Gripping psychological thriller bestseller and perfect holiday read

Try Not to Breathe, a story that slowly pulls you in. It takes you through the hum-drum life of Alex Dale and into the life of Amy Stevenson- a severely beaten young lady, who's been in a coma for fifteen years. Yes, you read that correctly, fifteen years. So what's so interesting about this girl?
That's what Alex wants to share.

The story is nicely written and not really for the faint of heart. There's some serious activity in this book (No SPOILERS because it makes the story) - it made me cringe a bit. You're given alternating narrations: Alex then Amy, back and forth, which is getting a bit old to me these days. Everybody wants more than POV- which is cool, but le sigh...

The thing is, the book is phenom. The emotions invoked by Seddon is beautiful. It's a psychological drama that doesn't let go. I honestly flew through this book in a few days, feeling satisfied by the ending.. Try Not to Breathe was a pleasant read. Check it out while I move on to the next read!?
Rating: 4 out of 5 specs
*13 Ways of Looking at A Fat Girl is next.
**Book published by Random House Publishing.

Very good book for the mystery genre. The plot started to “pull me in” fairly soon. I was anxious to find out what happens, which is unusual these days for mystery novels, most of which seem to be written in haste, without much characterization, without descriptions, and sometimes without reasonable plots.

After awhile it became fairly predictable who the culprit was, but the story was intriguing enough that you want to read it anyway to see if you are right. And the author does lead you in different directions for most of the story, so that you are not quite positive of what happened.

I did feel that the story line between Jacob and his wife could have been shortened and Fiona’s reactions were over the top at times.

Most of all, we pull for Alex. It is her story really more than Amy’s. She’s the one who pulls for Amy and she is the one who is going to figure out what happened and, in finding Amy, she finds herself. We root for Alex to solve her alcoholism because we like her. We want her to get better, we want her to make a success of her life, her loves and her career. And that’s a tribute to how she is portrayed by the author.

Without being a spoiler, I would say that the end is not quite what we thought it would be in all respects but everything is resolved well .

One general observation: the writing got better and better as the story progresses. The beginning seems more amateurish, seemingly a fluff job, but then it becomes more complex. The descriptive paragraphs are better and the characters suck you into their story and the whole effect is more polished writing. So, if any changes are made, I would shore up the beginning of the book.

I got a free copy of this book from Net Galley, but it didn't influence my rating at all and I have rated many books much, much lower than this one.

Journalist Alex Dale has lost it all—her husband, her career, and now her health. Caught in the grips of alcoholism, Alex has been slowly destroying her life for years. But Alex has a new resolve. She’s determined to overcome her addiction, resurrect her career, and form some semblance of a relationship with her ex-husband Matt. Little did Alex know, however, that her research into vegetative patients would soon lead her down an unexpected path… a path that drives her to solve a decade and a half cold case… the 1995 attack on Amy Stevenson.

In 1995, 15-year old Amy Stevenson was attacked and left for dead. Only Amy didn’t die--she was left to live out her life in a state of limbo. Trapped in a motionless body, Amy’s functioning mind is stuck in the past. Tortured by fragmented images of her attack, Amy relives her nightmare in her mind, while struggling to make sense out of her new reality.

Unable to clue investigators into the identity of her attacker, Amy’s case has remained unsolved. The usual suspects had been ruled out—her seemingly devoted step-father (Doug), her teenage boyfriend (Jake), and her absentee father (Paul). Ultimately, Amy’s attack was deemed to be a random act of violence.

Amy Stevenson’s attack left a trail of victims in its wake. Initially arrested for the crime against Amy, her step-father Doug lived under a veil of suspicion long after his release. Grief consumed Amy’s mom, eventually resulting in her suicide. And her boyfriend Jacob, struggled to leave the past behind--to fully move forward in his new life with his wife (Fiona) and their unborn child.

Unlikely alliances are formed, and Alex joins forces with both Jacob and Matt to finally uncover the truth. Seeking out new information and leads, Alex starts out on a fact-finding mission, retracing Amy’s last steps and interviewing all parties concerned. New clues elude to an older “mystery man” in Amy’s life—a person with whom Amy might have had a sexual relationship.

Amy Stevenson’s attack was big news back in 1995--the main focus of all media outlets. While walking home from school one day, Amy simply disappeared. Three days later, Amy’s unconscious and severely beaten body was discovered. Although evidence revealed signs of sexual activity, there were no signs of a forced sexual attack. So… can we then deduce that Amy had consensual sex with her attacker? Or was Amy randomly targeted shortly after engaging in consensual sex with her mysterious lover? Established long ago that Amy never had sex with her then boyfriend, Jake, who was this “mystery man” that had stealthily slipped into Amy’s life?

Switching between past and present, author Holly Seddon slowly lays out all of the pieces to this previously unsolvable puzzle. With alternating points-of view from several of the story’s key players, a well-rounded story gradually emerges. Layer by layer, the story unfolds--suspense abounds, ultimately culminating in a glorious conclusion.

“Try Not to Breathe” is a magnificent and spell-binding debut novel by Holly Seddon. From the very first page up until the very last, I was captivated by the intricate tale that Holly Seddon weaved. The tale she spun was both intriguing and suspenseful, and I look forward to reading her future novels.

Alex Dale is a “functioning” alcoholic who has made a mess of every aspect of her life. Her career, marriage and health have greatly suffered over the years because of her excessive drinking and she’s grasping at just about anything to stay afloat. A chance encounter with coma patient Amy Stevenson has Alex refocusing the direction of her current freelance article assignment. Alex becomes fixated on Amy and solving her assault fifteen years prior.

The book’s description was enticing. “For fans of Gillian Flynn, Laura Lipman and Paula Hawkins” had me excited to read and review this book. I was prepared to be wowed, but unfortunately, I was not. I’m growing weary and wary of the abundance of literary comparisons lately. These claims are unfair to readers, as well as to authors. For me, Try Not to Breathe just did not deliver on these promises for several reasons.

The author injected some odd, rambling descriptions into her scenes (particularly in the beginning of the book), which I found distracting. “His sort-of-curly, sort-of-straight hair resembled a guinea pig sitting on his head, digging its paws into his face” (I still have no idea what this means) and, “He sat in the other leather chair, but fidgeted like a child with worms” (Stopping at “fidgeted” would have sufficed. Why put the idea of kids with worms in a reader’s head?). The writing isn’t necessarily awful. It’s average at best.

There are several POVs in this book – Amy, Alex, Jacob, and even Jacob’s mother puts in her two cents here and there – but the author is careful to give them each their own chapters, so it was easy to keep track of POV. Yet, each character was as dysfunctional and pathetic as the next and it was difficult to care about any of them. Aside from when reading Amy’s heartbreaking comatose thoughts, I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters. I especially found it difficult to sympathize with Alex's character. She came off as a bully who disrupts the lives of people who’ve moved past Amy’s assault fifteen years prior – to the point where she’s threatening to divulge sensitive information to clueless family members unless she gets the info she’s looking for. Yet, she continues to deny being a “hack reporter”.

I figured out who the attacker was about a quarter of the way into the book, so I wasn’t surprised when it all came to light at the end. The ending is a bit out there and unlikely, but the author does mention in the acknowledgments that she’s “used a lot of artistic license in dealing with Amy’s condition” so readers shouldn’t accept it as medical fact.

I hate giving a critical review to any author. The idea for this book was good, but I found the results just weren’t there for me. Would I have been less critical of this book had it not been compared to Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins? I’m honestly not sure. It’s not terrible; it’s just not on par with these authors.

eBook Review Gal received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Amy Stevenson was only fifteen years old when it happened; her abduction in 1995 was the talk of the town and headlines in the newspapers for a long time afterwards. But Amy had been found alive much to her family’s delight. That was short-lived though when it was realised that Amy would never be the same again – completely unable to communicate and in a vegetative state, the horror of what had happened was intensified by the fact that Amy’s attacker was never found.

Fifteen years later reporter Alex Dale discovered Amy’s story quite by accident. And she felt compelled to dig into Amy’s past and do her best to bring justice to Amy. Alex had her own demons though; her marriage had failed and her career had stalled. The alcohol which ruled her life had wrecked her life – so she determined she could work around it; still having her necessary drinks but setting her rigid schedule to include solving Amy’s cold case.

Slowly Alex began to dig into the past – meticulously following every little clue and hoping she would find something the police hadn’t all those years ago. She interviewed Amy’s old school friends and her boyfriend from back then. Alex felt she was getting closer to finding out something which would break the case – but would she? Was she putting herself in dreadful danger as well? And could she save herself in the process of finding Amy’s abductor?

Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon is an intense psychological thriller which kept me enthralled to the very end. Alex was a hard character to like, but she was portrayed exceptionally well – she was meant to be disliked, or at least not loved. I had worked out the abductor quite early in the piece but that didn’t take my enjoyment away from the story; confirming I was right at the end was satisfying. I highly recommend this thriller to all lovers of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Alex Dale is an alcoholic, who has hit rock bottom many times and still cannot stop drinking. Not even after she looses her husband, her baby and her job as a journalist for the English Times. It is her discovery of Amy Stevenson, who remains in a long term coma after a vicious attack 15 years ago, that finally gives Alex the impetus to want to try and save her own life. Alex and Amy are the same age, and grew up 30 minutes away from each other. Alex feels an affinity towards Amy. “”Amy Stevenson who left school one day and never made it home”.

Alex, now a free-lance writer scrapping by, visits Bamble Ward in the hospital in order to write a story, recognizes Amy laying in one of the beds, and decides her story “was far more interesting than the one she had been sent to write” After speaking to the Doctor in charge, Alex decides to write a follow up piece about Amy, who has no family left and no visitors except for Jacob, her first boyfriend. The Doctor tells Alex, that in Amy's particular case “they registered a degree of brain activity that shows she is not brain dead as the paper used to love calling her”. Amy, we come to realize, is actually floating in a dreamlike state, however, intuitively feels that something is amiss. Year after year, Amy is also trying to piece together what happened to her, trying to rectify a past mistake, which has cost her a future.

