Member Reviews

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough is a psychological thriller, it’s the story of Emma, a wife and mother, who just days before her 40th birthday starts having trouble sleeping. Not only does it bring back memories of her childhood but she begins to think she is going crazy, just like her mother told her she would when she was a young child. I couldn’t put this book down, kept me guessing till the end, lots of twist and turns. Thanks to Scene of the Crime and Netgalley for this Arc.

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Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough is a thriller with a twisted end. I should have seen it coming, but I kept looking off in the wrong direction. Clever writing, excellent pacing and a crash bang ending. Definitely a must read.

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There is no way that I would NOT recommend this book because Behind Her Eyes and Dead to Her were five star reads for me. Sarah Pinborough has a way of writing thrillers that delve well into horror territory. This one didn't quite get that far for me, or dip its toes into horror in any really effective way -- however -- it was a great twisty BA Paris-style thriller. The main character is unreliable, she fears that she's inherited her mother's mental illness -- an illness that manifested when she turned forty. The main character herself is about to turn forty, and is behaving very erratically. There was a fantastic red herring, which was a total surprise, so the mystery aspect was effective too. I liked reading it, and it's a perfectly page-turning gripping thriller despite not being as horror-y as I anticipated. I will be able to soundly recommend it to any thriller or suspense reader. Thank you!

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Note to self: Do not read insomnia when you have insomnia yourself! You will nor go to sleep!

I was dying to read Insomnia after being shocked by reading Behind Her Eyes' ending last year. I went into this one blind and highly recommend it. The writing sucks you right in and I found myself unable to stop turning the pages. I was creeped out and needed to know how the story would end!

Unique storyline and short chapters that keep you guessing, this one is a must read for psychological thriller lovers upon pub day. I did need to suspend my sense of reality a bit for this one but enjoyed it regardless - sometimes that's a treat!

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Thank you to William Morrow and Sarah Pinborough for this book that comes out April 12. I loved Behind Her Eyes so I was super excited for Insomnia. Emma can’t sleep. She tries and tries, but as she approaches her 40th birthday, she wakes up at 1:13 am and can’t get back to sleep. How long can someone go without sleep, she wonders? Why is she suddenly developing obsessive tendencies, checking and rechecking the locks, standing with her hand against the window, and losing time?

To make matters worse, Emma’s mother went insane just before her own 40th birthday and tried to smother Emma’s sister Phoebe. She has spent the last few decades locked up in an asylum and was recently admitted to a hospital for trying to kill herself. It doesn’t help that Emma’s mother always told Emma she would go crazy and that it runs in the family. As her insomnia gets worse, Emma begins to wonder where the line is drawn between dreams and reality. As she feels herself slowly slipping into madness, she grasps at everything she can to keep her sane.

Thoughts: I am a huge fan of Behind Her Eyes and think she is the master of utilizing psychological components to change a reader’s point of view. She is a fantastic writer and uses the slow build paired with a gradual release of information to really wow the reader. I loved the plot of this story and felt an overwhelming sense of dread as I read the book.

She uses slightly unbelievable and supernatural plot lines to help accomplish the impossible. I enjoyed the setting but didn’t connect with any of the characters. The plot was amazing and I’m happy there was a neat ending, but I was hoping for more of a surprise twist. I think it was pretty obvious what was going to happen, but it was still a fun book. 4-stars.

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Emma Averell will be 40 in less than 12 days. This birthday is incredibly significant to her as her mother quite literally lost her mind at age 40 and hinted that the same would happen to her. The tension build with each chapter as the day draws near. Flashbacks depict a traumatic childhood that included foster parents that Emma has no interest in revisiting. Her untrustworthy sister has turned up as well, and is trying to convince her to see her mother (incarcerated in a high security mental hospital).

All the while, Emma cannot sleep. Her insomnia keeps her from thinking, remember, holding it together in her high powered law career. What can she do to stop this family curse and get some sleep?

This was a quick moving and enjoyable thriller. A little bit on the "damsel in distress" mode, but overall, Emma was a strong character. It really spoke to me because SLEEP I need it! I also have a ne'er-do-well sister who probably would turn up and deny our childhood! If you like domestic thrillers, love your sleep and enjoy some good twists with your novels then #Insomnia is for you! #WilliamMorrow #CustomHouse #Netgalley #netgalleyreads

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Emma, an attorney, is rapidly approaching her 40th birthday. She has developed insomnia and feels like she is going crazy, just like her mother did at 40. Her husband is growing distant from her, her children are terrified of her, and her older sister Phoebe, with whom she has no relationship, comes into her life again. Strange things start to happen to Emma. Is she losing her mind or is someone doing things to her? This is a terrifying story that will keep you reading far into the night.

