The book starts off with psychological thriller vibes then descends into a sort of dystopian science fiction. It's a debut which seems to be dividing opinion. I neither loved nor hated it. The audiobook narration by Helen Keeley is first class and elevates the material. Keeley skilfully assigns different voices and quirks to each character, helping to distinguish them and bringing Louise Mumford's creations to life. My favourite of which was undoubtedly Thea's Mum Vivian, with her Menopausal Army of women warriors, vagina scarf and key trick to fend off potential offenders. My biggest takeaway is that I will never complain about insomnia, ever again, for fear of being spirited away to a giant testicle in the middle of nowhere.

I loved this book. The narration was perfect and I had to keep on listening through to the end with barely a break. Heart in mouth!

As someone who periodically suffers from insomnia, I was intrigued by the premise of this book. Right from the car crash at the start we realise the effects that insomnia has on Thea’s life, so it’s no wonder she signs up for a new sleep program that she hears about from an ad on social media. Once Thea gets to the island where the sleep program is taking place things start to get very weird indeed.

I really enjoyed the story, which was action packed. Louise Mumford portrayed brilliantly what it is like to feel totally exhausted through lack of sleep. I loved the feelings of claustrophobia and isolation on the island.

I adored the character on Vivien, who is a social activist, now in her 70s, who holds protest meeting in her living room. I loved the close bond she had with her daughter, and her scenes added some light relief to the tense storyline.

Helen Keeley did a great job with the narration.

Audio version of this book 📚 - this is the first book I’ve read by this author and didn’t really know what to expect. I found it rather different to the blurb in that I was expecting an edge of seat suspense but found some of the writing and characters to be a little comic relief. The narrator was very good and whether it was her take on certain characters voices that gave the comic element I’m unsure 😐

As a person who suffers with insomnia, this book spoke to me!
The main character Thea was likeable and I totally understood the feelings of delirium when she hadn't slept!
I was so intrigued by the premise of the sleep trial and loved the mystery surrounding the clinic and the patients. It was a great thriller, and I enjoyed it.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic, keeping me engaged most of the time and eager to find out the next events. I did lose track of some of the characters a few points though.

Well this was a roller coaster of a ride. It started of slow but then got going. I really enjoyed it, this year I have suffered insomnia, not to Theo's extent which is what attracted me to the audio book. I cannot work what genre this is dystopian, gothic, thriller captures it all.

Loved the mum - she reminded me of older friends.

The narrator was amazing and the voice changes for different people was very well done.

I would thoroughly recommend this audio book. I was provided an advance copy by Netgalley, HQ and Louise Mumford for a fair and honest review which I have done.

Must listen if this is your genre

A really exciting premise that kept me awake until the early hours reading.

Really fast paced engaging story I loved the relationship between daughter Thea and mother Vivien. The technology is believable and terrifying for an insomniac such as myself.

Filled with humour and brilliabt prose. I seriously had to reread some of the writing as it was so exquisite. This is a real page turner.

I was never quite sure who to trust! - a brilliant debut.

Sleepless was an audiobook that I enjoyed. It started as a thriller - Thea, in her twenties, suffers from an insomnia, that has her lying awake each night, just managing to fall asleep when her alarm rings to summon her to work each morning. Subsequently she is operating on virtually no sleep, and when this results in a car accident she decides she needs help. Cue the advert for a sleep app trial that she responds to.

As Thea enters the sleep app trial on an island with a number of fellow insomniac participants, the story takes a definite turn for the dystopian - not my genre of choice, I will admit, but some quality writing and a very talented narrator had me interested, if not hooked.

This was narrated by one narrator, but she was so skilled at giving each character a different voice that it made the book easy to follow, and at times I forgot it was all done by one person!

This story had some very likeable characters, and if you are looking for action, this story has it in droves!! Thea’s mother, Vivien, was a particular favourite character - a formidable character who doesn’t disappoint as the story concludes!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an advance copy.

Holy heavens, if I ever looked for a book that wouldn't let me sleep, THIS IS IT.

Not only is Sleepless an actually freaky story, but it is also literally about insomnia, sketchy medical studies and dystopian brain control experiments. As a huge fan of Black Mirror, I was simultaneously terrified and in love with this thriller.

Our protagonist, Thea, has dealt with severe insomnia for years, so much so that she can't live a normal life due to her condition. So when she learns of an opportunity to participate in a sleep trial which promises to help people like her, Thea takes the opportunity as possibly the only chance to ever live normally again. But in practice, the study is quite different from her expectations with a lot of creepy details which make it clear that it's more than a study...

I love thrillers in general, so it's not that easy to impress me, but this one blew me away and it's easily a 5-star listen. Yes! I had a great pleasure of listening to the audiobook and it was a huge hit for me - the narration is expertly done and made it impossible not to feel all the creeps from the story.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my audio copy of Sleepless an interesting and compelling book with many twists and turns, most of which I didn't see coming. It is at times quite chilling with a good cast of strong characters.

