First of all, I could not put this book down! Small town spooky is my absolute favorite genre. Throw in an element of queerness and I’m hooked. I absolutely devoured this book. I never wanted to leave Snakebite!

There were family secrets, romance, friendship drama, mystery, and a hungry darkness. I loved how every piece of the story tied together in the end and nothing felt like a separate plot thread. There were just enough turns in the main mystery to keep you guessing until the very end. Logan and Ashley were adorable, relatable, and real.. The enemy/strangers to lovers played well with this story. Gould’s writing sucks you into the story from the first sentence and doesn’t let go even after the last. The book is an expertly plotted, very atmospheric, and satisfying. I will 100% be reading again!

4.5/5 - Well, damn. What a freaking book. This story is dark and gritty and heartbreakingly beautiful. Queer representation, a big hard look at bigotry and hate and what it means to find home - all wrapped up in one package and I ate up every bit of it. Courtney Gould has created vivid characters inside of a heavy, tangible world with a beautiful ending you’ll simply devour.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martin Press for the Arc in return for my honest opinion.

If Courtney Gould was trying to creep the daylights out of her readers, well she succeeded for me. I don't really get freaked out too much and I've read a lot of Stephen King books, but this one, wow this one did me in. For what ever reason anything that is paranormal does sort of freak me out.

So even though this book did freak me out, I was so into it, I could not put it down. There are some tough things to read about such as homophobia and racial slurs, but it doesn't take away from the story. Its filled with characters that you can't help but become invested in and the story just keeps moving. This is another one where I don't want to give too much away because I really want readers to go into this with no expectations so they can enjoy the full ride!

Great book and I know its going to be a must read for the summer!

this book was just one big deja vu. maybe it was the fact that the writing was so bland, as well as the plot, but everything I read went straight through my brain. all the phrases used were so cliche, and just sooo ordinary. no SPICE.

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould is a thrilling debut about the horror surrounding a sun-soaked small town.

Logan's life has never been normal. Her dads are paranormal ghost hunters on TV, which means they're always on the road. But when they're forced to come back to the town of their origin, Snakebite, Oregan, there is something about their past that is determined to come back. With closed-off townspeople full of grief, the mysterious disappearances of several teenagers, and strange phantom apparitions, perhaps the past has a way of coming back...

Gould's career starts off strong. Logan and Ashley's prickly relationship fully blossoms on the pages. The horrors, while supernatural, feel and painfully grounded history full of tragedy and how it hurts to heal, and combined with their dynamics with the town, flesh out a history still bleeding. What has stolen my heart, however, is the relationship Logan has with her dads. They're given backstories throughout the book, unraveling a compelling past that makes the readers ache for more.

Fans of Sawkill Girls and Erica Waters will devour this in one sitting!

A digital ARC has been provided by Wednesday Books. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ebook ARC of The Dead and the Dark. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, I am a fan of the CW show Supernatural so when I read the blurb on NetGalley about our MC Logan's dads returning to their hometown because something isn't right and they are TV famous ghost hunters, I clicked "request" on NetGalley right away.

The book begins with a POV of the sinister "thing" or "character" The Dark, and so I was pulled into the story right away. Then it shifts to Logan, she was likable right away and I loved that she wasn't just sitting around waiting for her dads to tell her what was going on, she was ready to investigate herself. We know as much as she knows so we don't know much. My theories were wrong too which always makes for a great read.

Overall it was a fun supernatural mystery/thriller with great characters and twists/resolutions I couldn't guess.

The Dead and the Dark is the perfect read for those who love shows like Ghosthunters. The story follows Logan, whose dads are TV’s popular ghost hunters from the show, Paraspectors. When Logan and her parents arrive in Snakebite, people have been going missing and the small town seems like it’s full of secrets.

The story is told from Logan’s perspective, and Ashley, a girl whose boyfriend is one of the missing people. The two team up to try to figure out what is happening. This book is atmospheric. It perfectly captures the small town vibe as well as the cheesiness that comes with a ghost hunter show. I highly recommend this book if you love ghost thrillers.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Brandon Woodley and Alexi Ortiz are ghosthunters on a TV show. Brandon and Alejo have traveled small towns searching for ghosts to hunt. While scouting for a new location he decided to return to his hometown Snakebite. After the first week of his arrival one of the residents vanishes.
Thirteen years ago Brandon and Alejo lived in Snakebite. They left to pursue their TV career. The town folk weren’t very welcoming upon their return. Despite the harassment from the group of teenagers Logan allied with Ashley to help find Tristan.
Logan didn’t want to leave LA to join her dads in Oregon, but she had no choice since she wasn’t eighteen. She didn’t even know her dads lived in Snakebite. In fact, they didn’t speak about there time before they met.
Logan has a strained relationship with her dad Brandon, yet her relationship with her dad Alejo is great. Brandon is always trying to reach out to Logan, but she continues to push away. Logan was closer to Alejo than Brandon. She never really knew Brandon because he kept to himself not revealing too much about himself.

