Every Time She Wakes

by Petronella McGovern

An unputdownable thriller from the bestselling author of Six Minutes and The Last Trace.

Every Time She Wakes is a taut, time-bending thriller about family, identity and defying fate.

When careers counsellor Suze and her family are kidnapped from their home during a bushfire emergency, she thinks it's the end—until the van crashes and sends her two weeks back in time.

But only Suze remembers the terror that came before. Is it all in her own mind?

Then it happens again. And again.

With every loop, her world twists into a new version of itself. Suze must work out why this is happening and who is behind the kidnappings. But she's running out of time to save her family and wake up in a world she recognises.

Genres: Contemporary, Thriller, Psychological Thriller

432 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2026

About the author

Petronella McGovern writes psychological thrillers focusing on everyday characters and contemporary issues. She is fascinated by what makes us tick, the lies we tell, and the secrets we keep.

Her new release, Every Time She Wakes is a taut, time-bending thriller about family, identity and defying fate. She is the best-selling author of Six Minutes, The Good Teacher, The Liars and The Last Trace. Her books have been nominated in the Ned Kelly Awards, the Davitt Awards and the Australian Independent Bookseller Awards. The Liars was selected in the Top 100 Big W/Better Reading list for 2023.

Petronella grew up in a large family on a farm in New South Wales. Australian landscapes and the bush feature strongly in her stories. Among other adventures, she has worked on a summer camp in America and travelled in eastern Africa which inspired parts of her fourth novel, The Last Trace.

Follow Petronella on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PetronellaMc... or Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/petronellam...

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about fate, blame, social media and family dynamics.

Aah, Suze is perimenopausal, seems to be going through a midlife crisis, her parents, her work, her kids, her husband, she can't seem to catch a break. For Suze, a past decision she made 20 years ago will come back and haunt her.

What I loved about this book was the sliding doors idea. Also loved the mention of my hometown.

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4 Stars⭐️
I found Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern to be an engaging and unique story with a time bending twist. The story is set on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Suze Vitale a careers counsellor, one night a knock on the door informs them the bushfire is raging their way. As the family get into the van of their rescuers they soon realise they are being kidnapped and the van crashes.

When Suze wakes she has no memory and has woken two weeks back in time, was it a dream? Suze is reliving parts of her life over and over but each time the outcome differs.

I liked how the story explores how one decision can affect the arc of your whole life and not to be swayed by other peoples options of how you should live your life.

The plot has you guessing and questioning everything. The story is different but it was definitely a page turner, thought provoking and enjoyable!

Publication Date 30 June 2026
Publisher Allen & Unwin Australia

Thank you so much Allen & Unwin for a copy of the book.

[Janna (Bibliophile Mom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every Time She Wakes leans far more into women’s fiction than the thriller energy I expected based on the synopsis and cover, so my initial expectations weren’t fully met. Even so, I still found the story engaging in its own quiet, introspective way. The parallel universe concept is genuinely refreshing (ambitious, imaginative, and full of potential) but the execution didn’t always land for me.

The narrative structure, especially the repeating sequence, threw me off at first. It looped several times, and instead of building tension, it became confusing and a little exhausting. I understood the intention, but the rhythm felt uneven, and it took me a while to settle into the flow. What I did enjoy was the multi‑perspective exploration of the characters. Seeing their lives, choices, and emotional burdens through different lenses added depth and substance. The setting also carried a quiet charm, and the life lessons threaded through the story were thoughtful and heartfelt.

Likes:
• Parallel universe that felt fresh
• Multiple editions of the characters that added dimension
• Life lessons added naturally into the narrative

Dislikes:
• Repetitive sequences that became tiring
• Confusing structure at the start
• Execution didn’t match the premise

Breakdown:
• Setting: 4⭐️
• Characters: 3⭐️
• Writing: 3⭐️
• Message: 3⭐️
• Overall: 3⭐️

In summary, a beautifully unique story with a strong emotional core, but not quite the thriller I was hoping for. Readers who enjoy women’s fiction with speculative elements will likely appreciate this more than thriller addicts. It didn’t fully work out for me, but I can still see its charm and the heart behind it.