I liked the narrator and the voices she gave to the various characters, sometimes this can be an irritating point for me, but she was perfect.

Let's start with Helen Keeley's narration, which I thought was excellent. She has a pleasant voice and kept pace, clear diction and clarity throughout. Now for the story itself. I was thrilled that for once the main character, Thea, didn't exist in isolation, which drives me insane in most books. Thea had a mother who worried about her. Thank you Louise Mumford for not taking the easy way out. When I reflected back on the book, it was a tad improbable and incredible but boy, was it ever enjoyable. I actually felt my teeth clenching in anxiety at some points. Very clever, very terrifying and very well written. Vivian's character was a breath of fresh air and provided some light relief it what would have been hours of almost unbearable tension. Ms Mumford knew exactly when to drop Vivian into the plot to keep the listener from passing out with worry and nerves. Highly recommend this one.

So many twists and surprises it’s no surprise that Sleepless kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved the ideas in this book, a dystopian future that seems so close to reality it is a little scary. What starts as a normal sleep trial turns into so much more. I found the characters strong and relatable, the narration perfectly fitting for the story and would highly recommend the audiobook version of this thriller

I loved the storyline for this book and thought the idea was really unusual and clever. Insomniac Thea resolves to deal with her sleeplessness after it causes her to crash her car. She responds to an advert claiming to improve her sleep. Once accepted onto the course she agrees to be taken to a remote island where she has to hand in her mobile phone leaving her with no way of contacting the outside world. Then it all takes a sinister turn as Thea realises all is not what it seems. She then has to find a way to get off the island and to get help. I struggled to differentiate between some of the male characters and got a bit muddled in places as so much seemed to be happening at once. I enjoyed the first part of the book the most. I listened to this as an audio book and enjoyed the narration. Thank you to Louise Mumford, Net Galley and Harper Collins UK Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sleepless is a brilliant debut from Louise Mumford and as a fellow insomniac I associated with The main character Thea, a young woman who just wants to sleep so when a sleep trial keeps popping up on her phone " "Morpheus dream yourself to a better you, one sleep at a time" she knows she has to get on the trial. Against her mothers wishes she gets enrolled but will it work? I can't tell you to much mre with out given to much away but Sleepless will keep you on the edge of your seat and leasve you wanting more. I was lucky enough to have a free trail of the audio book which was fantastically narrated by Helen Keeley, she did a great job at keeping my interest from drifting.

Such a unique thriller. I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this. It had me hooked from the very beginning and considering its a book about a girl with insomnia - it kept me up at night listening.

Can’t wait to read more from Louise Mumford in the future.

Sleepless - Louise Mumford

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley.

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.

Thea MacKenzie falls asleep just before her alarm rings every night, signing up to take part in a sleep trial, is just what Thea thinks will solve her sleep problems. Arriving on the island, Thea quickly realises that the trial might not be what it seems.

From the start of the book, I thought I would enjoy this story as the premise sounded quite interesting. Once Thea reached the island however I started to struggle with the story. Personally I found myself getting confused as to who the characters were. There are many twists and surprises in the story, but unfortunately this book was just not for me.

Rating: 3.5/5

Absolutely original, totally compelling and utterly gripping. I cannot recommend this enough to lovers of thrillers.

This story gets full marks for originality. The theme of insomnia is a relatable one and the author's interpretation an interesting balance of imagination and reality. I also listened to the audiobook edition of this. The excellent narration makes the story come alive, creating a claustrophobic and immersive story.

It begins with Thea's desperation to sleep, which makes her apply for a scientific trial that uses new techniques. She ends up on a creepy island with a medley of different characters. The first part of the story is atmospheric and disturbing, the people running the programme are they trustworthy? Thea's sense of what is real is impaired, as is her judgement. The author creates a believably, frightening world.

There's nail-biting drama and then the story twist into something else. After dramatic events, the story becomes more like a science-fiction, dystopian drama, but with the same characters.

The characters are vivid, and the events described using sensory imagery that draws the reader into the story. There's something for everyone in this mix of genres. This is a unique and disturbing story, with an eerie ending.

I received a copy of this book/ audiobook from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Great debut 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced audio copy of Sleepless.

Sleepless is an excellent debut about Thea, a twenty-seven year old woman who suffers from terrible insomnia. Help arrives in a clinical sleep trial called Morpheus.

I found the story engaging and well written, the story pulled you in and I was never sure who was on the good side or the bad. The narration was simply fantastic and I loved the narrators voice, it was a pleasure from start to finish.

I hope this debut flies for Louise. I'll certainly be looking out from more this author.

This was something different and I really enjoyed it. It crossed the genres of Sci Fi, Adventure and thriller.

The plot was original and scary, after all, who would want their brains and dreams controlled, and sold to the highest bidder, it really is the stuff of nightmares (no pun intended!)

I found the plot fast paced and exciting, it kept me interested throughout, I felt like I'd been holding my breath until the end.

The narration was good, with plenty of voice variation to make the book easy to listen to, and become involved with.

In conclusion, a really enjoyable listening experience.