The description of this book is a lie! This is definitely not a standalone companion to Vo's first novel. This book expects you know the character, world, and plot of the first book for this to work. I know parts of it will make sense regardless because the original work is a Gatsby retelling. That being said this is a fantasy retelling so you at least need the idea of how the world work or you are completely confused. Now mind you I'm not saying this is a bad book. This is a great sequel novella. If you liked the first book and wanted more time with those characters this would be a great read. I just this it should be clear this is definitely a sequel not a standalone companion.

I randomly stumbled upon this book without ever having read Nghi Vo's previous work, but with a familiarity with The Great Gatsby going back decades. This was a captivating reweaving of the Nick Carraway character, and in this book we see his dark and winding journey between Christmas and New Years at the turn of the decade going into 1940. After having not seen Jay Gatsby since the early 20s Nick sees him again, or thinks he sees Gatsby, and something is reignited. This sends him on a trip to the magical and demonic seedy underbelly of New York in a search for answers, but he ends up learning about the questionable past of Nick Carraway in the mean time.

I think I was missing a lot of context having not read Vo's The Chosen and The Beautiful but being familiar with Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby made it so that I don't think I was missing much. But I could tell that my introduction to some of the characters was intended to be the reintroduction to familiar faces. I will say that this has me itching to read The Chosen and The Beautiful and to reread The Great Gatsby and see how it changes my take on this story.

This was really good. I enjoyed listening to the story and it was fun and very entertaining. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing an arc of this in audio form.

Years after his summer with Jay Gatsby, Nick Carroway finds himself haunted by the ghosts of his past—literally. In Nghi Vo’s “Don’t Sleep With the Dead,” set in the same world as her previous “Great Gatsby reimagining, “The Chosen and the Beautiful, Nick grapples with the long shadow cast across his life by Gatsby; glimpses of a life he’s desperately tried to leave in the past. But can you really move on from such a tragedy? Or are the twisted knots of fate and love destined to bring you back to that moment of total heartbreak?

“Don’t Sleep With the Dead” tells a story packed with magic, demons, and unreliable narrators. If you liked Vo’s previous fantasy-tinged take on the world of “The Great Gatsby”, then you’re gonna love this quasi-sequel (despite the publishers’ claims to the contrary, one should not read this novella without having previously read “The Chosen and the Beautiful”. Here, she builds out this magical version of early 20th Century New York City even further, digging deep into its demonic underground on the eve of the Second World War.

But really, this is a deep dive into the fragile psyche of Nick Carroway, and to say anything more risks ruining the fun. Safe to say, if you like nuanced, character-driven reimaginings of classic literature, you’re bound to like this—even if there are some unexpected twists to the story.

“Don’t Sleep With the Dead” offers a tragic and creepy return to the magical world of “The Great Gatsby”—and it’s a return well worth making.

This is a great short story. I will say I don’t think that it can be done as a stand alone. I was confused a bit and reading the other would definitely help. Otherwise it was an easy listen and I loved the queer representation

An excellent novella! Paranormal, queer, Gatsby continuation, 17 years after the book ends. Nick runs into Gatsby’s ghost, and sparks a journey to hell and back, deals with the devil, and more. Vo is SO creative, and really shines in this, keeping the tone of the original work just enough that it’s a convincing next tale of Nick’s.

Huge fan of Vo.

I picked this up without looking at the synopsis and was pleasantly surprised that it was a companion novella to The Chosen and The Beautiful.

I loved that world and was glad to be back in it. This is still a little mysterious and I still love the writing. Its focus is Nick after the events of the other book and he is an interesting head to be in.

Personally I’m glad I read the Chosen first and would probably recommend that.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for the alc

Twenty years after the events of The Great Gatsby/The Chosen and the Beautiful, Nick Carroway is back in New York City, as the world changes again on the brink of another war. He grapples with his borrowed identity, the events of the past that he kept alive with his novel, and more urgently, with what may or may not be the reappearance of Jay Gatsby.
Vo did a really impressive job capturing Nick's voice. It read a lot like The Great Gatsby. Also, the concept of this book is cool: a follow-up to both The Chosen and The Beautiful and to The Great Gatsby. The magic system was deeply intriguing, but even though this is a companion novella, it can be read without having read the first one. I really liked this. I wonder if the series will keep going, because what was that ending??

I read The Great Gatsby in high school (aka 10 years ago). I was worried about two things with this book:

1) I hated my reading experience fo the Great Gatsby
2) I wouldn't remember enough to get the references to the Great Gatsby

But luckily, I had a great, creepy, atmospheric time! This is a very short story, but with the help of the already established character relationships of the Great Gatsby, Don't Sleep With the Dead only needs to spend time on the magic-system world building and not the character history explanations,. I thought this was really weird, creepy, and fun. If you hated the Great Gatsby but love deals with demons, past lives, and reconciling the (sometimes very real) ghosts of your past, I'd totally recommend Don't Sleep With the Dead!

This was haunting and unsettling. It was also very surreal and dreamlike and I'm not really sure what happened in the end. Or at any point really. The Nick Carraway at the eve of WWII is so very different than the Nick Carraway Jordan thought she knew in 1922. Or at least from the one she presented to us in the Chosen and the Beautiful.

Nick knows he is made of paper. He is haunted by Gatsby. Everything that happens is in a hazy did it or didn't it sort of way. The devils are creepy and unsettling and strangely alluring while at the same time being utterly repulsive and sinister.

I do love that he is still in touch with Jordan. Even if he never takes her advice. It was nice to get a glimpse of her.

