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hgalbraith09's review against another edition
3.0
A different take on angsty teenagers. This one was a little dark and reminded me of Freddy Krueger. It wasn't the worst YA book I've read and it was a quick read.
zariagulley's review against another edition
4.0
i really liked this book. it was interesting. i thought the storyline was good.
cassie7e's review against another edition
4.0
What a ride. I loved the premise, and the moral dilemmas and the pseudo-scientific explanation of how the dreams work. And this book did not treat it's subjects lightly, and brush off how horrible people can be, nor totally justify all the characters' reactions. No one in this story is just a monster or just righteous. 4 stars because abusive relationships are tough for me to read, and some of these characters are horrific and their actions (or consequences thereof) are not really addressed/resolved. I also found the sudden romance a bit over the top and exaggerated, but I don't feel romantic/sexual attraction the way most teenagers/adults do, so I can't say it is or isn't realistic.
TW: controlling behaviors, coercion, public humiliation, physical restraint, abusive relationships, school bullying, assault which goes largely unaddressed
TW: controlling behaviors, coercion, public humiliation, physical restraint, abusive relationships, school bullying, assault which goes largely unaddressed
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: River of Dreams
Drinking Buddy: Dream Weaver
Testosterone Level: Enter the Sandman
Talky Talk: These Dreams
Bonus Factor: Possession
Anti-Bonus Factor: Lord of the Flies Syndrome
Bromance Status: Stuck in a Closet With Vanna White
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: River of Dreams
Drinking Buddy: Dream Weaver
Testosterone Level: Enter the Sandman
Talky Talk: These Dreams
Bonus Factor: Possession
Anti-Bonus Factor: Lord of the Flies Syndrome
Bromance Status: Stuck in a Closet With Vanna White
Read the full book report here.
elephant's review against another edition
4.0
This book, while not technically a paranormal book is very like a YA paranormal romance in many ways. High school student, Sarah, has a sleep disorder that is so severe she has to be tied to her bed or she might hurt other people. This causes problems in her social life. When she meets Wes, who is literally the boy of her dreams, and she finds out they are both taking the same experimental medication at the same sleep clinic which is allowing them to affect people's real lives, a plot of revenge and danger emerges. Action, danger and romance abound in this YA mystery thriller.
katellis's review against another edition
Sarah has a sleeping disorder that makes her violently act out her dreams, until a new drug enables her to sleep without endangering herself or others for the first time. The only drawback (or is it?) is that it allows her to enter the dreams of others who have taken the drug -- something only she, and a mysterious boy, can do. Add in a bully and a quest for revenge, and SLEEPER turned out to be quite gripping. While I didn't love Sarah or the secondary characters, she was certainly an intriguing anti-heroine with a very sketchy moral compass, and I was keen to find out where her path would take her. It was a quick read with lots of energy and drama.
**I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
**I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
whatsheread's review against another edition
When reading a YA novel, I always try not to be the judgmental adult slash parent of a teenager. I know teenagers do things that they shouldn’t. I know they experiment with sex and alcohol. I know teenagers can be cruel, fighting for every modicum of status in a rigorous hierarchy of cliques and groups. To pretend otherwise is naive and asking for trouble. Therefore, I expect these sorts of behaviors in novels geared towards teenagers, and I push aside any feelings of discomfort I have when thinking about my own children in similar situations. Unfortunately, Sleeper pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable in YA novels, making it a novel I neither enjoyed reading nor would recommend to others.
There have been numerous books about revenge over the years, and the best ones offer fascinating glimpses into the psyches of the victims as they perpetrate their revenge on their unsuspecting tormentors. While revenge is never the answer, these types of novels are always intriguing because they allow readers to live vicariously through those who are successful in enacting their revenge. These books do not condone revenge, but they are at least entertaining. With Sleeper however, there is something off about the revenge enacted by Sarah.
First, her plans are totally without forethought. She enters into each revenge action without a plan and with no concern about the repercussions other than her own feelings of satisfaction. Some of the things she does are horrible acts, violating bodies and privacy in ways that are downright disturbing, yet she only starts feeling a modicum of guilt after the situation has already spiraled out of control.
