I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Netgalley.

Yes. Oh yes. A bunch of ghost hunters in a small town? Yes, please! A pervasive sense of dread? A mystery that slithers it's way into your very being?
This book has it all!

Ghost hunter's come to Snakebite, OR to solve the mystery of Snakebite that involves a missing teen. But there is a whole lot more than meets the eye. Something much more sinister is at work. Their daughter, Logan, gets dropped right into the middle of it. Family drama, small town prejudices, and mayhem ensues.

This book was a pleasant surprise. More spooky than scary. More mystery than horror. Well written. The small town atmosphere created a unique dynamic that was eerie with a side of bigotry.
Fun to read. A page turner.

Simply wonderful, and unlike anything I have ever read before. The dynamics of these characters were beautiful, intriguing, and mesmerizing. I couldn't put this down, and can't believe I waited so long to embark on this journey after receiving a copy. I will be recommending this to all of my Young Adult readers and friends.

I already know that this book will make my 2021 Top 10 list. This book is an incredible ride from start to finish and left me blown away. Courtney Gould knows how to craft a perfect horror-thriller that keeps the reader guessing and theorizing until the very end. I don’t usually gravitate toward horror books – I fall on the wimpy side – but this one was the right amount of scary to leave me creeped out, yet not so scary that it was unreadable. Just look at that masterpiece of a cover and tell me you’re not already a tiny bit obsessed with this book!

This book is perfect for fans of paranormal TV shows such as Ghost Adventures. We’re first introduced to ghost-hunting dads Brandon Woodley (~40, gay) and Alejo Ortiz (~40, bi, Hispanic) though a snippet of their TV show ParaSpectors, where they’re simultaneously investigating a haunted basement and putting on a lovey-dovey show for the audience. They’ve had to move around frequently due to the show, leaving their daughter Logan Ortiz-Woodley (17, lesbian) without a strong sense of home and disconnected from her dads, especially the more aloof Brandon. When Alejo and Logan join Brandon in Snakebite, Oregon, where he’s been location scouting for six months, Logan finds herself quickly wrapped up in the mysteries of the unwelcoming, creepy little town.

Snakebite is the only home Ashley Barton (18) has ever known, and she was in love with it until her boyfriend Tristan Granger suddenly went missing. Ashley is determined to find out what happened to him and refuses to give up when everyone else deems the case hopeless. Ashley is also curious about why the inhabitants of Snakebite are hostile toward the Ortiz-Woodley family and so quick to blame Brandon Woodley for Tristan’s disappearance. As Ashley is determined to find out what happened to Tristan and Logan is determined the prove her dads innocent, they end up teaming up to figure out what’s going on in Snakebite.

Many readers will come for the sapphic romance, and while the romance is not the focal point of the book, it did not disappoint. It’s a messy, tenuous kind of slow burn. It’s opposites-attract in a way, as Ashley is the earnest golden child of Snakebite and Logan is an acerbic perpetual outcast, but despite their differences, the girls are drawn closer by their pain, their hopes, and their dreams. I came to adore their relationship and I think that they complement each other perfectly.

As the title suggests, this book is dark. The very first scene sets the tone, dialing the creep factor up to 100, and that creepiness continued to lurk in the corner of my mind throughout the entire book. Do you ever have those dreams where things are definitely off, but you can’t put your finger on exactly how? Well, that’s exactly how I’d describe the town of Snakebite, Oregon. The place reeks of insidious grudges and implied sordid history and uneasy, deafening quiet. The fact that Ashley and Logan could bring themselves to investigate amazes me – I would have been the type to just lock myself away and cry – but I think their bravery points to the strength they were able to gain from each other <3.

Speaking of darkness, Ashley and Logan (and by extent, readers) spend a great deal of the story left in the dark. They’re desperate for clues, but the adults in their lives seem intent on hiding some key information. The constant hedging is oh so frustrating, but I found it to be the glorious type of frustrating that kept me hooked and left me desperate to find out why the adults were hedging in the first place.

I absolutely adored this book’s writing style. I savored it and sat in my feels and oh god, I found myself relating so hard to the characters’ collective sadness. As backstories are revealed and emotions are shared, I got increasingly attached to these characters, which only intensified the thrills and scares. And there was one chapter toward the end that hit me like an emotional truck – I was wholly unprepared (No, I didn’t cry, but I was surprisingly close)!

TL;DR: Read this book if you’re up for it. It’s freaking brilliant.

Content warnings can be found on the author's website.

