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There are currently 30 member reviews
for The Insomniacs
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Becky S. (Springfield, MO)
Kept me up all night!
The Insomniacs had me suffering insomnia right along with them as I got more and more involved in this story of 4 total strangers who meet online on a page for insomniacs. Each character had their own reasons for suffering from insomnia and they meet up to keep each other company as they learn more about each other along the way. Until they lose one of their own to an accident involving a third insomniac...that's when the real story begins. I loved all the twists and turns and even a little romance on the side. Really loved this one!
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Mary B. (St Paul, MN)
Insomniacs
After meeting on an online forum for insomniacs, 3 people decide to meet , since they aren't able to sleep, They meet at a 24 hour diner, where they become acquainted with a young waitress. The four become involved in each others lives. As the story enfolds it goes back and forth in time . We are teased with little bits of information about each person.
One of the 4 goes missing as the others try to navigate what they should do. Each person is also dealing with their own set of issues, The four are of different backgrounds and ages which adds to the story. They are very believable characters as they argue, annoy each at times, interfere when not wanted but are very close and protective of each other as they get to know each other.
The story goes back and forth in time with little tidbits of information making it hard to stop reading, wanting to find out more, but focus shifts as mystery develops.
Bits of humor also made for a fun read. I enjoyed the book!
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Kristin C. (Princeton, WV)
Loved this fun read!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm on vacation this week and it's absolutely a perfect beach book. I loved the found family theme and the pacing was wonderful. It was a crazy and wild ride, but not in a cheesy or campy way. I highly recommend this novel, especially if you've been known to watch murder documentaries.
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Kathryn H. (Rochester, MI)
Insomnia has never been so exciting
Everyone has secrets. Allison Winn Scotch has written a captivating story about four insomniac New Yorkers who are holding on to some doozies. Betty, the young waitress at the diner: it's clear she never quite answers personal questions. Julian, the 60-year-old widower, doesn't want the other insomniacs to know exactly what he's up to. Sybil (the cheated-on wife and mother) and Zeke (the wounded professional baseball player) round out the quartet, and it seemed that Scotch lets readers know a bit more about those two.
The longer the insomniacs meet, the fonder they grow of one another. That doesn't necessarily mean they share their secrets.
Then tragedy strikes. Cross-country travel ensues to initiate a rescue effort. Have some of the insomniacs broken the law? Who knows? All bets are off until the very end, which is just the way I'd hoped it would be.
I recommend "The Insomniacs." I would compare it to "The Thursday Murder Club" and other stories where characters develop family ties with former strangers.
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Nathan G. (Somerville, MA)
Insomnia in the Big City
The Insomniacs is a combination of mystery, romance, and thriller.
A group of three sleepless New Yorkers find each other on an online message board and agree to meet up in the middle of the night at a 24-hour diner. They soon all become good friends even though they are all strangers to each other. The waitress at the diner is adopted into their group, and now there are four.
All are at quite different stages of their lives and in different living situations. Despite knowing little about each other, soon they are involved in each other's daily lives, with one accepting an offer to stay in a guest room in the other's palatial-sized apartment.
All proceeds amicably until one receives a warning to "RUN", and another turns up dead from a hit-and-run accident on the same night. While all are aghast at this turn of events, the one receiving the warning has apparently vanished, and maybe the accident was not one?
This was a very enjoyable read, allowing one to be drawn into the tired world of the insomniac characters.
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Donna J. (Norwalk, CT)
Sleeplessness and Secrets
I found the story compelling, especially the mystery of Betty's past and the final reveal of what drove her to run and who was behind the fatal acts. The characters were engaging, and even though they came from diverse backgrounds, I found it endearing that they bonded over their insomnia and became friends who supported one another. At times, the push-and-pull of Zeke and Sybil's feelings for each other felt a bit overdone and slowed the pacing whenever the narrative circled back to the same misunderstandings. Still, it was not enough to detract from my overall enjoyment and keep me awake reading!
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Charla W. (Biloxi, MS)
Insomnia is a Strange way to Make Friends
It starts when three people that can't sleep start talking on the internet and decide to meet up at an all night diner. At the diner during the groups first in person meet up, they are waited on by a young waitress that works the over night shift because she also can't sleep and decides the perfect job is to work the late shift. So, the waitress joins the group. As the group of four continues to meet up regularly, first at the diner and later at their homes, they form an unusual friendship.
The group consists of Sybil, a middle aged woman who is a Harvard medical doctor graduate. Next up is Zeke, a world famous baseball player. Then there's Julian, a retired owner of a candy store. Finally, there's Betty, a young waitress that seems afraid of everyone and everything. Although every one of the insomniacs seem to have secrets, they quickly learn to rely on one another. However, some of the secrets they keep are huge. As the secrets start coming out trouble soon follows and we soon find that some of the secrets are deadly. There's a fire in which several people die, there's infidelity, a dangerous cult, a hit and run incident, and so much more.
