Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

'"For the first time in thirteen years, it snowed in snakebite''

The Dead and the Dark is about a girl named Logan who travels back to her dads' hometown. When she goes there she realizes there is more than meets the eye and something dangerous lies within the town. She meets Ashley and after a rough start they decide to investigate the deaths and the happenings of the town.

The Dead and the Dark seriously blew me away with how brilliant and surprising it was. I am not someone who gravitates to spooky-esque books but when I do I never find them to be that unnerving. But this book for some reason kept me up at night and gave me chills while reading it. Courtney did such a great job writing a chilling ,mysterious, and creepy novel that kept me wanting to see what would happen. There were so many questions and things happening that i never knew what was going to happen next.
This book had everything for me. It had family secrets, queer rep, mysteries and so much more
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dead and the Dark is seriously such an amazing piece of horror! It borders suspenseful and humorous at the same time which is something I haven't seen for a while. Logan is such a fun character with sass, wit, and this darkness to her that I think all teenagers can relate to. Ashley is someone who reminds me of myself at her age, both learning to understand herself while still trying to fit into this box of what she's SUPPOSED to be.

When I hit halfway through this novel I was on a speed run. It picks up so quickly that I wished I could get rid of my real world responsibilities so I could find out what creepy thing has taken over Snakebite. The twist is something you won't see until the very end and I was so in awe of how well it was kept from the reader but I'm sure if I go back and reread I'll see little hints along the way.

I cannot recommend this enough, both the plot and the characters are rich in depth and makes me want to read more horror (which is something I rarely do because of my scaredy cat tendencies). Definitely a must read!

This book was really good! It was definitely dark and spooky and it reminded me of the show Supernatural at times. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a good YA mystery/horror novel.

Mystery and intrigue, with a sprinkling of something darker. This book was captivating, and every page had me hungry for more answers. Solid book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ecopy for review.
I would give this book 4 stars! I definitely loved the spookiness and mystery of the story and I think the cover reflects that pretty well, it certainly draws you in! I loved how one of the main characters was the daughter of ghost hunters who had their own show, I thought that was unique and definitely tied in with the overall theme of the story.
Another aspect of this novel that I was drawn to was the romance and I feel like it was handled beautifully and really fleshed out. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who loves spooky stories, mysterious towns and strong young women determined to figure them out.

4 stars!

Courtney Gould has an authentic way of writing. It's true and honest, interesting, and at times, poetry on the page.
Whenever possible, put the good things about a book or author upfront. "Now that he knew what it felt like to be loved, he could never go back," is a true encapsulation of the theme. We are all looking for love and acceptance, a place to fit in, where we find our people. While this is a paranormal thriller, at the heart, it's about human relationships and the human condition of needing love and acceptance.

The Dead and the Dark is a young adult thriller like none I've ever read. It's unpredictable, intriguing, and kept me wanting more. On my quest for LGBT horror/thriller, most use the representation as a footnote. It's refreshing to have LGBT authors writing stories where the characters simply are also part of the community. It's not forced, it's not to push the plot. These characters are simply existing in their world and experiencing things - in this case, an otherworldly entity set on destroying happiness.

This was good! Every character that was introduced had a purpose. No one was left behind! This easily became one of those books where the characters become familiar and homey. While I didn’t love each character (some of them were douche bags), they fit in well with the story.

I finished in a day without feeling like I needed to rush through. It just flowed very well which made it easy to keep reading.
Loved the Ghost Hunter aspect. I feel like it really broke up specific areas while adding value to the story.

There only thing that slowed the story a bit for me was where the darkness was present. I could have done without or had it be formatted a different way.

Over all really enjoyed this!!

I reached this ARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Dead and the Dark is a creepy and gritty read that sucked me in from the first page and kept me guessing throughout.

This book is an interesting look into the insidiousness of small towns, how they can treat outsiders or those from the community who don't fit in with the norm how that can be a breeding ground for hate and how it affects the community.

Paranormal mystery with romancy diversions make this YA novel difficult to put down.
When Logan and her fathers move to yet another new town, Logan is ambivalent. They've done this so many times throughout her life that it's just another day. She's not happy to leave LA where, sometimes, she feels like she fits in.
Upon arriving in Snakebite, she senses something is wrong. A teen boy has disappeared without a trace. To make matters worse, some of the town folk are trying to pin the disappearance on her father.
Can Logan clear her father, negotiate troubles with the "cool" kids, and survive the ominous vibe of this place?
You'll have to read it to find out.

This book gave me Riverdale and Supernatural vibes with mystery and a dash of romance. Because of the different POVs and the way the author writes the character, you feel like you are constantly on the edge of your seat figuring out what’s going to happen next.

A slow burn romance and mystery...what more can you want? This was an easy read and highly entertaining.

This was such a treat to read from start to finish, wow! I fell in love with Logan, her dads, and Ashley all - the characters in this were incredible, thoroughly written and very well developed. I loved the "voice" of our main character - her kind but sarcastic inner monologue had me giggling to myself a few times; I would've really loved this as a teen, too! Part horror/thriller, part romance, this has a little bit of something for everyone - especially those seeking queer, diverse reads. So, so good - can't recommend highly enough!

