An absolutely unique book. I loved this writer’s first book and wondered what she would follow that up with. Well……it’s dark, it’s beautifully written and it’s a full five stars from me. If you are going to buy one book this month yhen. Buy this one.

What is real and what is a dream? Betsy has a sleep disorder, she has been an insomniac since a child, her parents found her condition hard to understand. She works for a beauty company with her best friend Siobhan, she is engaged to Harry a charming ,controlling man, who seems to enjoy her illness. When they finally get married there is an incident at their wedding which ends up with Betsy being locked in a room, she has no recall of what happened. Betsy and Harry move into their minimalistic flat which is paid for and furnished by Harry. Because of her disturbed sleep, Betsy decides to work less hours in an old fashioned bookshop owned by Colin. Betsy's life gets increasingly strange and she needs to get away, she has a contact called Elise who has told her she will help at any time, when Betsy calls her she is whisked away to Carn a luxurious wellbeing establishment surrounded by a moat, here she meets three other girls, Abigail an attractive, forthright girl with tattoos, Sally a quiet childish girl and Caroline an argumentative girl, they have a timetable and all eat together. They are served gourmet food and can request anything they want. Betsy is given a pill which enables her to sleep well without the disturbing lifelike dreams which she normally encounters, Abigail has a special padded room where she is not bothered by sound. Betsy becomes suspicious when she realises they are all being watched and suspects that Caroline is secretly reporting to Elise on them. When Betsy is paraded before a group of older men, one of them pinches her cheek in a strange way. Betsy wants to leave but is scared that her nightmares and illness will return, she asks Abigail for help. Will she be able to get away and find the secrets behind the façade of the wellness retreat? What a fascinating read, swift paced and puzzling in places but always fresh and intriguing. Thank you Heather, NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC

"To not be understood at all was the loneliest place to live." Excuse me whilst I piece my brain back together! This was such a suspenseful read - I now understand the ‘I released the breath I didn't know I was holding’ phrase. This book was so bizarre and tense I was peeking through my fingers for most of the chapters! The way we gradually learn about Betsy, the main character, and the way her condition has affected her life in the past and present day, felt very unnerving. Purely because my brain kept trying to fill in the gaps and I kept imaging the absolute worst. I also felt very angry on Betsy’s behalf, the way her family treated her and the way her friend and fiancé dismissed her. As if I was there myself, I had no trouble imaging Carn, and all it's various rooms. Like Betsy I would have probably explored but upon discovering certain things, I don't think I would have continued to be so trusting of everyone there. Especially as the story progresses and everything gets even more dark and disturbing. And even more so when I learned the cost of what it took to help me! Those final few chapters I did not see coming!

Loved this gripping, unsettling, creepy book - already looking forward to reading again! Definitely recommend to any horror/thriller lovers and eagerly awaiting more books by Darwent.

Betsy struggles with sleeping (and that's putting it lightly). It doesn't matter where she goes, no one seems to be able to help her. That is, until one day she gets an offer to go to a place called Carn, where they promise to fix her. Once at Carn she starts noticing things. Strange things. What is really going on? Betsy needs to find out. As someone with a chronic illness who’s constantly looking for solutions to make life more bearable, I instantly felt a connection to Betsy. Her desperation, her need to be heard, and always looking for a solution is so recognizable. Heather Darwent really knows what she’s writing about, and it’s one of the things I really loved about this book. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the entire time while reading. Once I hit the 40% mark, I couldn't put it down anymore and read the entire other 60% in one sitting. I had to know what would happen next. This is truly literary fiction at its finest. My favorite type of lit fic is weird stories where women start losing their minds and this one definitely falls under that category. That mixed with the mystery and the suspense? Perfection. I need more books like this asap! Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the arc. P.S. This one really reminded me of The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi. If you like this, I highly recommend checking out that one as well.