"What if the whole world fell asleep...and didn't wake up again?

Dave Torres, a night watchman in a placid coastal town, knows all about sleep troubles. Since childhood, he's battled terrors and nightmares. Sometimes those battles leak into his waking life, with disastrous consequences for those he loves. Now Dave lives alone and self-medicates to neutralize his dreams. It's not much of a life, he knows.

The morning after Independence Day, Santa Mira, California, is so quiet Dave can hear the ocean from miles away. Traffic signals blink from red to green over empty intersections. Storefronts remain locked up tight. Every radio station whispers static.

And all over town, there are bodies, lying right where their owners left them. Dead right where they slept.

Dave - along with his ex-girlfriend, Katie, his best friend, Matteo, and Linda, a nurse he's just met - struggle to unravel the mystery before sleep overtakes them all.

Except the answer to the mystery might lie in the one place that frightens Dave most: His twisted, unnerving dreams. Now Dave and his friends must straddle the liminal boundary between life and death as they fight to save everyone they've ever loved - and to keep their eyes open.

Because if any of them falls asleep now, it will be the last thing they ever do."

Wait, why are the bodies "all over town" wouldn't they be "all over town in their beds?" I mean, the bodies are wherever they fell asleep and that makes it sound like there's bodies in the middle of the roads...

I'm only going this low in my ranking because there was so much going on that I was confused for a large portion of the book. Still, I feel like if a random pandemic sparked up where people died in their sleep or rather in their dreams, there would be a lot of stress, chaos, and confusion- so perhaps it's well-assigned.

Dave has been having some weird dreams lately, especially where he has a seemingly deep conversation with a whale, but everything gets incredibly weird when people start dying in their sleep and dropping like flies. Unable to make sense of these tragedies and struggling to stay awake, Dave binds with his ex-girlfriend Katie, his friend Matteo and Linda, a nurse they just met, to get to the bottom of these random deaths.

I listened to this one on audio, but I would encourage you follow along with a physical or digital copy, because like I said, there is a lot going on.

I am so thankful to NetGalley, Jake Emanuel, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for granting me a physical and digital copy, along with audiobook access. The Edge of Sleep is set to publish on June 20, 2023.

I was completely enthralled by this horror novel. It’s suspenseful and well written and I had no idea it was based on a very popular podcast which I just had to also check out. The ending seemed like a bit open ended or perhaps a cliff hanger and I’m hoping there will be more.

The Edge of Sleep is a horror science fiction with a very interesting premise. Everyone in the world falls asleep one night and just never wakes back up except for a handful of insomniacs. We follow this crew as they try to figure out what is going on.

This book seemed like the perfect kind of weird for me. The main story was fascinating and seeing the way the different characters came to conclusions about what was going on was fascinating. Throughout this story, there are little vignettes outside of the main story following other people’s day before they fall asleep. Which was interesting albeit distracting. I found myself confused more than once as we slip into different perspectives.

The writing also felt a little disjointed. I saw that this book has a few authors attached to it and I think it feels like it. Like everyone is trying to insert their own style instead of making a cohesive story. The good thing about that choice is that this book very much feels like a dream. It captures that feeling of right before you fall asleep really well when you aren’t sure if you are awake or asleep.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books that feel like fever dreams and can deal with strange prose and a somewhat disconnected story.

3.5 stars!

I liked it, then I hated it, then I loved it and did not put it down until I had finished it.

Everyone who falls asleep, dies. Insomniac Dave and friends' figure this out not long into the story. After that, it is an adrenaline laced rush to either find a cure or ride out the apocalypse before succumbing to the lack of sleep that's keeping them alive.

I was a bit irritated by the many short vignettes that go off at a tangent every few chapters or so. I'm humming along, engrossed in the story of Dave and company when all of sudden, sometimes in the middle of a chapter, we are dropped into a different part of the country, with a whole new set of characters. Same with taking us from present day to the past. One could get whiplash from the back and forth between then and now, it happened so fast and so often. I stuck with it though, and it finally all comes to together to make sense later. But it was a jarring way to tell a story, for sure. I think this is due to having not only two authors, but a third 'contributing' author as well. Too many cooks stirring the pot.

