Are You Awake
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- Create Date：2022-12-17 07:51:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Claire McGowan
- ISBN：1542035376
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Summary
From the bestselling author of What You Did comes a chilling story about a missing girl and two potential witnesses。 They both think they saw her。 But can they trust their own eyes？
Mary hasn’t slept in what feels like years。 Her two young children never let her rest， and so one exhausting night， in the middle of a London heatwave， she escapes to a nearby park for some air。
Tim can’t sleep。 It doesn’t feel safe after the terrible thing that happened to him。 Seeking solace outside， he encounters a sleepless Mary in the park。 There， the two strangers witness what looks like a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house。
Shocked at what they’ve seen， Tim and Mary form an unlikely bond， desperate to find clues。 When they see news reports of a missing woman， who was last seen walking alone not far from them， the pair are convinced it’s her they saw being attacked。 The police don’t believe them， but when they hear of a potential link to an old murder and a string of disappearances from the area， pressure mounts to find her before it’s too late。
But with her marriage under strain and the police on their tail， Mary begins to doubt her own mind…and Tim’s。 How reliable is a man who doesn’t sleep？
As the pair are drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse， the culprit appears to be even closer to home than they thought。 Have they got it all wrong， or is something even more sinister going on？
Mary hasn’t slept in what feels like years。 Her two young children never let her rest， and so one exhausting night， in the middle of a London heatwave， she escapes to a nearby park for some air。
Tim can’t sleep。 It doesn’t feel safe after the terrible thing that happened to him。 Seeking solace outside， he encounters a sleepless Mary in the park。 There， the two strangers witness what looks like a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house。
Shocked at what they’ve seen， Tim and Mary form an unlikely bond， desperate to find clues。 When they see news reports of a missing woman， who was last seen walking alone not far from them， the pair are convinced it’s her they saw being attacked。 The police don’t believe them， but when they hear of a potential link to an old murder and a string of disappearances from the area， pressure mounts to find her before it’s too late。
But with her marriage under strain and the police on their tail， Mary begins to doubt her own mind…and Tim’s。 How reliable is a man who doesn’t sleep？
As the pair are drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse， the culprit appears to be even closer to home than they thought。 Have they got it all wrong， or is something even more sinister going on？
Reviews
amanda jane preston
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Riveting 。。 a truly original storyWhen two unlikely characters collaborate in a missing teenager mystery， with the attendant difficulties of everyday life， the reader is gripped。While the amateur pair are hindered and even arrested by the police， it becomes imperative to both of them， for their own very different reasons， to find and save the young girl。I loved it。
Billie
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With two young children， Mary hasn’t slept in what feels like years。 For his part， Tim never feels safe enough to sleep。 And so one hot， exhausting night， the two strangers meet while seeking solace in a nearby park。 There， they witness something horrific: a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house。Bonded by what they’ve seen， Tim and Mary are desperate to find answers。 And when they see news reports of a missing woman who was last seen walking alone not far from them， the pair are c With two young children， Mary hasn’t slept in what feels like years。 For his part， Tim never feels safe enough to sleep。 And so one hot， exhausting night， the two strangers meet while seeking solace in a nearby park。 There， they witness something horrific: a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house。Bonded by what they’ve seen， Tim and Mary are desperate to find answers。 And when they see news reports of a missing woman who was last seen walking alone not far from them， the pair are convinced it’s her they saw being attacked—no matter what the police say。But with her marriage under strain and the police on their tail， Mary begins to doubt her own mind…and Tim’s。 And as the pair are drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse， the culprit appears to be even closer to home than they thought。 Have they got it all wrong， or is something even more sinister going on？What a gripping a read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher。 This is my own honest voluntary review。 。。。more
Nicki Kendall
