4.5 Stars

For most of her life, Ellie Power has lived with secrets and a certain condition. Now that she is enjoying a bit of independence, Ellie wants to experience more, but her past is a constant reminder of the harm she can cause. After her boyfriend goes missing, Ellie remains close to those she can trust.

“There are experiences that have shaped her: moments that she’s hanging on to because of how crucial they are to her identity.”

Told in dual POV, the narrative shifts between Ellie and Detective Sargeant Ben Mae. Familiar with her past, Mae is sensitive to Ellie’s plight, but he must also investigate all leads to get answers. Of course, everyone seems to have something to hide, which makes getting to the truth a bit complicated and serves to create building tension.

“He’s called it the push factor, I remembered then. Sometimes people leave where they are, to get away from something dangerous.”

Despite her vulnerabilities and fears, Ellie proves to be a worthy and strong character. I liked how Ellie continually moves forward no matter how painful it may be. Though Ellie experienced life-changing trauma, Mae brings his own challenges but also his stamp of humanity. Overall, I enjoyed the range that each character brings to the storyline.

Lock Me In is a psychological thriller that feels like a police investigative. It will appeal to those who enjoy analyzing clues and identifying suspects in order to get to a painful truth.

Creepy and fast-paced, this is a solid purchase for adult fiction collections, particularly in communities where thrillers are popular.

This was a great read! The writing is fantastic! The story will keep you on your toes til the very end. I couldn't believe some of the twists! It is written in dual points of views which isn't my favorite, but I thought went well in the story. I would definitely recommend this book!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

Ellie Power had been living in fear as far as she could remember. When it’s dark, she had to stay vigilant or risk losing control. This living nightmare forced her and her mother to move around for safety reason. Now with her boyfriend Matthew, she hoped to settle and start living a normal life. But being comfortable came with a risk that she was not willing to pay.

I love books with psychological issues so naturally I was drawn to this one, especially with the intriguing blurb and cover. This book also covered a condition I’ve always been fascinated with so I definitely loved that aspect of the story.

I also liked discovering the characters’ drives and motivations. However, I wished I felt them on a deeper level. There were bits and pieces of it scattered but could have intensified the story with more of it. Even though I partially figured out the direction of the story, I still enjoyed the story overall and how the plot unfolded.

Lock Me In is a story of facing fears and taking back control. It would appeal to fans of psychological thriller.

This is a great read! It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. The writing is fantastic and full of twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the end. I loved how the author used multiple POVs to tell parallel stories.

Wow - what a debut!! I was not ready for the roller coaster of emotions that this book put me through! Ellie has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) which is a mental illness characterized by at least two distinct and enduring personality states. Ellie's alter "Siggy" takes over at night and you would not want to meet her down a dark alley. So violent, aggressive and apparently murderous that Ellie's mother has to lock her in her bedroom every night. All attempts by psychologists to help Ellie with the disorder have failed and she is left at the mercy of her alter who grows more disturbed by the day. I really sympathized with Ellie; she has no recollection of these fugue states but feels Siggy's presence and fear at all times. A little glowing ball of rage that is determined to find out why she exists. Siggy is right to be suspicious as not everything is as it seems and a lot of people have secrets that they don't want her to expose....

I absolutely loved this book and predict great things for the author. More please!

Lock Me In by author Kate Simants is a great mystery of a novel. It deals with mental illness in the main character which is a huge plus when reading a thriller!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Wow. I was enthralled the first 80% percent of this book but that ending was like a lead ballon. Tragic

It was a beautifully written thriller. Excellent character depiction, plus an exciting storyline make for a roaring success. Highly recommended.

I seriously struggled to grasp this book.

The blurb, the cover, the fact it covered DID (dissociative identity disorder) had me seriously wanting to read it BUT it just didnt grab me by both hands and keep me in its claws..

Unfortunately I just couldn't keep going with it and gave up at 40%.

Sadly some books just dont hold your attention and this one wasn't for me.

I know I'll be in the minority for my rating but honesty is promised!

As soon as I saw the blurb for Lock Me In, I knew I needed to read it!

Ellie Power is a normal girl, with a normal life and boyfriend. Except each night her mother locks her in her bedroom, to keep everyone safe from Ellie's Disassociate Identity Disorder. Put simply, at night she becomes a completely different person, and Siggy, her 'alter' is angry.....

One morning, Ellie awakes and finds the lock on her bedroom door broken. She's covered in cuts and bruises, and her boyfriend Matt is missing. What happened that night? Can Ellie ever lead a normal life?

A solid 4* rating for this book. I loved the pacing of the book, swapping chapters between Ellie and the Detective investigating Matt's disappearance kept me hooked and the reveals when they came all made me gasp out loud! Its safe to say this book didn't end up where I expected it to!

