The Insomniacs

by Allison Winn Scotch

The lives of four sleepless strangers intersect late at night as they attempt to solve not just their own anxieties but also the mysterious disappearance of one of their own, from New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch.

In the city that never sleeps, it’s not always easy to share what’s on your mind with the people who know you best. Huddled in an all-night diner over coffee and pancakes, a lonely middle-aged mom, an injured baseball pro, an elusive retiree, and a young waitress examine the thoughts that plague them in the middle of the night.

Empty-nester Sybil does what she does best: rolls up her sleeves and spearheads the efforts to turn this group of strangers into friends. Aimless after an injury threatens to ruin his career, Zeke finds genuine connection among the unlikely group. Tight-lipped Julian, who’s seemingly adrift in retirement and attempting to rebuild a relationship with his daughter, expands their circle when he takes their cagey diner waitress, Betty, under his wing. Betty, cautious about strangers and uncertain about strokes of good luck, entertains the trio in an attempt to resolve her own problems, which she keeps close to the vest.

Within a few restless months, the group of strangers have become a fragile family. And when one of them goes missing in the dead of night, they’re thrust into a propulsive mystery pulled straight from the true-crime podcasts Sybil obsesses over. Though ill-prepared and unequipped for the job, they begin to piece together the clues left behind. In chasing down answers, they uncover a reason for their friend’s disappearance, and are forced to wrestle with the question of how well you can really know anyone—and once you do, how much are you willing to risk to save them? And in doing so, save yourself?

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Adult, Adult Fiction

400 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 14, 2026

About the author

I'm the bestselling author of eight novels including, CLEO MCDOUGAL REGRETS NOTHING, IN TWENTY YEARS and TIME OF MY LIFE, currently in development at Sony. My latest book, THE REWIND, will be released in Nov 2022 by Berkley Books.

As an author, I know how brutal reviews can be, so I'll only post about books I've enjoyed. (Just in case you're wondering why all of my reviews are positive!)

Reviews

[Jodi Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I am a huge Allison Winn Scotch fan and while this book was different than her other books I loved it. About 4 strangers who start hanging out because they are up all night (a fact I can relate to), it then turns into a mystery. While the mystery is one I easily figured out, I enjoyed all of the characters and the banter between them.

[Kim Territo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this author before and kind of lost track of her, so was pleasantly reminded when this book became available for review. What I thought was going to be a cute little story turned into a suspense/mystery that I really liked. The storyline and characters were great and I would highly recommend!

[maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute! i’d recommend this to mystery fans who aren’t keen on constant super dark stories. the characters were delightful to follow, and i loved the inter-connected desires and the role of sleep as their physical goalpost. however, the writing wasn’t very strong, and there was certainly some noticeable repetition. some questions were left unanswered and not in a satisfying way (in as spoiler-free a way as possible, here’s an example: what exactly was his plan in the last stretch of the book? to me, it seemed like he was just there to be a convening point.) overall, this was a low stakes, effective palette cleanser, the sort of mystery you can solve early but still want to read until the end.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for providing me an ARC through Netgalley!

[Quill&Queer]

This has the potential to fill the void left by Graveyard Shift

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this one because I LOVE the author as a person. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t attached to any of the characters so it just ended up falling a bit flat. Great writing though!

[Dorie - Cats&Books :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel with its unique premise and interesting characters. The blurb for this novel is extensive and I recommend not reading it but going in blind as I did.

There are certainly a lot of people who struggle with sleep and three very different people meet on an online group called “The Insomniacs”. At first they enjoy being anonymous but as they become more comfortable together they decide to meet at an all night diner. It’s here that they meet the fouth character in the novel - the waitress in the diner.

Sybil is an empty nester who has also decided to get a divorce, she can’t sleep so turns to the internet.

Zeke is a famous baseball pro who is recovering from a devastating accident. He is lonesome in his massive NY apartment. He’s not sure if he will recover and even if he wants to continue with his career.His injury keeps him awake at night.

Julian is recently retired and seemingly adrift as he comes to terms with his life now. He is also trying to rebuild his relationship with his daughter. He finds himself trolling the internet as he struggles to sleep.

Betty is a waitress with a complicated history but gets drawn into the group as they continue to meet at her diner.

At around mid-point this expands into a mystery as one of their own disappears in the night. Sybil, who watches a lot of true crime, begins to lead the investigation into the disappearance.

There is some great storytelling in this novel and I enjoyed the diversity of the group of characters. There were never any low points - this one will definitely keep you turning the pages.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title!

[Janet Fiorentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a change to read Allison Winn Scotch’s “The Insomniacs.” While this novel is a slight departure from her earlier work, I absolutely enjoyed it.

