I’m going to start this by staying that vampire books are not my thing. They never have been something I was drawn too. And I told Suzanne this when she told me she was going to write this In Nightfall. But I also told her, if she wrote it, I would read it. And now I can say with 100% confidence that I am I’m so happy  she wrote it and that she had me read it. As a huge fan of everything of Suzanne’s, this is one of the best books she has written. It had me on the end of my seat just turning page after page, it was that good!

In Nightfall is, as the description says, “The Lost Boys meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. The story starts when Theo, and her brother Marco, are forced to leave Arizona for the summer to go and stay with their grandmother in Nightfall, Oregon, a small town with under 850 souls in the populations. Both siblings have not spent much time with their strange, antisocial grandmother so living with her is an experience. She gives them one rule when they arrive, they must be home before it’s dark. But Theo and Marco like to live on the edge, after all that is why they are stuck in Nightfall, and want to make their summer unforgettable. Instead of abiding by their grandmother’s rule they venture out and meet town local Minnow and her crew. Unfortunately for them Minnow and company aren’t exactly what they appear to be. By the end of summer Theo and Marco will be wishing one thing…that they listed to the superstitious grandmother and got home before dark.

I was a huge fan of the movie The Lost Boys and this In Nightfall had so many of the things I loved about the movie that I was immediately endeared to the story. Suzanne did a fabulous job of bringing out the nostalgia of movie but also making it her own. As I was reading I would be able to notice a scene in the book that was inspired by the movie but with a Suzanne Young twist, like the lead being female instead of male. It made it feel like it was a fresh and different take on a familiar story. The way she wrote the story of Theo and Marco was perfectly done, and yes, I’m being vague on purpose, and it was so easy to become obsessed with the story on these pages.

In the end, In Nightfall, was exactly the kind of vampire book I can find myself enjoying. There was nothing over the top. There was a great plot and just amazing writing. It was everything I expect to get from a Young book, with the addition of vampires. It’s hard to explain exactly why I loved this story and why I think you would without giving anything away, but just know this is one that you shouldn’t miss. You’ll thank me, I hope!

4⭐️
What do we get while visiting the town of Nightfall? 

☑️ Creepy Town 
☑️ Weird Towns People 
☑️ Worrisome Legend about Drowning
☑️ Creepy but Beautiful Girls 
☑️ A Hardened Nonna Who Will Come Through For You in the End 
☑️ Wooden Stakes
☑️ Possibly Vampires 
☑️ Ghost Facers (please tell me you get this reference) 
☑️ Lost Boys meets Buffy 

I quite enjoyed this. The pacing was a tad slow in some places but I was here for this creepy town with its beautiful girls. I was also a little worried about who was actually going to survive the story. The ending did come quick but it closed out the town and story nicely. 

If you are needing a quick, YA, vampire read, give this one a try 🖤

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

In Nightfall follows teen Theo and her brother Marco as they visit the mysterious town of Nightfall, where they will spend the summer with their grandmother as punishment for throwing a party.

I feel like I’m always on the lookout for the next vampire novel that will change my life, and while In Nightfall wasn’t that, it was still a fun vampire read. Though often predictable, the story was still entertaining, with gender-swapped Lost Boys vibes and a relatively intriguing mystery at the heart of the vampiric goings-on in the town. The writing itself is perfectly fine, although there are some characters who I would have liked to have seen developed a little more. Even so, I think this book will definitely find its following, as it was certainly a quick, fun read with a decent amount of vampires.

Thank you to Netgalley, Suzanne Young and Delacorte Press for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. 

I was so excited to get my hands on this book based on the blurb. I grew up absolutely loving Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I really enjoyed the dynamics and banter in the beginning of this book but once the family got to Nightfall, everything started to go downhill. I feel like this book was a great idea but poorly executed. I felt like pacing was a major issue; halfway through things really seemed to slow down. As a result, the ending feels really rushed. 

I wish I would have skipped this one.

Theo and Marco have been uprooted from their warm and comfortable Arizona home to Nightfall Oregon due to a giant party foul. Nightfall is a quaint little town near the water that rarely has any sunlight and mostly rains. 

Upon arrival the two meet “the girls” of the town and from there hell comes free. These girls who are more like super models than high schoolers are magnetic in their pull. Marco is in it to win it from the beginning but Theo is a little more apprehensive as is their grandmother. A women they just met for the first time ever is short but spunky and is cryptic and a whole lot creepy, I fell in love with her instantly. 

As the story progresses things happen and by the end it is definitely more of a Heathers meets Twilight situation. Most of the characters in the book are very interesting, I loved the podcasters. I felt it could have been a shorter book honestly as not much happens and it does at times drag on. Once everything starts to come out in the open it’s over in a snap, a little disappointed in that. 

All in all I did love the writing as everyone was very natural in their conversations which always makes or breaks the characters for me. I would recommend this book highly as a quick read that will give some good nostalgia for any 80’s-90’s kids out there. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! The twists and reveals were so well done, and I liked finding things out with our main character, Theo. Will absolutely recommend this one to those looking for mystery and supernatural.

I could not help hearing the Lost Boys Soundtrack while reading this book. I wonder why?????

Theo and her brother, Marco have arrived in the seaside town Nightfall, Oregon with their father to spend the summer with the grandmother, Nonna. The town is often bleak and dreary but beautiful when the sun does shine. Tourist flock to it and the locals flock indoors when the sun goes down. Nonna is a secretive and interesting character and she warns them both to be home before nightfall and keeps putting strange smelling dolls in their belongings.