~JaNnA~

[Anna Loder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this down!!!!!!!!! Make sure you read it over your weekend because gosh there was no good place to put it down!!!!!!!! What a sliding doors!!!!! Nothing felt repetitive or convoluted at all either, just compulsive and full of me yelling at Suz!!! So clever and twisted as well as being thoughtful and considered…I got to think about daughterhood, motherhood, misogyny and playing small all while living in alternative realities and different dimensions!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cindy Spear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern is a fascinating, gripping, intense and original psychological thriller with women’s contemporary fiction elements which kept me enthralled from start to finish. It has some touches of Charles Dickens Christmas Carol but the character is not being shown her life as much as she is re-living the time periods but with alternate realties such as in Groundhog Day repeats but with various scenarios. As I said, it has some of these elements from each but they have been taken in a new direction making it an original approach. This woman keeps waking up to a different version of her life, but those alternate realities are based on decisions she makes. And a huge self-discovery occurs. She realises how much she has given in to others’ wishes, starting with her parents who are the worst in this case for making her feel guilty about her actions and choices. They (particularly her father) manipulate her to accommodate their wishes. Then this manipulation continues through others. And it all starts with a Bush Fire, lights out, garage door won’t work scenario. They must escape before the fire gets to them but they cannot get their own transportation, they must travel with the two people who woke them, supposedly members of the fire brigade. But things go very wrong, as things are not as they appear. It’s an abduction but why? They are just a simple family. Then the van crashes. But when she wakes up it is two weeks earlier…. Was it all a dream? It was so real.

And Suze’s psychological journey begins…an internal mental conflict that is prompted by bizarre external events and would un-nerve any sane person! The escalating paranoia is greatest at the start until she starts to settle into all these strange events and tries to figure out what she is meant to learn so that she can hopefully escape this ‘reality check room’ that forces her to look at her current life. She must make changes to escape the endless nightmare loops, not only in these psychological alternate realities but also in her previous life before all this started. Yes, we along with the character begin to question— what is real and what is an illusion?

The story begins with an enticing and mysterious premise and fear is initiated from the start. Those of us who live in Australia, know the very real danger and destruction of bush fires. This family is woken in the middle of the night by a knock at their door and word of a bush fire heading their way. All sense of security is thrown out the window. Suze’s senses are on high alert and her husband is stressed as he has experienced the horrors of flames licking his skin and burning him. He was in a bad fire. His fears are implanted. She worries for him. And his movements and gestures show us quickly the lasting effects it had on him.

The arch enemy character in Every Time She Wakes is a man we really are made to dislike at an extreme level. (But there are other villains here, too.) Rowdy Mac taunts and teases, preys on women and is a media personality that has skyrocketed to fame and fortune on the backs of those he criticizes. The social media is shown here for its sensationalism. Its negative effects and how those who use it as a destructive tool can leach off the misfortunes of others or even make up false information to gain a raise from the public. We eventually learn in one of the scenarios why he has become this way and although he and many others blame Suze for their bad outcomes, thankfully she eventually sees she is not responsible for everyone’s problems. Yes, some of her choices have affected others, but she cannot take all the blame, all the time, for everyone’s reactions and results. They are the masters of their own destinies.

Suze is a believable and, I would say, likeable character. I felt her agony, fear and desires to make things right. Yes, like all of us, she has flaws and an interesting backstory but her true heart and honest motivations – particularly towards her family and the love she has for them— come through loud and clear and we can empathise hugely with her. Who would not fight to hold on to their children and a husband they loved? And Susanna tries everything to save Vance and their daughters Frankie and Issy. Each decision she makes in each parallel world she wakes up in will impact them. So she has to get it right—or risk losing them forever. She must find a way to escape this terrible alternate reality loop she is stuck in. Before this all started, she got lost in the demands of others who tried to mould her life by their standards and wishes. I think this story is a good reality check for all of us to analyse our own relationships and see how many of our decisions are made on other’s wishes—not our own.

Although Suze has to play different job roles throughout the story (wherever each wake up version takes her), she rediscovers which profession is closest to her heart. Will she have the courage to be the person she always wanted to be and live a full productive, self- fulfilled life? She learns, she needs to take care of herself first before she can help others. Similar advice given on a plane when the oxygen masks fall down in an emergency. They tell you to put the mask on yourself first before trying to help your travelling companion(s) including your children.

This novel addresses so many issues, besides the ones I mentioned. Parents squashing their children’s dreams and confidence, altering them so they do not fulfill their potential in adulthood. Also, the horrors of child fame loom epic in this novel. Clio is a by-product of this potential nightmare of controlling parents who want to make a name for themselves through their children.

