A sort of White Lotus meets Promising Young Woman glamorous thriller written in the format of mostly letters and transcripts. I liked the format; it didn't feel distracting. The story had plenty of twists and reveals to keep you turning the page, but at a certain point, it almost felt like too many to keep track of. Still, I couldn't put it down and continue to be a huge Scarlett Thomas fan.

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC and I apologize for not getting around to reviewing this one prior to the publication date!

Evelyn and Richard are away on their honeymoon on a beautiful Greek island, a tripped planned and paid for by his mother. They are two of very few guests there during the off season and Evelyn begins people watching all of the “beautiful people” who are coming and going and imagines what their lives must be like. The hotel they are staying at, Villa Rosa, is run by a woman named Isabella who wants nothing to do with Evelyn, but everything to do with Richard. While everyone has their secrets, some of what these characters are hiding is truly shocking. Told by a series of letters and recordings, the reader gets multiple points of view throughout this book.

What did I just read? The way that it ended just gave me no closure, sadly. I was really into this book for the first ~40% that was all from Evelyn’s POV in the form of a letter written to Richard. I was getting similar vibes to when I read The Fury, and I was really enjoying it. But once we switched to Richard’s POV, I stopped enjoying it as much. I understand that the author was writing from a male POV, but it was just too overly sexual even in the way it was written. I really don’t think it was necessary to refer to the rain and wind blowing Evelyn’s hair as a “kind of extreme bukkake.” It felt to me that the author was using that phrase for shock value and it just really didn’t work for me. There is hinting of something shocking happened that ruined Evelyn and Richard’s wedding, but I never in a million years could have imagined what it actually was. The twists in this book are truly shocking and stomach churning. There are a lot of trigger warnings throughout this book and I was definitely uncomfortable multiple times while reading. Regardless, it was a really quick read and I did enjoy the first half of the book.

This story is about two people with a lot of trauma, on their honeymoon in Greece. They don't like each other very much, and you see their relationship devolving among suspicious people who run the hotel and a mystery of a pervious couple called the sleepwalkers who died. The book is full of unlikeable people and their bad choices. It is told through letters. I got angry at characters from time to time, but mostly the book was a bit depressing .

This novel felt like an unsatisfying fever dream. I thought the plot was unrealistic and I didn’t really understand the character’s motivations. I did enjoy the structure of the novel and how it required the reader to piece the narrative together.

So this is a tough review for me to write. Parts of this book were a solid 5-star read. But parts were so difficult to get through I considered putting it down and walking away.

The story is told through a handful of incredibly lengthy letters written by the MC’s. The first goes on for 42% of the book. The next takes up 42-58%. The last is the final 27% of the book. There’s half-finished transcripts and guestbook entries in between…to further the mystery about what happened and who was involved. The transcript is nonsensical until you read it out loud and realize it’s just a terrible transcription.

If the story were simply told through a series of (MUCH SHORTER) letters, this would have been a complete hit for me. The story told in each of the letters was incredible. Mysterious, sinister, dangerous. But by adding the additional materials and leaving everything seemingly half-finished, there was a point in the book where the story veered so far off course it became unenjoyable, and as a reader, I wanted more detail about some things and less about others.

While I won’t be recommending this book, if you love ambiguity and making up part of the story for yourself, this might be a hit for you.

Great writing and overall storytelling. Lended it to a friend when I was done and they devoured it! Entertaining!

The writing was very stilted and odd. I couldn't get past 25%. I also found there were some weird social takes too.

Eerie and discombobulating, like a lucid dream of a noir, with just enough sharp travelogue description and psychologically astute interior tension to keep things grounded.

🕰️ Two Minute Book Reviews: The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas 🕰️

Why I read it: @simonandschuster was gracious enough to send me an early review copy!

What I got out of it: Reading The Sleepwalkers was a surreal experience. Why? The pacing of the story was both frantic and languid, pulling me along at a break neck pace at points while, a few pages later, would leave me feeling suspended in time. One of the aspects I enjoyed most about the book was its unreliable narrators. As the story unfolded, I found myself questioning the truth of their perspectives, and if I trusted them. Just when I thought I had a handle on where the story was headed, Thomas skillfully led me down a new path I couldn’t have anticipated just a few days ahead of time. When I heard this was positioned as a gothic story…I was curious about how that could be achieved on a Greek island. But, despite the atmosphere of the novel was carried a sense of dread and foreboding [which is exactly how classic gothic novels make me feel].

Read if you want to experience:…feeling like you’re eavesdropping on the juiciest couple fight ever.

Richard and Evelyn are honeymooning on a small Greek island, close to the Turkish coast, and it's immediately clear this union may not be happy. It's possible the couple's personalities don't fit. It's also likely a family member cursed them at their wedding. What unravels from the first page is a mystery that feels like holding your breath while running.

This had a dreamy setting and a compelling plot, but I felt a bit lost at times and the execution wasn't quite what I expected. It's told in various forms -- letters, a recording transcript, journal entries, and photography lists. Much of the book is told in the in-between sections of each mode of storytelling and there are many shocking twists. At times, I felt like I was chasing a story that wasn't quite fitting until the last page, which shook me. I enjoyed this, but I thought some of the storytelling, while uniquely crafted, was distracting at times.

