The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thompson starts with Evie writing a letter to her husband Richard that she was leaving him. What a different approach! The chapter abruptly ends in mid sentence. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be like that or if there were technical issues. The next section is Richard writing a letter to Evie. These letters tell the story of being on a Greek island during a terrible storm. This chapter ends abruptly. The next section talks about the sleepwalkers but then switches to a transcript. The letter/chapter continues. Maybe I’m really missing something but this story needs to be reworked. It doesn’t answer the main questions who are the sleepwalkers and what really happened to Richard and Evie. The characters were not likable and very superficial. Thank you NetGallery and Simon and Schuster for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and the author for an eARC.

3.75/5 ✧

The Sleepwalkers is described as 'Patricia Highsmith meets White Lotus' and I would endorse that description. The strongest parts were definitely those that really leaned into the same eerie atmosphere of White Lotus. Atmospherically, I might describe it more as 'White Lotus meets Rebecca.'

I really appreciated the story being told in mixed media (letters, audio transcript, etc) and how the "found-footage" format gave it a very cinematic reading experience.

None of these characters were good people but Evelyn & Richard were complex and compelling nonetheless. Some of the reveals were truly jaw-dropping here.

The last chapter/letter was the weakest part of the book. By this time, we've gotten a lot of the big reveals done and are just tying up loose-ends. Unfortunately, it does read as if we're just tying up loose-ends and we lose a lot of the suspense that carried us to this point. If the last bit was tightened up, I think this would've been a really fantastic thriller. However, I'm sure there are people who will really appreciate the sense of closure that they get from the lengthy conclusion.

A missing woman. A pattern of sleepwalking. A search party combs the woods, her husband flies home and her daugher, Lianna, is looking for clues everywhere. Did she fall into the Gale? Is she dead?

The detective, Gavin, keeps looking. After everyone else believes she is dead, he is still coming around.

Strange. Unsettling. Unusual. And very, very confusing for me.

Netgalley/ Simon and Schuster April 09, 2024

Evelyn and Richard check in to the Villa Rosa for the on a Greek island for the second half of their honeymoon and they meet Isabella, whom we learn on page one, Evelyn fears. And, just like all Isabellas this one is beautiful. The contents of the book are letters, notes, audio transcripts, notebook pages (from Moleskine and Smythson notebooks, of course), hotel guestbook pages and a list of images. These combined weave a tale of an ever deepening mystery that is never quite what it seems on this island of beautiful people and suspicious characters with questionable motives.

First, I love, love, love mixed media books, so this was right up my alley, and the editor described this as “Patricia Highsmith [stays] at the White Lotus” so there’s tons to be excited about, right? So maybe that was a bit overhyped but there’s a lot to like here. The title refers to a married couple, the “ypnovates” who drowned the year before and the Villa Rosa, an exclusive hotel booked as a gift by Richard’s domineering mother is almost a character itself….the author does a great job describing it “antiques, old mirrors with wooden frames, high ceilings, slightly stained maps, old looking documents and letters tied with string…the candle lamps, the lazy white ceiling fans and mosquito nets. It sounds perfectly glorious and perfectly Greek island-ish (we went last year. Trust me….go if you possibly can.).

The mystery parts were perhaps the weaker link, but not all of them. I can’t say more without giving too much away. Overall I enjoyed the ride. Recommended.

This is a difficult book to review - first, I've never received an advanced copy that had so much undone. There was a huge hole right in the middle that made it very confusing to follow. There was also some seriously disturbing content that I wasn't prepared for...there was almost too much of it packed in. Aside from lack of cohesion with plot, I do think the author had some really great writing especially descriptive.
As far as thrillers go, this one had shock value but as it stands now... I think some heavy editing is needed. I spent way too much time thinking "okay what motivation did they have to kill him?" and then it was sloppily revealed at the end. Good premise. Hope some more editing is in store.

WOW what a truly unique read. I was drawn in, captivated, intrigued, fascinated by the characters, setting and storyline. I just couldn’t put it down. There were so many twist and turns that kept me guessing, usually wrong. You can read more in the synopsis of the book . I do not want to give away anything just that this is so well written that I felt as if I were there taking part in the suspense. I will definitely be reading more of Scarlett’s books.

This was an interesting book with quite a storyline. The narrative switches often from Evelyn and Richard’s letters.
The couple go to Greece for their honeymoon and the villa they stay in has a twisty past. Isabella, the owner of the villa, is a very peculiar woman and Evelyn is not a fan.
There were plenty of twists and turns that were sometimes difficult to follow through.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. Wow. This was different, told in multiple different narratives with several different POVs. As soon as I'd gotten used to one narrative, it changed, and you needed to see the story from an alternative perspective. Once I adjusted (smiling), I appreciated the journey. Alternatively funny, creepy, bawdy and snarky, the tale of a couple's trip to an odd hotel on a wind-swept Greek Island was quite evocative.

Interestingly written, this won't be for everybody. I quite enjoyed it.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is left freely.