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Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 The premise of this book drew me in， 2 neighbours who have never met， both with sleep deprivation think they have seen something suspicious in the window of a neighbouring apartment， they start meeting up and investigating the case of a local missing girl， who they are convinced they have seen in this apartment window and they need to save her。 It was an engaging and entertaining read， following these 2 amateur sleuths as Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 The premise of this book drew me in， 2 neighbours who have never met， both with sleep deprivation think they have seen something suspicious in the window of a neighbouring apartment， they start meeting up and investigating the case of a local missing girl， who they are convinced they have seen in this apartment window and they need to save her。 It was an engaging and entertaining read， following these 2 amateur sleuths as they tried to solve the case of the missing girl and return her to her family。 It was a well paced， enjoyable read。 #clairemcgowan #areyouawake？ #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #litsy #thestorygraph #thriller #bookqueen #bookstagram 。。。more
Reggie
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things that go bump…Good story with lots of twists。 Two insomniac neighbors take on an investigation and what they uncover may get them killed in the process。
Dawn Elizabeth Laidlaw
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Really enjoyed this book 😀
Roz
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I was very excited to read this as I have enjoyed previous books by this author。The plot is a good concept， a missing girl and a couple of well meaning neighbours who by chance club together as they believe they can find her。The characters of Mary （lawyer on maternity leave） and Tim （journalist with tragic past） are united by their insomnia。 Her by lack of sleep due to her young children and him due to experiences in Syria。 They muddle their way through and despite both being either charged or w I was very excited to read this as I have enjoyed previous books by this author。The plot is a good concept， a missing girl and a couple of well meaning neighbours who by chance club together as they believe they can find her。The characters of Mary （lawyer on maternity leave） and Tim （journalist with tragic past） are united by their insomnia。 Her by lack of sleep due to her young children and him due to experiences in Syria。 They muddle their way through and despite both being either charged or warned off by police continue their search。Overall it was an okay read， but I felt that as a lawyer Mary should have been a little more savvy than to go blindly into this and Tim， while being the best character in the book， was I felt under explored in his story。Thanks to Netgalley， the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ann Keeran
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Sleep Disorders？Superbly written novel with a British flair。 Two completely different people team up to solve a missing person case。 Adventure abounds。
franzi
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Rating: 2。5 stars。 This wasn't really a great read。 The characters were super annoying， the entire first half was just repetitions of the same thing and the plot moved so slowly。 There wasn't really any suspense， things just happened and everyone moved on。 The ending didn't really make sense either， which was a shame。 Overall a letdown， unfortunately。 Rating: 2。5 stars。 This wasn't really a great read。 The characters were super annoying， the entire first half was just repetitions of the same thing and the plot moved so slowly。 There wasn't really any suspense， things just happened and everyone moved on。 The ending didn't really make sense either， which was a shame。 Overall a letdown， unfortunately。 。。。more
Hensley Michael
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Sorta enjoyed the book - very disappointed with the ending。
Kate Henderson
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I have read a few of Claire McGowan's books before and enjoyed them。 Nothing has wow'ed me， but they have been OK。This book is the same。It didn't WOW me， but it did keep me reading， and did keep me guessing all the way through。 The payoff at the end was pretty simple， considering all of the build up - but I enjoyed the reading experience nevertheless。 The plot was quite slow for a thriller， but it still kept me reading as I was so intrigued。 I think this book would have been better if it was 50 I have read a few of Claire McGowan's books before and enjoyed them。 Nothing has wow'ed me， but they have been OK。This book is the same。It didn't WOW me， but it did keep me reading， and did keep me guessing all the way through。 The payoff at the end was pretty simple， considering all of the build up - but I enjoyed the reading experience nevertheless。 The plot was quite slow for a thriller， but it still kept me reading as I was so intrigued。 I think this book would have been better if it was 50 pages shorter - I think it would have solved the slow pacing issue that myself and others have mentioned in their reviews。Overall this was an OK read - I wanted to read until the end， at no point did I want to DNF but it isn't a book that will stay with me long after reading。 。。。more
