The Dead and the Dark is a creepy, atmospheric thriller that pulls you in and doesn't let you go.

I don't want to say too much about the plot because I don't want to give anything away. It certainly kept me guessing, though! I'll admit that I didn't totally understand everything at the end, but I think that's because I was so sucked into the book that I was reading too fast - I just had to find out what would happen next.

CW: character deaths (murder), missing person, past child death, attempted murder by drowning, homophobia, mentions of bullying

This review will be shared in a review compilation post on The Wellesley News in late July. I will also be including it in my TikTok book recommendation videos.

Fun fact, I was approved for the ARC of this book all the way back in February, and it literally took me until now to get to it. I was scared; I’d been going through a phase where thrillers really freaked me out. But after I finally read a few last month, and with the publication date of this book looming, I knew it was time.
When Logan first comes to her dads’ hometown, the one they’d left after facing the town’s endless homophobia, she knows immediately that something is wrong. Meanwhile, Ashley has been seeing her boyfriend’s ghost after he went missing. The two of them team up to figure out what’s going on, and they quickly discover a little too much about the town … and themselves.
The Dead and the Dark is unlike any book I’ve read before. Maybe it’s just because I don’t read a lot of paranormal thrillers — this is, I think, the only one I’ve ever read — but it so perfectly encapsulates all the vibes I expected. It’s a small town with a lot of mysteries; it’s creepy but also has some really sweet moments. It balances threads of family, queerness and the paranormal, and I was enraptured.
Do look up content warnings before you dive into this book; they can be found on the author’s website.

The Dead and the Dark
by Courtney Gould
St. Martin's Press

Logan is an adopted gal that grew up with two dads and both dads are on the ghost hunting show that is very popular. They decide to go back to their home town to do a show. One dad, Brandon, goes a week early to look for a shooting spot. A week after he is there a boy goes missing. There are secrets about why the two left town 13 years ago. This leads the town to start pointing fingers. No one will talk about it to Logan about why they left before.

Things get worse and Logan decides to try to figure it out you is taking kids with the help of another girl that can see images of the past and ghosts. This is when the story really takes a turn and suspense is cranked up to high! Twists and turns everywhere! Supernatural elements and dark human elements become terrifying.

Terrific fantasy, characters, suspense, plot, and world building. I hope this becomes a series! This is a great creepy book!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this paranormal thriller! Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book and also Macmillan Audio for the ALC of the audiobook.

When Logan and her ghost hunting dads move to Snakebite, Oregon it’s clear something isn’t right. Teenagers are dying. The first victim hasn’t been found, but his girlfriend feels his presence, and the mysterious new girl is the only one she can trust. As Logan investigates the mysterious deaths, she’ll uncover more than just a murderer.

This book was a wild ride, and it definitely made my meh week a little less meh. The supernatural mystery kept me going, and I’m always here for some ghosts. I really liked Logan, her journey, and her struggle. Here dads were great, and the mystery of one of her dads kept me interested to find out more. Snakebite is a weird place, and I loved the worldbuilding of the town and its characters.

I alternated between the print and audio of this one, because I didn’t want to have to take a break when I had to work. It comes out August 3rd, so keep an eye out for it if you need some cool spookiness in your fall.

Calling all fans of everything spooky, thrilling, and queer, you NEED to pick up The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould! Fans of Sawkill Girls will especially love this.

We follow Logan and Ashley, two girls who both feel lost in life. Logan has travelled the country with her ghost hunting dads her whole life, never really having a location to call home. When her family returns to the town where her fathers grew up, Logan can tell that they are not welcome in the small town of Snakebite. Ashley has lived in Snakebite her whole life, but lately it has stopped feeling like the home that she had once loved. A darkness has fallen over Snakebite, and her boyfriend has gone missing. The two girls team up to figure out this mystery, and save the people that they love.

This book was so much scarier than I expected. There were times when I was reading that I felt genuinely scared, which almost never happens to me. Once I really got into it, I could not put it down. I loved both the protagonists, Logan and Ashley, and adored the romance between the two. I love reading queer books where the romance is not the only plot of the story, and this definitely did that. There was a perfect mix of romance and horror. Another aspect of this that I loved was the exploration of both girls' relationship to their family. Logan's was the more explored of the two (and I will admit that it did make me shed a few tears at one point). Unrelated to the story itself, this might be my favorite book cover ever.