That being said, the plot was original and pretty fascinating, the gore not any worse than you would find in a Stephen King or Dean Koontz novel, character development was decent enough to ensure we rooted for their survival, action moved along briskly, no over-long stretches of descriptive prose telling us what the curtains looked like. I thought this was a fine effort and the ending tied up all the loose ends while leaving a bit of ambiguity, maybe for a sequel? If so, I'd read it.

The premise was interesting, but the execution fell flat. It felt unstructured overall, like a jumble of short stories thrown together. The POV switches were confusing. The use of slang dialogue was overdone. There are some very gruesome scenes, that I wasn't expecting. The number of characters and side characters made it hard to follow and connect to anyone. The ending felt very incomplete. Perhaps a sequel is in the works.

The Edge of Sleep is a gripping novel following a group of strangers who find themselves racing against the clock after almost everyone around them suddenly dies in their sleep. The premise is an interesting one—I was expecting at least a passing reference or nod to everyone's favorite Christmas sweater clad killer, a bit disappointed that I didn't get one!—and while I didn't exactly feel like I got enough answers about what the hell was happening here, this is one of those books that sets you up for a series (or at least a sequel).

I'm not really a fan of that, personally—when books are just introductions to future books—but as someone who read the bulk of this novel while exhausted, sitting on the ground outside at 6AM waiting on line for record store day, I am glad to say it was interesting and fast paced enough to keep me awake and alive. Definitely worth the read.

Rating this 3.5, giving it the extra star for the awesome cover. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was really intrigued by the concept here, but found myself lost in the use of language and dialogue early in this one and unfortunately was never able to grab the threads enough to fully engage with the story... This one wasn't a good fit for me.

*Thank you @StMartinsPress and @netgalley for the copy of this book"

After clocking out of his overnight shift, Dave (who suffers from crippling insomnia) and his friend Matteo notice something odd is going on - all the commotion of every day life has halted and every one appears to have died in their sleep. The duo teams up with a nurse and Dave's ex-girlfriend to figure out what has caused this phenomenon - all while fighting the fatal desire to sleep.

This book caught my attention because of the unique dystopian storyline and the fact that Youtuber Markiplier was attached to this project. Additionally, Goodreads was full of stellar reviews - although I did notice that a majority of them seem to be reviewing the podcast/show this book is based off of.

While I haven't listened to the podcast, I feel like that is probably a better medium for this story. Overall this book just fell flat for me. I
loved the dystopian environment but ending was so disappointing. The bulk of the story is the main character group traveling to a remote location to find out what is causing everyone to die in their sleep. Their journey dragged on but then suddenly the ending felt rushed and was just downright bizarre. I am all for weird and abstract stories but this one did not hit the mark.

There were so many side characters introduced throughout the story. My main issue with this is that many are dead end characters - we recieve minor backstory on them then they die. I understand the use of those characters to reinforce the troubles and similarities these survivors shared but ultimately they felt pointless.

The main character has an interesting and mysterious backstory that kept me intrigued in figuring out all his issues revolving around his insomnia. However, when the full backstory was revealed it was severly lacking in details.

I really enjoyed the gruesome and gory details that made this a truly creepy dystopian but I felt there was a missed opportunity to have a tangible explanation for the cause of the mass death - it went to a weird supernatural route - and the ending was left open ended. Not sure if there is Meant to be a sequel but the book definitely does not feel complete.

This book was bizarre in its own unique way; I loved the premise, the suspense, and the characters. This felt like a 4 star read UNTIL the “magical creatures” and “the veil” appeared near the end in a nightmare mirage. I feel like the conclusion of this book left more questions than answers and I’m racking my brain thinking that I missed something. Did I miss a chunk of the storyline that’s supposed to sum everything up? No I didn’t, because I reread the last few chapters and I’m still stumped. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The concept is intriguing: one night the majority of the world goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up. This book follows a group of survivors trying to make sense of what has happened.

Unfortunately, execution and writing just aren’t there. There are two groups that the book follows, one from LA and one from Boston.
There are lots of small introductions written about individuals and how he or she falls asleep and, therefore, dies. There were so many of these, it was distracting. The addition of these introductions took away from the pair from Boston so much that I forgot about their backstory a few of the times when they came up in the story.

The wrong word choices by Matteo was too much and felt too cheesy, especially at the beginning of the book, as did the dialogue in many places. Several of the scenes felt like descriptions in a screenplay more than passages in a novel, which I did not like.