Try Not to Breathe unfolds in alternating chapters between Alex, Amy and Jacob. Jacob, Amy's first love has been visiting her for almost 15 years. He is now married with a child on the way, however, cannot free himself from the past and is also hoping for closure. The case is now considered cold, however, Alex hopes with the help of Jacob, that some part of her old self remains and she can procure justice for Amy.

The author cuts back and forth between Alex in present time and a 15 year old Amy who has everything to live for and is harboring a secret. Alex is an intriguing well written character and it is cathartic to watch her work through her self-destructive behavior and try and right herself. The story while gripping, was neither menacing nor particularly tension filled. It was fairly obvious, early on, who was responsible and why it happened. More a heartfelt drama and a tale of redemption for the three main characters before the full truth of what occurred on that fateful day in ultimately revealed.

Alex is a journalist who has pretty much hit rock bottom because of her alcoholism. She lost everything that means anything to her. As she tries to get herself together she attaches herself to the fifteen-year-old story of Amy Stevenson. Amy was abducted then found beaten and harmed so badly she is in a vegetative state. In her journey to help Amy, Alex hopes she can help herself.

The first thing I noticed when I started this was how Alex being an alcoholic called so much back to The Girl on the Train for me. She was a mess and had lost so much. There were definitely times where she did things that made me cringe. Especially when her police officer ex-husband was involved. I was rooting for her though. I wanted her to get her stuff together and eventually she did mostly.

Jacob was Amy’s boyfriend when she was abducted. He never really got over Amy and what happened. Alex reaches out to him to help put together what possibly could have happened so he was a big par of the story. Jacob was the most blah character ever. He was the “good guy” but just so boring.

Honestly, this wasn’t a hard one to figure out. Not sure if it was supposed to be or not but I had it all pretty much wrapped up early on and if you know me I NEVER figure anything out. Still, it didn’t really take too much away from the enjoyment. But when a book is compared to the authors in the blurb I am expecting a twist.

The story was told in the third person from various characters except Amy who was in the first person. As much as the third person isn’t my favorite it worked ok here. Maybe because I figured it out early on I didn’t feel the need to have to keep reading. Still it moved along at a good pace.

Even with the things that I didn’t enjoy as much I still thought this was a good read. I would definitely pick up more from Holly Seddon.

A young woman lies in a persistent vegetative state after being attacked fifteen years ago at the age of fifteen.

One of the most interesting facets is that Amy seems to be rather lucid behind her outward appearance. Though she cannot communicate verbally she does so through brain activity and her thoughts. The problem is that she is still just fifteen years old with no immediate recollection of her attack and no realization that so much time has passed.

Alex, an alcoholic journalist with a tenuous grasp on her life takes on Amy’s story as a shot at redemption and attempts to solve her case and bring her attacker to justice. Along with Amy’s old boyfriend, Jake who is undergoing serious marital problems along with the impending birth of his first child. He and Alex form and unlikely alliance as they piece together a mystery that is more than a decade old.

Alex and Jake alternate narration of the story in the present day as Amy fills in the past building to the ending’s big reveal. As Alex and Jake move closer to finding out what happened to Amy, they realize that there are certain people who do not want Amy’s story told.

The story retains an interesting premise however Alex’s character does feel like a rip-off of Rachel in The Girl on the Train. I recently mentioned in a review for Jodi Picoult’s Leaving Time that I was fine with the story’s similarities with a certain blockbuster nineties movie but here the character parallels between Alex and Rachel felt forced. I also question the title which seems to have nothing to do with the story.

Though a somewhat entertaining quick read, this is not one in the thriller-suspense genre that I would rank high enough to offer a read it rating unless you’ve got time to spare.

BRB Rating: Skip It

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. It had a similar concept to that of Gone Girl and Girl on The Train, but I thought it was better than GOTT and right up there Gone Girl. Unlike GOTT, I didn't have the whole mystery figured out half way through the story. I had quite a few hypothesis, one of which did end up being correct, but it was done well enough that I never knew for sure right up until the end. It wasn't until about 75% of the way in that I actually started to form an idea in my mind of who the perpetrator was.

I can't really share much without giving the story away but I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoyed Gone Girl or Girl on the Train. It was dark, gritty, and even painful to read at some parts. There are so many issues going on with the different characters in the book. They are all very realistic in the fact that none of them have that perfect life and all are harboring secrets of some kind (aren't we all). Everything does come to head though and we get resolution on the many story arcs that occur throughout. I won't say that it was a "happily ever after" story as that implies that everyone is just hunky dory and there's no more drama. The characters in this story, while they do find some closure on certain things, are still troubled individuals with their own issues to deal with and all have to deal with the consequences of their actions. No one gets out unscathed.

arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

TRY NOT TO BREATHE is another tale of self- destruction featuring a “no so functioning” female alcoholic. Freelance writer Alex Dale, whose love of the bottle has cost her a marriage as well as a relatively successful career in journalism, undertakes an assignment to write a piece about the coma ward at a local hospital. It is there that she crosses paths with Amy, a victim who has been in a coma since she was raped and left for dead fifteen years earlier, and she compulsively begins to investigate what happened to Amy

Points of view are expressed by Alex, Jacob and his mother as well as Amy’s subconscious voice and are chronicled in dedicated chapters making the shifts in time and character fairly easy to follow. As for the characters themselves - each and every one is flawed in one way or another and dysfunction appears to be the order of the day, making it difficult for the reader to care about or relate to any of them. Granted, one does not have to like the characters in order to enjoy a book and I will admit that the concept of communicating with comatose patients and those suffering from neurological disorders via MRI was an intriguing concept but was not enough to redeem this story----nor was the “reveal” at the end.

Overall, this narrative was good, but not great. 31/2 stars

Alex Dale is a former promising British journalist who has since burned virtually all her professional bridges (and marriage) because of alcoholism and is experiencing worrisome health symptoms from it, though she's only in her thirties. When the book opens, she's trying to take one day at a time and is doing a freelance article on a brain condition that leaves patients in a vegetative state but possibly able to communicate via scans and imagery. On the hospital ward, Alex becomes intrigued by one patient, Amy Stephenson, who is her age and who became famous in their area for being abducted as a teen and left for dead. She meets another man, Jacob, who has been visiting Amy for years, and turns out to have been involved with her, as well as gets help looking into the cold case from her ex-husband, a policeman. The narrative alternates between the viewpoints of Alex, Jacob and Amy, who is indeed still capable of thoughts and does remember her abduction/attack. Central to solving the case is Jacob's family: his distant father, Graham; his mother, Sue, who is fierce about letting the past lie; and his two brothers, Simon and Tom. As Alex digs deeper, becoming convinced that Amy is trying to communicate with her, she will need all her wits about her to bring Amy's attacker to justice.

The book doesn't shy away from portraying the negative effects of alcoholism, but also makes Alex more than simply a victim, as she struggles, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, to handle her condition and solve the mystery. Amy's sections are also a compelling read, and though the ending is upbeat, it still avoids being too LIfetime movie-ish.

Two very unlikely young people meet. Or not really even meet....
Fifteen year old Amy was savagely attacked, and ended up in hospital. In a coma. Nobody knows if she will ever recover. Everyone has sympathy for her, but has somehow forgotten about her.
In comes Alex. Alex is a journalist that has seen to much, and tries to forget everything from the bottom of a bottle. She starts investigating the case of Amy's attack after seeing the girl in hospital, remembering the case from many years ago.
The book jumped between the present and the past, but it was done seamlessly, and it was easy to keep track of the storyline still. The unraveling of the mystery of Amy's attack was done well, and I really couldn't wait to finish the book.
This is Holly Seddon's debut novel, and I can honestly say................ keep it up!!!! Can't wait to read your next offering. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity.

Alex Dale is a freelance journalist. She has a drinking problem, her marriage has failed and she is desperately trying one more time to get it together. She decides to write a health care related article on people who are in a vegetative state. She hears that there is ground breaking research in the possibility of being able to communicate with some of the patients. She encounters Amy Stevenson, a young woman who had been assaulted fifteen years earlier. The attack left her with serious injuries and she appears to be non-cognizant. For some reason, Alex forms a bond with Amy and decides to try to solve the mystery of who attacked her, something the police were never able to do. Where will her research take her?

I was surprised to see that this was a debut novel. It was very well written. It starts out slowly as we get to know the main characters. The pace starts to pick up as Alex slowly put the pieces together of what happened to Amy fifteen years ago. I found the book hard to put down, had great suspense and interesting characters.

Bravo Ms. Seddon!

My thanks to Balantine Books, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read this in exchange for an unbiased review.

TRY NOT TO BREATHE the debut novel of British author Holly Seddon, is an outstanding psychological tale of suspense. It is really hard to believe that this is a debut novel, as it is so good. I am sorry I took so long to read this novel, but I recently had eye surgery and was restricted with my activity. This character-driven novel involves the reader right from the beginning…the story of two women that connect and become friends.

The first woman, Amy Stevenson, is a hospital patient in a vegetative state. Fifteen years ago in 1995 when she was only fifteen years old, she made a poor choice, which changed her whole life. She had a boyfriend, Jake but craved more excitement! On her way home from school, she went with a man who had sex with her, attacked her, and left her for dead. Her attacker was never identified and her face was splashed across every paper and nightly news program.

Now Amy is in a vegetative state, trapped in her own body but unable to communicate. She remains in a confusing state, still thinking she is fifteen, unaware that time has moved on. She doesn’t realize that she is now thirty years old.

The second woman, Alex Dale, a reporter, staggers across her while researching a routine story on vegetative patients.

And then Alex saw a patient in a bed. She knew this woman-Amy. She had to help solve this case!

But both women have their problems. Alex is a functioning alcoholic that had cost her both her reputation and her marriage. Alex’s ex-husband, Matt, is a police officer, and has moved on and remarried and has a baby on the way.