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This is a really fun and suspenseful read. I found myself being annoyed that I had to go to work and stop reading! Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC. Have you ever wondered if it’s you? If you’re starting to lose it just a little bit? In this exciting thriller by Sarah Pinborough, Emma Bournett is feeling this way. The storyline is complex, linking tragedies from the past with problems of today and possible tragedies in the future all together. Throughout the book, as Emma seemingly descends into “madness”, the reader is left wondering- what is happening here? I really enjoyed this novel and it definitely left me thinking at the end!

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Sarah Pinborough has a unbelievable talent for making ylthe reader feel as though they have slipped into her character's skin and are along for the wild and bumpy ride she's written. Insomnia was clever, original, has a cheeky nod her fans will love, and I expected nothing less from her writing.

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There are some elements of superstition, fantasy, magical realism in this novel about a woman who thinks she might go crazy on her 40th birthday, as her mother had done.

The novel then turns into a novel of suspense and family drama. The premise is a bit far-fetched.

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Creepy and surprising, this tale is almost Hitchcokian in tone. Great for fans of domestic thrillers.

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If you're like me, you love thrillers that leave you shocked and speechless. We all know what happened during Behind Her Eyes and I was hoping and praying for another mind-blowing experience.

I'm so guilty of doing this thing where I compare books by the same author and I need to stop doing that. With this author, I'm always expecting another hit like her heart-pounding never guess in a million years ending like Behind Her Eyes. We don't get anything like that here. We do get an average thriller that is predictable but the reasoning behind it all is what got me.

Here's the thing with thrillers, you have to create an intense atmosphere with characters that you honestly care about. We get part of that here but not the whole shebang. The atmosphere is there and it leaves you with this uneasy feeling but the characters were so terrible. I didn't like a single one and that's hard when you're trying to get into a book. I felt not a thing when all these horrendous things started happening to Emma and her family. I was like a stone wall when terrible things started to happen. It makes it that much harder to connect with the story when you don't like any of the characters.

The mystery part was okay. As I said, it was predictable once the main characters were introduced. What I didn't see coming was the reasoning behind it. No one will really see that one coming, it just wasn't as shocking as I hoped it would be.

Insomnia was an okay thriller. Nothing spectacular happened but I can see thriller newbies loving this one. It just wasn't what I wanted for a mystery veteran like myself.

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I got hooked on Sara Pinborough when I read Behind Her Eyes and could not WAIT to read Insomnia. It was a whirlwind of twists and turns that led to a climax that has me still thinking about it!

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Trigger warning!!! This book will cause you to develop insomnia because you will NOT be able to stop reading it well into the night! Honestly… I even took a pill to make me drowsy and I STILL kept reading right through it! I loved some characters and loathed some (though I won’t tell you who!) and I truly felt like I was going mad right along with Emma! Sarah Pinborough writes so well that I was sucked right in from the first page right through the last! And let me tell you that try as I might, I could NOT figure out any of the shocking twists at the end! And I suspected everyone of something! I was digging deep to come up with some wild and crazy theories but the truth made me drop my jaw and obliterated all of my theories! Read. This. Book! You’re welcome!

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Of course, another good solid thriller by Sarah Pinborough. She always weaves a good tale for her readers. This one was no different.

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Insomnia is a wild roller coaster of a book. It took me a long time to read. The building up goes on for so long. But hang in there it’s worth the drop. I really did not like any of the characters. So I was wondering how I would ever care what happened to them. But well the last twist. Makes it a book of people that you want to see ok

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Emma is turning 4 O, and she is terrified of of becoming her mother. This isn’t typical getting older issues…Emma’s mother went crazy on her. 40th. birthday and nearly. Committed murder. Now, Mere days from her own 40th, Emma is displaying some of her mother’s troubling symptoms.

Sarah Penborough has become one of my favorite authors.. In a time where the unreliable narrator is everywhere, Penborough has given it a fresh look.

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With her much anticipated new novel, Insomnia, Sarah Pinborough delivers another mind bending thriller filled with twists, turns and surprises.

In the weeks leading up to her fortieth birthday, Emma becomes plagued by debilitating insomnia. Her mother experienced a psychotic break on her own fortieth birthday and Emma is terrified of history repeating itself. Along with the insomnia Emma begins to become paranoid and question her own reality leading others to question whether or not she herself might be a danger to her family.

This is a book that left me turning pages well into the night. Pinborough’s depiction of extreme insomnia and the effect it could have on a person’s mental stability rang true and made Emma’s role as an unreliable narrator believable successful. There are surprises throughout that propels the narrative forward with increasing tension and suspense. And while I found the a conclusion a little predictable, I had a great time getting there. Another great and original thriller from Pinborough.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this arc in exchange for an honest and fair review.

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The latest thriller from Sarah Pinborough does not disappoint. Insomnia puts the reader into that uneasy, uncomfortable feeling as they uncover the story of two sisters who rival each other and the mental instability that runs in their DNA. The ever-popular dual-timeline works well to explain the present and give the reader a perspective of the history and emotional abuse endured by the two sisters, Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title.

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Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A decent thriller that kept me reading. A bit disappointed with the ending.

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