In the midst of these extreme situations— jealousy, greed, vengeance and other negative traits and emotions are exposed and played out in the various secondary characters in each time loop. I don’t want to say too much about which characters are on which side of the coin but suspicions are everywhere until the truth is unfurled. And yes, there will be twists, surprises, unexpected events and lives to save or lose…

Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern is a riveting, all-consuming family, time-bending, psychological-suspense-mystery-thriller that I highly recommend. This is a grand slam home run fiction-wise for Petronella McGovern. You know how good a book is when it deeply affects you and gives you lots of think about— long after turning the last page. And I will be thinking about this story for a long, long time. The truths it reveals are epic. A must read! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Allen and Unwin for my review paperback copy.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★☆☆

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Petronella McGovern's previous work, I was really looking forward to diving into this one. I have always appreciated her distinct storytelling style, her wonderful imagery, and the way she beautifully integrates Australian nature into her settings. While I can still appreciate her writing style and the emotional depth she brings to the table, this story unfortunately did not resonate with me in the same way as her earlier novels.

The premise itself is incredibly gripping, focusing on a careers counsellor named Suze and her family who are kidnapped from their home during a bushfire emergency. Just when she thinks it is the end, the van crashes and sends her two weeks back in time. The catch is that only Suze remembers the terror of what happened, leaving her to question her own mind as the loop happens again and again. With every single split, her world twists into a new version of itself, forcing her to figure out why this is happening and who is behind the kidnappings before time runs out.

Up until about the halfway mark, I found myself getting quite frustrated with the pacing and the sheer repetitiveness of the loops. It felt far too similar to other time loop books I have picked up, but it lacked a solid explanation as to why this phenomenon was actually occurring. For me, a strange plot device like this needs a clear reason. Instead, there is no real explanation for the time slip apart from some philosophical discussions about parallel universes occurring every time a decision is made. It felt less like a cohesive thriller element and more like a poorly integrated psychological writing experiment exploring the consequences of different choices.

My other main gripe was with Suze herself. As a reader, I could tell what the core issue was very early on, and I struggled to understand why it took her so long to figure it out. She fell into a bit of a victim mentality, which made it difficult to stay invested in her constant internal monologue. It did not help that most of the secondary characters, particularly her parents and Vince, just felt like absolute assholes. I spent most of the book wanting to watch Suze tell her parents to go to hell, and although she gets close to standing up for herself, she never really develops the strong backbone I was desperately waiting to see.

What I did genuinely enjoy was the multi-perspective exploration of the characters. Seeing their lives, choices, and emotional burdens through different lenses added a lot of welcome depth and substance to the narrative. The setting also carried a quiet charm, and the life lessons threaded through the pages were undeniably thoughtful and heartfelt. Ultimately, this starts out looking like a taut thriller but ends up shifting into what gets classified as women's fiction. While it did not fully hit the mark for me, I still have a lot of respect for McGovern's prose style.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Makena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun thriller. I picked it up intending to read a few chapters, and before I knew it I'd flown through almost the entire book in one sitting.

I've read a few books that play with time loops and alternate realities, but Every Time She Wakes still managed to feel fresh. Rather than simply repeating the same events, every time Suze's world reset, she woke up in a slightly different version of her life. Some of the changes were subtle, others completely changed the way she approached the next two weeks, and I found myself just as invested in discovering what had changed as I was in solving the central mystery.

The structure kept the story moving at such a great pace. Every reset answered a few questions but introduced new ones, so I never felt like the story was repeating itself. Instead, each loop revealed another piece of the puzzle, and I was constantly trying to work out how everything connected.

I also really appreciated that the high-concept premise never came at the expense of the characters. As much as I was invested in the mystery, I was equally invested in Suze and her family. The emotional stakes gave every decision weight, and because each reset subtly altered her world, I found myself questioning everything alongside her.

As an Australian reader, I also loved seeing the story grounded in a familiar setting. The bushfire evacuation that kicks everything off immediately felt believable and added an extra layer of tension before the central mystery even began.

I won't say much more because I think this is one of those books that's best experienced with as little information as possible. If you enjoy suspense thrillers with clever concepts, plenty of twists, and stories that keep you second-guessing yourself right until the end, I'd absolutely recommend picking this one up.

Petronella McGovern has taken a premise that could have easily become repetitive and turned it into something that stayed engaging from beginning to end. Every new reality felt like another piece of the puzzle, and I genuinely couldn't wait to see where the next reset would take the story. I had an absolute blast with this one.

[True Crime Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern is a thought-provoking psychological thriller that explores fate, choice, and the far-reaching consequences of the decisions we make. When careers counsellor Suze and her family are forced to evacuate during a bushfire, she soon realises something is terribly wrong, they’re being kidnapped. After a horrific crash, Suze is convinced her life is over.

Instead of dying, she wakes up two weeks earlier with no evidence the ordeal ever happened. No one remembers it, leaving Suze questioning whether it was a nightmare. Then it happens again.

