Absorbing ... afire with [Daly's] trademark brilliantly defined characters ... The element of literary ambition makes for a fascinating story within the story, with details on the dangers of plagiarism and the destructive practice of 'sock puppetry'—posting fake bad reviews of authors’ work—enhancing the telling. The turn at the end is an absolute triumph. Readers will hope to hear more of the Campbells soon.
I dare you to start this one late at night, because you’ll stay up all night to finish it ... Daly crafts a powerful, and at times, genuinely creepy, domestic thriller. She also realistically and sympathetically tackles the sometimes-horrifying realities of traumatic brain injury, and there are some genuinely heartbreaking moments between Jane and Leon in the unimaginably difficult aftermath of his injury. This is a superb effort from a fiercely talented author.
Now, Daly has a good setup here, but her carry-through is weak at times ... It should be noted that Daly does a good job of keeping the real culprit under wraps until the end of the story, so the reader has all the suspects, just needs to figure out whodunnit before the end of the story. It’s a good premise and Daly does a respectable job of laying out all the clues ... Not a disappointment, just some things that are hard to figure out.
Sharp and thoughtful ... A subtle and nuanced suspense novel that will best suit readers looking for a story made chilling by its plausibility. This is not a story defined by shocking violence or twists—it’s a story that is unsettling because of how closely the lives of its characters resemble the lives we ourselves lead. Readers will find protagonist Jane an acquired taste, but the deeper she digs into the truth of her own life - and the more agency and independence she develops in the process - the more they will root for her. Open Your Eyes is tense, chilling reading material, and a breath of fresh air in the domestic thriller genre.
What makes this novel particularly enjoyable is that Jane’s world is so familiar, until it isn’t. Other suspense writers do this well, but Daly has taken this to a new level. Readers finds themselves cheering Jane on, even as the clues mount up and contradict each other, narrowing the path to a satisfactory denouement until it’s hard to imagine where there is one ... It’s a tribute to the author’s sure-handedness that there’s little doubt that a resolution will emerge and All Will Be Explained satisfactorily. Because Open Your Eyes is more of a domestic suspense novel than a thriller, there’s also the promise that the ending will deliver not just a resolution, but also a happy solution ... This clever and well-plotted story is a fast, fun read that delivers until the very last page.
Open Your Eyes is Paula Daly's... fifth work of psychological suspense, and she entertainingly weaves elements of the publishing industry, seedy and reputable alike, into her trademark domestic-driven drama. Daly's characters acknowledge the plot is akin to 'something Hollywood cooked up for the purposes of dramatic storytelling.' Fun and fast-paced, Daly has prepared a menu fit to pack into one sitting.
An evenly paced thriller; Daly delivers just enough clues and twists, a little bit at a time, to keep the reader guessing. It’s easy to relate to Jane; her general passiveness leads to few character surprises, but she firmly gains and keeps our sympathy, unlike many more unreliable narrators who pepper domestic suspense novels these days. After the shocking beginning, Jane’s dogged pursuit of the truth keeps the novel grounded ... A satisfyingly original thriller.
