The Sleep Clinic

by Michelle Young

Laurel Gervais wakes up to her roommate knocking frantically on her bedroom door, insisting she be allowed inside. Standing in the middle of her bed, Laurel takes in a scene of destruction; shredded sheets, unhinged curtains and feathers floating aimlessly all around her. She had done this and yet, she had no memory of it.

Discovering she’d suffered from night terrors as a child Laurel quickly books a sleep study in the hopes of coming up with strategies to cope with her sudden and violent reactions. The Salter Square sleep clinic comes highly recommended to help people suffering from sleep disorders, but instead of helping, Laurel can’t help but feel trapped. With ancient architecture and strange design, this place frightens more than it soothes. A group of patients booked for a sleep study that very night are about to discover just how terrifying this place truly is. When a threat appears, Laurel must let down her guard and is forced to trust strangers with her life.

Genres: Thriller

270 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2021

About the author

Michelle Young is a Canadian author of multiple books. She has been featured in The Globe and Mail, appeared on television and podcasts, and is passionately seeking new ways to bring invisible battles into the light through her stories. Young lives in the country on the outskirts of Ottawa with her family.

Follow Michelle on Instagram and Facebook
@michelleyoungauthor

Reviews

[Stephen McClellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically don’t read books in the thriller genre, but Michelle Young is making me a big fan! This book was another beautiful example of how she intertwines emotional trauma with the essence of hope and healing. There’s always a deeper message at play beyond her pages, and as someone who seeks to connect on a personal level with what he reads, I greatly appreciate that aspect of her writing. I highly recommend this book as well as any of her other works!

[Michelle Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so thrilled to finally share The Sleep Clinic with you all! I hope reading this story will offer you the escape and joy it brought me to write it!

[Arti Manani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wasnt the first book I've read by Michelle Young so I knew exactly what to expect from this one, and it didn't disappoint.

The Sleep Clinic is an unputdownable, sitting on the edge of your seat kind of book that fills you with a strong sense of uneasiness that keeps you turning the page for more.

Michelle's writing is purely artistic and I loved so many lines in this psychological thriller that connected me to Laurel, the protagonist.

The Sleep Clinic is a brilliant escape with so much realism and truth entwined into one book that it'll leave you wanting to read more books by Michelle Young.

[Books & Hot Cocoa On a Rainy Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this book.

This wasn’t the first book by Michelle Young that I’ve read, so far I’ve loved all her books and when I saw this one coming out I knew I had to read it.

It absolutely did not disappoint, I truly love her style of writing.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quck and easy read about good defeating evil.

[Muriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird book. It contains some mature themes, so is clearly meant for an adult audience, yet the main character is so naïve and ridiculous in her thoughts and actions that the whole feel of the story reminds me of those high-drama young adult series (e.g. pretty little liars). Because of this mismatch it’s hard to imagine adult readers staying engaged with the story and character, yet it wouldn’t be appropriate for teens.

Also, the ratio of plot action vs the main character’s description of her reactionary thoughts feels totally off; this character spends so, so much of the book describing her overly dramatic inner thoughts, which are astonishingly repetitive, that any actual movement in in the story gets diluted. It gives the impression that you could hop ahead a dozen pages at a time and not really miss much. It feels like the inverse of what might realistically happen in the circumstances described, where a character’s brain likely wouldn’t have enough time to think things through in much detail, but instead just be forced to react based on instinct and impulse. The main character seems to think a lot of summarizing, meaning-making thoughts, but their poignancy gets lost because of this inverted ratio.

I think the author could definitely work on these pitfalls, and I might be interested to pick up a later work (if one comes out) just to see if she’s been able to hit a better balance, but I don’t think I’ll be looking up her earlier stuff because of this. As for this one, I only finished it because it was relatively short and part of me wondered if there would be a redeeming twist that might have explained the issues I took with the first half. Unfortunately there wasn’t, but at least by finishing it I was able to form a fair impression. This might be someone’s cup of tea, but for my tastes I hope the author keeps working, and considers tightening up a few of those imbalances if they are representative of her work generally.

[Bryanna Regimbald · Rating 2 out of 5]

There wasn’t much character building in this book it just seemed so odd the connecting that was trying to be portrayed all in the midst of one night. The plot just wasn’t it.

[Marie-Claude · Rating 1 out of 5]

That was painful to get through.

[MK Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story grabbed my interest right away and then sustained it throughout. I especially enjoyed the complex development of the protagonist, Laurel Gervais. As the story progressed, many mysteries were presented, and in true phycological thriller form, the author suspensefully delivered in a 'show' rather than 'tell' kind of way. I really enjoyed the patient unravelling of mystery and the relationship dynamics of family, friends and lovers along the way. As I read and continued to wonder how everything would turn out, I couldn't have been more captivated by the final seven chapters. All in all, this was a great read and I really enjoyed the writing style and look forward to reading more of the author's work.

[Brenna Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't typically read thrillers but I totally devoured this one over a couple of days. The setting is unique and I loved experiencing Laurels growth throughout the terrifying evening at the sleep clinic.

[Mélanie Ménard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried my best to give this book a chance, but nope. Couldn’t even finish it with less than 60 pages to go.
Kinda childish behaviour from all characters. Not very suspenseful….. anyways, it’s a no for me

[Rhonda Struthers-Badour · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found that this book seemed to be aimed at an older teen, young adult through the writing style and Characters. The plot while interesting, did not come across as believable. I was hoping for a twist that might tighten up the plot. This could be a very good book with some work.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked quickly with this book. Loved it.

[Alexandra Sparling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that the author lives in ottawa

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was written by someone from my hometown. It was a little slow and the critical characters weren't introduced early enough, but otherwise it was pretty okay.