Sleepless a dystopian thriller
Thea is an insomniac; she hasn’t slept more than three hours a night for years.
So when an ad for a sleep trial that promises to change her life pops up on her phone, Thea knows this is her last chance at finding any kind of normal life.

I was interested to read this as I also don't sleep that well. I found the book to be fast paced and a really interesting concept. Some parts fell a little flat but overall I thought it was a great novel especially from a debut writer.
Thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
#Sleepless #NetGalley

Thea has battled with insomnia for many years now, something that is massively impacting upon her life on a daily basis. When she is involved in a car accident, she knows she has to do something about it, so when she learns of a trial that could help her get the sleep she so desperately needs she jumps at the opportunity to take part.

However, all is not as it initially seems. Thea is initially overjoyed to be sleeping for longer than she has in years, something that distracts her from the more troubling aspects of the trial. But as she begins to adjust to her new normal, she realises that the expectations from the participants of the trial are alarming – and before long she realises that all of those sleepless nights she had experienced before are far better than the life she has found herself signed up to.

This is a truly unique psychological thriller that had me engrossed from the start. I loved how complex the storyline was as we were introduced to the life that Thea found herself living following her acceptance into such a trial. Thea’s character is wonderful and has a well fleshed out personality that really draws you in and makes you feel connected to her and her situation much better.

The storyline itself is chilling and had me holding my breath at times as the story pushed forward with an increasing amount of tension and suspense that makes it difficult to part with at the best of times. This is a wonderful debut by this author, and I will certainly be looking out for future releases of Louise Mumford.

I feel like I've just got off a roller coaster after reading this book. There was such much action, tension and drama!
This book reminded me of the Black Mirror episodes and definitely had a Sci fi futuristic feel to it as well as being a gripping thriller.

I loved the premise for this story. Thea is an insomniac and it is destroying her life so out of desperation she signs up to a sleep programme. She joins the programme which is situated on a remote island and she starts to get more sleep. But why can't she leave the centre and have her belongings? Why is there no phone signal? What happens when Thea falls asleep? What are the metal probes on her head really doing? Is someone trying to control her?
This was such a fast paced exciting story. The writing is complex and so well written. I could definitely see it being made into a great film. I would highly recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers with a bit of a Sci fi, horror and dystopia thrown in! This was a very unique book and I can't wait to read more books by Louise Mumford!
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Stories for this eARC.

A really intense and gripping debut thriller from Louise Mumford.
A fast paced enjoyable read - 4 stars.

I loved this book!
As the storyline was unfolding I found I was reading quicker and quicker as I couldn’t wait to read more. I thought it was really well written and enjoyed the story. Purely because it’s just me I’d of loved a bit more at the end…. But if you’ve left space for a little sequel then that’s amazing!! Don’t let that comment put you off as the ending isn’t disappointing as I said it’s just me wanting more!

This book was definitely interesting especially because I suffer from some sleep issues as well. Not quite as bad as this character but it still was relatable so it made the story a bit more interesting. I definitely did think it was a good read and I think others would enjoy it as well. Definitely a unique, different and interesting story thats for sure!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

ohhh frightening tale that kept me glued right to the end

Honestly the negative reviews have left me completely baffled, but I guess everyone is different!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and raced through it in 2 days. It gave me a lot of 'black mirror' vibes.

Thea is an insomniac and after a car crash decides she needs to do something about it. She signs up to a sleep trial that promises to fix her sleep problem. As you can imagine, not all is as it seems. The book is set on a remote island and is quite futuristic giving it a hint of a Sci fi vibe. Towards the end it gets quite dark, I wasn't quite expecting it to be honest!

All in all I thought it was brilliant, I liked the plot, characters and the writing style. I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

This book was a quick and fast paced read. Interested from the very drastic beginning.

It was an original story line (at least to me)

I immediately warmed to Thea as a character and became more and more interested in her as the story developed.

I enjoyed going on this journey with her but did find myself losing interest towards the end a little.

I really enjoyed this, there were so many twists and turns to the story that kept me guessing and some excellent plotting. I especially enjoyed the narrative tone of the book. There was a sparkiness to it and at times an undercurrent of humour which worked well and kept the story form being too grim. A thought provoking and original read.

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. This book does what it says on the cover leaves you sleepless because it is a read in one sitting of a novel.

This book completely gripped me. Sleep is a great storyline as many people suffer from insomnia. I loved the use of technology to make this into a modern-day thriller!!

