I LOVED this book! It had the perfect amount of mystery and intrigue. The twists were perfectly placed so I didn’t get bored. The characters were relatable and likeable. Great job! Highly recommend

This book was hands fown amaxing for a debut. Was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The eeriness of the town. Love the lbtq moments one of the best debuts ive read in a long time

The Dead And The Dark by Courtney Gould

This is a YA Horror novel, with paranormal elements and a very dark setting!

In this, we are in a town called Snakebite, Oregon and very strange and creepy things begin to happen! We are following the story of our main character Logan, along with another resident named Ashley and the two of them begin to uncover the secrets of snakebite.

The Pros:
- I LOVED the setting for this book. I thought it was very atmospheric and creepy.
- The representation in this book is also very well done, a lot of LGBT+ rep.
- The pacing of this novel was great, with Interludes spread throughout the story, I thought that it was done very well.
- I was genuinely creeped out and that is exactly what I want in a horror novel.
-The plot twists in this book were so shocking, I did not see them coming at all! Something else I love in a novel!

The Cons:
-not a book issue, but the audiobook on the netgalley shelf app was not working at all. It would cut out, not play half the time and it just really made my reading experience less enjoyable. (no star ratings were taken off for this) They have since done maintenance on the app and it seems to be working better.
-the characters didn't always make the best decision and some of the time you are thinking to yourself, really? you are better than this!

Overall:

I LOVED this book, so much more than I thought I would. This is a solid debut novel and I can't wait to pick up more from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me this arc!

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould is a debut paranormal mystery.
I went in completely blind and was pleasantly surprised by the story.

First let me give props to Wednesday Designs for the absolute gorgeous cover! They can do no wrong in my eyes. Seriously gorgeous cover with enough spooky vibes.

The story starts off with us meeting The Dark, so we’re immediately aware of something sinister. I really liked that there was no slow burn! We knew immediately that something was wrong in the small town of Snakebite Oregon. I love when a story can do that.

Obviously I think we’re all here for the sapphic romance and it didn’t disappoint! I loved the main characters. Logan and Ashley were both realistic enough and I never found them annoying.

While this book has mystery/supernatural themes it can still be enjoyed by everyone.
I’m kinda hoping we get more of these characters in the future.

I also listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed it. We only had one narrator. I do kinda wish they had a different one for the Dark cause that would have been cool. Overall I enjoyed the audio and narrator.

4.5/5

This was seriously spooky!!

Things are not right in Snakebite, Oregon. Teens are disappearing, some turning up dead, the weather is weird and everyone suspects TV's most popular ghost hunters. Logan Ortiz-Woodley has never been to Snakebite, but her dads grew up there and she can't help but feel like they've buried secrets here. Ashley Barton's boyfriend was the first to go missing, and ever since, she's been feeling his presence. But when the Ortiz-Woodley family arrives, she begins to see his ghost. Ashley and Logan don't know who to trust, but they reluctantly team up to figure out what exactly is happening in Snakebite.

The Dead and the Dark was a wild tale of ghosts, murder, and things that go bump in the night. This book really digs into the creepy and eerie side of thrillers with lots of late night and creepy forest scenes. I loved every second of it!

Logan knows her dad Alejo loves her, but her relationship with Bradon has been strange since their stop in Tulsa, where Logan made her first and only appearance on her dads' TV show ParaSpectors. Being in Snakebite only makes things worse, Brandon is continuing to pull away and Logan doesn't understand why. She's missed the sense of family she used to have and desperately craves it from somewhere.

Ashley feels that Snakebite is changing and she doesn't know whether she stills belongs there, though she's never imagined being anywhere else. I loved seeing how differently people reacted to Ashley compared to Logan. But then we get Logan and Ashley together and I knew I was a goner. Logan is very edgy and blunt. She doesn't give a shit about what Ashley's friends think and it was just so badass.

