I cannot give a proper review of this audiobook as I unfortunately DNF it as I was unable to get into the audiobook. I may try again at a later point in time and will update my review.

The Dead and the Dark is fast paced and wonderfully written book that deals with discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, small town rumor mills, and the family dynamic all while twisting themes of YA drama, mystery, and the paranormal throughout. I did not expect to enjoy this book nearly as much as I did. From the first chapter, I couldn't help but want to know more and more about the characters and plot of The Dead and Dark and used every opportunity that I could to listen to more of the audio book so that I could see how it ended.

Outside of the writing itself, I really think that the narration and cover art both deserve recognition. The cover is beautiful and the narration really worked well for this book. I truly believe the narrator did help me connect better with the main character.

If I were to pinpoint one negative about this story, I'd say that it was a bit hard for me to believe that this community was so stubborn and outdated on their views of the LGBTQ+ community (even in the current timeline of the story) but we didn't see really any racism or religious outcry due to the main family literally making their living off of ghost hunting either in the current opinion of the family or the past criticisms of the fathers. Unfortunately, as somehow who does have a lot of experience with rural, small town mentality, I found that a little unbelievable and did expect it to be touched on at least a little bit. However, that is a minor criticism and I thought the story was creepy, complex, and fun just as was.

“Ghosts are death, but maybe death can mean different things…If pain is the measure, I promise Snakebite is full of ghosts.”

THE DEAD AND THE DARK is a queer paranormal YA novel, a gripping thriller about the things that haunt us: ghosts, yes, but also loneliness, loss, and unbearable grief. Logan’s dads are the stars of “ParaSpectors”, a reality TV show that tracks down paranormal phenomena. Location scouting leads them to Snakebite, Oregon, a small town far from anything. Ashley is struggling with the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend, and she, along with the other residents of Snakebite, are noticing that something is off. Logan and Ashley start working together to figure out what’s haunting Snakebite, uncovering secrets that will forever change the town, their families, and themselves.

This book grabbed me and didn’t let me go. The pacing was excellent and the writing was subtly creepy throughout, teasing the paranormal elements of the story and also weaving in that tone to other feelings and experiences the characters have. There’s not one but two queer relationships, and I loved both of them (though I wish we had a bit more from the main sapphic pairing). There’s powerful and realistic family dynamics incorporated through, especially within parent/child relationships. The central mystery of the story was well-executed, and without giving too much of a spoiler, I really liked how Gould tied in some of the negative aspects of small-town life and culture. Gould does an amazing job of capturing life in a rural area: the feeling of being lost in time, so far away from the hustle of big cities; of knowing everyone and yet growing up with people who you almost never speak to; how queerness feels like it’s not even an option. And of course hot horse girls in big trucks! As someone who grew up in a little rural town, in a county that felt ten years behind everyone else, I could relate to so much of what the characters experience, perhaps especially Brandon and Alejo: that inexorable pull back to your hometown, even as an adult queer person who has lived elsewhere, who knows what’s possible in a more progressive area and yet feels there’s someone about their small town that isn’t available anywhere else. I will say there’s not a speck of racism or xenophobia in this story, which felt unrealistic to me given the town’s homophobia. Overall, a compelling story that pulled me into both the mystery and the characters.

“Home didn’t need to be a place anymore. It didn’t need four walls or a rocky shore or stars over the hills. It was a feeling. It felt like this.”

Content warnings: homophobia, hate crime, job discrimination, kidnapping, attempted drowning, murders, death of a child

⚡️ I was provided an audio-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Out 8/3)

Snakebite, Oregon is a town where nothing really happens, and its residents like it being that way. But when teenagers start going missing and unexplainable weather starts hitting the town out of nowhere, Logan and her family of reality TV ghost hunters are forced to try to solve the mystery or become the town’s scapegoats.

In short, this book is very forgettable. A week after finishing it, I couldn’t remember much beyond the basic premise and that Soneela Nankani was the narrator (which is why I picked it up in the first place).

