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While You Sleep: A chilling, unputdownable psychological thriller that will send shivers up your spine! Kindle Edition

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 833 ratings

A PACY, CHILLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP READING!

‘Intensely atmospheric’ Mail on Sunday

A house full of secrets…
The McBride house lies on a remote Scottish island, isolated and abandoned. A century ago, a young widow and her son died mysteriously there. Last year a local boy, visiting for a dare, disappeared without a trace.

A woman alone at night…
For Zoe Adams, the house offers an escape from her failing marriage. But when night falls, her peaceful retreat is disrupted—scratches at the door, strange voices—and Zoe is convinced she is being watched.

A threat that lurks in the shadows…
The locals tell Zoe the incidents are merely echoes of the house’s dark past. Zoe is sure the danger is all too real—but can she uncover the truth before she is silenced?


From the Publisher

Storm
While You Sleep
Storm
Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars 833
4.2 out of 5 stars 865
Price £7.99 £12.99
The unputdownable psychological thriller that will send shivers up your spine! Available now to pre-order

Product description

Review

Creepy, clever, atmospheric, a fabulous Gothic thriller Kate Mosse

Atmospheric, spellbinding as haunting as the best of Du Maurier, as psychologically astute as Kate Atkinson. Read it and shiver A. J. Finn, bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

A contemporary, edgy and, at times, terrifying tale Daily Mail

Fast-paced, psychologically astute and intensely atmospheric, this is a real page-turner that builds to a gripping dénouement Mail on Sunday

Alarmingly unnerving deliciously gothic Observer

Creepy psychological thriller about secrets Sun

Pure edge-of-the-seat stuff: a fantastically entertaining, yet deeply unsettling read Julie Myerson

Forget sleep this broodingly creepy gothic tale of love, lust and loss on a remote Scottish island kept me awake most of the night, partly from fear, but mostly because I couldn't put it down Fiona Neill, bestselling author of The Betrayals

The isolated setting, unreliable narrator, and menacing cast of characters all come together for a genuinely terrifying read! Amy Engel, bestselling author of The Roanoke Girls

A sumptuously written contemporary Gothic thriller at turns chilling, poignant, and sensuous Gregg Hurwitz, bestselling author of Orphan X

While You Sleep makes for utterly riveting bedtime reading. Steph has taken familiar ingredients and made something fresh and frankly terrifying from them. I loved it Andrew Taylor, bestselling author of The Ashes of London

Sexy, scary and gripping Cass Green, bestselling author of In a Cottage In a Wood

A genuinely terrifying, unsettlingly erotic blend of supernatural and physical peril Irish Times

Merritt lifts this bone-chiller far above the usual ghost story Good Housekeeping

Atmospheric Sunday Times Culture Magazine

A spine-chilling Gothic suspense novel Red Magazine

Hits a midpoint between Broadchurch and Anne Brontë s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Guardian

A witty psychological ghost story Guardian Review

--Guardian Review

About the Author

No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author and journalist Stephanie Merritt has worked as a critic and feature writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines, as well as radio and television. Writing as S. J. Parris, she is the fastest growing historical crime writer in the UK, with her series of thrillers set in Tudor England selling over half a million copies. She currently writes for the Observer and the Guardian, and lives in Surrey with her son.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071W44JHK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (8 Mar. 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 401 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 833 ratings

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
833 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book compelling and entertaining with a gripping storyline. They praise the well-written, easy-to-read writing style and atmospheric setting. However, some readers felt the plot was far-fetched and repetitive at times, with unconvincing elements.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

20 customers mention ‘Readability’20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They find it compelling, entertaining, and believable. The story starts slowly but is worth reading.

