Don't Wake Me

This was an amazing noir thriller that kept me on my toes the whole time. The author’s depiction of the characters was spot on and the plot had me breathless! Very atmospheric and in general a great read!

I received an advance copy of, Don't Wake Me, by Martin Kruger. This book is a delicious thriller. Jasmin knows she did something wrong, but is trying to forget. Somebody else knows too, but who?

Jasmin takes her little boy, Paul and heads for a vacation escape to the remote island of Mimsoy. Jasmin wants desperately to believe her husband, who told her she only hit a deer with her car, but deep down inside, she knows better. Her escape plan backfires, however, when she realizes someone on the island knows what happened that night, and they don’t intend to let Jsmin get away with what she did. Filled with dread and a creeping sense of doom, this is a dark, atmospheric read

For most of this book, I was sucked into the main character’s story. Then, toward the end, the author made the unwise decision to copy a popular book/movie. Yes, some of it is different, but so much of it was the same that I couldn’t help comparing them. I won’t mention the name because that would be a spoiler.

3-1/2 stars, rounded up to 4. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Wow, holy unreliable narrators, Batman! The first 40% of this book was a little slow but very atmospheric — honestly a perfect book for this time of year specifically! However, the pace picked up a little at 40% and from about 75% to the end, it went at a breakneck pace. (Not going to lie — I read the final 50% of this book in one sitting! I couldn’t set it down!)

The setting was excellent — a small island in an unnamed Scandinavian country — and the characters were intriguing. As mentioned above, the narrator is very unreliable and as a result, I spent 99% of the book questioning what was happening, what was reality and what was not, and who — of the cast of characters — was someone I could trust.

**Spoiler alert**

I’m not sure how I feel about the use of mental illness as a plot point. As a mental health professional, I get uncomfortable when trauma is used as a major plot driver and I also dislike the overuse of Dissociative Identity Disorder and similar disorders — that most of the public/lay people view as “mysterious” or “fascinating” (as compared to the boring and common depression, anxiety, etc). However for the most part, it worked in this book. It did ding my overall rating down a star, however.

Overall — an excellent tale. A good spooky read, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn, and Ruth Ware.

This was a terrific read, very tense with a shocking revelation at the end. I don't want to give anything away, it's hard to go into the story for me in case I slip up and reveal too much.
The translation by Jozef Van De Voort is excellent. I tore through this book at lighting speed, just couldn't put the book down. Hopefully more of the author's books will be translated!
Highly recommended for everyone who loves a good psychological thriller.
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the eARC of this nailbiter of a book!

An island,a lighthouse,a storm coming... these are nearly always good ingredients for a great thriller.
I had my suspicions very early on where this book was going,and picked up clues all over to back up the idea.
Towards the last third of the book,it all gets crazy busy,and indeed crazy.

The whole thing got twisty and turney and everyone seemed a bit dodgy,and you have to feel for the poor confused main character not knowing which way to turn.

However,the ending left me a bit flat.

"Don't Wake Me" is a story set on a small island on the Norwegian coast. A woman, struggling to overcome trauma, moves to her vacation home on the island and that's when things unravel. The small village reels from bodies washed up on the beach, disappearing children, mysterious drifters, and deep conspiracies. Seen through the point of view of a woman lost in guilt, it's increasingly difficult to ascertain what's real and what's not. Ultimately, quite disjointed and confusing.

