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The Sleeper
Not yet published
Expected 17 Nov 26In this gripping alternate reality thriller by international bestselling author Holly Seddon, one woman must navigate a life that was never meant to be hers in order to uncover unsettling truths about her past and the man she loves—from the author of the “unreal and unforgettable” (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author) of 59 Minutes.
Librarian Maya is traveling home from Edinburgh to London when her sleeper train is struck by lightning. She wakes the next morning in a version of London she doesn’t recognize.
Not only is a stranger living in her apartment, but her husband Arthur has disappeared. Worse, in this reality, the Berlin Wall never fell, the Cold War never ended, and Britain is an authoritarian Soviet state. Maya’s parents did not kiss by the falling Berlin wall while on their gap year travels, and so Maya was never born.
Confused, alone, and with nowhere to go, Maya stumbles across the resistance movement, in which librarians like her play a key part. Sent undercover into the heart of government, Maya must navigate this terrifying world while desperately trying to find the people she loves—and a way home.
Featuring Holly Seddon’s signature “propulsive and thought-provoking” (Mark Edwards, author of The Wasp Trap), The Sleeper is a unputdownable and utterly unique thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page.
Librarian Maya is traveling home from Edinburgh to London when her sleeper train is struck by lightning. She wakes the next morning in a version of London she doesn’t recognize.
Not only is a stranger living in her apartment, but her husband Arthur has disappeared. Worse, in this reality, the Berlin Wall never fell, the Cold War never ended, and Britain is an authoritarian Soviet state. Maya’s parents did not kiss by the falling Berlin wall while on their gap year travels, and so Maya was never born.
Confused, alone, and with nowhere to go, Maya stumbles across the resistance movement, in which librarians like her play a key part. Sent undercover into the heart of government, Maya must navigate this terrifying world while desperately trying to find the people she loves—and a way home.
Featuring Holly Seddon’s signature “propulsive and thought-provoking” (Mark Edwards, author of The Wasp Trap), The Sleeper is a unputdownable and utterly unique thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page.
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication November 17, 2026
About the author
Holly Seddon
19 books954 followersHolly Seddon is the international bestselling author of eight thrillers, including TRY NOT TO BREATHE, THE HIT LIST, 59 MINUTES and THE SLEEPER. Her novels are twisty, high-concept thrillers exploring love, family, identity and the extraordinary things people do when their worlds are turned upside down.
Her latest novel, THE SLEEPER, is an alternate-reality thriller about a woman who wakes to a London where the Cold War never ended — and discovers that, in this world, she was never born.
Before becoming an author, Holly worked as a journalist and editor and has lived in London and Amsterdam. She now lives in Kent with her family and co-hosts the popular Honest Authors Podcast with fellow author Gillian McAllister.
Find her on Instagram and Facebook @hollyseddonauthor and TikTok @therealhollyseddonauthor.
Her latest novel, THE SLEEPER, is an alternate-reality thriller about a woman who wakes to a London where the Cold War never ended — and discovers that, in this world, she was never born.
Before becoming an author, Holly worked as a journalist and editor and has lived in London and Amsterdam. She now lives in Kent with her family and co-hosts the popular Honest Authors Podcast with fellow author Gillian McAllister.
Find her on Instagram and Facebook @hollyseddonauthor and TikTok @therealhollyseddonauthor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Holy cow I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN. Between this and 59 Minutes, Holly Seddon has cemented herself as a must read author. Her novels are absolutely bananas. Like homegirl ARE YOU OKAY? I love whatever is wrong with her. This concept was so damn clever. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Thank you to Atria for an advance copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Atria for an advance copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
September 27, 2026
Holly Seddon has been a must read author for me for me for many years. I love how different her books are and how she deals with storylines that are unique and interesting.
I started reading The Sleeper on the overnight train from Melbourne to Sydney which was apt. Luckily my train wasn’t hit my lightning, unlike Mayas overnighter from Edinburgh to London. When she arrives home in London, she finds a city that she can hardly recognise. Her flat is no longer hers, her husband is nowhere to seen, there are no Starbucks to be seen, nothing is the way it should be. She soon learns that the Berlin Wall is still standing and Britain has been Sovietized. This is bad news for librarian Maya, whose parents met whe the wall came down… meaning so doesn’t exist in this world.
I love a parallel universe and reality in a book. This new world is scary and unpredictable and she needs to keep her wits about her. I had no idea how on earth she was going to get back to her real life. At first the cheap groceries and free travel seems like a good thing, until she has to live in this new world, without any loved ones, no mobile phones or signs of her normal modern life.
With short chapters told from multiple points of view and timelines, this is an easy book to get totally lost in. I did wonder how I would have survived in this world, sure that I would not be hugely successful.
Thanks so much to Atria Books for my early copy of this book. I love the cover too. Publishes on November 17th.
I started reading The Sleeper on the overnight train from Melbourne to Sydney which was apt. Luckily my train wasn’t hit my lightning, unlike Mayas overnighter from Edinburgh to London. When she arrives home in London, she finds a city that she can hardly recognise. Her flat is no longer hers, her husband is nowhere to seen, there are no Starbucks to be seen, nothing is the way it should be. She soon learns that the Berlin Wall is still standing and Britain has been Sovietized. This is bad news for librarian Maya, whose parents met whe the wall came down… meaning so doesn’t exist in this world.
I love a parallel universe and reality in a book. This new world is scary and unpredictable and she needs to keep her wits about her. I had no idea how on earth she was going to get back to her real life. At first the cheap groceries and free travel seems like a good thing, until she has to live in this new world, without any loved ones, no mobile phones or signs of her normal modern life.
With short chapters told from multiple points of view and timelines, this is an easy book to get totally lost in. I did wonder how I would have survived in this world, sure that I would not be hugely successful.
Thanks so much to Atria Books for my early copy of this book. I love the cover too. Publishes on November 17th.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I wanted to read this book because I’m interested in speculative fiction/alternative history books involving World War II and/or the Cold War. I’ve read several books in which Britain becomes a fascist state during World War II, and the world-building in those books was believable. That’s my first problem with this book. The author doesn’t make any effort to provide historical support for a world in which western European countries can’t compete economically with the communist USSR and East Germany, and Britain chooses to become a Soviet satellite state. It’s not a very believable scenario, particularly when the People’s Republic of Britain, though contemporaneous with Maya’s London, is 50+ years backward in technical advancement. I told myself to try to forget about the issues with the premise, and I was able to appreciate the detail Seddon puts into describing the alternate Britain’s stores, cafes, and indoctrinated children and adults who spy on adults for the state.
Maya’s journey would be more compelling if she wasn’t portrayed as so slow on the uptake. Wouldn’t an intelligent person, which she is supposed to be, know something about her husband’s workplace? After she recovers from the shock of entering the new world, wouldn’t she eventually stop or at least cut down on saying and doing things that betray her to the authoritarian state?
After a bit of a slog in the middle, I enjoyed the last few chapters and its twisty ending. Seddon definitely is a good writer; I just think this one is a misfire.
Maya’s journey would be more compelling if she wasn’t portrayed as so slow on the uptake. Wouldn’t an intelligent person, which she is supposed to be, know something about her husband’s workplace? After she recovers from the shock of entering the new world, wouldn’t she eventually stop or at least cut down on saying and doing things that betray her to the authoritarian state?
After a bit of a slog in the middle, I enjoyed the last few chapters and its twisty ending. Seddon definitely is a good writer; I just think this one is a misfire.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ — 3.5/5 stars
The Sleeper by Holly Seddon has such a fascinating premise: part alternate history, part alternate-reality story, and part thriller.
Maya is a librarian traveling home from Edinburgh to London on a sleeper train when the train is struck by lightning. When she arrives in London, she discovers that she isn’t exactly home. She’s entered an alternate reality where the Berlin Wall never fell, the Cold War never ended, and Britain has become the People’s Republic of Britain, an authoritarian state under Soviet influence.
Even more unsettling? In this reality, Maya’s parents never met. She was never born.
