This book wasn't as what I was expecting. Initially I was confused as the book also goes under the title of Hey Zoey which is how it downloaded on my Kindle. Certainly unexpected which held my attention, humorous superficially but quite dark beneath. The book jumps about a bit but still seems to flow. Different but worth a read with surprises along the way.

A popular YA author in the library I work in, I am frequently talking to the pupils about this author. On seeing that NetGalley was offering her novel to read, I was keen to do so.

I enjoyed the book quite. I did find the main character difficult to like. She had often occurring violent thoughts, knew she would not act on them but it was a bit off putting.

It was easy reading and just flowed, her writing had an ease to it and it meant it was difficult to put down. No chapters nor paragraphs.

The novel follows schoolteacher Dolores whose marriage has gone stale, her husband David is an anaesthetist. She discovers he has a sex doll which utterly shocks her and their marriage ends as a result. She ends up befriending the doll. It is all very strange!

Certainly a very light hearted and humorous book. I will certainly read more by this author in the future.

3.5 Stars!!!

I loved the concept of this book, the way it makes you take a deep thought into the affect of previous relationships but also the inevitable of life events. I did find it hard to follow at some points, and was left a little confused of what timeline we were in but overall the book was really interesting!

Okay so… I’m still not totally sure where to start with this one, it’s definitely not quite like anything else that I’ve picked up recently. Dolores’ life slowly unravels, her husband takes a very 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 turn (to say the least), and when Zoey shows up and I was just sitting there like ‘𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕?!’

I was shocked and confused, but also curious enough to keep going. Don’t get me wrong, it is a super easy read and I finished it in less than a day, but it kind of felt like I was watching everything from a distance… Like I couldn’t fully connect with the characters, and a lot of their choices had me raising my eyebrows.

Dolores is a teacher, and there are quite a few scenes at school with her and the students. Those parts didn’t grab me quite as much as the weirder, more emotional moments in the book, but they did add some additional depth to her character.

The story does touch on some big themes and topics; 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. However, I’m just not sure that they landed as hard as they could have (for me, at least). That said, I can totally see this one being a hit with a very specific kind of reader.

A big thanks to @rachelquinmarketing, @NetGalley and @bloomsburypublishing for the early copy of 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚 by 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙝 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙣

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I really enjoyed reading this book which definitely made me think. The story is rather deep and discusses many hard topics including abuse and loneliness. I really liked the characters and the way the author managed to include some humour around difficult topics. Overall an enjoyable read that I definitely recommend.

I wasn’t sure where this was going in the beginning, and I was getting a little bored, but it redeemed itself.

I found the story sad—especially towards the very end, but I think the author did a good job with it. I didn’t expect the reveal of Gavin’s character, especially with how much Dolores depended on him. Things made a bit of sense after that; they also didn’t.

I saw in some reviews that people found some parts funny; I didn’t.

I love Sarah Crossan books but I struggled with this one - maybe because it wasn’t what I was expecting and found the main character difficult to relate to.

I really struggled with this book. I found the layout and the way it kept jumping from one timeline to another much too confusing.
I might go back to it when I've more time to settle into it.

This book started with a bang. Dolores makes a discovery in the garage and wonders if she even knows her husband at all. On trying to find out why her marriage has exploded she ends up delving through her past as a sister, a daughter, then a teacher and wife. Can she forgive and forget and most of all can she determine what are women and their roles for?

This was definitely interesting but in parts it gave me whiplash as it jumped between past and present quite abruptly but it works funnily enough. I liked and loathed Delores in parts but as the book continues it makes sense as to why she is the way she is. This book intrigued me when I saw the premise and I did enjoy reading it. Also I found Delores’s mom hilarious and I’m not sure if she was meant to come across as funny but she was my favourite character. 4 star read for me

Written in an idiosyncratic style - not quite fragments but paragraphs that can often go off on one - this is a fascinating novel that, in the reading of it, keeps you on your toes. It's such a great concept because it tackles relationships between couples and friends and family, and the weirdest arrangement with 'Zoey'. Fortunately, I love a weird story and I love the structure of this one, too. Well worth a read, but for some, it might be just a bit too off kilter... Huge thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the early read.

I started reading it, however, stopped about a third of the way through as I found it very disturbing. I didn’t take to the style or content, unfortunately. .

I chose this book based on the blurb. Dolores uncovers a secret that explodes her marriage.

I did not get close to guessing where this would go. I won’t give any spoilers, but I might not have picked this up if I had read the full premise of the book - and I would have missed out. An utterly compelling read. Sometimes a little uncomfortable, but thought provoking as Dolores unpacks her childhood trauma and looks at how that has affected her adult relationships with her partner, family and at work.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it! This was one of those books had to tell everyone about! It will stay with me.

