Overall: Even though I find some explanations a little exaggerated, the high tension, the suspense and mystery’s unfolding, gripping and riveting storytelling were great. Most of the characters are definitely annoying but at least I loved Emma! Emma Averell loves her life—her high-powered legal career, her two beautiful children, and her wonderful stay-at-home husband—but it wasn’t always so perfect. When she was just five years old, Emma and her older sister went into foster care because of a horrific incident with their mother. Her sister can remember a time when their mother was loving and “normal,” but Emma can only remember her as one thing—a monster. And that monster emerged right around their mother’s fortieth birthday, the same age Emma is approaching now.

As someone who has suffered from chronic Insomnia, I can say that going without sleep can truly make you feel like you are going crazy. The stress and anxiety that you feel from not being able to fall asleep at night and the state of exhaustion you feel all day is the absolute worst. Sarah Pinborough upped the ante and made an already terrible condition into something completely nightmarish. What I didn't like: sigh...yawn...I believe I mentioned repetitive. Caroline and Robert. Caroline just came out of left field even the friendship blew my mind on how comfortable Emma was with Caroline and her home. Example: I'm dirty and bloody and I barely know you but can I just use your shower while you leave for work? Sure...yeah no. Then Robert.....supportive much? Nope. Emma’s mother has been a resident of the Hartwell Secure Unit for over thirty years, following a complete mental breakdown on the date of her own 40th birthday. Her symptoms started around the same time, and are eerily similar to Emma’s. Is history repeating itself? Or, is there something far more sinister going on?Piled on top of all of Emma’s worries, however, is the very real sense that someone is out to get her. Slashed tires, an anonymous note, and the very real sense she’s being watched. Is it possible she has a stalker? Or are her sleepless nights creating a rising paranoia that is coloring her days? Unsure whether she can even trust her own sanity, Emma’s world begins to fall apart. Can she save herself or was she always doomed to lose her mind? And that monster emerged right around their mother’s fortieth birthday, the same milestone Emma is approaching now. Long story short is Emma is turning 40 which apparently means she will just go mad. A few days before her 40th she is experiencing insomnia and things are happening to her that she can't explain. That's about it, there is a bit of history as her mother had similar issues so it must be genetic. There is nothing more to this then that and it just becomes sooooo repetitive. It’s twelve days until Emma Averell’s fortieth birthday which is much more significant to her than most people as it links to her childhood and what happens as her mother approaches forty. Emma is still carrying the trauma of it as it haunts and overhangs her life. We’re on a countdown to her birthday and that’s a rollercoaster ride as we hurtle towards it with a number of serious incidents accumulating and careening Emma to the edge of a mentally destructive precipice. A cruel bout of insomnia exacerbates her state, is she going mad, losing her mind …. Or???

Emma's sleep problems have started before her fortieth birthday and of course without sleep, 💤 she is aware her view of reality is slipping. Her mother is in an asylum and from what we hear from Emma a truly horrible mother who set the tone years ago for their eventual estrangement. Emma's life is falling apart 😪 and as her birthday approaches, she becomes more and more irrational, unable to handle the stresses of family life and her high prestige position of lawyer in a very well-known firm. Emma feels like everyone is out to get her from her sister, to her husband, no one is spared her inability to be rational. It's a recipe for disaster 🌋 and the disasters 🌊 seemed to be headed straight for Emma's door. Emma desperately wants to keep her childhood trauma in the past, but as she stops being able to sleep, she also can’t stop thinking about what happened all those years ago. Is the madness in her blood? Could she end up hurting her family in her foggy, half-awake state, just like her mother? Or is there another explanation for the strange things that keep happening around her? Emma must unravel the dark strands of her past to protect the people she loves… or risk losing it all, including her sanity. Emma Averall is a successful divorce attorney with a loving husband who manages the day-to-day lives of their family as the stay-at-home parent of their two wonderful children. Granted, her husband has been a bit standoff-ish lately as his resentments about not being the money earner have festered. And sure, her teenage daughter has become a closed-off shell of the bright, bubbly girl she used to know and her endearing five year old son has become worryingly withdrawn. But surely with a little time everything will sort itself out.

Sarah Pinborough

The police get involved to rule out a possible homicide. During this time, Phoebe is staying with Emma and Robert. Emma also starts getting the feeling that Phoebe and Robert are plotting against her in some way (think Gaslight but far creepier). As Emma gets her friend and fellow solicitor, Darcy, to represent her, she begins to dig into the past where all the answers must lie. She brings up the sad memories of a mother too unfit to raise her own daughters, who are forced into foster care. In this mind-bending thriller from the bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes, Emma Averell worries that her sudden insomnia is a sign that she’s slowly going insane—like the mother she’s worked so hard to leave in her past, soon to be a series on Paramount+

Even though two of her books are problematic AF towards the gay community, I still was interested in reading Sarah Pinborough's upcoming psychological thriller, Insomnia. As usual, Pinborough takes her mystery/thrillers to the next level with nods to the supernatural, but this time it's really more of a dash and it works perfectly. Possibly my favorite of Pinborough’s yet, and that’s saying something. It’s an absolute rollercoaster of a ride: twist upon twist, expertly handled. I actually gasped out loud several times. So atmospheric and sexy… A triumph!" — Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author , on Dead to HerThe next day while at work, Emma receives a call out of the blue from her older sister, Phoebe, with whom she is not close. Phoebe is only calling to let her know that their mother has been hospitalized and is not doing well. Emma reluctantly meets Phoebe at the hospital; as expected, Phoebe lays a huge guilt trip on her. All Emma can recall is that Mum is crazy, and everyone said she was just like her. This is the main reason she fears her 40th birthday; this was right around the time that Mum lost her mind. The synopsis alone had me wanting to read this one ASAP! Unfortunately, I did feel like this book read a little bit long at times, and I truly felt like I was experiencing every single ounce of fatigue and anxiety as our protagonist! I knew that there was something more at work here than just the paranoia that accompanies insomnia, but I was conflicted in what exactly I thought could really be happening and I feel like this could have been less drawn out. Paramount+ has announced casting for new drama series Insomnia, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by bestselling author Sarah Pinborough, which will debut on Paramount+ in the UK in 2024. Twelve days before her birthday, Emma begins to suffer from terrible insomnia. She is slowly losing time and is compelled to do the same things her mother did right before she went mad.