VERDICT: Passing grade (maybe 2.8 stars, rounded up). Starts off well, with a sympathetic insomniac protagonist in a serious situation.

NOTES (may contain mild spoilers):

Spoiler

PROS:
++ Some of the descriptions of sleepless symptoms were good. Sleep deficit sucks!
++ Some good "Who can I trust?" plot stuff.
++ The mother was sometimes funny ("It's a cult!").
++ Does not end on a cliffhanger.

If the danger and intrigue were ramped up 20% and the characters were quicker on the mental draw, this would actually make a pretty good movie.

Rounded down from around 3.5 stars ⭐️
This book is certainly unlike anything I have read before. Dreams have always been something that fascinate me, and I loved some of the ideas that Louise Mumford came up with in this area.

Sleepless follows Thea, who has really severe insomnia. It is impacting her life to a great extent. At her wits end, with no where else to turn, she signs up for a trial. The trial claims to be able to fix your sleep with its technology, and to be able to make you a better human being. But everything is not as it seems.

I was so drawn to the premise of this book. As an insomniac and avid thriller fan it seemed to fit perfectly. I initially really enjoyed the book, I was struggling to put it down and was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. Unfortunately for me, the latter part of the book just wasn't quite as engaging, it felt a little lacking.

That being said, this book was fast paced and an enjoyable read. It is such a unique perspective, and certainly made me wonder what technology may do for us in the future (for better and worse). But I wouldn't make the mistake I did and read it before bed- it often left me nervous to close my eyes! All in all, I think this was a good debut novel and I will definitely keep my eye out for more from this author.

I want to say a big thank you to Netgalley, the publishers (HQ) and Louise Mumford for giving me the chance to read this book and give my personal opinion. I would recommend this book to people who like a more futuristic/dystopian type thriller.

Thea has been an insomniac for as long as her sleep deprived brain can remember. She struggles through her life with every area of it tainted by her lack of sleep until it all comes to a head, causing danger to Thea and others. After this (ironic) wake up call, Thea is desperate to find a solution to her insomnia and signs up to a research trial at a sleep clinic which promises to not only solve her insomnia but make Thea the best possible version of herself. She is at her wits end so she can ignore the fact that the people running the trial know more about her than she has told them can’t she?

As someone who works in sleep medicine, I was both intrigued by this book and concerned about how the subject matter would be handled. I needn’t have worried. I really enjoyed reading this book. I found I became immersed into Thea’s story very quickly and my interest was held to the end.

I wanted a little more detail in some areas, for example, the differences in the other patients and the tech used in the trial. Perhaps a little more depth and back story for some of the characters too. However, I can see that it’s delicate balance between providing this information and in doing so not affecting the pace of the events of the novel.

The book flew by for me in a fast paced, nail biting whirlwind of tension. I enjoyed the sinister characterisation of those running the sleep trial and the gory and chilling way that the trial descended into chaos. The corrupt motivation involved is scarily plausible. It’s not often that I like an ending that is up for interpretation but I really enjoyed thinking about how the book ended and speculating what occurred.next. It’s a fantastic debut novel and I’ll definitely be up for reading more from this author.

This is well written story involving insomnia as it resonates with many people.

The setting is good as the island contains an abandoned monastery and a lighthouse which lends itself to some atmospheric sections.

In the beginning I was getting claustrophobic because of the zombie like hallucinating scene.

This was more of a dystopian/sci fic type book then a thriller as alot of the book seemed too far fetched and too futuristic

The end feels like unfinished business and sort of fizzles out unless there’s to be a follow up? In which case, i will read

I preferred the first half as I like the creepy suspense rather than the dystopian/sci fic of the second.

However, I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

With thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the arc for an honest review

Thea is an insomniac so when she sees an ad for Morpheus, a company making all sorts of claims regarding correct sleep patterns, she makes enquiries and after being accepted into a trial, finds herself on a remote island with others in the same situation. Its then apparent that the company have more than just helping insomniacs in their plans.
As someone who rarely gets enough sleep, the story appealed to me and while I enjoyed it, I actually preferred the opening half of the book to the reveal and Thea's attempts to free herself. There are definite elements of Inception in the storyline and I felt that the second half seemed to drag a bit after the exciting anticipation of the opening. That said, I'd certainly recommend it and will look for future work from what was a new author to me.

A high-tech company is offering help to chronic insomniacs through a one of a kind ‘sleep trial’, promising them a transformed life. But what exactly is the purpose of this sleep trial? Is it really what it looks like? Thea knows things are rarely what they seem, but when someone is desperate, they are willing to take risks!

I really enjoyed reading this one and had a hard time putting it down. This is like a sci-fi-ish thriller, but nothing too unbelievable or unrealistic about it. This was like watching an action-packed movie, and I do believe it has the potential for a film adaptation. And it’s so well-written, I loved the prose, tense and witty at the same time. I absolutely loved all the characters, each has its distinct personality, and even the villains are cool, and charming till the very end, which is not very common in thrillers.

It’s a perfect ‘popcorn-thriller’, the kind you want to finish within 2-3 sittings, and that was my only problem, I kinda dragged just a bit and went in circles towards the end. But all in all, it was a very enjoyable read. Recommended!

I received an eARC through Netgalley, author, and publishers. All opinions are my own. Pub date Dec 1st, 2020.

Being an insomniac I’m always tempted into these horror/thriller stories of those who cannot sleep, but I keep finding myself disappointed. The idea of an app promising sleep to those who can’t find it and then that same technology creating a nightmare is a sound one. And I was on board for over half the book, but it went off the rails at some point. The idea held, but the plot was too frenetic and fantastical.

If you skip REM sleep, there will be consequences. There’s no way around that. At some point I do hope there will be some kind of breakthrough for all of us who struggle more than they sleep, but the world of speculative fiction is definitely not giving us all a lot of hope! As usual, the help only hurts in the end.

It was the corporate machination that I think kept this one from landing firmly. Though I suppose the truth probably lies somewhere in the fiction. Between greed and power not many of our problems will ever truly be fixed.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

So...SO conflicted about this book.

On one hand - I absolutely loved the whole premise of insomnia and the struggles of the lead, Thea. I really felt that Thea was a well written character, and the struggles that she went through with insomnia and visual descriptions the author gave really gave such a great picture of the story. Thea's mother was also exceptionally well written out, and really made such a difference to the story.

HOWEVER. The ending really had me disappointed. I really felt like it was a great lead-up and then just fell short. Hence the reason for less stars - this definitely feels like it needs a sequel.

Thank you Netgalley, the author, and HQ for providing me an ARC.

Such a fast paced psychological thriller, has me gripped from the start.. many of us suffer from insomnia, and I’m sure we can relate to Thea. Utterly unable to put this down, all Thea wants is a good nights sleep, so she puts herself forward for a sleep trial, although it’s not all as it seems, what happens when she does finally go to sleep?