While You Slept

by R.J. Parker

What would you do if you woke up in your home… but it wasn't your home at all?

When a man wearing a picture mask of her daughter Maisie's face stands tauntingly in her garden, Lily Russell does the smart thing and calls the police. When she and Maisie wake up the following morning in an exact replica of their home, held captive by that same man, the police are no longer an option.

Surrounded by the rooms and things that once provided comfort and now only promote fear, Lily and Maisie must fight to survive. Because when no one knows where you are, you are your only hope.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Contemporary, Psychological

400 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2020

About the author

RJ Parker, P.Mgr., MCrim, is an award winning and bestselling true crime author and co-owner with his daughters of RJ Parker Publishing. Inc. He has written 17 true crime books, available in eBook, paperback and audiobook editions, and have sold in over 100 countries. He holds Certifications in Serial Crime and Criminal Profiling.

ALL Paperbacks under RJ Parker Publishing are in the KINDLE MATCHBOOK program: When you purchase any print book, you get the eBook for FREE

Besides gifting books to his cause, Wounded Warriors, and donating to Victims of Violent Crimes, RJ has daily contests on Facebook where he gifts eBooks and autographed books.

Join RJ on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorRJParker
Email - authorrjparker@gmail.com
Website - http://rjparkerpublishing.com/

Member of the Canadian Association of Authors
Member of the Writer's Alliance of Newfoundland

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book turned me into pillow biter, feather choker, heavy breather and high pitched screamer!

I still don’t know how I survived after reading this high tensioned, claustrophobic, mind spinner, terrifying, dark, disturbing novel! It was brilliant till the end. Especially when you suffer from side effects of lockdown in your own house and read something more terrifying like waking up some place which is exact replica of your house, kidnapped, being watched by some batshit crazy guy who is wearing your daughter’s face as a mask, you learn to be thankful about your situation. You say: thanks God, I have lots of booze, an irritating, talkative husband I may use as my private chef and a gorgeous Mount TBR where I could rent for hikers as soon as this madness ends.

As I mentioned at the first paragraph: the book starts at the work place of Lily Russell who checks the security cams of her house (she just moved there, won full custody of her six years old daughter Maisie, as a widow she gets their safety seriously) and realizes a peeping Tom wearing her daughter’s face as a mask, standing outside of her house. She tells him she’s gonna call the police. (Yes, she can yell at him from her office space and the man can exactly hear what she tells him from mics.) And the man disappears after her warning.

Lily gets suspicious with her husband Ewan who recently moved to his brother’s house and cut the connection with them for 8 months after losing custody. From a few flashbacks we get that he was suffering from alcoholism and anger management problem but we don’t get informed enough about their marriage and problematic marriage.
And of course her husband denies his connection with the intrusion. Lily calls her sister, sharing a bottle of wine with her and the very next day, she opens her eyes to a place where is exact copy of her house (even their furniture, accessories and the food they stocked are the same. Somebody should have been stalking them for a long time to get this detailed information about their lives.)

The windows are reinforced. The doors are plate steel. Lily and Maisie might have been kidnapped and caged in this house and they have no idea what their captor’s true intentions who still watch out them from their own house. Is he going to kill them? Why is doing that? Is there any possibility to escape from their prison?

This book can be easily adapted into the screenplay and it could be great, one location, suffocating, nerve bending thriller movie! The chapters are short, riveting, mysterious and they made me feel as if I have been reading action packed movie scenes. The mystery captures you from the beginning and you cannot put it down, disconnecting with outside world, screaming, breathing heavily and shitting yourself (it was so close, that’s why I already stocked human diapers for my thriller reads!)

But ending and revelation part was a little undeveloped for my needs. I’m still having so many questions about the outcome because we didn’t get much background information about heroine’s past. So it was hard to predict the captor’s identity and the motives as well. There are still unanswered parts for me. Maybe the author wanted to write a sequel and he intentionally left those parts open ended for us!

So I cut 1.5 points for the big revelation part but it was still dynamic, horrifying, dark, twisty and fast reading. I’m giving 3.5 stars and as usual I’m rounding them up to 4! It was still brilliant and enjoyable work and a great choice to turn into a movie script as well.

Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for sharing this heart throbbing ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

[Sandysbookaday (on indefinite hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

EXCERPT: An intruder was standing motionless in Lily Russell's back garden, and when she saw him, she stood from her swivel chair and released an incoherent exclamation.

It was a sunny September lunchtime and the man was stock still in the middle of her small lawn as if waiting for her to see him there. He was wearing jeans and a dark coloured sweat top with the hood pulled over his head.

But it wasn't his presence that alarmed her the most. It was his face. It was tilted up so she could get a good look.

He was wearing the smile of her daughter. A cut-out mask of her five-year-old's laughing features with holes cut out of her eyes for his to look through.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: What would you do if you woke up in your home… but it wasn't your home at all?

When a man wearing a picture mask of her daughter Maisie's face stands tauntingly in her garden, Lily Russell does the smart thing and calls the police. When she and Maisie wake up the following morning in an exact replica of their home, held captive by that same man, the police are no longer an option.

Surrounded by the rooms and things that once provided comfort and now only promote fear, Lily and Maisie must fight to survive. Because when no one knows where you are, you are your only hope.

MY THOUGHTS: While You Slept presents a bit of a conundrum for me. I partly enjoyed this read. There are parts that are downright creepy. There are parts that just don't quite ring true. There are parts that are really suspenseful. There are parts that are faintly ridiculous. And I hated the end, which really wasn't an end at all because we're left in no doubt that there will be a follow on. Sometimes this works for me, sometimes it doesn't, and this didn't.

I didn't like the characters other than Maisie, and there's absolutely no character development. Other than the fact that Lily's husband Ewan is an alcoholic, and they're separated, we know nothing about them.

And I am not at all invested in the motivation behind the abductions. I wasn't convinced....not at all. This aspect of the book is poorly developed and lets down what could have been a solid 4-star read.

This is one of those books that would probably make a better movie than a book, but the ending would need a lot more definition.

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️.1

#WhileYouSlept #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: RJ Parker, P.Mgr., MCrim, is an award winning and bestselling true crime author and co-owner with his daughters of RJ Parker Publishing. Inc. He has written 17 true crime books, available in eBook, paperback and audiobook editions, and have sold in over 100 countries. He holds Certifications in Serial Crime and Criminal Profiling.

ALL Paperbacks under RJ Parker Publishing are in the KINDLE MATCHBOOK program: When you purchase any print book, you get the eBook for FREE

Besides gifting books to his cause, Wounded Warriors, and donating to Victims of Violent Crimes, RJ has daily contests on Facebook where he gifts eBooks and autographed books.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, for providing a digital ARC of While You Slept by R.J. Parker for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CEDWtUbg5...
and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really need to be more selective when requesting these thrillers.

An amazing premise that was executed poorly. No tension, no suspense, an ending that came out of left field, and a cliffhanger to boot. Le sigh.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Linda Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a man in Lily's garden. He's wearing a mask ... a picture of her 5-year-old daughter. Lily does the right thing and calls the police, but the intruder is gone by the time they get there.

The next morning mother and daughter wake up as usual .... only there's nothing usual now. They are in a room .. completely decorated to look like their home...but it isn't. The man from the garden has somehow taken them from their home and installed them in a replica. Lily doesn't know where they are ... how long will they be there ... is anyone looking for them?

There is a certain creepiness factor .... knowing that someone is always watching ... bringing you food, but you wonder if it's drugged .... The panic they feel is palpable. Why would someone do this to them ... she has no enemies and her daughter is still a young child.

It's a complex plot amid what seems like many interconnected parts. A backstory would have helped tremendously. The characters lack complete development. There are many twists and turns, some of them make no sense at all with some glue to hold them together. The ending seemed abrupt ... and again, made no sense.

As a thriller, this one just didn't do it for me.

Many thanks to the author / Harper Collins UK / One More Chapter / Netgalley for the digital copy of WHILE YOU SLEPT. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

For Lily and her five year old daughter, Maisie it was just like any other evening. They went to bed only to wake up in a nightmare. The house is identical to their own and nothing is out of place, but they can't leave. The house is a replica. Their stalker has taken them while they slept. Lily is still getting over her divorce and Maisie misses her dad.

