’m thinking between 3 and 4 Stars.

3.5 Stars
I DID RECIEVE A E-ARC FROM NETGALLEY FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

This was a wonderfully weird story with horror, lgbt rep and anxiety rep. I enjoyed this story, it scared the crap out of me during some parts and pissed me off on a few others.

There isn’t much I can say without spoiling it but Marianne is haunted, she doesn’t know by what or what it wants but it’s out to destroy her and everything around her until it gets what it wants. Marianne is a character with extreme anxiety and it’s written to where you can tell for sure and feel the anxiety inside of her and I thought that was amazing. She also doesn’t know who she is yet or what she wants but she slowly figures it out during the story.

Ron was an amazing character. Vivid and kick ass. She took no shit and was loyal till the end. She showed Marianne who she was and who she wanted to be and I really enjoyed their relationship.
Marianne’s parents are weird in this story, it’s hard to explain and maybe that’s the point but I was struggling to get a grasp on her dad and what happened. Her mom was understandable and written with a story and a personality.

In the very beginning I came across a passage that really bothered me because The characters it was talking about we had not yet met and had no part of the story and honestly didn’t at all in the book. So basically two boys got suspended for online bullying and when they talk about it around school they claim a boy named Jeremy told on them and the passage says :
“It was Jeremy who told they said. You’d think he was some whiny little ninth grader instead of a senior. But it only made sense, others argued, since he was one of those special snowflakes in the so-called gay-straight alliance. Why did they have to be so In your face anyway, it was like nobody was allowed to have an opinion anymore. That was Jeremy all over, he took everything too seriously. No sense of humor. It’s not like they actually would have hurt him or anything, they protested and why did they have to share a locker room with him anyway, it wasn’t like they’d let guys use the same change room as girls. And guys like that, what they were into? That was just gross no offense or anything”

So as you can see. The passage itself is homophobic and I couldn’t tell if Marianne was thinking some of it or the bullies were or what? But it was just thrown in the story and I couldn’t figure out why. This was also before Marianne is ever written as gay or any sexuality actually so it almost made me put the book down in the third chapter?


Also Ron tells Marianne something very deep about herself and an old friend/ girl crush and then Marianne is thinking to herself how she should tell Ron about her story but then gets self conscious and doesn’t and then never does. So Ron opens up and tells you something secret but you don’t have to return it? Just wasn’t fair.

The ending also did not satisfy me at all. I was kind of left wondering and hanging. The haunted wasn’t what I expected but it made sense.

Overall decent book, good creep factor, nice relationships and characters. Just some parts were a little off for me.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good ghost story, but this one fell a little flat for me. The writing was descriptive, but didn't really pull me in or spook me. The premise seemed a bit silly, and I was disappointed in the "reveal". I probably would have loved this when I was a teenager, but the added teen lesbian relationship drama didn't really do it for me in this context. The book wasn't bad, and I read it rather quickly, but mostly to find out what was really going on with the main character.

Marianne has been having a tough time with the recent events of her parents starting the process of a divorce. Things are stressful enough for her, but she finds that she can't remember certain events. She's losing track of time, and it seems that things are happening around her while she believes she's in a dream. Is she just having bad anxiety due to the divorce, or could something more disturbing be in play?

This book is definitely a slow burn. The author does a fantastic job with setting up the plot and characters, giving great details and backstory that is beneficial, but not unnecessary. The author has such a unique writing style that, even when things feel to become really slow, the details we get make me keep going. The slowness of this book is absolutely necessary, as it adds to the effect later on in the book. This is a great example of a slow burn book.

Although I enjoyed the book, I do actually with that I felt a bit more for Marianne. I found myself a bit more intrigued in Ron, but it didn't deter me from enjoying the book. This is more a preference thing for me, so others may become more emotionally attached to Marianne than I did. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it. I think it's a great story for those who like slow burn books and are really interested in the details.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley for free is exchange for my completely honest review.

