SLEEPER

A teenage girl suffering from a sleep disorder finds that an experimental drug cure comes with some unexpected and potentially deadly side effects.

High school senior Sarah Reyes is a “good and appropriately ambitious soldier” in the army of queen bee Gigi. All’s well until Sarah almost snaps Gigi’s neck during a sleepover, the result of a REM sleep behavior disorder that renders her unable to control her actions while she sleeps. She physically acts out her dreams. Sarah, who is multiracial (“a hint of Latin America, a dash of Dutch colonialist, plus a generous helping of Southeast Asia”), becomes a social pariah after the incident with Gigi. But she has the support of her ex-boyfriend Jamie, who is black, and her white best friend, Tessa. Sarah also becomes involved with Wes, a new white guy at school. But Sarah knows she’s seen Wes somewhere before—in one of her nightmares. When Sarah tries an experimental drug to cure her disorder, the strange side effects are way more than she bargained for. Both savvy and vulnerable, Sarah draws readers in with her dry wit as she laments her fall from social grace. Well-placed social media and pop-culture references further anchor them in Sarah’s increasingly surreal world. The paranormal elements of the story are suspenseful and surprising, but the book’s otherwise solid pacing lags at times during the dreamscape scenes.

A fresh, mostly successful thriller about vengeance, loyalty, and friendship