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When I Awake

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The long-awaited follow-up to the bestselling novel While I Was Sleeping from beloved author Dani Atkins.'Some endings are inevitable. You see them coming and you prepare yourself for them. Others blindside you.'Maddie suffers from a rare condition which has put her in a coma the first time for six years, the second for ten. Her truest friends have stood by her hospital bed day after day – her best friend, Chloe, and her landlord, Mitch. But despite their constant presence, the world has spun without her.Now, finally, Maddie is awake. After so long asleep, can she summon the strength to start afresh, and fall in love with life again?A beautiful and life-affirming novella for anyone who has ever wondered what they would do with a second chance to find their happy ever after.

96 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2023

151 people are currently reading
253 people want to read

About the author

Dani Atkins

25 books1,168 followers
Dani was born and brought up in Cockfosters- a small London suburb at the end of the Piccadilly Tube Line.

This served her well for commuting into the city, where from the age of 18 she worked in a succession of secretarial positions in companies as diverse as a BMW car dealership to the BBC. Dani spent her two hour commute avidly reading and dreamed that one day she would become an author herself.

When her two children grew up and left home, Dani set about turning this dream into reality and devoted her time to writing. She now lives in a rural Hertfordshire cottage with her husband, a soppy border collie dog and a haughty Siamese cat.

Her first novels FRACTURED (called THEN AND ALWAYS in the US) and THE STORY OF US published in 2014. In January 2016, her third novel, OUR SONG was published.

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5 stars
550 (51%)
4 stars
312 (29%)
3 stars
154 (14%)
2 stars
35 (3%)
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7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
Profile Image for Judith Koch.
115 reviews2 followers
September 9, 2021
Es gibt eine Unzahl von Geschichten, wo man sich wünscht, zu erfahren, was nach der Geschichte noch passiert.⁣
"Sag ihr, ich war bei den Sternen" war so eine, zumal für mich noch ein paar Fragen offen geblieben sind. ⁣

ACHTUNG, SPOILER ZUM VORGÄNGER⁣
⬇️⬇️⬇️ ⁣

Inzwischen ist Maddie zum zweiten Mal aus dem Koma erwacht. Dieses Mal dauerte es 10 Jahre und aus der kleinen Hope, ihrer Tochter, ist ein Teenager geworden, der das erste Mal verliebt ist. ⁣
Insgesamt handelt es sich hierbei um eine Kurzgeschichte von 93 Seiten.⁣

𝙀𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙣𝙜: ⁣

Nach Beenden der Hauptgeschichte hatte ich tatsächlich noch einige Fragen offen.Wie z.B., erwacht Maddie tatsächlich gerade zum zweiten Mal aus dem Koma? Was wurde aus Mitch, ihrem Vermieter? Bekommt der Verfolger, warum es damals überhaupt zu dem Unfall kam, doch noch eine kleine Rolle? Und wie verlief das weitere Familienleben zwischen Ryan, Cloe und der kleinen Hope? ⁣