From the beginning I thought this would be a 5 star read however half way through it became a bit boring. I kind of wished it was more psychological however it turned out to be paranormal which just didn't work for me.

The horror part was superb!
But the ending kind of ruin it... I was not expecting it. I am looking out for a real ghost. I mean she went to a psychic right?? and the psychic talked to it. I just don't get the ending... what really happens...

My original thoughts were: "Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity". Um, YES FUCKING PLEASE!

My final thoughts were: In theory the synopsis was entirely correct in pitching this book as an amalgamation of the two, but it was a far tamer combination than I had been ecpecting and this spoiled my overall enjoyment. No major flaws here, and a solid character and twisted story progression was to be found, this was purely a case of expectations too highly placed and this particular story being not exactly suited for my tastes. I can see this one garnering much high praise from others in the future, however, due to the poetic writing style and intense emotions it exuded.

*I got an ARC from publishers through NetGalley and this is my honest uninfluenced review*

Rating: 4 of 7; 4 of 5; 9 of 10

I think the most important thing I can say here is: this is a paranormal book. No kidding. I spent more then half of the book wondering if it was really a paranormal or just mental issue. In the beginning, there's a lot of descriptions, like, really a lot and I was pretty annoyed by it, but before 20% I realised it wasn't happening so constantly and it was easier then. Or maybe it was just because at this point I was totally hooked.
So, Marianne parents are getting a divorce. And like that wasn't hard enough for a teen, she starts to freak out. Time lapses, weird noises, things breaking. She is dispatched to her aunt's place, and after an episode in the class, she starts talking with this girl, Rhiannon (but she prefers Ron). Ron's mom is a psychic and after Marianne's not-so-helpful appointment, Ron decides to help Marianne by herself. Must say, it doesn't end very well, you know. Now Marianne is fighting with this thing that neither she or Ron actually knows what it is while it wants something from her. Something she stole from it.
You also get to see Marianne's feelings for Ron in a slow-burn, extremely cute and insecure realistic way that makes anything worth the time. The secondary characters are good, not too plain and not too deep that we can't even follow.
The whole book is written in a way that when you start to get your question straight, you won't wanna put it down. All you have to do is go through a confusing start, which, to be honestly honest, it's not so bad.

Ending: I'm starting to think that I'm the one who has a problem with endings, not the writers. I felt something was pretty rushed here. Since the second time she saw Ron's mother to the very end, I felt something was missing, but missing is not the right word. It's more like everything was tied too easily, which it's not actually a problem, but it annoys me.

Downsides: I was expecting more about she quitting dance and the breakdown after it, that way I feel that it wasn't such a big deal as I was made to think it was - especially cause it was apparently the breaking point - but honestly I felt like it was a normal-teen-rebellion.

Side note: There was a scene when Marianne is hearing like a hammer again and again and I was here, alone, at night, with a neighbour hamming some shit and honestly to god I thought I would lose my mind.

Tags: lgbtq+; unreliable narrator; horror; paranormal; debut; writer debut; ghost; slow burn romance; lesbians; gay girls; ya horror; suspense; mystery; mental health;

This was super creepy and suspenseful and wonderfully written! It was exciting and the world building was incredible. Definitely recommend.

Absolutely fantastic possession (ish) book! And great representation also.
Would recommend to read, especially around Halloween. I actually read this on Friday the 13th!

Creepy, atmospheric horror novel. Marianne was a compelling and unreliable narrator with her gaps in memory and lost time. The occult aspect was creepy. Apparently this is a cross between Black Swan and Paranormal Activity, as I have not seen either, I cannot speak to its accuracy or not. However, it's GOOD. I read it in two days.

Not sure what I expected from this book but I enjoyed reading it. I wasn't sure if Marianne was being haunted or whether it was just teenage angst. A nice twisty tale with a bit of Lgbt thrown in. I'm sure that the YA readers will enjoy it.