There's a lot of mystery surrounding this action packed read. The pace is steady. It did get a bit repetitive around the half way mark. There's an element of creepiness about this story. Maisie came across as a lot older than just five years old. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed and that there were gaps left in the story that needed filling. There's plenty of twists in this page turning read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and the author R.J. Parker for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Polly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmmm. HMMMMM.

This is not a "good book". BUT... is it the biggest page-turner I've read in ages? Yes. For people who watched the ITV drama "The Stranger" – based on the Harlan Coben novel – it's got a similar feel. It's utterly ludicrous and makes a suspension of disbelief almost impossible; it's kind of badly written; and the ending has no satisfaction... but you keep watching, or reading, regardless. Sometimes you just need a page-turner, especially if your brain has been particularly bad at focusing on tasks lately, like mine has.

But let's start at the beginning. Because the first few chapters of this book are genuinely the creepiest thing I (a self-titled wuss) have read in a long time. Lily gets a push notification from her home security app while she's at work – and sees a man standing in her garden... a man who is wearing a mask of her 5 year old daughter's face.

And that hooked me in instantly. The book does not let up on the pace or the tension once throughout, and I went from taking a month to get through my last book to struggling to put this one down. Things happen at breakneck speed, with building paranoia and dread chapter by chapter.

I was willing to give this a higher rating, just for pure ridiculousness, but the ending really let me down. I don't want to spoil things but there's little explanation for the mystery's resolve, the character resolve is entirely too neat and needed a whole load of explanation, and the final line is just flat-out gross.

I'll give it 2.5 stars and round it up to 3 just because it felt good to have a book properly hook me in, despite its flaws.

[Vonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a thriller this was not very well put together, it read completely disjointed. A backstory would have helped quite a bit. The characters lacked development of any form. There are many twists and turns, some of them making things more confusing. Don't count on an ending that will wrap things up as it's simply not there.

[Meghan (TheBookGoblin) · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to love While You Slept, I really did. I was very excited when I got the ARC because the blurb sounded so creepy and cool to me. Unfortunately, all I got was a boring, repetitive story about a mother and her suspiciously articulate five-year-old daughter who do almost nothing for 70% of the story, a few pages of good action, and then an explanation that almost made me whip my phone (my kindle app is on there) out the window.

The Good: As I mentioned, the premise was interesting and had a lot of potential. Despite not being a parent myself, I do like stories of badass moms doing anything to protect their kids. However, this often fell a little flat in While You Slept. I liked the weirdness of the situation and the feeling of wrongness that was portrayed pretty well.

The Bad: There's a lot tbh. I know this is an unedited manuscript, but there were an excessive amount of errors and formatting problems here, more so than in the usual ARCs I read. The writing is sloppy and basic, and the dialogue is completely unconvincing. This brings me to Maisie. I've seen other reviewers mention this and it is 100% true that NO FIVE-YEAR-OLD EVER would understand facial clues and be able to hold conversations the way Maisie does. I have several friends with children, as well as young second cousins, and I can say without a doubt that Maisie would have to be at least eight for this story to have been believable while keeping the same dialogue. Then there's the ending. *insert angry sigh here*. I mean, I didn't guess the ending, which I suppose is a mark of a good mystery, but that's only because the ending made no goddamned sense and seemed to be a total cop-out. It was basically the equivalent of vomiting and having a fever and thinking its because you have the flu but then the doctor tells you it's because you pet a random cat a few weeks earlier. Like okayyyyyyyy sure. Whatever.

TL;DR: Honestly if it gets a really good edit and some things are changed around this might be a decent thriller, but as it stands I found it rather disappointing and dissatisfying.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to R&R

