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!