3-3.5, I was really torn here, because the parts of The Dead and the Dark I liked were REALLY great. I also had moments of great boredom or eye-rolling. It's not too common to say a standalone is too ambitious, but think part of the issue here is that a lot of emotional weight and plot details were rushed due to time limitations. The romance (while actually charming) was rushed significantly, and some aspects of the twist were sloppy and awkward. Logan's dads to me were the hi-light of the story- and despite being side characters, had the heaviest emotional weight in the story.

In some ways, The Dead and the Dark feels like a sequel that should have been written after telling the story of the parents of the town.

But as far as the good stuff, I really liked (again) the adult characters in this book, who were all super interesting. Logan and Ashley were also likable. The flow and concepts in the book were a lot like "IT", which was really fun- sort of a whistful, spooky magical horror that explored the emotional darkness of the town itself rather than a "big bad". This was a clear contemporary, but it almost made me nostalgic.

4.33 stars

We follow Logan and her dads, TV ghost hunters Brandon and Alejo, as they arrive in the couple's hometown of Snakebite. They soon realize that there's something wrong going on as teenagers mysteriously disappear, some even turning up dead. Then we meet Ashley, a local teenager whose boyfriend's ghost has been following her since he went missing. Looking for answers and hoping to end the disappearances, Logan and Ashley team up to investigate whatever is haunting the town.

Macmillan Audio has done it again! And Soneela Nankani's narration was everything this book deserved. Her pace was fantastic; she brought the characters to life and made it easy for me to follow along. I was never confused as to what was going on.

The highlight of The Dead and the Dark for me was the enthralling plot and the engrossing character work. I could honestly close my eyes and imagine each character as a real person (for better or worse). The use of horror as a proxy to social commentary was really well done. I finished the book reflecting on how scary real life can be!

The execution was solid, in my opinion, but I wish the atmosphere had been just slightly scarier. Maybe because I was so consumed with the characters, I wasn't scared, and I wish I had been. I still think this is a beautiful novel, though, and I am delighted I read it. I'll carry Brandon with me for a long time.

Pain - this summons the book up to me. This book is dark and scary. Although the horror fan in me was delighted with the supernatural undertones of The Dead and the Dark, the most frightening thing about this book is how well it represents real life in the issues dealt with, such as queerness, prejudice, grief, loss. I don't know how to talk about this book without spoiling it, as its fluidity and the order we are introduced to incidents were such a big part of my experience. I will say this: how much I related to Brandon was borderline unhealthy. His arc was the best thing about the novel to me.

I lie; there are many things I loved in this novel, and arrrghhhh it's hard to talk about it without spoilers, but hear me out and bear with my vagueness. The Dark was used as an analogy and what it represents, HOW it represents it, was so beautiful and enthralling. Snakebite, unfortunately, is not just a fictional town with made-up people - it's a petri dish that under the microscope exposes the worst in humankind and the world. I wish I could say I don't see people like that more often than I'd like. The queer relationships in this book are everything. For one, Brandon and Alejo have a healthier and stronger relationship with each other than most hetero couples I know. They are also excellent parents. The last thing I will mention in the "reasons to love this book" list is that Gould's story is organic and reads naturally. She didn't hesitate (or maybe she did?) to make difficult choices. The result paid off, in my opinion.




Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Macmillan Audio, Courtney Gould, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Dead and the Dark.

This is a story about a girl searching for the dark in a family who speaks to the dead.

This was a creepy, fun, small town horror. Also, there’s great LGBTQIA+ representation! I think I wanted more relationship building, but as is it was a quick and effective ghost story.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. 💫

Thank you so much @netgalley & @macmillan.audio & @stmartinspress & @wednesdaybooks for this eArc & ALRC!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

The narration was excellent. Easy to understand.

As for the story it was okay.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Dead and the Dark. I would consider this a mystery thriller with a dash of paranormal. If you like this genre, try out this debut author. Personally I thought this book was OK. The writing was good, but I thought the storyline had problems. Others are loving this debut. So was it just me?