There are two narrators to this story: the first is Ashley and her group of friends and the other is the dads and their daughter. Both groups are on opposing sides, yet wanting the same thing. The delivery of information by each narrator is confusing due to Courtney trying to hold back the past. It’s this hidden secret that sets the storyline back even though it is the main concept and drive for this book.

The cover is what drew me in initially. Then the description. This is my first read by Courtney Gould. I love a good ghost story however this one was off to a slow start. It was a character driven story with too much going on. With the past remaining a secret I felt like the story was being held back. Snakebite’s secrets along with this dark entity left me confused. Then toss in Logan’s nightmares and my mind was spinning in confusion.
The book has a paranormal vibe. I know others will be disappointed but I actually appreciated another reviewer who shared the spoiler. I needed this to help guide me through the confusion. Since Courtney wasn’t doing a very good job navigating this story by avoiding the spoiler I felt the spoiler pushed me in the direction I needed.
I felt there was too much going on in this book. Courtney was working with too many concepts. Explaining them all became too much. It would’ve been easier to follow what was transpiring if Courtney had kept this a dialogue driven story by focusing on one concept.

This was one of those on-the-nose narratives where every minute detail is explained. Unfortunately, I skimmed through sections of this book filtering thru the information. Too many unnecessary scenes with unrelated mini plots crowded this book.
After completing this book and now knowing the way it ends I have to say this book would’ve been easier to read if the concept had been more forthcoming. My preconceived ideas about the type of paranormal story was greatly different from the way Courtney described it.
I’m so disappointed by the way Courtney chose to execute the strong message in this book. If I was rating this book on the way it ended it would get a higher rating. Sadly, the journey to that message was a long arduous one.

An interesting take on horror/thriller. It had me guessing the entire time. I like that it wasn't predictable.

In this rather meh paranormal thriller, Logan, a young woman, learns that one of her fathers made a deal with the Dark, a malevolent force, to bring her back to life when she died as a child. With her fathers revisiting the town where this occurred, teens have begun going missing. The Dark has begun killing teenagers. Logan teams up with the girlfriend of the first teen who went missing to discover what's going on. They do. They get rid of the Dark and find the body of the first missing man. And of course they fall in love. There are several subplots and tensions between Logan and the dad who made the deal with the Dark. This is one of those books where you just kind of wish people would talk to each other like most people do and there'd have been fewer dead people. It's the kind of book where you want to yell at the dad who can't seem to talk to his daughter, but instead leaves her notes buried in a grave. Who does that? At one point, Logan decides that Ashley, the seemingly-straight girlfriend of the first missing man, is definitely not her type, but they end up together anyway in a soap-opera-level predictable moment. This could have been so much better if Gould had had the characters had use their brains,

An entertaining and unique story. I liked the character development and world building. The characters were fleshed out well enough to evoke emotions (I really HATED one of them, but that was the intention.) It was paced well but occasionally the writing fell flat, and wording was redundant. I can't tell you how many times "Ashley parked her Ford." Although the concept was unique, I wasn't totally absorbed by it because it felt like there were holes in the storyline. I had been teetering between a 3 and 4 star rating for most of the book. I decided on 4 stars because, although mildly flawed, I was able to read it without worrying about the page number or time- which means it was overall enjoyable. I will keep an eye out for more work by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for granting me a copy.

I don't normally read paranormal books but I am so glad I took a chance with this one! The story draws you in from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down. Great read!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holy cannoli Batman! The Dead and the Dark was beyond addicting. I don't even watch the paranormal ghost hunting shows because I don't believe in ghosts but this book was just wow - so good. From the very moment, it sucks you in. The dark is mysterious and at one point, I just thought the entire town was the dark. Or somehow connected to it because they were all a bunch of narrowminded self-centered assholes who hate gays.