It was a lot shorter than I was expecting, but at the same time it was just as long as it needed to be.

The audiobook was well done. The narrator did a good job capturing an older, more jaded, more worn thin Nick Carraway. His voice fit the tone well.

*Thanks to Tordotcom and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

3 stars. Vo's writing style is really great, and I feel confident that I would LOVE her other works, but this should not be advertised as a standalone novella. I have read true standalone novella's before and there is just too much information missing from this to enjoy it. I didn't realize this was a sequel or think to look for the first in series until I was halfway through and feeling so confused. I would love to give this a higher rating as the writing is truly incredible and the premise is clearly amazing, but I was just so confused.

I didn't realize this was a companion to The Chosen and the Beautiful when I requested it but I was pleasantly surprised when I realized. I loved The Chosen and the Beautiful and it was so fun to be back in this world, albeit briefly. Vo's writing is as lush as always. I admit I was a little bit lost at first when trying to reorient myself into this world since it has been years since I read TCATB, but eventually it all came back to me and I really enjoyed this listening experience. The narrator does an amazing job.

I love audiobooks elevation of stories and this author kills it with how their books are brought to life with the audio ... 10 out of 10 no notes

Such a fun retelling. Nghi has a great way of making you feel fully emerged in the story. I love it! This is my second book by Nghi I have read and it did not disappoint! Can’t wait to read more. Thanks NetGalley!

Don't Sleep with the Dead is a queer historical fantasy following novelist Nick Carraway - or rather, the version of Nick Carraway that Vo creates in her fantasy retelling of The Great Gatbsy, The Chosen and the Beautiful. Here, Carraway's life is thrown into chaos when he sees Gatsby twenty years after the famed party host's death.

This is the second novella by Nghi Vo that I've read, the first being The Empress of Salt and Fortune, which is set in an imperial China-inspired world. One of my favorite elements of Vo's writing is her ability to evoke the past in a mesmerizing way that goes beyond vivid physical descriptions to convey the overall feel - the spirit - of the setting and time period. Whether it's a New York winter right before the start of World War II, as in Don't Sleep with the Dead, or a fantastical rendition reminiscent of imperial China, Vo's strength lies in immersing her readers fully in the worlds she creates.

This book features devils, Faustian bargains, and demoniac (a potent drink made from the blood of said devils), all of which converge with Vo's high-quality writing to make for an intriguing and entertaining read!

My only criticism is that this book is marketed as a companion novel that can be read as a standalone, which I don’t think is necessarily true. I was a little confused at the beginning, and while that confusion faded as I read on, I think coming into this book with more knowledge of Vo’s Gatsby retelling would have helped. The world is different enough from the original Great Gatsby to warrant some initial disorientation without more context.

First of all, I was not aware that this was a companion novel to The Chosen and the Beautiful. I was glad to have read it as I am always intrigued by Nghi Vo's work.

I enjoyed Don't Sleep with the Dead. Short, sweet, and I loved diving deeper into Nick's character. Written as beautifully as all of the other works Vo has done; this novella is.a perfect sweet treat.

I am feral for Nghi Vo’s writing! I love everything she writes.

Nghi Vo’s Don't Sleep with the Dead is an exquisite, melancholic fever dream—a novella that blends the supernatural with longing, identity, and the weight of memory. Set twenty years after The Chosen and the Beautiful (a full length novel written by Vo that is a reinvention of The Great Gatsby), this story follows Nick Carraway as he searches for Gatsby in a New York touched by hell itself. It’s a tale of obsession and loss, wrapped in Vo’s signature lush prose.

Even at just over a hundred pages, Vo makes every word count. The writing is hypnotic—sharp, atmospheric, and brimming with an aching sort of beauty. Through Nick’s eyes, we’re pulled into a world that is both dazzling and nightmarish, where desire and grief blur the lines between the living and the dead. His desperation is palpable.

That said, this is a story that rewards familiarity with The Chosen and the Beautiful. While it can technically stand alone, the full weight of its themes and character arcs is best appreciated with that foundation. If you previously loved Vo’s previous take on The Great Gatsby, then you will find much to admire here.

Overall, Don't Sleep with the Dead is a beautifully haunting, queer reimagining of love, devotion, and the ghosts we refuse to let go of. If you’re a fan of Vo’s lyrical, dreamlike storytelling, this novella is well worth your time.

I absolutely adored the Gatsby fantasy retelling, The Chosen and the Beautiful. So, when I found that this was a short story companion to that one, I was very excited to listen. I loved delving back into the lush writing and creative world that Vo built upon with the first novel, but through the lens of Nick this time. Nick is haunted by Gatsby and it was wonderful to see how that would all play out. This isn't a long listen, so it didn't impact me like the first book did, but it was worthwhile and I liked it overall. The narrator was great and I enjoyed the little snack of a story.

Don't Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo, a companion novel to The Chosen and the Beautiful, is a great reimagining of the characters of The Great Gatsby. Nghi Vo’s writing style is beautiful and the narration by Greg D. Barnett was stunning and engaging.

This was my first experience with Vo’s writing and I am left craving more. This book left me inspired to continue exploring this author’s work.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC and ALC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 Stars
Audio Release: April 8 2025

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Thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC!

Narrator and production value - wonderful! Clear, enjoyable to listen to, and easy to understand.

If you loved "The Chosen and the Beautiful", you'll likely love this too. Both were just okay for me, but regardless if I love the story or not - I always love Nghi Vo. Her writing is lyrical and buttery in such a unique way, she always has my attention, even if I can't fall totally in love with the world. This is a fascinating twist on the classic story and an even more interesting expansion on its predecessor.