Reset: A psychological thriller exploring what you’d sacrifice in the pursuit of love

by P.R. Castle

Jane was twenty years old when the accident happened.

When she wakes from her coma, she is twenty-eight.

Now, she needs to play catch-up.

It doesn’t help that her dreams are plagued with a mysterious teen journeying towards a distant light, a palace of golden tears, and the promise of transcendent love.

Jane doesn’t have time to get distracted . . .

But when the mysterious teen shows up in real life,

Jane is determined to know why.

Expected publication February 26, 2026

About the author

P.R. Castle is a thinker, perhaps an overthinker. Writing is her way to nut out the millions of thoughts and questions she has in her head. Therefore, much of her writing reflects her own journey, and what life has taught her about suffering, vulnerability, freedom and love.

Her ponderings have allowed her to author The Subjects Trilogy, a young adult science fiction, and The Rock, a fictionalised exploration of vulnerability.

P.R. Castle is passionate about creating stories with mystery, action and adventure, but also wants her novels to challenge readers to think about the deeper questions in life, and to mull over the choices they’ve made in their own lives.

She’d love to hear your ponderings too. Feel free to contact her (writetoprcastle@gmail.com).

Reviews

[Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reset by P. R. Castle is a thoughtful, quietly unsettling read, but my experience with it was a little conflicted.

The premise itself is strong. Reset explores what it means to reclaim your life after a deeply impactful, life-altering event — and how tempting it can be to erase parts of yourself just to survive. That theme is handled well, especially in showing how “starting over” doesn’t automatically mean healing. I appreciated how the story leans into psychological recovery rather than dramatic spectacle.

However, my main issue was the female main character. She felt frustratingly too perfect — everything was handed to her, everything aligned for her — and yet she still managed to ruin it. That disconnect really affected my reading mood. Instead of feeling empathy, I found myself irritated, which made it harder to stay emotionally invested in her journey.

That said, the book still succeeds in what it wants to explore. The atmosphere is restrained and uneasy, and the idea of rediscovering yourself after a major rupture in life is handled with care. It’s not a fast or thrilling read, but a reflective one that asks uncomfortable questions about identity, choice, and emotional cost.

Overall, Reset is a good book conceptually, even if the main character didn’t fully work for me. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy introspective, slow-burn stories about rebuilding life after something breaks you — just be prepared to feel a bit frustrated along the way.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane wakes from a Coma, 8 years after the accident. The first part of the book is devastating. You follow her "being thrown back" respective her friends and family. So she struggles to adapt. But slowly and with determination she gets back on track and even finds a great boyfriend and some great friends.

While in Coma she sees some glimpses of a blue lady and a palace and she starts looking for them. This is where I got angry with Jane.

There were some shady characters but still I didn't like what has become of her just because she wanted to find that lady ( I know how the heart aches if you yearn for something you can't have) but even then you remain rational and logical but she went completely mad and threw away great friendships and bonds because of that.

The ending was therefore not a happy end ( depends from which perspective you stand )

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only gave it 3 stars as I probably wouldn’t read it again just because of my personal preferred genre however if your someone who enjoys science fiction/experiments then you should definitely read this.

Even though it isn’t my cup of tea I cannot fault this book. The story was thought out in so much detail while still being easy to follow. The creativity required to come up with this kind of story is brilliant and I think the author did an amazing job. I did struggle a little in the middle that is wasn’t moving fast enough but that didn’t last of long and the ending was very well crafted and had a very solid conclusion.

This book had so many layers and emotions
Falling in love
Learning how to take back control of your life
Tragedy
Mystery

This book does talk of love, death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and other mental and medical conditions which some reader may find upsetting.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane wakes up from a coma of 7 and a half years to find that the life she had has now gone. Everything is different including family and friends, and she has to now carve a new life for herself. From the very first page P.R Castle weaves a suspenseful story of a young woman trying to find her place in the world, navigating the physical rehabilitation and emotional roller coaster she must deal worth.
Whilst in her coma, Jane glimpses a magical place and a ‘Blue Lady’ and this vague memory catapults her on a journey of self discovery, a yearning for love and acceptance, and a desire to understand a possible new level of consciousness.
This Amazon ARC book is a fast paced mystery with lots of twists and turns whilst exploring deep philosophical questions we often ask ourselves about the meaning of life.

[Limmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the main characters of the book and the initial premise of Jane waking up from a coma 8 years later without a clue what happened to her. I thought the characters were really relatable and it was refreshing to read about Asian Australians and just have more diversity in the characters of the plot than the usual books that I read. I also loved the romance aspect of it, definitely a fun addition! I thought the pacing of the book was really good and I couldn't wait to pick it up again as I was eager to find out what happened. I thought the sci-fi element could be developed a bit more but maybe the author is planning a sequel to delve deeper into that aspect, I certainly hope so! Overall a fun and enjoyable read, perfect for a cosy night in!

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not the type of book I’d usually pickup, and it wasn’t really a page turner. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t like the characters. There were definitely interesting plots though.