SLEEP
C.L. TAYLOR
*****
After a serious car crash Anna is struggling to sleep; she feels guilty and paranoid that someone is after her for what she has done. She moves to the remote island of Rum to make a fresh start and forget all of her troubles – but have they followed her there?
I really enjoyed The Fear by CL Taylor last year and was very excited about her latest offering – Sleep. I certainly was not disappointed! Sleep is a great Thriller which, ironically enough keeps you up all night trying to figure out what is going on! It’s a great standalone read and one that will keep you hooked throughout.
I really loved the claustrophobic air of the remote island of Rum – it made for a great setting and really heightened the tension throughout. I liked the fact we started with the backstory of the crash and that the chapters also occasionally alternated between other characters, including the perpetrator. I also particularly loved the red herring (no spoilers) that this produced. The theme of not getting any sleep, the quotes used and the notes that turn up were also a nice way to keep the title of the book in your thoughts and establish the through-line of the book.
The only thing I think made it slightly less impactful than the previous books I have read was that the twist didn’t quite have as much of a punch as I was expecting. As the suspect list on the island is relatively small, you end up just whittling down suspects until you are left with just one possible person and then it was revealed who it was. It still surprised me but had it arrived a little earlier in the narrative I think it might have had more of an impact.
Overall I’m sure, like me, that you will lose Sleep enjoying Sleep and working out its twists and turns. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-C-L-Taylor-ebook/dp/B07DQ3VZ38/