The entire premise of this book doesn’t make much sense to me and the writing that supports it is flimsy at best. When Logan goes to visit Snakebite as part of a location scouting trip for her family’s TV show, she’s surprised to learn that 1) her dads are from the town that they’re visiting, 2) there are only around six people around her age living in town, 3) one of the few teenagers in town is missing, and 4) her strained relationship with one of her dads is somehow worse than it’s even been.

What makes less sense in this supernatural mystery is how clumsily certain elements are introduced. At one point, a character more or less announces that ghosts are real and they can see them. Instead of clues being found or characters coming to conclusions about things, much of the developments made to the mystery of the book come when a character decides to spill everything that they know, all at once.

With the exception of the main two characters (who have a total of 3 personality traits between them), every single person in this story is so flat and motivated purely by a raging homophobia that gets so tiring any time that they appear on the page (this is not a joke, they all completely stop doing anything, anytime a queer character appears, and they more or less robitically start trying to get said queer character to leave wherever they both are).

Usually in fiction, it’s totally possible to suspend disbelief and just let the story happen, but there were just too many times when I paused because that’s not how anything actually works? Sure, in a mystery, it can make sense for certain characters to be suspected as red herrings and removed from the storyline to prove that it wasn’t them, but the choices made about which characters to take out and what they were doing in the time they were gone just absolutely baffled me (like you straight up cannot be held in a small town’s holding cell for 2 months on just suspicion of murder without even being given an opportunity to contact a lawyer or speak to your family, it just doesn’t work like that!).

I found myself questioning on more than once occasion if this book was edited. It’s not only that the story wasn’t great, but the writing was just not good. There were so many occasions where the same word was used multiple times in the same sentence when it could have been easily swapped with a pronoun or synonym. Conversations between characters felt awkward, no matter the situation or topic (A personal favorite, when a character mentions that they’re a lesbian: “I think you’re really brave.” “Cool.”). The plot was mostly extremely predictable or completely “wait where did that come from out of nowhere.”

I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone, unless your entire personality is watching ghost hunting shows. If you’re someone who can handle major secondhand embarrassment from awkward conversations, more power to you here. It’s oddly paced and sometimes very clumsily written, and I would not recommend it.

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould tells the story of Snakebite, Oregon, where teens are going missing, the weather isn't normal, and TV ghost hunters have just returned to town. I went into this book completely blind, which I felt like was a great choice! The book is a paranormal mystery and definitely gives off all the sinister vibes throughout. It gets off to a dark start very quickly, which I loved. The characters were interesting and well-developed, and I absolutely loved the chapters from the perspective of the dark. I also really appreciated the representation and relationships between the characters.

I listened to the audiobook of The Dead and the Dark which is narrated by Soneela Nankani. I thought the audio was wonderfully performed with unique voices of the characters, and it transported me into the story. It was easy to get lost in this audiobook and listen continuously for hours. Overall, this was a great story with fantastic audio narration and I would highly recommend it!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the ALC of this title, which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

The Dead and the Dark is a deliciously dark debut. Logan Ortiz-Woodley is forced to temporarily move to the mysterious town of Snakebite, Oregon with her reality TV ghost-hunting dads. She can immediately tell her parents are connected to this strange place--and she’s determined to find out how...and why they’re being so secretive about it.

Ashley Barton’s reeling from the recent disappearance of her boyfriend. She can feel his presence, and she’s determined to find out what happened.

Logan and Ashley form an unlikely alliance to connect the dots on these mysteries that they’re starting to suspect are connected. The deeper they look, the darker the secrets. Now more teens are missing, and the Ortiz-Woodleys are at the center of the investigation.

There are some spectacular twists with plenty of paranormal activity that will have you teetering on the edge of reality at some points. The pacing is fantastic. It’s seeping with suspense that continues to keep your senses on high alert, and I definitely recommend checking out the audio for this one! Even though it’s told through multiple points of view, the single narrator (Soneela Nankani) is super effective for the storytelling here.