That means she has no identity, no documentation, and no place in this world. Her husband, Arthur, exists—but he has no idea who she is. Her mother exists, but her parents never became a couple. Maya is essentially a stranger trying to navigate a version of her own country where nearly everything is just slightly—or dramatically—wrong.
Those differences were actually my favorite part of the book. There are no smartphones or Google. The fashions and hairstyles are different. Russian is taught from elementary school, so Maya’s complete inability to speak it immediately makes her suspicious. Soviet cultural influence is everywhere, and simply behaving like someone from our version of Britain can put her in danger.
It gave me a little bit of a Back to the Future feeling—not because this is time travel, but because of that sensation of Marty McFly arriving in 1955 and recognizing the place while simultaneously realizing that everything is different. Maya knows London, but she doesn’t know this London, and she has to figure out how to blend in before the authorities figure out that something about her doesn’t add up.
My biggest frustration is also probably a sign of how much the premise intrigued me: I wanted SO MUCH MORE alternate history! I wanted to understand the point of divergence. Why didn’t the Berlin Wall fall? How exactly did Britain end up here? What happened throughout the rest of Europe? What does America look like? What happened with China? I had approximately one million geopolitical questions, and the book wasn’t especially interested in answering them.
To be fair, that’s not really the story Seddon is telling. This is primarily Maya’s thriller: Can she survive this world, reconnect with the people she loves who don’t know her, avoid imprisonment, and somehow find a way back to her own reality? There’s also an interesting emotional component to seeing how people Maya knows have become very different versions of themselves because their lives unfolded under completely different circumstances.
Once I accepted that this wasn’t going to be the deep alternate-history exploration I wanted and surrendered to the thriller, I had a really good time with it. The concept is wonderfully unsettling, and watching Maya try to navigate a familiar world that isn’t actually hers kept me turning the pages.
If you enjoy thrillers with speculative elements, alternate realities, or alternate history, this is definitely one to put on your radar.
⭐️ 3.5/5 stars
📚 The Sleeper publishes November 17, 2026.
Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing me with an advanced reading copy!
The Sleeper by Holly Seddon has such a fascinating premise: part alternate history, part alternate-reality story, and part thriller.
Maya is a librarian traveling home from Edinburgh to London on a sleeper train when the train is struck by lightning. When she arrives in London, she discovers that she isn’t exactly home. She’s entered an alternate reality where the Berlin Wall never fell, the Cold War never ended, and Britain has become the People’s Republic of Britain, an authoritarian state under Soviet influence.
Even more unsettling? In this reality, Maya’s parents never met. She was never born.
That means she has no identity, no documentation, and no place in this world. Her husband, Arthur, exists—but he has no idea who she is. Her mother exists, but her parents never became a couple. Maya is essentially a stranger trying to navigate a version of her own country where nearly everything is just slightly—or dramatically—wrong.
Those differences were actually my favorite part of the book. There are no smartphones or Google. The fashions and hairstyles are different. Russian is taught from elementary school, so Maya’s complete inability to speak it immediately makes her suspicious. Soviet cultural influence is everywhere, and simply behaving like someone from our version of Britain can put her in danger.
It gave me a little bit of a Back to the Future feeling—not because this is time travel, but because of that sensation of Marty McFly arriving in 1955 and recognizing the place while simultaneously realizing that everything is different. Maya knows London, but she doesn’t know this London, and she has to figure out how to blend in before the authorities figure out that something about her doesn’t add up.
My biggest frustration is also probably a sign of how much the premise intrigued me: I wanted SO MUCH MORE alternate history! I wanted to understand the point of divergence. Why didn’t the Berlin Wall fall? How exactly did Britain end up here? What happened throughout the rest of Europe? What does America look like? What happened with China? I had approximately one million geopolitical questions, and the book wasn’t especially interested in answering them.
To be fair, that’s not really the story Seddon is telling. This is primarily Maya’s thriller: Can she survive this world, reconnect with the people she loves who don’t know her, avoid imprisonment, and somehow find a way back to her own reality? There’s also an interesting emotional component to seeing how people Maya knows have become very different versions of themselves because their lives unfolded under completely different circumstances.
Once I accepted that this wasn’t going to be the deep alternate-history exploration I wanted and surrendered to the thriller, I had a really good time with it. The concept is wonderfully unsettling, and watching Maya try to navigate a familiar world that isn’t actually hers kept me turning the pages.
If you enjoy thrillers with speculative elements, alternate realities, or alternate history, this is definitely one to put on your radar.
⭐️ 3.5/5 stars
📚 The Sleeper publishes November 17, 2026.
Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing me with an advanced reading copy!
August 2, 2026
Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Booms for the ARC of this title. I loved the last book I read by this author (59 minutes) so I had high hopes for this one. It did not disappoint!
We’re following Myra who falls asleep and a sleeper train and wakes up in a completely different world, an alternate universe where no one knows her and the Berlin Wall didn’t fall. I wish I knew more of the history because I do think this would have made more sense if I did.
But I still enjoyed the way this story played out and even how it ended. It was wild how the author went between timeframes just perfectly. I really liked this one! 4 stars
We’re following Myra who falls asleep and a sleeper train and wakes up in a completely different world, an alternate universe where no one knows her and the Berlin Wall didn’t fall. I wish I knew more of the history because I do think this would have made more sense if I did.
But I still enjoyed the way this story played out and even how it ended. It was wild how the author went between timeframes just perfectly. I really liked this one! 4 stars
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book is compelling especially for all who believe in parallel lives.
Maya was taking a sleeper train from Edinburgh to London without her husband, Arthur. During the trip, lightening hit and when she arrived, she noticed that buildings looked different. She managed to find her apartment except the new owner was annoyed. It wasn’t Maya’s place anymore.
Maya had been studying physics as she was interested in parallel lives. Now she found herself in some other world but was able to recapture her memory from before. The story switched back and forth giving readers a perspective of what occurred prior to the blast of lightening.
How would she manage as her phone no longer worked and she had no money? She wanted to go back. She found a train and was searching for Arthur’s workplace. Wait. She had no money. Yet, in this world, public transportation was free. However, his office building was now a hotel.
Maya was rescued when Belinda, working for the resistance, took her to an underground shelter and gave her a new identity and job. She now worked as a librarian for the Arts and Humanities Ministry where many of her favorite books were banned. With her new salary, she noticed how clothes and food were inexpensive – definitely a different world.
The author had a good imagination writing this story with romance and historical events. Everything moved with plot twists except some parts were slower toward the end. As expected, characters showed up just in time to help. It’s a book that makes you think about the possibilities of alternate realities that have been proposed by some physicists.
My thanks to Atria Books for this ARC with an expected release date of November 17, 2026. The thoughts I share are my own.
Maya was taking a sleeper train from Edinburgh to London without her husband, Arthur. During the trip, lightening hit and when she arrived, she noticed that buildings looked different. She managed to find her apartment except the new owner was annoyed. It wasn’t Maya’s place anymore.
Maya had been studying physics as she was interested in parallel lives. Now she found herself in some other world but was able to recapture her memory from before. The story switched back and forth giving readers a perspective of what occurred prior to the blast of lightening.
How would she manage as her phone no longer worked and she had no money? She wanted to go back. She found a train and was searching for Arthur’s workplace. Wait. She had no money. Yet, in this world, public transportation was free. However, his office building was now a hotel.
Maya was rescued when Belinda, working for the resistance, took her to an underground shelter and gave her a new identity and job. She now worked as a librarian for the Arts and Humanities Ministry where many of her favorite books were banned. With her new salary, she noticed how clothes and food were inexpensive – definitely a different world.
The author had a good imagination writing this story with romance and historical events. Everything moved with plot twists except some parts were slower toward the end. As expected, characters showed up just in time to help. It’s a book that makes you think about the possibilities of alternate realities that have been proposed by some physicists.
My thanks to Atria Books for this ARC with an expected release date of November 17, 2026. The thoughts I share are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I'm grateful to have received a complimentary eARC from Atria/Emily Bestler Books via NetGalley.