Logan and her two ghost hunter dads, Alejo and Brandon, have just moved to Snakebite, Oregon. It's their hometown and they've come to investigate the supernatural for their TV show ParaSpectors. However, when Brandon arrives ahead of his family, a local teen, Tristan, goes missing. Ashley, his girlfriend doesn't believe he's dead, but they can't seem to find him anywhere in this small town. Soon Ashley and Logan team up to solve this murder.
I was lucky enough to listen to an audio ARC of this book read by Soneela Nankani, and let me just tell you, that audio is the way to go for this story. When she read the Dark sections, I got chills. She really solidified the spookiness of the story in her narration.
The Dead and the Dark is a solid horror story, a modern ghost story told in a unique way. I loved this book! I definitely recommend it. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this audio ARC!

This book is incredible!!!

Queer characters - check
Mystery - check
Enemies to lovers - check
Ghost hunting girlfriends- CHECK

Logan and her dads (paranormal investigators) come to Snake Bite for a job. Ashley is in mourning over the loss of her friend, who she hopes is just missing, despite everyone else giving up.

The whole town is against Logan’s dads and she doesn’t understand why. They even suspect one of them of committing a local crime. Despite Logan and Ashley’s many unpleasant run-ins, the two team up to solve the mystery. Logan’s on a mission to clear her dad’s name and Ashley just wants to find her missing friend. Together the two work through a dark and twisty adventure. Both girls discover new things about themselves and come out changed forever.

This is a solid debut, but I can't help but wonder if I thought this was going to be different based on the synopsis or my excitable expectations. The opening interlude is deliciously dark and entirely creepy, which sets an ominous tone for the town of Snakebite, Oregon. While definitely a slow burning story, both in the mystery behind the disappearances and also the budding romance between two of our main characters, I think the pacing works well for the type of story that this is. I had the privilege of listening to an advance audio copy, and narrator Soneela Nankani's voice is like smooth butter, simply enhancing the narrative as she speaks. She's truly a vocal artist, and I will actively seek more books that she has contributed to.

The paranormal aspect of the plot is mostly vague and mysterious for a majority of the book, probably to allow for character development amongst the side issues at hand, and I think this worked well. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on, and wondered how Snakebite played a part in Logan and her dads' past and was also contributing to their current troubles. I adore that we get to see a healthy and established relationship between Alejo and Brandon, and how we even get a sneak peek at how they met and came together in the past. Logan is a wonderfully complex, and I found myself much more drawn to her story and portions of the book. Their little family unit completely won my heart, and I could have read an entire trilogy featuring Brandon and Alejo as a couple and as parents.

My main concerns came from the romance between Logan and Ashley. I felt like this part of the story was more "tell" than "show" which left me struggling to feel their connection. Also, I don't want to include any spoilers, but there is a scene around 70% between Ashley and Logan and the dialogue after a moment between them, followed by a major betrayal on Ashley's part, left me feeling uncomfortable. After that happened, I just couldn't trust Ashley's motives, and this did dampen the rest of the story for me. Overall, a creative plot and I see a flourishing future for the author!

Author's Note:
"Some of the thematic material in The Dead and the Dark involves child death and endangerment, violence including strangulation and drowning, homophobia, and homophobic slurs. For a more detailed description of sensitive content please visit gouldbooks.com/books/tdatd.

2021 Dennis has promised himself that he won't negatively bash unfavorable reviews for books, so if you enjoy magical / paranormal stories in the young adult genre, definitely consider picking up The Dead and the Dark . Sadly, this one didn't work out so much for me and tended to spiral in aspects that just lost my interest.

Holy wow. I was completely planning on having this audiobook on hand for casual listening for the next week, but after I got around a third of the way through, I was totally sucked in. I normally don't have much of a stamina for listening to audiobooks for long periods of time, but I was totally content to do nothing but listen to this book for hours.

One POV follows Logan and her two traveling ghosthunting dads. The other follows Ashley, who lives in Snakebite, Oregon, the small town where Logan and her family end up. Ashley's boyfriend, Tristan, has gone missing, and everyone in the town thinks that Logan's mysterious family has something to do with it. Part mystery, part lesbian love story, part paranormal thriller, this book had something intriguing and inexplainable at every turn. It's rare that a book can actually get my heart racing, but this one did it easily. The story unfolds with perfect pacing and a constant amount of tension that keeps you totally engaged in the story. I was never bored and was always questioning everything I knew about the characters and the town. Every time I thought I could guess how it would end, I was totally wrong. But it all came together perfectly.