Alex begins a dangerous investigation, suspecting someone close to Amy.

The novel is set in Kent, England, and this story is written in two time periods. The present versus flashbacks to the time of Amy’s attack. This was a very enjoyable read, and I recommend it to all my Goodread friends. So hard to believe that this is a debut novel!

I’m looking forward to Holly Seddon’s next novel!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This is an astonishing debut novel. The promotional blurbs and editorial reviews are comparing it with The Girl on the Train, but honestly … it’s better, at least in the quality of the writing.

Holly Seddon has created an incredibly flawed protagonist in Alex Dale, a female reporter who has lost her marriage and career to alcoholism, but continues to drink even though it’s killing her.

But Alex finds one thing that might save her—a fifteen-year-old story that quickly becomes an obsession.

Seddon effortlessly spins two tales—one of Amy Stevenson, who has been in a coma for fifteen years; and the other of Alex Dale, who has been just as lost as Amy, but in her pursuit of Amy’s attacker might just find her own salvation.

The writing is fast-paced and sharp, and the dialogue is insanely good. The setting and tone and female protagonist are definitely similar to The Girl on the Train, but the writing in Try Not to Breathe is so much better.

If you enjoy mystery and suspense novels, then read this book: 5/5 stars.

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I received a free digital edition courtesy NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest/unbiased review.

The book is told in an interesting intermittent flashback format, by Alex Dale who is still grieving the loss of her husband, her baby & her career. Alex is also in deep denial of her alcohol addiction. Alex is narrating the present-day chapters in first-person, while the flashback chapters, are told from Amy's point of view which describe the actions of several key characters on one day 15 years ago.

Besides Alex, the most fascinating character in the book is that of Jacob, the married man with secrets tottering on the brink of fatherhood. Jacob, yearning for the girlfriend who was taking from him to soon. Living with an over protected mother, is such a confused, unlikeable person at times. Yet this author makes the reader see the good in Jacob and how much he wants to do right by everyone, even as the story moves the angst-ridden man inexorably toward the unspeakable crime which are at the center of the narrative.

Holly Seddon's prose style is unique, complex and utterly creative.She is an expert in her ability to paint a word picture of a situation or a character in a few phrases.Seddon does an excellent job of taking a woman who has hit rock bottom and showing us why she's so messed up -- and at the same time, how beautiful and smart she is.Seddon writes action sequences very well. When she wants to, she can command your attention and allow you to experience what horrible thing is happening to each character. She also compels you to finish reading by speeding up the pace and making you want to keep going. This novel is shocking, brutal and disconcerting, an unsparing exploration of people and their motives, a harsh landscape that questions long-held assumptions about the human capacity for violence.

This novel is a fascinating murder mystery, but it is so much more than that. It is a wise, evocative character study -- a glimpse into the lives of people who are lost and are struggling to find their way in a dangerous world. Some never find a path, some show others a path, and some find refuge -- which can be either heaven or hell. But all of these people -- for better or worse -- matter, and their intertwined lives are a lesson to the reader that even the tiniest action may have huge unintended consequences.

Alex Dale has lost it all. Her husband, her job, her health, her baby. She could only find solace at the bottom of a bottle of liquor or wine and a morning run. She is not even phased by her bedspread being soaked by her own urine overnight. She stumbles across a room in a hospital with beds occupied by comatose patients and recognizes one of the patients. Amy Stevenson.

Amy Stevenson loved music, her best friends Becky and Jenny, and her boyfriend Jacob. She had the future almost figured out but she was only 15 so she could only explore it so far. One exploration went too far and she ended up in a ditch, left for dead. Fortunately, she did not die (not a spoiler alert). Instead, she is stuck in limbo, unsure of where she is or how she got to where she is now. Her physical bruises heal but can the effects of her exploration mistake ever heal?

This book was not only about secrets but also about how everyone fights for their lives in different senses. Amy is fighting for her life while in a coma unable to know how the world around her has changed since the attack. Alex is fighting for her life while drowning in alcohol. Jacob is fighting for his life in his marriage, yet unable to have a life without Amy in it. Fiona is fighting for her life in her marriage to overcome the lack of communication with her husband, Jacob, and to overcome her baggage from previous relationships. Sue is fighting for her family life, trying to protect her sons. Matt is fighting for his new life with his new wife and new daughter, while still tethered to his ex-wife Alex. One of the things that I really liked about this book was how most of these characters were able to get a second chance at their lives.

I have just finished this book and I cannot wait to recommend it to everyone! It is gripping, suspenseful, and exhilarating. I thought I knew who the villain is in this book but the rug was pulled out from under me when I found out that it was a red herring. I thought I was proven right at one point (even doing a victory dance while semi-obnoxiously whooping) and not ten pages later was my formerly whooping mouth gaping in shock. This book does have flashbacks from the past to the present as well as alternating narratives from Alex, Amy, Jacob, and Sue. Typically, I think flashbacks and alternating narratives can easily be confusing or redundant. However, it seemed to work for me and flowed easily. I learned in this book as well. I was not aware that comatose patients could have their eyes open and even have physical reactions to verbal stimulants.

For those who may be sensitive: there is foul language as well as themes of sex, alcoholism, divorce, rape, and miscarriages.

Please note: an Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

First off I have to say that this character driven novel contains all the twists, secrets, guilt, misery, and mystery inherent in all of the best psychological thrillers available today. It does NOT read like the debut novel it is. Well done Holly Seddon!

Simplistically this is the story of two damaged women who become friends.

The first, Amy Stevenson, is very damaged indeed. She is a hospital patient in a vegetative state. Fifteen years ago when she was only fifteen years old, she made a fateful decision which altered her own life and the lives of all who knew her. A silly schoolgirl infatuation coupled with a wager amongst her friends as to who would lose their virginity first… She had a dependable boyfriend, Jake, but like girls her age she craved someone more ‘dangerous’ and exciting. On her way home from school, she went with a man who had sex with her, attacked her, and later left her for dead.

Now Amy is trapped and unable to communicate. She has thoughts – but they are unclear and dreamlike. She doesn’t really realize her own condition, and remains in a distorted, confusing yet static limbo, where she is forever fifteen. She is unaware that time has moved on without her participation. She doesn’t know that she is now thirty years old. An unimaginably horrible plight.

The second woman, the protagonist, is Alex Dale, a journalist and a barely functioning alcoholic. She is the same age as Amy, yet her alcoholism has caused her to lose everything. Her career, her husband, and her unborn baby. Having already hit rock bottom, she is trying to break back into journalism by penning a health article on people in vegetative states. This only in the morning hours – because from noon onward she devotes her time to her serious drinking. Alex is a study in denial. She deludes herself by thinking that if she runs every morning it will somehow negate her deadly habit of drinking to excess every day. She has memories lapses, insomnia, fragile feet, bruises easily, and is incontinent at night. Her doctor has warned her that she will be dead within a year if she continues to drink…

Alex still loves her ex-husband, Matt, a police officer. However Matt has moved on and remarried and has a baby on the way. Moving on is not an option for Alex.

When she begins to visit the hospital for her article, she becomes more and more interested in one particular patient, Amy. She talks to Amy, plays music for her, shares her thoughts. Close in age, they have adolescent memories and experiences in common. As a result, she starts to investigate Amy’s case and wants to find out who did this terrible thing. Amy’s attacker was never found. Alex involves Matt in her investigations into Amy’s case. As painful as it is seeing him, she wants to prove to him that she can accomplish something – that she isn’t a complete loser. She also approaches Amy’s old boyfriend Jacob – which has repercussions for him that prove disastrous.

Jake visits Amy on a regular basis and keeps his visits secret from his pregnant wife, Fiona. He loves his wife, but still has feelings for his old girlfriend, Amy.

Set in Kent, England, this story is written in two time periods. The present is interspersed with flashbacks to the time surrounding Amy’s attack. The brilliant writing, strong characterization, and interesting premise make for compelling reading.

My only qualms about the novel were minor. I really did not find that the title ‘fit’ the novel. I couldn’t connect the two – perhaps someone smarter than I could elucidate? Also, I wondered how accurate was Amy’s voice? I guess the author had to rely on artistic licence for that one; as those suffering from Amy’s condition are in no state to help us understand. The author’s version was plausible, and that suited me just fine.

My guess as to ‘whodunit’ was close, but not on the money. The ending twist was satisfying and realistic.

A character strong plot with a British setting are two of my favorite qualities in a novel and “Try not to breathe” has both. Lucky me! I’m SO looking forward to Holly Seddon’s next novel!

This review was originally published on my blog: Fictionophile

A freelance journalist comes across a story that could boost her failing career: that of a young woman living in a coma in a hospital for half her life. In order to write the story, however, the journalist will need to confront the challenges that contributed and ultimately caused her downfall. Short story author Holly Seddon offers readers Try Not to Breathe, a debut that builds with promise and then lets down readers in a major way.

Alex Dale spends her days following a meticulous routine: an early-morning run followed by a few hours of cobbling together inane freelance writing pieces. When she gets to lunch, however, she faces her past. Alex is a functioning alcoholic. She has her addiction down to a science almost, knowing how much to drink and when, which only goes to emphasize that alcohol is now the only constant in her life. She’s lost everything else: a promising career, an adoring husband, and the chance to balance the scales of a life off kilter from her childhood.

Still, Alex has managed to pull herself together long enough to pursue a story about comatose patients in a special hospital ward in her London suburb. During a round of interviews one day, Alex comes across Amy Stevenson. The sight of Amy rouses Alex in a way she hasn’t felt in a long time.

She remembers the horrible circumstances that brought Amy to the hospital. At the age of 15 Amy disappeared one day on her walk home from school and was found several weeks later, alive but just barely. Since that time Amy has lived in the hospital in the same comatose state.

Alex feels a kinship with Amy. They’re both the same age, and neither got to enjoy the normal benefits of adulthood. As she works on the story about the new research that some comatose patients may have a limited ability to communicate with their caretakers, Alex begins to regain a little bit of her old self. The self who once had the opportunity to live the life Amy missed.