"Enjoyed reading this. Never knew where it was going until the end. It could have been anyone - or no-one. Or two or three working together!!!..." Read more

"...Four and a half stars for this well worth reading." Read more

"Not my usual genre but very gripping and entertaining. So well written and I enjoyed my mind trip to the island off the west coast of Scotland...." Read more

"This is a good book to read if you like a bit of spooky goings on with a bit of 50 shades thrown in...." Read more

16 customers mention ‘Twists and turns’13 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's twists and turns. They find the story gripping and spine-tingling until the end. The supernatural twists keep them hooked until the end.

"Atmospheric with a good story line. There are plenty of spooky moments and some interesting characters to meet...." Read more

"Not my usual genre but very gripping and entertaining. So well written and I enjoyed my mind trip to the island off the west coast of Scotland...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the story." Read more

"This was a gripping read it was hard to put down. Loved the descriptive writing of the book have a great imagery of the place and characters...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Writing style’8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing style. They find it well-written, easy to read, and thought-out. The book is highly entertaining.

"...It was very atmospheric and spooky and written really well." Read more

"Not my usual genre but very gripping and entertaining. So well written and I enjoyed my mind trip to the island off the west coast of Scotland...." Read more

"This was a gripping read it was hard to put down. Loved the descriptive writing of the book have a great imagery of the place and characters...." Read more

"...a brooding gothic atmosphere and, despite the cliched plot, a fresh writing style particularly in descriptions of natural scenery - but there was..." Read more

7 customers mention ‘Spooky atmosphere’7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book has a creepy and haunting atmosphere. They describe it as a beautifully written page-turner with a brooding gothic feel.

"...It was very atmospheric and spooky and written really well." Read more

"Atmospheric with a good story line. There are plenty of spooky moments and some interesting characters to meet...." Read more

"...It has a brooding gothic atmosphere and, despite the cliched plot, a fresh writing style particularly in descriptions of natural scenery - but there..." Read more

"Very enjoyable read. Kept me enthralled to the end. Spooky atmosphere throughout, a bit erotic in places so wouldn't recommend for younger readers!" Read more

4 customers mention ‘Atmosphere’4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's atmosphere.

"...It was very atmospheric and spooky and written really well." Read more

"Atmospheric with a good story line. There are plenty of spooky moments and some interesting characters to meet...." Read more

"Absolutely loved this book, great story, atmospheric, good characters, and I couldn't put it down!!..." Read more

"Creepy and Atmospheric..." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Character development’4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the character development and imagery of the place.

"...There are plenty of spooky moments and some interesting characters to meet...." Read more

"...writing of the book have a great imagery of the place and characters. I did find the chapters a little long but that's personal preference." Read more

"I really enjoyed the plot and characters in this book. I was gripped start to finish and did not expect that ending..Well worth the read." Read more

"Absolutely loved this book, great story, atmospheric, good characters, and I couldn't put it down!!..." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Story quality’0 positive8 negative

Customers find the story far-fetched and ridiculous. They mention the story gets repetitive at times and bogs down in unconvincing elements. Some find the chapters too long.

"...The house is full of secrets and Zoe begins to have unsettling experiences, dreams that are so real, sleepwalking experiences, and as she begins to..." Read more

"...Some of he plot did verge on the ridiculous but the balance was good. I enjoyed the story." Read more

"...I did find the chapters a little long but that's personal preference." Read more

"...After a strong opening, the story telling gets very pedestrian at times and bogged down in repetitive detail, and I have had to skip or speed-read..." Read more

INCREDIBLE
5 out of 5 stars
INCREDIBLE
Amazing quality and SIGNED INSIDE! This book in an AMAZING read and had me on the edge of my seat with every chapter! 100% recommend!
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 June 2022
    Enjoyed reading this. Never knew where it was going until the end. It could have been anyone - or no-one. Or two or three working together!!! But I never really saw that ending.