Laurel-Rain
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With two young children， Mary hasn’t slept in what feels like years。 For his part， Tim never feels safe enough to sleep。 And so one hot， exhausting night， the two strangers meet while seeking solace in a nearby park。 There， they witness something horrific: a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house。Bonded by what they’ve seen， Tim and Mary are desperate to find answers。 And when they see news reports of a missing woman who was last seen walking alone not far from them， the pair are c With two young children， Mary hasn’t slept in what feels like years。 For his part， Tim never feels safe enough to sleep。 And so one hot， exhausting night， the two strangers meet while seeking solace in a nearby park。 There， they witness something horrific: a violent attack in the window of a neighbouring house。Bonded by what they’ve seen， Tim and Mary are desperate to find answers。 And when they see news reports of a missing woman who was last seen walking alone not far from them， the pair are convinced it’s her they saw being attacked—no matter what the police say。But with her marriage under strain and the police on their tail， Mary begins to doubt her own mind…and Tim’s。 And as the pair are drawn into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse， the culprit appears to be even closer to home than they thought。 Have they got it all wrong， or is something even more sinister going on？My Thoughts: From the very beginning of Are You Awake？， I was drawn into the lives of two primary characters， Mary and Tim， who have trouble sleeping at night and find themselves noticing odd happenings in the neighborhood。 Like sleuths， they follow the clues， try to involve the police， but with no results， and eventually are in danger for their lives。Just when we think we have it figured out， there are more twists and turns， and the drama surrounding them all intensifies。 Finally in the heat of extreme danger， answers come。 4。5 stars。 。。。more
Alice 🌙
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3。5/5 ⭐️
Michael David （on hiatus）
，
OUTLIER ALERT…I genuinely enjoyed this for the most part。 PHEW！Mary and Tim are neighbors who’ve never met。 Neither of them sleep well， and they spend their days wishing to go to bed。 Mary has 2 young children who are never quiet and keep her up all night （and an unsupportive jerk of a husband to boot）。 Tim can’t stop thinking about something tragic that happened in his past， and it keeps him up。 One night， they both see something suspicious…what looks like a violent attack in the window of one OUTLIER ALERT…I genuinely enjoyed this for the most part。 PHEW！Mary and Tim are neighbors who’ve never met。 Neither of them sleep well， and they spend their days wishing to go to bed。 Mary has 2 young children who are never quiet and keep her up all night （and an unsupportive jerk of a husband to boot）。 Tim can’t stop thinking about something tragic that happened in his past， and it keeps him up。 One night， they both see something suspicious…what looks like a violent attack in the window of one of the neighboring homes。 Mary and Tim happen to meet in the park the next night， and confirm they both saw， or thought they saw， the same thing。 Coincidentally， there is a missing 19-year old woman from their town， and they can’t help but wonder if that’s who they saw in the window of the house。 The police aren’t making time for Mary and Tim， so they decide to take matters into their own hands and try to solve a crime。 Some of my favorite reviewer friends didn’t enjoy this one。 I was actually dreading it after seeing their reviews。 Maybe it’s because my anticipation was low， but I found this highly entertaining。 That’s not to say it doesn’t have any issues。 What Didn’t Work:Mary is supposedly a brilliant lawyer， although on maternity leave。 However， she makes terrible decision after terrible decision that someone that smart would unlikely make。 She’s also irresponsible in putting her children in danger at times， although she does cop to it eventually。 While I enjoyed some of the OTT moments， I feel like it would’ve worked better if the book was aiming to be a darkly comedic mystery。 The ending was pretty ridiculous and implausible， but that’s nothing new。 What Worked:As I mentioned above， there are some very amusing scenes in this book， and I think it would have benefited if it just embraced the humorous aspects of what silly things the characters were doing here and there。 It didn’t deter my reading， but I wonder if other readers would’ve embraced the silliness a bit more if it was straightforward in the funny department。 I love reading about amateur sleuths， and it was fun to picture Mary and Tim bopping around town， trying to get information…only to find themselves in more trouble。 I also found the pacing perfect。 I had a hard time putting it down （until the end， when I was ready for it to wrap up）， and wanted to know how it ended。 Was it perfect？ No。 Was I entertained？ Heck yes！ And that was enough for me。 3。5 stars。 I look forward to reading more from this author。 Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Now available。 。。。more