The way the mystery was crafted was amazing. I always had so many questions, and when part of one would be answered, I'd only end up with more. The ending was such a surprise. It takes paranormal to another level for me. I absolutely loved all the dark and creepy vibes of this one. Plus the "will they won't they" between Ashley and Logan was so well done. I had major squinty eyes the whole time.

Rep: Adopted lesbian MC with two dads, questioning sapphic MC medium, latine/x (possibly Mexican) bisexual man medium and white gay depressed man.

CWs: Alcohol consumption/underage drinking, biphobia, bullying, death, gun violence, grief, hate crime, homophobia, lesbophobia, murder, violence, possession by ghostly entity, kidnapping, stalking, mental illness (depression), self harm (emotional), suicidal thoughts, police brutality/abuse of power by police officer.

I really didn't care for this book. I thought the plot and characters were boring and I did not find them relatable. I wasn't impressed with the writing either. I really wanted to like this book based on the description, but I didn't.

Something is very wrong in Snakebite.
After Logan and her dads return to Snakebite, teens start to go missing, or worse, are found dead. Ashley Barton’s boyfriend is one of those missing teens.
Logan and Ashley must to work together to uncover the secrets of Snakebite.

This book was gripping and intense. I was hooked until the very end. There was always something happening, another twist or turn. I loved the writing style and the characters. While this book was creepy, I liked how it still went into the relationships between characters. Snakebite was so well crafted that it was easy to forget it’s not a real place.
Full of danger, ghosts and things that lurk in the dark.

Content warnings: murder, violence, death & homophobia.

The Dead and The Dark is perfect for fans of thrillers, mysteries and the paranormal. Great for readers who also enjoyed Wilder Girls or Mexican Gothic.

Easily one of my new favorites!

5 Stars ☆

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this arc!

I read the synopsis of this book and I thought okay it sounds good. Wow I had no idea how much I was really going to like this book. It is so good! It is such an eerie and haunting book. This story had me hooked. I enjoyed getting to know the characters in the book. There is so much going on in this story. There is so much mystery about the murders in the town and the mystery about the Ortiz-Woodley family. There is a beautiful undertone in this book about how hate can destroy people and how love and acceptance can be so beautiful.

I was granted complimentary ARC access to The Dead and the Dark via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest. Note that I requested the eARC before the audio ARC, but I prefer audiobooks so I requested it after anyway and was approved for both. I won't be writing two separate reviews, so in regards to the print/ebook just ignore my paragraph on narration.

The Dead and the Dark is a fascinating thriller set in Snakebite, Oregon, which is every little backwater town that hasn't embraced 21st-century views on diversity and human rights yet. Logan's fathers are every ghost hunting TV show's hosts, and she's over it. When the show brings them to Snakebite, a past Logan can't remember threatens to swallow her future.

Oh my gosh, I loved this book! I love paranormal stories, especially when there's a mystery element. I love thrillers. I love both positive and boldly realistic LGBTQIA+ representation. I love tragic twists and turns in sweet romance. This book? This book has all of that and more!

This book has a very cinematic feel to it and I feel like I've already watched a screen adaptation. These are definitely main characters and deserve this full length story they got, but they would make perfect guests and plot drivers in a Supernatural episode (maybe a 2-parter?)

The Dead and the Dark is an amazing debut and I'll be watching for Courtney Gould's name coming through NetGalley from now on. Wow! Seriously, if you like any of the genres and categories this book fits into, you really need to read it.

In terms of the audiobook performance, the narratiion was perfect. I didn't have any trouble at all telling the characters apart, the pacing of the performance was comfortable, and the narrator's voice is pleasant to listen to.

I'm not sure how to review this one. It's really great; I love the LGBTQ rep; and it's was atmospheric and creepy--right up my alley. IMO though, it was like horror lite. I think it'll be scary to most people, but I hyped myself up too much before I started, perhaps.

Still giving it five stars… so that should tell you something.

