Sleep With One Eye Open by Lisa Alfano is the story of a young girl called Ari Worthington who lives a life of privilege with rich parents, nannies, and servants, but she has a superficial relationship with her parents and feels trapped in the lifestyle. When she is sent to a posh private school called the Perpetual Mercy School, she finds herself more alone than ever. Her new roommate, Jess, plays mind games with her and Ari ends up in over her head. The book is well-written and it kept me reading. I think the characters were well-developed, especially Ari, and over the course of the book, you find yourself rooting for her more and more. She has some hard choices to make and she must decide what is important to her and what is the right thing to do.

Lisa Alfano has written an interesting book with Sleep With One Eye Open. Ari is an interesting and complex character and it isn't always easy to like her. She has built up a wall and can come across as frosty to people, but this is because she doesn't know any other way to be. I think this book would appeal to teenage girls in the 14-17 age range if they are looking for a decent thriller to read. It did remind me a little of Legacies, but obviously without the supernatural element to it. I think it could do well and I would recommend it.

What’s it like to grow up the daughter of a rich politician with his eye on the White House? Ari Worthington invites us into that world, her world, in a non-apologetic, emotion-filled narrative. Despite the wealth, it’s not a pretty picture. She’s more comfortable away from her father’s universe when she resides at a prestigious boarding school. When her pregnant roommate has to leave the school, Jess takes her spot. Often outrageous in both words and actions, Jess is everything Ari isn’t. Inwardly Ari admires Jess for it, even ready to emulate her new bestie. But Jess is also secretive, and what Ari doesn’t know about Jess will hurt her in more ways than one.

Sleep With One Eye Open by Lisa Alfano took me by surprise…and it was a welcome one. Though it was about high school teens, it wasn’t about young adolescents coping with menstruation. The story concept was unlike any I’ve encountered; the characters were realistically different, the plot twists were totally unexpected and I am still asking myself how Lisa Alfano kept me in questioning suspenseful anticipation till nearly the last page! A thriller indeed. It’s well-known that the best way for readers to get to know a story’s characters is through their own dialogue and actions. There’s not a lot of dialogue in Sleep With One Eye Open, yet, incredibly, Alfano has pulled off a rarity i.e. Ari’s emotionally charged, descriptive narrative gives a surprisingly clear picture of all the players, especially Ari, Jess, Ari’s teachers, parents, and the domestic help.

The novel is more than just a teen thriller: it’s a psychological thriller. That automatically calls for evil-doers whose motivations and actions are prompted by past perceived wrongs. Lisa Alfano has done a splendid job of portraying that human frailty through Jess…a beautiful, rich boarding school girl whom you wouldn’t want as a roommate! Read Sleep With One Eye Open…a shockingly possible and frightening story.