Before I start this review I would like to say this book has an average of 3.5 stars on Goodreads so it may be enjoyable for some however I found it rather tedious until the last 25 pages or so.

Alex is in a coma and unlikely to ever wake up yet is girlfriend Bea is by his side in the hope he'll show signs of improvement his family and friends are slowly losing faith and all Alex can do is listen. Alex soon begins to suspect that the accident that put him here wasn’t really an accident and as his memories come flooding back he begins to realise he may not be the only one in trouble. Through Alex's narrative we are revealed clues from his past which he uses to find out who tried to kill him before they decide to pull his life support.
Now it sounds absolutely gripping however the setting up of the novel was incredibly slow and it was hard to get through and I couldn't connect with any of the characters including Alex. However it must be said as the book came to an end there was that slight bit of sympathy I felt for him as his voice stuck inside his vegetative state gave a very claustrophobic feeling which I found uneasy. Finally I'm no Doctor so I can't really comment yet I find it baffling that someone in a coma could have such a strong neurological response to the people around him yet there were no signs of him being "alive" to friends, family and doctors - for example he could smell cigarette smoke and perfume when Bea was in the room but maybe this was a memory rather than actually smelling it.

This was one thriller of 2018 which I knew I HAD to read, the synopsis drew me in immediately, and it was a great read.

However, although the plot sounds thrilling, it's not exactly unique, in that similar book plots exist in The Lovely Bones etc. However, the fact that the narrator here is 1. Male - I find less narrators, in general, these days are male, especially if written by a female author. 2. In a coma - I feel as though most books with these Victim observing the world they have left behind plots are set from the beyond, but this book has the victim in a coma when the book opens.

Now, although this plot has the original viewpoint of Alex narrating the story from a coma, this does hurt the pacing of the story, overall. Because events of the story have to be related to Alex's hospital bedside, in order to have him observe and narrate. This is the problematic part of the book, as the pacing is, possibly, the most crucial part of a thriller and really effects the readers experience. I honestly think this could have been solved completely with alternating chapters, with a different point-of-view. This could have allowed us to experience more of the characters and to avoid stretching out the plot too much.

In terms of writing, I found this particularly well done, especially for a debut novel. The way that Koch was able to convey Alex's pain led the reader on an emotional journey, this book was the definition of intense, and if it wasn't for the drawn out plot then this read would have been a 5-star for sure. I'll definitely be looking out for Koch's next book!

If you're looking for a great read in 2018 from a new author, I'd recommend you pick this one up!

I received this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review and would like to say thank-you to RandomHouse for providing me with an advanced-readers-copy of this book.

Full Review Here: https://thereadingruby.blogspot.com/2018/01/if-i-die-before-i-wake-by-emily-koch.html

Alex has been in a coma for two years now and thinks he lies in a coma due to a fall as everyone said.Yet he keeps trying to think back to the fall.why was it he didnt remember the fall?slowly as time passes,he finds out things from stories told by his family and friends as they visit him.

A reopening in the case with new evidence suggests that foul play was involved.He started to realize that his one dr who visited him who was always silent may not be his dr at all.slowly he pieces the events together and solves his murder,but no matter how hard he tries,he never regains consciousness and his family eventually decides to turn off life support

This was on course to get an average rating for an okayish if implausible story line. But it dragged on well beyond where the story should have finished (I didn’t even bother to read the whole of the last page-long chapter because of its total irrelevance) and as a result lost marks.

I am so conflicted about this book! Torn in two!
The first part of me thinks "WOW! What an interesting and original idea for a story! Brilliant!" However, the other part of me was severely underwhelmed by it.

After a rock climbing accident, Alex is in a hospital bed, unable to move or talk, or do anything at all except think, listen, and feel the world around him. Everyone thinks he is in a coma, with no brain activity. Can he make them see that he is awake? Before the person who caused his "accident" goes after the people he loves?

A big issue I had was a medical one. Being a nurse, I find it really difficult to read about medical stuff in novels. And in this one I just found it so completely difficult to believe that he could be having all these emotional responses, neurological RESPONSES to the world around him and his thoughts, that he didn't show any sign of. Nothing.. Yada.. Zilch.. No increased heart rate, no increased respiratory rate at the stressful stuff, and NOTHING AT ALL on the MRI... He would cry his eyes out, but NOTHING on the MRI...
"It's fiction Mel!!" I can hear you yelling at me! Yes I know! But it was just too much for me. Apparently he could smell peoples aftershaves, flowers and food even though there was no air coming in from his nose because he had a tracheostomy. Yes, some air may be able to get through, depending on the tube, sure! But to describe in meticulous detail the scents that he was experiencing? Nope I just can’t believe it. Thankfully, the average person is not medically trained so would most probably appreciate this aspect a lot more than I did. It wasn't all bad in the medical department at all, a lot of it was very accurate. I just notice everything.

One thing that others may agree with, is that it just went really slowly. There were parts that I struggled to get through just because it was moving so slowly. It was obviously a challenge, a novel in the mind of one so severely limited character, without resorting to story telling all in flashbacks. So points for that, but it just didn't hit the mark for me.

I enjoyed the twist, I didn't see it coming. I really liked the characters, even though character development of everyone except the main two characters was severely limited considering he couldn't even talk to them.

And it was just such an original idea! I haven't read anything like it, well maybe the lovely bones, but that character was obviously dead and was very different.
So I absolutely didn't hate it. But I didn't love it.

Would I recommend If I Die Before I Wake?
I think thriller fans and fans of original ideas will appreciate the different premise for this book, and those who are not so picky with the medical aspects of books will surely appreciate it more than I.

Big thanks to Netgalley for a copy of If I Die Before I Wake to review.

This is a very good debut novel, so well written, you feel instantly drawn into the life of Alex. The only reason I'm withdrawing one star from it is because I don't believe it should end the way it does. I can't forgive that.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, via NetGalley, for a fair review.
And this in one of the best books I have read recently. The idea of showing someone in a coma after dangerous climbing accident, the idea that his brain is still working and he is still hearing everyone around him but….no-one knows about that, is brilliant. And also sad. Because he is the only person who knows that his accident was not an accident. He is step by step analyzing all comments and talks happening around him. Up to the final conclusion. Everyone visiting him, including the nurses and doctors are convinced he cannot hear anything. So everyone is talking freely, expressing their concerns, thoughts, what happening in their life.
The best thing is that we don’t leave Alex hospital room. Everything what is going on is only in his room. He cannot move, cannot see, he can only listen and think. His world is very, very limited but via his senses we learn so much.
Beautiful, very moving story.
Wonderful debut. I will be looking to read the next book by Emily Koch.

This book was recommended to me so I really wanted to love it but ultimately i found it underwhelming. Perhaps my expectations had been set too high but i found it very difficult to get drawn in to the story, i really had to persevere. The pace was very slow and I just didn't enjoy the style of writing. I found the pace picked up in the second half and there were some good twists to the story, but not enough to stop me finding it all a bit lacklustre. Not a terrible read, but not one that will stay with me either.

I know I said I’m taking a break, and I am. But I couldn’t wait to get my thoughts out on If I Die Before I Wake.

IIDBIW is billed as a psychological mystery, and it is, but it is so much more too.

When we meet Alex, he’s lying in a hospital bed, with all those around him believing he’s in a coma. Yet he can still hear, and feel, and think for himself. He just can’t move. He is trapped in his own body.

We see everything from Alex’s perspective, and along with him, we learn that his climbing accident may have been something more sinister. As his visitors come and go, we all learn a little bit more about them all and how they fit into Alex’s life before the fall.

If I Die Before I Wake is a very clever novel. I loved the fact that the main character was male, as it’s not the usual thing in the psychological thriller genre lately. The narrative is brilliantly told, and with each new piece of information gleaned, the tension rises.

I found myself unable to put the book down. So much so that I read almost all of it in one day. Today, in fact. The characterisation is excellent. We learn a little about everyone. Family members, friends, their various experiences. All of this lends itself really well to how I felt about Alex. I was rooting for him from the very beginning. Willing him to move, to talk, to do anything.

I loved how the author built tension throughout the book. More than once I had to remind myself to relax. I was getting so caught up in the story that my body was rigid! It also makes the reader feel a range of emotions for all of those involved too.

Compulsive, engaging and thoroughly gripping, If I Die Before I Wake is most certainly a book to watch out for in 2018. I can’t wait to see where this author goes next!

Highly recommended!

Very well executed debut novel. Utterly engaging mystery and the ending was just perfect.
Full review to follow ...