After a lightning strike hits the sleeper train that is carrying her south to London, it sends naive librarian Maya into a parallel world where the Berlin Wall never fell and Britain is under Soviet control. It is a world in which Maya was never born. Quickly paced and with this captivating plot, I loved seeing this alternate reality of what could have been, alongside experiencing someone coming to terms with finding themselves in a parallel world. I think I just needed a bit more, like the why and how this happened, why lightning, and why that train, and the whole resistance library network could have been fleshed out more. Nevertheless, a really engaging read that has cemented Holly Seddon as a must-read for me.
After a lightning strike hits the sleeper train that is carrying her south to London, it sends naive librarian Maya into a parallel world where the Berlin Wall never fell and Britain is under Soviet control. It is a world in which Maya was never born. Quickly paced and with this captivating plot, I loved seeing this alternate reality of what could have been, alongside experiencing someone coming to terms with finding themselves in a parallel world. I think I just needed a bit more, like the why and how this happened, why lightning, and why that train, and the whole resistance library network could have been fleshed out more. Nevertheless, a really engaging read that has cemented Holly Seddon as a must-read for me.
November 6, 2026
THE SLEEPER has such a unique parallel universe plot and I was intrigued from the start!
Maya falls asleep on a train and wakes up in a different world. One where no one knows her and the Berlin wall didn't fall. How will she get back to her present life?
The story was very interesting but lost some momentum in the middle. I enjoyed the revelations and twists towards the end.
Maya falls asleep on a train and wakes up in a different world. One where no one knows her and the Berlin wall didn't fall. How will she get back to her present life?
The story was very interesting but lost some momentum in the middle. I enjoyed the revelations and twists towards the end.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love a book that makes you sit with an uncomfortable "what if," and Holly Seddon's alternate-reality thriller does exactly that. Librarian Maya boards her usual sleeper train from Edinburgh to London, but when lightning strikes the carriage she wakes into a London she doesn't recognize — one where the Berlin Wall never fell, the Cold War never ended, and Britain is an authoritarian Soviet state. Her husband Arthur is missing, a stranger is living in her flat, and because her parents never had their gap-year kiss by the wall, Maya herself was never born into this version of the world. Alone and adrift, she falls in with a resistance movement built largely around librarians like her, and gets sent undercover into the government itself, desperate to find her way home and the people she loves along the way.
It's part Cold War spy thriller, part time-travel science fiction, and the blend mostly works, even if the pacing sags somewhat. What I loved most was the doubling of Arthur — one version in Maya's real timeline, one in this Soviet-London reality — set against a single Maya who has to become someone else entirely just to survive. That contrast does a lot of quiet work, and it's where the book's emotional core really lives. The lightning-strike-as-portal device asks for a fair bit of suspension of disbelief, but I was willing to grant it for the story it unlocks. I did find myself occasionally frustrated by how long Maya goes without picking up the language or customs of the world she's landed in — it stretched credulity a bit for someone this resourceful.
Where the book shines is in its small, telling details of a world with less — parents actually holding their children's hands and talking to them instead of staring at phones, kids clutching dolls and rattles instead of screens, a boy playing spy with real gusto because that's the entertainment he's got. It's a clever way of making the reader question what our own abundance and freedom have cost us. And I loved that libraries end up as the story's literal safe haven — as someone who thinks of libraries as sanctuaries myself, that felt exactly right.
A big thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #AtriaBooks
It's part Cold War spy thriller, part time-travel science fiction, and the blend mostly works, even if the pacing sags somewhat. What I loved most was the doubling of Arthur — one version in Maya's real timeline, one in this Soviet-London reality — set against a single Maya who has to become someone else entirely just to survive. That contrast does a lot of quiet work, and it's where the book's emotional core really lives. The lightning-strike-as-portal device asks for a fair bit of suspension of disbelief, but I was willing to grant it for the story it unlocks. I did find myself occasionally frustrated by how long Maya goes without picking up the language or customs of the world she's landed in — it stretched credulity a bit for someone this resourceful.
Where the book shines is in its small, telling details of a world with less — parents actually holding their children's hands and talking to them instead of staring at phones, kids clutching dolls and rattles instead of screens, a boy playing spy with real gusto because that's the entertainment he's got. It's a clever way of making the reader question what our own abundance and freedom have cost us. And I loved that libraries end up as the story's literal safe haven — as someone who thinks of libraries as sanctuaries myself, that felt exactly right.
A big thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #AtriaBooks
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
✨What if you woke up and realized you’d slipped into an alternate dimension where history had changed so drastically that the entire reality was unlike anything you’d ever lived? Oh, and no one you know and love has any idea you ever existed. That is the premise of this high-concept speculative thriller, and when I tell you I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book, I mean THE VERY EDGE.
✨Beneath the tension and fast pace, several elements are woven into the narrative such as authoritarianism, resistance and the power of knowledge and information. There’s also romance and the compelling idea that history can shape our very identities and the lives we believe are ours.
✨I especially loved the role of books and libraries found in these pages as well as the premise that preserving the knowledge contained in books can be an act of resistance.
🎧 I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. I may have mentioned that I was on the edge of my seat, and the narration complemented the tension beautifully!
🌿Read if you like:
✨Parallel worlds
✨What if scenarios
✨Political repression stories
✨Underground resistance movements
✨Books about books
✨Librarians as unlikely heroes
✨Beneath the tension and fast pace, several elements are woven into the narrative such as authoritarianism, resistance and the power of knowledge and information. There’s also romance and the compelling idea that history can shape our very identities and the lives we believe are ours.
✨I especially loved the role of books and libraries found in these pages as well as the premise that preserving the knowledge contained in books can be an act of resistance.
🎧 I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. I may have mentioned that I was on the edge of my seat, and the narration complemented the tension beautifully!
🌿Read if you like:
✨Parallel worlds
✨What if scenarios
✨Political repression stories
✨Underground resistance movements
✨Books about books
✨Librarians as unlikely heroes
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What you need to know: Maya wakes up in a world that's not hers (specifically in Britain that's a Soviet state). In this world, she was never born, so she knows no one (and no one knows her), so she seems refuge at the library where they turn her into a sleeper agent.
The Positive Rant: Maya couldn't control that she woke up in a parallel universe where she didn't exist but man she could have handled this differently. I was actively like "whyyyy would you do that" multiple times during this book; but knowing how frustrated I was means I enjoyed it. Promise. I did NOT see the ending coming and I really appreciate the multiple POVs and timelines. I also agree with the choice she made at the end (iykyk).
Major themes/tropes: resistance, parallel universe, dual POV, multiple timelines
You would like it if: you like suspense, parallel universe talk, speculative fiction, what ifs, pageturning
Thank you Holly Seddon, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
The Positive Rant: Maya couldn't control that she woke up in a parallel universe where she didn't exist but man she could have handled this differently. I was actively like "whyyyy would you do that" multiple times during this book; but knowing how frustrated I was means I enjoyed it. Promise. I did NOT see the ending coming and I really appreciate the multiple POVs and timelines. I also agree with the choice she made at the end (iykyk).
Major themes/tropes: resistance, parallel universe, dual POV, multiple timelines
You would like it if: you like suspense, parallel universe talk, speculative fiction, what ifs, pageturning
Thank you Holly Seddon, Atria Books, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Sleeper by Holly Seddon. Thanks to atria for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maya is traveling home on a sleeper train when it’s stuck by lightening. She wakes in a version of London that is completely unfamiliar and different. In this London, the Berlin Wall never fell and the Cold War didn’t end, which means her parents never met by the falling Wall and she was never born.
I loved the concept of multiverse fiction, especially when it’s not super scientific or makes my head hurt. This one was easy on my head and not hard to understand! I did feel that I would have enjoyed it more if I was a history buff or if I ever lived in England and knew more about the differences in the multiverses. I liked the main character and her plight was entertaining to follow.
“Time is everywhere, always. There is no past, no future, only the present. And lots of presents are existing constantly.”