I read this title as a buddy read with @lovearctually and got a chance to chat with Courtney. I'll definitely be checking out what she publishes in the future! Thanks to Wednesday Books and MacMillan Audio for an ALC for this title.

I love thrillers, but I'm not usually a fan of supernatural/horror stories. This title had fantastic reviews from friends, though, so I had to check it out!

I'm so glad I did. I listened to The Dead & the Dark constantly for two days straight. I was drawn into the atmospheric mystery immediately, and I couldn't stop until I reached the conclusion. This is a perfect YA thriller!

🎧 The audiobook voice actor was wonderful. She flawlessly narrated all of the characters. I listened at 1.75x speed.

I was able to listen to an audiobook version of this arc and really enjoyed it! The narrator did a great job with all the individual voices and really helped up the creep factor! I think the audio really helped me get more fully enveloped into the story and all of the characters heads.

As for the story, I did like it! The slight fantastical element mixed in with this small town full of the types of people you’d expect as well as this simmering tension between the main character and her love interest definitely captured and held my attention throughout the book. I just wish we had gotten more in depth information about the darkness and where it originates from. I just felt like we could’ve went so much more into that but that could just be me since I enjoy more fantasy elements generally.

I did guess a majority of the big reveals which was kind of a bummer because I like being surprised but ultimately it still ended up shocking me as those reveals were shown and experienced! Some scenes were creeping me out, I had to pause for the night😅

Just a warning, there are a lot of homophobic comments and people in this book so if you are at all sensitive with this, I’d be cautious with reading this book.

Overall, it was a solid murder mystery/thriller with an interesting fantastical element, spooky scenes and a sort of enemies-reluctant allies-friends-to lovers sort of situation going on which I enjoyed! If you think this is the book for you, I’d definitely recommend it. A great debut!

3/5⭐️

TW: death, missing/murdered teenagers, blood, drowning, slight gore, homophobia, assault.

This book is an excellent read for those who are enthralled by the things that take place in the shadows of small town life. This book answers the question of just how evil your so-called “neighbors” can be; plus, how far and how fast that evil can spread in such a small town.

When kids start going missing in Snakebite, Oregon, the townsfolk point their wicked claws at the paranormal investigation team who just returned to town with their teenage daughter, Logan. As tensions build, Logan’s dads start to rethink their choice of coming back to Snakebite. It isn’t until they are personally attacked at their hotel room that Logan feels the need to solve this damn mystery herself. Which leads her to Ashley, the girlfriend of one of the boys who has gone missing mysteriously around the time Logan’s dads arrived in town. Despite the rumors being spread, Ashley agrees to work alongside Logan, especially since Ashley can see her boyfriend's ghost following her around. As they investigate this horrendous mystery, they start to uncover more than what they bargained for. Something is not right in Snakebite. And it doesn’t look like it will stop at the hands of these two teen girls. How far will Logan and Ashley go to get the truth behind the evil that plague Snakebite?

I really enjoyed this book because it had everything I look for in a thriller/mystery. I admire characters who are real and believable, I never found myself wondering why a character would be doing something. I also liked the storyline. I find that reading about characters who have to follow up on the shady deals they made is a really good story and this book gives us that and more. I really appreciate the representation in the book as well, it's just two dads who are trying to raise their daughter in the crazy small town they once called home. Reading (listening: audiobook) this gave me chills. It has so many supernatural and spooky elements that are an absolute treasure to read. Courtney Gould is a fantastic story-teller and this book is proof.

Everything from the plot, the characters, and the narrator was awesome. I listened for hours straight while I was driving. I didn't even want to pull over for gas because I didn't want to pause! I told my husband to stop calling me because I didn't want any interruptions.

The story follows a young woman named Logan whose fathers are ghost hunters. Think cheesy paranormal investigators who do jump scares in haunted houses. Logan's father Brandon goes back to his hometown to "scout" for new locations, but when Logan and her other father come into town, she soon realizes there are secrets from her past she never knew. With the help of a local girl, whose boyfriend went missing, Logan and Ashley team up to find Ashley's missing boyfriend and uncover Logan's family secrets.

