this is dark and disturbing and had me so creeped out but i loved it. i dont normally read books that scare me but i couldnt stop reading. absolutely addictive and mind blowing.

The Dead and the Dark is such an awesome blend of horror and thriller! I loved the small-town mystery with its secrets as well as the spine-tingling paranormal elements. The book started off perfectly creepy, and I couldn’t stop flipping the pages until I got to the shocking reveal!

The Dead and the Dark is a Paranormal spine chilling ya that freaked me out in a really good way You are interested in the characters And the mystery I wasn't expecting it to be a dark was it was
Especially for a ya I wish more Young adult Authors wrote mysteries/Supernatural thriller like this Just because it's for teens doesn't mean it shouldn't be Intense and Thought provoking I can't wait for other peoples thoughts when this is released thank you netgally for this arc!

A haunting, well crafted mystery set within an isolated small town. Two reluctant allies—one, the daughter of reality TV ghosthunters turned murder suspects; the other, the town's heiress—team up to find who (or what) has been kidnapping kids in Snakebite. An inter-generational tale of love and home.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an eARC of “The Dead and the Dark” by Courtney Gould through NetGalley for me to read and give an honest review!

This book had me hooked from the beginning and I could not put it down. Gould introduces us to Snakebite, Oregon with her great easy-to-read but extremely descriptive writing that has you wanting more as the main characters, Logan and Ashley, begin to uncover family secrets and small-town mysteries that have you wondering who you can trust if you can even trust anyone at all. The book brings up some really important themes while at the same time giving us a genuinely great, captivating story as we join these girls in their joint search to find out what darkness is connecting Logan and her fathers to what are unusual deadly occurrences for the small town. It truly hit all the marks for me: an increasingly interesting story, queer and POC representation, a sapphic love story that is well developed but doesn’t take away from the main plot, and even the occasional POV from the mysterious “Dark”. I honestly would not be surprised at all if this were to be adapted into a show someday soon in the future. And the cover is absolutely beautiful-- I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

This book checked all the boxes for me.

Mystery in a small town? Check
Teens realizing a romantic connection and growing as individuals? Double the checks!
LGBT + BIPOC rep? Uh YEAH.

Then you add on the premise of a ghost hunting television series and creepy dialogue from the perpetrator's perspective? It's sheer perfection and I'll be singing its praises for a good long while.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The Dead and the Dark is an interesting paranormal YA book. It tells the story of a teenager who ends up in her dad's hometown scouting out locations for a paranormal TV shoot. Things are not right in the town and people have gone missing. Unfortunately, the dads are the main suspects in the stuff going on in town. The story was really captivating and kept me interested pretty much through to the end. The characters were not very likable but that is really not important. The best part was the atmosphere. There is a really creepy vibe about the town they are staying in. As for the story, well, it was good but left me with a lot of but why and but how questions.

The Dead and the Dark follows Logan as she returns to her fathers' hometown of Snakebite. Alejo and Brandon are former Snakebite residents and a current ghosthunting couple with their own show. While Logan has always been close with her dad Alejo, Brandon has remained distant with her.

When they arrive in Snakebite and find that the town assumes Brandon is responsible for a local teen going missing, Logan can't understand why her dads refuse to leave- or tell her about their mysterious past. The story gets darker as eerie feelings and old tensions rise, and Logan finds herself teaming up with the girlfriend of the missing teen, Ashley, to prove her fathers' innocence and find out what happened.

I expect this to be optioned for a series in like, two years max. It's phenomenally written! Trying to find out what Alejo and Brandon were hiding from Logan was so eerie. I really liked the generational storylines that were set up, and trying to find out why Snakebite was so against the Ortiz-Woodley family made for a real page-turner.

I'm not hugely into paranormal works, but this was the perfect balance for me of interesting but understandable and not overwhelming to the personal relationships that made the story so interesting.

The only things I found a bit iffy were the lack of character development for other teens in Snakebite aside from the mains and some choppy transitions between scenes. Even still, I didn't mind that much because the main characters and storyline were so captivating. This was a real page-turner, I can't wait to read what comes next from Courtney Gould!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am in love with this story. Rarely do I ever think a debut is flawless, but THE DEAD AND THE DARK is a flawless story about family secrets, small town ignorance, and grief that will consume everything in its path if you let it. Logan and Ashley are perfect protagonists and I really enjoyed how both of them are seeking their own truths while growing closer. Super enjoyed that there are trigger warnings at the beginning of the book!

Wow! Loved it! To me, this story is like “Stranger Things” meets Nancy Drew. I was thrilled to snag an ARC from NetGalley and this story didn’t disappoint at all! Pacing was on point and the deep 3rd person POV was well done! I tried to guess what was happening and I could not, then twist, surprise! Courtney is a fab storyteller and I can’t wait for more!