What starts as a story for Alex becomes a desperate need to find out who attacked Amy. However, with no family members on hand to answer questions and a case that went cold long before Alex found her, the truth about Amy’s attacker and the details of the tragedy might remain in the same place Amy is.

Author Holly Seddon employs some of the best elements of her experience with short fiction in Try Not to Breathe. Seddon keeps her cast of characters small, making it easy to follow Alex’s trajectory and her daily struggles with her addiction. Readers may censure Alex’s deliberate choices early in the novel, but as the book progresses Seddon builds sympathy for both Alex and Amy with expertise.

American readers, in particular, will find themselves charmed by British slang and the vernacular. While Seddon’s choice of language may simply fall in line with her native readership, it goes a long way to setting the scene and ensconcing readers in that world. Clearly Seddon knows how to draw the lines of her story with broad, definite strokes.

The novel’s ultimate failing, however, comes from the same area of Seddon’s strength. Readers will spend early pages guessing the identity of Amy’s attacker. When the revelation comes, readers may feel cheated. Seddon names a convenient perpetrator instead of challenging her characters, her readers, and even herself with a more subtle choice. The small cast of characters, so crucial in drawing readers into Alex and Amy’s world, works against Seddon in limiting her options for an antagonist. She spends so much time developing Alex and those closest to her that readers may feel like the real criminal was thrown in as an afterthought.

I recommend readers Borrow Try Not to Breathe for fans of British fiction and stories about England and English characters, with the caveat to be prepared for a major letdown at the end.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

The publisher recommends Holly Seddon's debut novel, Try Not to Breathe, to "fans of Lianne Moriarty, Paula Hawkins, and Tana French." I can't comment as to Lianne Moriarty, as I haven't read any of her work, but, while Seddon is no Tana French, I enjoyed her book more than I did The Girl on the Train. I solved the mysteries of both quite early on, so it wasn't the plotting that gave Seddon the edge; instead, it was her use of Amy Stevenson, the victim of a terrible crime who has been in a coma for 15 years, as one of her multiple narrators, that kept me engaged.

The underlying premise is that Amy, far from being the "vegetable" such patients are often compared to, has actually been conscious for much of her hospital stay, albeit unaware of the nature of her condition or the amount of time that is passing. She can hear what others around her are saying and process that information to some extent in her still 15-year-old mind. Of course, this means that she may ultimately be able to identify her attacker. I was fascinated by the research of her treating physician Dr. Haynes, who, while not making much progress with Amy herself, has been able to engage in two-way communication with other patients by watching on an MRI which portions of the patient's brain light up when they are told to imagine themselves playing tennis. Once the patient's baseline has been established, she can answer binary questions by thinking "tennis" for "yes" and remaining calm for "no." While writing an article on Dr. Haynes's research, protagonist Alex Dale discovers Amy on his ward and becomes determined to bring her attacker to justice.

Like Paula Hawkins, Seddon was a journalist before turning to novel-writing, so I wouldn't be surprised if Try Not to Breathe had its genesis in her own unrelated research on persistent vegetative states. The image which lingers in my head is not so much one of Amy and Alex (although Seddon's closing scene is memorable), but rather of a hospital ward stretching to infinity, filled with "vegetables" who are, in fact, thinking beings trying desperately to communicate with the world around them: a more chilling vision than any fictional thriller has the right to deliver.

I received a free copy of Try Not to Breathe through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Try Not to Breathe is a debut psychological suspense by author Holly Seddon. This was a good mystery, I really enjoyed the how the events unfolded moving from past to present and an insightful look into the mind of a comatose girl. It was a little slow paced for me, but that is just personal preference. The characters are perfectly imperfect it makes them seem more real, their pain more palpable. I liked reading it, it kept me intrigued; I kinda figured it out early in the book but it was entertaining to find out how the characters reached the conclusion.

The main character Alex Dale has her own demons to fight and she thinks she has her alcoholism under control. Alex was a great journalist but the death of her mother and her alcoholism which played a part in the death of her unborn child and in part why her husband left her, and in turn her career tanked. She thought she hit rock bottom until her doctor told her unless she stops drinking entirely and seek treatment she will die in a year. Alex was working freelance doing fluff pieces trying to get her her place back at the paper. One of her pieces lead her to the coma ward at one of the hospitals Alex's life changed dramatically after that.

Amy Stevenson was a typical teenage girl until she went missing and found several days later almost dead. They never found who did it, and ever since Amy has been considered a vegetable. Her brain is active she just can't wake up. Alex feels a kinship with this woman it has been a whole decade since Amy has seen the world and Alex remembers when Amy went missing have grown up not far from where it happened. Alex feels like she owes it to Amy to find out what happened. Alex diligently works to uncover the truth about what really happened to Amy all those years ago. She recruits the help of her police officer ex-husband, Amy's Step-father and Amy's high school boyfriend. All the while Amy is reliving the events up to her disappearance over and over again until she finally remembers but still stuck in her uncooperative body.

The revelation of the whodunit was very exciting. Overall, I liked the book well enough. It was beautifully written and the characters were all very real.

In Try Not to Breathe our protagonist is Alex Dale, a 30 year old freelance writer and sometimes functioning alcoholic. She’s writing an article about a doctor who’s trying to communicate with his hospital patients who are in long-term vegetative states. While there to interview Dr. Haynes, Alex stumbles upon a patient named Amy who’s been at the hospital ever since she was attacked and left for dead 15 years ago. Alex remembers Amy’s story since they were about the same age when it happened and she is struck by the fact that no one has ever been convicted of the crime. She decides to start investigating on her own and uses every connection from her years as a journalist while struggling to remain sober enough to complete her job and hopefully get some answers for Amy.

I’ve often said that the UK has produced some of the best writers of psychological and Try No to Breathe is a prime example of this statement. I think this book will be compared to The Girl on The Train, not due to its plot but for the fact that both books have protagonists who are alcoholics and still obsessed with their ex-husbands who’ve left them and since settled into new lives with new wives. In my opinion, Alex is a much more likable character than Rachel was in TGOTT. The way she handles her life as a functioning alcoholic was actually a bit fascinating and frightening. In TGOTT I found Rachel to be a sloppy, non-functioning alcoholic and I didn’t relate to her very well because of it. But I actually liked Alex a lot and really rooted for her to get a hold of her life, get healthy and stop obsessing on her ex-husband.

From page one this was a deeply fascinating read, not just for the mystery but also the whole medical side of the story regarding the ability to communicate with catatonic patients. I wasn’t sure how much was real or made up but Seddon sure made a believer out of me! The chapters alternate between different narrators and this part was extremely well done. We even had chapters that were narrated by Amy as she seems to be in some sort of dream state, not truly understanding where she is and why and OMG these chapters just broke my heart. Then it would switch back to Alex as she tries piecing together Amy’s past in order to find out who hurt her. There’s another narrator too, someone from Amy’s past but I don’t want to say more as to do so could give something away. But I do love this style of multiple POVs and Seddon really used it to her advantage, it was so absorbing and I had trouble putting this book down for more than a few minutes at a time.

Right from the get-go we’re given a lot of people to suspect and so many unanswered questions. At about the 25% mark I began suspecting someone, I couldn’t really put my finger on why but there was one little paragraph that I read that left me feeling like “hmmm, wonder why the author threw that in there”. By the halfway point I totally suspected someone else, was about 90% sure it was this person and several of the clues really seemed to be pointing in that direction but I also couldn’t let go of my original suspect, not yet. As I blazed through to the ending I was completely torn between who I thought it was but was pretty sure it was one of the two people I’d fingered earlier. Was I right? Yes but which one was it? I won’t tell, you’ll just have to read it for yourself and find out :)

Try Not to Breathe is a wonderfully exciting psychological thriller that I highly recommend to all fans of mystery, thrillers and suspense. I was also extremely shocked to discover that this is Holly Seddon’s debut novel as she writes like a seasoned pro! Her character portrayals were brilliantly done and obviously very well researched. This seems to be, at least to me, a complete stand-alone novel but I could also see a teeny-tiny possibility left open for the return of Alex in future novels. I hope I’m not wrong in my assumption because I’d love to see her again!

A huge thank you to the publishers, Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine, and to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

Actually, it is 3.5 stars. Anyone who enjoyed The Girl On The Train will like this book very much. The protagonist, Alex Dale, is a self-destructive barely functional alcoholic with an enlarged liver whose life revolves around her wine consumption and urinary incontinence.

When we meet her in 2010, she has drunk her way through college, a miscarriage, marriage to police officer Matt, and a steady job as a newspaper columnist. She has recently been diagnosed with an enlarged liver which presses against her bladder, causing her incontinence especially at bedtime for which she wears adult diapers. Rarely does she sleep through the night and often awakens not remembering anything beyond the first glass of wine from the night before. Sometimes there is someone else in the bed with her, his name and their acquaintance unknown.

Trying to get her professional reputation back, Alex is inspired to write the story behind the brief disappearance of Amy Stevenson. A 15–year-old who was found almost beaten to death shortly after she did not come from school in 1995, Amy had been in a vegetative state for 15 years. Alex realizes that although she did not know Amy, they were about the same age and probably went to the same places in Edenbridge, enjoyed the same movies and music, etc. Told by the editor of the London Times that he would publish a 4-page article about the story if she did a good job on it, Alex set out to save her professional life. It is not long, however, before she forms a connection to Amy and it becomes more than just a good story to Alex.

Seddon does a good job of keeping the story moving along. The pace is excellent, compelling the reader to propel through the pages. The format is told in the now familiar style of each chapter bearing a name of a character. Seddon notes the date for the chapters as well since some of the characters were involved in 1995 as well as 2010. Amy’s chapters are initially dated 1995, but eventually we learn what she was thinking in later years about the people who visit her in the hospital as well as her memories of the person who battered her. It is a nice way to pique the reader’s interest and to layer the context of the story. About halfway through there is a hint of “who dunnit,” but at the same time, the writer keeps us guessing until the end when we learn all the details.

