Couldn’t put down and twists I never saw coming!

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4.5/5!

Paul and his friends begin experimenting with lucid dreaming, jotting down summaries of their dreams as they wake and trying to control what and how they dream. When his friends start using their dreams to harm dogs and scare the people in the community, Paul fears that his friends are taking the experiment too far and distances himself.

The book opens with a murder. Paul's friends, Billy and Charlie are the culprits and though Billy returns to the community shortly after the murder covered in blood and admitting his guilt, Charlie is never to be seen again. The goal with the lucid dreaming had been to vanish into the dreamworld and it appears Charlie may have achieved just that.

Flash forward 25 years and Paul is returning to his hometown for the first time since he left for college to help his ailing mother. He has repressed many of the bad memories from that horrific time, and hopes that they can stay far from his mind. However, he quickly learns that the legend of Charlie Crabtree is far from dead and there are copycats experimenting with lucid dreaming and experiencing devastating effects. Feeling partially to blame for his part in the lucid dreaming experiments that has led to several deaths, Paul takes it upon himself to learn more about Charlie's disappearance. It also seems that the ghosts of Paul's hometown still linger in the shadows, and as the deaths and mysterious events around Paul start to tally up, we question if Charlie really did make it to the dreamworld and continues to haunt the town.

This was such a page turner for me and I devoured it in two days. The novel alternates between the past (25 years ago) and the present and also alternates between two narrators which adds a really nice depth. The eerie aura and creepy events definitely set the mood and had me questioning if paranormal elements were at play. The writing style is definitely similar to The Whisper Man and there are connections, but this is a standalone novel. Some of the suspense building techniques even reminded me of a King novel.

With twists I didn't see coming at all, this is a must read for any fans of horror/thrillers!

Thank you to Celadon Books and BookishFirst for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.