With each awakening, Suze finds herself living a different version of her life, one shaped by alternate choices and roads not taken. As reality continues to shift around her, she must piece together what is happening while confronting the possibility that every decision has the power to change not only her future, but the lives of those she loves.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of this book. It is carefully woven together, revealing information at just the right pace without giving too much away. Even when I started to piece everything together, I still found myself questioning whether I was on the right track.

I’ve always been fascinated by the “sliding doors” theory, the idea that a single decision can completely alter the course of our lives. Petronella McGovern takes this concept and executes it brilliantly. With every new reality Suze wakes into, subtle and significant changes emerge, showing how different choices can shape not only her future but also the lives of those around her.

Beyond the intriguing premise, I appreciated the real-world issues woven throughout the story. The novel tackles topics including misogyny, sexual assault, and the growing trend of parents using their children as content for social media, adding depth to the narrative.

A clever and engaging read that will have you wondering how different your own life might look if just one choice had gone another way.

[Davena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern

I requested this one because Petronella McGovern has a reputation as one of the queens of the Australian psychological thriller genre, so it was an automatic request, and I was honestly thrilled when I was approved. I was approved waaaaay back in April, and added it to my book schedule around the release date. Then I got sick and couldn't read for a few weeks, and I was only listening to audiobooks. SO I did what every book nerd I know would do: I brought the audiobook.

Every Time She Wakes has Groundhog Day vibes, if Groundhog Day were twisted into a thriller about identity, memory and fate. In the opening chapter, Suze and her family are evacuated from their home during a bushfire emergency, and my 'stranger danger' senses were on high alert. I'm yelling at her in my head, "Babe! You are being kidnapped!" The van crashes, and Suze wakes up two weeks before the bushfire emergency, and no one else remembers the evacuation.

Then it happens again. And again. And with every loop, her world twists into a new version of her life, and the family drama and tension escalates (I was on high alert in the opening chapter, guys!).

If you like a tense psychological thriller like books like Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra (@tsierraauthor), Dark Mode by Ashley Kalagian Blunt (@akalagianblunt), or Barren Cape by @prakky. And if you like psychological thrillers and you haven't read any of those books, you clearly haven't been listening to me. Get on it.

Thumbs up 👍

Because I was able to multitask on this one, I did a quick WIP sketch of a cockatoo I was thinking of making as a baby-shower gift. It needs a bright background, which I usually do in pink/orange, but since the baby is a boy, should it be blue? Or do I say NO to gender stereotypes and do whatever I want?

#booksdeevaareads #2026bookshelf @allenandunwin #allenandunwin @petronellamcgovern_author #EveryTimeSheWakes #NetGalley

[Despina O’Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

My last read in July was none other than @petronellamcgovern_author latest book, Every Time She Wakes.

This was my first by Petronella, but it will not be my last! Petronella has a wonderful way of writing and after listening to her last month at her launch event, it was so interesting to hear how she maps out her storylines and puts everything together.

The story is centred around Suze, a wife and mum of two who is woken up in the middle of the night because of the alarming bushfires that are coming close to her house. When the fire rescue team come to evacuate, her family and daughter’s fiend, Clio are told to get into a van so they can reach an evacuation point. But something feels off and mid-journey, they realise they are not heading towards any of the local evacuation points. And when Suze demands they get let out of the van, the kidnappers continue to drive.

It’s not until the next morning that Suze realises the events that happened the night before, didn’t happen. In fact, she’s set back a couple of weeks. Was it just a vivid dream?

It’s not until it happens again that she realises there is a reason why this is happening and it’s up to her to figure out what events in the future need to be prevented.

This was such an interesting concept. Normally books involving time confuse me so much but this was written perfectly! All the characters had a part to play and reading how this all came together in the end was so well done.

Can I just say though, I’m unsure who annoyed me more… Rowdy Mac or Suze’s parents?! OMG THEY WERE INSUFFERABLE 😂

Thanks for sharing your wonderful work with all of us, Petronella!

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit I was a bit wary going into Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern, given it's a Groundhog Day scenario and I'd already made assumptions about how that would play out. I was wrong — McGovern flips the trope on its head, because the world Suze wakes up into is different each time, not just a rerun. Each loop sees her family abducted, ending in tragedy, before she wakes again, in a life that's subtly (and then not-so-subtly) shifted from the one before.

What I loved is how unsettling the changes become. It's not just Suze's job or her daughter's degree that shift between loops — it's pieces of her family, her past, her sense of self eroding with each version. There's a great supporting cast too, including a shock-jock radio host who I'm fairly sure McGovern based on a certain real-life misogynist broadcaster, and an old scandal from Suze's past that keeps resurfacing in different forms. As someone who loves a parallel-lives premise, I was completely hooked working out what stayed constant and what didn't.