Christine Rennie
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Are You Awake by Claire McGowan Are You Awake by Claire McGowan is an outstanding psychological thriller with many twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued。 Tim and Mary are the two main characters that both for different reasons suffer from insomnia。They both see what they believe is a young woman being violently assaulted in the early hours。 They also believe that she is the young woman missing from home。They meet up and try to solve the mystery of the young woman’s disappearance and end Are You Awake by Claire McGowan Are You Awake by Claire McGowan is an outstanding psychological thriller with many twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued。 Tim and Mary are the two main characters that both for different reasons suffer from insomnia。They both see what they believe is a young woman being violently assaulted in the early hours。 They also believe that she is the young woman missing from home。They meet up and try to solve the mystery of the young woman’s disappearance and end up solving a serial killer murder spree and find the missing young woman。I also enjoyed listening to the narration as well as reading this book。Highly recommended 。。。more
Maureen
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Excellent book！！！ The book is slow to start but when it kicks in you are all in and wanting to know what happens to Samantha。 Just when you think it’s Eric Johnson that took Samantha there’s a twist it’s someone else closer to home or is it someone else close to where Mary and Tim thought they saw her。 Had me at the end of my seat！ A+++
Elaine Yeager
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Are You AwakeThis was a really good story。 I like how it made every one look guilty but the guilty one ， until the end。
Karen Makeham
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Tim and Mary both see unusual lights， like signs of a struggle， from a house near the park。 They get to know each other and become sleuths， fearing it is to do with a missing girl。 As the investigation continues， the case becomes complicated， with lots of twists。 An edge of your seat novel， with the situation getting scarier by the minute！ Superb read！
Kim C。
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2。5 stars rounded up！ Definitely not her best work and my least favorite of her books。I listened to the audiobook and the narration was very good。 The book drug on and on and I was glad when it was over。 I kept listening to find out who did it which became obvious towards the end。 I didn’t like Mary or Tim and got very tired of hearing how tired they were。 But they were awake enough to see a missing girl in a house next door at 4 am！ And they were able to run around and try to solve the case whi 2。5 stars rounded up！ Definitely not her best work and my least favorite of her books。I listened to the audiobook and the narration was very good。 The book drug on and on and I was glad when it was over。 I kept listening to find out who did it which became obvious towards the end。 I didn’t like Mary or Tim and got very tired of hearing how tired they were。 But they were awake enough to see a missing girl in a house next door at 4 am！ And they were able to run around and try to solve the case while Mary had her 3-month old and 2-year old in tow！ Mary’s worthless husband Jack was clueless to what she was doing and a stereotypical useless husband with small children。 Audrey’s comments and behavior were way above a 2-year old’s ability。 The book portrayed her more like a 5-year old。 The whole plot was very far-fetched and the conclusion was ridiculous。 Spend your time on another book！ 。。。more
Gerrie
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3。5 starsAre You Awake， by Claire McGowan， is a compelling mystery that covers a lot of territory！The beginning chapter is sinister， and draws in the reader immediately with hints of dark doings and evil people。 From there， the reader is quickly introduced to Mary， sleep-deprived mother of two small children， and Tim， a former foreign correspondent with PTSD and insomnia。 However improbably， they meet and start their amateur sleuthing into the disappearance of a local woman， possibly the victim 3。5 starsAre You Awake， by Claire McGowan， is a compelling mystery that covers a lot of territory！The beginning chapter is sinister， and draws in the reader immediately with hints of dark doings and evil people。 From there， the reader is quickly introduced to Mary， sleep-deprived mother of two small children， and Tim， a former foreign correspondent with PTSD and insomnia。 