The Bright Lands is one of the most bizarre novels I have read. At 480 pages, that is lots of bizarre! Even though the protagonist is gay, and apparently a celibate one, many of the characters in the novel engage in homosexual sex acts even if straight. There's a group of naked high school boys presented in a sexual setting where apparently in return for sexual favors to the town honchos they have carte blanche to do as they wish in town. Surrounding all of this is football. Perhaps it is a special form of Texas football, but I hope teams there have less spite than this one.
The plot centers on Joel, the gay guy, coming back to Bentley to see his troubled younger brother, the star of the current high school team. He is involved in gay sex himself and soon disappears. Joel tries to find out what happened to him. After multiple town scenarios and a host of thinly-drawn characters, it's my suggestion that this novel gets re-edited before publication. It is too long. The suspense falters with the multiple characters and subplots. Although centered on the high school, the novel's adults are the leaders of the bizarre, and that population desperately needs culling.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Friday Night Lights meets Stephen King-like horror in this debut novel. Joel Whitley returns to his hometown to rescue his brother after he sends a desperate text. Joel was run out of town after years of homophobic ridicule by the football team and fans. But Dylan never comes home and shortly after is found murdered. Strange things start happening, whispers in the ears, and dreams shared by several townspeople. There is an unknown evil just waiting for its next victim.
The storyline was good, but I thought this book dragged on in the middle a lot longer than it needed to. A lot more curse words and awkward sex scenes than necessary as well.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book but the over the top cursing coupled with a weird portrayal of LGBTQ characters that didn't quite sit right with me left me underwhelmed and unmotivated to finish the book. I think that this book would more comfortably fit in the "new adult" category based on content - I'd be hesitant to give this book to younger teen readers,

John Fram has busted onto the horror/thriller scene in 2020 with a stellar debut - The Bright Lands is a thrill ride with lots of small town football drama (think Friday Night Lights with disappearances and murder) that will hook you from page one. Told in alternating perspectives with crisp writing, this fast paced thriller is a bingeworthy read that will have people buzzing when it is released in June. I can't wait to read more from this new voice in the future.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a tad conflicted about my feelings on this books. I enjoyed it but I felt like there was a bit of missed representation on the parts of the LGBTQ community, specifically the gay men. Most of it got under my skin and really just creeped me out. It was a good book and well written even though the ebook itself seemed to be a little messed up in its format.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

A dark, sometimes scary mystery in a small town called Bentley in a remote area of Texas. And as many small towns do, they have a sports team that the whole town demands exceptional performance. In Bentley it is football. Dylan Whitney is the superstar of the team. One day he sends his brother Joel a message that he wants to get out of Bentley. Joel had left the town 10 years previously in disgrace after photos of him nude had surfaced, letting everyone know he was gay. He hadn’t talked to his brother in 10 years, he felt guilty, he was now a self-made prosperous man, so he decided it was time to help Dylan.
Joel flew from his place in New York, back to his family home, he watched his brother play football, but then....his brother disappears. Joel hooked up with his old girlfriend Clark the Sheriff, determined to find out what had happened, despite the awful treatment he often received from many of the citizens.

To find out what happened next you need to read this well written page turner. There are many well developed characters, and I found it quite difficult to figure out who and what they were all up to. Also there are the dreams, and the ‘Beast’.! It will certainly keep you guessing until the end. An end quite like none other!

John Fram has written an excellent debut novel. From the first page, I was hooked. Joel Whitley, the main character, returns to his small hometown in Texas. I could immediately relate since I come from a small homophobic southern town. The book quickly becomes a mystery with well developed side characters. By the end of the book, the reader is invested in these characters. It is a page-turner.

The book can be categorized as a mystery/thriller/supernatural. I love that it is unabashedly queer. Hurray John Fram for bringing this book to us readers.

There are trigger warnings for violence, sex, and strong language.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing the advanced reader’s copy.

I absolutely loved this book. I fell in love with it from the first page.

You will not figure out the mystery in this book. For this to be John's first book it was truly amazing, I can't wait to see what else he writes.

This book has gay cruelty that will leave you heart-broken and falling to pieces as you read on. It is a great murder mystery, It will have you gaping with your mouth wide open, there is also some horror scenes.

Thank you, NetGalley for a copy for my honest review.

In The Bright Lands, Joe joins his ex-girlfriend Deputy Clark to find out what happened to his brother Dylan, who’s the star quarterback of the soccer team. The story takes place in a small Texas town, Bentley, where football is a big priority.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery. It’s slow-paced in some parts but keeps surprising you at every turn. Chilling and jaw-dropping at times with a slew of horror scenes, and emotionally-charged during others. Well-executed, with great writing. A fascinating debut!