Oh, I wanted to throat punch all the little douche bags in this town. I'm not even going to lie about that because I did. This whole town needs a huge wake up call and a good dose of karma.

In it, you will meet snarky and sassy Logan. She questions anything and everything - especially when it comes to her dads being so secretive in a town stuck in the middle of no where. She knows from the moment she steps out of the car that her parents are welcomed and it just baffles her.

Girl, same.

Besides Logan and her dads, you meet Ashley. At first, I didn't like it because she was just like everyone else in this dumb redneck town. Even though I knew she was going through something terrible.. she still didn't need to be a sheep like everyone else. Eventually she started to hang out with Logan and realized that she was just a normal girl.. who liked girls. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Then on top of this town being full of judgmental assholes, we have a murderer running wild and killing people. Eh details. All I'm going to say is that the entire mystery and the big reveal were sort of a shock to my poor brain because things didn't click until almost the end. Sad but true.

In the end, I loved this book and will look forward to purchasing the physical!

This book was amazing!

The main story follows Logan Ortiz-Woodley and Ashley Barton. Logan is drug to Snakebite because her dads (professional ghosthunters with their own TV show) want to scout their hometown for a potential episode, or so they tell her. Logan is convinced there's more to the story (especially when it comes to Brandon, the dad she isn't close to). Meanwhile, Ashley's boyfriend, Tristan, has disappeared, but she still senses him around. With the town slowly giving up on finding him, Ashley teams up with Logan to figure out what happened to Tristan and if Logan's dads are involved.

The sense of mystery throughout this novel are really well done. I really enjoyed the snippets we got from ParaSpectors, some parts really intertwined with the plot; while others just made the world of this novel feel more real. There's also a sense of mystery surrounding the two. What exactly happened to them Alejo and Brandon in Snakebite? Was it homophobia? Or was it the dark?

Besides the mysterious surrounding this novel, this book also contains some great relationships. They dynamic of the Ortiz-Woodley was interesting. Logan's relationship with her dads, the dads relationship with each other. Then we had the small town itself, Snakebite. There's all sort of relationships. Friendships, past and present drive the narrative. There's just a lot of intertwined connections, which is lovely. Also, there's the partnership between Logan & Ashley (with potential for more?) that drives the plot. These two get tired of waiting for people to tell them answers. Logan with waiting for her dads to tell her what's going on and Ashley with waiting for answers about what happened to Tristan from the police.

All in all, this was a delightfully dark novel that had a lot of creepy elements (ESP those interludes about the Dark). It has mystery and friendship with a dash of romance. It was a really great read and Courtney Gould is definitely a new author to watch.

Many thanks to Wednesday Books / St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for this e-ARC. I really appreciated the opportunity to read this novel!

I finished two days ago and have been thinking a lot about it. There were a few parts (spoilers) that were just a little too convenient. But overall, I thought the book was pretty original. It gave away just enough to make you think and wonder what was going on, but not so much as to make it utterly predictable. I’m a sucker for a book with a good sub plot, and the themes of being an outsider and loneliness were pretty well done. Will definitely be buying for my high school classroom library.

The Dead And The Dark will become a quick favourite of those who enjoyed Stranger Things! It has a similar vibe to it. Small town, creepy supernatural things going on, group of teens/kids etc.

I liked the small town aspect of this story, seeing the lifestyle people have and they way they judge others. Logan was cool, very likeable and felt like a real teenager. One reason why I gave this 3 stars and not a higher rating was because of the way the ending was written. It didn't have a great buildup and it finished very quickly. It almost felt like the supernatural elements were put on the backburner for other themes-which is not a bad thing but the 'Dark' is a main part of the book and we don't get to see much of it when it is finally revealed.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC copy of The Dead And The Dark!

“The Dead and the Dark‘s first few chapters were gripping. Vividly describing a nightmare lurking within the city of Snakebite. But as the chapters wore on my confusion grew, wondering at times, what exactly was going on.”

Once I turned the last page and finished reading The Dead and the Dark, I found myself quietly thinking of the words to describe what I just read.

Committing to memory everything that took place from beginning to end. The questions I had, which, in truth, there were many. And for me, the first few words that strung together into what was my first reaction was that this story has a lot of potential.

There are moments throughout the story that held me captive. Lush, evocative details that raise goosebumps as the images flash to life of haunting ghosts, an empty cabin, an unknown darkness that whispers in the night. The beginning of the story is what truly set the tone. Gould deftly paints the eerie and unsettling with relative ease. Giving the reader a glimpse into the madness, that can send chills up your spine as you read the first to a string of murders that sets this whole story into motion.

