Support women-owned businesses
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
OR
$2.99

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Wide Awake Asleep - a British time travel romance set in Northampton. Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

Julie grew up in a small village where her mother was the talk of the town due to her numerous flings. Her broken-hearted father couldn't cope and eventually left the family home. Julie was unable to forgive, and her feelings of anger and disillusionment only intensified when she was placed in foster care.

But despite her upbringing, Julie turned her life around. She even forgave her mother enough to find her the best nursing home.

But her life takes an irreversible turn when she's transported to 1973 and thrust back into her traumatic childhood. Has she inadvertently entered the afterlife following her accident? Or has she genuinely travelled back in time?

Editorial Reviews

Review

I've never read a book quite like this one; it was so good. I couldn't put it down because I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next. Julie is such a great character too. I can't wait to read more from this author! - Amazon reviewer

From the Author

If the human essence is the soul and fate is the road it's travelling, then shouldn't humans travel more carefully? - Louise Wise

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N2QW3VX
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wise Publisher (December 16, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 16, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 326 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Louise Wise
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Louise Wise is a British author from the Midlands in England. Her debut novel is the acclaimed sci-fi romance titled EDEN, which was followed by its sequel HUNTED in 2013.

Other novels include:

A PROPER CHARLIE (romantic comedy)

OH NO, I’VE FALLEN IN LOVE! (dark, comedy romance)

WIDE AWAKE ASLEEP (time travel, romance)

Wise enjoys writing comedy and finds a place for it in ALL her books. She has written numerous short stories for women’s magazines such as Take a Break and Woman’s Own. Wise also writes under the pen-name T.E Kessler writing a steamier sci-fi romance called Jelvia: Not Human, which delves deeper into the whos and whys of Fly's ancestors from Itor (Eden).

Connect with Louise Wise on Twitter:

@louise_wise

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
47 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book compelling and thought-provoking. They praise the well-written and edited story that brings the characters to life. The book has a magical love story that keeps readers engaged.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They describe it as a captivating story that explores the concept of time travel. The author weaves an interesting tale that is relatable. Many readers find the book enjoyable and praise it as an original novel.

"I find Wide Awake Sleep to be quite compelling as it seamlessly blends two of my favorite genres: romance and time travel...." Read more

"...read it into the wee hours of the morning because the author weaves such an interesting tale that makes sense even to someone like me, who normally..." Read more

"...What the author gives us is a lovingly told story about a girl and her mother and her best friend (who betrayed her with her first boyfriend) and..." Read more

"...Can she rewrite history without losing herself. This is a thought provoking novel that people can relate to as we all have made choices with..." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality of the book. They find the story engaging, with clean and well-edited writing. The author takes readers on a time travel journey to try to change the past.

"...The author skillfully--and, in some cases, tenderly--weaves the tale of small-town life in the English countryside, involving a working single..." Read more

"...The writing is clean and pretty well edited (although it contains far too many ellipses)...." Read more

"Great read the characters really come to life. Well written, the story really comes to life !" Read more

"...The writing was perfect, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters..." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and engaging plot. The main character keeps jumping through different times, and the love story feels magical.

"...The main character keeps jumping through different times, and the love story feels magical...." Read more

"Great read the characters really come to life. Well written, the story really comes to life !" Read more

"...Great, well developed characters and an interesting plot draws you in from the beginning. I really enjoyed reading this story!" Read more

"...The writing was perfect, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2024
    I find Wide Awake Sleep to be quite compelling as it seamlessly blends two of my favorite genres: romance and time travel. The main character keeps jumping through different times, and the love story feels magical. I loved how their relationship grew in each era—it was sweet and fun to follow. If you’re into love stories with a bit of adventure and time travel, you’ll enjoy this book!
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2019
    Full disclosure: I am not often attracted to sci-fi or books that suspend belief using scientific theories such as time travel. However, I could not put this book down and read it into the wee hours of the morning because the author weaves such an interesting tale that makes sense even to someone like me, who normally reads about sports and straight historical fiction.

    In 2016, 49-year-old Julie Compton, a successful single businesswoman, is driving in the English countryside and becomes lost. She's in the middle of nowhere and decides she must resort to reading an old-fashioned map. She reaches into her glove compartment for a map and has a terrible car accident--one that, in all reality, should be fatal. Somehow, however, she survives, by being able to "time hop" into her childhood and change the fate of people whose lives otherwise might have ended tragically.

    Meanwhile, Julie is in a coma in a hospital, trying to survive injuries sustained in the accident.

    The author skillfully--and, in some cases, tenderly--weaves the tale of small-town life in the English countryside, involving a working single mother who married too young and yet didn't want to give up custody of her young daughter to her alcoholic father, as well as the small-town gossip that tried to destroy her. Underlying this is the presence of a shimmering, silver-haired mystery man. If I were to give more details than this, it might divulge the plot. I want you to read this book. It's so well done and captivating that I don't want to give more than that away.