[Jannelies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lily and Maisie are kept imprisoned in their own home... they think. This story mainly tells us how they react and of course, how they plan to escape.
I liked the plot but it turned out to be a bit thin and the ending could have been worked out much better. It feeled rather rushed and I would have wanted to have more signals during the story as to who their enemy is and why.
Also, this is the second book in a row that I read with a whining child and a whining mother. The child is only five. One moment Lily expects Maisie to act like a grown up, the other moment she wants her to be even smaller than her age. You cannot expect a five year old, frightened as she is, to react like you think is necessary at that moment.
All in all a nice read but it could have been much more.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily and her five year old daughter Maisie finds themselves trapped in a living nightmare when they wake up one morning and discover that they are trapped in a building that is a exact replica of their own home,right down to a replica of their ginger cat. Why are they being held captive and by whom?.Was there any connection between the situation they have found themselves in and the mysterious man who had been standing in Lily's garden wearing a mask of Maisies's face the previous afternoon?. Lily's ex Ewan might hate her but surely he wouldn't subject his beloved daughter to so much anguish and terror? When the truth is eventually revealed, it is even more shocking than Lily and the reader could ever have imagined.

This gripping, fast paced thriller hits the ground running from the very first page and rockets along at full speed until the final jaw dropping sentence..It is the chilling story of a mother's battle to protect her young daughter,whilst trying to figure out a way to escape and convince their captors that they were obeying their instructions. Lily and Maisie were believable characters, Lily with her realistic mood swings, her fear for her daughter's safety and her own fear and confusion. Maisie was a typical five year old, fearless, feisty, disobedient but she was also very intuitive and clever beyond her years. They were both likeable characters but there was one aspect to Lily's character that I struggled to understand especially considering the situation they have found themselves trapped in.

Wow...just wow and wow again, I really really loved this utterly brilliant, well written,enthralling, thrill ride, in fact I loved it so much that I read it in one sitting. It was packed full of action, shocks, twists and turns and had me completely hooked in from the first page and frantically turning the pages. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this outstanding book, I think it's worth far more than five stars and is very very highly recommended.

[Fiction Addition Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started as off the scale creepy and I was intrigued and hooked for the first hundred pages. It's hard not to get emotionally involved by the beginning of this story. A man appears in Lily's back garden while she is at work and she is alerted to the danger by an app on her phone. What really gets Lily's attention and mine is that the intruder is wearing a mask and when she looks closely its the face of her daughter Maisey. The masked intruder even had the audacity to wave at her.
Lily calls the police but as the intruder has gone by the time the police arrive she goes to bed that night worried and confused.
Fast forward to the following day - when Lily and Maisey wake up they think they are waking up in their home. Think again! they are actually waking up in an exact replica of their home down to the bedroom,clothes, ornaments and what they eat in the fridge. They find out in horror that the man in the garden is holding them captive.
So as you would expect I am now invested in these characters and I am wanting to know what the hell is going on. Unfortunately I felt that the story lost it appeal over the next hundred pages. The dialogue is completely wrong, the five year old, Maisey behaves in a way that no five year old I have ever met would and the ending felt like it had been plucked out of thin air.
The action descriptions at the end of the book are really confusing and hard to understand and the reason behind "the who done it" was underdeveloped and unanswered for me.
Having said all of that, the premise of the book is thrilling and with some amendments would make a great thriller.
I really wanted to like the whole of this book because of the goosebumps you got from the first chapters, I wanted more from the kidnappers and the main characters. Great idea, unique and creepy. But was highly repetitive and poor resolution.
Thank you for the advanced copy.

[Tamsin Preece · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about this book. It was an interesting premise but it didn’t really work for me.

I found the conversations between Lily and Maisie too advanced for Maisie’s age. There also seemed to be an awful lot of unnecessary description, which was often quite clumsily written.

The ending of the book felt very rushed and it wasn’t particularly satisfying. An interesting story, but not for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

[Melissa In The City · Rating 2 out of 5]

creeepy. Definitely messes with your head - waking up a prisoner in your own house. I read it in the daylight so I wouldn't be up all night listening to every sound in my house LOL.
I only wish for a more BOOM of an ending. Fell somewhat flat for me.
Well written and nice sleek, simple cover!

Thank you for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[shannon✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was such a good thriller that I highly “enjoyed” reading. For me, this one was definitely a page-turner and I found the plot to be very original. The plot had me captivated until the very end, and there were definitely some twists that I didn’t see coming. The reasons why this book had me in its grip was because I wanted to know what would happen next and whether they would survive or not. However, the main reason was because I wanted to know who was behind this all.
The writing style was good and I liked the short chapters. In the end, it didn’t give me the five-star feeling. I think I would’ve liked a bit more built up towards the big reveal. That felt a bit rushed and out of the blue.

