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Every Waking Dream
Having to adjust to a new town, school, and friends were not what Aislin Smith had expected after spending the summer locked inside a rehabilitation center. After getting busted for taking drugs to stay awake, her psychiatrist learns the real reason behind Aislin's fear of sleeping—she experiences a phenomenon known as dream telepathy.
Afraid to expose her secret to anyone else, she tries to live an everyday life after being prescribed a sleeping aid with the convenient side effect of having dreamless nights of sleep. But once her chance at peace is taken away, Aislin finds herself in the odd dream of a mysterious girl. She thinks nothing of it until she sees the girl's face again plastered on the front page news as a missing person in a string of unsolved cases. Struggling to keep her reality together, Aislin decides to take matters into her own hands and find the missing children. If there's one thing she's sure of, it's that the dead don't dream.
Afraid to expose her secret to anyone else, she tries to live an everyday life after being prescribed a sleeping aid with the convenient side effect of having dreamless nights of sleep. But once her chance at peace is taken away, Aislin finds herself in the odd dream of a mysterious girl. She thinks nothing of it until she sees the girl's face again plastered on the front page news as a missing person in a string of unsolved cases. Struggling to keep her reality together, Aislin decides to take matters into her own hands and find the missing children. If there's one thing she's sure of, it's that the dead don't dream.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Eason
5 books5 followersHailing from a small town in rural Georgia, Lauren works as a supervisor and trainer to veterinary assistants for an affordable mobile veterinary company. At night, she gallivants as a writer intrigued by dark fantasies and paranormal romance. Her love of animals and writing has led her to not only have cared for thousands of animals over her career but has also inspired her to create her own written world—a world she hopes future readers may enjoy as much as she does.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 2, 2022
Super Fantastic!
I adored this story! What a unique concept—a teen who dream-walks and helps the police solve a series of kidnappings. I adored Aslin and loved her BFF, Raven, and younger sister, Jess. Indeed the entire cast of characters is very well done.
Aslin has the unusual ability of dream telepathy. That means she can enter the dreams of others. Unfortunately, this ability is more a curse than a gift because Aislin has no idea how to control it, and she often finds herself trapped in people's nightmares. Furthermore, rumors start flying around her school after she shares her secret with a crush, and Aislin's classmates see her as a freak. When she gets addicted to pills trying to prevent herself from sleeping so she won't dream, Aislin ends up in rehab.
In addition to dealing with her addiction, her dream ability, and starting a new life after she gets out of rehab, Aislin discovers her family is going through a significant crisis. Aislin blames herself for her family's falling apart and struggles to regain her parents' approval. Despite her problems, when several teens go missing, and Aislin ends up in one of their dreams, she decides to harness her gift to uncover clues and help the police find them.
This book was all-around incredible. Watching Aislin overcome her various struggles and grow as a person was beautiful to see. The story is one that teens will enjoy, as I think many will relate to Aislin. With all that's going on, she is a typical teenager trying to find her place in the world. The story encompasses everyday teen situations such as school, a cute boy, homecoming, making new friends, and more. It's certainly not a story meant for someone my age—I'm cough cough—never mind. No matter. I loved the story. It's a fantastic YA novel that's sure to delight readers of all ages! Enjoy!
I adored this story! What a unique concept—a teen who dream-walks and helps the police solve a series of kidnappings. I adored Aslin and loved her BFF, Raven, and younger sister, Jess. Indeed the entire cast of characters is very well done.
Aslin has the unusual ability of dream telepathy. That means she can enter the dreams of others. Unfortunately, this ability is more a curse than a gift because Aislin has no idea how to control it, and she often finds herself trapped in people's nightmares. Furthermore, rumors start flying around her school after she shares her secret with a crush, and Aislin's classmates see her as a freak. When she gets addicted to pills trying to prevent herself from sleeping so she won't dream, Aislin ends up in rehab.
In addition to dealing with her addiction, her dream ability, and starting a new life after she gets out of rehab, Aislin discovers her family is going through a significant crisis. Aislin blames herself for her family's falling apart and struggles to regain her parents' approval. Despite her problems, when several teens go missing, and Aislin ends up in one of their dreams, she decides to harness her gift to uncover clues and help the police find them.