This was not a book for me or for my students, though probably some of them would like it more than I did. I didn't know it would be more of a horror novel than a mystery. And one character deciding out of nowhere she was gay was not realistically presented

THE DEAD AND THE DARK caught my heart after about 0.3 seconds of reading. It has one of the most chilling, atmospheric opening chapters I've ever encountered, and Courtney Gould does not. let. up.

This is the eerie, rural American gothic of my fondest nightmares. We've got a murder mystery brimming with paranormal elements, a beautifully complex father-daughter relationship, a sloooowburn sapphic romance to die for, and a lonely small down dripping with dark secrets. Add in Gould's GOREGEOUS prose, and if you aren't already sold, there is absolutely nothing I can do for you.

I mean ... just look at the cover. LOOK AT IT. Now whisper "gay ghost hunter horrormance" to yourself slowly and tell me you don't need THE DEAD AND THE DARK yesterday.

Overall an easy 5/5 recommend.

Lesbian ghost hunters!

This book was all I ever wanted. The characters are so loveable (especially Alejo) and the romance is really cute.

The paranormal mystery kept me hooked from start to finish. I could not put the book down as I was nearing the ending.

I can’t express my feelings towards this book properly. It was just SO GOOD. But paranormal stuff and lesbians - why wouldn’t I love it?

The book comes out august 3rd and I highly recommend it! I really need this book to have a fandom so I can see fanart of the characters. please.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

cw: murder, slurs, homophobia, child death, violence, death, blood, drowning, hate crimes

"The dead and the dark" is by far one of the best books I've read this year. It had me hooked from start to finish and I simply could not stop thinking about it.

The plot worked really well with the small town setting. It was really interesting to see how Ashley figures out how many secrets are buried in so little space, in a town where everyone knows everyone. I especially enjoyed the bits we got about the past and the unexpected ties between some characters.

I adored the characters A LOT. Logan and Ashley made an interesting duo and I loved the "enemies to lovers" elements (but don't expect knife to the throat enemies to lovers please). I appreciated the fact that the romance doesn't happen right away and that it's not that big of a plot. I expected a lot more romance and I'm glad the author chose to focus on the other aspects of the story as well. Besides the two girls, the dads were my favourite characters. The author made a phenomenal job with the way they were written!

Among the things this book does well, the writing is the shining star. It's so so good. I flew through the book because it was so easy and fun to read. The added jokes and the sarcasm made everything even better.

The blend of paranormal, thriller and the romance part of the book made this book very well balanced, which will probably keep the reader interested to the very end. I loved the subtle horror undertones and the slow romance.

One thing I wished the book focused more on were Ashley's friends. I feel like they weren't that well fleshed out in comparison to the other characters. They had potential to do more than what happened to them in the book.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so spooky and eerie and I loved the gay elements. Gay dad ghost hunters and their teen daughter all move to a small town to try and help with a missing person case. The switching POVs do a really good job of establishing the characters and the town. I would recommend this to readers who like horror and diverse LGBTQ storylines.

This is it! This is the content the gays want! While a little slow in the beginning, The Dead and the Dark winds up becoming a delightfully spooky, poignant read. I've always wanted a f/f frenemies horror novel, and alas, here one is before me. I'm extremely grateful to have been approved for a galley of this because it's what I would've loved to have had available to me when I was mid-late teens like Logan and Ashley. Even now at almost 30, I'm thrilled to see its presence, so I can't imagine how it will make LGBT+ teen girls feel when they can relate to it so much more presently than I can.

Some of the twists were predictable (mainly the big one), but I don't necessarily consider that worth knocking the novel over. I would've liked to be surprised, but I also read/watch a lot of horror, so I could just be too tuned into little clues to look for. I really found myself rooting for Ashley and cheering whenever she did something gay or to break away from her mom. I liked Logan, but Ashley was a standout character for me. Overall, I'd recommend this book, especially for LGBT+ girls who love horror like me!

The Dead and the Dark is a fast-paced mystery centered around a small town named Snakebite. When Logan and her dads (a paranormal investigation duo) find themselves in the middle of a series of murders, Logan joins forces with one of the affected teens to find out what's haunting Snakebite.

I liked this book! It doesn't take long to get into the action of the story, and the characters are great. I enjoyed the fact that we get to know more about Logan's dads (who both grew up in Snakebite and left) as the story progresses, and their relationship was one of my favorite aspects of the book. I also think Gould did a great job in creating a heavy, dark atmosphere over Snakebite. There was such tension as the story progressed, especially in terms of Snakebite residents vs Logan and her family. I do wish this had been explored a little more––it's fair and obviously true that LGBTQIA+ folks have a harder time living in small cities, but I also think that can be a bit too surface level, especially once we get the reveal. I almost think that takes away some of the seriousness of the issue.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to my students if they want to read more contemporary gothic-esque stories and 10/10 would love to see more adventures from Logan and her family.

Wow! This book was so cool. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be recommending it, and it will be in time for pre-spooky season! :)