Ein paar Fragen haben sich mit dieser Fortsetzung zwar geklärt, aber einige blieben wieder offen. Für mich fühlte es sich auf der einen Seite wie Heimkommen an, zum anderen muss ich aber sagen, dass es sich auch ein wenig wie ein Epilog anfühlte, der damals gekürzt wurde. Die Story mit der demenzkranken Mutter hätte ich jetzt nicht noch zusätzlich gebraucht. Viel mehr hätte ich mir einfach nur ein wenig Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen rund um Maddie, Mitch, Cloe und Hope gewünscht und ich wollte erfahren, was es mit dem mysteriösen Verfolger zu tun hatte, den ich viel zu präsent fand, dafür, dass er damals GAR KEINE weitere Rolle bekam. Leider blieb er wieder unerwähnt.
Trotzdem habe ich mich gefreut, als ich erfahren habe, dass es sich hierbei um eine kleine Fortsetzung handelt, was ja schon zeigt, dass ich die Hauptgeschichte damals sehr mochte. Die Kurzgeschichte war ganz nett. Ich mag dieses Gefühl von Nachhausekommen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lisa's Büchereck.
517 reviews9 followers
May 9, 2022
Zum zweiten Mal geschieht ein Wunder für Maddie Chambers: Nach 10 Jahren erwacht sie erneut aus dem Koma. Doch während Maddie kein Gefühl für die Zeit hat, die verstrichen ist, hat sich die Welt um sie herum so sehr verändert: Ihre kleine Tochter Hope ist mittlerweile ein Teenager, und Maddies Eltern sind in einem Alter, in dem sie selbst langsam Unterstützung benötigen. Zum Glück ist da noch Mitch – aber kann er wirklich jemanden lieben, der 10 Jahre seines eigenen Lebens verpasst hat? Maddie braucht Mut, um herauszufinden, was das Leben noch für sie bereithält, jetzt, da sie wieder daran teilnimmt.
.
Dieses Buch hat gerade mal 96 Seiten und ist daher nicht sonderlich lang. Dennoch konnte es mich komplett fesseln. Die Story von Maddie und ihrer Tochter hat mich sehr berührt, was am Exzellenten Schreibstil lag. Dieser war flüssig, tiefgründig und äußerst emotional. Auch wenn es wohl eine Fortsetzung zu "Sag ihr, ich war bei den Sternen" gewesen ist, konnte ich der Geschichte wirklich gut folgen. Ich hatte nicht das Gefühl irgendwas verpasst zu haben oder so. Was sehr gut war, denn ich wusste nicht das es eine Fortsetzung ist. Für mich war es eine sehr ergreifende, süße Kurzgeschichte, die mich sehr gut unterhalten konnte, daher gibt es 5 Sterne.
Profile Image for Thekla.
170 reviews2 followers
November 29, 2021
Die Fortsetzung in Form eines Kurzromans von ‚,Sag ihr, ich war bei den Sternen‘‘.
Es hat mir gut gefallen, kam aber nicht ganz an den ersten Teil ran.
Profile Image for Andressa Medeiros.
51 reviews
July 17, 2024
It is a nice book but too short to be a sequence novel. Anyway since I gave a 5-star, a good friend of mine reminded me to use the same rating, which makes sense
Profile Image for Kerrie Kelly.
388 reviews10 followers
November 22, 2023
Well Dani did it again.
Absolutely loved catching up with Maddie, Mitch, Hope, Chloe and Ryan and seeing how things have gone since Maddie woke for the 2nd time, this time from a coma she was in for 10 years.

How does Maddie navigate life after waking from a coma for the 2nd time. Can she rebuild her relationship with her daughter, who has grown up with her mother sleeping and Chloe as her mum on a daily basis?
We 1st met these characters in while I was sleeping and it has been fantastic to have the follow up.

Once again I ended up in tears as Dani is an author, who totally gets you into the characters and the emotions they experience. She has a beautiful writing style, which makes you feel everything her characters feel. She also describes some scenes so perfectly that you can totally see what she’s describing and can’t help but feel everything they do.


Highly recommend this title and all her others if you’ve it read them
Profile Image for Mhor.
312 reviews12 followers
April 1, 2025
Finally!

“Your dad never gave up on her, did he? Not once in all these years.’ I cast a sideways look, knowing where this was going. ‘I should have waited for you, Maddie. I should have been more like Bill.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Marjan.
773 reviews3 followers
February 8, 2024
Absolute aanrader deze novelle als je zonder mij hebt gelezen
Ik heb genoten
Profile Image for alinaspagesofliving.
246 reviews5 followers
January 2, 2022
Klappentext: Zum zweiten Mal geschieht ein Wunder für Maddie Chambers: Nach 10 Jahren erwacht sie erneut aus dem Koma. Doch während Maddie kein Gefühl für die Zeit hat, die verstrichen ist, hat sich die Welt um sie herum so sehr verändert: Ihre kleine Tochter Hope ist mittlerweile ein Teenager, und Maddies Eltern sind in einem Alter, in dem sie selbst langsam Unterstützung benötigen.
Zum Glück ist da noch Mitch – aber kann er wirklich jemanden lieben, der 10 Jahre seines eigenen Lebens verpasst hat?
Maddie braucht Mut, um herauszufinden, was das Leben noch für sie bereithält, jetzt, da sie wieder daran teilnimmt.