This thriller keeps you guessing right to the end. Jasmin and her five-year-old son are alone at their holiday cottage on Minsøy island, and while Jasmin tries very hard to uncover the truth behind an accident she had, she finds herself drawn into a shocking long-held secret by the locals on the island. She discovers that there is no-one she trusts enough to turn to for help and when the treats start piling up, she understands that her life might be at risk.
I am not usually a fan of translated works, but this book is beautifully written, and the translator did a great job ensure nothing was lost in translation. The characters are lively and realistic, and the scenic descriptions transport you to the island as you are reading.
Jasmin experiences a lot of flashback and dreams and at times it was a little difficult to keep track of what was real and what was memory or dream, but as you keep reading you start understanding the difference.
Don’t Wake Me tells the story of a mother, Jasmin, who after being in a serious car accident is convinced that she killed a man. However, her husband and doctor insist that she hit a deer. She keeps seeing the face of a man in her dreams which leaves her feeling haunted. She is determined to uncover the truth and regain her memory. This leads her the island of Minsøy and soon she uncovers long-held secrets that put her and her son in danger.
The author draws you into the story very quickly, and you feel Jasmin’s confusion and desperation for the truth. I was rooting for her to get to the bottom of all the uncertainty. I doubted everybody as much as she did and was convinced I understood what was coming – only to be surprised by the ending – I was completely wrong and shocked by what turned out to be the truth.
Jasmin was depicted perfectly. Her doubt, fear and confusion at every turn was written so beautifully you shared her experience on every page. She is without a doubt my favourite character and by the end of the book, while she left you a little confused at times, you simply cannot help but love her. When reading Don’t Wake Me, expect to be left surprised – it does not go where you anticipate it too.
This was one of those books that kept you guessing all the way. The final plot twist comes as a surprise. While my opinion shifted between love and hate from one chapter to the next – my final opinion must be - loved it!
This is a mystery thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and if you enjoy a mystery that packs a punch with its final twist then this is a book you are going to love!
Go ahead, get yourself a copy of Don’t Wake Me – it is a quick read that will not leave you disappointed.

I was absolutely going to give this book 3 stars until about 70% in. There’s no “domestic-ness” at all. No BFF or work buddies but the reason is revealed towards the end. I wasn’t enjoying it much at all but from around 70% on I couldn’t put it down. At all! It quickly got fast paced & awesome if you hang on that long.

Remote Island Setting....
A dreadful accident, heavy secrets. Is an escape the answer? Remote island setting, disturbing well drawn suspense. A tension mounting read with often uncomfortable and distressing themes, dark, brooding and atmospheric.

I thought the premise of the book sounded interesting but something must have gotten lost in translation as it ended up being really boring. It is a noir thriller and I was taken in by the blurb, but I somehow found the execution lacking and I had to force myself to complete it and not pull a DNF. I found some parts of the book to be kinda crazy out there with the twists and turns, it made the book really confusing at times and very muddled...and then the end just fell so flat.

Martin Krüger sure can make a story from what can be considered a psychic dilemma. Jasmin Hansen had been in a coma for years after an accident where she swears she killed a man. What the story entails is her delving into a trip onto an island with her dog and her little boy. Things seem to be drawn out in her belief that people were against her. I would like to use spoilers but I can't in good reasoning do it without giving everything away. Let's just say the Martin uses psychological sense in following up with the truth. This book is a well written novel that leaves you with a sense of doubt. Read it and you will find out for yourself.

I wasn't sure I was going to like Don't Wake Me by Martin Kruger, and I almost put it down several times. But I'm glad I stuck it out. Don't Wake Me is a gripping story of denial and a mental health breakdown. The story did get confusing at the end, but I felt the epilogue was done well.

This was just an okay story and read for me. I would consider reading more from this author.

#DontWakeMe #NetGalley

Jasmin Hansen travels to Minsøy to finally understand what happened on the night of the accident. She is very anxious at the start of the book and somehow the author of Don’t Wake Me manages to transfer that feeling of anxiety to me as a reader. I can’t exactly pinpoint why – it might be the lack of resting points in the narrative – but it is a nice feat. You’re jumping from scene to scene, feeling disoriented as you don’t know ‘when’ a scene is taking place.

You are in a constant dream-like state, but for Jasmin it is her reality. Her subconscious knows something that her rational mind can’t piece together yet. She feels uncertain and is constantly questioning herself and her memory. The eerie feeling that she has when observing her surroundings is emanating from the pages. I’m impressed by the ability of Martin Krüger (author) and Jozef van der Voort (translator) to keep me in that state for quite some time.

