Readers Guide for Don’t Open Your Eyes

• In college, Annabelle is dating her college professor, Randy Bennett. James is Randy’s roommate.
• The Wife is a divorce lawyer and her husband is cheating.
• In the past, Annabelle is worried about Randy cheating but has unprotected sex with him and gets pregnant.
• Scarlett takes a DNA test and knows her parents have lied to her.

• Annabelle has a new client, Chase Storm (aka Chase Sommers), a podcaster. She dreams about a romantic eventing with him in a hotel.
• In the past, Annabelle finds Randy in bed with another woman. James is supportive and lets her move in with him.
• Chase tells Annabelle that his wife Tara is unstable. (Okay, she’s probably The Wife, right?)
• Scarlett meets “Ben” but of course he’s an adult. She freaks out and races off on her bike, but is hit by a car.
• Annabelle rushes to Scarlett’s bedside. She receives a call which Scarlett (in a coma) overhears and realizes “Ben” is also Chase.

• In a flashback, Annabelle has a baby boy and James (who is a medical resident who had to deliver the baby) tells her that her baby died.
• Chase tells Annabelle he thinks their kids (his son Lucas and her older daughter Scarlett) were switched at birth.
• Just then, the police come to arrest Chase for hitting Scarlett with his car and leaving the scene
• Annabelle asked the police if they can find out if Chase‘s son Lucas is her biological child.
• Scarlett says she has a DNA report that shows she has a half brother.
• James has some wackadoodle story to explain the DNA test: Chase hacked into the hospital system. But Annabelle suspects that James is the one who’s lying
• Annabelle gets mailed a receipt from a motel. It’s the same motel where she dreamed of seeing James with another woman.
• James he decided to switch Chase‘s son (who was miscarried by Tara) with Annabelle’s baby.

• When Annabelle calls him a criminal, James tries to strangle her.
• Tara tells Annabelle that Chase is a terrible person who tried to take Lucas away from her and left Scarlet to die after he hit her with his car.
• Then Tara tells Lucas that he’s not her biological child.
• Annabelle is furious at everyone: Tara, Chase, and James.
• Thankfully, Annabelle hires a lawyer to compel a DNA test on Lucas so she could get parental rights. She’s on the fence about implicating James and the baby switch.
• Tara is actually Ben: she texted Scarlet, hit Scarlet with her car, and is going to run off to Paris with Lucas.
• Tara is happy to see Chase suffering. He cannot explain to the police how Scarlet‘s backpack got into his car or why he was texting her.
• When Scarlett reached out to “Ben” her half-brother, it was actually Tara. Then Tara had someone who was “good at computers” hack into the hospital records and she realizes that her baby was switched with Lucas.

• Tara was convinced that Chase wanted to run off with Annabelle and Lucas. She lured both Chase and Scarlett to the coffee shop, then framed Chase for hitting Scarlett with the car.
• The police come and arrest Tara for hit and run and perjury.
• Annabelle finally meets her son Lucas.
• James pretends to be a priest and comes to visit Tara in prison. Apparently he and Tara were working together the entire time. They planned the baby switch and were working together to make sure Chase and Annabelle didn’t get too close to each other.

• As they are discussing this, Tara pulls out a wire: she’s been taping the conversation. Sorry, James, your freedom is over.
• James gets a 20 year prison sentence.
• Scarlett and Lucas hang out together. Annabelle’s younger daughter Olivia visits James in prison, but Scarlet won’t forgive him.
• Annabelle now thinks her premonition dreams were sings that she was living a “fake life.” She isn’t having dreams anymore.

Don’t Open Your Eyes: The Ending Explained

Were you confused about the baby switching in Don’t Open Your Eyes?

Scarlett was NOT switched. James was her father. She got suspicious because the DNA test showed she had a half-brother.

If you love these 80s soap opera baby swap plots, you’ve got to read this book, which takes it to the next level!

Who was plotting with whom?

It was confusing. Tara and James were in the baby swap plan from the beginning. But then Scarlett secretly did the DNA test and found out she had a half brother.

Meanwhile, Chase’s son Lucas (who is actually Annabelle and Randy’s biological son) participates in a blood drive and Chase figures out that he can’t be the biological son of Chase and Tara. Chase then gets Chase a DNA test and learns that he has a maternal half-sibling.

Then Scarlett was plotting with “Ben” (who was actually Tara), who wanted to keep the baby swap secret. Thus, the meet-up and running her over with the car.

Was Chase cheating on Tara?

I don’t think so.

First Tara finds the PO Box, which I think he used to secretly do the DNA testing. But what are these “disturbing” chat rooms he’s visiting? Is she talking about James? Then she’s convinced Chase is running off with Annabelle.

I think she’s just overly suspicious because she has a huge secret.

Why are all these characters so messy and conniving?

To make the plot work.

Tara is a lawyer who also breaks all kinds of laws. James is a doctor who delivers but also swaps babies. Annabelle, the PR expert, is the worst judge of men ever, first sleeping with Randy the cheater and then marrying James the lying baby-swapper. Good thing those dreams saved her!

It’s Freida McFadden territory, which is pretty funny, as a lot of readers think that this book by Freida seems very similar to this book by Liv Constantine. Maybe these ladies think alike!