The piecing together of all the stories felt somewhat clunky, and I think this is what caused it to have a rough start. After about 30% of the way through, things really started to come together in an interesting way. The murder mystery aspect was really neat, and I’m glad that the allusion to the paranormal didn’t end in a mental illness cop-out. I liked Ashley and Logan more than I expected to. As for the horror side of things, this book would be good for people who don’t have the stomach for gore in thrillers. There aren’t very many descriptors of violence, and Gould tends to lean towards “fade to black” style writing for young adult reading.

All in all, I thought this was a “keep you on the edge of your seat” mystery, and it truly had me hooked.

The full review will be posted on August 2nd, 2021.

[Content warning: possessing, missing person, hate crime against LGBTQ+ people, death, asphyxia (strangulation, drowning), gun, alcohol (underage recreational drinking)]

I adore the concept of the story, the horror of the Dark, and the overall mystery. THE DEAD AND THE DARK is a story about being alive.

Logan Ortiz-Woodley (17, lesbian) grew up on the road and struggles to understand what home is. Her dads Alejo Ortiz (bi) and Brandon Woodley (gay) host the ghosthunter show ParaSpectors and they were constantly on the move. When Brandon’s short visit to their hometown Snakebite becomes six months, the Ortiz-Woodley family moves from LA to the small town. But Tristan Granger has been missing since Brandon’s arrival, and no one is particularly happy to see the Ortiz-Woodleys back in town, including Tristan’s girlfriend and Barton Ranch owner’s daughter Ashley Barton (18).

The writing is absolutely beautiful. I love the permeating sadness throughout the narrative, how the descriptors were all slightly morbid, and the yearning for love, belonging, and family is so prominent in every section. Gould’s writing makes me ache, and the characters she creates are just as amazing.

Ghosthunter dads and their lesbian daughter form the best queer family. But Logan feels like Brandon doesn’t like her, and when they move back to Snakebite, she is othered by the townspeople. She is untethered from life and even Alejo’s jokes couldn’t keep her happy. We see the formation of an unlikely friendship between Logan and Ashley, who has likely never known any other queer person in her life, as they work together to try and find Tristan.

Having a whole cast of characters with distinct personalities is a huge feat in itself, and I love that almost every single character in THE DEAD AND THE DARK is so real that I feel like I’ve met them by the time I finished the book. It’s not just Logan, Alejo, Brandon, and Ashley, but also Ashley’s mother Tammy, Tristan, etc. They are not perfect humans, but perfectly real.

The main mystery is intriguing and kept me hooked until the end. It was slightly frustrating when the adults (Alejo, Brandon, Tammy, and a few others) deliberately keep information from our primary narrators Logan and Ashley, but in the end, I understood the choice and thoroughly enjoyed the heartbreaking yet tender and hopeful story.

THE DEAD AND THE DARK is possibly the most scary book I have ever read. The paranormal aspect is too close to reality to stay apathetic, and the symbolism of the Dark too terrifying to ignore. For maximum horror, read at night with soft flickering lights and static noises playing in the background. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys paranormal stories, sapphic love, and beautiful prose.

This book has a thing that I love that not enough books have. The villain gets glthe a few short, eerie, non descript POVs that leave you questioning and feeling unsettled. Similar to what Renee Ahdieh did spectacularly in The Beautiful. It was brilliant.

I absolutely loved Logan and Ashley. Their romance was precious, believable, and I rooted for them the whole time.
While most of the time the author did a great job of keeping their voices distinct, she used a few phrases regularly that stuck out to me in both povs such as “character could taste their heartbeat”. When things like that get repeated it takes me out of the narrative.

I loved Alejo, and think many of the side characters were great (Bug, Ashley’s mom), but others felt a little fleshed out than I’d prefer (Fran, the sheriff, Elexis’s friend who died). I think this book lagged a bit in the middle which didn’t do it any favors. Also I didn’t understand why Alejo left flowers at the grave and don’t get why they didn’t just tell Logan the truth way sooner. Everything at the end could’ve been avoided if they’d told her years earlier, and brandon never gave a good explanation for why they didn’t.

However I think lots of great stuff was featured here. Queerness, dealing with homophobia, small town life, unrequited love. I loved that the town seemed like it’s own character especially when it’s darkness literally came to life. Overall, I recommend it!

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
I guess I'm going to be the odd woman out here, but The Dead and the Dark for me just fell flat. We have the heroine, Logan who we find out is a lesbian being raised by her two dads. They return to her fathers' hometown for what she first believes is an investigation as to the disappearance of a local teen. Her fathers are paranormal investigators. Then we find out about the Dark. The big bad wolf of the story is literal Darkness. Is it a being? A demon? How was it first created? It explains the connection it has to the characters but not how it was first created and why it wanted to wreak so much havoc in the small town. Too many plot holes and not enough answers.

Gravedigging? Ghost hunters? LGBT-themed characters? “The Dead and the Dark” was simply out of this world, and I loved it!