Then there is the issue of pacing. The story progresses too rapidly to allow for any deliberation or even character development so we never see Sarah’s victims beyond her own tainted thoughts. We never really learn if the punishment is deserving of the crime, if the girls she harms are truly deserving of revenge. We only get Sarah’s version, and she is too emotional to believe. If I am going to be able to condone someone’s behavior, I need more than her word for it that someone else deserves the nasty treatment she metes out to others.
Finally, there are the punishments themselves. We are not talking about a Mean Girls’ type burn book or the sharing of secrets here. We are talking about forcing classmates to do things against their will, violating their most private secrets, and sharing them with the world. We are talking about secretly drugging classmates so that they are oblivious to this happening to them, and therein lies my biggest problem with this novel. While Ms. Cadenhead is not necessarily condoning secretly drugging others, there is way too much of it occurring for someone not to walk away from the book with the idea that it is possible to do so without getting caught. Unbelievably, there is no punishment for those actions. One could argue that the state Wes is in at the end of the novel is punishment enough, but it is not. Neither Sarah nor Wes ever face the consequences of the drugging or of their actions against schoolmates.
What this novel is is one giant temper tantrum by a teenage girl who experiences social isolation at the hands of her “friends” because they do not know about her disorder and therefore overreact when confronted with it. There are so many different directions Ms. Cadenhead could have taken with this plot that could have been helpful in reminding readers that everyone that age is just trying to fit in, that true friends will stand by you, that the upper echelons of popularity are not the objective of high school. Instead, Sarah jumps into the deep end, using experimental drugs on others – drugs they do not know they are taking – as a way to make herself feel better. It is wrong on so many levels.
Sarah and her new love interest are despicable on so many levels, and neither one has the charisma or character development to pull off the evil villain vibe while remaining interesting. Sarah rationalizes her behavior as being a strong, independent woman, but one smile from Wes has all of her potential doubts rapidly disappearing. So much for being strong and independent. As for Wes, he epitomizes what is wrong with our culture with its vilification of rape victims and protection of rapers. I finished the novel hoping that there would be one final lesson that everything Sarah and Wes do is fundamentally wrong, and I remain disappointed that there was none. Sleeper is not the type of novel we need right now as we fight against increasing misogyny and a government that supports the groper in chief.
There have been numerous books about revenge over the years, and the best ones offer fascinating glimpses into the psyches of the victims as they perpetrate their revenge on their unsuspecting tormentors. While revenge is never the answer, these types of novels are always intriguing because they allow readers to live vicariously through those who are successful in enacting their revenge. These books do not condone revenge, but they are at least entertaining. With Sleeper however, there is something off about the revenge enacted by Sarah.
First, her plans are totally without forethought. She enters into each revenge action without a plan and with no concern about the repercussions other than her own feelings of satisfaction. Some of the things she does are horrible acts, violating bodies and privacy in ways that are downright disturbing, yet she only starts feeling a modicum of guilt after the situation has already spiraled out of control.
Then there is the issue of pacing. The story progresses too rapidly to allow for any deliberation or even character development so we never see Sarah’s victims beyond her own tainted thoughts. We never really learn if the punishment is deserving of the crime, if the girls she harms are truly deserving of revenge. We only get Sarah’s version, and she is too emotional to believe. If I am going to be able to condone someone’s behavior, I need more than her word for it that someone else deserves the nasty treatment she metes out to others.
Finally, there are the punishments themselves. We are not talking about a Mean Girls’ type burn book or the sharing of secrets here. We are talking about forcing classmates to do things against their will, violating their most private secrets, and sharing them with the world. We are talking about secretly drugging classmates so that they are oblivious to this happening to them, and therein lies my biggest problem with this novel. While Ms. Cadenhead is not necessarily condoning secretly drugging others, there is way too much of it occurring for someone not to walk away from the book with the idea that it is possible to do so without getting caught. Unbelievably, there is no punishment for those actions. One could argue that the state Wes is in at the end of the novel is punishment enough, but it is not. Neither Sarah nor Wes ever face the consequences of the drugging or of their actions against schoolmates.
What this novel is is one giant temper tantrum by a teenage girl who experiences social isolation at the hands of her “friends” because they do not know about her disorder and therefore overreact when confronted with it. There are so many different directions Ms. Cadenhead could have taken with this plot that could have been helpful in reminding readers that everyone that age is just trying to fit in, that true friends will stand by you, that the upper echelons of popularity are not the objective of high school. Instead, Sarah jumps into the deep end, using experimental drugs on others – drugs they do not know they are taking – as a way to make herself feel better. It is wrong on so many levels.