    My only criticism. I would have preferred shorter paragraphs. Reading it in bed, I found myself doxing off, then having to re-read two or three pages to pick up the thread again!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2019
    This is another book I expected to be like so many more on the market and I am so happy to say that it wasn't. After reading the Burning House by Neil Spring, this was another one in the same genre and I really liked it. Zoe Adams is escaping, she needs respite and opts for the McBride House on a remote Island. The house is full of secrets and Zoe begins to have unsettling experiences, dreams that are so real, sleepwalking experiences, and as she begins to delve into the history even more sinister things emerge. When night falls the house seems to come alive. Strange noises, are the least of Zoe's worries as she looks into the house and its terrifying past. Four and a half stars for this well worth reading.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2020
    I really struggled to get started with this book, it was slow to start but picked up speed from chapter 6-8 and kept going! It was very atmospheric and spooky and written really well.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2018
    Atmospheric with a good story line. There are plenty of spooky moments and some interesting characters to meet. It is not, as another review stated, a suitable book for younger readers given some of the descriptive erotic moments in the storyline. I enjoyed the read mostly because of the pacing of the storyline and would recommend the book for those who enjoy this genre.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2019
    Not my usual genre but very gripping and entertaining. So well written and I enjoyed my mind trip to the island off the west coast of Scotland. Tense, I would never had set foot in there and I didn’t guess for one minute where it was heading. Excellent!
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 May 2020
    I liked the way th author developed the main characters in the and that the story properly.as unpredictable.
    Some of he plot did verge on the ridiculous but the balance was good. I enjoyed the story.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 June 2018
    This was a gripping read it was hard to put down. Loved the descriptive writing of the book have a great imagery of the place and characters. I did find the chapters a little long but that's personal preference.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2018
    Chic-lit porno I fear, although at times it’s quite well written apart from the thin characterisation. It has a brooding gothic atmosphere and, despite the cliched plot, a fresh writing style particularly in descriptions of natural scenery - but there was too much explicit sex for my liking which was both unpleasant and out of keeping with the style as a whole - almost as if it’s shoehorned in to meet a publisher’s demands?

    After a strong opening, the story telling gets very pedestrian at times and bogged down in repetitive detail, and I have had to skip or speed-read to get through it. You can actually follow the plot by reading 5 lines per page quite easily.

    Half way way through in fact, I felt like giving it up, as I suspect it was aiming at a “50 Shaded of Gray, S M” audience - well that’s not me but I’m sure it will please many others who can stand the slow patches between, gratuitous eroticism, and generically unconvincing elements e.g. staying in the house after endless bits of ghostly nastiness have taken place - stripping naked to swim in the Scottish seas in late October - a bookshop on an island with virtually no population etc etc.

    I just yearn for a good old supernatural thriller, without the sexy extras thrown in to boost sales and PC ramblings on about male oppression - particularly when the heroine is so irritating and unlikable. Oh yes, and I could see the twist about the child coming from the opening chapters. That was not handled at all well.

    This author needs a good editor methinks.The dust jacket picture should have warned me about the “explicit” content but one always lives in hope.

    The ending was dragged out forever. It seemed silly and didn’t work one little bit for me. Still lots of people have given it a high rating so you might like it too. At least I’ve warned you...
    3 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Cat
    4.0 out of 5 stars Chilling and steamy
    Reviewed in Spain on 30 October 2021
    This is a hard one to review. First because everything I suspected from the beginning proved correct in the end, and second because it preyed on some of my old fears and awkwardly on some of my unrealistic fantasies.
    A woman crosses the Atlantic to visit her ancestral country and isolates herself on a small island in a old Victorian house with a dark taboo history leaving behind her family and her past trying to reconnect with her art. Pretty quickly she’ll find the hidden truths and experience them for herself.
    An intense, darkly erotic, scary supernatural story that definitely hooked me from the start even if I did found it predictable, but the same can be said of almost all romance novels, we always know they’ll end up together in the end but “we” still read them. Definitely worth the road there. Really enjoyed it so ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.35 /5 I think 😅
  • Hemishepherd
    5.0 out of 5 stars Anticipatory plot
    Reviewed in the United States on 30 September 2018
    I chose this read as I patiently await the installment of SJ Parris’ Bruno series. Merritt is one of my favorite authors. This is definitely a worthwhile read.
  • Silviah Colombara
    3.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful scenery. Unique take to the haunted house topic.
    Reviewed in Italy on 15 August 2019
    It's a long read. After the first 150 pages I started finding it a bit monotonous, with Zoe having nightmares and waking up in a different room from where she fell asleep.
    I started wondering what she would tell for another 250 pages or so.