Let’s start with the plot. I love mystery thrillers, and being that this was a paranormal-themed one, it made it so much better! I had no idea what was going to happen or who was being the killings. The author also throws a few convincing red herrings when the reveal catches you off guard and makes the story memorable! Moreover, the story is fast-paced, where so much happens. I also loved how the author gave “The Dark” its perspective at the interludes.

Coming to the characters, they are all amazing! I loved Ashley and Logan as individuals, and I loved them both together. Ashley mourns the loss of Tristan but still gives Logan a chance. Logan, on the other hand, knows she won’t fit in and wants to leave. The way they become friends is so fluid and gradual that you cannot help but love the pair. They drive the story so well. Some of the highlights were when they dig the grave or when Ashley sees Brandon’s footage.

Similarly, even Brandon and Alejo are adorable in their manner. Brandon was surprisingly complex, and it was interesting to see the various emotions he goes through. On a side note, the author also adds humor to the tale, like when Logan brings Elexis and Nick with her to Ashley. I had a wonderful time reading this one.

Overall, “The Dead and the Dark” is the perfect YA paranormal mystery thriller romance to pick up, and it won’t disappoint!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Storygraph!

3.75/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Dead and the Dark follows Logan and her dads, who run a television show focused on ghost-hunting and the supernatural, as they move to the town of Snakebite, where Logan’s dads grew up.

Snakebite is a town wrapped in mystery, perfect from the outside but perhaps less so on the inside, ever since the mysterious disappearance of Tristan Granger. Logan and her dads arrive in Snakebite shortly after this disappearance, and turn out to be less than welcome – especially as more disappearances take place, and the newcomers to the town are blamed for them. New to the town and lacking much else to do, Logan begins to work on solving the mystery, with the help of a local – Ashley Barton, girlfriend to Tristan Granger, the first person to go missing – and together they gradually work to untangle a web of lies.

Logan as a character was extremely relatable and easily likeable, and it was interesting to see how her and her relationships grew and developed over the course of the book – especially her relationships with both her dads, and her relationship with Ashley.

The romance wasn’t the most prominent part of this book, but it did gradually build at a steady place and I, as a reader, came to love Logan and Ashley, both as friends and as eventual lovers.

My main complaint with regards to this book is that it felt somewhat rushed. There was a long buildup and then suddenly a lot of the main problems were solved, and I found this to be slightly odd to read. I also feel that the supernatural elements of the novel could have been better developed, as conceptually they were extremely interesting but I don’t feel they necessarily were explained as well as they could’ve been. However, despite all this the book is fun, and the lack of extreme detail makes it easy to read.

Overall, it was an interesting read and I enjoyed it. It didn’t challenge me too much as a reader, and didn’t require loads of attention on my part. I came to care about the characters and the ending was fairly satisfying – while I don’t think the book had the biggest impact on me, that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. The vibes were similar to those of The Raven Cycle, Stranger Things and Riverdale, so I think this novel would appeal to fans of all three.

Content warnings: frequent homophobia, homophobic language, homophobic hate crimes, blood, violence, murder, attempted murder, drowning, funeral, death, child death, a child being buried alive.

This book took me awhile to get through, but it wasn’t so much due to a lack of enjoyment. The Dead and the Dark has all the elements of a darker YA mystery and mostly manages to pull it off well.
The story follows two paranormal investigator dads and their daughter as they work against the clock to solve murders that are plaguing the small town of Snakebite. We are introduced to the idea that maybe not everything is as it seems with the town and it’s inhabitants. Is the weight of the town and its history to blame or is it something else entirely?

There are so many appealing things about The Dead and the Dark. There are several lovely storylines woven in, but are equally balanced with heartbreak as to keep the reader interested and asking those important questions. I did enjoy reading this book, though I think it would be best suited for middle school/younger high school kids.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book.

This book was never as creepy or scary as I initially thought it was going to be. It felt mostly like a teen thriller. I loved the romance concepts of this book but just felt like some of the characters were a little bland. Overall I did thoroughly enjoy reading this book and also enjoyed the creepy parts of it. Being a huge Ghost Adventure fan I really enjoyed this story as it progressed throughout the book.

This was such a fun read! Normally when I read suspense, I can figure out what's really going on, but this book had me stumped almost until the end. I liked Logan a lot as a protagonist, and I appreciated the thoughtful, nuanced development of Ashley's character.

What a debut!!
I am shooketh at how atmospheric and dark and creepy this book was.
Definitely do not read at night, in bed with the lights off!

A small town mystery shrouded in themes of grief, acceptance and healing, lots of healing.

While there were a few questions I still had at the end regarding the origins of the killer the character depth made up for it! That being said, the killer was very surprising 😮 I was off but not far off in my thinking!