Sarah and her new love interest are despicable on so many levels, and neither one has the charisma or character development to pull off the evil villain vibe while remaining interesting. Sarah rationalizes her behavior as being a strong, independent woman, but one smile from Wes has all of her potential doubts rapidly disappearing. So much for being strong and independent. As for Wes, he epitomizes what is wrong with our culture with its vilification of rape victims and protection of rapers. I finished the novel hoping that there would be one final lesson that everything Sarah and Wes do is fundamentally wrong, and I remain disappointed that there was none. Sleeper is not the type of novel we need right now as we fight against increasing misogyny and a government that supports the groper in chief.
hmalmal's review
2.0
Sleeper follows Sarah a typical high school student who is on the lacrosse team, in the popular crowd, has family struggles...and a sleep disorder that causes her to act out her dreams.
While the premise seemed promising and kind of unique, the characters were unrealistic and the plot seemed to get much weirder after about a third of the way through.
Characters:
-Typical bad girl: NOT a cheerleader (shocker), but are there really girls out there in High School with no morals, whose sole job is to make everyone's life a living hell? And are there really "Queen Bee" girls that somehow have control over everyone?
- Main Character (Sarah): In the beginning, we're supposed to feel sorry for her, as she is bullied to the extreme... And somehow no one gets in trouble for anything until it's way too late (are there any teachers at this school?) Also, she seems desperate for someone's approval right from the beginning, either her "boyfriend's" or her former best friend (the Typical Bad Girl).
-Parents (of all characters): All parents seemed to be typically absent and were mostly just there to cause conflict and move the plot along. Notably, the "boyfriend's" parents were never mentioned as doing anything in the present tense, they were only ever mentioned as having previously done something. Were they even alive still? The world will never know. Also, the main character's mom was made to be a sweet mother who just wanted what's best for her child, yet in the beginning, we're told that she just lets her child go into testing by herself when she's TEN, and meet her new doctor. I don't know why, but that rubbed me the wrong way. My own mother used to go into checkups with me all the way until I was half way through high school, because I thought needles were scary. Seems kind of weird to let a ten year old go into a new study by herself, and not be there for at least the introductions.
Without giving too much away, there were a lot of problematic things mentioned in a positive light (slut-shaming, bullying, drug usage, student-teacher relations, etc.), but if you can get past all of this, the author eventually has the characters question their morals and become (slightly) better people. I think there's a good discussion about ethics hidden in here somewhere, but I think most of the message will be lost after reading the intense bullying by the main character and how most of it is just forgiven because of her difficult past.
Triggers for:
-Emotionally Abusive Relationships
-Physically Abusive Relationships
-Stalking
-Slut-shaming
-Body Shaming
-Drug use: real and made up drugs, regarded in both a negative and positive light
**I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
While the premise seemed promising and kind of unique, the characters were unrealistic and the plot seemed to get much weirder after about a third of the way through.
Characters:
-Typical bad girl: NOT a cheerleader (shocker), but are there really girls out there in High School with no morals, whose sole job is to make everyone's life a living hell? And are there really "Queen Bee" girls that somehow have control over everyone?
- Main Character (Sarah): In the beginning, we're supposed to feel sorry for her, as she is bullied to the extreme... And somehow no one gets in trouble for anything until it's way too late (are there any teachers at this school?) Also, she seems desperate for someone's approval right from the beginning, either her "boyfriend's" or her former best friend (the Typical Bad Girl).
-Parents (of all characters): All parents seemed to be typically absent and were mostly just there to cause conflict and move the plot along. Notably, the "boyfriend's" parents were never mentioned as doing anything in the present tense, they were only ever mentioned as having previously done something. Were they even alive still? The world will never know. Also, the main character's mom was made to be a sweet mother who just wanted what's best for her child, yet in the beginning, we're told that she just lets her child go into testing by herself when she's TEN, and meet her new doctor. I don't know why, but that rubbed me the wrong way. My own mother used to go into checkups with me all the way until I was half way through high school, because I thought needles were scary. Seems kind of weird to let a ten year old go into a new study by herself, and not be there for at least the introductions.