The protagonist is an alcoholic, dysfunctional, sexually promiscuous female, not an admirable character at all, but she refuses to give up on Amy’s story or on Amy for that matter. The descriptions of her drinking, cravings, and general out of control behavior were not entertaining to me, but the character development of all involved was quite good and Seddon does a quite nice job of leaving a trail of bread crumbs, then vacuuming it up for the reader in the last few chapters. Quite a satisfying read. Very solid 3.5 stars. I will definitely look for her next book.

A unique story, revolving around an unsolved crime. Told from three POVs, the author takes you from past to present as the mystery of what happened to Amy is explored. What made the story engaging was how these three individuals solve the crime - especially given that one is technically brain dead.

Did that sink in?

The story kicks off with what happened to Amy leading up to the crime that left her in this state. From her POV, we don't get much. We don't get any clues as to who committed the crime. What I can tell you is that her youth was evident and it scared me how trusting she was with the man, who sadly took advantage of her trust. Fast forward to present and that's how Alex is introduced.

Alex is the most unlikely of heroes, being an functioning alcoholic. And while she had some serious issues with this addiction, I truly liked her and was quietly cheering for her, not just to prove herself, but to beat her disease. She is not a bad person. She has made some bad decisions along the way, but her heart is in the right place, especially when she has a purpose. I liked how she immediately connected with Amy and wanted to find out what happened. Even better was how she found out the truth.

Despite her profession, Alex isn't a ruthless dirty reporter. She does obtain some information under suspect circumstances, but her reasons are not to ruin innocent lives. My heart broke for her and how much she had to count on Matt, her ex-husband. It showed her selflessness and strength, even though the bottle wasn't far behind those calls.

The discovery within this story is at a slow pace, but the author leaves you virtual breadcrumbs along the way to keep you guessing. The story picks up pace as she and Jacob begin to work together. Prior to an odd meeting at her house when I questioned Jacob's intelligence, Jacob is merely known to Alex as the sitter who sits with patients at the hospital. What we know from his POV and after his meeting with Alex, is that his connection to Amy runs deeper.

As I mentioned prior, the most intriguing part of this story was Amy's POV. While she is viewed as brain dead, it was clear you was very aware of things around her, although her perspective of time is off, making the whole situation even sadder.

I had my suspicions about who was responsible for Amy's condition, especially when we are given some additional POVs. Even though I was not shocked by who did it, I was L-I-V-I-D with the cover-up that followed. Can you see the steam coming out of my ears?!?!? Trust me, it is there.

Once the attacker is revealed, it made me even sadder for the people involved. How this person could to this and how he was connected to them was heartbreaking. I would have liked to know what made him do what he did and if there was more to his story. I was also mad at Amy and her thoughtlessness. I know she is the victim, but her actions were selfish in my opinion.

While this book doesn't give you a miraculous recovery, I liked that Alex got a chance to prove herself and that Jacob got some closure, even with the serious heartbreak.

In Holly Seddon’s riveting debut, Try Not to Breathe, an alcoholic journalist solves a fifteen year old mystery and at the same time, edges toward taking control of her drinking problem.

Thirty year old Alex Dale has hit rock bottom more times than she can count, but despite losing her career, her husband and her unborn baby, she has not been able to stop drinking. Now divorced and living alone, she is a freelance journalist whose days are spent carefully managing her drinking in an attempt to stop some of her drunken behavior (out of control spending, drunken encounters, drunk texts, e-mails, etc). While researching a health story about patients who remain in a persistent vegetative state, Alex sees a patient she recognizes: Amy Stevenson, a young woman who has been in a coma since she was sexually assaulted and brutally attacked fifteen years earlier. With the cold case standing out in her mind since she and Amy grew up in the same town and are roughly the same age, Alex quickly becomes obsessed with trying to find Amy’s attacker.

Alex’s long term alcohol abuse has taken a toll on every aspect of her life including her health. Unable to stop drinking, she has devised a plan that lets her continue drinking heavily while at the same time managing her freelance work. Her mornings are dedicated to researching and writing her articles, but one eye is always on the clock as she anticipates pouring her first drink of the day. Every day at noon, her elaborate routine begins and Alex continues drinking until eventually passing out later that night. But as she is drawn further and further into her investigation, she finally begins to address her health problems and Alex gradually starts cutting back on her alcohol consumption.

With a fifteen year gap between the initial attack and her investigation, Alex’s progress is slow and often hampered by lack of evidence. She doggedly tracks down Amy’s old friends who offer a little insight into the events preceding the assault, but these revelations do not produce any solid leads for her to follow. It is not until she crosses paths with Amy’s teenage boyfriend, Jake, that she begins making a little headway uncovering Amy’s secrets. With a little reluctant assistance from her policeman ex-husband, Alex finally gets the break she needs to crack the case wide open and identify Amy’s attacker.

Written from alternating perspectives, Try Not to Breathe is an engrossing mystery with a unique storyline and a multi-faceted cast of characters. Part character study and part whodunit, Holly Seddon expertly weaves past and present events into a compelling and intriguing novel of redemption that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the last page is turned.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

I wish to thank Holly Seddon, Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of Try Not to Breathe in exchange for an unbiased review.

Try Not to Breathe, the debut novel of British author Holly Seddon, is an excellent psychological tale of suspense. It follows the story of Alex Dale, a disgraced journalist who is struggling to regain not only her respectability, but also her life, which she essentially lost to the ravages of the bottle. Alex is working on a freelance investigative article looking into the story of Amy Stevenson, a young woman left in an apparent vegetative state after being attacked and raped in 1995. The novel takes place over a 15-year time frame. The POV alternates amongst several voices as the timeline flips back and forth between the present and various periods in the previous decade and a half (not confusing to the reader). Alex struggles with her addiction to alcohol and her self-shame as she strives to bring some closure to Amy’s ordeal and simultaneously some meaning to her own life, by finding out what really happened the night Amy was abducted.

Looking at some of the previous reviews, it appears some readers did not care for Alex. Though she is certainly flawed, I liked her. I think what drew me to her was her determination to salvage whatever she could from her shambled life. Despite others giving up on her, she was not going to give up on herself. I do wish there had been a bit more back history that would have helped explain how she fell so low. I also cared a great deal for Jacob, Amy’s high school sweetheart, though some of his decision-making was frustratingly questionable.

The story grabbed me right away and the ongoing suspense led me to turn the pages quickly. The plotline is fairly complex and I was making mental notes of all the curious “maybe clues” that came on a regular basis. I have to say I was a little disappointed when the identity of the baddie was revealed. I cannot say why, however, without spoilers. On the other hand, I was very pleased with the rest of the ending. It was not “Hollywood”, but more like what would happen in the real world.

Overall, I was very entertained by Try Not to Breathe. I read it faster than most books I read, which is always a good sign. I recommend this tale to all lovers of mystery and suspense. I will definitely be looking out for Ms. Seddon’s next book, which I hope will arrive sooner rather than later.

Amy Stevenson was attacked 15 years ago and have ever since been in a coma. No one has been caught for the brutal attack. Alex Dale was once a loving wife, a mother to be and a brilliant journalist. Now she has nothing left. But, then she does an interview with a doctor about coma patients and meets Amy. They are close in age and grew up close by, but they never met. Amy remembers the case and the more she investigates about it the more obsesses is she to solve what happened to Amy. But, how to solve a crime when the only witness can't talk?

I was intrigued by the blurb, about a coma patient being the only witness to a crime. Alex Dale is an alcoholic who drank away her marriage and career. She is now trying to put her life together, which isn't that easy and it's especially hard for her to learn that her ex-husband has moved on with his life. So, Amy Stevenson becomes in many ways her lifeline, something to focus on while she tries to sort of her life. We also have Jacob, who is a sitter. He sits by the coma patients and keeps them company talking. But, he seems to have a special connection to Amy.

I had some trouble getting into the story; I found the story a bit trying sometimes. Not so much the storyline with Amy, but with Jacob. I was sometimes quite frustrated with him and his secrets and even though I often found his wife Fiona a bit annoying do I understand her frustration with Jacob. He should have come clean to her years ago.

I found it not that hard to figure out the identity of the attacker. Sure, I was not completely sure, but I had a gut feeling of whom it would be. There were some clues scattered in the book that made me more and more sure during the progress of whom it would be. Still, the confrontation scene towards the end of the book was intense, there is always a possibility that I could be wrong. But, I was right. However, I did enjoy the book, despite having a suspicious feeling about who the attacker was. Sometimes half the fun with a whodunnit book is trying to find out who the attacker is and see if you have the right person at the end.

This may not be the best thriller I have read, but still it was a good one and I quite liked Alex Dale and wouldn't mind reading more books by the author.

I want to thank the publisher for proving me with a free copy for an honest review.

Try Not to Breathe is written with multiple Points of View. Each chapter starts with a name and a date. The chapter is from that person’s Point of View. The time jumps around for some of the characters, so you really do have to pay attention. I often gloss over those chapter headings, but quickly found out that I couldn’t with this book. This complex threaded type of story can be difficult, but Ms. Seddon handled it very well. Everything twists and turns around, but you can follow it. You get hints and start to have ideas. It all comes together at the end.

Since you are inside the head of all the people in this book, you get to know them pretty well. Everyone seems quite believable. Alex Dale wallows in alcohol. If she doesn’t stop drinking it will kill her. Amy Stevenson was attacked and nearly killed fifteen years ago. She has been in a persistent vegetative state since the attack. She has thoughts but can’t interact with the outside world. Her high school boyfriend, Jake Arlington, comes and sits with her often, and has for most of these fifteen years. But he is married, his wife is pregnant, and Amy is becoming a problem because her never told his wife, Fiona, about Amy. She thinks that he is having an affair and that he is hiding things from her.

