So I have a slight confession. I didn't absolutely love a Study in Drowning. I knew so many people who had loved Effie and I just wasn't quite connecting. In my head I overhyped her and the story and when it didn't meet these arbitrary expectations I was a little let down. I loved the writing style, the story was interesting but something just didn't quite hit. It was good but not great. I only say this so it's understood where I'm coming from with this review.
That being said A Theory in Dreaming is completely undoubtedly great and gave me such a better appreciation to its predecessor. It built upon it so perfectly it left me at a loss for words. Ava Reid's prose are so beautiful and haunting. I wish I was eloquent enough to tell you all the themes that were covered and how poignant it felt to read this story. Especially with what is going on in the world today. Moving forward Effie and Preston will hold a special place in my heart and I can't wait to not only reread A Study in Drowning but get my hands on a physical copy of this book once this releases.
Of course this review is only thanks to receiving a Arc from Netgalley.

Ava Reid’s latest book, A Theory of Dreaming, was exactly what I wished A Study in Drowning could have been; I was invested from the very beginning and fell in love with the characters we got to revisit. The romance was less tropey and more developed than in A Study in Drowning, the setting of the novel was in true Dark Academia form, and the concept of mental illness was not only discussed, but heavily leaned into throughout the book. The characters, especially Effy, went through a journey of self-discovery to learn that our flaws are not weaknesses, but instead are proof that we are human; we are not broken for feeling pain, but instead are more alive for the experience.

I also really enjoyed some of the more complex themes… A Theory of Dreaming reminded me a lot of Babel, especially in how closely tied language and literature were to concepts of nationalism and patriotism.

I really loved this book. But as a heads up, there are some scenes that could be triggering for those who (like me) suffer depression, PTSD, insomnia, or for those who have dealt with suicidal ideation.

I wish this were going to be a trilogy instead of a duology, but overall I’m satisfied with how things ended.

A huge thank you goes to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book broke me. I’m a puddle of tears right now. I loved coming back to this world and read about this characters. Effy and Preston deserve the world and they go through so much here. This book explores so many different themes and it’s just so beautiful. I cannot recommend A study in drowning enough and this is a worthy sequel to it. Love it 😍

A Theory of Dreaming by Ava Reid.

Effy and Preston are on a final adventure which brings their haunting love story to its end. Effy is now free of her nightmares but she can no longer escape into fantasy. Preston beings to dream of a palace under the sea and his vision begin to follow him, even when he’s awake. Effy is losing her dreams and Preston is losing himself in his. Are dreams ever just truly dreams?

I couldn’t put this book down. I enjoyed it just as much as the first one! I love Effy and Preston together. Even through their struggles, they still cared so much about each other. I loved how the book ended.

I did enjoy how Ava wrote about Anxiety. It was very real and very relatable. As someone who struggles with that, I think Ava did a great job. I enjoyed learning more about the characters and about their mental health. I think it’s important that we normalize that.

I love Ava’s writing! I was so excited when I received an ARC! I also love the cover of the book! I’ve already ordered my physical copy! Thank you so much Ava, HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!

Publication Date: August 5th 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


If you haven’t already, check out A Study in Drowning! I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!
I should preface this by saying I do not think this is a five-star book for everyone - for those who it is five stars for, I hope you’re doing okay. I’m going to try to sum up my thoughts in three main points so I don’t ramble too much.
1. Dark Academia: While ASID was advertised as dark academia, I found it to be more of a gothic fairy tale. ATOD is truly dark academia; the entire story is set in college for the entirety of the novel. You could be fooled by the first couple of chapters into thinking this is a ‘cozy winter academia’ book. It is not.
2. Mental Illness: Ava Reid has always managed to make me believe that she is writing for me specifically in her portrayal of depression and anxiety. I know the experience is different for everyone, but Effy’s depression in this book so closely mirrored mine that I had to put down the book several times to just cry. It was extremely cathartic.
3. Romance/Grief: The romance in ATOD is far less tropey and far deeper than the romance in ASID, which is exactly what I want in a sequel book. (This is, in my opinion, where Ruthless Vows failed) I was afraid ATOD would be a publisher money-grab, but I was very wrong. The story balances deep love and deep grief at the same time.

Juniper and Thorn, ASID, Lady Macbeth, and ATOD were all timely books for me; I don't know how Ava Reid manages to predict what the exact type of fiction I need at different points in my life, but I hope she never stops.

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC!

Considering my enthusiastic love for A Study In Drowning, I was a bit nervous to start this book.


I shouldn’t have been nervous.


I loved it so much.


I don’t think I’ve ever had this many feelings about bells in my entire life. Literally spent the last 36 hours straight thinking about them.


Ava Reid has broken me and I am now a shell of what I used to be. The way she writes about anxiety and obsessive thoughts has never felt better represent to me as a reader who struggles with these things. I loved hearing more of Preston as a character and his inner struggles with identity and reality. I obviously love Effy and continued to love her in this book.

In conclusion I love Ava Reid and will forever read anything she ever writes. I can’t wait until this book physically comes out so I can buy a million copies.

READ THIS BOOK

I need to preface this review with this: Ava Reid is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I absolutely LOVED A Study in Drowning. That being said, I have to Speak my Truth: I really did not enjoy this. The saving grace of this book is it still includes Reid’s gorgeous prose and she can create a world that oozes atmosphere, which adds so much to her stories. However. the plot was very muddled and lacked a feeling of magic. My biggest issue was it seemed like she stripped the characters of everything I loved previously and made them shells of their former selves. I understand this was about how they dealt with the trauma from ASID, but they felt like very watered down versions of themselves, especially Effy, which was very disappointing.

Unlike A Study in Drowning, A Theory of Dreaming is not plot focused and is instead very character focused. I think after loving ASID, I was expecting a bit more plot rather than just the characters learning to live with their trauma. That aside, I did very much enjoy being back with Effy and Preston especially as they worked to overcome the barriers between them and build a stronger relationship. I think this could've been a more successful novella - as it stands it's a bit longer than it needed to be. Ava Reid's writing remains wonderful - even though this book didn't live up to my admittedly sky high expectations, she's still one of my favorites to read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This felt more dark academia than the first book, and also just darker in general, especially the second half of the book. I actually realized I need to go back and reread the first one. I liked getting to see more of Effy and Preston, even if there's a lot of sadness/fear they are both working through on their own terms.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc!

The second I got this book, I read it. In one sitting. Like a maniac. Ava Reid is one of my favorite authors ever. This book is just fan-service, and Reid delivered about 400 pages of it. I will say, however, that this book could've, and should've, been a novella. This book is much slower than A Study in Drowning, and in its scope/stakes, was much less intense. There's no set structure, and the development of the characters was more subtle.

IF YOU DID NOT LOVE THE ASID CHARACTERS WITH YOUR FULLY HEART AND SOUL, YOU WILL HAVE A ROUGH TIME WITH THIS BOOK. Be warned that there is barely any plot, and you're just following Preston and Effy as they deal with their internal turmoil, insecurities, and trauma. Repeatedly.

Overall, 3 stars. I am very excited to see what Ava Reid is going to publish next.