Bring on all the spooky reads. I love a good small town mystery, and ghost stories feel exactly right for seasonal reading right now. I found the core story to be super compelling, giving this book the coveted quality of unputdownability. The author captured the claustrophobic nature of the small towns to a tee.

Here I am, once again ignoring my personal rule of “no more reading spooky books set in a forest” and diving headfirst into The Dead and The Dark by Courtney Gould. While this debut YA novel isn’t set right in the middle of a forest—it takes place in the small, rural town of Snakebite, Oregon—the characters spend a lot of time walking through forested areas and visiting a strange, dilapidated cabin in the woods.

Before we get too far into this one, here are the trigger/content warnings for this book: homophobia, homophobic slurs, on page death, murder, attempted murder, and death of a child.

The Dead and The Dark follows our main character, Logan, and her two dads, who have their own ghost hunting TV show. Sounds good, right? Who doesn’t want to tag along on an adventure with ghost hunters? Well, Logan doesn’t. While she has a great relationship with one of her dads, her relationship with the other is incredibly strained. They can’t even be in the same room together, so when her family packs up and heads to the small town of Snakebite, she wants to be anywhere else in the world.

What happens in Snakebite is a bit all over the place. We have ghost hunters allegedly scouting for their upcoming season, locals mourning the recent death of a local teenager, and Logan teaming up with a girl named Ashley to find out what really happened to her boyfriend. It’s all a bit scattered and hard to keep track of, but it works.

Residents of the small town don’t know what’s going on, Logan doesn’t know what secrets her dads are keeping from her, and us as readers are equally confused.

Snakebite is hiding cold, dark secrets, and it’s only a matter of time until everything is brought up to the surface.

While paranormal events and creatures seem to be popping up in every corner, so too do very real-life horrors of facing prejudice and violence for being your true self, and standing up for who you are and what you believe in. I’ll admit, the homophobia in this book seemed like a bit much at times (especially as an LGBTQ+ reader), but as someone who grew up in a small town, it unfortunately wasn’t that far off.

Overall, The Dead and The Dark proved to be an enjoyable debut. It has twists and turns, unexplained occurrences, dark secrets, and while the twist was somewhat predictable, it also had a pinch of tenderness to round out a book that was otherwise full of doom and gloom.

This story was absolutely amazing.
At first I wasn't sure how I would feel about because ghost stories ARE NOT my thing, but I quickly fell in love with Logan and the mystery of what really happened in Snakebite all those years ago.
I loved watching the journey of Logan's relationship with her dads, her relationship with the other kids in town, and just all of it.
The way the story switches between the present day disappearances and the past was so eerily brilliant and I found myself obsessed with finding out the truth.
And when the truth was revealed I was SHOCKED. There was so much that made perfect sense but I never would have pieced together on my own.
This was truly an amazing story and I loved it. I cannot wait to see what Courtney Gould does next.

Interesting premise of a family of ghost hunters returning to their hometown to solve an ongoing mystery. Characters are very well written and a very creepy story. Loved it.

I had heard some mixed reviews of this book and therefore I was a bit hesitant when I went into this book. However, I'm happy to announce that I really liked this book. I was completely sucked into this book from the beginning. The atmophere in this book was just so good. I also really liked the two main characters. I do wish their relationship was a bit more developed but I did still think it was pretty cute (it's a small part of the story though). I absolutely LOVED the setting of this book. I mean, the homophobia from characters in this book made me want to jump into the book and kill them but overall I quite liked the small town setting of this book. I really liked the mystery and paranormal aspects in this book. I loved following our two main characters as they're trying to piece all the pieces together and figure things out. I also loved the reveals and thought it was all just really well done.

honestly, i think one of my issues with this book was the paranormal aspect of the plot and the book. like, i feel that i feel like they would talk about the dark, but not really talk about it. like, i feel like it was something about how we would get these chapters about how the dark picked their next victim, and how they killed the last person or whatever. and i just feel like it was just so boring. and i feel like the whole paranormal vibe was just a mess and i feel like gould really had no clue what they were doing with the paranormal aspect of it. and how they wanted to deal with it all, and i think it was honestly a complete mess.

and i also feel like that there was so many questions about so many things in this book. like, i feel like the biggest issue with this book was how snakebite played into it all. like, i feel like there was so many things that just didn't make sense and how they didn't really explain to much about it, just like the basic knowledge, but even at that, it still didn't really make sense. like i feel that they said what happened, but they also didn't really explain it at the same time. and i honestly think gould had no clue what they were doing with the dark aspect. and i feel like the one part of the dark person, i feel like they literally never explained it at all, which just sucked so much.

but, with the whole dark aspect, there was also this murder mystery plot line, which i'm not sure is a spoiler, but they bring it up really soon in the book, so. but, with this, they had this killer on the loose, and i feel like the actual killer was honestly so easy to tell who did it and who the killer is. like, they pretty much had who everyone thought it was, and then this other person that you could just tell something was weird with them, so it was easy to tell they did it. and i honestly hated it, since i feel like it was so easy to be able to tell and all.