Once Alex and Amy come together, Alex knows that Amy can be her way out. Alex is a journalist, and so she thinks that Amy’s story could help her climb out of the bottle. The police never found Amy’s attacker, but Alex knows that if she can find him, she will be able to write an important article. But to do this, she needs to control her drinking.

I liked the multi-layered way this story unfolded. Ms. Seddon must have had quite a complex outline for this book. She had to tell you enough in each chapter to keep the story moving forward, but also be careful of what was said, so that you never found out too much. You may have an idea of the attacker’s identity, but you aren’t really sure until the end. Quite well done.

I give Try Not to Breathe 4 1/2 Stars. It kept me engaged and interested the whole way. I recommend this debut novel to anyone who likes a character driven mystery thriller, without blood and gore, but with plenty of suspense and tension.

I received a Digital Review Copy from the publisher.

Sometime journalist Alex Dale, now free lance, decides to write an article on the work of a doctor researching brain scans that pick up signs of communication in patients who have been declared brain dead. This leads her to an interest in one of the patients, Amy Stevenson, who had been beaten and left for dead fifteen years before at the age of fifteen. No perpetrator had ever been identified or arrested although there had been many suspects. Can Amy, in her seemingly comatose state, understand Alex's questions? This is the perplexing dilemma that finally leads to the shocking and unexpected end to Alex's quest and the redemption of many of the characters in this tale. Author Seddon has written a mystery that is more than just the usual genre mysteries. Her characters come to life as we learn their flaws, weaknesses, and why they hide the smallest details that might have stopped this man-next-door sexual predator from preying on young girls. We get into the mind of Alex Dale battling the alcoholism that ruined her marriage and career, and we see her trying so hard to recover as she becomes a self-appointed investigative journalist trying to find enough evidence to open the cold case of Amy Stevenson's assault, so that the editor of her former newspaper will publish the article that just might get her hired back as a paid columnist. We see the struggles of Alex's former husband, Matt, a policeman, who has remarried and has a baby on the way. Should he help Alex with her investigation or refuse? The two are still in love with one another. Will this relationship continue or will it end? Each of the members of Amy's family and that of her high school boyfriend, now in his thirties, grab your attention as they respond to Alex's persistent questions. These are well-developed characterizations, rare in a mystery novel. Most interesting is the mind of Amy, still stuck in her fifteen-year-old self, trying to figure out why her "mum" doesn't come to see her, trying to figure out the nightmares that tease her with images that she doesn't understand. "Try Not to Breathe" is a haunting story, one that will stay with you for a long time.

Heat Level: # 0 flames out of 5
Rating: # 4 stars out of 5

This book is the debut novel of Holly Seddon. It has sat on my kindle for a very long time. I received an advance reader copy from the publisher. As you probably have already read this book is compared to the writing styles of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. Now this may be a good thing. I have read books by both of these authors. I definitely see a similarity to Paula Hawkins, Girl On The Train. In both books the authors give the point of views of the different main characters, and the time shifts from present to past. Which I sometimes find confusing, because for the most part I don’t read chapter heading. Once I got absorbed into the story, and realized that yes, I do need to pay attention to who is telling this part of the story and from what period in their life, the book made more sense. Put this all on me, I am a shallow reader that enjoys reading for the escape. I prefer not to think too hard to what I am reading. I just want to sit back and be entertained. Yes this book was entertaining. I enjoyed it very much and if you like a good mystery, you will also enjoy it.

The plot was interesting with a creative concept about people living in a vegetative state. An attack on a girl 15 years ago which has left her in a vegetative state. Her case is still unsolved. Upon noticing the patient at the hospital, freelance reporter, Alex Dale starts digging into the old cold case. Trying to overcome her own issues, Alex is determined to figure out who attacked this beautiful girl and left her for dead in the woods 15 long years ago. There is chemistry in this story between the characters. Not a sexual chemistry, but a strong feeling of caring, friendship and justice. The pacing is a little all over the place. Reading about the thoughts of Amy Stevenson even in her vegetative state, slowed the book down and except for the end, I felt distracted from the story. I guess this was to show that Amy could make her thoughts known at the conclusion of this book. Yes the ending was good. Unlike other reviewers, I didn’t figure things out until about 80% into the story. Unlike Girl On the Train, and Gone Girl, I did like the ending to this story. The character development was good. Over 15 years you learn a lot about the individual characters.

PLOT 5 Stars
CHEMISTRY 4 Stars
PACING 3 Stars
ENDING 5 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT 4 Stars

ARC provided by the author via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club

Journalist Alex Dale is washed up. Years of battling her alcoholism have taken its toll and now she is barely functioning, writing contract pieces of middling mediocrity a far cry from her past high profile columns. While working on a piece about patients who are alive but nonresponsive and attempts to communicate with them, Alex comes across Amy Stevenson, a patient put in her state by a brutal crime that Alex recalled hearing about when younger. Intrigued, she begins to dig deeper. Battling her own cravings to drink the day away, Alex works with Amy’s old boyfriend to uncover the truth.

Told in alternating points of view that jump back and forth in time, the reader learns to keep an eye on not only the character of each chapter but also the date. Nevertheless, the story clips along at a nice pace with several suspenseful cliff hangers inviting the reader to keep reading. The characters are well thought out and Alex is the perfect anti-hero, setting out to overcome more than just a rusting career. The mystery is well crafted with little hints that give enough away for the savvy reader to figure out the culprit, but not too much as to hand them the solution which is impressive for a first novel/mystery.

Personal note: With the story starting after the violent act and flashbacks never giving details, this is an ideal book for both suspense readers and those who prefer less graphic violence. The further character development and focus on Alex’s own struggles as a functioning alcoholic makes this more than a mystery, and a well written work of fiction in its own right. A great debut for a talented writer.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced ARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

She liked her drink, and the ones that followed. In fact, while tethering herself with her booze, she’s loss her husband and her career and now she’s trying to put herself back together. Carefully measuring her alcohol and timing her consumption, she thinks she’s in control, but as she awakens some mornings swaddled in bed with her empty bottles, she surveys the damage. She’s already hit rock bottom and she’s trying to climb out. No longer able to hold a day job, freelancing pays her bills. Spotting a familiar face, her memories are not failing her; she recalls the case that this woman was involved in. It was a significant case that has not been solved yet. Excitement builds within her as she’s sees the potential surrounding her. As a reporter, this could be Alex’s big story, the story that could help her dig her way out from despair. It’s been fifteen years since anyone has analyzed this case file and although Alex does not have the proper credentials to do so, this does not stop her. Utilizing her reporting techniques, Alex knows she has the right contacts to get the job done.

I liked how the author pulled the characters together to create this story. There is Jacob the man who sits with Amy who was the victim in the story. Lying in her vegetative state, Jacob has been visiting Amy for years. I liked Jacob, he is consistent, he is trust-worthy and I liked what he stood for. Fiona is Jacob’s wife and I wanted to smack this woman countless times while reading this story. I realize she was pregnant but geez, her accusative rambling and constant battering at Jacob put me over the edge. The author put together a wonderful cast of characters to string me along as I read. I didn’t want to believe that any of these individuals could be guilty of Amy’s felony but someone had to commit the crime. The idea of having a patient in a vegetative state was a great concept that the author added to this novel, it made me think of my own feelings about this subjects as I read how the characters addressed this situation themselves. So who did it? Fifteen years later was Alex able to solve the mystery that left Amy unable to care for herself? Why did it take so long for someone to address this situation?
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest opinion.

Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Try Not to Breathe, in exchange for an honest review.

At 15, Amy Stevenson has everything to live for: her boyfriend Jake, her best friends, and her secret...

15 years later, journalist Alex Dale comes across Amy while interviewing hospital personnel for a story. In a coma for years after being found near death, Alex realizes that the true story of Amy Stevenson needs to be told. With the help of an unlikely ally, can Alex keep her own demons at bay long enough to give Amy the redemption she deserves?

Try Not to Breathe is written from the perspectives of two unreliable narrators: Amy, who exists on these pages only through a series of flashbacks, due to the coma, and Alex, who has destroyed her personal life due to alcoholism and is trying to resurrect herself. The constant reiteration of Alex's issues did nothing but take the focus away from the central story. As she tries to give Amy her voice, Alex struggles to clean up her act. The detailed descriptions of Alex's binges really served no purpose except to make sure that the reader did not see her in a sympathetic light. The ending does bring everything together, but it is a little too late in my opinion. The constant change in perspectives is not successful, as while it does raise the suspense level, it slows down the pace of the book. I lost interest part way through and had to struggle to finish. Although Try Not to Breathe was not exactly the book for me, readers who enjoy suspense and psychological thrillers might enjoy this novel.

An unusual choice, creating a main character with an alcohol problem, but it works. Seddon gives a superbly accurate insight into alcoholism, especially the minutiae planning of a so-called functioning alcoholic. Alcohol, alcoholism and alcoholics are often written in a stereotypical way.
Pretty much typecast in certain scenarios, dialogues and situations. Seddon has obviously done her homework and focused on one of the sub-categories or rather one of the five types of alcoholics.
Alex plans her entire day around the next drink, the next hit of alcohol and next release from her inner hell. How many bottles at what time and how to deal with the consequences of her consumption, everything revolves around those key factors. Her job, her personal life and her day to day life.
Just how structured the planning can be for a functioning alcoholic becomes clearer, as Alex tries to get a better grip on it. So far everything and everyone around her has fallen prey to her disease. In an effort to pick up the remnants of her career she starts investigating the cold case of an attack on a young teenage girl.
Amy is with the reader throughout the story, albeit in a very unusual way. Her memories, her emotions and her perceptions are a pivotal part of this tale.
The story flits from past to present with occasional visits to the years in between. The reader follows Alex as she tries to control her life and solve the mystery of the attack. Simultaneously the reader hears Amy’s inner dialogue, which is also exceptionally well written and described.
Overall this was an innovative approach to a crime story with an anti-heroine as the main character, and it was an excellent read.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley*

Fifteen year old Amy Stevenson is now a cold case. She disappeared on her way home from school. Many had begun to suspect her step-father, Bob Stevenson, as the culprit. Then Amy was found, but she’s unable to disclose her abductor. She’s what some would call a ‘vegetable’. In 2010, fifteen years later, new technology shows that many of these patients have actually retained thought processes; they’re just unable to communicate it without help.