Lock Me In is a classic mystery/thriller that kept me glued to the book. Beginning to end, the twists and turns were epic. Ellie has a sleeping disorder - in fact, she becomes a totally different person when she is asleep. For her safety, and her mother's, her mother locks her in her room every night. From the outside. But sometimes Ellie gets out and when she does bad things seem to happen.

Ellie's boyfriend is missing and it seems so much like the time years ago when her best friend went missing. Her mother tries to protect her from the police and what she may have done but Ellie is ready to face her disorder. She wants to find her boyfriend and have a normal life. But how can she when she hurts the people she loves in her sleep and has no memory? Did she hurt her friend years ago and did her boyfriend suffer the same fate?

Lots of questions to be answered in this tale. Such a good book! You won't want to put it down.

lock me in is a psychological suspense filled novel, with a surprising twist! A young lady locked away in her room every night by her mother to keep her safe, but safe from what...all is not as it seems. Thrilling read!

The narrative finally gained my attention about 1/3 of the way into the story, pulling me away from a DNF and back into Ellie's ordeal. At first it was difficult to put the book down, but as I continued to read my anticipation eventually turned to frustration. I suspected that I would soon be disappointed—and I was disappointed. The denouement was predictable and the ending dragged out. It appeared that the 'finis' did not know where to land. The entire story line regarding DS Mae and his personal issues was unnecessary and hindered the story's readability. Whether it was the length of the story or the multiple story arcs, it was difficult for me to be enthused about this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads, and Kate Simants for an ARC of 'Lock Me In' in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

I am not one that normally pays attention to covers, but the cover for Lock Me In sucked me in. Then the blurb? I was all over this book! I am amazed that this a debut novel. Kate Simants did a fantastic job with this book and I really enjoyed it.

Gosh, but, this is an excellent debut novel that gripped me throughout. It's one of those that had me thinking "do I stay up to finish it"? Or, "shall I limit myself as I really don't want it to end"? .... The first option won!

It's really well written. I loved the writing style and the storyline was excellent. I don't want to say too much about the story, other than it's about a mother and daughter who live together and due to the daughter suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, the mother needs to lock her in her room. Then the daughter's boyfriend disappears and she wakes up covered in bruises. What follows is a missing persons case and so, so much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between the two main police officers investigating the case and the storyline weaves humour to this dark tale.

I've become so tired of police procedurals and this is so much more than that and of significantly greater quality than I've read in a long time.

It's just sooooo good and absolutely delivers from beginning to end.

A solid 5 * from me and many congratulations to the author on this amazing debut novel.

Also, many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to preview.

A new author and what a fantastic read for her debut.
Ellie suffers from Disassociate Identity Disorder or DID. By day Ellie lives a nearly normal life. At night when Ellie is sleeping her body is taken over by Siggy. When Siggy takes over she can become violent and very unpredictable. At first when I was reading I was intrigued but the more I read the more gripped I became. This book is in no way heavy and snowed under with medical jargon. This read is a first rate psychological thriller. There is an underlying story but I will say no more. You have to read this book. An original storyline which was like a breath of fresh air. I have found another new author to add to my MUST READ list and I hope to read more about Mae and Kit in the future. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended .
I would like to thank the author, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review

Ellie suffers from disassociate identity disorder and while she is asleep a person called Siggy takes over her body. Siggy can be violent and unpredictable so Ellie's mum locks her in her room at night.
One morning when Ellie wakes up her body is covered in bruises, her hand is cut and her clothes are caked in mud, she has no memory of what happened during the night.
Later that day Ellie finds that her boyfriend is missing.
This is a pyschological thriller with a difference.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

With Lock me In, Kate Simants gave us a very good debut novel. From the beginning it is clear that there is more behind this story and the author gives us little clues to keep the reader interested. It is a well-written story too, although I have one comment - something I see more often with authors who want to put some Dutch words or sentences in their book. 'Twe Gebroders' is spelled all wrong. It should read 'Twee gebroeders' and the meaning is 'two brothers'. How difficult can it be to try and find the correct spelling?
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and I would love to read more books with Mae and Kit in a leading role because they make for an interesting couple.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

Lock Me In is an interesting debut thriller from Kate Simants that focuses on DID, the relationship between a mother and daughter, and of course murder and mystery.

The first half of the book did not draw me in- I struggled with the story (and especially the focus on DC Mae's personal life, though after finishing the book, I feel like a series might be in the works!), and the repetitiveness of Ellie's story.

I'm glad I continued with the book, because the second half really picked up for me and added in some twists I was not expecting. I particularly liked the development of the story of Dr. Cox and Ellie's growth and agency.

A solid debut and I look forward to reading more from Kate Simants.

Thank you to #netgalley and Harper Collins/One More Chapter for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.