Cover: Ich mag das Cover sehr gerne.


Schreibstil: Den Schreibstil kenn ich nicht von der Autorin da es das erste Buch ist, dass ich gelesen habe
Leider konnte mich das nicht so packen
Ich konnte mich nicht wirklich hineinversetzen in die Protagonistin und fand die Umsetzung leider nicht so wirklich gelungen
Meins war die Kurzstory nicht, aber es ist sehr schön geschrieben und ich mochte die Nebencharaktere sehr.  Es war ganz süß für zwischendurch. 

Meinung: Ein gute Kurzstory für zwischendurch aber mein Fall war es nicht wirklich. Vielleicht spricht es euch mehr an

Bewertung: 3/5
Profile Image for Faye.
193 reviews
December 27, 2025
Maddie had an accident many years ago. The result of the accident is her going into a coma twice and no one can figure out why. The man she was meant to marry is now with Chloe but Chloe is also her best friend. Ryan and Chloe look after Maddie's daughter, Hope. Maddie has a good support system but would do anything to make sure she never goes into a coma again. Everyone around her has found love and connection but its now Maddie's turn to find it too.

This novella is short and sweet. Its a story about finding love and connections in your life and how they could be right under your nose but you don't realise it for a very long time. There is loss, but there is also happiness. I do feel for Maddie as it must be frustrating to not have a normal life and to be missing things. All the other characters in the book seem lovely and understanding of Maddie. I did enjoy this novella, the pacing was good, the characters were lovely and kind, and the ending was a nice ending. I think it being a Novella, I didn't have a long time to fall in love with the characters, but it was still enjoyable to read.

The plot of Maddie having an accident and being in and out of very long comas can be very sad, especially when life has moved on without her. Maddie is a strong character with a lot of determination and I loved that about her. Hope's storyline felt kind of pointless for this book. I wish it was written a bit differently because you only know about her boyfriend from this party she went to and her running to Maddie for help. I think it would've been better if the introduction of her boyfriend was in a different setting or had something else happen because the party didn't show how bad of a person he is, since that was the direction the author was going for. I do feel for Maddie because shes best friends with woman who married the person she wanted to be with so that must be tough. I'm glad she has Mitch because he's been waiting a long time for her. Everyone in this book seemed so supportive of Maddie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Khairun  Atika.
623 reviews14 followers
December 16, 2024
"Some endings are inevitable. You see them coming and you prepare yourself for them - as much as you can. But others blindside you." - When I Awake by Dani Atkins

I read While I Was Sleeping by Dani Atkins several years ago. It was so poignant yet so beautifully written, a truly heartwrenching story of a woman who spent years in a coma, only to wake up to see her fiance had married another woman, and that they are both raising her daughter.

Maddie Chambers struggled to move forward, although she was still in love with Ryan. Yet in her journey towards rediscovering the life she left and forming new relationships, she suddenly slips back into a coma - for another ten years.

When I Awake is the follow-up novella for all the devoted readers, according to yours truly, who yearn for a happy ending for the ill-fated Maddie. Maddie has finally awoken after ten years - in fact, this was her second recovery and she has been touted as a miracle by medical specialists and everyone else who has come across her story.

In this book, we witness the strength and determination of a woman who has to, once again, catch up with everything she has missed. She resolves to move forward and mend the relationships she had inadvertently left behind.

This is a moving and inspiring story, where the reader, like Maddie, catches up with everything that has happened the past ten years. Of course, there is also a bright light in the story, as Maddie learns to fall in love again, to a man who truly waited for her all these years. Written to celebrate endings and beginnings with a new perspective, this is a story you definitely do not want to miss.
Profile Image for Suhaila.
14 reviews1 follower
June 17, 2025
Definitely a better ending for Maddie, but I still feel the story had a few unresolved gaps.