Then I picked up on some very clear (too clear and too early) hints; I won’t tell you where so that you won’t be looking for them too much when reading this book. When I figured out how the story was going to end, some of the magic faded and the story gripped me less. From that point on, I was simply reading to finish the book.

Don’t Wake Me is a solid thriller with a great atmosphere that I did enjoy reading. As said before, the plot is not surprising, but the setting and delivery of (especially) the first part of the book are strong.

Jasmin and her 5 year old son, Paul, are on the way to their summer home in Norway. Jasmin continues to tell herself "this time it will be different". Yet, while on the ferry to the island, she still searches the news for information about an unknown victim. None.

Memories begin to unravel as Jasmin reminds herself what had happened the last time she was at that house. The car accident... Yet, desperate to get back to her "old self" - she needs to return there after 5 years..

But more questions arise as Jasmine rediscovers herself in the house...

What really happened during the accident? Did Jasmin REALLY hit a deer or was it something even worse?

Well-detailed story with great visualization.

Many Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK , Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. RECOMMEND.

This book follows Jasmin who moves to a remote island with her five year old son, with the hope of uncovering the truth of a car accident she was in several months earlier. Jasmin is convinced that she killed a homeless man in the accident although her husband and the doctors insist it was an animal. As soon as Jasmin moves to the island it is clear all isn’t what it seems.

I enjoyed reading this book and liked the mysterious atmosphere and suspense that Krüger builds up from the beginning. I found that this detail really helped make the book darker and more thrilling. I really had no idea how the plot would unfold and it kept me guessing until the end.

I found Jasmin quite a conflicting character, I could definitely sympathise with her but also found her actions questionable. At times I did become confused with the plot and what was happening and I’m glad this all got explained at the end, however, I did feel I would have benefited from a more detailed explanation to make this clearer.

I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy psychological thrillers such as The Silent Patient!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Title very interesting but the story is very disappointing very confusing with lots of rambling all over the place and found it very difficult to get into and struggled to continue.
It`s very atmospheric and Jasmine is a nervous wreck from the start with no reason why and the son talks not like a five year old at all.
The end does give a reason why Jasmine is like that but I think its too late to explain by then.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Interesting mystery and premise, but something just felt off to me. I didn't feel pulled in or really any interest in the mystery. There were just too many question early on that didn't make sense. The atmosphere was great, this small town on a small island, felt very secluded and frightening but everything else just felt off. I wish I'd liked this one more.

A dark gritty read. I have given this 3 stars because I worked out the ending as it was similar to a film I have watched a few times.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I really enjoyed this book as found incredibly suspenseful. I literally couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read more by this author. Highly recommend this as

Spoiler alert. A good psychological thriller with a suspenseful narrative to begin with but became predictable once I guessed it to be in the lines of Shutter Island. The plot had the potential of a noire thriller which I felt was wasted. On the plus side the character development and the narrative is good. On the negative side the psychological illness is not adequately explained like the differences between delusion, illusion, projections, dissociation.

2.5 stars rounded up.

I read so many reviews telling me that the 'big twist' was so obvious it's impossible to miss. They were right. Barely three chapters in I knew the ending. That was disappointing.
However, the writing was nice and the setting was lovely. Not bad just way too predictable.

**Thanks to Netgalley for my free copy.

Don’t Wake Me was worth the wait, Trust me. It’s a thriller that works even when you think it doesn’t. Jasmin is the star, an unreliable narrator who wakes from a coma after a terrible accident where she hit, possibly a deer, on a remote Norwegian island We are wondering as much as she does when she feels the need to resolve the traumatic nightmare. We are confused, unsure and sometimes our minds wonder as we follow Jasmin and her husband Paul into a downwood spiral.

I absolutely loved the first half of this book. The pace was perfect, the suspense building so well and I felt genuinely anxious and tense over what was going to happen. The concept of the story was also really intriguing: a woman who believes she hit someone in a car accident, despite no one else believing her because only the body of a deer was found, travels to a remote island with her dog and son to work through this trauma and see if she can work out what happened.