Read if you like:
-Sliding doors
-European history
-Multi-verse or Sci-Fi stories
-On the run
The Sleeper comes out 11/17.
Maya is traveling home on a sleeper train when it’s stuck by lightening. She wakes in a version of London that is completely unfamiliar and different. In this London, the Berlin Wall never fell and the Cold War didn’t end, which means her parents never met by the falling Wall and she was never born.
I loved the concept of multiverse fiction, especially when it’s not super scientific or makes my head hurt. This one was easy on my head and not hard to understand! I did feel that I would have enjoyed it more if I was a history buff or if I ever lived in England and knew more about the differences in the multiverses. I liked the main character and her plight was entertaining to follow.
“Time is everywhere, always. There is no past, no future, only the present. And lots of presents are existing constantly.”
Read if you like:
-Sliding doors
-European history
-Multi-verse or Sci-Fi stories
-On the run
The Sleeper comes out 11/17.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Y’all! A lightning strike, an alternate London, and a Cold War that NEVER ended? Talk about one heck of a wrong turn! ⚡
When librarian Maya wakes after a sleeper train accident, she discovers Britain is under Soviet rule, the Berlin Wall still stands, her husband has vanished, and a stranger lives in her apartment. Even worse, in this reality, Maya was never born!
Pulled into an underground resistance, Maya goes undercover inside the government while desperately searching for her husband and a way home.
I loved this original, fascinating premise! Holly Seddon flips history on its head, delivering an atmospheric, suspenseful story with engaging writing, solid character development, and plenty of twists. Clever, imaginative, and definitely not your average train ride!
Thanks to #NetGalley, Holly Seddon and Atria Books for a copy of The Sleeper for my honest, voluntary review. #TheSleeper #HollySeddon #AtriaBooks #PsycologicalThriller
When librarian Maya wakes after a sleeper train accident, she discovers Britain is under Soviet rule, the Berlin Wall still stands, her husband has vanished, and a stranger lives in her apartment. Even worse, in this reality, Maya was never born!
Pulled into an underground resistance, Maya goes undercover inside the government while desperately searching for her husband and a way home.
I loved this original, fascinating premise! Holly Seddon flips history on its head, delivering an atmospheric, suspenseful story with engaging writing, solid character development, and plenty of twists. Clever, imaginative, and definitely not your average train ride!
Thanks to #NetGalley, Holly Seddon and Atria Books for a copy of The Sleeper for my honest, voluntary review. #TheSleeper #HollySeddon #AtriaBooks #PsycologicalThriller
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Sleeper was my first book by Holly Seddon, and I can confidently say that I really loved her writing style!
The storyline was clever and intriguing, keeping me asking questions and wanting to know more throughout the entire book. I was eager to uncover the truth, and when I finally got the answers I had been waiting for, everything came together!
I really enjoyed the short chapters and multiple points of view, which kept me engaged and made me want to keep turning the pages.
If you enjoy a story that keeps you guessing and leaves you searching for answers until the very end, this one is worth checking out!
Thank you so much to Atria Books and Holly Seddon for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The storyline was clever and intriguing, keeping me asking questions and wanting to know more throughout the entire book. I was eager to uncover the truth, and when I finally got the answers I had been waiting for, everything came together!
I really enjoyed the short chapters and multiple points of view, which kept me engaged and made me want to keep turning the pages.
If you enjoy a story that keeps you guessing and leaves you searching for answers until the very end, this one is worth checking out!
Thank you so much to Atria Books and Holly Seddon for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you @atriabooks for my advanced copy. This was such a good mash up of genres all in a fresh and unique concept. I love it when books make you question morals, thoughts and reality and this does just that.
Parallel universes are such an interesting concept. I have no idea what I would do if I woke up like MC Maya and ended up somewhere different. I loved the short chapters, multiple POVs and timelines. It really brought everything together. I was curious and engaged the whole time and when I had to put it down, I was thinking about it.
This is my first Seddon, luckily for me I have a copy of 59 minutes (excited) my only critique would be that the ending felt a bit rushed.
Parallel universes are such an interesting concept. I have no idea what I would do if I woke up like MC Maya and ended up somewhere different. I loved the short chapters, multiple POVs and timelines. It really brought everything together. I was curious and engaged the whole time and when I had to put it down, I was thinking about it.
This is my first Seddon, luckily for me I have a copy of 59 minutes (excited) my only critique would be that the ending felt a bit rushed.
October 21, 2026
This kept me hooked! I enjoyed the pacing and found it really intriguing. The premise was unique, and the characters felt original. The ending did feel a little on the anticlimactic side for me, but overall it was a great read.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Book vibe: A mind-bending journey through an alternate reality where nothing is familiar, nothing is certain, and even the genre keeps you guessing.
My thoughts:
I spent a good portion of The Sleeper wondering what on earth I was reading. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I genuinely couldn’t figure out what kind of story Holly Seddon was telling. Was it science fiction? A political thriller? An alternate history mystery? And where exactly was it all going? I had theories, of course, but I don’t think any of them came particularly close.
And strangely enough, that uncertainty was part of what kept me reading.
The story begins when Maya boards a sleeper train in Edinburgh, only to wake up in a London that is nothing like the one she left behind. The Berlin Wall never fell, the Cold War never ended, and Britain is now an authoritarian Soviet state. Even more unsettling, Maya doesn’t exist in this reality. Her husband is missing, her apartment belongs to someone else, and she has absolutely no idea how to get home.
Now, I do love a good story that plays with quantum physics and alternate realities. The possibilities are practically endless, and I enjoy seeing how authors approach the idea that one seemingly insignificant event could change everything. Seddon takes that concept in a direction I haven’t encountered before, which I appreciated. It’s certainly not your typical time-slip story.
I was also fascinated by the alternate world itself. The political landscape, the underground resistance, and particularly the role librarians play in that resistance were intriguing. I mean, librarians secretly working against an authoritarian government? That’s an idea I can get behind! But I also wanted to know so much more about how this version of Britain came to exist and how its society functioned. There were questions I kept hoping the story would answer, and quite a few remained unanswered.
My biggest struggle, though, was Maya. I never really connected with her emotionally, which is unfortunate considering everything she experiences. I understood the desperation of her circumstances, but I didn’t feel that desperation alongside her. And when you’re reading about someone whose entire existence has essentially been erased, that emotional connection matters. At least it does to me.
The story does eventually deliver some great twists and turns. I particularly enjoyed how unpredictable everything became toward the end. Just when I thought I might finally have a handle on where things were going, another development would send me in a different direction. I love being surprised, and Seddon certainly managed that.
Ultimately, The Sleeper is one of those books I find easier to appreciate than to love. It’s imaginative, unusual, and wonderfully difficult to categorize. I just wish I’d connected more with Maya and come away with a better understanding of the world Seddon created.
Still, there’s something to be said for a book that refuses to follow the usual rules. If you’re an adventurous reader who enjoys quantum possibilities, alternate histories, and stories that ask you to abandon your expectations, this one is worth considering. Just be prepared to go wherever the story takes you. Because predicting the destination? Good luck with that!
🌿 Floral Verdict: A Fern
An intriguing and imaginative read that won’t be for everyone. Its originality and surprising twists make it worth exploring, particularly for readers who enjoy unconventional speculative fiction and don’t mind a few lingering questions.
My thoughts:
I spent a good portion of The Sleeper wondering what on earth I was reading. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I genuinely couldn’t figure out what kind of story Holly Seddon was telling. Was it science fiction? A political thriller? An alternate history mystery? And where exactly was it all going? I had theories, of course, but I don’t think any of them came particularly close.
And strangely enough, that uncertainty was part of what kept me reading.
The story begins when Maya boards a sleeper train in Edinburgh, only to wake up in a London that is nothing like the one she left behind. The Berlin Wall never fell, the Cold War never ended, and Britain is now an authoritarian Soviet state. Even more unsettling, Maya doesn’t exist in this reality. Her husband is missing, her apartment belongs to someone else, and she has absolutely no idea how to get home.