I had to suspend my usual logic-loving scepticism a fair bit, but the emotional theme — about repeating our mistakes and not growing until we actually face them — really landed for me. My bathside reading notes literally just say "FASCINATING!!!" in places, which tells you everything. A high four and a half stars, and a strong recommend. 4.5 stars

Read the full review on my website: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...

[Terri | Twist & Doubt | Bookstagram · Rating 4 out of 5]

When careers counsellor Suze and her family are caught up in a bushfire emergency, a terrifying chain of events leaves her questioning everything she knows about reality. As she repeatedly wakes in different versions of her life, Suze must uncover what’s happening before she loses the people she loves - and herself - in the process.

This is a solid, time-bending thriller with an intriguing premise and memorable characters. One particular shock jock character immediately reminded me of a certain controversial Australian radio personality who always seems to find himself in hot water, which made those scenes especially entertaining.

The novel explores the idea that even the smallest decisions can create ripple effects through our lives, giving it a distinct Butterfly Effect feel. At its heart, it’s a story about choosing your own path rather than living the life others expect of you, and the weight that our choices can carry long after they’re made.

That said, I found that the execution didn’t always match the potential of the premise, and I was somewhat disappointed that there was never any explanation for why the alternate timelines were occurring. Readers are simply asked to accept that they existed, which left me wanting a little more.

Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable and thought-provoking thriller that raises interesting questions about fate, choice, and whether we’d make the same decisions if given the chance to do it all again.

3.5 stars

[aims.readsalot · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know your TBR needs some TLC when an ARC from an author you’ve admired for years arrives in your inbox - and you realise that, by some kind of miracle, you’ve never actually read any of their books before.

But it’s not every day that one highly anticipated release turns into five, so I’m counting it as a bookworm win!

Every Time She Wakes is a twisty, page-turning thriller that’ll have you wondering everything from how much sleep you really need to WHAT. IS. GOING. ON?!

It bends your brain in ways you didn’t think possible, and if Petronella McGovern’s other books are even half as brilliant, I’ll be caught up on her backlist in no time because wow… what a read!

What’s it actually about? Without giving too much away, I’d describe it as a gripping kind of Groundhog Day.

If you love going into thrillers completely blind, I’d stop reading here.

For everyone else…

When careers counsellor Suze and her family are evacuated from their home during a bushfire emergency, she suddenly realises they’re being kidnapped.

The van crashes and Suze thinks it’s the end. But she wakes up two weeks back in time. No one else remembers the terror that came before. Is it all in her own mind? Then it happens again. And again.

Where Petronella came up with an idea like this - and how she managed to keep all the timelines straight without her own brain short-circuiting… I’ll never know. But I’m so glad she did, because I loved every minute of it!

Thank you to Petronella McGovern and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to dive in early via NetGalley.

[aplace_inthesun) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend not to look at the blurbs for books, so had no idea what I was getting myself into with Every Time She Wakes. As the title suggests this is about a woman and a repeating, though slightly different story line every time she wakes. A haunting and eery premise.

The first time we meet Suze she’s a university counsellor, married to Vince, with two daughters Frankie and Issy. During a frightening fire they’re evacuated from their home, and during the evacuation things aren’t what they seem and there’s an accident. When Suze wakes up, she’s two weeks in the past.

The time loop continues with different iterations throughout the course of the book - it’s fascinating; at times the sameness of the routine but then a slight change in circumstances has a different impact and outcome. There’s some suspense and intrigue, but the book leans into more domestic and contemporary fiction rather than being thriller-esque for mind. There’s a lot of moving parts and you can see Suze vacillating between “this can’t be happening” and “I must be going crazy”. There’s that ever present idea of parallel universes or sliding door moments, something that always fascinates me when done well in fiction.

Every Time She Wakes gradually dismantled Suze’s sense of normality and the self she has grown into over the years, through challenging different relationships she holds dear and their impact.

Unique but fascinating!

Thanks Allen and Unwin for an advanced reading copy.

4.5 stars

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Time She Wakes completely drew me in, and I found it hard to put down. It has a Groundhog Day feel, with Suze repeatedly reliving the same period of time. Each cycle ends in disaster, with her family being kidnapped and suffering accidents. Every time she wakes, it’s 3 November again—Melbourne Cup Day—and no one except Suze has any memory of what has happened before.

What makes the story particularly intriguing is that each reset brings unexpected changes. Suze’s occupation shifts, her children’s lives are different and past events seem to have been rewritten. As the inconsistencies pile up, Suze becomes increasingly desperate to understand what is happening and why.

