I really wanted to love this book. Based on the summary, I was immediately interested, but it was a DNF for me. I tried a few times to get back into it, and just couldn’t get past the writing.

I thought the premise was very interesting via the summary, unfortunately, for me, it ended up falling short. The writing, to me, felt very juvenile. Everything seemed very surface level—characters, setting, etc. I love a story where I feel immersed in a world and the story, but I could not get there, and eventually gave up altogether.

I was really looking forward to this one, too, because again, the premise seemed promising and interesting, which is what makes it disappointing. I know the author put much time and work into this, which I appreciate, but ultimately, I cannot recommend based on what I thought. This is the first book I’ve DNFed in 2025.

A binge worthy thriller by debut author Ian Blackwood.

The sleepwalker follows Dr. Ellie Thompson as she struggles with her marriage and terrifying nightmares. She can’t get a grasp on what’s reality or her dreams. It doesn’t help her sanity when her car is vandalized, she receives anonymous phone calls and has been chased and stalked in public but nobody believes her, including the police.

Readers must figure out is Ellie insane and suffering PTSD from her past or is someone out to get her and playing mind games while they do it.

I sped through this book in 1 day, you won’t be able to put it down! Thank you to NetGalley, Ian Blackwood and the publisher, inkubator books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one had me questioning everything—my trust in the characters, what was real vs imagined, and even my own grip on reality at times.

The Sleepwalker follows Dr. Ellie Thompson, who’s always been haunted by nightmares… but now they’re bleeding into her real life. Waking up with glass in her foot and a knife under her pillow? Yeah, something is seriously wrong. The tension ramps up fast, and I loved how the story kept twisting just when I thought I had it figured out.

You can feel Ellie’s paranoia creeping in, and the book does an amazing job of making you feel it too. Her distant husband, obsessed ex, and strangely connected psychiatrist all make you wonder—who’s lying? Who’s gaslighting? Or is Ellie really just losing it?

It’s dark, twisty, and seriously addictive. I devoured this book very quickly, which is always a good sign that a book has gripped me.

Definitely one of those stories where the truth hits way harder than you expect! This book encapsulates the reasons why I love the thriller genre.

Dr. Ellie Thompson has always been haunted by her nightmares but now they are blurring into reality. She wakens to find there really is glass in her foot and a knife under her pillow. How did they get there? What is she doing in her sleep?

She swore someone was following her, she really did recieve that threatening phone call, but why is there no evidence of them? Is someone doing this to her? Has someone deleated the messages?

When Ellie finds it harder to tell what's real and what's a nightmare she starts to suspect everyone around her. Who can she trust? As she finally comes closer to the truth what she's about to discover is more terrifying than any of her nightmares....


I honestly loved this book, it's one of the best psychological thrillers I have read. I couldn't put it down, I was gutted when I had to eventually go to sleep🤣 It's a constant page turner from start to finish and the twists!! Done so perfectly, you'll never see what's coming, it was really well written. I loved Ellie's character, the book puts you through a rollercoaster of emotions and it's a total mind f***

This is why this genre is my favourite. Just love a good psychological thriller and Ian nailed this.

Oh 9 absolutely loved this! I went into not thinking it'd be anything special but boy was i wrong. The concept was just so original and the plot was so perfectly played out. It was all on the verge of being normal enough to make you feel like this could happen to anyone. The entire way through the book, you have no idea what's reality and what's a dream and by halfway I could barely wait to find out what actually was going on!!! I was so invested from so early on, it's just a really easy read and an amazing one

This book was a wild ride from start to finish! Huge thanks to NetGalley, Ian Blackwood, and Inkubator Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Dr. Ellie Thompson has always been haunted by terrifying nightmares but now they’re bleeding into her real life. When she dreams of shattered glass, she wakes up with it lodged in her foot and so on. It’s chilling, and the lines between sleep and reality blur in the most disturbing way.

While I was hooked by the premise, one thing that stuck out was a pretty major plot hole. I just couldn’t get over how were the nightmares physically manifesting? No one could predict what she’d dream next, so it didn’t quite add up and it wasn’t explained that well. That said, the rest of the story more than made up for it.

The writing was fast-paced and compelling, with flashbacks to a mysterious child that added another layer of intrigue. I genuinely felt for Ellie, her sleepwalking was horrifying on its own, but the fact that no one believed her made it even worse. I was constantly second-guessing every character, pointing fingers at everyone, and still didn’t see that twist coming!

A gripping, unpredictable psychological thriller with clever reveals and strong atmosphere. Solid 3 stars!

A real edge of your seat read.
Fabulous psychological thriller.
Well written characters and the ending took my breath away.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

A definite pageturner! Dr Ellie Thompson has always battled haunting and terrifying nightmares but now they seem to be coming to life; when she dreams of broken glass, she finds broken glass in her foot and a knife under her pillow - how? Unfortunately that wasn't ever answered as nobody could get into her head and predict what nightmares were coming ahead of time, to plan what to leave, so that huge plot hole bothered me, but the rest of the book was brilliant!