This book was all-around incredible. Watching Aislin overcome her various struggles and grow as a person was beautiful to see. The story is one that teens will enjoy, as I think many will relate to Aislin. With all that's going on, she is a typical teenager trying to find her place in the world. The story encompasses everyday teen situations such as school, a cute boy, homecoming, making new friends, and more. It's certainly not a story meant for someone my age—I'm cough cough—never mind. No matter. I loved the story. It's a fantastic YA novel that's sure to delight readers of all ages! Enjoy!
December 27, 2021
Intense read
This book was very interesting. As much was you think it will be all about dreamscaping it isn't. There is a lot of relationship building, connections, drama, secrets, fears and more in this book. Every page the characters are going through something else, and something everyone can relate to. Bullying, family issues, feeling neglected and not good enough. This book really had a lot of everything and was overall an enjoyable read. It has sad, funny, dark and relatable moments throughout the story and it's one of pure strength, love and trust. If you haven't read it its a nice read to get lost in.
This book was very interesting. As much was you think it will be all about dreamscaping it isn't. There is a lot of relationship building, connections, drama, secrets, fears and more in this book. Every page the characters are going through something else, and something everyone can relate to. Bullying, family issues, feeling neglected and not good enough. This book really had a lot of everything and was overall an enjoyable read. It has sad, funny, dark and relatable moments throughout the story and it's one of pure strength, love and trust. If you haven't read it its a nice read to get lost in.
November 17, 2021
I picked this book to read because the basic premise sounded promising. The idea of a person being able to enter another person's dreams clearly has a lot of potential and I was excited to see what the author would do with it.
The two main characters, Aislin and Raven are a great ying and yang duo and they bounce well off each other.
The potential of this book is never fully realised however, as it is beset with issues indicative of an author who is still in the early stages of honing their craft. The prose is lazy, the dialogue feels unnatural and awkward: people say things that just don't seem to follow from what they're responding to. The most jarring thing is the convenience and inconsistency of various revelations. For example, not one but two unlikely characters are revealed to actually be expert computer hackers, without any hint of that coming beforehand.
The dream sequences are handled well, and are the most interesting parts of the novel to read. It is a shame, then, that they actually make up a very small part of the plot and are - in the grand scheme of things - pretty inconsequential for the majority of the story. Far more of the information and plot advancement comes from very ordinary teenage sleuthing on the part of Aislin's friends. Almost every chapter involves one or more of them approaching her with new information they've improbably found.
Far too much of the story centres around a very cookie-cutter weird girls joining a new school and catching the eye of football players high-school romance story. Of the other elements and settings, too many of them feel like they're being told not by someone who understand them, but by someone who is just writing what they imagine those things are like. I'm talking about rehab centres, police investigations, computer hacking and many other things.
All in all, this novel is a very cool idea and could have been a lot better. It would be quite at home somewhere like Wattpad, but it falls short of what you expect when you pay money for a book.
It's never my inention to discourage a budding writer, but I also very strongly believe that an author should fully hone their craft before choosing to publish a book. That is rarely the case with a writer's first novel. No doubt this book will be a stepping stone to greater things the author will write.
The two main characters, Aislin and Raven are a great ying and yang duo and they bounce well off each other.
The potential of this book is never fully realised however, as it is beset with issues indicative of an author who is still in the early stages of honing their craft. The prose is lazy, the dialogue feels unnatural and awkward: people say things that just don't seem to follow from what they're responding to. The most jarring thing is the convenience and inconsistency of various revelations. For example, not one but two unlikely characters are revealed to actually be expert computer hackers, without any hint of that coming beforehand.
The dream sequences are handled well, and are the most interesting parts of the novel to read. It is a shame, then, that they actually make up a very small part of the plot and are - in the grand scheme of things - pretty inconsequential for the majority of the story. Far more of the information and plot advancement comes from very ordinary teenage sleuthing on the part of Aislin's friends. Almost every chapter involves one or more of them approaching her with new information they've improbably found.
Far too much of the story centres around a very cookie-cutter weird girls joining a new school and catching the eye of football players high-school romance story. Of the other elements and settings, too many of them feel like they're being told not by someone who understand them, but by someone who is just writing what they imagine those things are like. I'm talking about rehab centres, police investigations, computer hacking and many other things.
All in all, this novel is a very cool idea and could have been a lot better. It would be quite at home somewhere like Wattpad, but it falls short of what you expect when you pay money for a book.