[Mick Dubois · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lilly, a single mother has an expensive alarm system in her flat. One day it sounds while she’s at work and she sees a man in her walled back garden who’s wearing a mask with the face of her 5-year-old daughter. By the time the police arrive, the intruder is long gone. The next morning she and her daughter wake up in a house that’s an exact replica of their own, with decorations, food, books and toys, clothes all identical to those in their own home and even the cat looks almost the same. The only difference is that they’re locked up on the 10th floor in a derelict tower block in a completely deserted area. They have no clue if they’re even still in England. Who does this? What does he want? Why does he do this? Their kidnapper communicates through a phone with them, but they can’t communicate with anyone else. The signal is blocked. It’s quickly clear that they better obey their captor and that this is going to be a long term situation.

Lily (and at the beginning myself as well) suspects her ex-husband, but there are just as many clues that point in other directions. Every time I thought about a new suspect, something happened that ruled them out as well.
- It’s someone that knows her well, but she doesn’t recognise the voice
- This thing started many years ago as the pictures date back to Maisie's first birthday
- They don’t seem to want to hurt her, it’s punishment
- The captor must have a lot of free time
At first, I couldn’t relate well to Lilly. She appears to be a helicopter mother, overprotective and rather unfair towards her ex and very quick to call police and courts. She acts as a stuck-up, entitled brat that doesn’t take any responsibility for her part in the divorce. It’s all Ewan’s fault. Despite her helicoptering, she’s a good mother though and seems to put her daughter’s well-being and safety first during the ordeal. I’m sorry for her but I can’t say that I like her much.
Maisie on the other hand acts and talks far too grown up for her age. If they didn’t say she’s 5, I would have thought she’s about 10. She adapts too well to the imprisonment. She doesn’t even mention that there’s no TV and internet or that she misses her favourite cartoons. She’s far too well behaved to be realistic.
The book moves very slowly. The only time the pace picks up is during their escape attempt. That part is really well written and suspenseful.
Three stars may be a little low. It was ok but not great and I’ve read far worse as well.

SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT:
I didn’t like the ending either. It was farfetched and not connected to the rest of the book. I don’t see how a man that can’t even whisper a decent farewell can have confessed the story 3 days earlier (he would have warned her about the threat than). The captor may believe it has happened but I doubt it and would advise a DNA test as well.

I thank Netgalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for the free ARC they provided; this is my honest, unbiased review of it.

[Emilė · Rating 1 out of 5]

Firstly, to sum up my reading experience I'd like to quote Michelle's review: "I really need to be more selective when requesting these thrillers." Concise and to the point, also made me laugh out out for how much I could relate to this simple sentence.

Anyway, this book had a great premise and for the most part an okay execution. So then why only 1 star?
I was overall hooked to the story, excited to see where it would go and then the ending came, which was an absolute train-wreck. In books the ending takes a very important role in showing how the plot is structured and thought out. And I think in thrillers, where the tension keeps rising up until the final pages, the ending is especially important because it shows if the author actually knows what they're doing. When it comes to this book, when the big reveal came at the end, it just made it seem like the whole plot was structured incredibly poorly with little thought put into it. So to say the ending was underwhelming would be a huge understatement.
I will go into the specifics of why I didn't like the ending in this spoiler section. The big questions that kept the reader interested in the story was who kidnapped the main character and her daughter and, of course, why. And the reveal was indeed shocking - for all the wrong reasons. It came out of nowhere and related to none of the characters the reader has met, that's why it was dissatisfying. Basically they were kidnapped by a woman (never seen on page before) who was apparently locked up and tortured by the MC's father, who was briefly mentioned on page once before, but the reader had no information on him. This kind of ending could invoke non other feeling than disappointment. On top of that, after everything was resolved, the MC got back together with her alcoholic ex who was emotionally and physically abusive to her and her daughter. It was clearly showed that he had not changed anything about his behaviour and yet the whole thing was just brushed under the rug, which is not a message I want to support.

