Rachel suspects her husband is having an affair after finding messages on a Twitter account which has been left open on her laptop.  She goes to the hotel she believes he is meeting someone, only to see her husband's car hitting a pedestrian and driving away from the scene of the crime.

Meanwhile, Rachel's friend and business partner Suzie, is having an embarrassing time at the bank after finding that her bank cards don't work.  Her account has been suspended because of her massive unauthorised overdraft with the threat of her flat being called in as security.  Suzie, of course, knows nothing of the debt.

Two very gripping and interesting storylines from the very start and the tension just keeps building.

The police question Rachel and her husband about the hit and run, and Suzie is trying to piece together what the missing money has to do with her missing boyfriend.  This very quickly becomes one of the most gripping and suspenseful books I've read.  There is an intense feeling of the runaway train having left the track and is heading towards disaster with nothing anyone can do to stop it.  

Very well written, fabulous characters and nails bitten to the quick!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of If He Wakes by Zoe Lea in exchange for an honest review. The story is told from dual viewpoints of Rachel and Suzie who are best friends. When Rachel find a provocative twitter message on her laptop, she assumes her husband is having an affair and is arranging a liaison. She follows him and instead of finding another woman, she witnesses a hit and run. Meanwhile, Suzie learns some disturbing news about her finances and can't find her fiance anywhere. In the course of looking for him, she learns he has secrets of his own and that there are other people looking for him as well. In fact, both women learn the men in their lives have secrets. The reader has to resolve so many questions: who was the driver of the car and who was the victim, who sent the twitter message and was their an affair, where is Suzie's fiance and what's happening with her money. Just when  the reader thinks these questions are resolved, there is a nice twist. This story was an excellent read. Characters were real and I am not sure I would want to be either one of these women! The book cover says it best: you can always trust your best friend--can't you?

A very good debut novel and narrated by both Rachel and Suzie and full of twists making it a book that was difficult to put down. I found myself changing my mind as to what was happening and what was going to happen which always makes for a great read. The characters were very real and the writing was excellent, a fast addictive read and well worth 4 stars and would recommend. My thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the chance to read the ARC.

First and foremost this book deserves more than the five stars that I’ve given it because it was absolutely fantastic and I haven’t been able to put it down since I started reading it.
What can I say except what exceptional twists and turns hidden in every chapter so cleverly written in both suzie and Rachel’s POV.
Both dealing with the worst heartbreaking circumstances that anyone one should ever have to deal with but Rachel is the one I feel most sorry for.
No spoilers in this review because in all honesty this book takes a different path as to what you expect from it.
Brilliant and I look forward to more titles by this very talented author.

I discovered after reading this that it’s the author’s debut novel. Quite an entrance, Ms Lea!

Despite a teensy bit slow and repetitive start (compelling for all that), it eventually picks up pace and turns into a very confident, virtually unputdownable novel.

Rachel’s heart sinks when she unwittingly falls on a Twitter message on her laptop, arranging a romantic rendez-vous. Assuming it can only be her husband, she follows him to confirm her worst fears. What she sees, though, is much worse: his car involved in a hit and run. Did she really just witness her husband deliberately run someone over?

Her best friend and business partner, Suzie, has her own worries: her fiancé…whom Rachel never seems to be able to meet…appears to have gone awol, won’t answer her calls, and her credit card is being refused everywhere. And why is that very unpleasant man threatening her?

There are enough clues fairly early on to put two and two together. But your journey to four is truly gripping.

A very accomplished debut by Lea, and I hope to read more by her. I would recommend she gets herself a new editor, though. Missing ‘was sat’ and ‘was stood’ is very naughty...

Fan Flipping tastic thriller!  I was completely hooked from page 1 and could not put this book down!

If He Wakes is told from two POV, bestfriends, Rachel and Suzie. I found the first half of this book quite slow and repetitive however once it hit the half way mark the pace picked up and I flew through it. Some great twists and turns and overall an enjoyable read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I liked the tension in this book at the beginning but about 2/3rds of the way through I felt the two women were becoming unbelievable in their decision making and I started to become irritated.  The overall storyline was good but the execution was a little heavy handed.

If He Wakes by Zoe Lea is a good thriller, and a nice, rather quick read. I received a ARC for an honest review. All of these thoughts are my own. And, I would say that this novel is definitely good, but it didn’t blow me away. I stayed interested and was captured by the story, dying to see what happened next, but there were some issues I had with it.

First of all, it’s super sensitive subject matter. If you are bothered by sensitive subject matter, please do not read this book. It disturbed me quite a bit!

Both main characters infuriated me with their actions. Both of them are good friends to each other, but have some deep rooted issues. Both of their actions throughout the book didn’t make much sense to me and seemed stupid. I could feel Lea trying to explain through inspecting the character’s past, but I would have liked to hear a bit more justification on some of their actions.

I did figure out the twist of this novel, but not fully. When it occurred, I was absolutely astonished, I mean my mouth dropped open. What. A. Sick. Bastard. I won’t say any more, but I really hate the antagonist in this novel, with a deep passion, even more than I disliked the two main characters.

One factor that was interesting in this book is the whole premise of distrust. Even if you have known someone for so long, and think you know them very well, you honestly don’t know everything about someone, and they may always have secrets. It makes you examine the relationships around you quite closely.