    But then the story started to get more articulated, and the unexpected turn in the last part of the novel was much appreciated.

    I would say this is a unique approach to the traditional topic of the haunted house.

    Wonderful scenery, inhospital as the people living on the island.

    I did not particularly like the main character, Zoe. She is a very unreliable one, and this I think is what adds to the uncertainty and the many possibilities in the story.

    Overall, even if it was a long read, I feel it was time well spent.
  • DIANE PATTERSON
    2.0 out of 5 stars ☆ THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS ☆
    Reviewed in the United States on 10 January 2019
    Zoe, a 43 year old American artist, is yearning for some solitude & time alone. In search of peace & quiet, she travels thousands of miles from her home in Connecticut to a small remote island off the west coast of Scotland to spend a few weeks in a house by the sea. After an overnight flight, a 5 hour train ride & 2 hours on the ferry, she finally arrives at her destination. There are only 130 residents & no police at all on the island. Everyone who comes to the village is trying to escape from something. And, those who were born there dream of running away.

    She has paid in advance to rent the McBride house. It had called to her over the Internet. The owner informs her that the islanders are superstitious & if they tell her tall tales, ignore them. The locals believe the house is cursed.

    She came to paint landscapes not to make friends. But, she takes an instant liking to the schoolteacher & the local historian. They question why she wants to stay in the middle of nowhere on her own in an old house with no landline or WiFi.

    That night, her 1st night in the house, she has an intensely vivid, explicitly erotic dream & she hears a woman singing a ballad. She dismisses it as a trick of her tired mind, stress & jet-lag. She convinces herself that once she's well rested, these nocturnal visions & irrational imaginings will stop.

    The island & the house was owned by Tamhas McBride who married Ailsa Drummond in 1861. He was 50, she was 34. They had been married less than a year, when Tamhas drowned. He was on board a ship that went down in the Atlantic ocean. After she widowed, Ailsa became a recluse. She kept to herself, stayed away from the village & turned down all social invitations. 8 months later, her father passed away. She shocked everyone by turning up at his funeral in an advanced stage of pregnancy. Ailsa gave birth to a son, 11 months after her husband was buried. She became an outcast.

    Tamhas McBride dabbled in the occult. He believed there is more to the world than is visible to the eye. He attempted to summon spirits. It's quite possible he unknowingly (or knowingly) unleashed an incubus; a demon who seduces women in their sleep & can impregnate them. Was Ailsa's son a cambion? (A male child fathered by an incubus & a mortal woman.)

    Every night, in her dreams, Zoe experiences sexual encounters with a mystery lover. It isn't clear to her whether it's real or all in her head. Is she just suffering from the effects of isolation? Is she susceptible because of her vulnerable emotional state?

    She finds Ailsa's journal & reads the intimate entries & deeply disturbing confessions of a woman in distress. Ailsa's recorded dreams are identical to the ones Zoe is having. But, Zoe's dreams started before she found Ailsa's journal, so there's no way she could have been influenced by it. And, she's experiencing other phenomena in the house, too. A woman singing about a drowned fiance & a woman speaking to her in Gaelic telling her "Time To Go". Is there a dangerous influence in the house? Is it wise for her to stay there?
  • Frank Rizzo
    2.0 out of 5 stars Boo.
    Reviewed in the United States on 25 August 2022
    Boo. And not the good kind. I love unlovable characters- but annoying, smug self involved characters? No thanks. This awful and the very reason rejection letters were invented.

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