one thing i did like was the plot about alejo and brandon together, and i honestly really liked to see two gay guys being parents and to have them have this stable relationship. and that it was so cool that they were just healthy and this big relationship, and that they honestly worked so well together and also were so in love. but, i also really liked that we got to see them before all of this started, and that we got to see their past and all of it, i honestly really liked it.

i also did like logan. like, i feel that she was one of those characters that was so complex and i feel like it was just so cool. like, i feel that she honestly had so many great qualities and that i really liked her. and also that she was just so cool with her childhood, and i honestly wish they went more in depth about that since i think it was just so cool. and i do wish that we got to see her with her parents more, and i also feel that it was just cool to see a whole family that was queer, since i feel like that doesn't happen to much in books.

overall, i liked ashley's character, but she by far wasn't my favorite. like, i think she honestly was a nice character, but i feel like she had some homophobic moments throughout the story that i honestly didn't care about. and also like that when she did that thing around like 65% - 70%, i honestly hated her so much. like, i feel that the whole even made me so uncomfortable, i really hated it. like, i feel that it was just so stupid and i think it was so terrible.

and i feel like the development on their relationship was just not good. like, i feel that before the event they were overall, a decent romance. like, i feel that it was still more tell not show, but i do think it had potential to grow and to work. but, than i think the event happened, and i feel like it was just so terrible development, since it went down instead of up. and i think they should have just fixed it and made it better. and like, i think that after the event that they couldn't grow from that and i don't know how or why logan decided to trust ashley again. since, i know that i could never do what she was doing.

but, than i think that the plot about the missing boy annoyed me. like, i feel that it was just so stupid done, since i think that tristian, was such the cliché good boy. like, he went missing and than all they talked about was just that, he got good grades and he was this golden boy. and i wish that they changed it and that they didn't do anything to help him. and like the only thing that they did was talk about how he was this all american boy and that he was just so good, and they never made him seem human, kind of like they did in a good girl's guide to murder. and it honestly just kind of annoyed me.

but, i also feel like this book had to many secrets in this book. like, i feel like secrets in books aren't the end of the world, and i mean these books need secrets to keep this. but i feel like there was still so many secrets about how they did thinks and about the past of this town, from like these girls parents. like, i feel like they all said 'we'll tell you soon/when this is over / now isn't the right time' and this honestly just annoyed me since it was just kind of boring.

3.5 stars

The Dead and the Dark checks a lot of boxes for a YA thriller: small town setting, a series of mysterious deaths, and an outsider teaming up with a local to defeat the evil lurking among them. We have seen it all before, making Gould's execution of the tropes of primary importance.

In certain aspects, it does deliver. Gould does a great job of establishing the local vs. outsider dynamic and the overall pacing of the mystery is good. While I did guess a few of the twists, there were some that really came out of left field and had my jaw dropping.

However, there were two major issues that I couldn't get over while reading this book. Considering how central the romance is by the end, its development is incredibly stilted. There are a total of 3 moments total that reference either character's feelings about the other before they have their first kiss. It then goes from zero to 100, which made the entire plot point feel like it had been inserted after the fact. In addition, I found myself constantly wondering why the Dark was connected to Snakebite in particular.

I must say that I did mostly enjoy this book, but I lament the underdeveloped aspects that might have made this book a knockout for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this novel. I haven't read a young adult horror/ mystery in a really long time and I was nervous it wouldn't be what I was looking for. However, Courtney Gould did a fabulous job at creating a dark and chilling atmosphere in which to ground her story and make the characters come to life. They aren't the most developed characters but the way in which the story was told, jumping from person to person lends itself to the immersive setting. Gould doesn't add unnecessary gore or over-the-top descriptions of death, and yet the novel comes to life by allowing the reader to visualize it themselves. I will say it is a young adult novel so you will have to suspend some belief in ways that you may not with an adult horror. But overall, a great horror novel for younger readers looking for a spooky read for the fall.

As a thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books, I would like to give an unbiased review of Courtney Gould’s YA debut “The Dead and the Dark.” This story addressed some hard-hitting topics such as identity, and grief. Their presence in the novel added to its depth and complexity. Things I liked about the novel included the diversity in its characters ex. queer characters, non-nuclear family, and showed natural progress in characters explored their sexual identity. Gould showed that the characters and all aspects of their identity make them who they are and are agents of change in their own story rather than the story centering around what makes them diverse. The allure of a small-town setting with the added atmosphere of dark isolated woods, lakeside dwellings, and ghost hunters made this appealing to me and more. The story's depth was explored in our main character's eyes when she (Logan Ortiz- Woodley) explored the place of her birth and sought a place to call home. Her fathers added a “Supernatural” quality to the novel as they presented an ongoing search for Supernatural occurrences though a couple and not brothers like the CW show. Overall I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to fans of Riverdale and Supernatural. I gave this a strong 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

If there is one thing that The Dead and the Dark did well it's for sure ambiance; I truly felt like I was in Snakebite with Logan and Ashley. If you're looking for a creepy and dark YA mystery, I would definitely recommend this one.