    I recommend this book--and this author--highly. If this book can captivate a time-travel skeptic like me, I expect that people for whom this genre is primary will find the novel to be magical. I certainly did.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2019
    Wouldn’t it be nice if you could go back in time to all the key moments of your youth and correct the errors you made that sent your life and the lives of your friends and family onto a dark path? it would be nice, and in this story Julie (Jules) does just that. When she is on the brink of death and in a coma after a car accident, Julie -- a successful but lonely businesswoman -- is transported back in time and assumes the bodies of different people in her life over six different episodes. In each episode she must take action to undo a mistake or change the course of her life so that the future will be changed for the better.

    The billing for this book is a “time travel romance.” There is time travel (only within Julie’s own life), but no traditional romance. If you are expecting some steamy sexual adventures you will be disappointed. What the author gives us is a lovingly told story about a girl and her mother and her best friend (who betrayed her with her first boyfriend) and how the many small things that happen in life can have profound effects on the future. The narrative is a bit hard to follow at first, but that quickly resolves itself as we are treated to a deeply detailed walk down memory lane from 1976 to 1983. The descriptions of the sleepy English village and the people who lived there are rich and colorful. The writing is clean and pretty well edited (although it contains far too many ellipses). The story is sweet and at times sad but only in the sense that fixing problems requires the problems to exist first. The story is about mothers and daughters and about daughters and fathers and about choices and mistakes. Iit is not about action or adventure or peril or sex, but it is about love and fate ad so perhaps that does qualify it as a “romance.”

    I went into the book expecting something very different. I was a bit disappointed that the time travel angle didn’t reach beyond Julie’s own life, and the author neglects to investigate any negative consequences that might have been collateral damage to Julie’s manipulation of her own history, but if you go in with proper expectations you may well find this book to be a comfortable and cozy read. It will not keep you up at night, but it will also not keep you on the edge of your chair. Brew a pot of tea and get a warm blanket and snuggle up with Julie and her quest to make her present a better place by changing her past.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2024
    Have you ever asked your self what if? Or thought how’d I get here I always thought I missed a turn … then this book is for you I wouldn’t call it a romance in the traditional sense. This is paranormal novel where a 49 year woman is trapped in a time jumping paradox and has the opportunity to see the rest of the story. She blames her mother for her rough childhood but when she is trapped in the past and actually fills the shoes of the people in her past she learns to see how as a child her understanding was skewed. Can she rewrite history without losing herself. This is a thought provoking novel that people can relate to as we all have made choices with everlasting consequences.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2024
    “Wide Awake Asleep,” is a unique and engaging time-travel romance. When we first meet Julie, it is 2016; she is 49 years old and has a distant relationship with her mother, now in a care facility. They had been estranged many years because Julie blamed her for leaving her father for another man and choosing that man over her. After a serious car accident, Julie is transported back in time to her hometown. Her eyes are opened to the true circumstances of her parents, her former best friend, and the boy who was her first love. Will she figure out a way to change the future to the benefit of all? I recommend this book to any fan of time travel or paranormal romance!
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2024
    I was immediately drawn into Julie’s emotional journey as she grapples with her past after being mysteriously transported back to 1973. Her struggle to reconcile with her childhood trauma while trying to understand if she’s reliving her past or navigating the afterlife kept me hooked. It’s a unique and thought-provoking story that had me reflecting on forgiveness and the impact of our upbringing.

Top reviews from other countries

  • J
    5.0 out of 5 stars enjoyed
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2024
    An enjoyable story. It kept my interest. I recommend this book to anyone. Full of adventure to keep me guessing.
  • Jules
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
    Reviewed in Germany on July 20, 2021
    This book is one of the best I have read. The story of a woman, who seemingly leads a great life but has so many regrets in her past, having a near fatal accident and while in a coma "time-hops" into bodies of people connected with her past - even her own as a child - is genius. Really well-written and thought through it deals with all the problems of time - travel in a brilliant manner. A thoroughly enjoyable read with a happy ending.
  • Loves to read
    5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
    Reviewed in Australia on June 7, 2024
    This is such a captivating story. It had a magical realistic concept that pulled me right into the story. The author took the time travel concept and me lded it into something completely refreshing. It was a deeply touching read.
  • lucyglitters
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgia for Northampton
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2024
    I bought this book because it was recommended on a "Northampton Nostalgia" social media website and I lived in Northampton from birth to 1980 so it covered my teenage years there. I loved the story though! Great plot and very well-written, hard to put down. Lovely to hear the old names again - Potterspury, Paulerspury and Yardley Gobion. And the Grosvenor Centre and the pub, The Bear. An absolute delight.
  • Naomi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating Plot
    Reviewed in Australia on March 31, 2024
    I loved the colourful characters such as Jules, Shirley and Elaine. It's sci-fi edge that is full of twists & turns that is engaging and moves in scenes in past & present that is captivating to follow. There is a sweet romance in the plot too.

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?