I was really invested in learning about what had caused everyone to die in their sleep, especially after the intense autopsy scene. However, there was no answer. The book was left more than open ended — it just stopped. I even considered that maybe my ARC was an incomplete copy.

I gave this book 2 stars, only for the fact that I read it quickly and I liked the idea of the book.

What a concept…the whole world falling asleep and not waking up again. This description automatically piqued my interest. The originality of this idea blew me away.
Dave, Matteo, Linda and Katie…Millie and Eli and all the other insomniacs who were “lucky” enough to stay awake on this night of apocalypse, reel us in with their stories of trying to survive without falling asleep. In spite of the rudimentary writing style and dialog that didn’t ring true for some of the characters personalities, I was totally engrossed with finding out the fate of each one of these people as well as finding the root of this horrific event. There was never a dull moment in the quest for answers and for survival.
Thank you NetGalley for sending me this arc to read and review.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
This book had an interesting premise, but it didn't connect the characters together so their stories felt unfinished. The very end feels like it's setting up for a sequel, but it needed more.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I'm not sure what to think of this book. The premise is the world falls asleep and never wakes up and those of us who are insomniacs are still alive and trying to figure out how this happened.

I didn't connect until 25% in and finally when I did, it brought me to a very unsatisfying, weird end. It could've been longer and explained the ending a little more but......poof sort of like my review.

Maybe if this really happened in the world, I'd finally get some sleep. After all, we always want what we can't have and as I read of these people struggling to keep their eyes open, I thought hmmm maybe this is what I need to fall asleep.

However I hate an unsatisfying end. I'm not recommending.. Maybe to a frenemy.

I was so excited to read The Edge of Sleep because of the third coauthor, Jason Gurley, (not listed above). Several years ago he wrote a wonderful novel called Eleanor.

The Edge of Sleep is a totally different story, but I buzzed through it at lightning speed. I just could not stop reading. The premise is that one day, people just don't wake up. Those who are already awake no longer wake if they drop off to sleep.

Only a few living, waking people remain. Each little group develops a plan to save themselves. Although they try to figure out why so many people cannot be roused from sleep, no one succeeds.

The characters are engaging and the story moves along quickly. Without wanting to give away the ending, I think I must say that I did not understand the ending. I'm sure it must be me and not any deficiency on the part of the authors.

I wonder if a sequel would clear things up for me. I'd love to read it!

I loved the premise of this book! The world falls asleep and never wakes up again. Folks who who work the nightshift or can't sleep are still alive and have to fight to not fall asleep and figure out what is happening.

I wanted to love this story but I struggled to get into it. I couldn't get into the characters and I'm not sure if the dialog was throwing me off or if the characters were more surface. I didn't care about them too much.
I scanned through most of the book. This was just not for me.

I love dystopian books so this one should have been right up my alley. I found it hard to follow the dialogue at the start, and I found it irritating. After a couple of chapters I got used to it more. I loved the premise of the book, it was a great idea. The ending surprised me a little.

Thank you Jake Emanuel, Willie Block, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC e-book. What if you went to sleep and never woke up? What if all those who fell asleep one night were dead by morning? This story revolves around that idea and follows one man who luckily suffers from sleep deprivation. What will he do to stay alive? how long can he survive without closing his eyes to rest? This story definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and was a story I had a hard time putting down especially when it came time for me to fall asleep.

Thanks so much to Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

The whole world falls asleep and doesn't wake up except for a few people who struggle with sleep. They try to unravel the mystery and fight off the urge to sleep.

What an interesting read! This was so different. I did skim through some non relevant characters to get to the actual substance of the story. I couldn't figure out where it was going to lead and was surprised by the whole plot. 3,5 stars

This is a pulse-pounding story a of a world-wide phenomenon that kills everyone when they fall asleep.. The only ones who have a fighting chance at survival are those who suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders. Warning: . This is not the kind of book to read at bedtime, especially when, like me, you have insomnia. There was one thread of the plot that attempts to examine the pathology of the disease, but it did not get very far and I would say that is a weakness in the story. While the narrative follows a few survivors as they attempt to escape their seemingly inevitable fate, the suspense is top notch. Unfortunately, as the story reaches its conclusion it leaves important questions unanswered and throws in a mind blowing epilogue that I thought diminished the story.
It is interesting to note, this began as a podcast, and you can listen to a full-cast ensemble recreate the story on YouTube.
The writing here is excellent and provides good entertainment — just not at bedtime.