For instance, I really wanted to know who the other woman was—Mitch mentioned he had only ever loved two women, yet the story never reveals who the first one was, definitely Maddie. Including that in the final dialogue would have added emotional depth. I also wish there was more backstory about Maddie and Mitch’s time working together. Was Ryan jealous because he sensed Mitch had feelings for her even then?

If the author had fleshed out these details, Mitch’s quiet devotion—how he had been patiently waiting all along—would have landed with much more emotional weight. I’m left a bit disappointed, because the story had all the right pieces but some just got lost along the way, making it forever incomplete.

Also Maddie coming out of a 10 years coma like a walk in the park? Come on..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Zoë Braycotton.
743 reviews9 followers
November 22, 2023
Now I need more. Loved it!

Catching up with Maddie again I knew would pull all the heart strings. I was team Maddie in While I was Sleeping….sorry Chloe, I still am!

It’s been about 4 years since I read While I was sleeping but it soon all came flood back, all the emotions.

This is a fantastic novella, giving us the answers to many a question of what came next, and I’m so happy Dani gave her a happy ever after, which she thoroughly deserves. We just had some more tears and heartbreak to get there, Dani’s at her best when she’s making you cry!

Mitch was her rock, as ever, and I’m so glad he was part of that HEA, he’s waited so so long.

Now I need more, sorry, not sorry I’m greedy.

Would also love to see how things go with Hope and Sam ❤️
2 reviews
April 13, 2024
Truly exceptional Dani Atkins - loved it

I wasn't aware Dani would write a follow-up book on Maddie so purchased it as soon as I saw it and what an a amazing book. We follow Maddie this time ten years later through yet more heartache but we see her learn to adapt and move forward at last. These two books have had me crying, shouting, laughing out loud and feeling so many emotions I got dizzy, definitely touched me. What a brilliant author.
Profile Image for Vivien Brown.
Author 6 books75 followers
January 5, 2024
I had not expected a sequel to Maddie's story but here it is. Just a short novella but it brings a sort of extra closure to a story I already thought had finished. Very sad in parts, especially if you have a parent with dementia as I do, but quite uplifting and hopeful too. Will Maddie fall into another coma or does she finally have her happy ever after? I don't suppose we will ever know.
Profile Image for Claire Neilson.
81 reviews11 followers
March 8, 2024
A great short sequel to the story of "While I was Sleeping". I don't know much about coma patients, so not sure if this is a true reflection or total fictional exaggeration. Do some patients remain in a coma for years, wake up for a short period and go back into a coma again and wake up again?
Another great read by Dani Atkins.
Had me in tears at the end with a very emotional ending....
Profile Image for Bianca Smyth.
159 reviews2 followers
November 11, 2025
*KindleU*

This was a cute little novella to read on a rainy afternoon at home with the puppy. It had all the key themes: romance, family feuds, parenting, vulnerabilities, the lot. I wish the book was longer and I could find out more about the characters and what happens before, during and after. Perfect little 1.5 hour read:)
72 reviews
March 15, 2024
Lovely ending for Maddie - shame it took so long for her to get there. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was I just felt it needed to a little longer and have more from Mitch - maybe a little something from his POV.
Profile Image for Georgie.
86 reviews1 follower
May 19, 2024
This book gave me goosebumps a couple of times, which says it all really. Nice conclusion to the story which started in While You Were Sleeping. Dani Atkins is a truly wonderful author, just have to wait for her next one!
Profile Image for Gem ~.
965 reviews46 followers
December 31, 2023
I always enjoy the emotions and prompts to think about things a little more deeply in a Dani Atkins book, this novella is amazing to curl up with and pass an hour
71 reviews1 follower
January 11, 2024
Lovely

A lovely ending to the most beautiful book, so sorry it has finished, do read the first book in this series, thanks
Profile Image for Claire C.
28 reviews
July 3, 2024
Simple easy to read story. Gave 3 stars as I wanted to know so much more about the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews

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