The way I tore through this!!!!! Sarah Crossman introduced me to a topic, and created an engaging story that subverted my expectations! This is an excellent short read to take along with you on your travels ( be they commuting to work, sitting in an airport, or hiding from relatives in another room).

A solid 5/5 from me

Shout out to NetGalley for the arc!!

My best advice on this one is it’s not really about what it sounds like it’s about.

I’ve read Annie Bot, I’ve seen Companion. I thought I knew what I was in for with this.

And yes it is a story about a woman whose husband gets an AI doll. But it’s also not what it’s about at all.

This is a character study. It’s not about Zoey at all. It’s about Delores. It’s about Delores the wife and Delores the teacher, and the sister and the stepsister and the daughter and the step daughter.

I absolute ripped through this in a few days. I loved it.

But don’t go expecting a story about a sex robot.

An unusual book and not one I would have normally chosen.
Dolores has been married to a doctor, David, for several years. She’s had two miscarriages and their marriage is not going well. David is often late home and Dolores wonders what he’s up to. She finds his secret in the garage and the book revolves around what she has found.
The story switches between her early years growing up with a younger sister, stepfather and stepbrother and her married life with and post David. It’s a bit difficult to follow with the going back and forwards and not many chapters. An unusual book.

This novel is such a challenge to read in all the good ways.

I certainly didnt like the protagonist Delores, but she also wasn't a villain. And by the end I completely empathised with her. Although the author leaves so much of Delores' story untold, the atmosphere suggests events that may have brought us to this place; where she discovers her husband's secret high-tec AI sex doll in the garage.

I think part of what works is the fact that as the reader you feel uncomfortable, but are also intruigued by when Delores will figure out what is going on or what went on. How did she get to this point?

This is a novel that requires the reader to spend time in Delores' head, where she flips atound trying to figure out what she is doing and what she is feeling. It made for a page turning book with questions relevant to all of us.

⭐⭐⭐ Are You Awake by Sarah Crossan

Dolores, a teacher married to David, an anesthesiologist, thinks she knows her husband and that they have a normal, somewhat happy life. Her opinion quicky changes when she finds an expensive AI sex doll in their garage. She confronts him, he doesn't want to discuss it so she tells him to leave.

Soon the doll, Zoey, has been brought into the house and Dolores begins to use the doll as a companion and a cure for her loneliness. She dresses her, offers her food, asks her opinion on everything and soon Zoey is sleeping in her bed.

After David leaves she starts to unpick through her life, especially her childhood and we discover secrets she has been burying. A realisation occurs that this could be the reason for so many of her decisions but also why her sister is in a mental hospital halfway across the world after swallowing a handful of Zanex.

The concept of this was what captured my interest but it was nothing like I imagined. If I am honest it was all a bit bonkers. There were no chapters, just paragraphs and some where Crossan went off on complete tangents that didn't make a whole lot of sense.

The relationships that Dolores had with her husband, her friends and work colleagues were awkward and strange and some of her interactions with Zoey made me quite uncomfortable. Also after discovering her secret at the end, her relationship with her sort of step-brother then had me very confused.

It was a short read and Dolores' student ls were an interesting bunch that gave me a giggle or two but overall this was a bit of a disappointment.

Toffee has been in my TBR, also by the same author, and I have plans to read it this month. I am hoping it’s a lot better than this

Thank you to the publisher @bloomsburypublishing for the ARC through @netgalley in return for an honest review. Are You Awake will be published on 3rd July 2025

Are You Awake/Hey Zoey by Sarah Crossan

Dolores finds Zoey, a sex robot/companion doll, stashed in the garage and her marriage to David ends. The story goes back and to between Dolores in the present day, a schoolteacher in the midst of a marriage breakdown, Dolores' relationship with David and her childhood.

I really enjoyed this book, my first ever by Sarah Crossan. I really enjoyed the scenes in the school where Dolores is dealing with the students - some very funny and poignant stories, along with some troubling ones. I was initially repulsed by the idea of Zoey but she was a minor part of the book really, more a device to instigate change/a series of events in Dolores' life. And the flashbacks to Dolores' relationship with David and her childhood were really well done too. Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I didn't realise this was a reissue of HEY ZOEY, so heads up to any other reviewers who were confused like I was. I found the marriage and school storylines really interesting, but the tiny, bitty chapters drove me absolutely mad. I couldn't concentrate on any of the stories and kept losing track of what was happening when. I wanted the author to decide what I should care about but that didn't seem to happen.

Unfortunately, the book was not the correct book. Instead, I had been provided with 'Hey Zoey' therefore, unable to review the book.