age Gale Weathers from the SCREAM film series. She is ruthless, brilliant, and will stop at nothing for fame and the truth of what happened that night. Josie and Lanie are two other standout characters as the couldn't-be-different twins. I loved how we got to see how each sister dealt with the death of their father, the disappearance of their mother, and the results of the podcast and America's fascination with the thirteen-year-old death of their father. This aspect brought heart to this thriller and brought some pretty heavy issues to the forefront of this novel. The character of their cousin, Ellen brought some lighter and often comedic elements to this novel as it is a pretty heavy and emotional read. As for the rest of the characters, I will say that after finishing this one, I miss them all already...even the terrifying and love-to-hate Poppy Parnell.
The ending to this one is not only brilliant, but gut-wrenching. With a beautiful final installment of Poppy Parnell's podcast, this one ends with one of the best last lines in a book I've read. As to not spoil anything, the reader will be left wondering where Barber will go from here...and maybe, just maybe we haven't seen the last of Poppy Parnell yet.
This book is a thrilling and gorgeous read that perfects every aspect of what thrillers should be and Barber did a fantastic job of really making it her own. Between the creepy plot, the amazing characters, and the media-obsessed element-this is one that will stick with the reader far after it's finished. I shudder to think how many times I will fly through this one again and again before Barber releases her next novel.
*This title releases 8/1/2017. Special thanks to Simon & Schuster for a review copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Twelve years ago, a teenager was convicted of murdering his neighbor, based almost solely on the testimony of one of the victim's young daughters. In the present, a blogger has reopened the case through a popular podcast, stirring up all kinds of trouble.
The premise will be familiar to anyone who's seen the resurgence of true crime podcasts and TV shows, such as Serial and Making a Murderer. This familiarity makes the book compelling and addicting, but by the end, it unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. The ending felt a bit rushed, and some of the plot points were a bit predictable. However, it was an entertaining read that I think fans of true crime podcasts and TV shows will enjoy for the different take/perspective.
Twelve years ago, a teenager was convicted of murdering his neighbor, based almost solely on the testimony of one of the victim's young daughters. In the present, a blogger has reopened the case through a popular podcast, stirring up all kinds of trouble.
The premise will be familiar to anyone who's seen the resurgence of true crime podcasts and TV shows, such as Serial and Making a Murderer. This familiarity makes the book compelling and addicting, but by the end, it unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. The ending felt a bit rushed, and some of the plot points were a bit predictable. However, it was an entertaining read that I think fans of true crime podcasts and TV shows will enjoy for the different take/perspective.
jjbaby72's review against another edition
4.0
Ooh that was a page turner!!! I loved the format and I just love hating Poppy!!
carrielion143's review against another edition
3.0
A predictable story of a family tragedy. Our narrator has turned her back on her family after her family falls apart following her father’s violent death. Her past is thrown in her face when a podcast focuses on the murder begins to gain popularity.
The podcast element kept this otherwise stale tale fresh and current. I was glad they main character was the dependable “good girl”, rather than the unhinged twin sister. I’m really tired of the unreliable woman narrator and being able to trust the memory’s of the main character was comforting.
All in all, slightly above average book. Enjoyed my time with it but it won’t make any “best of” lists.
The podcast element kept this otherwise stale tale fresh and current. I was glad they main character was the dependable “good girl”, rather than the unhinged twin sister. I’m really tired of the unreliable woman narrator and being able to trust the memory’s of the main character was comforting.
All in all, slightly above average book. Enjoyed my time with it but it won’t make any “best of” lists.
jenibus's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who has about 5 different True Crime related podcasts on her phone, I was immediately intrigued with Are You Sleeping. Josie Buhrman has done her best to move on with her life after her father, Chuck Buhrman, was murdered in her teenage years and her twin sister witnessed the crime. Now, 12 years later, Josie finds her father's murder being unraveled piece by piece by a hit true crime podcast named Reconsidered, and all the walls and secrets Josie has spent her adult life building up come crashing down around her.
This book moves very quickly, a welcomed change of pace from my last novel, with the Josie keeping many elements of her life and her father's murder a secret from the people in her life, along with the reader. It'll jump back and forth from Josie's POV to excerpts from the Reconsidered podcast, and the reader gets to see how framing of events make all the difference. If this book had a flaw, I'd say it's that the build up for some of the revelations don't match the payoff. Josie spends the majority of the first half of the book talking about how estranged she is from her twin sister, Lanie, and hinting at betrayals that caused their entire relationship to crumble. When we finally discover the specific event Josie is referring to, I felt that we maybe had built this betrayal up a bit too much. I think their relationship was believable and it's understandable that Josie would react the way that she does, but the set up left me somewhat disappointed.