If you appreciate a thought-provoking, complex, psychological mystery, this one is for you!

Oh, this premise drew me in. I love gothic style stories. But this...wasn't it for me. The characters were not very likable, and I have to like them, even just a little bit. The premise was thrilling, but also a bit confusing. I kept reading, hoping it would get better, but it did not for me. I am sorry. Thanks for the opportunity to read this in return for my honest review.

The whole time I was reading Scarlett Thomas’s “The Sleepwalkers”, I couldn’t help but think of my freshmen year creative writing class in college. Our TA was rather eclectic and constantly wanted us to push the boundaries on what was considered an essay. I feel she would have loved grading “The Sleepwalkers” as the novel challenges conventional storytelling, and whether it succeeds or falters largely depends on one’s tolerance for unconventional narrative structures.

Thomas pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling as the narrative unfolds through a series of documents: Evelyn’s letters to Richard, entries in a hotel guest book, and a transcript of a recorded conversation. This fragmented style, while initially intriguing, becomes a double-edged sword. The sheer length of some letters and the abrupt transitions between documents can be disorienting.

In summary, this novel is a three-star read for me. It showcases Thomas’s talent for evocative writing and complex characters but is ultimately undermined by its fractured narrative structure and the reader’s need to navigate through its intentional obfuscations. Whether or not one enjoys this book may depend greatly on their patience with experimental storytelling and their ability to embrace the chaos of its construction.

The Sleepwalkers was a really interesting and engaging read. I appreciated the character exploration and I would read this author again.

"The Sleepwalkers” masterfully combines elements of romance, suspense, and psychological drama. It's a gripping tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat, revealing how love and honesty can be the most powerful tools against fear and deception.

This book is for anyone who loves a thrilling story set against a picturesque backdrop with complex characters and unexpected twists.

As a long-time fan of Scarlett Thomas since PopCo, I found The Sleepwalkers to be a darker, more mature novel. Set against the backdrop of a seemingly idyllic Greek beach vacation, the story follows newlyweds Evelyn and Richard as they uncover sinister secrets about each other and their surroundings. The contrast between the sunny resort and the noir plot, including the mysterious deaths of the previous guests, creates a chilling atmosphere that kept me turning the page.

I unfortunately found the main character insufferable and gave up in the 3rd chapter. I was so excited as I loved the show The White Lotus and was looking forward to the drama.

I really enjoyed The End of Mr Y and PopCo when I read them long ago and was excited to try another Scarlett Thomas book. I thought the premise of The Sleepwalkers sounded really interesting. Unfortunately the execution isn’t working for me and I decided to DNF. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

This book started strong with some really interesting and compelling characters, but it quickly fell apart for me. I found it slightly more absurd than I like my sci-fi/thrillers to be, and I just couldn't stop pulling at threads that broke open the entire premise.

Weddings and honeymoons are supposed to be some of the happiest, most romantic times in a person's life. But suspense authors know they are rife with opportunities for betrayal, heartbreak, and death. British author Scarlett Thomas’s latest book, The Sleepwalkers, turns an idyllic honeymoon into a deadly nightmare. If you dream of a vacation in the Greek Isles, don’t read this book!

The Sleepwalkers harkens back to the very beginning of fiction, formatting the story in the form of letters. Bride Evelyn kicks off the story, writing a goodbye letter to her husband Richard while he sleeps. What could go so wrong on a honeymoon that the bride wants to leave? According to Evelyn, the problems all started when the couple set foot in their hotel, Villa Rosa, especially chosen by Richard’s mother for this week only, forcing Evelyn to turn down an acting job. The hotel’s proprietress, Isabella, only has eyes for Richard and treats Evelyn scornfully. Rather than defending his wife, Richard takes Isabella’s side. Since Richard and Evelyn originally met when she worked as his family’s housekeeper, the slight is especially galling. Isabella enthralls Richard with the story of the Sleepwalkers, a married couple who drowned while sleepwalking. As a storm brews, Evelyn tries to make her escape. But as her letter grows longer, it becomes obvious that the couple’s problems began long before their honeymoon started. Eventually, we get a letter from Richard and his side of the story, which doesn’t do him any favors. Then the letters themselves become part of the plot, and there’s a surprising twist and a time jump.

The Sleepwalkers is being compared to the HBO series The White Lotus as written by Patricia Highsmith. Unlike The White Lotus, I doubt readers would want to visit the Villa Rosa, and Thomas’s descriptions of the Greek Isle don’t do the locale any favors, either. Several times, Thomas references the Edward Albee play The Zoo Story (Evelyn is an actress and playwright), but I think Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is the more apt comparison, with its hateful married couple and the games they play at the center of the action. Neither Richard nor Evelyn is particularly likeable, but the mysteries that Thomas weaves in, and her haunting way of telling the story, keep readers engaged even though her characters aren’t easy to root for.

While its plot might feel familiar for readers who enjoy domestic suspense, Thomas’s stream-of-consciousness writing style and the languid atmosphere of her setting make the story unique. While The White Lotus comparison didn’t work for me—Villa Rosa hardly provided the luxury of those resorts—The Sleepwalkers is highly visual and might also find itself streaming on the small screen someday.

I started this and put it down - I did end up finishing and it was confusing in places but a compelling story. A honeymoon gone wrong, Greece, go!