A big thank-you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook ARC.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It’s so delightful creepy, eerie, ominous, and it is amazing! I felt like I was plopped into this book. The prose is so vivid, the characters are so well crafted and developed, and the plot was oh so twisty! It has lovely LBGTQIA+ rep, which I loved. I also really enjoyed the pacing of this book! The mystery was fabulous and constantly kept me on my toes.

This was a stunning debut and I will absolutely be picking up everything else that Courtney Gould writes! I loved everything about this book—the characters, the writing, the plot, the atmosphere!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Advanced Reader’s Copies (I ended up with an egalley and the audiobook) that were provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is from Macmillan Audio/Macmillan Young Listeners and the egalley is from St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books.

Snakebite, Oregon is a perfect backwoods town to set up a storyline like this. They're remote from civilization, they're a town of people set in their ways, set in "this is how it's always been", who cannot accept change. They're sheltered from the world (in all meanings of that phrase). And it's a playground for anything sinister looking for a place to cause chaos.

We've got two men raising an orphan child as their own, we've got the paranormal (both what "happens" on their reality tv show and what happens in the real world), and we've got long buried secrets that will no longer stay hidden.

Not gonna lie, I REEEEEAAAAALLLLLYYYYY wanted to hurt the jerk teenage boys in Snakebite, especially after one of the biggest climatic scenes later in the novel. You'll know what I mean when you get there.

I wouldn't say THE DEAD AND THE DARK is scary, but there is definitely a level of creepiness to it. Once the story got going I was hooked and trying to put the pieces together before Gould revealed what was really going on. There were some twists that were REALLY good.

This has ghosts, a murder mystery, two teens trying to figure out who they are as they face adulthood, small town secrets, and malevolent forces (of both the paranormal and the bigoted human varieties), all wrapped up in a narrative that will be hard to put down once you start reading.

Logan is such a great character and I really enjoyed how her presence became a wakeup call for Ashley. I'm glad that Gould also gave page space to Ashley coming to terms with the fact that the people she's always been friends with might not be the people she thought they were and that maybe they were only friends due to proximity. Finding your own voice and opinions outside of your friend group is often a big life adjustment for teens.

Soneela Nankani does a great job with the audiobook too.

Definitely a solid 3/5.

The voice talent was absolutely amazing. Truly incredible. She made the text come alive. I kept reading because of her. Truly, truly excellent.

This book was... okay. It repeated descriptions a lot (how many times did it say "grimaced" in a single sitting?) and the depictions of loneliness and grief felt more expository than fully actualized. The story itself was good. I liked the mystery element, even if I felt it was too obvious what had happened. Then again, I'm 26 and older than the intended audience. I also felt that Logan and Ashley had insta-love and I didn't buy their feelings for one another. With all that said, this is a great book. It's much darker than I thought it would be. It explores very intense and complex themes and Alejo is an amazing character. Definitely worth the read. I wish there were a spin-off all about their TV show, honestly!

If you thought Luc was evil incarnate-you haven't met The Dark. For anyone who loves dark, gothic stories full of richly drawn characters-this one is for you.. For New Adult readers and fans of Sarah J. Maas and Victoria Schwab

This is so unique and like nothing I've ever read. I listened to the audiobook and would've listened to it all in one setting if I didn't have kids. 🤣

This follows a daughter and her two dads back to their hometown and the mysterious disappearances keep pointing at her father. As the backstory comes out and how everything flows us wonderfully written.

Twisty and suspenseful, great YA read!

3.5 creepy stars

Definitely add this one to your fall reading list! If you love ghost hunters, creepy small towns, true crime, and sapphic love - this book is definitely for you.

Hands down my favorite this about this book was the creepy, ominous atmosphere Courtney Gould created. I was legitimately creeped out by this small town (props to these teen girls because I would have been running for the hills). There was a general sense of unease the entire time I was listening to this book and I was 100% here for the vibes.