Now, I do love a good story that plays with quantum physics and alternate realities. The possibilities are practically endless, and I enjoy seeing how authors approach the idea that one seemingly insignificant event could change everything. Seddon takes that concept in a direction I haven’t encountered before, which I appreciated. It’s certainly not your typical time-slip story.
I was also fascinated by the alternate world itself. The political landscape, the underground resistance, and particularly the role librarians play in that resistance were intriguing. I mean, librarians secretly working against an authoritarian government? That’s an idea I can get behind! But I also wanted to know so much more about how this version of Britain came to exist and how its society functioned. There were questions I kept hoping the story would answer, and quite a few remained unanswered.
My biggest struggle, though, was Maya. I never really connected with her emotionally, which is unfortunate considering everything she experiences. I understood the desperation of her circumstances, but I didn’t feel that desperation alongside her. And when you’re reading about someone whose entire existence has essentially been erased, that emotional connection matters. At least it does to me.
The story does eventually deliver some great twists and turns. I particularly enjoyed how unpredictable everything became toward the end. Just when I thought I might finally have a handle on where things were going, another development would send me in a different direction. I love being surprised, and Seddon certainly managed that.
Ultimately, The Sleeper is one of those books I find easier to appreciate than to love. It’s imaginative, unusual, and wonderfully difficult to categorize. I just wish I’d connected more with Maya and come away with a better understanding of the world Seddon created.
Still, there’s something to be said for a book that refuses to follow the usual rules. If you’re an adventurous reader who enjoys quantum possibilities, alternate histories, and stories that ask you to abandon your expectations, this one is worth considering. Just be prepared to go wherever the story takes you. Because predicting the destination? Good luck with that!
🌿 Floral Verdict: A Fern
An intriguing and imaginative read that won’t be for everyone. Its originality and surprising twists make it worth exploring, particularly for readers who enjoy unconventional speculative fiction and don’t mind a few lingering questions.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Sleeper by Holly Seddon had me in a chokehold for its entire 300 plus pages. It has crazy twists, is filled with espionage, and takes place in a thoroughly terrifying alternate reality. At no point did I know what was going to happen next and it was delicious!
Read this book if you like a bit of history in your thrillers, enjoy parallel universes, relish obsessively reading a novel, and delight in experiencing levels of tension and suspense that leave you anxiously reading late into the night.
Pass on this book if you prefer for all mysteries and questions within to be completely resolved by the novel's final chapter, are uncomfortable with highly taut plots, and do not like having more common sense than the protagonist.
Recently laid off librarian Maya is heading home to London from Edinburgh on a sleeper train when it is struck by lightning. Exhausted, homesick, and yearning for her husband Arthur, Maya deboards the train. It is only when her key will not unlock the door to her home that she realizes the London from which she left is wholly different than the London to which she's returned.
A confused Maya soon learns that in this London the Berlin Wall never fell and Britain is now an authoritarian Soviet state. Not only that, but her husband and herself seemingly do not exist in this version of the world. Without any guidance or idea of what to do, Maya soon gains employment, via a resistance movement, within the government. As Maya covertly works for the movement, she is desperate to evade capture and to find her way back home.
The writing is superb and succeeds in engrossing the reader in each page. The plot is remarkably creative. This easily would have been a 5 star read for me except for a few minor qualms. These qualms do not contain outright spoilers, but may contain spoiler adjacent information. Proceed with caution.
None of these laments detracted from my complete enjoyment of the novel. I just loved it so much I wanted more answers and chapters. The Sleeper is a must read!
Read this book if you like a bit of history in your thrillers, enjoy parallel universes, relish obsessively reading a novel, and delight in experiencing levels of tension and suspense that leave you anxiously reading late into the night.
Pass on this book if you prefer for all mysteries and questions within to be completely resolved by the novel's final chapter, are uncomfortable with highly taut plots, and do not like having more common sense than the protagonist.
Recently laid off librarian Maya is heading home to London from Edinburgh on a sleeper train when it is struck by lightning. Exhausted, homesick, and yearning for her husband Arthur, Maya deboards the train. It is only when her key will not unlock the door to her home that she realizes the London from which she left is wholly different than the London to which she's returned.
A confused Maya soon learns that in this London the Berlin Wall never fell and Britain is now an authoritarian Soviet state. Not only that, but her husband and herself seemingly do not exist in this version of the world. Without any guidance or idea of what to do, Maya soon gains employment, via a resistance movement, within the government. As Maya covertly works for the movement, she is desperate to evade capture and to find her way back home.
The writing is superb and succeeds in engrossing the reader in each page. The plot is remarkably creative. This easily would have been a 5 star read for me except for a few minor qualms. These qualms do not contain outright spoilers, but may contain spoiler adjacent information. Proceed with caution.
None of these laments detracted from my complete enjoyment of the novel. I just loved it so much I wanted more answers and chapters. The Sleeper is a must read!
September 13, 2026
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book.
This is my second book by Holly Seddon, and once again, she reeled me in immediately with the premise. The story ventures into an eerie alternate reality, that had me glued to the pages while simultaneously wondering how on earth she was going to make an ending that would make any sense. Thankfully, I needn't have worried. as the ending was absolute perfection.
The story follows Maya on an overnight sleeper train from Edinburgh to London. After passing through a thunderstorm, she steps off the train to discover her world has changed. In this alternate reality, Britain is part of the Soviet state, the Berlin Wall never fell, a stranger and not her husband is living in her flat, and because her parents could never have met, Maya technically doesn't even exist.
It’s one of those unsettling thrillers that leaves you constantly asking: What on earth would I do in this situation? While Maya makes a few questionable choices along the way, to be fair, she isn't exactly working with a wealth of great options.
The narrative cleverly weaves two storylines together mixing a tense thriller with a side of romance:
* The Present Survival: Maya navigating a world where she is simply trying to survive and hope to find some way back to her true reality.
* The Past & Romance: Chapters narrated by her husband that unpack their meeting, his background, and the emotional core of their relationship.
I loved the author's subtle social commentary throughout. Without cell phones or the internet, kids actually play with physical toys and adults pack out local libraries. The concept of free public transport and cheap food sounds ideal at first glance until you realize a full week’s labor only earns you £100. It's a classic case of "everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others."
A fast-paced, thought-provoking 4-star read for me.
This is my second book by Holly Seddon, and once again, she reeled me in immediately with the premise. The story ventures into an eerie alternate reality, that had me glued to the pages while simultaneously wondering how on earth she was going to make an ending that would make any sense. Thankfully, I needn't have worried. as the ending was absolute perfection.
The story follows Maya on an overnight sleeper train from Edinburgh to London. After passing through a thunderstorm, she steps off the train to discover her world has changed. In this alternate reality, Britain is part of the Soviet state, the Berlin Wall never fell, a stranger and not her husband is living in her flat, and because her parents could never have met, Maya technically doesn't even exist.
It’s one of those unsettling thrillers that leaves you constantly asking: What on earth would I do in this situation? While Maya makes a few questionable choices along the way, to be fair, she isn't exactly working with a wealth of great options.
The narrative cleverly weaves two storylines together mixing a tense thriller with a side of romance:
* The Present Survival: Maya navigating a world where she is simply trying to survive and hope to find some way back to her true reality.
* The Past & Romance: Chapters narrated by her husband that unpack their meeting, his background, and the emotional core of their relationship.
I loved the author's subtle social commentary throughout. Without cell phones or the internet, kids actually play with physical toys and adults pack out local libraries. The concept of free public transport and cheap food sounds ideal at first glance until you realize a full week’s labor only earns you £100. It's a classic case of "everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others."
A fast-paced, thought-provoking 4-star read for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I went into The Sleeper without reading the synopsis and that ended up being both a good and a bad thing. I thought the premise was intriguing and unique, but the science fiction elements were confusing and not explained well. Starting each chapter with a date and location (with some chapters in the past and others in the present) made things confusing at first on audio. It also didn't help that there were a lot of characters/names and moving pieces to keep track of. This got easier as the book progressed, but those early chapters were pretty rough.