It's never my inention to discourage a budding writer, but I also very strongly believe that an author should fully hone their craft before choosing to publish a book. That is rarely the case with a writer's first novel. No doubt this book will be a stepping stone to greater things the author will write.
October 24, 2021
Aislin is one messed up teen, having ended up in a rehab centre for a drug addiction she developed as a means to prevent sleep, something which terrifies her and gives her night terrors. She worries that her parents and her sister Jess no longer want anything to do with her and when she finds out they’re moving to a new town she feels betrayed. Meanwhile, Raven, who is in rehab for an eating disorder, has problems of her own; she has a stepmother she doesn’t get on with and both girls find solace in one another’s friendship. Eventually, both girls are discharged from the centre around the same time and Aislin is surprised to discover Raven comes from the same town Aislin’s family have moved to, and also goes to the same school Aislin and Jess are enrolled in. Aislin does everything she can to rebuild her life and get her parents to trust her again, but it’s clear her mother isn’t ready to give her the benefit of the doubt yet and their relationship is strained, especially when it means Aislin has to take medication to prevent dreaming while she sleeps. She and Jess become close, however, and Aislin is happy to have at least one friend in Raven. Things become even brighter when she gets close to Jason, a boy at her school.
But as Aislin tries to resist taking her medication and fight her fears of sleep alone, her night terrors return as does her capacity to enter the dreams of others. Tragedy strikes when children start to go missing from the town and Aislin realises she is able to witness first-hand the horror of their situation. What has happened to them and who is behind their disappearance? She tells Raven and Jess about her ability of dream telepathy, and so begins a race against time. Can she put her strange gift to some good use?
Every Waking Dream is a gripping, fascinating young adult novel using the phenomenon of dream telepathy as a super power. I found Aislin and Raven to be likeable girls and sympathised with their struggles to cope with the pain of their addictions. An enjoyable, highly recommended book.
But as Aislin tries to resist taking her medication and fight her fears of sleep alone, her night terrors return as does her capacity to enter the dreams of others. Tragedy strikes when children start to go missing from the town and Aislin realises she is able to witness first-hand the horror of their situation. What has happened to them and who is behind their disappearance? She tells Raven and Jess about her ability of dream telepathy, and so begins a race against time. Can she put her strange gift to some good use?
Every Waking Dream is a gripping, fascinating young adult novel using the phenomenon of dream telepathy as a super power. I found Aislin and Raven to be likeable girls and sympathised with their struggles to cope with the pain of their addictions. An enjoyable, highly recommended book.
October 23, 2021
Every Waking Dream by Lauren Eason is incredible and a truly enjoyable read.
Contains spoilers…
It was the blurb that told me I just had to read this book, having already written two novels myself regarding dreams that are of a similar vein.
It begins as a drama when we meet Aislin who is in a rehab centre as she has a drug addiction caused by her desire to escape having to sleep. The reason for this, we find out, is that Aislin can enter people’s dreams. This has occurred from a very young age and when she tried to tell people about it, she was described as either crazy or had ‘too much imagination’.
Through counselling and being prescribed a new drug that will allow her to sleep without dreaming, Aislin is deemed ready to leave rehab and, along with her parents and sister, they move to a new town for a fresh start.
But life isn’t rosy for Aislin and her friend Raven from the rehab centre, who is a local in the town and goes to the same school. Her parents are going through a crisis and children are going missing from the area. So, when a friend of Aislin’s sister becomes one of the missing children, she attempts to find them through their dreams with startling results.
And this is where the novel changes from one of teenagers with their issues and problems into a gripping thriller and a brilliant whodunnit that you won’t be able to put down until you have read to the very last page.
I loved the basis of this novel - lucid dreaming and dream telepathy is something I find fascinating.
I love Aislin’s initial fear and hatred of her gift/curse and I love how she comes to terms with it in order to help others
The character development is wonderful – from strangers, slightly suspicious of one another to becoming best friends and comrades-in-arms.
I believe there is a sequel coming soon and I will definitely be reading it.
Contains spoilers…
It was the blurb that told me I just had to read this book, having already written two novels myself regarding dreams that are of a similar vein.
It begins as a drama when we meet Aislin who is in a rehab centre as she has a drug addiction caused by her desire to escape having to sleep. The reason for this, we find out, is that Aislin can enter people’s dreams. This has occurred from a very young age and when she tried to tell people about it, she was described as either crazy or had ‘too much imagination’.
