Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of this. This book has been all over bookstagram over the last few weeks! I was so intrigued by this after reading the blurb. I love books based on true crime. It also gave me Silent Patient vibes which is one of my favourite books ever!  
  
I found it gripping in places, but in some parts I felt that the book just dragged out for no reason and I couldn’t work out where the book was heading.   
  
Anna hasn’t opened her eyes for 4 years now, after going into a deep sleep the same night that her two best friends were murdered and she was found next to the bodies. This is where Doctor Prince comes in, studying what has really happened to Anna and how he can wake her from this deep deep sleep.   
  
It’s a very dark book but so so intriguing with a unique concept. I enjoyed the chapters from different character perspectives that went back in time, they really helped with the narrative. I just found some of it too intense and confusing which is why I’m only giving this only 3 stars. It felt like one of those books that is probably a few pages too long and a bit repetitive. Probably a bit too much hype for me on this one!

I’ve always been blessed by the ability to sleep well, no matter what is happening in my life, I can close my eyes and be fast asleep in an instant – that being said, I hope I don’t get nightmares from this book!

After Anna messages her parents to say she has killed her two best friends, she falls into a sleep that has lasted 4 years. She has now transferred to a specialist sleep clinic under the watchful eye of Benedict Prince - he must try to get her to wake up so she can be put under trial, but was she sleepwalking when she killed her friends? Or is there more to this case than meets the eye?

I did find Anna O to be an easy and twisty read. I really enjoyed the first half and was drawn into the mystery, however I found the ending to be quite far-fetched and the twists seemed to be being revealed for shock factor alone rather than being realistic to the story. The story itself is told from two points of view – Ben Prince, the sleep specialist and diary entries from Anna’s life before she fell asleep. I never felt really very empathetic towards Ben, who makes some odd decisions at times, but I did really empathise with Anna.

I felt that although the pace is good at the beginning - the ‘main event’ we were building up to happens before the first 50% and the last half really dragged. The scenes in a different country (trying to remain spoiler free!) later on felt extremely repetitive and I was getting annoyed by it and wanting it to finish. If you aren’t a Harry Potter fan, this one might not be for you either as there is a lot of references, some of which are squeezed into places that seem utterly bizarre for them to be in.

Overall, Anna O had a lot of potential but I found the plot to be quite far-fetched and it was disappointing, as I had thought it would be one of my top reads for 2024. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK – Harper Fiction for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes when a novel gets a lot of hype I don't want to read it straightaway. I've never been one for following trends... However, I think this is justifiable of the hype (so please just read it!) and I have been a little behind on reviews for personal reasons, so hopefully this review won't get lost amongst all the others. Because I really want you to understand how good this book is....!

It is SO clever.

I've seen a couple of reviews comparing it to Alex Michaelides Silent Patient, and whilst I can (sort of) see why you would compare the two. I personally don't think it's necessary. For me, they are two totally different books, and I actually think I preferred this one.

Anno Ogilvy hasn't opened her eyes for four years. Not since that night at The Farm when she was found with a knife in her hand, her two best friends lying close.

Blood everywhere...

It was the crime of the century.

But Anna slept through it all, and hasn't woken since.

Believers in her story call her 'Anna O', those more cynical call her 'Sleeping Beauty'. And everyone wants to know how the story ends.

The Ministry of Justice are keen to get her on trial. Which they obviously can't do whilst she's asleep, so they take the step to move her to an infamous sleep clinic 'the Abbey'. Used by the rich and famous and known for it's discretion.

One of the Abbey's best 'Sleep Doctors', Dr Benedict (Ben) Prince is called in late one night under mysterious circumstances to find his boss and mentor, Dr Bloom, and a representative from the Ministry of Justice asking him to sign the official secrets act before they will disclose why they are there at the ungodly hour.

Ben is reluctant at first, he has his own thoughts and theories about the 'Anna O' case, and he isn't sure he wants the responsibility of trying to wake her. But he can't resist the chance to prove one of his own research theories right.

But at what cost?

I had hear a lot about this book & it mainly lived up to the hype. I didn't guess the final scenario until almost before the reveal but sometimes it too a long time to get to the point.
I like a book where I have to fit the parts of the puzzle together but some of the characters could have been given a bit more depth.
On the whole a good read which made you want to find out the ending.

I read amazing reviews about this book so had very high hopes. It was good, very similar to The Silent Patient. Very twisty but saw a few of them coming. Would recommend, a good read nonetheless.

Unfortunately, I tried a few times to get into this but every time I DNFd around the 15% mark. I found it very slow paced for a thriller.

Because I haven’t finished the book, I haven’t left a review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Thank you for the opportunity to give it a try.

The Synopsis of this book gripped me and I couldn't wait to read it.

Anna O has been in a 'deep sleep' for 4 years after apparently commiting murder.

Dr Prince a sleep disorder specialist and forensic psycologist is called in.

I enjoyed it

Anno O has been 'asleep' for 4 years after a traumatic event where two of her friends were murdered. She had been a sleep walker from an early age, and woke to find herself holding a knife, and staring at a pair of bodies. Did Anna commit a murder whilst asleep?
Ben, a forensic psychologist is called in to try to 'cure' her of this long sleep, so that she can then stand trial for the murders, and she is transfered to his Sleep Clinic for treatment and monitoring. Can he bring her out of this deep sleep, and get to the bottom of the murder?
I really enjoyed this book, and I must admit to being surprised by the ending.

‘Innocent until proven guilty. The court of public opinion doesn’t count.’

