Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Before I Go to Sleep

Though this is well narrated, I thought it just an average read. A woman suffers an injury and loses her memory so every day when she wakes up she has to be reintroduced to her life - her husband, her home, etc. She meets a doc who convinces her to keep a journal and read it each day to remind herself of what she knew the day(s) before. That's problem #1. There's a whole long middle section of the book where it's her journal. The writing in the journal is not like anything you'd expect or felt real about journal writing. It was so descriptive and elaborately written that it helped tell the story, but didn't feel believable as a journal and it kept pulling me out of the story. She was supposedly an author before she lost her memory so maybe that's supposed to account for her writing style, but......I didn't feel like it rang true AND it's a big chunk of the book. Problem #2: though she has no memories, there was TOO much repetitive questioning throughout the book. I wish there was a way to break all that up so it didn't become tiresome. Sigh. There is a nice twist or two at the end that makes it worthwhile.

Content Warnings

juliana_caterin's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'll never be ready to talk about this book. If you're looking for a fast-paced, thrilling story, this is the one. I'm not usually an avid reader of the psychological thriller genre, but this did it for me. I need more books like this one. This is not a mystery, per se. I could predict every twist and turn since the beginning of the book. This is the definition of a thriller! I couldn't stop reading, I just flew through this book in a matter of days. I had a knot in my stomach, my hands were sweating, and my heartbeat raised with every chapter.
If you're having doubts about reading this book, I suggest you give it a try. I was hooked since page one, and I needed to finish!
If you like diary entries or jump in time to a specific time, I'd recommend reading this book. I don't think I've read a more thrilling book ever (but I don't usually read thrillers, so take this with a grain of salt).
Again, it's quite predictable from the beginning, so if you're looking for a book that will blow your mind with a big twist at the end, maybe this one isn't the one.

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joice's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book was really suspenseful but it felt long to me. Also, I didn't always like the writing because it was simultaneously written off as journal entries and as play-by-play first-person exposition/description.

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kiikaridino's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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holdenwunders_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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