Through counselling and being prescribed a new drug that will allow her to sleep without dreaming, Aislin is deemed ready to leave rehab and, along with her parents and sister, they move to a new town for a fresh start.
But life isn’t rosy for Aislin and her friend Raven from the rehab centre, who is a local in the town and goes to the same school. Her parents are going through a crisis and children are going missing from the area. So, when a friend of Aislin’s sister becomes one of the missing children, she attempts to find them through their dreams with startling results.
And this is where the novel changes from one of teenagers with their issues and problems into a gripping thriller and a brilliant whodunnit that you won’t be able to put down until you have read to the very last page.
I loved the basis of this novel - lucid dreaming and dream telepathy is something I find fascinating.
I love Aislin’s initial fear and hatred of her gift/curse and I love how she comes to terms with it in order to help others
The character development is wonderful – from strangers, slightly suspicious of one another to becoming best friends and comrades-in-arms.
I believe there is a sequel coming soon and I will definitely be reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2022
I don’t, personally, believe that dream telepathy is anything but an unproven theory, but the author allows me to suspend credibility and accept that Aislin, the main character, not only finds herself in other people’s dreams, but dreads being there. She doesn’t always know whose dream she’s in, and only rarely is the dreamer aware of her presence, but there’s a mystery to solve and the dreams are leading her in the right direction.
Meanwhile, she has a set of personal problems, overprotective parents, concern for her younger sister, the fact that her only friend is someone she met in rehab, and she’s in a new school in a new town. The fact that she had recently been in rehab accounts for some of the more sophisticated insights that Aislin and her friend Raven learned in therapy.
A number of young girls have gone missing recently, one of them a close friend of Aislin’s sister, and a desire to find out what happened to them is the thing that drives Aislin to overcome her fear of entering other people’s dreams in the hope that one of them will help solve the mystery.
I give this novel five stars for character development and the unique ability the author gives her character.
Meanwhile, she has a set of personal problems, overprotective parents, concern for her younger sister, the fact that her only friend is someone she met in rehab, and she’s in a new school in a new town. The fact that she had recently been in rehab accounts for some of the more sophisticated insights that Aislin and her friend Raven learned in therapy.
A number of young girls have gone missing recently, one of them a close friend of Aislin’s sister, and a desire to find out what happened to them is the thing that drives Aislin to overcome her fear of entering other people’s dreams in the hope that one of them will help solve the mystery.
I give this novel five stars for character development and the unique ability the author gives her character.
September 22, 2021
Every Waking Dream by Lauren Eason is an engaging Young Adult mystery with a paranormal twist. The heroine, Aislin, has a form of telepathy that allows her to go into other people’s dreams. Because of this, she’s used amphetamines to stay awake. She starts the book in a rehab facility, dealing with her fears and feelings of inadequacy, which are only amplified by her parents’ actions.
After getting out of the facility, her parents move the family to a new town for a new start, without consulting her. This leads to hurt feelings, but also to a mystery. Girls have been disappearing from the town, and Aislin gets pulled into the mystery, realizing that the thing she thought was a curse could actually be a blessing.
I enjoyed the characters and how they developed, though the kids were a lot more mature than the adults, including the therapist. It seemed like Aislin got a lot out of therapy, including how to speak to others. The dialogue was smart and didn’t seem forced.
The cover threw me. I liked it, but thought it was either for a horror novel or a book with a ghost theme.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.
After getting out of the facility, her parents move the family to a new town for a new start, without consulting her. This leads to hurt feelings, but also to a mystery. Girls have been disappearing from the town, and Aislin gets pulled into the mystery, realizing that the thing she thought was a curse could actually be a blessing.
I enjoyed the characters and how they developed, though the kids were a lot more mature than the adults, including the therapist. It seemed like Aislin got a lot out of therapy, including how to speak to others. The dialogue was smart and didn’t seem forced.
The cover threw me. I liked it, but thought it was either for a horror novel or a book with a ghost theme.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.