As the novel unfolds, we gradually learn more about Suze’s past, which was the aspect of the story that fascinated me most. While I was certainly invested in the mystery of who was kidnapping her family and their motives, I was even more interested in uncovering the secrets and complexities of Suze’s own life.

The book also features a memorable supporting cast. From Rowdy, the radio personality who seems determined to make Suze’s life miserable, to her boss, family members, and other key figures, each character adds depth and personality to the story. The combination of mystery, suspense, and character-driven storytelling kept me engaged right through to the end.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suze, her husband Vince, and daughters Frankie & Issi lived in a home which bordered the national park - which was on fire. The evening they were woken by firefighters and told to evacuate immediately, was the beginning of a nightmare for Suze - but one her family didn't register. The journey in the firefighters' van, the subsequent crash - then waking in her own bed with vivid memories but no wounds, no blood, no injuries; was it just an intense lifelike dream?

As Suze tried to come to terms with what was happening, it happened again; and again. What was going on? Who was doing this to her? Or was she doing something that caused these crazy events?

Every Time She Wakes was intense and gritty for the first third of the book, but then it became repetitive and confusing. The parallel universe situation, the different times when the family's circumstances changed, the constant repetition - I've always enjoyed Aussie author Petronella McGovern's stories, but unfortunately this one didn't work for me.

With thanks to NetGalley & Allen & Unwin AU for my digital ARC to read and review.

[Michele (michelethebookdragon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Time She Wakes is a mind bending and thought provoking story and this is why I love this author.

Suze Vitale is a wife, mother and careers counsellor living on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. When Suze and her family are kidnapped by who they thought were RFS volunteers during a bushfire, she wonders what the hell could be going on. When the van crashes and rolls it looks like the end for their family.

Then Suze wakes up in her bed and realises she is back two weeks before the abduction and crash. Was it a dream? It was so real. Why does she have a scar on her leg? Then some events repeat themselves or are slightly different to before. She wonders if she is overworked, or worse, has a brain tumour.

Then they are kidnapped again. Then she wakes up again on the same day. Is she losing her mind or is she losing herself?

What follows is a twisty mystery as the time between Suze waking and the kidnappings gets shorter. She hopes and thinks if she makes different decisions each time that it will affect the outcome. Can she outrun time?

I was in a spin reading this wondering what was happening to Suze, and if she could work it out before it was too late. With a fierce determination to save her family and find out who or what was behind this enigma, Suze discovers so much about herself and her place in the world.

And that ending!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mind bending read! Suze Vitale is a living her seemingly normal life in the surrounds of Sydney with her husband, two daughters and a job at the local college whilst a bushfire rages in the national forest on the outskirts of the city. When a car crash looks to end all of their lives, she suddenly wakes and finds she has travelled two weeks back in time to a reality that is slightly different to the one she was living. Unfortunately for Suze, this is only the first in a number of time jumps, each one with an alternate reality.
As Suze struggles to catch up with her new circumstances each time, she starts to realize there is a reason for the madness that has fallen on her and only she can put all the pieces together and attempt to stop the chaos.
This book had me from the start and did not let up. The tying of all the timelines, situations and interweaving of the characters was all brilliantly done. My only critique would be that the ending seemed slightly rushed and Suze's ability to accept everything that had happened to her felt too easy, however, this does not take away anything from the enjoyment of the story overall.
Thank you to Netgalley and Allen & Unwin for the arc for review.

[Book My Imagination]

😵‍💫Parallel Lives
😵Groundhog Day Vibes
😯Character Driven
🫣Psychological Thriller
😲Thought Provoking


Pop this onto your list of reads for July and settle in for a ride.

With a bushfire raging close to their home, Suze and family are wary but not too worried. They are prepared.
But when the knock on the door comes, and 2 fireys say they have to leave now, things don't go to plan.

After the van they are in crashes, Suze wakes up and realises they have been kidnapped.
And then it happens again, and again.
The same thing, but only she is aware of it.
Why? Why does nobody else realise?
And what does it mean?

I love the premise of this story, it is such a fascinating idea, that time loops constantly and only you are aware of it. A real ground hog day kind of thing.
And the revolving door aspect of one decision and it's impact.

You will have moments where you think about some of your life choices and the implications of them.... and what would life be like if you had chosen another direction.
And then you are swept back into this living nightmare that Suze finds herself in, desperate to change something, but not knowing what.
It's a psychological thriller that chews on the choices we make and spits out an alternate life.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suze Vitale, a careers counsellor, lives with her husband Vince and their two daughters on the suburban fringe of Sydney. Under threat of bushfire and unable to access their own vehicle, the family is evacuated by fire fighters. Except … they are not evacuated, they are kidnapped. After the van crashes, Suze wakes up two weeks earlier.

