Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

Description from Goodreads:

“Memories define us.

So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love—all forgotten overnight.

And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story.

Welcome to Christine's life.”

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I started this book with high expectations given all the hype that has preceded it and, overall, I wasn't disappointed and I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Random House UK/Transworld Publishing, for my copy in return for an unbiased review.

The story centres around and is told by the main character, Christine. I won’t bore you with a detailed outline of the story as this has already been done by others and the description sets it out in a nutshell. 

The overall concept of the story is interesting and engaging. I have seen a few reviews that criticise the author for not being accurate in respect of the type of amnesia or the plausibility and inconsistencies of the story but I found it compulsive and captivating. Is this likely to happen in real life … probably not; are there parts of the book that just happen to fall conveniently into place … yes … but did it keep me reading and going back for more …. yes it did.

The pace and style of writing made it easy to read and I felt the author captured Christine’s absolute fear and confusion every morning on waking and the trials and tribulations she went through to find out what happened to her extremely well. I went along for the ride and enjoyed trying to work things out in tandem with Christine. The penny dropped for me quite quickly but this didn't ruin the ending which was full of action and tension and I liked seeing how the story unfolded for Christine.

The characters are interesting and complex but I did find them a little bit lacking in brain cells at times and not reacting in a way that I would expect. I would like to give some examples here but I don’t want to give away any spoilers to those that are yet to read this book, I will just let you find them yourselves.

I admit that this book isn't the best psychological thriller/mystery that I have read but I was still entertained and I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading these types of books but don’t expect anything too scary or dark.

Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner

Description from Goodreads:

"My name is Nicky Frank.

I'm in hospital after crashing my car. I am afraid. The only thing that I can think about is Vero. I know I have to save her but why couldn't I find her? She's just a little girl.

The man standing in my hospital room tells me we are married but there is no Vero. That six months ago I suffered a traumatic brain injury which caused changes to my personality. I have dramatic mood swings, an inability to concentrate and large gaps in my memory. I'm much easier to anger these days. And I drink. All of which he says explains the car accident and my confusion.

Now a Sergeant Wyatt Foster is investigating. He has questions about the car accident. He has concerns about my husband. And he's worried about a missing girl.

He would like to know what happened to me. So would I.

My name is Nicky Frank. This is my life.

Watch me crash and burn."

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I have read a few of Lisa Gardner’s books and have enjoyed them all but this was something different and equally as good. This is the third story in the Tessa Leoni series but you definitely don’t have to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this and it can be read as a standalone. I would however like to add a caveat to this as I do believe it would be beneficial to read the other books in order to get an insight into Tessa as Lisa touches on this in this book and I did feel I was missing out on something from previous stories but, as this book doesn't focus on Tessa that much, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.

This book centres around Nicky and delves into her fractured mind, her unreliable memories, disturbing past and her relationship with her husband, Thomas. In the beginning, there are so many questions and you never really know if what Nicky is thinking is real or not but gradually clues are drip-fed and you start to put 2 and 2 together but sometimes you make 5! Enter Police Sergeant Wyatt and Private Investigator Leoni who struggle to piece things together and try to discover just what the heck is going on but it becomes clear that Nicky has a traumatic history and a history that, unfortunately, is only too real and is happening to someone today.

The pace of the story is excellent with twists and turns thrown in on a regular basis and it doesn't let up right to the breath-taking conclusion. It is told mainly from the point of view of Nicky and, I think, it captures her confusion and fear extremely well. It is also told from Wyatt’s perspective and he is the calm and measured voice of the book. All of the characters are complex, interesting and believable.

Lisa Gardner tackles a difficult subject in Crash & Burn with sensitivity and respect and does not glorify it or go into graphic detail which I applaud and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a fast-paced, psychological thriller that has you not knowing whether you are coming or going.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Headline, for the copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.