The part of this book that impacted me the most was the aspect of the podcast. As I mentioned above, I listen to several true crime podcasts, and several wrongful conviction based podcasts. If you know anything about true crime podcasts, your mind will immediately draw connections between the fictional Reconsidered, and the real life mega success podcast Serial. But for me personally, I was more reminded of the follow up podcast for the Adnan Syed conviction, Undisclosed. Whereas Serial was fairly objective in its coverage of the Hae Min Lee murder, raising questions and doubts for Adnan's both guilt and innocence, Undisclosed came at it from the perspective that Adnan did not murder his ex girlfriend, and strove to obtain his freedom. In Are You Sleeping, the fictional podcast is hosted by journalist Poppy Parnell, and to put it bluntly, her investigations put the Buhrman family through hell. She is constantly contacting them, putting Lanie's character and her testimony in a very unflattering light, and does nothing to stop the rabid nature of fans from harassing and insulting the Buhrman family. And while I feel strongly that the producers of any of the true crime podcasts I listen to would never behave in this manner, I have certainly see my fair share of rabid fans unable to distinguish their entertainment from reality.
Going back to Undisclosed and the Adnan Syed conviction, due to the podcast and due to Serial's success, Adnan now has a new trial and can possibly be released from prison. The case has been completely reframed, to the point that the name "Adnan Syed" is much more recognizable than that of the victim, "Hae Min Lee." A girl was murdered. This isn't entertainment, this isn't a fictional account the way Are You Sleeping is. A girl was murdered, and there's a high likelihood that justice will never be found for her. People like myself who listen to these podcasts need to remember that these people, these victims, are real. The Buhrman's might have been made up, but I can't help but wonder if the anguish Josie and her remaining family members go through is the same type of anguish the family of Hae Min Lee went through and potentially are going through still. I suspect that it is the same.
This book moves very quickly, a welcomed change of pace from my last novel, with the Josie keeping many elements of her life and her father's murder a secret from the people in her life, along with the reader. It'll jump back and forth from Josie's POV to excerpts from the Reconsidered podcast, and the reader gets to see how framing of events make all the difference. If this book had a flaw, I'd say it's that the build up for some of the revelations don't match the payoff. Josie spends the majority of the first half of the book talking about how estranged she is from her twin sister, Lanie, and hinting at betrayals that caused their entire relationship to crumble. When we finally discover the specific event Josie is referring to, I felt that we maybe had built this betrayal up a bit too much. I think their relationship was believable and it's understandable that Josie would react the way that she does, but the set up left me somewhat disappointed.
The part of this book that impacted me the most was the aspect of the podcast. As I mentioned above, I listen to several true crime podcasts, and several wrongful conviction based podcasts. If you know anything about true crime podcasts, your mind will immediately draw connections between the fictional Reconsidered, and the real life mega success podcast Serial. But for me personally, I was more reminded of the follow up podcast for the Adnan Syed conviction, Undisclosed. Whereas Serial was fairly objective in its coverage of the Hae Min Lee murder, raising questions and doubts for Adnan's both guilt and innocence, Undisclosed came at it from the perspective that Adnan did not murder his ex girlfriend, and strove to obtain his freedom. In Are You Sleeping, the fictional podcast is hosted by journalist Poppy Parnell, and to put it bluntly, her investigations put the Buhrman family through hell. She is constantly contacting them, putting Lanie's character and her testimony in a very unflattering light, and does nothing to stop the rabid nature of fans from harassing and insulting the Buhrman family. And while I feel strongly that the producers of any of the true crime podcasts I listen to would never behave in this manner, I have certainly see my fair share of rabid fans unable to distinguish their entertainment from reality.
Going back to Undisclosed and the Adnan Syed conviction, due to the podcast and due to Serial's success, Adnan now has a new trial and can possibly be released from prison. The case has been completely reframed, to the point that the name "Adnan Syed" is much more recognizable than that of the victim, "Hae Min Lee." A girl was murdered. This isn't entertainment, this isn't a fictional account the way Are You Sleeping is. A girl was murdered, and there's a high likelihood that justice will never be found for her. People like myself who listen to these podcasts need to remember that these people, these victims, are real. The Buhrman's might have been made up, but I can't help but wonder if the anguish Josie and her remaining family members go through is the same type of anguish the family of Hae Min Lee went through and potentially are going through still. I suspect that it is the same.