Without giving too much away, there were a lot of problematic things mentioned in a positive light (slut-shaming, bullying, drug usage, student-teacher relations, etc.), but if you can get past all of this, the author eventually has the characters question their morals and become (slightly) better people. I think there's a good discussion about ethics hidden in here somewhere, but I think most of the message will be lost after reading the intense bullying by the main character and how most of it is just forgiven because of her difficult past.
Triggers for:
-Emotionally Abusive Relationships
-Physically Abusive Relationships
-Stalking
-Slut-shaming
-Body Shaming
-Drug use: real and made up drugs, regarded in both a negative and positive light
**I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
bookcaptivated's review
5.0
Wow! This was so well written! I loved the plot of this book. It was pitched as Heathers meets Inception and it does not disappoint!
Thank you to Netgalley for this review copy.
Thank you to Netgalley for this review copy.
ruthsic's review
3.0
Sleeper, or Adventures in Experimental Drug Trials as I like to call it, is a thriller with paranormal elements. Sarah has a sleeping disorder that causes her to act out her dreams, which can be preeeetttty dangerous for people around her. When an experimental drug is suggested by the clinic, she goes for it, and it seems to work, with the small caveat that now she is able to move in and out of a collective dream consciousness with ease. She meets another such dreamer, Wes, who has been through some tough times due to the illness, just like her. Together, they get high on their new relationship and the power associated with their drugs.
Now, the plot tackles the aspect of bullying head-on, with the story resting on a high-school vendetta gone wrong. Sarah is being bullied by her former best friend for attempting to strangle the latter during an episode, and when the opportunity presents to exact her vengeance, she doesn't wait for the dish to get cold. She and Wes jump into people's dreams and their bodies and violate their privacy and well, bodies. Sarah grows more and more hesitant as the plot furthers, because Wes starts to up the stakes every time and she realizes that she is a toxic relationship.
What the story doesn't completely address, though is sexual and physical assault. Sarah is almost raped by an ex, but she doesn't ever do anything about it. She instead focuses her attentions on the 'mean girl' who spread rumors about her. Sarah and Wes, while in other's bodies, do things that would technically be considered 'roofied' sexual assault. The plot does address the violation of a person's autonomy but not that. Also, the thing between them was nearly insta-lovey, with them declaring destiny and stuff within like a week of knowing each other *eyeroll*. And it is kinda weird to imagine all this escalation taking place in a matter of a couple of weeks!
The dream consciousness thing was an interesting aspect but isn't explored much, with regards to world-building. And the burners aren't exactly explained. Also, if they could enter the dreams of other dreamers without the drug, why couldn't they do it before (with the exception of one instance)? The plot also leaves the story on a open ending, which I am kind of conflicted about. How much of it was the influence of the drug, and how much was their true nature, and does she still empathize with him?
In conclusion, an interesting concept of a book but it should have been executed better.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Sourcebooks Fire, via Netgalley.
Now, the plot tackles the aspect of bullying head-on, with the story resting on a high-school vendetta gone wrong. Sarah is being bullied by her former best friend for attempting to strangle the latter during an episode, and when the opportunity presents to exact her vengeance, she doesn't wait for the dish to get cold. She and Wes jump into people's dreams and their bodies and violate their privacy and well, bodies. Sarah grows more and more hesitant as the plot furthers, because Wes starts to up the stakes every time and she realizes that she is a toxic relationship.
What the story doesn't completely address, though is sexual and physical assault. Sarah is almost raped by an ex, but she doesn't ever do anything about it. She instead focuses her attentions on the 'mean girl' who spread rumors about her. Sarah and Wes, while in other's bodies, do things that would technically be considered 'roofied' sexual assault. The plot does address the violation of a person's autonomy but not that. Also, the thing between them was nearly insta-lovey, with them declaring destiny and stuff within like a week of knowing each other *eyeroll*. And it is kinda weird to imagine all this escalation taking place in a matter of a couple of weeks!
The dream consciousness thing was an interesting aspect but isn't explored much, with regards to world-building. And the burners aren't exactly explained. Also, if they could enter the dreams of other dreamers without the drug, why couldn't they do it before (with the exception of one instance)? The plot also leaves the story on a open ending, which I am kind of conflicted about. How much of it was the influence of the drug, and how much was their true nature, and does she still empathize with him?
In conclusion, an interesting concept of a book but it should have been executed better.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Sourcebooks Fire, via Netgalley.
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