Alex is a freelance journalist working on an article of Dr. Haynes and the patients in the Neuro-Disability unit. She sees Amy and remembers when Amy was in the news. She remembers because she was the same age and in Amy’s class. Now the assignment becomes more personal for her. She contacts her ex-husband, a detective in South London. She needs information that he may be able to share about the case; something, anything, to get her started. She begins by contacting and interviewing the step-dad who had moved and changed his name.

The story held such a great premise. The reader is given a greater understanding through chapters that alternate between Amy in 1995 and Alex in 2010. There’s another character, Jacob, Amy’s boyfriend, who the reader also has a chance to get to know. And he seems to be feeling extensive guilt when he thinks of Amy. What’s up with this? Realistically, I know that all of us have flaws and so it’s no surprise that Alex is a flawed character. However, the reader should be given info on a ‘need to know’ basis, and I think having the knowledge about her bedwetting due to her ‘not yet controlled’ alcoholism, is one thing I didn’t need to know. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Wow! First I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start by saying that I loved this book! Ms. Seddon did such an excellent job at putting the story out there with multiple characters points of view and the flipping back and forth in time. I did not find myself lost or confused about characters at any time! Bravo! I can say this style of writing seems to be the newest trend in the Mystery/Thriller Genre, and she did an excellent job in keeping my interest without feeling as if I had to back track and re-read sections of the book. Well done development of characters while keeping extra characters uninvolved. I think that some mystery writers try to introduce an excess of characters to throw you off track of the final solution to the crime. This book was not the case.

In summary this book is mainly taken from the point of view of Alex who is a single woman who for years has been hiding her troubles in the bottom of a wine bottle. She has lost everything important to her and turns to her writing to claw her way back out. She decides to start writing a story about a ward at the hospital that cares for the Neuro-Disabled , Patients in vegetative states. While there she recognizes a girl who was in the news, a crime that never found their culprit. Alex decides to play detective and she digs up more than she would ever have anticipated.

Excellent Thriller that only picked up speed at the book continued! Unexpected ending that was realistic , not leaving you feeling like it was the fairytale story. Satisfying!

Wow, this book was totally different than anything I read before! Talk about two unreliable narrators: an alcoholic reporter and a coma patient. The story is told in two different timelines: fifteen years earlier leading up to Amy’s attack and the present as Alex tries to give Amy a voice while coping with her own major issues.

Alex was a hard character to like at first, but the author wrote her in such a way that I couldn’t help, but feel sympathy for her. As more of her tragic back-story is revealed, I did find myself rooting for her to get help and start to rebuild her life. When she starts to visit Amy in the hospital, the comatose woman has a profound effect on her.

The book was more than just a mystery of who attacked Amy. I also found the topic of what type of awareness coma patients may have and how brain scans could be used to measure their responses. The author admits to taking artistic license regarding Amy’s condition, but I still found the possibilities intriguing.

My one major qualm is that I wasn’t totally thrilled with the big reveal regarding Amy’s attacker. It’s hard to explain why without posting spoilers, but the revelations just didn’t pack enough emotional punch.

The pace was spot on and the writing crisp. This is definitely one of the strongest debuts I’ve read thus far this year. Can’t wait to check out more from this amazing author!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Wow! I wish I could write like Holly Sutton. What an incredible book! Told in multiple first person points of view, Ms. Sutton takes us into the mind of an alcoholic who wants to battle her addiction but can’t, slowly peeling back the layers of what led Alex from teenage binge drinking to full-blown daily drinking, and the games she plays with herself to try to control her disease.

We see the guilt Jake carries as he tries to balance a career, marriage, his wife’s pregnancy, and the responsibility he feels toward Amy, his high school girlfriend who lies in a coma after an horrific attack by an unknown assailant. And the additional guilt he carries because of the effect his grief had on his brothers, both of whom ended up leaving home rather than cope with him.

Finally, we see inside Amy’s head. She worries her mum will be angry that she’s overslept. She wonders why her friends haven’t called her to go out. When Jake tries to tell her he’s getting married, she can’t understand why he’d break up with her. Is Mum angry? Why has she stopped speaking to her? Who is Alex? What is she talking about? What attack?

I couldn’t put down Try Not to Breathe. I had work to do and Christmas gifts to make. Yet I kept reading. Yes, when I grow up, I want to write like Holly Seddon. And she’s quite young—just starting out. Wow!

Alex Dale has hit rock bottom. Her out of control drinking has cost her a husband, a career and if she doesn't stop drinking, it will cost her her own life.

Amy Stevenson was 15 in 1995. A teenage girl in a small town.doing all the things girls that age do. Listening to her music, getting in trouble with her friends and in love with her boyfriend.

When Amy fails to come home after school one day, her mother and step-father call the local authorities.
When Amy's body is found, barely alive, beaten horribly she is left in a state of never ending sleep and dreams.
Fingers are pointed and suspects are questioned, but with out any results.

Cut to 2010, and Alex is doing an interview with a physician who works with patients in Amy's condition. On her way out she sees Amy, lying peacefully in her bed. She remembers the story of Amy's disappearance and decides she wants to know what happened to this girl.

This story is told through multiple viewpoints and over a 15 year time period.
A story of how one event can affect many lives. It's also about hope, and redemption.
I've heard this book compared to Girl on a Train. Other than an alcoholic, there is no comparison. Ms. Seddon has done very well with her first novel and I can't wait to see what is next from her..

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NETGALLEY and BALLANTINE books for the chance to read and give an honest review.
I gave this novel 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the authors writing style, my favorite being she told the story from each characters point of view, they basically told their own stories.
The novel surrounded around, Alex, Jacob, and Amy. Amy was a teenager when something terrible happened to her, putting her into a coma, she is being treated by a doctor that
believes some comatose patients are still aware and can communicate. Alex is a freelance writer
that is going to try and write a story about this new development. Alex has numerous problems in her own life. When Alex goes to meet with the doctor, she recognizes the patient, Amy, Alex becomes totally involved in Amy's story. No one has been punished for what happened to Amy, Alex decides to do an investigation of her own. She gets help from Jacob, who was Amy's teenage boyfriend, Jacob has problems of his own, but he truly wants to help Amy.
There are many ups ad downs within this story.
I loved that the author gave Amy a voice, she told her story, she finally remembered. Even though I did figure what happened and who did it, I enjoyed reading the novel and getting to truth.
This novel has it all....suspense, some romance, family, loyalty, drama, forgiveness and redemption.
Thank you NETGALLEY and BALLANTINE books...

I loved this book! A bit different than any other book I've read, at least in recent memory. It's a personal, painful, heart-wrenching journey taken by a young woman named Tanya Dubois who begins running from a past she can't seem to escape or forget. At first, that inevitability is something she's can't accept, one whose existence she refuses to contemplate. After the at-home accidental death of her husband releases her from a loveless marriage, it dawns on her that she's likely to be a prime suspect. Her initial reaction -- as it has always been in her life -- is to run, which she does, in grand style. On the road across America, she dons one personality after another, complete with all the accoutrements (Driver's License, SS card, etc.). In the beginning, I think there's a small part of her that finds this "desperado" lifestyle exciting, and one that challenges her to use all her skills of deceit and inventiveness. As with us all, though, she gradually learns that living a lie isn't living at all.

This book is very well written, with poignancy, insight, and self-deprecation... a thought-provoking read that will touch us all in one way or another. This was my first introduction to the talents of Ms. Seddon, but it won't be my last.

*** This book was provided to me by the Publisher and/or the Author as an ARC in return for an honest review. ***

Seddon manages to give a suspense novel that in many ways ticks off all the usual boxes in such a novel. But also manages to internalize a good portion of it by having one of her main characters lie in a coma much of the time. And does that with a surprisingly read-able and engaging manner that lifts this above its peers quite a bit for me.

Amy's internalized points of view are clever and move the story along quite nicely as well as provide a balanced side for shifting back and forth narratives meant in part to raise tension and draw out the suspense. Amy's point of view though is done well enough that I didn't find this annoying.

The one flaw for me was the character of Alex who was just too sad sack at times. Too crippled by her flaws that it got a little tiresome and felt a little forced as a means to heighten the tension. I just felt 'enough already' as the end drew near whereas I think I was supposed to be eager to know what happens next.

Overall a quick engaging read that very much falls within its type in many ways but still managed to be fresh enough in terms of the author's voice and her choices plot-wise to stand out.

Try Not To Breathe is a psychological thriller starting with the savage beating, attempted murder, and rape of a 15-year-old girl, who ends up in a near-comatose state afterwards. No one had been found guilty and the world went on while young Amy slept, though her mind was still active.

Flash forward 15 years later and reporter, Alex Dale, trying to hold her life together, stumbles upon Amy and her story. Finding some sort of connection, as they are about the same age and from the same area, she decides to make Amy the subject in her next article, hoping this will be the big break she needs to make her comeback into journalism.

The story is told through chapters devoted to Alex, Jacob—Amy’s old teen boyfriend, and flashbacks and eventually the present thoughts of Amy. The way each one of their stories comes together is a great way to introduce each character, developing their personal lives slowly until we can get the whole picture.

This was a book I’d recommend to friends, though I didn’t feel completely shocked at the ending. The mystery of the who-done-it was good but more than that, I loved the way the author allowed me to feel as if I were a little mouse peeking into each one of these people’s multifaceted and dysfunctional lives. This is definitely an author I’ll be looking for again in the future.

Alex , an alcoholic reporter, is aiming for a comeback. Having sewered her career, her marriage and her health, she is freelancing. While working on a story about communicating with comatose patients, she comes upon Amy, the victim of a shocking crime fifteen years earlier. touched by the young woman's plight and also identifying with her, Alex endeavors to solve the mystery. To do so she must dredge up old memories and open old wounds. If she fails,justice will not only be delayed, it will be denied.