The Dead and the Dark follows a duo of ghost-hunting dads and their daughter, Logan, as they revisit the town they grew up in and try to unravel the mysteries there for their television show. The story is, in my opinion, rather slow build but still a very captivating read.

I liked the premise of this book; however, I felt like the relationship between Logan and Ashley was a bit forced. I would still recommend this to younger readers.

As a lover of all things paranormal I really enjoyed it. I would have liked to have seen more of the ghost hunting aspects since that’s what the synopsis was based on but that’s just me. I’ve seen reviews saying the ending left them with more questions about the dark. I disagree I think that was handled good. Sometimes there’s no answers for the questions we seek.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

i really thought this was stunning, i was so surprised by it. compelling without being sensationalist, thoughtful without being pretentious. a knockout

The Dead and the Dark tells the story of Snakebite, Oregon. A small town full of dark secrets that Logan and her dads, Alejo and Brandon, are returning to. Brandon and Alejo are famous ghost hunters, but Logan has felt distanced from her dads for a long time. And Snakebite really isn't the place to reconnect- teens are going missing, and it's not exactly the friendliest town. There's something dark in Snakebite.

Ashley Barton just wants her town to go back to normal. And most importantly, she wants her boyfriend Tristan, who went missing, to come back. When Logan's family comes into town, she hates them for what they may have done. But she's still can't keep herself away from Logan. Together, they work together to figure out what's going on in Snakebite.

This book features enemies to lovers, queer rep out the wazoo, and a dark horror. It also features some pretty strong homophobia, so read this with some caution.

Things I really liked:
- The characters. Courtney Gould really writes some strong characters, that all seem so fleshed out and realistic. They're lovely, awful, and everything in between. I really loved all four of the main characters of this book and felt like I could really understand them and their motives.
- The setting. Snakebite feels like a pretty real small town. It's one that rings true, as someone from a small town. Everyone knows everyone and there's dark secrets.
-The writing. Courtney Gould has a talent. Her writing isn't flowery, but it is beautiful. It really paints a picture that makes you envision what's going on, without being to flat.

Things I didn't like as much:
-The supernatural element. This was a really big element to the story but unfortunately it felt unfinished and weirdly cryptic, like the author didn't know what made it and so we can't feel like it's a fully-fleshed idea. Unfortunately that kind of stops the ability to fully immerse in the story, at least for me.

Ultimately I really recommend this book, despite elements that I'm not the biggest fan of. I especially loved the queer rep, it really makes this book feel so fresh but also home-y.

It was the perfect blend of mystery and creepy, while also being incredibly atmospheric with powerful themes of grief, acceptance in a town full of unaccepting people, family dynamics, and the consequences of dark secrets that fester in a small prejudiced town. All the characters had so much depth and development and the writing was magnificent. It’s genuinely hard to believe this is a debut novel! Not to mention what phenomenal sapphic leads ♥️

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

I couldn't put it down! I read this in one sitting, ignoring the rest of my life until I had read every last word!. This is THE Supernatural/Mystery/Thriller/LGBT+/Twisty/Dark YA book that you NEED to read.
Logan Ortiz Woodley is not happy when her dads Alejo & Brandon move them to Snakebite, a small town in the middle of nowhere Oregon, to do research for their TV show ParaSpectors. There is something off about this town, a teen has disappearing and there seems to be a supernatural presence. When she can't get any answers from her dads, Logan decides to team up with the popular Ashley to find out what is haunting Snakebite, and maybe uncover some Ortiz-Woodley family secrets.

I tried I really did but I just cant coonect with this story at this time. But have faith cause I know that just cause I couldnt this time doesnt mean I wont in the near futures. I will purchase this book to have on me for when that time comes. Cause I know a ton of other people will love this book so much. I give it 3 stars cause it wasn't bad what I read.

I have read so many delightfully creepy stories lately, and this one is no exception. It gave me Stranger Things meets City of Ghosts vibes: complex relationships in a small town with a sinister presence lurking underneath, paired with ghost hauntings and murders. There were a few things that didn’t make sense or weren’t explained well enough for me, but I was still entertained from start to finish.

This is a great read for lovers of YA and supernatural thrillers. I mostly really enjoyed this; however, I thought it was about 50-75 pages too long - it just dragged a bit to get started; however, once it really picked up, I was hooked. I also would have loved a bit more explanation towards the ends - it was wrapped up almost too nicely.

I enjoyed the LGTB+ rep and watching the centered relationship unfold.

This book was fantastic! It is creepy and atmospheric, but also so lovely and heartwarming. There is so much familial love here, and it balances out the creepy parts perfectly. I also thought this was a really cool ghost story, with lots of interesting aspects. This is the perfect read for October!