I felt invested in the characters and wanted to know how Maya was going to get home, but she seemed to lack common sense. Maya repeatedly made choices that should have gotten her killed over and over again in the alternate world/timeline. She also has an affair (), so head's up if that's triggering for you. The pacing stalled a bit in the middle, which made the book feel too long, but then at the end things seemed to happen rapid fire. I know the author was trying to tie all the loose ends together, but it all felt too convenient and no true explanation was given for why things happened in the first place and how it was resolved/undone. I was not surprised by the final twist, but was grateful to end the book on a happy-ish note (though I guess it isn't happy for everyone).
The audiobook narration was well done though and I enjoyed the audiobook a lot. Imogen Church narrates the majority of the novel and Joshua Riley comes in about halfway through. Church did a fantastic job as Maya and you could really feel all of her confusion and despair as she navigated this new reality. I'm not sure I would have finished the book without the audio.
Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3 stars
*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*
I felt invested in the characters and wanted to know how Maya was going to get home, but she seemed to lack common sense. Maya repeatedly made choices that should have gotten her killed over and over again in the alternate world/timeline. She also has an affair (), so head's up if that's triggering for you. The pacing stalled a bit in the middle, which made the book feel too long, but then at the end things seemed to happen rapid fire. I know the author was trying to tie all the loose ends together, but it all felt too convenient and no true explanation was given for why things happened in the first place and how it was resolved/undone. I was not surprised by the final twist, but was grateful to end the book on a happy-ish note (though I guess it isn't happy for everyone).
The audiobook narration was well done though and I enjoyed the audiobook a lot. Imogen Church narrates the majority of the novel and Joshua Riley comes in about halfway through. Church did a fantastic job as Maya and you could really feel all of her confusion and despair as she navigated this new reality. I'm not sure I would have finished the book without the audio.
Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 3 stars
*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*
November 15, 2026
Maya traveling home on an overnight sleeper train that passes through a bad storm, to London, wakes up to a reality that is not her own. This is a London that is from a parallel universe- her apartment isn’t hers, her husband doesn’t exist, and her well loved familiar stores have all gone missing. What’s even weirder is Britain is part of the Soviet state, and the Berlin Wall still stands- the worst part, she was never born, so she’s a ghost with no paperwork. Desperate to figure out how to wake up from this terrible nightmare, Maya does her best to just survive.
While this story seemed extremely interesting to me from the description, it honestly was just okay.
The middle drags on and on, as Maya tries to grab her bearings of the new world around her. The descriptions of her surroundings are extremely detailed, and I found myself skimming paragraphs because I honestly don’t care to know what every building and room looks like in her new world.
What I did enjoy were the short chapters- the dual POVs- though the second point of view doesn’t show up until well into the second half of the book, and the ending. The ending was surprisingly good, and shocking- I definitely did not see that coming. I just wish it had not taken so long to get there.
The history was fascinating and the book did make me think about what I would do if I was in a similar situation- the answer, I wouldn’t survive. 🤣
I think this book would appeal to readers who enjoy their thrillers to be a little more on the speculative fiction side, enjoy slower paced reads, and or books that are extremely descriptive with the surroundings.
Despite it not being my favorite thriller of the year, I still did it enjoy it enough to read it in a day, so it was definitely a quick read that was fascinating enough to keep me flipping the pages.
Thank you to the author, Holly Seddon, and the publisher, Atria Books, for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
While this story seemed extremely interesting to me from the description, it honestly was just okay.
The middle drags on and on, as Maya tries to grab her bearings of the new world around her. The descriptions of her surroundings are extremely detailed, and I found myself skimming paragraphs because I honestly don’t care to know what every building and room looks like in her new world.
What I did enjoy were the short chapters- the dual POVs- though the second point of view doesn’t show up until well into the second half of the book, and the ending. The ending was surprisingly good, and shocking- I definitely did not see that coming. I just wish it had not taken so long to get there.
The history was fascinating and the book did make me think about what I would do if I was in a similar situation- the answer, I wouldn’t survive. 🤣
I think this book would appeal to readers who enjoy their thrillers to be a little more on the speculative fiction side, enjoy slower paced reads, and or books that are extremely descriptive with the surroundings.
Despite it not being my favorite thriller of the year, I still did it enjoy it enough to read it in a day, so it was definitely a quick read that was fascinating enough to keep me flipping the pages.
Thank you to the author, Holly Seddon, and the publisher, Atria Books, for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
November 6, 2026
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️ A dystopian thriller with Seddon’s pulse-pounding signature, paired with a love story.
When her sleeper train is struck by lightning, librarian Maya wakes in a London she doesn’t recognize, one where the Cold War never ended and her husband has vanished. She stumbles into a resistance movement and has to find the people she loves, and a way home.
Going in blind made the first chapter jump out at me. The mystery and Maya’s confusion had me glued to the pages. The pace is quick, with short chapters, dual timelines, and dual POVs, and the past timelines give a needed breather and background. Maya’s longing for normalcy comes through in every recollection, especially when she comes face to face with alternate versions of the people she cares about.
It took me a while to connect the two Arthurs: the gentle Arthur of the past and the ruthless, high-ranking alternate Arthur. I had to dig into what each one represents and how one affects the other, and the premise asks you to suspend disbelief.
The ending, while deliberate to mirror the heroine’s current state, left me needing some semblance of closure.
I also listened to the audiobook (13hrs 29 mins). Imogen Church voices Maya, and her performance brings out her yearning for something familiar and her bewilderment in the opening chapters, down to the odd looks she gets. Joshua Riley gives the two Arthurs distinct voices, one soft-spoken and the other confident and commanding, adjusting his modulation to suit each. That makes the shifts between past and present easy to follow, since the narration and dialogue signal which Arthur and which time you’re in. The plot itself took work to connect in either format.
This is for fans of The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace.
Thank you, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster Audio, and NetGalley, for my advance review copies. All opinions are my own.
When her sleeper train is struck by lightning, librarian Maya wakes in a London she doesn’t recognize, one where the Cold War never ended and her husband has vanished. She stumbles into a resistance movement and has to find the people she loves, and a way home.
Going in blind made the first chapter jump out at me. The mystery and Maya’s confusion had me glued to the pages. The pace is quick, with short chapters, dual timelines, and dual POVs, and the past timelines give a needed breather and background. Maya’s longing for normalcy comes through in every recollection, especially when she comes face to face with alternate versions of the people she cares about.
It took me a while to connect the two Arthurs: the gentle Arthur of the past and the ruthless, high-ranking alternate Arthur. I had to dig into what each one represents and how one affects the other, and the premise asks you to suspend disbelief.
The ending, while deliberate to mirror the heroine’s current state, left me needing some semblance of closure.
I also listened to the audiobook (13hrs 29 mins). Imogen Church voices Maya, and her performance brings out her yearning for something familiar and her bewilderment in the opening chapters, down to the odd looks she gets. Joshua Riley gives the two Arthurs distinct voices, one soft-spoken and the other confident and commanding, adjusting his modulation to suit each. That makes the shifts between past and present easy to follow, since the narration and dialogue signal which Arthur and which time you’re in. The plot itself took work to connect in either format.
This is for fans of The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace.
Thank you, Atria Books, Simon & Schuster Audio, and NetGalley, for my advance review copies. All opinions are my own.
November 13, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for inviting me to read this ARC.
Imagine boarding a sleeper train and waking up to discover that Britain has become a Sovietized state, where the world as you know it no longer exists. That's the unsettling premise of this story, as the main character finds herself in an unfamiliar reality and must figure out what's happened, how to navigate this new world, and ultimately how to survive. The story also weaves in a parallel narrative exploring her life and relationship with her husband before the shift in dimensions.
I thought this was an interesting concept, and one that raises some unsettling questions about identity, relationships, and how we might navigate a world that is suddenly unfamiliar to us. The idea of finding yourself in a reality where everything you know has changed is certainly compelling.