Throughout the story Gould has these incredible scenes that she writes with such vivid yet eldritch like details. From disturbing reoccurring dreams had by the main character Logan, to the ghostly encounters, she deftly paints the image of something being terribly wrong.

Gould’s setup of Logan and Ashley (the popular girl of Snakebite, whose mother practically owns the entire town) starting off as enemies, but come to the conclusion and ultimate truce, that they probably would work better together in finding Ashley’s missing boyfriend and clearing any suspicion of Logan’s parents being the suspects. My concern was the lead up to them deciding to work together wasn’t as convincing or as climatic as I hoped. I expected more clever witty banter between these two. More anger on Logan’s part and her anger is the fuel to form an alliance. Think Kristen Ciccarelli’s, The Sky Weaver.

When it comes to suspending readers’ disbelief, authors should have an initial buy-in. Where readers are willing to go along with the paranormal components be it a ghost encounter or an alien like substance taking over characters in the story. For me, I didn’t truly feel compelled to completely follow along. I kept finding myself writing down questions. Questions about what was going on, distracting me from fully immersing myself into the supernatural.

Even though Gould’s novel is specified as horror, it isn’t necessarily scary, where you need the lights on in order to read the novel, even though there were horrific things taking place. There is definitely an unsettling atmosphere about the book, but not the kind of horror that will give you nightmares in any case.

One other aspect of the novel that seemed to distract from the narrative happens towards the end. Where we get there is a chapter dedicated to the backstory of Logan’s dad Brandon. I felt there could have been a better way to embed that story line early as it took away the urgency of what was happening to Logan in the previous chapter.

With continuity issues between the characters views of themselves, their feelings towards each other, and the place they live, dialogue that sometimes felt off, the repetition of using “two weeks” to move the story along, and phrases that didn’t make sense, The Dead and the Dark fell short of a fully envisioned horror/thriller novel it could have been.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

I enjoyed this novel and the paranormal aspect to it. The author nailed the small town characters and attitudes. However, I felt that the ending could have been stronger, especially when it came to defeating The Dark. I expected more in general from that scene and the end of the book as a whole.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an Honest Review
I had no idea what to expect going in to this book. Let me tell you it did not take long at all for me to get sucked in and taken for a wild ride. The book was an absolute thrill and I was constantly trying to piece things together like a jigsaw puzzle I had no point of reference for. I did not expect the book to be so chilling but it absolutely was and I really enjoyed it. Both Logan and Ashley, the MCs, were very fun and interesting characters. Two strangers brought together by odd and horrifying circumstances. Logan and Ashley want answers yet everyone in this small town is so tight lipped and judgmental it was clear there was a lot more going on than met the eye. I loved that Logan had two ghost hunting dads but they also had too many secrets. Logan herself was also gay and was like a breath of fresh air in this backwater town. I still love the contrast between her and Ashley. The two are like polar opposites and I’m so glad Logan helped expand Ashley’s world. Logan may have questioned her dads profession’ up to now but she’s about to be dragged into her own haunt.
When the pieces came together in the climax I was pretty shocked. I felt a bit blindsided because I still had zero clue where the author was taking me or how she’d bring it all together. I was worried a HEA wouldn’t be possible with so much darkness shadowing everyone and everything, but it was. *spoiler* [Logan and Ashley essentially riding of into the sunset together was certainly not something I saw coming but it made for such an epic ending. Even better now that she knows the whole truth and could work on re-bonding with her dad. I’m only sad she lost so much time with Brandon and thought he didn’t even love her for so long. I can’t imagine feeling that way and not understanding why he pushed her away and was so cold. It’s hard because I want to say they should have been more honest with her but at the same time I get why they kept their secrets. Even her just knowing she was brought back from the dead would be a hard pill to swallow, let alone the knowledge of what the darkness was and did. (hide spoiler)] This was my first read from this author but certainly won’t be the last. If you’re looking for an edge of your seat thriller that’ll keep you guessing, look no further.

THIS BOOK! I've been interested in reading it since I first read the blurb, and boy does it hold up to my hype! It's every big as gorgeous and spooky as the cover, with a great slow-burn romance and a chilling mystery. I don't want to get into spoilers, so I'll just say if you're looking for a paranormal/horror mystery, I couldn't put this one down!