If you're into paranormal, ghosts, angsty teen drama, and thrillers this is a good book to read

This YA mystery was truly unputdownable! It was such a treat to listen to The Dead and The Dark on Macmillan audio. Soneela Nankani did a wonderful job narrating this story providing the right amount of mystery in her voice.  Especially during the interludes.  This story gripped me from the beginning and kept me in suspense until the final resolve, which I did not see coming. Courtney Gould is a master at building suspense while keeping the story moving.  I really enjoyed her characters especially the two gay dads. It's good to see all kids of families in stories.  I highly rate this story and recommend it for those looking for a good paranormal thriller.

The Dead And The Dark Review!

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and Courtney Gould, for the gifted audio copy of The Dead and the Dark, for an honest review! This book is out on August 3rd!

I realize I’m not the intended audience with this genre, but it felt a little slow to me and boring at times. The Dead and the Dark was a 3.5/5 ⭐️. While I did like the small town and paranormal vibes, along with the Bates Motel, this one was a little weird for me. I’m not sure if it had to do with the narrator, but it seemed confusing at times! Also, I’m not a romance girl and this book seemed more of a dramatic, ya, romance, than a horror! That being said, this one was very chilling at times. There were some very creepy twists at the end and I did not see them coming!

Synopsis: As soon as Logan’s paranormal investigator dads show up in the small town of Snakebite, teens seem to be dropping like flies. Ashley’s boyfriend is one teenagers that disappears and she immediately blames the ghost hunters for his vanishing. Logan and Ashley begin to work together to prove that her dads are innocent and something evil is amongst them in Snakebite.

This one felt too... Quiet. I didn't feel the lurking sense of menace I would expect with two narrators whose peers are being murdered one by one. Like, yeah they talked about it, but there was never a fear that it would happen to them.

I also feel like having the Interludes kind of undermined the mystery of it all. Because the whole time we, the readers, know significantly more than our protagonists.

But also when a huge portion of your plot hinges on A asking B a question that B knows the answer to but B saying "I'll tell you later" is a little flimsy. Like, to know that the answer was there the whole time but just out of reach because... Why? Like, we never got a reason for why B elected not to tell A, just that B would tell A later. I guess the big reveal needed to happen, but... Flimsy.

I did enjoy the descriptions of the town and the area, the cabin, the motel, how the two protagonists view each other. I would definitely read another book by Gould, but this one wasn't quite a winner.

I'm also a big fan of Soneela Nankani, so I found the audiobook experience engaging and enjoyable.

I really liked the narrator for this audiobook, she really brought the story to life!

I really enjoyed this book, it was spooky with a good mystery. It took a while to figure out what was going on in this book but it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story. There is ghost hunting, a murder mystery, and a love story. It is a very complex in the same way that real life is complex. This is one of those books that is really hard to talk about without giving away the plot but it was a fun ride along the way!

The Dead and the Dark was such a fabulous, dark, and twisty read! I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters were great! I switched between the audiobook and the eBook and definitely recommend the audio. The narrator did a really great job with this! I do think this one should be classified as a SCI-FI thriller since some of the subject matter has a paranormal aspect to it. This could be off-putting to typical mystery/thriller readers. I found it to be a page=turner though and definitely recommend to those who love SCI-FI/paranormal mystery/thriller reads!

This lesbian horror YA novel would make a perfect read for the Spooky Season. Logan and her paranormal-investigator dads return to the town her parents grew up in, only for teens to start disappearing or turning up dead. Local Ashley's boyfriend was the first to go missing and months later, there's still no body. The town of Snakebite is so small and insular that outsiders are immediately suspect, especially if they're queer and Latinx. Even if they grew up in town.

As things escalate, Ashley and Logan team up to figure out what's going on and develop feelings for each other as they do. I would not call this a romance, but there is an HEA/HFN. The Dead and the Dark kept me guessing and while I had figured out some of the reveals, others were surprising and one was rather shocking. I wanted some more consequences for a few characters, but unfortunately that's not how the real world works either.