Okay, this is the first of a series of loops in Suze’s life. The reality in each loop is a little different, but the loops are becoming closer together and Suze knows that she must do something. But what, and how?

We learn more about Suze and her life, about her controlling parents and about events in the past which have shaped her life. And we are with Suze as she gradually comes to realise that she can take control. Life is full of possibilities.

And that is all I am going to write about the story.

Did I enjoy it? Well, Ms McGovern certainly held my attention from beginning to end. The ending? Well while some elements had me wondering, I admire the way in which Ms McGovern drew all the various strands together.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Narelle Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine three movies - Sliding Doors, Groundhog Day and Basic Instinct got together and created a child - you might be close to the feel of Petronella McGovern's new book.
Every Time She Wakes introduces us very quickly to careers counsellor, Suze Vitale and her family as they appear to being evacuated from their home when it is threatened by a bush fire. However, nothing is quite as it seems, and soon Suze is waking up to find she has gone back in time repeating her life. Yet even that isn't right as each time she loops back into her life changes have happened and important pieces of her existence have disappeared. What is going on and why is this happening? Questions that make you hold your breath and keep turning the pages rapidly to try to help Suze figure it all out.
I really loved this thriller - it absolutely drew me and absorbed every minute of my day - I had to read in one sitting as I couldn't bear to put it down. I almost felt like at times I was watching a very bad train wreck as Suze's life continues to implode in a variety of ways, but there was no way I was looking away. It was one of the most frustrating but engaging books I have ever read. I really didn't know where it was going to all end up. The whole cast of characters are well written, but I have to admit I really wasn't fond of Suze's husband - I'm a bit meh about him. I wanted to give him a good punch in the arm and tell him to step up a bit more, however that could be just me as a reader.
Petronella McGovern is a such a great thriller writer - she gets right into the heart of her characters and expects you to absolutely follow along the journey. A must read thriller this winter for those who like a strong plot and a empathetic character.
Thanks to NetGalley as well as Allen & Unwin for the chance to read this arc. Thoroughly enjoyed losing a day of my life - it was worth it.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big thanks to Allen & Unwin for sending us a copy to read and review.
An explosive opening scene where a family are abducted during a dangerous bushfire sets the tone and spirals into a story where sliding door moments punctuate the timeline.
Choices made have consequences, both good and bad, but have you wondered what an alternate choice may have generated?
After realising her family was safe after the abduction, Suze began to wonder and attempt to put together the pieces.
Reality and the unreal playing against each other.
Until it happened again and then again.
Each encounter leaving a clue and also creating a loop to mess with her mind.
Life choices, relationships and events all blurred until a truth emerged.
The foundations of this clever tale mentioned in the acknowledgments succinctly explain the key premise of the book.
It will make you think of your own life journey.
The famous cliche of…. what if.
Threaded through are clever plot twists and connections between the key characters.
Flawed and flourishing relationships between the cast are on point as the truth climatically gate crashes.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensational novel by the author!
Suze and her family are evacuated from their home during a bushfire emergency but during the evacuation something doesn't seem right. She suddenly realises, they are being kidnapped. The van crashes and Suze thinks her life has ended. But then she wakes up, two weeks back in time. No one else remembers all of the things that have happened, except for her and her life begins to replay again. And again. But with each re-do, things change, until she realises she is running out of time to save her family.

I love a sliding doors or time loop book and this one kept me completely intrigued! The family dynamics, the tiny moving pieces and impending danger of the bushfire approaching all kept the suspense high in this one. In the back of her mind the whole time, Suze needs to try and work out the mystery of their past and who may be trying to hurt them before it is too late. It does also make you think about all of the tiny or larger decisions you've made that have mapped your future. Such a fabulous novel by the author. 4.5*

Thank you to Allen and Unwin, NetGalley and the author for this gifted review copy

[Alex Brinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I binged this.
I spent the entire day reading and could not put it down. Wow! 🤯

I’m a sucker for a time-loop/sliding-doors style story. There’s always the risk that these kinds of books can start to feel repetitive, but that was never the case here. Every loop revealed something new, more layers to the mystery, keeping me hooked from start to finish.

What it’s about:
✨ Trapped in a relentless time loop, Suze is forced to relive the same two weeks, uncovering secrets about her life and relationships, as she works to wake up in a world she recognises.