This was a thrilling read, and I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the book and can't wait to see the next book by this talented author.
Recommended.

After reading the description of this book, I believed it was a psychological thriller. However it turned out to be some sort of action Sci-Fi adventure. At the start I felt sorry for Thea and what she has to deal with on a daily basis and can't believe people have to live like that.

However, a paid trial on a deserted island where metal discs are attached to the side of you head was a step to far for me. The part of the book where Thea is trying to find out what she has seen in the Monastery is interesting but then it soon goes back into sci-fi mode. After reading the book hoping for an investigation or comeuppance for the company, it results in a complete 360 back to the start. I didn't like the ending and the style is not the sort of book I would normally read.

Some of the characters were likeable, such as Rosie and Ethan but we still don't really know anything about any of the characters in the book.

I loved this at the start, it then became very very dark and unpleasant to read.
It picked up a little at the very end but I really didn't enjoy the reading experience.
A fantastic idea for a novel but it left me feeling very down and I don't know why.

Stars: hesitating between 2 and 2.5 out of 5.

This book had such promise! The idea behind it was excellent and the blurb drew me in. Even the beginning was rather exciting. I was really pumped about reading it for about the first 35-40% of the book... Then things went downhill.

There were several reasons for this quick fall from grace, at least for me.

First of all, to create a good mystery, you need tension. To create a good horror story, you need to create the atmosphere of constant unease, when the reader and the characters know that something is wrong, but the tension is slowly winding up, like a tightening spring. Or you can have monsters jumping out of the dark and eating your face off... whatever works. The point is, it has to be scary but BELIEVABLE within the rules and limits of the world the author created.

This is were this book fails spectacularly. All the characters, especially the villains, have never heard of the word "logic". They turn form a group of sleep study researchers into murderers seemingly in the blink of an eye. (view spoiler)

Also, the main premise of this book is completely destroyed about 40% in. So the protagonist is suffering from chronic sleeplessness. She can't fall asleep... like ever. She does on 1 to 2 hours to sometimes zero a night. She's been to all kinds of sleep studies and tried all sleep aids under the sun, right? She signs up for this experiment out of desperation... Yet not a week into this study, she is told that she doesn't have a sleep problem. She has an internal clock problem instead. Meaning, she falls asleep between 7am and 10am instead of doing it night like normal people. Really? All the other doctors hadn't noticed that? SHE didn't notice that she can actually sleep on weekends when she doesn't have to get up for work? Find a different job. Work second or night shift and your problem is solved...

The technology itself is explained rather badly. Nobody would give Thea a straight answer about how it works or what exactly they will do to her... yet she goes along it it all the same. I get it that you are desperate, but this borders on stupid.

But the nail in the coffin of this book for me was the protagonist herself. I can (usually) suffer through a bad plot if the protagonist is believable or likeable. Or suffer a bad protagonist if the story is amazing, but I can't do both.

Thea is the type of protagonist who let's the story happen to them, instead of creating that story with her actions. She spends about 90% of the story in an indecisive stupor, doubting herself, terrified, or simply going along with the flow. She is dragged from one place or another, from one plot point to the next by other people or circumstances. When she needs to act, she freezes and watches the action unfold around her. Granted, this is probably a realistic depiction of what an average person would do when presented with these kind of circumstances... but I read fiction to escape from reality. I want to read about characters who take action, even if with disasters consequences instead of being dragged behind the train of the story like so much useless baggage.

So I'm sorry, but this book and I had a rather messy and angry divorce and I hate-read it to the end.

PS: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I normally am not the biggest science fiction fan, but I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the sleep trial approach to a thriller. Thank you, Netgalley!

Enjoyed this one. I felt like there was something missing though, something I needed to love it. Well thought out plot and easy to read.

This was a strange tale.

How does One person go from being an insomniac to nearly a murderer? Who can you trust? Are the neuro implants causing memory lapses?

Join this ride and hang on because things are going to get weird!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.
Thea is an insomniac, has been for a long time , she lies awake most nights until an hour before the alarm goes off then falls asleep. Consequently, she spends her days not quite focused and this is brought to a head when she is involved in a car accident. Luckily, no-one is hurt but she realises she needs to take action over her insomnia before something terrible happens because of it.
She receives details of a sleep trial which promises to help, without really researching the details she agrees to take part and finds herself on an island with others also taking part in the trial.
I did enjoy this book, it moved along at a cracking pace and reminded me slightly in places of Stephen King’s Firestarter.
Only 4 stars because I thought the ending wasn’t as good as it could have been.