There were more issues with the book, but they're all spoilers, so I just chose to address a couple bigger things in my review. I don't recommend this book to anyone and I don't see myself reading anything else by this author.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of While You Slept.

The premise sounded exciting so I went into this with an open mind.

** Minor spoilers ahead **

One day, Lily sees a man wearing a photograph of her daughter's face on his head, like a mask. How disturbing! She calls the cops but the intruder disappears.

The next day, Lily and Maisie wake up in their home. But's its not their home. It looks like their home. But it's not.

It's got the favorite foods in the fridge. Books on the shelf, photo albums where they're supposed to be. But it's not home.

Where are they? How did they get here? Who is to blame?

This was a scary premise with creepy elements and my adrenaline was high as I was reading but there were too many moments of disbelief suspension I was forced to take.

Before long, I had to suspend disbelief entirely when I reached the end and by that time, all my resources were exhausted.

Here's my problems with the story:

First, Maisie doesn't act like a five year old child, much less a distraught five year old dealing with her parents' separation. She sounds and acts more like a tween.

Second, reading this felt like watching a movie but starting from the middle. The actions starts abruptly.

There's no exposition. We don't know anything about Lily or her family; all we know is that she separated from her ex after a physical assault that left their daughter emotionally damaged.

Third, the identity of the villain makes no sense whatsoever. It all comes out of left field.

There's no background on Lily's family, what her father may or may not be capable of, if there was any suspicious activity about her father's professional life.

As a reader, I'm supposed to believe these wild events are happening, but if the author doesn't provide a solid foundation for those events to stand on, I can't be invested in the story.

This wasn't for me but While You Slept would appeal to readers who can suspend disbelief easily and often. Really often.

[Mellisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was none stop right from the start!

At work Lily sees an Intruder in her garden wearing a mask with her five year old daughter's face on. That next day both Lily and her daughter wake up in a replica of their home with no way to escape.

I love how much action and twists went on in this book! I didn't want to put it down and yet I also didn't want it to end! The ending had an even bigger twist in the final paragraph. Seriously, this is a book that needs to be read!

[LianaReads blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
The description of this story had me wanting to read it asap but unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
The first half of the book is a fast-paced read with a lot of scary and edge of your seat moments, a lot of questions like Who and Why and How? And Is this for real? I don’t think I’ll be having the same behaviour as the heroine especially having my daughter with me and not knowing what is actually happening and what to answer to her questions. In my opinion, the daughter felt a bit older or more mature in her interaction with her mother. The second half of the book felt dragging a lot and quite repetitive in many moments but the end was a surprise as it has an unexpected twist.
Overall it’s a good book, my first by the author and I’ll definitely try other stories by her.

[ToriJaneReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so much potential. It seemed really great until just before halfway. However, the mistakes with names at some points, the rushed ending, (that also made no sense and was so out of left field, it made me dizzy), just completely ruined this book for me. Also, for 5-year-old Maisie, she is written (and her mother treats her), as if she is much older. Why not just write her as an older child? What a shame! The less said about the final line too, the better.

[cat ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm convinced R.J. Parker has never met a child in his entire life

[Jean Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a book so quickly , just couldn't put it down !

[Sacha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. I’ll post that review upon publication. As a vague teaser, I will say that this review...will not be positive.

Updated 7/24/20

2 stars

For me, a good thriller has a character I can get behind, an interesting twist or two, and pacing that makes me feel like (1) I can't stop and (2) I don't want to stop. Unfortunately, this novel does not produce in any of these areas.

The novel begins with a promising premise, but there are so many ways in which the narrative falls apart after that. At the start, the m.c., Lily, sees footage of an intruder in her yard. That's creepy enough, but what sends it to the next level - and provides all the potential - is that he is wearing a mask of...HER DAUGHTER'S FACE! This is scary and creative. After that, I did not find myself scared at all. I kept going hoping that there would be some level of suspense or intrigue, but honestly, it was so hard to root for the characters. Lily is flat, and her daughter, understandably, is scared and whines a good amount. I didn't wish bad things for them, but I also didn't care enough about their success. Throughout most of the novel, I found myself somewhat bored. By the end, the resolution is so random and over-the-top, that I found myself audibly laughing at the revelations. Oh, and the very end? No. I expect readers are intended to find this creepy. I found it, again, laughable and inexplicable, and it made me turn the corner on Lily from apathy to dislike. If she has these questions, why has she made these choices?