This book was a unique read as you question everything up until you get to the end. You wonder is she really possessed or is there some darker psychological problems occurring. I was really blown away at the writing skills of this author and was totally shipping the two main characters the entire way. I would love to see maybe a spin off of this book or to see something from the moms perspective.5 stars from me!

The story started slow, but I kept reading and I am so glad I did. This was the best book I read it a really long time, I just wanted to keep reading it. I actually got a little scared reading it in bed at night with the lights off. The only reason I gave the book a four star was because I didn't really like the end of the book. I will leave it at that, so I don't give any spoilers.

For months I have been waiting for a book just like this. I'm so glad I picked up The Dark Beneath the Ice.
The book follows teenager, Marianne. She quit dance recently and her parents are getting divorced. Her mom has some mental illness and Marianne must live with her aunt. Then things start happening. by themselves and Marianne loses time in chunks. Simple explanation of mental illness or demonic possession?
I thought I knew where this was going. Berube follows the horror tropes I love so much for most of the book. The end takes a turn I didn't expect, but it's a turn that is perfect for the book.
I was looking for a thriller. The kind of thriller with a mystery and compelling characters. I wanted the story to swallow me in it's pages. This book swallowed me in it's pages and I didn't want to put it down. I wasn't scared reading this book, but I was definitely creeped out. The scenes are spaced out perfectly and the characters respond in ways to promote suspense.
Marianne's story is told in first person and it is very character driven. Young Adult books with first person narratives always make me nervous. With this book I could barely tell the narrator was a teenager. The only thing that tipped me off was the discussion about school, but age is barely an important thing in this story. Marianne is a compelling, complicated character with great qualities and flaws that I understood.
A lot of buzz calls it Paranormal Activity meets Black Swan. I would not compare it to those at all. The Dark Beneath the Ice is refreshing and original story. I enjoy the thrillers that have more to say than the grotesque and jump scares. This book was the book I needed. I hope Berube writes more because this was fantastic.

This was creepy. It was eerie. And it home a lot harder that I thought it could.

Things are starting to happen around Marianne. Strange things. Scary things. Things that shouldn’t be possible. She swears it’s not her, but with her blackouts, how can she be sure?

The pacing of this book was fantastic. At any point where I felt like Marianne might be able to slow down and catch a break, something else happens to terrorize her. It kept me on my toes and kept me reading.

I loved the constant guessing, and I can honestly say that I liked the eventual reveal. The paranormal occurrences were creepy and I connected with the psychological aspects that Marianne was struggling with.
But while I thought both aspects were great individually and I think they could have really worked together, they didn’t end up meshing as well as they could have and that made the reasoning behind everything fall a bit short.

Overall though, I don’t think I’ve yet read a YA quite like this, and for that I have to recommend it.

THE DARK BENEATH THE ICE will grab reader’s attention and draw them in until the climactic ending. Twists and turns galore throughout the book will have readers guessing (and second guessing) where the book is headed and eagerly turning pages. Definitely recommend!

Overall I liked this. I didn’t find it creepy but I’m very difficult to scare so discount that as me being an outlier. I could see how others would find it creepy and it was certainly atmospheric. The prose was lovely if occasionally overblown and I loved the two MCs. Where it fell down a bit for me was the supernatural aspect. It just didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the book. This was nevertheless very enjoyable and I recommend it to all YA thriller fans.

This is an interesting approach for a YA horror, I don't think I've ever really read another book like this plotwise. It is a little slow paced and the characters weren't ones I connected with but it's thrilling enough and an easy read. Perfect for fans of Danielle Vega.

Y’know, I’m just going to keep this short.

This is YA horror at its finest.

Scary? Yes.

Suspenseful? Yes.

Girl loving girl content? Absolutely.

I’m still pondering about the reveal of what that sinister thing was, but overall, I breezed through this book. It was really good. Looking forward for more books by this author.