However, my other qualm with this novel is the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I wanted it to be. I know not all endings can please me, and this is likely how it would turn out in the real world, I wanted more satisfying revenge…but, alas, there was none. Anyway, If He Wakes was a pretty good read; keeps you entertained (in a horrified and disgusted way) for sure.

First off - wow!!! For a debut novel Zoe Lea has most definitely pulled it of the bag!!! Never in a million years did I imagine where the book was going until just about the time the twist was unveiled. I can’t say much more than that for fear of inadvertently revealing any spoilers. 

Rachel and Suzie are friends and business partners. Rachel suspects her husband is having an affair and Suzie is having financial issues and can’t contact her fiancé to talk it over. The story unfolds over the course of a few days after Rachel witnessed a hit and run with alternate chapters focussing on Rachel and Suzie. 

I was gripped from the start but it’s not until you are about half way through that the pace really picks up. I could feel my heart beat faster as I was flying through the pages. Phew! There is so much more I could say but I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance read copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This started a little slowly for me and I didn’t engage immediately with the principal characters. However, once the story properly got going I was hooked and didn’t see the plot developments coming which was satisfying. The underlying story gives rise to a ‘what would you do?’ debate and I would therefore recommend this book to book clubs. I have to admit that I didn’t particularly like the epilogue as it was a little too cleanly finished for my taste. Over all though this is a really great read.

Reading a twitter message,becoming suspicious and witnessing a crime are taken to whole new level in this page turner.
Put this book down at your peril.
Be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions and intrigue as you take a guided tour through five days of Susie and Rachel’s lives.
Family dynamics,manipulation,shock and outrage are just a few elements explored.characters that you can relate to a
So.
This book is a real must.

Although I found it slow to begin with as it was setting the scene it had me well and truly hooked.  It was one tremendous read written from the viewpoints of Rachel and Suzie.  The twists and turns throughout was a rollercoaster of emotions it was brilliant.  I was totally immersed in this book.

"If He Wakes" opens with a bang, as Rachel witnesses a hit and run where her husband was the driver and keeps up the pace as we follow Rachel and her friend Susie gradually uncover the truth about the men in her life. 

Dark, twisted and unexpected, this is a fast-paced read that will keep you hooked until the final secret is revealed.

This really could happen to anybody , a husband receives a message the wife suspects an affair then there life is up and down and totally turned around 
Excellent book will recommend to readers

A Social Media Thriller:
A thriller which has a twist. Phil is suspected of having an affair and Rachel, his wife, follows him to the Rendezvous she believes her husband has set up on a Retail Park.
As she turns into the Retail Park Rachel is a few cars back from her husband and witnesses Phil's car involved in a hit-and-run. Surely that couldn't have been her husband?
Meanwhile Rachel and Sylvia, her best friend, have just newly secured the business contract of a lifetime which they hope will not only cement their friendship but prove financially lucrative. But all that goes on the back burner as Rachel breaks her foot after accidentally ramming the car in front due to the shock of witnessing what she believed to be her husband in a hit-and-run.
But who is the mistress? Indeed is there a mistress. Will anyone ever get to meet Adam (Sylvia's reclusive boyfriend)? Rachel and Sylvia are in for a surprise which may mean fame but not in the way they imagined and put their friendship in a place they could have never predicted. Ownership of secrets is not limited to adults as we are to find out.
The novel covers the threat posed by social media to children and adults alike. A truly scary threat. 
A good read.

A book full of twists and turns about friends whose lives seem to be turning upside down! A decent read

Having stacked up quite a list of titles that I need to read and review, by the time I get to one I’ve usually forgotten what the synopsis was! That’s exactly what happened with this book so I when I started it I had no idea what it was about. It did not take me long to get sucked into the lives of Rachel and Suzie, especially when I didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. I try not spend too much time on figuring things out and just enjoy going along for the ride, so things that may seem obvious to some came as delicious little shocks to me. An excellent debut and highly recommended.

First off yay to the fact that the blurb actually tells you what happens! We open with Rachel who has just seen her husband knocking someone down with his car AND DRIVING OFF! Actually probably more to the forefront is-what a premise! It’s one thing if you find out your husband has done something illegal on purpose, murder, an attack … but here is something that is an accident but it’s his reaction, his reflex to the accident which is key. How can the person you adore be a person who’s gut instinct isn’t to get out, help and admit culpability?

What follows,the realisation that he had reported his car missing and so it may not have actually be him threw you, as it did or protagonist, who finds everything unravelling as we wonder whether it was her husband and what he’s going to do to keep her quiet (where my mind went). This goes on as she tries to continue her business and cope with the everyday, including two children, (one of whom, I found unlikable even to the end of the book)  At the same time her partner Suzie finds out her own life is falling apart. Suzie’s story was equally gripping and I enjoyed both tales.

I won’t tell you too much because this book needs to be read as is, with no hints as to the suffocating truth, which is tough and one I couldn’t have predicted. I do feel obliged to tell you is that I read this at a time I was down, disillusioned and by no means in the mood to read or blog so the fact that this not only kept my attention but also made me want to read on and see what happened and then share is some testament. Very much recommended. Thanks so much to Canelo and Netgalley for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating : 4.5/5

I really enjoyed this book.  The twists were believable within the context of the story and I liked both the lead characters and the book was well written. I will look to read more by this author in the future.