When we reached part 2, however, it all went a little bit crazy. The pace became a lot faster, which ruined a lot of the suspense for me. The narrator seemed incredibly paranoid, but also jumped to confusing conclusions which just didn't make any sense but just so happened to be correct. I was expecting this craziness to build into a big finale, but instead it just descended into the explanation in a bit of a 'meh' kind of way.

I did love the idea of this book, and the explanation of what was going on was a very interesting concept - I just didn't enjoy the craziness of the second half and spent a lot of time being very confused. If you enjoy an unreliable narrator - you may enjoy that element.

This book started off with all of the right ingredients - a woman traveling to an isolated part of an island alone with her son, a ferry that might be unavailable due to an approaching storm, a creepy old house, with an even creepier basement, and an obvious trauma in her past.

This could have worked so well, but there were several things that took away from this being more enjoyable for me: the unreliable narrator you could see from a mile away, the way the Jasmin constantly left her 5-year-old alone, even though (spoiler alert) there was a dead body on the beach and a lurker in her backyard. It might have worked better if the son was a bit older. And then there's the title - which sort of gives away the plot.

What I did like: the atmospheric descriptions, the characterizations, the impending dread, and the great translation by Jozef van der Voort.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader's copy for review.

I don’t know what I think about this book. For a large portion of the story I was confused, not really understanding what was happening which does tie in with the main characters experience and the story itself. At times I found the content to be far scarier than I had expected which isn’t really to my taste, I don’t like scary and this novel really pushed me outside of what I consider comfortable. I found the main character okay but didn’t really love her, the more the story went on the more frustrated and annoyed I got with her, I found her son’s voice to be far older than the 5 years he was supposed to be, but this again could be connected to the storyline. I wonder if some of my issues are to do with the way the story was translated as I’m conscious that some things may get lost or changed during this process.. I did find the story gripping, however, and I didn’t want to put it down. I read it very quickly because it was easy to get into and when I had to put it down I really wanted to continue reading. Not a favourite book, not a hated book, just a book that I have read and enjoyed enough to read quickly.

I’m a little ambivalent about this book. It was very atmospheric and had a very interesting premise. But I could not understand the protagonist and why she did certain things so had a hard time really caring about what happened. I did like the first half of the book enough to finish reading it. It does give you some things to think about.

What a freaking page turner. Book had me guessing from page to page and I never wanted to put it down. Literally did not see the end coming. At all. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Don't Wake Me is a cracking and breathtaking psychological thriller set against a stunning, snow-covered Norwegian backdrop by bestselling author Martin Krüger; this is his first novel to be translated into English. Jasmin Hansen, a doctor from Oslo, travels to the Norwegian island of Minsøy with her five-year-old son Paul and three-year-old Labrador, Bonnie. She hopes that in the seclusion the memories of her terrible accident one night several months ago will finally return. Because although her husband Jørgen assures her that she has only run over a deer, they are tormented by nightmares in which a homeless person is fatally injured in the impact. But she cannot calm down on Minsøy either. Instead, the dark island gives her new riddles. When a dead person washes up on the beach near the village of Skårsteinen, Jasmin is horrified because he resembles the stranger in her dreams. Only a little later she receives a mysterious threatening letter with the words: "I know what you are." But who on the island knows her past? Somebody wants to prevent her from remembering at all costs...This is a riveting and seriously scintillating work of Scandinavian noir and the type of book you enjoy so damn much that you hope the author will race to translate the rest of his fiction into English.

