Updated on January 26th, 2025
Earlier this week I finished reading Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber, which I received for free from NetGalley. I wanted to share my review of Are You Sleeping here.
The truth is never complicated. It’s just the truth. Circumstances may be complicated, but the truth is always black and white.
Are You Sleeping is about a woman named Josie who has tried to escape her past. Her father was murdered 13 years ago, her mother joined a cult, and her twin sister Lanie betrayed her. After graduating from high school, Josie began traveling where she met her boyfriend Caleb who knows nothing about her past and together they moved to New York. However, following her mother’s death and the podcast started by the investigative reporter Poppy Parnell that re-opens the case of Josie’s father’s murder, Josie must return to her hometown to confront her family and face her past.
The story is told from the viewpoint of Josie, and it also includes transcripts of Poppy’s podcast as well as newspaper articles, Facebook posts, reddit discussions, and tweets. I found that including the social media aspect with the story unique and it highlights how people on social media today will do anything to find out the truth. There are not too many characters to keep track of, and the minor characters are often reintroduced with how they are related to the main characters, which is helpful. Josie is a likable character, but at times she can be a bit frustrating. The other main characters have their own personalities which makes them either likable or unlikable.
While I was reading the book, I did not want to put it down, but there were a few slow parts. I also did not figure out the truth until the end when it was revealed. After the story ends, Poppy’s last episode of her podcast neatly wraps up everything and does not leave any questions unanswered. I would definitely recommend this book if you like mysteries and family dramas.
Overall, Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber is a good read that highlights the effect of social media while unraveling the truth about Josie’s father’s murder.
Sounds like an interesting read, I like the idea of incorporating modern norms, like social media and podcasts.
I found these books interesting too read even though they are non-fiction
It was interesting to read since it including the social media part 😊
I’ll check it out!
It sounds great….I will definitely read the book☺
I hope you’ll like it as much as I did!
Sure
Sounds like an interesting read!
It is!
I was looking for new book to read as I finished all that I had in my collection, I’ll definitely look this one up. Great post. xx
Thank you! 😊 Oh wow! I still have a good amount of books in my collection to read!
This sounds like a book right up my street! It sounds an interesting way of being written. Great review, thank you for sharing.
Thank you! I would definitely recommend reading it! 😊
This one sounds like a great read, and a very interesting way to write a book as well. It reminds me of The Three, by Sarah Lotz, which I highly recommend if you have not read that one 😊
I haven’t read it, but it sounds interesting! I’ll add it to my TBR list haha
This sounds like a really interesting book, definitely one that I would enjoy! Love how it focuses on social media as a way of telling the story as well… may have to give it a go x
It is interesting & I would definitely recommend it! 😄