Where I struggled most, however, was with the main character. I had a really difficult time understanding her decisions and, more broadly, her apparent inability to think or act independently. So many of her choices seemed to be driven by simply going along with whatever someone else told her, rather than questioning things or taking ownership of her own circumstances. This was particularly frustrating in the alternating storyline involving her husband and the events leading up to the dimensional shift. I found myself repeatedly questioning how she could be so unaware of the person she had married and the things happening around her.
Unfortunately, my difficulty connecting with her made it harder to fully appreciate the story as a whole. I still appreciated the underlying concept and the unsettling idea of finding yourself in a reality where everything you know and understand has changed. It's an interesting premise to explore, even if the execution and characters didn't entirely work for me.
Imagine boarding a sleeper train and waking up to discover that Britain has become a Sovietized state, where the world as you know it no longer exists. That's the unsettling premise of this story, as the main character finds herself in an unfamiliar reality and must figure out what's happened, how to navigate this new world, and ultimately how to survive. The story also weaves in a parallel narrative exploring her life and relationship with her husband before the shift in dimensions.
I thought this was an interesting concept, and one that raises some unsettling questions about identity, relationships, and how we might navigate a world that is suddenly unfamiliar to us. The idea of finding yourself in a reality where everything you know has changed is certainly compelling.
Where I struggled most, however, was with the main character. I had a really difficult time understanding her decisions and, more broadly, her apparent inability to think or act independently. So many of her choices seemed to be driven by simply going along with whatever someone else told her, rather than questioning things or taking ownership of her own circumstances. This was particularly frustrating in the alternating storyline involving her husband and the events leading up to the dimensional shift. I found myself repeatedly questioning how she could be so unaware of the person she had married and the things happening around her.
Unfortunately, my difficulty connecting with her made it harder to fully appreciate the story as a whole. I still appreciated the underlying concept and the unsettling idea of finding yourself in a reality where everything you know and understand has changed. It's an interesting premise to explore, even if the execution and characters didn't entirely work for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Sleeper had a really interesting premise. On her way from Edinburgh to London, Maya is transported into another reality where the Berlin Wall never fell, and Britain is under Soviet control. She finds herself working with librarians who are part of the resistance, while trying to find a way back to her reality. Will she be able to return or is she stuck in this new world forever?
The story is pretty fast paced and it’s easy to stay engaged. I was curious to see how the story would meet its conclusion as Maya manages to get herself into quite a pickle. My issue with the story was Maya herself. She didn’t take greater care of trying to fit into this new reality where the smallest provocation can get you thrown in jail for the rest of your life or killed. She made questionable decisions and had very little survival skills. I found it hard to believe should be so laissez faire about it all. There were moments in the novel that could’ve had more tension, but fell flat for me. Knowing she’s sent to uncover where librarians are being held prisoner, why does she not keep a low profile while she’s undercover, but rather blatantly begins to have an obvious affair with her husband in this reality who happens to be married. (Don’t worry, he’s actually separated and in the process of a divorce, but she doesn’t know that, so tread carefully if cheating is a trigger for you.) The ending felt like a fever dream and was tied up too neatly, though I will say it wasn’t what I expected, so points for that. Look it’s not a bad book, but I just found the heroine was a little TSTL and couldn’t really connect with her or her motivations.
The Sleeper had a really interesting premise. On her way from Edinburgh to London, Maya is transported into another reality where the Berlin Wall never fell, and Britain is under Soviet control. She finds herself working with librarians who are part of the resistance, while trying to find a way back to her reality. Will she be able to return or is she stuck in this new world forever?
The story is pretty fast paced and it’s easy to stay engaged. I was curious to see how the story would meet its conclusion as Maya manages to get herself into quite a pickle. My issue with the story was Maya herself. She didn’t take greater care of trying to fit into this new reality where the smallest provocation can get you thrown in jail for the rest of your life or killed. She made questionable decisions and had very little survival skills. I found it hard to believe should be so laissez faire about it all. There were moments in the novel that could’ve had more tension, but fell flat for me. Knowing she’s sent to uncover where librarians are being held prisoner, why does she not keep a low profile while she’s undercover, but rather blatantly begins to have an obvious affair with her husband in this reality who happens to be married. (Don’t worry, he’s actually separated and in the process of a divorce, but she doesn’t know that, so tread carefully if cheating is a trigger for you.) The ending felt like a fever dream and was tied up too neatly, though I will say it wasn’t what I expected, so points for that. Look it’s not a bad book, but I just found the heroine was a little TSTL and couldn’t really connect with her or her motivations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2026
Thank you @atriabooks for my complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
MY THOUGHTS: I was thrilled to receive this alternate reality thriller from Atria Books! The story begins with Mila, who, after falling asleep in a sleeper car on a train journey across Britain, awakens to find herself in a chilling dystopian world where the Soviet Union has taken control of Europe. The stark contrast between her familiar life and this oppressive regime sets the stage for an intense journey of identity and survival.
Mila suddenly has no home, no husband, and no ties to anyone. She manages to track down her mother in this alternate reality, only to discover that her mother does not recognize her.
As Mila struggles to adapt, she finds herself joining a group of other librarians secretly dedicated to uncovering the fate of missing colleagues. Mila uses this opportunity to search for her husband, Arthur, hoping he will somehow know her.
However, when Arthur unexpectedly appears in a surprising role, the dynamics shift dramatically. Tension escalates as Mila faces the moral dilemma of rekindling her relationship with Arthur, with the knowledge that he is married to another woman in this world. Her struggle intensifies as she is eventually pressured to betray her husband!
The character dynamics and Milo's internal conflicts make this a compelling read. The narrative addresses themes of loyalty, love, and sacrifice. By the end, Mila emerges as a relatable and empathetic character, making her journey all the more impactful.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy alternate reality thrillers with rich character development and moral complexities.
MY THOUGHTS: I was thrilled to receive this alternate reality thriller from Atria Books! The story begins with Mila, who, after falling asleep in a sleeper car on a train journey across Britain, awakens to find herself in a chilling dystopian world where the Soviet Union has taken control of Europe. The stark contrast between her familiar life and this oppressive regime sets the stage for an intense journey of identity and survival.
Mila suddenly has no home, no husband, and no ties to anyone. She manages to track down her mother in this alternate reality, only to discover that her mother does not recognize her.
As Mila struggles to adapt, she finds herself joining a group of other librarians secretly dedicated to uncovering the fate of missing colleagues. Mila uses this opportunity to search for her husband, Arthur, hoping he will somehow know her.
However, when Arthur unexpectedly appears in a surprising role, the dynamics shift dramatically. Tension escalates as Mila faces the moral dilemma of rekindling her relationship with Arthur, with the knowledge that he is married to another woman in this world. Her struggle intensifies as she is eventually pressured to betray her husband!
The character dynamics and Milo's internal conflicts make this a compelling read. The narrative addresses themes of loyalty, love, and sacrifice. By the end, Mila emerges as a relatable and empathetic character, making her journey all the more impactful.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy alternate reality thrillers with rich character development and moral complexities.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Sleeper by Holly Seddon introduces us to Maya, who falls asleep on a train traveling from Edinburgh to London, only to wake up in what appears to be an alternate reality. Suddenly, the world she knows is no longer quite the same, and Maya must find her footing in this unfamiliar version of reality while piecing together what happened and getting to the bottom of the mystery.
This was a refreshing change of pace and a concept I haven’t come across very often. The combination of historical fiction and speculative fiction made for an interesting blend, and I enjoyed seeing how the author brought those elements together. There was enough mystery to keep me curious, and the premise itself was intriguing enough to make me want to see where everything was headed.
As for Maya, she’s definitely a flawed character. There were moments when I found myself questioning some of her decisions and wondering what I would have done differently in her situation. Of course, putting myself in her shoes, I probably would have made a few alternate choices that were more in line with my own personality. But where would the fun be in that? Sometimes a character’s questionable decisions are exactly what keep a story moving!
