I really enjoyed Sleepless — the premise is fascinating, and the story hooked me right from the start. While the book doesn’t feel completely self-contained and leaves several threads unresolved, I see that as a positive because it hints at more to come. The world and characters are intriguing enough that I’m eager to continue with the series if future installments are released. I’d definitely read more from Jen Williams.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Sleepless. The mixture of environmental rights, religious trauma, cult-like structures, and a society that is hanging on by a thread was so well done. The main characters were relatable and you can sympathize with them, even if you don't agree with their actions. I liked that Williams wasn't afraid to push the boundaries of what the characters were going to do, but at the same time, gave them strong moral lines that they can't cross (the circus, for example). I think this book should be on any fantasy lover's TBR for 2025.

This was an okay listen. While the premise sounded interesting I found that the story didn't really Holden my attention. The narration was good.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me an audio-ARC of the Sleepless in exchange for review.

3.5 stars

This was a fun very standard fantasy book. It still held my interest even though there are many out there with a similar vibe. Though this did have some new aspects you don’t often see that were super interesting.

I loved the Artair/Lucian day night switch. I deeply hope that’s more explored in book two!! Anytime Lucian was involved I was dialed in because he’s the most interesting and my favorite character aside from a cutie lil cub in a bag.

There’s so much left in the air and I wish I could immediately jump into book 2!

Elver is a great FMC (we love a woman with a tragic backstory). The plot I feel was overall standard but the characters are really what shines in this book and does make up for that.

The narrators are also amazing. I love spending my time listening to accents and both were great and very compelling, a lot of emotion and heart was put into this audiobook!

Thank you! I’ll definitely keep this on my list so I can see how it concludes when book 2 is released.

Well, I’m just finding myself disappointed with this.

The Sleepless has such a great set up and magic system but unfortunately I found myself really bored by the actual book and plot. There wasn’t a lot of pay off at the end to make the slowness of the rest of the book worth it.

These characters had the potential to be amazing; a twice dead girl, a boy who becomes a demon when he sleeps?!? Cmon! I think this suffers from every single character being the same type of serious and brooding.

2.25 Thank you #macaudio2025, Jen Williams and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC.
I wanted to badly to love this book, the concept sounded so interesting and unique and the cover was absolutely stunning but truth be told, the characters felt barely two-dimensional, the banter wasn't there, and the narration tried to do a bit too much for me. It felt almost over-acted/over-performed which is typically not the impression I get from Macmillan Audio productions. For me, this one was a miss.

The magic and world building was pretty good and the two-souls-one-body I loved and was something different. The story was also unique but unfortunately I was never hooked. There were parts I really enjoyed and then other parts just dragged. The narrators weren’t bad, but also wasn’t top notch. Even though it wasn’t completely amazed, I’ll be reading book two because I need to know what happens, cus that ending 👌🏽. I think it’s going to be better than book one.

Love triangle
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Magic
Monsters

Side note. I ended up borrowing the physical and audio copy and was doing both at the same time, but the beginning part of the book didn’t match up to the audio. So if I wasn’t reading it, I probably would’ve missed a lot. Not sure if the download didn’t work right or not..
Thank you NetGalley

DNF @ 12%

I unfortunately did not connect with this book. I was interested in the concept of two beings in one body, the romance, and the magic, but found the story unable to hold my interest.

From what I did read/listen to I did find the world building and magic really interesting so I would recommend this to readers that enjoy YA fantasy with an intriguing world!

I also do think that the voices for the narration were enjoyable!

YA romantasy that wants to be in conversation with Godkiller, but gets pulled back too much by its own adherence to general YA tropes. There are a number of things it does well, namely generally fun worldbuilding and an interesting setup in having Artair and Lucian share a body and the mystery behind that. The rest is fairly standard - not bad by any means, but not enough to make it stand out for me. I think if you're in the mood for a YA road trip quest romantasy, this will be right up your alley. For me, a lot of what I found standard and predictable might be comforting and familiar tropes mixed with the interesting worldbuilding for another reader.

The twists were a big shrug to me (and I will say that the voice Holdbrook-Smith chooses for some of the characters in the climactic scene made it difficult to understand, to the point I picked up the ebook version at times), but I did think this was a more interesting way to do a YA love triangle, with some interesting implications for what might happen in the next book.

3.5⭐️

I was lucky enough to receive the alc and arc for this book. I love immersive reading, especially with a fantasy book. I did enjoy the sleepless however I was struggling to get into it I'm a big mood reader so I think that was my problem.
With that being said I will say the narrators did a good job! And I enjoyed the author's writing style I will definitely have to read more from her.

Would recommend to anyone that loves God's, monsters and a love triangle different from all the others!

** Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ALC And ARC**

Twisty, turny, and a different take on a love triangle

The premise of the book is very interesting and is what reeled me in. A guardian of a monster forest and a cursed man who shares his body with an evil spirit?!! Uhh yes please!