It's dark, compelling and twisty throughout with great attention to detail and an excellent use of misdirection to steer you one way and then another with total ease. I was putty in Krüger’s hands, right from the off, that's for sure. Both the mystery and intrigue are adeptly executed, and as the narrative progresses the tension is ratcheted up to the point where I was desperate to know what was going on. I usually have an inkling of where a thriller is heading, but I can truly say that I was wrong on multiple fronts this time, which was a refreshing and welcome change. The characterisation was some of the most intricate and interesting I've encountered of late; other writers should use this as an example of how to develop engaging, relatable and believable characters. Speaking of characters, the beautiful Norwegian setting of the island with no escape, due to the weather stopping the only mode of transport to and from the mainland, was very much a character in itself and added a claustrophobic and extra sinister atmosphere to the plot; it certainly increased the suspense and created a delicious sense of impending doom. All in all, this is a captivating, tense and entertaining thrill ride I cannot recommend highly enough, and a real must-read for Scandinavian crime connoisseurs.

I found this really dark but interesting. It started off very difficult to read and I put it aside for a few weeks. Today I went back to it and I must have been in a better place to read it and get absorbed as I wanted to find out what happened.
Other people said the twist was obvious - to be fair I had thought it was something completely different. I think that is what makes a good book.

This is a first book by this author and I hope it wont be the last.
I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest and fair review which I have done so.

I am so sorry to say that this one is not working for me at all. I'm not sure if it's the translation but the writing is a little odd and confusing. DNF.

So the premise of this book sounded great. Jasmin had an accident and can't believe what she's been told happened, everyone told her she hit a deer but she is certain she hit a drifter. So she goes to her holiday home to take space to work put what happened that night. When she arrives at the island something is off the islanders are hiding something and Jasmin is hell bent on finding out what it is. Sounds good right?

Well I judt didn’t love this book at all. Its split in two halves. The first half was a struggle to get through I was hoping the second half would improve but it didn't I'm sorry to say. After the first couple of chapters I had guessed the entire premise of the book. If you like me read psychological thrillers regularly you will see it coming a mile off. Then the unravelling of the twist isn't well excavated at all.

The story is quite jumpy abd that didn't help when trying to get into a book you are finding difficult anyway dreams are presented as reality, loads of small characters who add nothing to the story and it's just so random.

The thing I love about the story is the main character is called Jasmin as am I and it's so rare to find my name spelt that way anywhere, but that obviously isn't really much to do with the actual story.

The writing appears quite basic and I wonder if some of it was lost in translation. I would of loved my descriptive prose but hey I've never written a book.


In terms of this book I'm sad to say it's not one I would recommend but that's just my opinion. It's thriller aspects are random. I wish the twist would io been executed better to give more weight to the twist.
Jssmin isn't a great protagonist and as its narrated on third person I felt very unattached to her. The book is quite short around a ten hour read for me. If you are new to the genre give it a try you might enjoy it............


Thank you to netgalley, the author for taking the time to write and to the publishers for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

This is the perfect book for this time of year, in these uncertain times. Jasmin has hit something with her car, she’s not sure what it was but her husband has tried to convince her it was a deer. To get some escape she has done for a break on a remote island with her son. Once here she uncovers secrets that put both her life and the life of her son in danger. The scenic descriptions in this book are amazing, they really do transport you to the island. The portrayal of Jasmin is very clever, you don’t know who to trust (including the narrator) and you feel her confusion and frustration throughout the book.

This was an intriguing synopsis, a woman running to a remote Norwegian island, her memory of a terrible accident patchy and ghosts of that night not letting her rest. It certainly ticked my boxes with bonus ticks for the Norwegian setting, I had high hopes for this one.

The story flits between the present when Jasmin travels to a remote island to stay at her isolated holiday home. With her travels her young son Paul and their dog. She is trying to clear her mind after a car crash in which she is convinced she killed a man. Now there is no evidence of this ever happening, even her husband says it must have been a deer but she is plagued by images of the man she thinks she killed. Can she put her memories back together?

Her remote house which should help aid her recovery fills her full of unease, like someone is watching her. The island is not a safe haven, she seems to have run out of the frying pan straight in to the fire.

Sorry if that’s a bit vague, I think I’d be a risk of too many spoilers if I go any deeper. So I did like this book but it has some major twists, one of which is possibly a twist too far and left me feeling a bit disappointed. It has an amazing dark, suspenseful, atmospheric setting, plenty of creeps but that last part of the book wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

very well written, fast paced yet atmospheric. I've never read this author before and will look for more. I really enjoyed it.