I really enjoyed the writing style, the pace and the intriguing flashbacks to an unknown child. The twists at the end were very clever!

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Ian Blackwood and Inkubator for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I COULD NOT STOP READING!!!

The suspense. The mystery. The friendship. The sneaking around. EVERYTHING was put together so perfectly.

I knew as I kept reading & Ellie figuring out that her husband was having affair that it was with Penny. As I kept reading about her something felt off & I was right. Poor Ellie was going through a rough life & who would have thought it was her 2 most closest people in her life betraying her. Tom what a life saver. They do deserve each other!

Best part of the book, SAMSON! So glad he was alive.

Part 2? NEED! I’m curious if Penny will get out of jail because of the Ward.

This book was a WILD ride! I felt so bad for Ellie and what she was experiencing. Her sleepwalking was terrifying in itself, but the scariest part was no one believing her.

I was pointing fingers at everyone in this book. I had no idea who Ellie could trust, and everything/everyone seemed suspicious. While some parts were a little predictable, I did not expect that kind of twist!

I must be the odd reader out with this title. I rarely ever do this, but it was a DNF for me. I tried going back twice, and put it down each additional time. I thought the premise was very intriguing, unfortunately it didn’t deliver. What mainly kept drawing me out of the story was that it seemed like it could have really used a few more editing passes. I don’t mean copy edits like typos, it was good in that regard. I mean there were a LOT of completely superfluous sentences, that it seemed were only there to boost the word count. Things like “My car started on the first try.” (When her car starting had nothing to do with anything, and it’s a BMW not an old beater.) I know this sounds super small, but that is just one simple example that I remember off the top of my head. Or spending a chapter IN a dream with the MC, then mere pages later having her describe it…in detail…to her husband. (Instead of something like, “After I told him what happened in my dream…..” etc etc) Add to the fact that hubby apparently already knows exactly what she’s dreaming about anyway, because they are recurring and they’ve discussed them before. Again, just seems like either word count padding, or lack of an editor that helps the author focus/trim plot. Other negatives for me were how conversations between different characters seemed to come out of absolutely no where. One example off the top of my head is when the MC went to work the day following her dream, and coworkers (some who knew nothing about specific things happening in her life) were making very pointed comments that didn’t make any sense for them to make.

These things happened so after that it got to where at first I was just skimming ahead to skip parts, but eventually gave up.

I was really looking forward to this one, and honestly feel bad since I know any book costs the author a lot of blood, sweat and tears to finish. I just can’t recommend.
**Im giving 2 stars for the interesting premise.

Ian Blackwood's debut with Inkubator Books, <i>The Sleepwalker</i>, is a propulsive novel of psychological suspense, which I gobbled in a single day. Although I figured out several of the plot mysteries fairly early on, Blackwood's choice of first person point of view was masterful and made the final plot twist very satisfying.

The publication details suggest that <i>The Sleepwalker</i> is an ebook-only release, which is unfortunate because I believe Blackwood's plotting skill is superior to that of many more-well-known suspense authors. Here's hoping that <i>The Sleepwalker</i> finds a large and appreciative audience, so that his future novels will be released in hardcover.

I received a free copy of <i>The Sleepwalker</i> from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read, different to the books I’ve read recently and equally thrilling. I felt like I was going crazy with not having enough sleep (babies) so I completely got the storyline and was creeped out in parts.

Enjoyed reading this book from NetGalley! The Sleepwalker by Ian Blackwood was very enjoyable! Would recommend!

First off, thank you very much for this eARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Second, wow! This was crazy! It was so good and it really kept me guessing. I had my theories and it wasn’t until the end that I was sure. Absolutely great psychological novel with an equally good twist. I felt like this was really well written, but at the end I felt like it went off the rails a little bit and could’ve been concluded a bit better. I am extremely picky about endings, so that could just be me! Lol

Definitely an unputdownable story, nothing better than a whodunnit with an unreliable narrator and psychological mind f***! I recommend.

The Sleepwalker tells the story of Ellie, who suffers from recurring nightmares. One day she sees a dark figure who appears in her nightmares. Is she awake or still dreaming? Her professional life and marriage are threatened by her decline in mental health, and Ellie's life unravels as she's unable to discern between reality and dreams....

This book was insane!!!! I loved the twists, never in a million years could I have guessed the ending. I literally gasped out loud!!

TW This book contains heavy themes (including scenarios involving a dog) and can be absolutely terrifying at some points.

OH MY GOD! This book is insane! I can’t stop thinking about it at all! It was super suspenseful, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! Amazing!!

I literally could not put this book down. I read it from start to finish in one sitting… I found myself holding my breath, peeking through my closed eyes at what I was about to read next… a phenomenal thriller!

I was beyond shocked by the ending, I had to pick my jaw up off the ground! There were SO many twists and turns!

I’d highly recommend this book and a fantastic debut novel. I’m eagerly awaiting the next one!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!