I highly recommend that you pick this up. There are some trigger warnings for the book that you should check before reading, but if you can handle

The Dead and the Dark is a small town, supernatural murder mystery that is a perfect summer read. The setting of Snakebite builds tensions as you find out its hidden background. The book is full of queer representation and develops the bonds of family and friendship. Logan and Ashley are great leads with distinct voices and building chemistry. It’s a fast paced read that leaves you on the edge of your seat as you wonder who the Dark will claim next.

Riverdale, only better? I definitely fell for the marketing on this one. "The Dead and the Dark" was a wonderful read- I enjoyed the diversity and interactions between the characters.

The best part of "The Dead and the Dark" was its nightmarish atmosphere- something 'dark' is causing the disappearance of teens in a small, quiet Oregon town. The balance of creepy, bloody, violent, and eerie is a difficult line to walk, especially for a YA adult novel. As an adult, I found the setting to be the 'right' amount of spooky for both a young adult and adult audience. I also think that the story is appropriate for its age group. There is underage drinking, but no sex or extraneous gore.

"The Dead and the Dark" starts with the arrival of Logan to Snakebite, the town where her two fathers grew up. She immediately notices how unwelcome her family is, and she is determined to see why her fathers came back to their hometown and why they dragged her there with them.

The story mostly follows two teenage girls- Logan as the new arrival to Snakebite, and Ashley as the girl who never left the town. Their personalities are very different, but both characters are (often) likeable and I found myself not having a preference in reading one character or the other.

Now my problems with the story, which I am putting under a spoiler tag when it is posted on Goodreads: (Spoilers ahead)

WHY did this book have to fall into the "I didn't tell you to protect you" trope? Tropes can make books fun, but this is the one trope that ALWAYS causes me to eye roll. A little more honesty between Logan and her fathers would have resolved the murders quicker.
Second, I dislike convenient plot timing that is blatantly obvious. Of COURSE, Tristan is only found at the end when the story is coming to a close- Ashley sees the ghost of her boyfriend, but he only leads her to his specific spot when it is most convenient for the 'big reveal' of the murderer.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. In fact, it has been one of my favorite YA novels this year. I highly recommend it to someone looking for a quick and slightly unsettling read. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I see a lot of good press for this book already- and I agree with it! Thank you to Courtney Gould for writing such a stellar debut novel! I will definitely be following her for her next book.

Creepiness takes on a new form in this dark, YA horror novel. Logan just wants a normal life with her dads. They travel around the country hunting ghosts and visiting spooky places and Logan is tired. So when her dads tell her they’re leaving their home that they’ve lived in for a while, Logan is mad. Especially because they’re going to some small, isolated town called Snakebite, which just so happens to be where her dads grew up.

Something is happening in Snakebite. A darkness is infecting the town and a kid has gone missing. No body has been found but everyone believes that Brandon Woolley, Logan’s dad, killed him. So now with a whole town against her, Logan tries to figure out what’s really going on in the town and why everyone hates her dads beyond the homophobia.

Ashley has lost her boyfriend and her heart is breaking as less and less people continue to search for him, to find him safe and alive. When her searches bring her to Logan, the two form an unlikely pair on a search for answers that no one seems to want to give them. The two grow closer and closer throughout their journey and Ashley starts to feel things she never felt before, but everything is too scary and uncertain and her desires for truth and love tangle up inside her. The faster the two get to the bottom of it, the faster she can find Triston, the better. But then another kid disappears and everything gets harder.

I looooved this. So dark, so creepy, so absolutely wild with twists, turns, developments, and writing that is gripping. I never wanted to put this book down I was so captivated by it. I loved how the story unfurled and each new piece entered the board and slotted in its place. I loved the characters and how distinct they were. I wish the town had more of a presence, I don’t know how exactly, but I feel like it needed to be more…. More. How unhelpful, but that’s just me, the vibe was there but soft, I wanted it to be louder.

I did guess who it was, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the reveal and the whole story behind it. The whole thing is wild and fun even if it is dark and disturbing. I think it’s great that the reveal while important, wasn’t the sole action and twist at the end of it the story. It made it more dynamic and realistic. I’m excited to see how you all feel about it once it comes out, I’m sure you’ll enjoy just as much as I did.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for giving me access.

This story wasn't at all what I was expecting, I thought this would have more of a ghost story vibe. It did not. With that being said, the storyline was still enjoyable. Gould kept me interested even when the twist didn't seem to fit the story. This was a wonderful debut and I look forward to reading more from Gould.

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this incredible arc!