However improbably， they meet and start their amateur sleuthing into the disappearance of a local woman， possibly the victim of a serial kidnapper。There is plenty of activity in their investigation， which turns up some shady characters and some questionable actions on both their parts as local， but unqualified， residents。 The story is told in alternating chapters from multiple POV， which I enjoyed， but none of the characters was particularly likeable。 Unfortunately the plot’s implausible twists and Mary’s （a lawyer！） seeming lack of expertise on legal issues added to the head-scratching moments。I’ve enjoyed McGowan’s previous novels and look forward to more of her works。 I can recommend this one as a quick TV-style whodunit that will keep you guessing and reading to the end。Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC。 This is my honest review。 。。。more
Arvin Dhillon
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This book was like digging up a mountain and finding a mouse at the end。 The plot is very tame and not very engaging。 Nigel seemed to be the obvious suspect for the murders from the time he was introduced。 Character of Mary was good， but then again， motherhood is made out to be a cumbersome chore （it seems to be reoccurring theme in thrillers -postnatal depressed and sleep deprived mothers）。 It is not that hard to handle kids under five by a mother。 Anyway， the book was ok to read。 Claire has wr This book was like digging up a mountain and finding a mouse at the end。 The plot is very tame and not very engaging。 Nigel seemed to be the obvious suspect for the murders from the time he was introduced。 Character of Mary was good， but then again， motherhood is made out to be a cumbersome chore （it seems to be reoccurring theme in thrillers -postnatal depressed and sleep deprived mothers）。 It is not that hard to handle kids under five by a mother。 Anyway， the book was ok to read。 Claire has written better books than this， and I am sure that I am going to be very eager to read her next offering regardless。 。。。more
A。A。 Abbott
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Compulsive reading！ "Are You Awake" is the tale of two insomniacs who join forces to track down a missing girl。 Tim hasn't worked as a reporter since harrowing events in Syria gave him PTSD。 Now， he struggles to sleep。 Mary is kept awake by her infant children。 When a local teenager goes missing， both are convinced they've seen her， and that a serial killer is on the loose。 Compulsive reading！ "Are You Awake" is the tale of two insomniacs who join forces to track down a missing girl。 Tim hasn't worked as a reporter since harrowing events in Syria gave him PTSD。 Now， he struggles to sleep。 Mary is kept awake by her infant children。 When a local teenager goes missing， both are convinced they've seen her， and that a serial killer is on the loose。 。。。more
Mary
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A domestic thriller set in London suburbia featuring two insomniacs， one a mother of two young children， the other a traumatised journalist。 They both witness supposedly suspicious behaviour in a nearby property and join forces to find a missing young woman。 I did not empathise with either character， both flawed and selfish in behaviour and manner and much of the plot was unbelievable。 However， an easy but slow read。
Rachel Brisgel
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Easy to read but predictable and uncomplicated。
Danielle
，
This was not very long but felt very long。It was fairly easy to follow though and I listened to the audio while I played The Sims or I probably would DNF。
Joanne Reynolds
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Amazing readI couldn't put it down， I was hooked from the start！ I've now read all Claire' Mr Gowans books - all brilliant！ Amazing readI couldn't put it down， I was hooked from the start！ I've now read all Claire' Mr Gowans books - all brilliant！ 。。。more
valerie gosling
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Utterly brilliantOn my goodness what an uncomfortable read the characters are first-class believable，unfolds pulling you further and further in to there world keeping you turning the pages to the end
Lynn
，
This book did not have an ending。 I got to the final page and looked for the story to continue but there was no more。 And no mention of a second book。。。。。very confusing and not at all satisfying。
Denice Langley
，
A good plot line that never graduated to great。 Two sleep deprived neighbors bear witness to a crime， but cannot convince the police of what they saw。 There are a few inconsistencies in the characters actions that were glaring enough to interrupt the story。 I've read a few of Clare McGowan's back library and found them excellent thrillers so started this one anticipating another great read。 While this is a GOOD book， it just doesn't seem to live up to Ms McGowan's previous books。 A good plot line that never graduated to great。 Two sleep deprived neighbors bear witness to a crime， but cannot convince the police of what they saw。 There are a few inconsistencies in the characters actions that were glaring enough to interrupt the story。 I've read a few of Clare McGowan's back library and found them excellent thrillers so started this one anticipating another great read。 While this is a GOOD book， it just doesn't seem to live up to Ms McGowan's previous books。 。。。more