This debut book Anna O. by Matthew Blake had us reading long into the night. We were gripped! The writing is engaging, provoking, and thrilling. The characters have depth and intrigue, and the crux of the story is utterly compelling. Can we be held responsible for the actions we take whilst asleep? So many secrets, so much suspense and Dr Benedict Prince the sleep disorder specialist and forensic psychologist is in the middle of it all. Murder, mayhem, complex friendships and messed up families. This story has it all.

We did think it dragged in parts with some repetitiveness, however we couldn’t put it down despite this. The psychology of it was riveting and the thrilling mystery had us guessing and discussing everything along the way. Especially as it all happened in our backyard! We won’t go into specific details as the story with its twists and red herrings aplenty needs to be experienced rather than spoiled.

We’re definitely fans of this debut Author and look forward to his next thrilling ride.

‘If only I can stay awake. Sleep is danger. Sleep is death. Whatever happens, I must not close my eyes.’

This debut book Anna O. by Matthew Blake had us reading long into the night. We were gripped! The writing is engaging, provoking, and thrilling. The characters have depth and intrigue, and the crux of the story is utterly compelling. Can we be held responsible for the actions we take whilst asleep? So many secrets, so much suspense and Dr Benedict Prince the sleep disorder specialist and forensic psychologist is in the middle of it all. Murder, mayhem, complex friendships and messed up families. This story has it all.

We did think it dragged in parts with some repetitiveness, however we couldn’t put it down despite this. The psychology of it was riveting and the thrilling mystery had us guessing and discussing everything along the way. Especially as it all happened in our backyard! We won’t go into specific details as the story with its twists and red herrings aplenty needs to be experienced rather than spoiled.

We’re definitely fans of this debut Author and look forward to his next thrilling ride.

I was totally intrigued by the blurb of this book. I did find it a little hard going but it kept me gripped to the very end

I loved the premise of this book but if I'm honest I found it really hard going. It felt like it could have been told in a lot less pages and was too drawn out. Too much detail on some things that weren’t needed.
I admit I found myself skim reading a lot of it as I was just bored.
I'm fully prepared to admit that it was perhaps my issue and I wasn't able to connect with the authors writing style but I just wasn't drawn into it. I wasn't captivated and I kept putting it down and it took me a long time to read it.

A forensic psychologist explores and attempts to remedy “Anna O” of a condition where the patient is in a deep sleep for 4 years after allegedly commuting two acts of murder - I mean what a premise! This book keeps you guessing to the very last page and really reminded me a lot of “The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides both in tone and setting. I felt the story seemed quite long in a way but it allowed the characters to become fully fleshed out and there are some great quotes dispersed through the book - my kindle copy has a lot of highlights which isn’t often something I usually do when reading. I think the author is clearly very talented and had thought this plot through extremely well, it was refreshing to have a full circle novel without plot holes or to be left questioning anyone or anything.

If you, like me, have a weird obsession with sleep and dreams, then read this. If you, like me, enjoyed “The Silent Patient,” then read this. If you generally fancy a mystery/thriller that will keep you guessing at theories, then definitely read this! A four star from me and I’m looking forward to what this author brings out next.

Many thanks to Harper Collins, Netgalley and Matthew Blake for the ARC in extra for an honest review.

it was OK felt it was a little slow and dragged on a bit. Tbh I was expecting a bit more, I felt alot of this didn't really make much sense if I'm honesty I really love thrillers but this really wasn't for me.

A very mysterious and at times intense novel that was enjoyable at times but didn't grab me as much as I wish it would have

I found this book extremely disappointing. Seeing as Dr. Prince, the main character, is a psychologist, it was all very surface level, and even more annoying as a psychologist myself. I rolled my eyes every time he said ‘as a psychologist’!

This book had a lot of potential and I was genuinely intrigued by the blurb. However, the characters were dull, the plot was slow, repetitive, predictable and frustrating. I was waiting for an exciting twist.. which didn’t happen and the mediocre twist came wayyyyy too late, at which point I had lost all interest and the book was pretty much over. The last 10-20%, usually a page-turner, was dull!

Reading Anna O did feel similar to The Silent Patient, so I get the similarity, but both books are annoying and I’d say just go read the Silent Patient instead. I wouldn’t recommend this to read unless you had nothing left on your bookshelf (or actually liked the Silent Patient).

Thank you to NetGalley, and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this book and the opportunity to review it.

This was very mysterious and I loved it - there’s a lot of information to take on board. If you love a thriller, you’ll love this. Finished it in a couple of days

I had no idea how this was going to end. It was a compelling read as I just had to know the outcome. I found the plot complex, but clever. A completely unexpected ending.

Wow wow wow, what a book! Sophisticated, complex and addictive, Anna O is a thriller that delivers and then some.

A notorious patient, Anna O, is relocated to the Abbey under strict conditions of anonymity. She is asleep. And has been for four years. Dr Ben Prince is brought in to test this theory of how to wake a patient with stimulus that provides hope and a reason to wake up. But if she does, she faces trial for the murder of her two friends and business associates.

Ben's theory appears to work and Anna opens her eyes.

But this is just the beginning of the strangest set of events with a twist that will blow your mind.

Gripping, intricate and a page turner that kept me reading into the small hours, Anna O is just brilliant.

Anna O (where O is for Outstanding!!)

Absolutely got wrapped up in this book! Relatable characters, a mystery to be solved....and twisting, turning prose! Excellent writing from Matthew Blake...an absolute pleasure to read, 5 Stars!!