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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this quick read. It did start a little slow, but worked up to be suspenseful and quite shocking. Insomnia is a real thing and can really mess people up. This book did a great job of accurately portraying the effects insomnia can have on people. I’m going to be thinking about this one for a while!
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very good read, kept me on my toes until the very end.
This book is an easy to read psychological thriller with an unexpected out of nowhere twist.
Becky is a first year university student who has moved away from home to study. Becky is a troubled student who has suffered from insomnia since her brothers death. Which we learn more about through the story.
Becky is struggling with friendships and studies due to her lack of sleep, and when she feels like she is being stalked, she believes she is going mad due to her sleep deprived brain.
Becky, however, is an unreliable narrator, and as the reader, you also start to question what is real and what is not real.
The story started well and was gripping. However, the ending felt a bit rushed and out of nowhere, and the middle felt a bit repetitive with how many times we were told that Becky struggles to sleep. The title gives this away it didn't need to keep being repetitive over an over to the point it felt like a meditation story where I would actually fall asleep.
An ok read đź“š
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It wasn’t bad, but I really feel like all the hype is because of the ending, which was brilliant. The rest of the book was just so-so. A little boring at times. I did like some of the build up of “something happened but we aren’t going to tell you” but it also felt a bit repetitive
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It is set to be published in October 2020.
"I Can't Sleep" by J.E. Rowney made for a very disappointing read.
It's neither a thriller, nor a mystery and definitely not a suspense novel. It's exactly what it says on the cover and - sadly - nothing more: the self-pitying inner monologue of a whiny, completely passive teenager who complains non-stop about her insomnia and does pretty much nothing else. For the WHOLE book.
She also has very poor vocabulary (has the author ever heard of something called a thesaurus?) and no logic thinking at all. "I realised that I was sitting in silence, and that I probably looked like an idiot. I think a lot about what other people think. Apart from when I don't. Sometimes I don't think about that at all." This paragraph is one of many examples of both flaws.
The narration drags on and on and on about the tiniest, most insignificant details of the protagonist's boring days, and nothing much happens.
Basically, the protagonist is the walking and talking caricature of the sulking, moody teenager, she "can't be bothered" to do just about anything. She repeats it again and again.
Yes, there are A LOT of repetitions in this novel. And typos. And grammar slipups.
And let's not even go into how many times the word "f#@k" is used. I counted it three times in one paragraph, six times in one page... I understand there can be swearing in a novel, but ANY word that gets repeated that often is going to annoy me, not just the word "f#@k".
As for the supposed thrill, or mystery, it's a pure travesty, and the "big reveal" in the end is anything but that.
And please, don't tell me this is an LGBT novel, because it's not! Just because a couple of characters obscurely imply in passing that they might - or might not - be attracted to people of the same sex? That's not enough to make a story an LGBT novel!
"I Can't Sleep" by J.E. Rowney made for a very disappointing read.
It's neither a thriller, nor a mystery and definitely not a suspense novel. It's exactly what it says on the cover and - sadly - nothing more: the self-pitying inner monologue of a whiny, completely passive teenager who complains non-stop about her insomnia and does pretty much nothing else. For the WHOLE book.
She also has very poor vocabulary (has the author ever heard of something called a thesaurus?) and no logic thinking at all. "I realised that I was sitting in silence, and that I probably looked like an idiot. I think a lot about what other people think. Apart from when I don't. Sometimes I don't think about that at all." This paragraph is one of many examples of both flaws.
The narration drags on and on and on about the tiniest, most insignificant details of the protagonist's boring days, and nothing much happens.
Basically, the protagonist is the walking and talking caricature of the sulking, moody teenager, she "can't be bothered" to do just about anything. She repeats it again and again.
Yes, there are A LOT of repetitions in this novel. And typos. And grammar slipups.
And let's not even go into how many times the word "f#@k" is used. I counted it three times in one paragraph, six times in one page... I understand there can be swearing in a novel, but ANY word that gets repeated that often is going to annoy me, not just the word "f#@k".
As for the supposed thrill, or mystery, it's a pure travesty, and the "big reveal" in the end is anything but that.
And please, don't tell me this is an LGBT novel, because it's not! Just because a couple of characters obscurely imply in passing that they might - or might not - be attracted to people of the same sex? That's not enough to make a story an LGBT novel!
This book left me wanting to do two things; hug the main character and tell her everything would be ok and to check that the author was ok! It's so well written and the effects of insomnia are so real it really pulled on my heartstrings.
The main character obviously suffers from insomnia, and it's effects are far-reaching, tainting every part of her life. The sense of paranoia was palpable and as anyone who has gone without sleep for any length of time will know this is a classic symptom. The plot is evenly paced and keeps the reading guessing throughout.
Very well written, great characterisation and highlights the mental health effects
Do not read this book in bed, you will not be able to sleep!
The main character obviously suffers from insomnia, and it's effects are far-reaching, tainting every part of her life. The sense of paranoia was palpable and as anyone who has gone without sleep for any length of time will know this is a classic symptom. The plot is evenly paced and keeps the reading guessing throughout.
Very well written, great characterisation and highlights the mental health effects
Do not read this book in bed, you will not be able to sleep!
2.5 at best - held me more in the beginning, and throughout the book thinking it may have been a quick sleep issue with her paranoia. The ending seemed rushed and very anticlimactic
Would’ve liked to have more back story and different point of views
Would’ve liked to have more back story and different point of views