Overall, this was an inventive and refreshing read with an interesting premise that held my attention. Fast-paced, enjoyable, and a nice departure from the usual thrillers I tend to gravitate toward. I’m always happy when a book introduces me to something a little different, and The Sleeper certainly did that.
This was a refreshing change of pace and a concept I haven’t come across very often. The combination of historical fiction and speculative fiction made for an interesting blend, and I enjoyed seeing how the author brought those elements together. There was enough mystery to keep me curious, and the premise itself was intriguing enough to make me want to see where everything was headed.
As for Maya, she’s definitely a flawed character. There were moments when I found myself questioning some of her decisions and wondering what I would have done differently in her situation. Of course, putting myself in her shoes, I probably would have made a few alternate choices that were more in line with my own personality. But where would the fun be in that? Sometimes a character’s questionable decisions are exactly what keep a story moving!
Overall, this was an inventive and refreshing read with an interesting premise that held my attention. Fast-paced, enjoyable, and a nice departure from the usual thrillers I tend to gravitate toward. I’m always happy when a book introduces me to something a little different, and The Sleeper certainly did that.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you Atria for my gifted copy!
I truly mean it when I say I finished The Sleeper with my eyes bulging out of my skull.
Holly Seddon scared me last year with 59 Minutes. Adrenaline fueled nuclear horror. Literally the stuff of my ten year old nightmares. It was a thriller that could not be topped. Until I read The Sleeper.
Look, I am an overthinker. I will sit and existential crisis myself into a spiraling panic attack. And one of those spirals is about parallel universes. The fact that, theoretically, I am existing everywhere all at once across the span of time and the universe scares the sh*t out of me. I am of this world and it seems like a privilege compared to other worlds. Compared to this current world where someone born the same time as me is living a completely different reality.
Imagining waking up in a Sovietized version of my current world? Well… the scary part is, we’re not far off. This takes place in Europe, where, luckily, they aren’t run by a dictator who is hell bent on making American’s lives as miserable as possible. So. Yeah I guess we’re already there. And that’s what makes this book so tangibly horrifying. Librarians jailed for decades. Authors books banned and the authors jailed themselves. It’s all happening right here. Right now. And also in other universes.
And here I go. Down my spiral.
Read this. It’s dark. Horrifying. But it’s also brilliantly written and entirely propulsive.
I truly mean it when I say I finished The Sleeper with my eyes bulging out of my skull.
Holly Seddon scared me last year with 59 Minutes. Adrenaline fueled nuclear horror. Literally the stuff of my ten year old nightmares. It was a thriller that could not be topped. Until I read The Sleeper.
Look, I am an overthinker. I will sit and existential crisis myself into a spiraling panic attack. And one of those spirals is about parallel universes. The fact that, theoretically, I am existing everywhere all at once across the span of time and the universe scares the sh*t out of me. I am of this world and it seems like a privilege compared to other worlds. Compared to this current world where someone born the same time as me is living a completely different reality.
Imagining waking up in a Sovietized version of my current world? Well… the scary part is, we’re not far off. This takes place in Europe, where, luckily, they aren’t run by a dictator who is hell bent on making American’s lives as miserable as possible. So. Yeah I guess we’re already there. And that’s what makes this book so tangibly horrifying. Librarians jailed for decades. Authors books banned and the authors jailed themselves. It’s all happening right here. Right now. And also in other universes.
And here I go. Down my spiral.
Read this. It’s dark. Horrifying. But it’s also brilliantly written and entirely propulsive.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a cool concept but my gracious goodness, Maya must be the most foolish librarian I've ever encountered, in literature or real life... This is a woman who carries a tote bag that says "I love libraries" and who presumably reads, yet you would certainly never guess that from any of her behavior. She seems to lack all common sense: she doesn't know where her husband works, she doesn't realize that in a surveillance state she can't draw attention to herself, and she doesn't seem to have any self-preservation instincts at all. I found myself more annoyed with her than anything else, which was frustrating because the concept was interesting and I do enjoy a good bit of alt history every now and then...
Unfortunately this one felt vaguely familiar, as many of its challenges and tension elements have been used in similar novels I've encountered in the past. When you pair that with a heroine who doesn't seem to have much common sense, it makes for a fairly depressing and slow-going read. I was disappointed that I wasn't more engaged, but just couldn't get there. The writing is engaging, but I struggled mightily with the main character and her decision making. I kept shaking my head in disbelief and it kept pulling me out of the story...
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Unfortunately this one felt vaguely familiar, as many of its challenges and tension elements have been used in similar novels I've encountered in the past. When you pair that with a heroine who doesn't seem to have much common sense, it makes for a fairly depressing and slow-going read. I was disappointed that I wasn't more engaged, but just couldn't get there. The writing is engaging, but I struggled mightily with the main character and her decision making. I kept shaking my head in disbelief and it kept pulling me out of the story...
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Maya is traveling by train from Edinburgh back to London when her train is struck by lightning. When she exits the train in London she finds a completely different scene than when she left. In the early 90's, Communism never fell in Germany or the Soviet Union and it took over Britain, It is 2026 in Britain, but they are under Communist rule and Maya doesn't know anyone or understand this way of life.
I have enjoyed several books by this author in the past so I requested this book without reading the synopsis. Then when I went to read it I read what it was about and said, this is going to be a DNF. I generally have no tolerance for books that have parallel universe concepts or anything that couldn't happen in the real world as we know it. However, I liked this book much more than expected. Having visited Communist Cuba and visited Croatia and Albania, which have exited Communism, I found the depiction of Communist life to be very interesting, and while I really can't say this is a mystery or even a thriller, I did find it to be an interesting read. I was engaged and I wanted to see where it was going. Toward the end I feared it was going to be a cop out of an ending, but it redeemed itself. Overall a much better read than expected.
Maya is traveling by train from Edinburgh back to London when her train is struck by lightning. When she exits the train in London she finds a completely different scene than when she left. In the early 90's, Communism never fell in Germany or the Soviet Union and it took over Britain, It is 2026 in Britain, but they are under Communist rule and Maya doesn't know anyone or understand this way of life.
I have enjoyed several books by this author in the past so I requested this book without reading the synopsis. Then when I went to read it I read what it was about and said, this is going to be a DNF. I generally have no tolerance for books that have parallel universe concepts or anything that couldn't happen in the real world as we know it. However, I liked this book much more than expected. Having visited Communist Cuba and visited Croatia and Albania, which have exited Communism, I found the depiction of Communist life to be very interesting, and while I really can't say this is a mystery or even a thriller, I did find it to be an interesting read. I was engaged and I wanted to see where it was going. Toward the end I feared it was going to be a cop out of an ending, but it redeemed itself. Overall a much better read than expected.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Maya is a librarian who is traveling home to her husband Arthur in London. When her sleeper train is struck by lightning, she wakes up in a version of the world where the Berlin Wall never fell. Britain is now a Soviet state with rules that Maya does not know which makes her stand out, and not in a good way. Looking for anyone from her old world to help her, Maya finds a resistance movement made up of librarians. She is reluctantly sent undercover and finds herself torn between the two sides when a familiar face from her old world shows up unexpectedly.
I liked the concept of this book, but a lot of the historical references went over my head and I think that took some of the enjoyment out of the book for me. I’m not a history lover but if you are, this might be the book for you! The story is told from Maya’s point of view (present) and Arthur’s point of view (past). While I got a bit lost in the politics of the book, I thought the ending was fantastic. Really creative and an exciting twist to what you would expect. I really enjoy Holly Seddon’s work, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next :)
Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the concept of this book, but a lot of the historical references went over my head and I think that took some of the enjoyment out of the book for me. I’m not a history lover but if you are, this might be the book for you! The story is told from Maya’s point of view (present) and Arthur’s point of view (past). While I got a bit lost in the politics of the book, I thought the ending was fantastic. Really creative and an exciting twist to what you would expect. I really enjoy Holly Seddon’s work, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next :)
Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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