January 23, 2022
“Every Waking Dream” by Lauren Eason is a compelling read that captures very well those teen stresses and anxieties over social pressures, friendships, and the demands of school. On top of that, imagine you are a teenager who has the gift of dream telepathy, seeing the dreams of missing girls. Terrifying to consider. I enjoyed the characters and how they communicated, something captured very well by the author. Aislin, the main character, struggles in her life and fears to be misunderstood by friends and family, and this creates significant tension throughout the story as she deals with the world of a troubled teenager while also trying to solve a terrible mystery of missing children. The adults in the story are not represented quite as believably as the teenagers, but as it is geared toward young adults it likely works well for that audience. I would have preferred to see a little more internal thought processes to better reveal the subtleties of the main character and her growth. Overall, it was a terrific, and unique, young adult suspense thriller and an easy read that pulls you in to the action.
November 21, 2021
The idea of being stuck in a dream … somebody’s else dream is so chilling, and Eason submerges the reader into that helpless state.
I really enjoyed following Aislin around with terror and awe from her sleuthing skills to her psychic dreaming abilities as she learns to hone her psychic ability. And her close friend Raven is a delight on the page - they work together wonderfully adding a little bit of fun and humour to a dire situation.
The dreams were written beautifully and terrifying. You couldn’t stop reading because you were too curious to find out what happens next. So I felt just as helpless as Aislin and you could feel how this gift would freak you out. The dreams were my favourite parts of the novel.
Overall, Every Waking Dream is a thrilling page turner – it’s a book you will read to the finish, and you'll want more from the author: Lauren Eason.
I really enjoyed following Aislin around with terror and awe from her sleuthing skills to her psychic dreaming abilities as she learns to hone her psychic ability. And her close friend Raven is a delight on the page - they work together wonderfully adding a little bit of fun and humour to a dire situation.
The dreams were written beautifully and terrifying. You couldn’t stop reading because you were too curious to find out what happens next. So I felt just as helpless as Aislin and you could feel how this gift would freak you out. The dreams were my favourite parts of the novel.
Overall, Every Waking Dream is a thrilling page turner – it’s a book you will read to the finish, and you'll want more from the author: Lauren Eason.
November 20, 2021
Every Waking Dream
by Lauren Eason
Having to adjust to a new town, school, and friends were not what Aislin Smith had expected after spending the summer locked inside a rehabilitation center. After getting busted for taking drugs to stay awake, her psychiatrist learns the real reason behind Aislin's fear of sleeping—she experiences a phenomenon known as dream telepathy.
This was an easy read that was a real page turner. The plot was quite intriguing with a mystery “who done it” and exceptional paranormal power. The characters were young and flawed which made them more honest and relatable. I liked this book and found it fascinating and a must read.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review of my own opinion.
by Lauren Eason
Having to adjust to a new town, school, and friends were not what Aislin Smith had expected after spending the summer locked inside a rehabilitation center. After getting busted for taking drugs to stay awake, her psychiatrist learns the real reason behind Aislin's fear of sleeping—she experiences a phenomenon known as dream telepathy.
This was an easy read that was a real page turner. The plot was quite intriguing with a mystery “who done it” and exceptional paranormal power. The characters were young and flawed which made them more honest and relatable. I liked this book and found it fascinating and a must read.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review of my own opinion.
October 1, 2021
Normally I'm not into thriller/horror, but this story defies convention! Brilliantly told and well paced. A reader is not left lingering and wishing a chapter would end. In fact, you don't want a story like this to end. Lauren has a gift in keeping the reader engaged and a thrilling tale such as this one should not be missed. Loved it and can't wait to read more from this gifted writer!
January 6, 2022
I liked the premise of the story and chose to read this book based on it. I thought the story was good. It had a nice flow and I felt connected to the story. I didn’t think it completely believable so my enjoyment felt off. There just seemed as though something was missing. I requested a copy of this book and am voluntarily writing a review.
November 8, 2021
This author is fantastic. Great descriptions, but not the type where you sit back and think "Wow those are pretty words." Instead, The author makes you FEEL like you're their, in the psych ward. A+ all around for this unique, frightening, and intriguing book!
May 7, 2022
I had to DNF because it appeared as though the book hadn’t been edited and there were too many distracting errors. The concept was neat though.
October 16, 2021
This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m sure it won’t be my last. It was wonderfully written and was impossible to put down. Uniquely her own and very enjoyable. Wonderful characters with twists and turns around every corner.
October 14, 2022
An outstanding story, and one that makes you hate having to take a break and put it down! A+ storytelling. I cannot wait to read more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews