Review of 'Every time She Wakes' by Petronella McGovern
Release date: June 30th, 2026
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
REVIEW
Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern is a fascinating, gripping, intense and original psychological thriller with women’s contemporary fiction elements which kept me enthralled from start to finish. It has some touches of Charles Dickens Christmas Carol but the character is not being shown her life as much as she is re-living the time periods but with alternate realties such as in Groundhog Day repeats but with various scenarios. As I said, it has some of these elements from each but they have been taken in a new direction making it an original approach. This woman keeps waking up to a different version of her life, but those alternate realities are based on decisions she makes. And a huge self-discovery occurs. She realises how much she has given in to others’ wishes, starting with her parents who are the worst in this case for making her feel guilty about her actions and choices. They (particularly her father) manipulate her to accommodate their wishes. Then this manipulation continues through others. And it all starts with a Bush Fire, lights out, garage door won’t work scenario. They must escape before the fire gets to them but they cannot get their own transportation, they must travel with the two people who woke them, supposedly members of the fire brigade. But things go very wrong, as things are not as they appear. It’s an abduction but why? They are just a simple family. Then the van crashes. But when she wakes up it is two weeks earlier…. Was it all a dream? It was so real.
And Suze’s psychological journey begins…an internal mental conflict that is prompted by bizarre external events and would un-nerve any sane person! The escalating paranoia is greatest at the start until she starts to settle into all these strange events and tries to figure out what she is meant to learn so that she can hopefully escape this ‘reality check room’ that forces her to look at her current life. She must make changes to escape the endless nightmare loops, not only in these psychological alternate realities but also in her previous life before all this started. Yes, we along with the character begin to question— what is real and what is an illusion?
The story begins with an enticing and mysterious premise and fear is initiated from the start. Those of us who live in Australia, know the very real danger and destruction of bush fires. This family is woken in the middle of the night by a knock at their door and word of a bush fire heading their way. All sense of security is thrown out the window. Suze’s senses are on high alert and her husband is stressed as he has experienced the horrors of flames licking his skin and burning him. He was in a bad fire. His fears are implanted. She worries for him. And his movements and gestures show us quickly the lasting effects it had on him.
The arch enemy character in Every Time She Wakes is a man we really are made to dislike at an extreme level. (But there are other villains here, too.) Rowdy Mac taunts and teases, preys on women and is a media personality that has skyrocketed to fame and fortune on the backs of those he criticizes. The social media is shown here for its sensationalism. Its negative effects and how those who use it as a destructive tool can leach off the misfortunes of others or even make up false information to gain a raise from the public. We eventually learn in one of the scenarios why he has become this way and although he and many others blame Suze for their bad outcomes, thankfully she eventually sees she is not responsible for everyone’s problems. Yes, some of her choices have affected others, but she cannot take all the blame, all the time, for everyone’s reactions and results. They are the masters of their own destinies.
Suze is a believable and, I would say, likeable character. I felt her agony, fear and desires to make things right. Yes, like all of us, she has flaws and an interesting backstory but her true heart and honest motivations – particularly towards her family and the love she has for them— come through loud and clear and we can empathise hugely with her. Who would not fight to hold on to their children and a husband they loved? And Suze tries everything to save Vince and their daughters Frankie and Issy. Each decision she makes in each parallel world she wakes up in will impact them. So she has to get it right—or risk losing them forever. She must find a way to escape this terrible alternate reality loop she is stuck in. Before this all started, she got lost in the demands of others who tried to mould her life by their standards and wishes. I think this story is a good reality check for all of us to analyse our own relationships and see how many of our decisions are made on other’s wishes—not our own.
Although Suze has to play different job roles throughout the story (wherever each wake up version takes her), she rediscovers which profession is closest to her heart. Will she have the courage to be the person she always wanted to be and live a full productive, self- fulfilled life? She learns, she needs to take care of herself first before she can help others. Similar advice given on a plane when the oxygen masks fall down in an emergency. They tell you to put the mask on yourself first before trying to help your travelling companion(s)— including your children.
This novel addresses so many issues, besides the ones I mentioned. Parents squashing their children’s dreams and confidence, altering them so they do not fulfill their potential in adulthood. Also, the horrors of child fame loom epic in this novel. Clio is a by-product of this potential nightmare of controlling parents who want to make a name for themselves through their children.
In the midst of these extreme situations— jealousy, greed, vengeance and other negative traits and emotions are exposed and played out in the various secondary characters in each time loop. I don’t want to say too much about which characters are on which side of the coin but suspicions are everywhere until the truth is unfurled. And yes, there will be twists, surprises, unexpected events and lives to save or lose…
Every Time She Wakes by Petronella McGovern is a riveting, all-consuming family, time-bending, psychological-suspense-mystery-thriller that I highly recommend. This is a grand slam home run fiction-wise for Petronella McGovern. You know how good a book is when it deeply affects you and gives you lots of think about— long after turning the last page. And I will be thinking about this story for a long, long time. The truths it reveals are epic. A must read! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Allen and Unwin for my review paperback copy.