In particular, I really loved the characters. Logan, who has never had one place to call home, is placed strongly in contrast to the tight-knit community of Snakebite. She is lonely, self driven, and curious, and in combination, these things are what push her to the center of the mystery. It's easy to empathize with her because of her frustration over knowing she is being lied to. And her contrast with Ashley is also so perfect. The author also does a great job of exploring her grief as Ashley's grapples with extreme loss. She has such a great character arc. And don't get me started on Alejo and Brandon. They are just so wholesome.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes YA, mysteries, sapphic romance, horror, or paranormal stories. Or just anyone at all. I really hope this gets made into a TV series someday. It would be perfect.

The rating is somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.

The book isn’t bad by any means, but I was definitely wanting it to go dig into more depth than it did.

The story literally revolves around the small town of Snakebite, OR, and how its residents are resistant to change. I find it interesting that this small town openly accepts people of color (Alejo’s family) but draws the line at queerness. With a lot of small, conservative towns these two are synonymous.

Anyways. I didn’t quite buy the creepy atmosphere that this story set out to create from a paranormal aspect. Rather, I saw a story of a town full of bigoted people that refused to accept queer people and just assumed that they would do anything to protect their own.

What I did enjoy was the established healthy relationship of the dads (Brandon and Alejo) and their immediate acceptance of Logan’s sexuality as a lesbian. Logan very much reminded me of Kat from
Casper who is tied to ghost hunting dads that just wanted to be left the hell alone and not lied to. Logan was a relatable character and a refreshing addition to Snakebite.

Overall, I think this story has good bones as a thriller with interesting horror elements, but I just want to see the author dig in a bit more.

4.5 stars

What a debut!

Logan is an excellent m.c., and hers is the perspective I most enjoy throughout this novel. She the queer daughter of two fathers who host a ghost hunting show, and while this would be a cool premise on its own, the whole scene is strengthened by the family's convenient presence in the fathers' hometown. This location has been recently plagued by disappearing teens, and while the family is trying to get to the bottom of this mystery, there is also widespread concern that some of them may be responsible and/or involved somehow.

There is so much to love about this. First, the coming of age/finding your true self through line has a really cool spin. Logan is a very traditional YA character in the sense that she longs for adulthood/a sense of who she really is, but what she learns is so much more interesting than the average narrative. Her fathers possess many secrets, which certainly adds to both her struggle and her intrigue, but these secrets are not what readers might expect.

Another exceptional aspect is the timely treatment of small-mindedness. This town is filled with homophobes, and Logan gets to hear many manifestations of people's thoughts in this area. I really love how Gould uses the fathers' experiences in the town to highlight that not much has changed by way of local mentality. To me, this is a particularly timely conversation (i.e. we can't rely on the bigots to die out).

Overall, I found this to be a creative demonstration of typical YA tropes in new and intriguing ways, and there is just the right amount of fantasy and reality mixed in here. The rep is on point, too. Very much looking forward to what Gould shares next!

Having read a digital galley of this, I gave the first hour of this a listen and thought the narration was really good. I felt that the narrator fit the character really well and had a captivating way of engaging the listener to the story.

This one was harder to listen to. The narrator, when the speed was bumped up, sounded kind of electronic. (It's not the app, I listen at the same speeds to all my books and this is the first to sound that way) I'm sure that will be fixed before publication, so this is purely directed at the review copy, but I thought it might help improve future review copies by sharing that. Sometimes it was confusing to know who was being read or talked to- the narrator didn't do a very good job at changing up the tone enough to know. I enjoyed the storyline though, from what I could understand anyway. I might have to pick up the physical copy when it's available just to see if it's any easier to read.

Wow. Not at all what I was expecting, but so much better.

At its core The Dead and The Dark is a tale of family. A grieving father willing to do anything to protect his daughter, even defy the laws of nature. And face the consequences.

Addresses the toxicity that often comes with small towns and small minds. The bad thoughts and the bad deeds of this town manifests into a supernatural entity.

I loved this book so much. So wonderfully written, the storyline executed perfectly. The characters were lovable and showed growth and a willingness to forgive.

The narrator was perfect.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.