What I loved most was how each new loop helped Suze uncover not only the truth behind her situation, but also more about herself. As the story unfolded, so did her understanding of who she is, why she’s trapped, and how she can break free.

The characters were incredibly well written. Some of them had me feeling genuine rage and frustration 😤 - always a sign that an author has done an amazing job bringing them to life.

With its unique premise, compelling mystery, and plenty of twists along the way, this was such an entertaining and memorable read. Highly recommended if you love thrillers that do something a little different. 🔥

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page-turning, unputdownable domestic thriller with a twist!
I read this book on a flight and it was such a perfect plane read - totally gripping and easy to keep interested. It is a thriller, but it adds complexity beyond simple action and suspense.
Suze and her family are evacuated from an rapidly nearing bushfire, but something even more menacing is going on. There is a shocking climax and then Suze wakes up in bed, and it's two weeks earlier. This is the beginning of a time loop that gets more and more sinister as it repeats. Suze has to solve a series of interconnected mysteries from her past, present, and future, before she loses her family for good.
My favourite thing was that when she starts this time looping, she just assumes it must be a new symptom of peri-menopause - an accurate depiction of life as a 40+ woman!
I sometimes found her repeated mistakes frustrating, and possibly it went around in a loop one too many times. But overall, it was a very engaging and exciting read. It was easy to read, but not forgettable.

[Leigh Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Time She Wakes is a gripping psychological thriller that follows Suze, an everyday woman living an ordinary life, whose world is thrown into chaos when her family is kidnapped and she becomes trapped in a time loop that only she remembers.

Petronella McGovern has crafted an incredibly clever novel, weaving together its many threads with remarkable precision to create an unforgettable story. Even more impressive is the realism she brings to such an extraordinary premise, making every moment feel believable despite the fantastical concept.

The novel explores thought-provoking philosophical themes that linger long after you've turned the final page.

The twists keep coming, and most of them are impossible to predict. Beneath it all is a growing sense of dread as the time loop becomes shorter and shorter, and Suze slowly loses more of herself with each loop.

My review comes with one warning: clear your schedule before you start this book, because once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down.

[sam carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot to like about this book but also a bit I found difficult to get through.

Let’s start with the positive. I love the concept of the story itself, the alternate timelines and butterfly effect of the decisions our FMC makes is really interesting to me. I enjoyed the pacing of each alternate timeline and was rooting for our FMC to back herself and get her life back on track. I also enjoyed the ending!

For the not so positive… There was a bit too much repetition in our FMCs internal monologue and with some of the conversations we were seeing take place throughout each alternate timeline which got a little annoying for me. I also struggled with the conclusion of the Rowdy storyline.

This is still a book I recommend to anyone who has an interest in a more woman’s lit based thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and Allen & Unwin for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[John Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent an advanced reading copy of this rollercoaster of a read a few weeks back. Judging by the cover, I was expecting a fairly straightforward domestic thriller. I got that wrong. What I read instead was a high octane Groundhog Day/Sliding Doors cross with a bit of multiverse mayhem thrown in for good measure. And it works. McGovern taps into that reasonable On the Calculation of Volume vibe, where it's made clear the impossible is happening, and we will just have to deal with it. Like following a Liane Moriarty middle class family into a black hole. This sensible centre gives weight and cohesion to a story that reinvents itself over and over, ratcheting up the suspense and increasing the stakes with every restart. I am so glad I strapped myself in and went along for the ride, reading the fat wad of bound pages in a day. Highly recommended. Great fun.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book. The idea of someone reliving the same time frame over and over sounded like it could get monotonous, but this book was absolutely not dull. It had a fairly straight forward start, with a family having to evacuate their home because of bushfires, but each iteration built on the story, with the mother of the family finding her life becoming increasingly distorted.
The book had an interesting cast of characters, some more likeable than others, but each an important part of the story. It was not a thriller in the conventional sense, but it still made me think, and had a back story that became clearer each time Suze woke to her new reality. It built the tension well and is well worth a read. Another great story from Petronella McGovern.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

[Jackie McMillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)
I really don't like time-loop books, but here I am saying Petronella McGovern grabbed me right away with this one. It's mostly not repetitive either, as the loops are more alternative timelines. The best bit was the traps that the trusting protagonist, Suze, fell into each time which ultimately led to her flying through the air toward the next wake-up. Where the book fell down for me was in the wrap up. What caused the timeline to split? If it's just an exercise in walking out the consequences of each decision you could make, it's a bit naff really. I think I wanted to discover a reason rather than a poorly integrated psychological writing experiment. I'm giving it 3.5 stars because it hooked me regardless of the outcome.

With thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy to read.