Definitely gonna be on the lookout for more of Goulds novels!

The Dead and The Dark is about what “lurks in dark corners, the parts of you that you keep hidden, and finding home in people and places you didn’t expect.”

I loved everything about this book. From the paranormal activity and the ghost hunting show to finding a romantic connection you didn’t expect. This book has it all. It also had the point of view of the perpetrator and it left me guessing and wondering who could be behind the deaths.

This book was incredible and one that I will be recommending to everyone

The Dead and the Dark follows Logan and her dads as they travel to Snakebite. Famous for their hit paranormal TV show, her fathers are scouting their hometown as a possible new episode. There’s an odd feeling that creeps over everyone in Snakebite, but it’s only a feeling, right? Until the first teenager goes missing...

This book was amazing! I loved most of the small town vibes (see content warnings below) and what the Dark represents in Snakebite. We’re following Logan and Ashley throughout most of the book, but we also get Interludes from the Dark that helps us understand more of the paranormal elements. And that plot twist?! Yes.

As far as character development, I think the one person we don’t fully understand until the end of the book is Brandon. I do think this is purposely done for more of an element of mystery for his character. It helped to build up more of a suspense for the plot twist.

If you’re looking for a small town with a darkness falling over it, mixed with a female-female romance, look no further!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

CW: homophobia, death of a child

Where do I start with The Dead and the Dark? It was one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2021 so I pretty much read the ARC of this as soon as I got it. And then I loved it and I’ve been thinking about rereading it since (and the only thing stopping me is the sheer number of other ARCs I’ve been slacking off getting to).

The story follows Logan, brought to the town of Snakebite, Oregon by her ghost-hunting dads, for reasons that they won’t explain, to find that their arrival has coincided with the disappearance of the town’s golden boy and everyone thinks they’re behind it. Determined to find the boy and prove them wrong, Logan enlists the help of Ashley and together they start investigating.

I think the first thing I have to mention is that Logan calls herself a lesbian. This may not seem like a whole lot, but when you’ve read countless books that go out of their way to avoid the word, having a clearly lesbian character claim the word on page? It’s a whole lot.

And what I also loved is that this isn’t THE lesbian experience in the book. There’s Ashley too. Ashley who so vividly experiences comphet, in a way I’ve never seen in YA lit before — as an experience that’s recognised as comphet, rather than, say, me thinking I’m reading comphet and it’s not (happens more often than you realise) — that I had to put the book down for a moment. (Also as a side note: she isn’t bi. You can check the author’s tweets if you don’t believe me.)

On top of that, the story is so deliciously creepy, with twists and turns you (mostly) won’t spot. (I only say mostly because I’ve read too many mysteries now. I know how these things go.) And at its centre is a family. That’s what I loved most here. That all these things can happen, and you would think maybe the mystery is enough, but it all comes back to Logan and Brandon and Alejo and the family they built together (and obviously Ashley later on). For all that it’s a horror story with murder and ghosts, it’s also a story full of love and heart.

All of which to say, you really really want to be picking this one up come August. If you trust me on nothing else, trust me on this.

★★★★☆ 3.5/5

this was spooky. i liked it alot! it really only kind of picked up at the 40-50% mark and even then was really slow at times, but it was so worth it. i felt like the characters could have been a little more developed, but the fantastic plot and overall creepiness was more than enough to satisfy me.

(arc provided by netgallery and Wednesday Books. all thoughts and opinions are my own)

Brandon and Alejo Ortiz-Woodley are reality TV ghost hunters. They travel the country for their show. On the premise that he is scouting a location to film, Brandon goes back to their tiny hometown of Snakebite, OR, which had basically chased them off about 13 years before. Alejo and their daughter, Logan, meet him in Snakebite after he has been there a few months.

Ashley's boyfriend Tristan went missing about a week after Brandon showed up in town. Naturally, the tiny town assumes the outsiders had something to do with the disappearance? ...the murder? Ashley is sure she can feel him around her still, even months after he has been gone.

The Dark just wants a host to do its evil bidding. It will use anyone it can to keep on thriving.

When another teenager goes missing,, Logan and Ashley reluctantly decide to work together to try to figure out what is happening. Logan wants to clear her dads' names; Ashley wants her boyfriend, her perfect life, and perfect town back.

This had a really Southern feel to it, even though it was set in the Northwest. I'm guessing it was the small town, the cattle ranch, the everyone knows everyone in town vibe.

I really enjoyed this book! It made me excited to read again for the first time in close to a year. I just HAD to know what was going on, who was doing it, and why. The ending was good, but I personally would have liked a little more of a comeuppance for some of the characters, or a little more time with the family to see how things worked out.

Overall 4/5 stars