(Reviewed on my blog, www.bibliobrat.com)

This novel begins six weeks after Sue’s daughter, Charlotte, stepped in front of a bus in a desperate attempt to end her life. With just her daughter’s diary to answer questions, Sue finds a very troubled entry written shortly before the accident that left her daughter in a coma: “This secret is killing me."

Although the reader sympathizes greatly with Sue, it eventually becomes apparent in her quest to find the truth that she may not be mentally stable; she had an abusive boyfriend in the past, and suffered from paranoid delusions years later because of it.

Before I Wake is a satisfying psychological thriller that has the reader on the edge of their seat wondering why Charlotte tried to kill herself, and if her mother is the cause of it, either directly or indirectly. Could Sue’s past be coming back to haunt her literally, or is she losing her grip on reality... again?

Although the ending was decent, it felt a bit rushed. I wasn’t disappointed with how the novel ended, don’t get me wrong: it was satisfying in that all loose ends were tied, just a bit brief. It feels almost like a chapter is missing. I wanted more details after the scene in the hospital at the end.

All in all, Before I Wake is a stunning debut by C.L. Taylor, and I can’t wait to read his or her (I’m guessing her) future works.

Please note that I received a free ARC edition of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, in exchange for my honest review.

A 2.5 from me, an easy listen on audiobook but at rimes felt a little clumsy. I know the point is that Sue feels unable to share her concerns with others due to earlier episodes but it sometimes felt a bit implausible. Probably a good read for when you want to get into a story quickly with a bit of momentum.

Terrible writing. Seriously, terrible. I walked away from this mad that I even spent any time on it, and feeling compelled to rate it just to add some realism to goodreads reviews.

Wait, let me write that like C.L. Taylor:
"This book was so terrible that I felt compelled to write a long run on sentence much like the author who doesn't seem to understand that run on sentences should have been weeded out of her writing in primary school or perhaps middle school when most of us were learning the basics and I think Ms Taylor was playing with toys or perhaps staring at the wall thinking of how incredibly easy it would be to write and publish books once it became easy enough for any hack to do it."

See all that annoying repetition? The blathering on? Add some unlikable characters, some ridiculous scenarios, a caricature of a 50 shades freak (who is himself a caricature starring in a possibly worse book), a shaky and unbelievable plot, and you've got this book in a nutshell.

At the end of the one I got, there is a question/answer interview from the author, where she mentions she was sleep deprived when she wrote a lot of this. When I read that, I went, "Aha!" The first few sentences are very good. She came up with those long before she finished the book. Reading this, I felt like perhaps if she had written it during that initial burst of inspiration...it might have been ok. As it was...well. No. Just no.

[insert your favorite Nope Nope Nope gif here]

This is a must read for readers who enjoy an excellent gripping thriller, mystery, contemporary and suspense filled story, which would also make the ideal story to discuss if you are part of a book club…
WOW! WHAT AN ENDING! I haven’t hated a fictional character as much as James in this book and the ending is just indescribable!! Cally Taylor has blown me away again, another fantastic story that had me hooked throughout. I’m just sad that I have now read all her stories and I will be waiting for her next book too (hurry, hurry!). The Accident is beautifully written, easy to read and extremely fast paced! I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to you all if you haven’t read it already, it contains a brilliant plot!
Great author, great stories, never been let down by her! Enjoy.

This was a different kind of book for me reading the blurb but I actually really enjoyed reading it. I knew exactly what would happen and I knew James would be involved somehow. I loved the diary entries, those were my favourite chapters even though a little hard to read at times

I read this on my June quest for thriller/mystery novels. Still yet to find something outstanding. This was just okay.

Susan Jackson’s 15 year old daughter steps in front of a bus and is fighting for her life in hospital. The story very quickly becomes about the mother’s quest to discover why her daughter did this and how she can fix all her problems. It’s also told through a series of flashbacks every chapter or so of Susan’s past relationship when she was living in London. She was in an extremely mentally and then physically abusive relationship with one of the worst male characters I’ve ever read about. He is honestly horrific. It became really difficult to read because it just started to get gradually more horrible each time there was a new flashback and I was actually starting to dread reading them.

I thought this was an okay thriller - again, I guessed the twist so that was a bit of a let-down and I’m in serious need of a thriller where I don’t actually guess what is going to happen! It wouldn’t be first on my recommendations list but I’m happy I read it.

3 stars.

Review: The Accident by C. L. Taylor Published on 10th April 2014. Thanks to the author and publisher for the advanced reading copy I received via netgalley.
This book piqued my interest as the synopsis sounded really interesting and it was recommended for fans of Before I go to Sleep which I've read and enjoyed recently.
The story is about a girl called Charlotte who is in a coma. Her parents visit her daily and try to discover if Charlotte really intended to kill herself when she stepped in front of the bus or if it was an accident.
Charlotte's mum Suzy turns detective and speaks to everyone her daughter knows, desperate to find out her daughter's state of mind before the accident.
Running alongside Charlotte's story, we find out about a past relationship that Suzy had with someone called James.
This story is beautifully written with wonderfully descriptive flowing vocabulary. Suzy's and Charlotte's story is highly emotive and will really get under your skin. I had several 'Nooooo!' moments whilst reading this psychological thriller and I experienced so many emotions. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Very gripping and easy to read