Kat
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Are You Awake？ Well， if I’m not， I’m going to chalk this up as a pretty ridiculous dream！ Mary Collins is a mom of two under two on maternity leave from her job as a family lawyer。 By her own account， she hasn’t really slept for two years， and she thinks of her husband， Jack， as little more than deadweight at the moment。Tim Darbandi， is a senior foreign correspondent who’s on long-term leave from his paper while he recovers psychologically and physically from a Syrian bomb attack。 He’s also real Are You Awake？ Well， if I’m not， I’m going to chalk this up as a pretty ridiculous dream！ Mary Collins is a mom of two under two on maternity leave from her job as a family lawyer。 By her own account， she hasn’t really slept for two years， and she thinks of her husband， Jack， as little more than deadweight at the moment。Tim Darbandi， is a senior foreign correspondent who’s on long-term leave from his paper while he recovers psychologically and physically from a Syrian bomb attack。 He’s also really not slept in years。One thing to know about these two， because it will be repeated incessantly for the first quarter of the book: They’re tired。 Really， really， reeeally tired。 It’s amazing that they can function at all， they’re so tired。 Despite their unending tiredness， these neighbors both end up in a park near their homes at 4 AM peering up at a lit window of a home where they both believe they’ve seen a young woman， Samantha Ellis， recently reported missing in the news。 After getting skepticism and no help whatsoever from the police， these two barely functioning adults decide the best course of action is to amateur sleuth this thing in the most ill-advised ways possible that get them in trouble over and over again， because that's what intelligent adults do。 🤦♀️In ‘Mum of the Year’ fashion， Mary occasionally brings her nursing three-month old son and her continually screaming two-year-old daughter who either speaks Caveman “HOT， MUMMY！” or beyond her years sentences “WHO IS THIS MAN， MUMMY？” along on her potentially dangerous snooping。 When they aren’t with her， she’s shuffled them off to her friends to continue investigating the disappearance of a girl she doesn’t know with her neighbor she’s just met， while continually whining about her mom guilt。Tim， on the other hand， seems like a fairly stand-up kind of guy when he’s not spying on his ex-wife， Alice。 He means no harm。 I guess he’s just checking up on her between his Sherlock Holmes adventures with Mary。 It’s never really explained。I’ve run out of energy to delve further into this。 I’ll spare you my entire rant about the ending which has the collective logic of storing ice cream in a heated oven。 Despite my complaints， I did want to see how things wrapped up rather than DNF’ing it， so there was enough intrigue to keep me turning pages。As for the characters？ I liked Tim。 That’s it。 Unfortunately， he wasn’t enough to save this。 ★★ ½ Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK， Thomas & Mercer， NetGalley and author Claire McGowan for the opportunity to review this honestly。 It's now available。 。。。more
Cleopatra Pullen
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The atmosphere created by Claire McGowan in this， her latest novel， replicates the life of the chief protagonist， Mary。 Mary hasn't had any proper sleep for what feels like forever， she is a mother to two young children and anyone who has been in her shoes will recognise the claustrophobia and resentment to the partner that the trials and tribulations that go alongside this magical time。One night Mary and Tim， who can't sleep due to PTSD， see something in a house across the park。 The pair combin The atmosphere created by Claire McGowan in this， her latest novel， replicates the life of the chief protagonist， Mary。 Mary hasn't had any proper sleep for what feels like forever， she is a mother to two young children and anyone who has been in her shoes will recognise the claustrophobia and resentment to the partner that the trials and tribulations that go alongside this magical time。One night Mary and Tim， who can't sleep due to PTSD， see something in a house across the park。 The pair combine their efforts to find out more and the unlikely duo turn into amateur sleuths。This was a good plot with a great premise although perhaps reality had to be suspended more than I am usually happy with。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Are You Awake
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Are You Awake&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Are You Awake&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0