This is a terrific novel. Even though I identified the perpetrator early on, I was interested in the progression of the story.the story is narrated by different characters at different times but it still comes together nicely. There do seem to be a few too many characters and Fiona got on my nerves big time. Still it ended in a strong and satisfying way. It is a compelling story of hope and heartbreak, .

This is the story of an extremely alcoholic journalist who, while researching a story, comes across a coma patient who had been attacked as a teenager and left for dead. She remembers hearing of the attack on the news when she was a teenager herself and decides to make her story the one that will hopefully revive her career. She is determined to find out what happened to the teenage girl 15 years ago and bring her attacker to justice. Can that be done while your star witness is locked in her own mind and body, unable to tell you just what happened?
I definitely enjoyed this book, but it’s not a favorite. I was able to figure out the ending about half way through the book, if not earlier, so that took part of the suspense away. I also felt the main character’s alcoholism was overdone and repetitive. I did like the way it was written though, from the various points of view to include the coma patient. One piece of information that came up in the book made me initially think the author was going to write a cheesy ending but she took the higher ground so I was happy about that as well. Overall, it’s a book book…..just not a fantastic one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Seddon manages to give a suspense novel that in many ways ticks off all the usual boxes in such a novel. But also manages to internalize a good portion of it by having one of her main characters lie in a coma much of the time. And does that with a surprisingly read-able and engaging manner that lifts this above its peers quite a bit for me.

Amy's internalized points of view are clever and move the story along quite nicely as well as provide a balanced side for shifting back and forth narratives meant in part to raise tension and draw out the suspense. Amy's point of view though is done well enough that I didn't find this annoying.

The one flaw for me was the character of Alex who was just too sad sack at times. Too crippled by her flaws that it got a little tiresome and felt a little forced as a means to heighten the tension. I just felt 'enough already' as the end drew near whereas I think I was supposed to be eager to know what happens next.

Overall a quick engaging read that very much falls within its type in many ways but still managed to be fresh enough in terms of the author's voice and her choices plot-wise to stand out.

Try Not To Breathe is a psychological thriller starting with the savage beating, attempted murder, and rape of a 15-year-old girl, who ends up in a near-comatose state afterwards. No one had been found guilty and the world went on while young Amy slept, though her mind was still active.

Flash forward 15 years later and reporter, Alex Dale, trying to hold her life together, stumbles upon Amy and her story. Finding some sort of connection, as they are about the same age and from the same area, she decides to make Amy the subject in her next article, hoping this will be the big break she needs to make her comeback into journalism.

The story is told through chapters devoted to Alex, Jacob—Amy’s old teen boyfriend, and flashbacks and eventually the present thoughts of Amy. The way each one of their stories comes together is a great way to introduce each character, developing their personal lives slowly until we can get the whole picture.

This was a book I’d recommend to friends, though I didn’t feel completely shocked at the ending. The mystery of the who-done-it was good but more than that, I loved the way the author allowed me to feel as if I were a little mouse peeking into each one of these people’s multifaceted and dysfunctional lives. This is definitely an author I’ll be looking for again in the future.

Alex , an alcoholic reporter, is aiming for a comeback. Having sewered her career, her marriage and her health, she is freelancing. While working on a story about communicating with comatose patients, she comes upon Amy, the victim of a shocking crime fifteen years earlier. touched by the young woman's plight and also identifying with her, Alex endeavors to solve the mystery. To do so she must dredge up old memories and open old wounds. If she fails,justice will not only be delayed, it will be denied.

This is a terrific novel. Even though I identified the perpetrator early on, I was interested in the progression of the story.the story is narrated by different characters at different times but it still comes together nicely. There do seem to be a few too many characters and Fiona got on my nerves big time. Still it ended in a strong and satisfying way. It is a compelling story of hope and heartbreak, .

This is the story of an extremely alcoholic journalist who, while researching a story, comes across a coma patient who had been attacked as a teenager and left for dead. She remembers hearing of the attack on the news when she was a teenager herself and decides to make her story the one that will hopefully revive her career. She is determined to find out what happened to the teenage girl 15 years ago and bring her attacker to justice. Can that be done while your star witness is locked in her own mind and body, unable to tell you just what happened?
I definitely enjoyed this book, but it’s not a favorite. I was able to figure out the ending about half way through the book, if not earlier, so that took part of the suspense away. I also felt the main character’s alcoholism was overdone and repetitive. I did like the way it was written though, from the various points of view to include the coma patient. One piece of information that came up in the book made me initially think the author was going to write a cheesy ending but she took the higher ground so I was happy about that as well. Overall, it’s a book book…..just not a fantastic one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

An absolutely excellent story, very original and well written. I stumbled across this on the store, purely by coincidence (since I too am doing research into people who are in a coma.) It was described as a psychological thriller and I love a good mystery. The main character, Alex, was someone I felt a certain empathy for and I wasn't sure why she was an alcoholic though it did later emerge she had some deep emotional issues. As a journalist, she stumbles across a young woman who she knew as a teenager - but Amy is not brain dead, she has minimal consciousness, which sends Alex, the journalist, on a quest to try and discover what happened to her. Once started, this book was very difficult to put down with a mystery that drew me in and kept me gripped until the very past page. I really enjoyed it!

A very entertaining book which was written in an engaging manner and which I managed to whip through in no time at all. It was neither a super suspenseful thriller nor was it particularly difficult to predict who the attacker was, nevertheless, I really enjoyed the gentle unraveling of the story, which was almost like two personal stories: Amy's and Alex's. Although the story goes back and forth in time and alternates between different points of view, it was never confusing and just flowed really well. There was a host of captivating characters, all of which seemed believable. I actually found the viewpoint of Alex, the journalist who is a functioning alcoholic, particularly interesting, and having short chapters dedicated to the voice of the victim of crime who has been in a vegetative state for 15 years made the story distinctive. The first book in a while where I feel the hype around it is actually somewhat justified, though ignore the usual comparisons. An impressive debut novel and recommended for all fans of mysteries.
Many thanks to Ballantine Books and Holly Seddon for my copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

**I received an ARC through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

Brilliant mystery. Excellent writing. I was on the edge of my seat. I had my theories over who was Amy's attacker but the reveal blew me away. I'm impressed as hell that this is the author's first novel.

The story takes place in England. Three povs:
1. Alex - a divorced alcoholic who is a freelance journalist trying to sort out her life while investigating Amy's attack that happened fifteen years ago.
2. Jacob - Amy's high school boyfriend who is married with a baby on the way but still sits with Amy in secret a few times a week.
3. Amy - She was abducted and attacked and left for dead when she was just fifteen years old. Technically, she's in a vegetative state but she's also shown signs of brain activity and specialists believe she is "aware" to an extent. I loved Amy's pov.

My only criticism is the pricing for the ebook. $12.99? Really? I wish the publishers would reconsider because a lot of people are going to pass and it'd be a shame to miss out. I loved every word. Bravo!

After drinking away her marriage, career, friends and in general, her life, Alex Dale finds a subject that may bring her journalist career back to life: Amy Stevenson, who has been in a coma for the last 15 years after being attacked.

As she investigates what happened to Amy, Alex slowly tries to rebuild her life. We can see that even through all the alcohol, the research is very good, and we get a glimpse of what she once was. The problem is I just couldn't get to like Alex. I had no sympathy or anything for her. I have read other books in where the mc was not likable, but at least there was a rapport of some kind with them.

Also, you can't but know where it is all heading. Right from the middle of the book I had figured out half of the ending.

The good things about this book: Amy's voice is lovely, well written, and it takes away some of the anguish you feel as you read about her lying in a coma.

The book in general is very easy to read, fast paced, with a good grip of the suspense

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars This was one entertaining book. While I didn't find a lot of suspense in it, nor was I surprised by the suspect (I had it narrowed down to 2 pretty early on), I did enjoy reading it. So I guess in that sense, I really didn't know who the suspect was, just one of two. So apparently, I'm trying to show off where I shouldn't be.

Also, there were more issues involved here than just the kidnapping of Amy though that held my attention. Family issues, drinking issues, cheating issues, nutcase issues and several others.

The author did a great job in keeping the reader informed as to where I was based on the time frame of the story. She also did a great job with the characters. They were believable and I even felt for several of them.

While it was a very, very good book, it's not the type that will keep you up all night. I without a doubt recommend it as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Huge thanks to Random House for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Each character had their own little plot going on while they all intermingled with the main plot.. Till they all collided in the end.

Boy did they collide, I didn't see that coming!

Will Alex get her life together to save her self?

Will Jacob find peace and save his marriage?

What happens to Amy, will they find out who did this horrible thing?

If you want to know the answers, be sure to read the book.

The author has a unique way of writing... I really was impressed on how they constructed the book with out confusion.

They made the several plots simple by making each chapter a different characters on going plot. All the while still interacting with the main plot... Each chapter kept me wanting to know more about what would happen in each characters life next.

Expertly done! The author made a complicated book simple and easy to read!

I highly recommend this book if you like a good mystery, great characters and an ending that surprises you this is the book to read!

Alex Dale is a disgraced journalist, whose alcoholism has ruined just about every part of her life. She's gotten her life together enough to work during the day and drink herself into a stupor every night but she's lost her husband, ruined her career, and still can't make herself stop drinking. She's given an assignment to write about hospital patients in vegetative states when she comes across Amy Stevenson. Amy was the same age as Alex but had been found beaten and left for dead as a teenager and now she was here, unable to do anything but lie in bed. Her doctor had been working on a way to get patients like Amy to be able to communicate and it becomes clear that Amy is still in there, still able to think, even if she can't do much of anything else.
The book alternates between the past and the present, between what happened to Amy as a teenager and what is happening now, with Alex digging deeper and helping discover the truth. The author does a good job of keeping the reader interested and in suspense, never giving too much away.