When the novel opens, we meet for strangers in NYC who connect because they have difficulty sleeping at night. Each has his/her own reasons, but while they connected over lack of sleep, other common threads begin to weave strong relationships between these four individuals.

Scotch creates four delightful, engaging characters, though I admit I hold a little bias in favoring Sybil and Zeke. The accompanying mystery was also well-developed with a few surprises thrown in that I could not guess. The writing is fresh (even though the setting itself is a cliché—as New York is the city that never sleeps).

Four and a half out of five stars.

Thank you the Allison Winn Scotch, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book… had such a clever premise… a group of strangers who all struggle with insomnia meet online, decide to gather once a week, and slowly become an unlikely, heartwarming found family. Along the way, they even end up solving a bit of a mystery, which kept things fun and engaging.

I don’t read a lot of mystery, and I picked this up because it was labelled as women’s fiction/general fiction — but honestly, I really enjoyed it! The balance between emotional storytelling, character development, and light mystery was just right for me. The dynamic between the four sleepless strangers felt genuine and warm, and watching their bond form was my favourite part. 🌿💫

A cosy, thoughtful story about connection, loneliness, and the unexpected people who come into our lives when we need them most.

✨ Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for the early eARC! ✨

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book in less than 2 days - couldn’t stop reading to find out what was next. It was a clever storyline - group of strangers meet under unique circumstances and become close, solving a mystery along the way. You have to suspend some belief at times around coincidences, situations etc - but the characters were all likable and interesting, especially Sybil. I felt like I was rooting for them all.
One last thought - I love reading books during their appropriate season and this book takes place during the fall/winter time period - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. Reading it as an ARC, it is perfectly timed. However, this book comes out in April 2026!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn’t make too much sense because this book is about insomniacs, but every time I picked it up as soon as they started talking about not being able to sleep, I got really sleepy. 🤣

A unique plot, I was invested in the characters pretty much right off the bat. However, I will say it was very slow and steady pacing. I was hoping for a little more excitement throughout or progress in the mystery.

I didn’t dislike the story/book at all, I would still recommend. But it was just slow enough that I wasn’t ready to grab it first thing in the morning to see what happens next.

I’m obsessed with this author so I wish I could glow this review up a little more but just wanted to be completely honest.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd like to send a thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was definitely an interesting read for me. The book was fast paced in the beginning and had no intention to slow down. It's a fun and cozy mystery that follows four strangers in New York City. The story is told through multiple perspectives and contains the trope of found family. I especially enjoyed when their lives finally intersected in order to solve the disappearance. This is one cozy mystery that I will be reading again when the weather starts to get cooler. This title is set to be released on April 14th, 2026.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about four strangers that cannot sleep. They chat with each other online and agree to meet up together once a week. As they get to know each other they find themselves in the middle of a mystery. The way it was written kept my interest and me turning the pages to find out what happened next. I give this book a solid 4.5 and will round up because it kept my interest throughout. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick mystery read that unfolds during the darkest hours of the day.

[Ramona Thompson]

Four people who have trouble sleeping at night find an on line for discussion group for insomniacs. . One of them suggests a midnight meeting at a local all nite cafe. The group. an elderly man, an empty nest mother.. the cafe waitress, and a baseballl player become a family..
Then one of the family is murdered, another of the group is murdered and another one disappears, the remaining two decide they have to solve the murder. Good characters that we learn a lot about, and a good mystery to solve with a satisfactory ending. A good read for mystery lovers who like well developed characters. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc with no pressure for a positive review.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'The Insomniacs' by Allison Winn Scotch - expected release date of 04/14/2026

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was ok. The storyline and characters were fine I just felt eh about it as a whole. There were no loose ends but the reveals were kinda predictable and safe, nothing really stood out as super exciting or mysterious as it played out. It moved along well, didn't drag out, but I was left wanting more after I was done.

[Tiffany (areyoutellingstories) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels rather appropriate that I couldn't sleep and started reading just before 3 a.m. and now the sun is starting to come up.

When four Insomniacs in New York City start spending their sleepless nights together, they get more than just company in the night. This is as much a mystery as it is a story of found family and, most importantly, the downfall of the patriarchy. This was written in a way that compelled you to keep reading for the infamous "one more chapter.'

[Marianne Kaplan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0. I enjoyed this book. The ending was a bit disappointing; nevertheless, i enjoyed the read very much. Unique plot about a group of people who have trouble sleeping at night finding each other. Each of the four characters has a unique story, growing to care for each other deeply over their short friendship. Then all hell breaks loose. No spoilers here - you need to read for yourself. Recommend book.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting story that wove many storylines into a cohesive one with character and plot development. It was a page turner.