I also really enjoyed the paranormal, ghost aspect to this story. I actually really liked that nothing is ever explained fully and rather left as this abstract concept. It made it feel even creepier without it being rationalized away.

I liked the friendship, and eventually relationship, that formed between the 2 heroines, but I do wish we had gotten to spend more time developing their connections. There is a lot of book in these 350 pages and I was missing a little time with the characters and watching them grow together. So personally I felt like their development was a little quick.

The only minor issue I really had, was that I became frustrated that the entire mystery hung on the concept that none of the adults would just tell the girls what was going on. Logan would ask for explanations and everyone would tell her that they couldn't explain yet. And a lot of things could have been avoided if they had just shared everything up front.

Overall I thought this was a fantastic debut and would make the perfect spooky, fall read! I'm already really excited we're getting another queer YA horror from this author!!

This review is live on Goodreads!

I wasn't that impressed by this book. It took me a couple tries to actually get into it and I had little to no interest as I read through. What should of came off as creepy and eerie was nothing more than confusion. I was really disappointed, because the setup seemed like it would be, but there was just so much going it. It was fast paced and good for a slow burn, but other than that I was not a fan.

I was lucky enough to get an audio arc & a physical arc from the publisher and WOW yall. This book was dark. And I loved every second.
Think riverdale. Think Stephen king but YA. Found family. LGBTQ vibes. Diversity. Death. Paranormal. Small town vibes. Secrets. Missing kids. Finding yourself. Abandoned Cabin in the middle of the woods.

If any of these sound interesting to you, than pickup this book yall!

I just. Just go read it. I was completely immersed into the story from the first page. Get ready to get lost in Snakebite.

A queer YA ghost story with small town secrets set in a pretty homophobic community. Logan, the adopted daughter of the stars of a paranormal investigation show moves with her dads to a small town where teenagers are going missing and they are being blamed.

I’ve got somewhat mixed feelings about this one. There are some parts that are wonderfully creepy and atmospheric, I liked that it tried to do this returning to a small town with secrets trope, and I love that it’s a light horror novel with lots of queer rep and a sapphic romance. And thematically I appreciate how it tackles complicated family relationships and the humanity of parents.

On the other hand, there are some plot holes that didn’t quite make sense, explanatory conversations late in the book felt a bit excessive in length, and I never quite bought the development of the romance. Attraction? Sure, okay. But you get the characters saying how much they’re into each other more than you actually get to feel it or see it develop on page.

That said, I think it’s a fairly strong first novel and I would be interested to see what else we get from this author in the future. I mostly enjoyed the reading experience. The audio narration is competent and consistent. I think the narrator does a good job and makes the story easy to listen to. I received and advance audio copy of this book for review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced listener copy of the book. It was given in exchange for an honest review, so here it is:

I received an audio copy of the book, and the narrator's voice is perfect for this somber, haunting story. I loved the slow burn with this book, how the mystery and the secrets of Logan's past slowly unfolded with elegant prose. A book like this is a dream come true with spooky season coming up, and if I were a teenager, I would ravenously tear through this book. (That isn't to say I didn't enjoy it as an adult, but I just know that Teen Sarah would have been all about this to the point where I'd stay up late to finish it. As an adult, I am very into sleep, so I didn't.)

I love how the characters felt very well-rounded, even if they weren't the main characters in the story. (I particularly loved Logan's dads. There were so many layers to them that we saw more of as we went.)

I will say there was a large question I was left with at the end.

SPOILER:

In the end, Alejo has Ashley call the police when they're about to uncover Tristen's body. I am not sure how they convinced the police he didn't have anything to do with it when he had just broken out of prison. Especially since the town didn't seem like it was a friendly place for queer POCs. How did they manage to let him escape without blame? How was it all explained away? That part remained unclear to me, and I'm not sure if I just somehow totally missed it.

I am looking forward to more books by this author because this is a very strong debut.