Unfortunately, I didn’t fall in love with the story or the characters the way I had hoped, and at times I struggled to stay engaged 😣. There were parts that definitely grabbed my attention though. Elver and Lucian had an interesting dynamic, and Artair’s regard for Lucian was definitely on brand for someone in his situation. I mean imagine going to sleep only for someone else to take over. Someone who you’re to make sure never gets out 😬

I think the narrator’s did a good job, it’s just the story didn’t connect with me

If you like YA books with a twisty storyline, quests, Gods, and monsters, you may enjoy the The Sleepless

This one was interesting because it was different than most fantasy books I've read. I enjoyed the plot and was intrigued by the strange love triangle, but unfortunately, found myself often bored and distracted. When the storytelling did grab my attention, it held it firmly, but then it would become dull again. I wasn't really fully invested in any of the characters enough to be fully invested in the story. While I found the story, as a whole, entertaining, it wasn't enough for me to read the second book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I was not ready for how much I loved this book, but it was such a delightful read! I think it was the worldbuilding that caught me to begin with, but then I fell in love with the characters and their journeys and the rest was history!

I absolutely adore the two-souls-one-body piece of this story and the way that it was executed. It was leveraged for maximum development for all characters involved, and even though a couple of things were predictable, it was still enjoyable and made the everything so much more meaningful. And the way it factors into the romance....chef's kiss!

There was so much depth to this story as well, and I loved diving into that along with the worldbuilding. From the truth of the villainy to the wonders of the gods, this was a colorful read from start to finish!

This was a really strong start to this story, and I cannot wait to see what comes next! You won't want to miss out!

I really enjoyed the book itself. The magic system and worldbuilding is fantastic and I really got invested in the characters' journeys. Lucian was definitely my favorite. The love triangle was definitely unique and I absolutely loved it. I'm so hoping there will be a second book because the ending definitely left me wanting to know what happens next.

The narration, however, was a mixed bag. The narrator for Elver's POV was great, no issues there. But the narrator for Artair/Lucian was not my favorite. He did a fine job of putting enough variation in his voice to differentiate between Artair and Lucian... I just personally did not like his narration.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners, & Jen Williams for an advanced reader copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early.

I’ll be fully transparent and admit that this book was not on my radar until I saw the audiobook on NetGalley. I had a feeling it was going to be a book that I preferred to listen to. Well…

I started with the audiobook and actually ended up finishing with the ebook. I was not a big fan of the narrator changes mid chapter. The narration is not first person so I didn’t really see the need to do that. I also didn’t love the male narrator’s voice. I thought he sounded too old for YA characters and while it wasn’t first person, I still felt like his voice didn’t really fit with the other narrator. I enjoyed her voice a lot and felt she fit the age of the character well.

As for the actual story, it was very interesting and had some great twists and turns. The love triangle was different than anything I had seen before as well.

I would definitely read the sequel because I really want to know what’s going to happen to everyone and this book left me wanting more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was so eager to be approved for this ALC and it hasn't disappointed! I love the narration and the story is amazing.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ALC

A young adult romantasy The Sleepless was unique had my attention until the end. Told in the third person I read this by audio this is a dual narration. While normally I listen at a faster rate of speed this one I had to slow down due to the narrators accents. Esme Lonsdale has one other audiobook under her belt and that is Heir, which I will be listening to as I really loved her narration! Jonna Holdbrook-Smith is the other and I really loved him as well! The POV’s did change in chapters at times so expect the narrators to change mid chapter. I thought they articulated themselves very well and their range of voices were great!
This does contain a love triangle. When done right I do like myself a love triangle and I really liked this one. It was a bit different.. you will see what I mean when you read it, I thought the world building was really well done. I loved the characters. I need more Lucian! This is book one in a duology and now I need the second book! I will be anticipating it release!
Thank you to Macmillan audio for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this audiobook! The narrators both did an amazing job with their parts. I loved the elements of the fictional gods and the way that they impact mortal lives. Every character felt interesting and a couple of the twists actually surprised me!

I'll admit, it took me a bit to really get into the story. We dive into the middle of the action and have to pick up a lot at once. But, I really think that was the best way to tell this story. The yearning between the main characters get's more complicated and interesting as the story progresses, which definitely caused me to pick up the pace. I think there's a chance it'll take readers a little time to get into it, but it's worth it once you do!

Perhaps because I distractedly listened to 2/3 of this on audio but I struggled to follow some of the god structure. I’m going to blame the distracted listening. Because when I did pay attention, I was completely engaged. I loved the trickster characters and chuckled at some of the dialogue. This was also a relatively original idea for a fantasy, in a genre where it is sometimes seemingly challenging to break away from the pack. I’m looking forward to the sequel!

The audio was really well done - I thought the male character especially did a great job with different character’s voices!!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I do not think this book was for me...

The concept was unique and interesting- a YA romantasy where he has another living thing that takes over at night & she was a human but no longer is...
The magic and world were deep- definitely not a romantasy that is just romance but was a good fantasy read still.

Unfortunately I was never immersed or hooked.
We start off being thrown in, but I got a bit confused, and being third person I did not feel connection to the characters.
To me, it felt like a lot of stuff was just said and explained later or as it went, but left me being confused in the moment and lost.

I think my biggest issue was the writing style- maybe modern YA and romantasy have ruined me, but the writing style felt more old fashion fantasy but with a modern romantasy plot and I was having a hard time following everything and feeling immersed at the same time.