Creepy story of a homophobic football obsessed town. When Joel comes back to town after a long absence to see his brother Dylan, the unthinkable happens as Dylan disappears shortly thereafter. Joel is well aware of the dark side of the town and desperately tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his brother. Think Friday Night Lights with a very dark side.

Ok so to be honest this has been my most anticipated read of 2020. A gay Friday Night Lights Thriller, YES PLEASE. Once I turned to page 1 I had all these feelings of self doubt. I have over estimated reads in the past and wanted to make sure that I came in with an open mind. BUT THIS BOOK THOUGH! I was captivated from the first sentence to the last. I did not want to stop reading. While I worked my day job I could not stop thinking about what I had read. John Fram puts other debuts to shame. This is a book where there are a lot of characters in a VERY ACTIVE small town centered around their high school football community. I cannot write enough praise for this. John Fram is a writer to watch and I cannot wait for this book to reach the hands of readers everywhere and I cannot wait to read him for years to come!!!!!

Small town life is considerably different than you'd experience anywhere else. When the whole town knows your life history, it's hard to push back against the collective disapproval. When a young man must return to the scene of his greatest disappointment to help his younger brother, he finds his past is not really past. This premise sets the tone for the book, but the story line is so much more than can be contained within past history. It was pretty amazing to see the story switch back and forth between the brothers and their supporting characters. At what point the story blows up is different for each reader but at that point you will not be able to put this book down. John Fram has given us a great story peopled with unforgettable characters.

This was a really creative and interesting premise. I liked how Fram used the small town to create a creepy, insidious setting. I also think that Joel was a good character and I was interested in his story and his family members. Unfortunately, the characters outside of that family felt pretty flat to me. The plot, though was very compelling. Super twisty, good horror. Overall, I probably wouldn’t buy this for myself but I liked it and I think people who liked Friday Night Lights would get a real kick out of it.

Far more creepy than the cover lets on. I'm not much of a thrill reader but this one kept me engaged and reading for far longer than intended.

This story is Friday Night Lights redux horror style. The book was written like a YA with unneeded overdone cuss words. There were sex scenes that were too intense and wasn't warranted for this story, on that basis it was written like erotica, which I have never read. It was everywhere and never quite sure what it wanted to be.

This one really got under my skin and thoroughly creeped me out. Joel Whitley returns from his plush life in New York to try to help his brother Dylan find a way out of the dead-end town where they grew up - Bentley, Texas. But Dylan is a quarterback with a golden arm that could take his high school team all the way to the state finals, so Bentley isn't about to let him go. When Dylan is found brutally murdered, Joel turns to his old friend Starsha Clark for help. Clark is a police officer and one whose own brother disappeared years before, so she is willing to help Joel. But when they start turning over rocks, more than just insects come slithering out. Bentley is a town with many secrets, and it won't let them go without a fight. (Don't finish this just before sleep - it gave me unsettling dreams).

I’m a little conflicted about this book. I wanted to keep reading but I felt like there were some problematic parts in the way gay men were represented. The horror element was very strange, but the mystery kept me reading.

Joel Whitley receives texts from his brother Dylan and returns to Bentley, TX to help him out. Dylan is the star quarter back of the team but has lost his zest for football. Dylan wants to quit football, but feels that he can’t because in Texas football is everything. Dylan leaves for a weekend trip with a couple of teammates and doesn’t return. A unique thriller/fantasy novel, which was much different that I expected. Some strong language and sexuality that may be a trigger for some people. I felt like some of the writing was wordy, and some of the words chose didn’t seem to fit the character…Ie: using vocab that a “dumb jock” wouldn’t use. The end seemed to stretch on as well. I received this from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, this book blew me away. It was definitely dark, disturbing, but absolutely unputdownable. The characters were so amazingly developed I find myself needing more answers and having a tough time putting it down, because I had to finish and know more. Highly recommend to those who are okay with disturbing content, which might be triggering to some. I think it’s also original and realistic, as I see even in our small town, just want that need to be part of football and to protect those in it does! Well written, intense, chilling, and absolutely shocking, with that unputdownable pull only some books give!
Will make sure to buzz it around the different platforms!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin for the Arc.

First, before I get into the story, can I just say how much I LOVE the cover? Its what got my attention and made me request the book.

This reminded me of a Friday Night lights, Varisty Blues, thriller. Its a town in Texas (which is a huge football state I guess) where football is the most important thing. However, the town gets rattled with its quarterback was found stabbed to death.

Its a fast paced thriller and although some of the language was a little crass and too much to be honest (god I'm old), I was hooked on the story