That mask deserved a better outcome, and so do readers. I don't often find myself feeling this down about a novel, but this was a rough one.

[Zoe Weatherholtz · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all thank you to NetGalley!!!

This book took me about three hours to read, very easy and fast. Now the synopsis...

Lily is at work when she receives a notification on her cell phone from her home security app. There is a man in her backyard wearing a mask, a mask of her five year old daughter. Police are called and Maisie, the daughter, is picked up from school early to keep her safe and close. The police deemed is was someone that Lily knew and they were playing an evil trick. Next day, Lily awakes and goes about her normal day, until she realized it wasn’t. Her home seemed normal to her, but little clues threw her off, especially the window in the kitchen. The window is supposed to look out into her garden, but now it looks out to rubble. Lily and Maisie are kidnapped and are thrown into a personal jail which is the exact replica of their home for...comfort? The photo albums in their prison has photographs in them, but Lily didn’t take them, but they are replicas of the photos Lily has at home. How long has this person been watching them? How were they always so close? Who took them? Who wanted them to feel like they’re at home while prisoners?


So, I LOVED the concept. Super freaky right?? Can you imagine going about your day believing your home until you realize you’re not and you’re being held captive??
The reason I’m giving this book 3/5 is because it was so short and rushed to me. I feel like there could have been a little more in the history of the secondary characters (read and you’ll understand why I say this). The ending was completely out there! You never really know who is always watching you.

[Andrea Pole · Rating 4 out of 5]

While You Slept by R.J. Parker is everything you crave in a top notch thriller; addictive, edge of your seat tension that does not let up, even for a moment, and a conclusion that you will never see coming. You will want to devour this one in a single session.

Lily Russell is at work when she checks the security app on her phone. Staring back at her is someone who is wearing a mask in the likeness of her five year old daughter, Maisie. So begins a chilling nightmare that is endless in its intensity. I could not turn the pages quickly enough. If I have one small quibble, it is that five year old Maisie's words and actions seem to be more characteristic of a fifteen year old than to a young child but, nonetheless, this observation in no way detracts from a spine-tingling read that will grab you from the very first page.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for this ARC.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosh! But this has an amazing beginning! A woman and her young child wake up to find themselves in a replica home. Everything internally is the same, but, they are prisoners and they don't know why.
It's a well written, gripping, terrifying beginning. From there, I found it a 'good read' but there were some things that let it down. Firstly, the storyline became as claustrophobic as the experience as, for chapter and chapter, you only have the voices of Lily and Maisie (the mother and daughter) briefly interspersed with input from the kidnappers. Secondly, there is little or no backstory, so, you are left with no reasoning until the last pages and then it's unsatisfying. It's definitely set up well for a sequel and there are parts to the ending I enjoyed.

Overall, it's a well written decent read and I'd recommend.

Solid 3*

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

[Janice Lombardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily and her daughter, Maisie, have had quite a scare. A hooded stranger had been videotaped in Lily's inaccessible back garden while Lily was at work.

Lily rushes home from work and replays the tape - the stranger is wearing a mask of Maisie's photo!

The police do not think Lily has to worry as they check her home and talk with the upstairs neighbor.

Divorced from Ewan, she hopes this is not HIS prank. She calls him and she doubts it is him.

A number of people are introduced (aside from Ewan) who could have had a possible reason for this "prank". Eventually, Lily and Maisie are drawn into a much more drastic situation...

One of this year's best!

HIGHLY recommend!!!

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for a suspense-filled read!

[Johnna Whetstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely a very dark, chilling read, which many know I absolutely love! I found it to start with a bang and end with one too! It was well written and provided the much needed thrills, chills, and shocks! Definitely recommend to those looking for just that perfect dark thriller to chill them to the bone!

[Andi]

This book was wild, and not a good way.

It just jumped right into the story without really building anything up. Unfortunately the pacing and the writing style was very beginner. It honestly distracted me from enjoying the story.

[Anna L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the beginning, hated the end