This book didn't quite do it for me, but I find it difficult to say why.

A car crash, a memory of who or what was killed that night that can't quite be recovered.....Jasmin searches for the answer. Who will help? Who to trust?

It didn't have me turning over the pages in excitement, but it kept me engaged and reading to the end.

Straight to the point. Excellent read! I am so pleased with this book! I liked the writing, the atmosphere, the setting and the POV. It even tricked me to believe for a different ending although the scenarios in my head were battling with each other. This is something I love in stories! Had the right amount of suspense and action not to be boring but not over fast-paced either. I just couldn’t put it down!

The premise sounded exciting, the blurb made me feel as if things would keep happening every few pages.

But I thought this got lost in translation. Jasmin hit something but what was it. Her husband was infidel but was he really? To escape the trauma she moved to a remote island with her son. But then she discovered secrets which put both her and her son’s life in danger.

The best part of the book was the description as the island felt ominous, great atmosphere written in by the author. The concept was great, but the delivery fell apart. There were too many things happening which didn’t feel seamless. Some felt way out there, and the twist could be easily guessed.

But with so many great thrillers, this one didn’t grip me. I hopped, skipped, and jumped till I got to the end. You can give this one a miss. On to my next.

I have so many things to say about this book but I don’t want to ruin the story for other readers! This thriller kept me intrigued throughout its many twists and turns. I could not have imagined the ending and even as I read it I was in shock.
This is a story of how deep a mother’s love runs.

Fascinating read !!

I really liked this book which was very well written. It started really slowly. Up to 40% of the book the author focused on the context looking like he wanted that readers have all information before exposing the components of the plot. From there, it was fast, twisting and full of suspense.

Martin Krüger came up with a psychological thriller which will keep the reader guessing from the beginning to the end. It investigates the "case" of Yasmin HANSEN a married doctor in Oslo and mother of a little boy. She was the victim of a serious car accident when returning from a party. The car crah left her in a coma for several years. Things happened during the night party but Yasmin forgot all events related to this night when she wake up from her coma years after. Her husband is trying to help her to get again her memories but it is not easy because Yasmin is in real and deep pain and what happened is so serious.

Characters are well designed. Yasmin is fragile and likable and personally I liked her character. Minsoy, the Norwegian island where the story takes place, the austere character of its inhabitants, the weather, the storms and many other things increased the suspense and made the plot more believable. The ending is particularly surprising.

I highly recommend this book, paparticularly for Scandinavian Crime fans.

This was an amazing thriller that kept me awake the whole time. The author’s depiction of the characters was really pointed & accurate on and the plot had me nervous the whole time. Very atmospheric, a great read!

This was a lugubrious psychological thriller with a haunting setting. It was well written with many twists and turns, and questions of reality.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jasmin may have killed a man. Her husband tells her that it must have been a deer. To recover from the shock and escape from the grief of what she did, she heads to a small Norwegian island with her son. While there, the body of the man she hit turns up on a beach not far from her house. Someone is torturing Jasmin to seek revenge for his murder. She must solve that mystery (and a few others) without revealing that she killed him.

Very twisty and intriguing. If you like Girl on the Train or the Woman in the Window, you will like this book.

She came to the island to escape what she did. But the island won’t let her forget.

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I'll be honest, Nordic Noir thrillers can be a bit of a hit or miss for me. Sometimes the translation is clunky, sometimes the writing style doesn't work for me. Thankfully I didn't struggle with either of those things while reading DON'T WAKE ME!

Dreamlike, suspenseful and addicting, DON'T WAKE ME kept me in the dark the whole time. I had my suspicions but did not see the twist coming! Although at times the plot seemed a bit far fetched, I still really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC!

I enjoyed most of this book, but something held me back at times from really getting stuck in to it and I also struggled. Thank you for the advanced copy and I would like to read more by this author but for me this is only 3.5 stars hence that’s why I gave it 3.