First off, a small town setting for a horror novel is just perfect. I don’t know why. There’s just something about it. Snakebite is the definition of an insignificant small town, and there’s just something creepy about the center of paranormal activity happening in a place so small and insignificant. The rusty, dilapidated motel is even called, wait for it, Bates Motel. Super subtle, I know. Even the supermarket in this town was dingy and creepy. NO THANKS

The reason I gave this 3 stars instead of 4 is because we learn from page one who/what is behind what’s going on. We basically go through the entire book knowing a good deal about the paranormal force wreaking havoc, and that takes away the curiosity factor. There is a bit of a mystery over who is behind it all, but not enough to make me want to race towards the end for answers. I think the book gave away too much too fast and needed to conceal more of the mystery, and that is it’s flaw. That being said, I loved at the ending where the root of everything was explained. With all the hate and prejudice going on in the world today, a story like this is extremely relevant.

If you’re looking for scares, this probably isn’t the book for you because no part of this book is remotely scary. But if you’re looking for a light, supernatural mystery involving ghosts, you would enjoy this read! 3/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy in return for an honest review.

The Dead and the Dark is spine-chilling scary with some really intriguing twists and turns, I definitely do not recommend reading it at night. I am not into paranormal mystery books and I only picked up this book because of the sapphic aspect and I am so glad I did because it ended up being of the best books I’ve read in quite some time. It was totally addicting and so gripping, I slept at 3 in the morning.

As the main reason I was interested in this book was the sapphic romance so it was disappointing in the beginning that I didn't feel sparks between the couple and thought it was gonna be mediocre. But then like everything else in Dead and the Dark, it surprised me greatly and became one of the best things about the book. It turned into a chemistry filled slowburn that I couldn't get enough of.

If the sapphic and the top notch horror-mystery element isn't enough then read it for the father-daughter relationship. It was my most favourite thing in the book (and reminded me of Walter-Peter from Fringe) It didn't seem like much in the beginning but by the end it had me sobbing.

I did have a few little issue like <spoiler>If someone's drowning the girl you love right in front of you, would you just go and call the police, instead of trying to stop him? How could she not realize it'd be too late? ..And in the end where was John's punishment? Instead we got Ashley sympathizing with with that homophobic garbage can.</spoiler>

Overall, I pretty much loved everything in this book the eerie atmosphere, the relationships and the horror-mystery and now I am even more excited to read Echo Sunset by Courtney Gould.

Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.

SO GOOD!!! I absolutely loved the heartbreaking dynamic between logan and brandon it made me ache. Logan and ashley were cute too but GODDD they deserved more pining and development

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Dead and the Dark in exchange for an honest review!

The Dead and the Dark follows sceptic Logan after her ghost hunting fathers drag her back to the town they grew up with where she has to battle social ostracism, murder allegations, and a potentially paranormal murderer that's somehow linked to her family's past. Our other main perspective follows Ashley: a decently popular, influential member of that town who also happens to be the girlfriend of the first teenager to go missing in a string of disappearances and deaths.

I liked a lot of things here. A lot of the Ashley/Logan scenes were really cute and I think at its core, the mystery was well done, but this just had so many excess details that I don't think were needed. Everything included definitely fleshed out the world and characters, but it was often done in a way that wasn't necessary to or even hindered the plot. Paranormal mysteries like this one need to be snappy and fast-paced and while I enjoyed this, I think it could have been a lot better were a few more subplots trimmed down or removed entirely.

Courtney Gould’s thrilling YA debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places—and people—you didn’t expect.

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 - 𝙽𝚘 𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 by Courtney Gould

☞︎Thank you to the Publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book. All review and ratings reflect my personal views without bias from this generosity.

𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎
YA Paranormal (Romance)

𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜
352

𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎
~2.5 hrs total

𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢
Darkness lurks in the shadows it creates, but it is leaking out and searching for a new place to cast into the shadows.

Logan and her reality show ghostbusting dads show up in Snakebite just as kids start disappearing. Secrets of their past hide and relationships of their present blossom. While some mourn the lost other deny they are gone and claim they still linger.

Logan goes searching for answers to her own questions and others. What she discovers is far bigger than she could have imagined.

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍
-The romantic relationships represented are diverse and not just for tokenism’s sake. Characters grapple with contempt and acceptance of their relationships, but it isn’t done in a way that is disrespectful and a write off.
-The story had me on edge every moment I was reading it. I finished the book in two sittings and I didn’t even want to stop reading the first sitting.
-There is a trigger warning at the beginning. This books deals with triggering topics, so I think that was important to mention.

𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍
-Honestly not really anything.
-I was at times like actually scared when reading this, but given the genre, I think that’s the point at times. But, if that’s not you’re thing, then take it into consideration.

𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐
★★★★★/5
I very very rarely give a full five stars to anything. This one blew me away.

𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜
☞︎ Please note that some of these could be considered spoilers, so only read if you need to know possible triggers. These are listed on the website and the dedication.

Homophobia (verbal and physical)
Death of a child
Murder
Claustrophobia
Drowning
Slurs
Physical abuse (non-domestic)

Oh my goodness did I want to love this one!

Ugh, I'm not surprised but am in the minority of this one since all I have been seeing for this one has high praise and stars.

I am a HUGE horror and supernatural aspect... and this one in my opinion was lacking BIG time in that aspect. The book is marketed as a paranormal plot and it just fell super flat.

In this small town of Snakebite, I was gripped initially with the story but as the chapters wore on my confusion continued to grow and was wondering what was going on. I was skimming a lot of the book and there was too much unnecessary parts in the book that just weren't important to the story.

I was sadly left disappointed and was wanting so much more with this story.

Overall, 3 stars.

Thank you to Wednesday/St Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 8/3/21
Published to GR: 2/16/21.

I grew up reading Nancy Drew and watching Casper, so I guess it isn't so surprising that I love ghost hunting shows, the paranormal, and small town lore. Growing up in a small Republican town helped me to frame this story perfectly with my own experiences.

I could have done without some of the sub plots as I did feel like that aspect dragged down the suspense element. The story was dripping in so much detail that it made it easy to picture in my mind's eye but also hindered it from feeling as thrilling/suspenseful as it could have.

I am very much looking forward to recommending this to fellow spooky friends and reading more from this author in the future.

5/5

Sometimes a family can be a lesbian, her girlfriend, and her two ghosthunting dads, and I think that is truly beautiful. The editor for The Dead and the Dark described it as “like Riverdale, but good,” and they are absolutely right about it. In a quiet town in Oregon on the edge of nowhere, the tragic disappearance of a young boy marks the beginning of a descent into upheaval. Enter into the chaos TV’s resident ghost hunting duo, Brandon and Alejo, returning to their hometown of Snakebite after many years in hopes of solving the disappearance. Joining them in this endeavor is their daughter Logan, who has never felt more out of sorts than she has upon her arrival in the strange town. With more teenagers winding up missing, and still no answers in sight, Logan begins to take matters into her own hands as she enlists the aid of an unlikely stranger. Someone who just might help her discover what lurks behind the shadows.

Upon starting The Dead and the Dark, I began to feel myself slowly unwind as I was led deeper into its tangled web of secrets. Secrets that built up inside my mind until they threatened to crash down the very foundations that had been so delicately composed. All this is an elaborate way of saying that this book not only architectured an intricately layered horror story, but managed to make me cry in the process. A feat that has never been easily attained in my book. Courtney Gould’s inquiry into grief and loneliness is certainly one that evokes emotion, and left me with not much else to do but grapple with all that had been expressed. The novel's subtle exposition of a darkness taking root in a small community, and the ramifications associated with giving such a darkness voice, was such a powerful component throughout. I've found that horror grounded in truth will always triumph over everything else and never fail to leave an impression on me. Which is perhaps the strongest part of this debut, and had me thinking for days afterward about the meaning behind it all. Going into this, all I really had in the back of my mind were two things: sapphics + ghosts, and dammit if either of them weren't flawlessly represented in all parts of the novel. The ghost hunting girlfriend representation the world was waiting for and we all deserve. From the cover alone, I should have known this book would give me everything I needed. A look into an eerie town and the secret’s it contains, and a visualization of the resentment that often follows people from place to place. I loved the deep dive into family dynamics and the commentary on how unresolved trauma can adversely impact the relationship between parent and child. Throughout the sinister undertones, that remained apparent and was touched on well. The twisting nature and Stranger Things vibe of this will certainly draw people in, but much like the darkness at work within the town, they will stay entirely for one messy ghosthunting family.

Trigger warnings: blood, violence, murder, attempted murder, drowning, funeral, death of a main character, homophobia, homophobic language, hate crimes

OK, I admit it--I picked this book because of that stunning cover. But a supernatural whodunit was intriguing; it reminded me a bit of Supernatural's "GhostFacers" episodes. The setting of this small Oregon town was vivid and well done, and I enjoyed the characters. And can I say how fantastic it is to see an uptick in publishing queer stories? And not just the funny gay best friend or the quirky lesbian bartender in the background of a few scenes--front and center queer characters and stories. But as soon as ghosts started sending text messages via some convenient spectral technology chip, I was done. I skimmed to the end just to see what the heck was going on. Without spoiling anything, I appreciated the underlying message of the manifestation, but I just couldn't get on board with the path to get there. Still, I have no doubt this book will find its audience; it just didn't include me.