Wow! What a great creepy read! This is perfect for fans of spooky and chilling reads that are YA and LGBTQIA+ friendly. All of these things combined made this one of my favorites while also getting me in the mood for Halloween and October and Fall in general, lol. Ya'll it's so hot where I live, give me some autumn feels!

Logan arrives to Snakebite (a very small town in Oregon) with her dad, Alejo, to meet up with her other dad, Brandon. However, so much makes them stand out in this town. Gay dads with a gay daughter and not only that (yes, this town is totally backwards) but when Brandon arrived 6 months prior to Logan and Alejo, a kid went missing and everyone thinks it's their fault. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the dads have their own ghost hunting show called Paraspectors! (So cool).

Now, meet Ashley Barton. A popular girl in this small town and also girlfriend to the missing kid, Tristan. Get ready for a slow burn romance (🔥) and some serious ghost hunting once Logan and Ashley start hanging out (to the rest of the town's dismay).

This book deals with some serious issues like, homophobia, grief, and true loneliness. Snakebite is a town full of secrets and the Dark is waiting for it's next victim.

I love Ashley and Logan so much!! And this book fr gave me CHILLS and goosebumps! Highly recommend for a scary read. I need to give trigger warnings for violence, grief and homophobia.

This story isn’t really a horror to me. It isn’t really scary. I was lucky enough to be able to try the audiobook version as well, and I while I wasn’t too fond of that of that one, this version is way better. I did feel like there were a few things that needed to be discussed further and also a few things that weren’t even addressed near the start which I think would have been in a normal setting.

I read The Dead and the Dark while listening to the audiobook narration. What a captivating book. I sat down to start and didn't get up until I finished. The characters were interesting and dark, the story was ominous and engrossing, and the narration was spot on. At every turn, I needed to know what was going to happen next and I needed to solve the mystery of what was happening in this dark town. Great read and a great listen, Highly recommended!

I loved this book. Though I guessed a couple of the twists, I didn't know what was happening most of the time. I really liked the characters and the writing. It was a slow-burn but a quick and easy read. I think it would make a good movie or mini series. If you like creepy small towns and stories about family, then I would recommend this.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Very captivating with amazing character development. A delicious mix of stranger things and paranormal events. Two dads and their daughter come back to hr town they grew up in to help solve a mysterious disappearance. But now people keep disappearing. Who is behind it all? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an excerpt in exchange of my honest review.

This book was certainly much more than I was expecting it to be, but in all very, very good ways. The plot of the book follows a small town that the main character, Logan and her two dads go to for their TV show but as teenagers disappear she joins up with Ashley to find out what's happening. Ashley has a boyfriend who happens to be one of the missing teenagers and she simply just wants to find him/find out what's happened to him. The plot definitely keeps you interested but isn't overly complicated and actually helps out in the book being a fast read.

The writing of the book is well done, the thing that surprised me most for a ya fantasy is how fast of a read this book is. That is in no way a insult and actually more of a compliment. It's nice to have a book that isn't a contemporary that is easily readable and fast as well for a change, especially for a fantasy novel. It's incredibly refreshing for a change.

The characters, I have hardly any qualms about, it was actually probably the best part about the book. The dads were probably my favourite part about the book honestly, they were absolutely amazing and so, so loving. I will say, I did prefer Logan's POV over Ashley's for the majority of the novel because—and this is probably the only thing I have a issue with—I simply didn't like her character for a huge amount of the book. She got better but, it honestly didn't help that her friends and the people who she surrounded herself around for the first 1/3-1/2 of the book were, to say it bluntly, assholes. One of them was overtly homophobic, specifically towards Logan's dads and there was almost nothing done about his actions. Logan herself, it was interesting to read her POV the entire time and kept me intrigued. Ashley, not so much purely because of the people she surrounded herself around.

All in all, the book is really well done, the ending is possibly so much more loving and full of love and care than you could have ever predicted.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

A darker, more mature City of Ghost, but make it queerer? Yes, please. We have the main character, Logan, who has followed her paranormal investigator fathers to their hometown. A boy has gone missing, and some members of the town blame one of her fathers, Brandon. Logan is determined to prove that isn’t true and teams up with the missing boy’s ex-girlfriend. As they grow closer, more teens go missing and creepy stuff goes on, including a deep dive into Logan’s own past. This was eerie and interesting, and sucked me right in.

The audiobook was well narrated, easy to listen to.