In all, a compelling horror/paranormal suspense and a very gay one at that.

Audio notes: This narration was solid, but since it's two young women in dual-POV, I would have preferred two different narrators. The characters themselves are different enough that it was mostly fine, but Soneela Nankani doesn't differentiate between their voices and I kept losing track. (This may be a "me" thing.)

***

Content Warnings: murder, attempted murder, hate crime (attempted drowning), homophobia, implied racism, possession, death of a child, gun violence, lots of violence

I received an audio and ebook review copy of this book from the publisher. I read the audio.

I was glad to give The Dead and the Dark 4.5 out of 5 spooky stars. The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould was the type of book that was way out of my comfort zone. It was not my usual genre of books I tend to read but it more than worked for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect but all I can say was that I was not at all disappointed. If anything, I loved it. I would categorize The Dead and the Dark as a young adult supernatural thriller with paranormal elements. The cover of the book, designed by Wednesday Designs, was spooky and dark enough to suggest the type of book it was. I listened to the audiobook of The Dead and the Dark. It was brilliantly narrated by Soneela Nankani. Her voice was atmospherically engrossing and added just the right amount of mystery and intrigue. Her performance gave me the shivers at times. The characters were likable and very believable. It was hard for me to process that The Dead and the Dark was a debut novel for Courtney Gould. I can’t wait to see what she will do next. I do hope that her next novel will include some of the characters from this one. The Dead and the Dark was very well written and had me on the edge of my seat for much of the book.

In a little town in Oregon called Snakebite where everyone knew everyone else strange things started to happen. “The Dark has been waiting for far too long, and it won’t stay hidden any longer.” Strange weather patterns started to develop. “For the first time in thirteen years, it snows in Snakebite.” Ashley Barton was a local eighteen year old girl whose boyfriend, Tristan Granger, had mysteriously disappeared. Tristan was the first of many teen friends to vanish without a trace. As the first disappearance occurred, Brandon Woodley arrived in Snakebite. Brandon and his husband Alejo had grown up in Snakebite and left thirteen years ago. Was it coincidental that these men appeared in Snakebite just as teens started to mysteriously disappear and others were discovered dead? Brandon Woodley’s return to Snakebite coincided with the disappearance of Ashley’s boyfriend and the strange weather. Alejo, Brandon’s husband, and Logan, Brandon’s and Alejo’s adopted daughter, arrived shortly after Tristan’s disappearance. Brandon and Alejo were the producers of the popular TV show, ParaSpectors. They were seeking out “the perfect place to film the next ParaSpectors season premiere”. Brandon had arrived six months prior to Logan’s and Alejo’s arrival. The locals did not welcome Brandon with open arms. Sensing that something was not right in Snakebite, Logan and Ashley slowly learned to trust each other and worked together to try and discover who or what was haunting Snakebite and was killing their friends. Ashley learned that she had a unique gift. She could feel the presence of her friend’s spirits and even started to see their ghosts after Logan came to Snakebite. As Ashley’s and Logan’s investigation intensified, the girls came to learn things about Snakebite that neither had known about. They discovered things about both of their families and about each other. Mutually they began to develop romantic feelings for each other.

I liked The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould so much more than I thought I was going to like it. It was fast paced, haunting, riveting and twisty. The Dark proved to be extremely sinister, menacing and unrelenting. It was a force to be reckoned with. Could it be stopped before it killed more innocent teens? The Dead and the Dark warranted high praise for its unique story, mystery and supernatural qualities. I will look forward to reading more books by Courtney Gould. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own. The Dead and the Dark will be published on August 3, 2021.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
The audiobook was well done and didn't detract from the story. The story of the darkness was unique but I think it had more potential then was utilized. It got too intertwined with their story of not being accepted in a small town, and that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I stopped and started this book a few times, but just couldn't get into it. Sorry! ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... , .

Am I now a YA thriller lover? You bet I am. This book is spooky, moody, and twisted. I enjoyed the pace of the story as well as the connection between the characters. Adorable ending. Loved it!