Review will appear on my blog www,reviewsofyabooks.blogspot.com on July 3, 2021

Introduction

Something isn't quite right about the town of Snakebite, Oregon, and when now-paranormal-investigators go back to their roots to investigate the town, things get weirder. A teen disappears, and then teens start getting killed. People are holding on to old anger, and old secrets. Is something stranger than just a few missing teens going on in this sleepy town in the middle of nowhere? Something stranger? Something darker?

Cover

You're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but I will say that this cover is so gorgeous and it definitely grabbed my attention when I was browsing through Netgalley.

Tone

I loved the consistent slightly "off" vibe that runs through the whole story. Small town weird vibes are my favourite and this book delivered.

The Dark

I love the concept of The Dark being an entity of it's own. It reminds me of the "The Forest" element in We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu (review of that book here!)

Alternating POVs

I loved the alternating POVs of Ashley and Logan and The Dark. Usually when I read a book that switches POVs I find myself being less interested in one of them, and eagerly waiting for the story to switch back to the POV I like better, but that didn't happen at all with this book, and that feels so refreshing for me.

Conclusion

I loved this book. I believe the editor described it "like Riverdale, but good," and I agree. With the small town vibes with an undertone of something strange going on, the shoe fits. Because of the general spookiness of the novel I would also recommend this book to fans of After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel, and, of course, We Were Restless Things. I will definitely be looking our for more from this author.

"𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.  𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆-𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓, 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇, 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍.  𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆."

Ashley's boyfriend is the first to go missing and everyone suspects husbands Brandon and Alejo and their daughter Logan.  As more kids are found dead Ashley and Logan decide to do a bit of investigating on their own. As they investigate, secrets are revealed about the families of Snakebite and about the town. Something dark and mysterious is stalking Snakebite and Logan and Ashley are going to try to stop it.

The Dead and the Dark is a slow build story that's creepy, dark and sometimes a bit disturbing.  It has great queer representation which I love.  I love the uniqueness of the story as it's one that is different from anything I've read before.  I think I would have liked to see more of the Dark's perspective and stronger character development but overall it was a pretty solid read.  The Dead and the Dark comes out August 3rd!

My one line pitch of this book: it's like Riverdale, but if Riverdale was actually... good.

The Dead and the Dark is an AMAZING queer thriller following a family of outsiders in a small town who fall under suspicion when a series of teenage murders occurs. The small-minded, unaccepting town of Snakebite, Oregon chased Logan and her two dads away 15 years prior, and the inopportune timing of their re-arrival coinciding with a series of murders certainly isn't doing them any favors with the townsfolk. When Logan meets Ashley, the best friend and ex-girlfriend of the first murder victim, they embark on a journey of mystery solving; Ashley because she wants to find Tristian alive, and Logan because she wants to clear her fathers name. But everything is not as it seems in this small town, and pair timing with complicated family dynamics, Logan starts to suspect her own dads.

The mystery in this novel is so good and so unique. From the plot synopsis, this may seem like a tired, stereotypical mystery trope, but this plot is anything but. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The writing is poignant, the author does an amazing job of writing complex emotions and relationships while maintaining the creepily mysterious atmosphere.

I cannot recommend this book enough. You will love the characters, you will be surprised by how deeply complicated and emotional the story gets, and the mystery will keep you engaged and guessing. This is one of the best mysteries of the year, and you won't want to miss it.

I listened to this story via audiobook, and the narrator was awesome! The audiobook was super engaging and made the story *that* much creepier.

In the small Oregon town of Snakebite, something evil is brewing. Logan has never been to her dads’ hometown before and could have lived without it. Ashley has lived in Snakebite her whole life, destined to take over the family ranch. Now Ashley and Logan are thrown together, investigating a string of disappearances, deaths and ghostly experiences. What’s haunting Snakebite and how do they stop it before it’s too late?

What an incredible debut novel. Fast paced, well developed characters, a beautifully spooky backdrop. This was a highly anticipated read for me and it did not disappoint. I read this book in a few hours, completely unable to put it down until I knew what happened.

Logan as an MC was such a refreshing turn from the usual. I loved her story, I love the queer representation, I loved her wit and humor. Ashley took more time to grow on me, but I loved where she went as a character. I wish the backdrop had been a little darker, but that’s just me. The exploration of ghosts and manifestations was definitely unique, in a way that makes you want to know more.

The only thing that bothered me was some of the descriptive words, like, “urine-colored light” and “the sky was the color of bruised knuckles.” I get the idea the author was going for and maybe it didn’t bug anyone else, but I just found it a little cringy.

This book is such a great exploration of family, grief and manifestations of fear/hatred in isolated small towns. An amazing, quick summer read. I cannot recommend this enough.