Theo and Marco soon make friends with alluring and bizarre local teens and get invited out by them to bonfires and parties. Theo also meets two young men who have a podcast on the history of Nightfall. A history that is dark and dangerous.

The description of the book was not fooling around when it mentioned The Lost Boys. You will get the vibes in a very strong fashion. Much stronger than the Buffy the Vampire Slayer ones. Just saying.
This book was like a love letter to The Lost Boys. I for one who devoured that movie and watched it more times that I can shake a stick at (sorry, channeling my grandmother), I enjoyed taking a bite out of this book.

This book was a lot of fun for me. I flew threw it and enjoyed it very much. Like other reviewers, I wanted things to happen a little faster but at the same time, I enjoyed the build up. The I-know-something-is-going-to-hit-the-fan-I-can't-wait feel that I got with the mounting tension once things in the book got real.

Pure escapism reading which was nostalgic and fun. This book made my inner vampire loving teen self very happy.

After their parents divorce, Theo and her brother Marco spend their summer at their dads childhood home in Nightfall. This little town is cute and cloudy, but things are not as they first seem. Because when grandma tells you that you should be scared of the dark, you better listen. Because that’s where the monsters hide. 

Described as The Lost Boys meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this book is a dark and fast paced urban fantasy with things that go bump in the dark. This book was full of great vibes, and I found myself very invested in Theos life. Overall I liked this cast of characters, and the story. I have enjoyed the author's earlier works, and I’m so happy this one was just as entertaining. 

But speaking of the character - one thing that irked me a bit was when something was so obvious for the reader, while the character was absolutely clueless. Some things were just so predictable that it just felt weird that the character didn’t realize it. Also the ending felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped. I would have liked a little more build-up for it.

In Nightfall is overall a very fun and quick read, and sometimes that’s all that matters. There’s horror elements, but nothing so bad that the scaredy-cat in me couldn’t handle it. If you’re looking for a supernatural YA urban fantasy, consider picking up this book for a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Suzanne Young, and publisher Random House Children's-- Delacorte Press for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

First of all, can we please appreciate that COVER?!?!?! It is SO insanely good and completely drew me to the novel, even though I'm not a big fan of vampire novels. I did enjoy this read though! It had all the good makings of a YA-- some teen angst, romance, mean girl dynamics, family drama, and finding yourself. It also had all the good makings of a suspense-- mysterious teenagers, creepy town vibe, unknown town history. I think that this would be a great read in the fall/near Halloween, and I feel like this could be a really cool show or movie that had an aesthetic similar to the cover! However, it fell just a bit flat for me. I love character development, and while we got to see some for Theo, I think many of the characters just fell flat. The book just read a bit surface level in terms of the story and characters, and I found myself wishing it took some more risks. Once the vampires finally came out to play, it started picking up, but then it felt too rushed towards the end. I thought the conclusion was way rushed overall, although I did appreciate one last twist that I genuinely wasn't expecting. Even spending time with Theo as the narrator, I didn't really get a sense of who she was beyond her having struggles with her parents' divorce and missing her friends back home. This was a fun, quick read that did have a lot of spooky elements that I think will appear to teens, but a lack of character development prevented me from being fully invested in the story.

Welcome to Nightfall, Oregon, where the girls are pretty and the atmosphere is.. killer. Theodora and Marco Maggione have just arrived to spend the summer with their father in Nightfall, where he grew up, and meet their mysterious grandmother. Right away, the two are taken with the group of beautiful, otherworldly young people they meet in the town. Theo and Marco aren't used to this kind of attention, but they definitely enjoy it. It isn't long before Marco is no longer acting like himself, and Theo sees some things that lead her to question who her new clique really is. Will the Maggione siblings be able to survive In Nightfall ? 

This book is definitely for a younger audience, but I still got a kick out of reading it. No new ground was really tread here, but it's a super fast and fun take on the vampire trope. There is some adult language and mild gore, so I'd recommend this one for ages 15+. Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the chance to review this advance copy. In Nightfall publishes 3/28/23.

This was so good, such a good mystery to it. I sort of guessed what the twist was but there was a lot in there that made me second guess myself. I kept going back and forth as I read, trying to piece everything together. In the end, I got some things right and some things wrong. Truly was guessing till the very end! It was honestly so refreshing to have a MC, Theo, not be ignorant and blind to the issues around her. She saw that things were off, that her brother wasn’t himself, and she didn’t try to explain it away. She took action because she knew something was wrong and she wasn’t going to let anyone convince her otherwise and make her feel crazy. The pacing of this was great, and I simply devoured every page. It didn’t make it to 5 stars for me simply because I felt there was one thing that just didn’t need to happen. I will go more in depth in my spoilers below. Do not keep reading until after you’ve finished this book!!! GO READ THIS BOOK NOW!!!


SPOILERS START HERE!!!!

Listen, Nonna is the best character in this book but she’s also the worst. I get wanting to protect your friend, but literally… this was all her fault. Nonna, you’re a badass, but you should’ve been a badass years ago and killed your BFF. But still, I loved that she was the old woman keeping secrets, especially since it helped build this divide between her and the grandchildren she’s never known, so once all her secrets are out, her and her grandchildren are able to connect. I loved seeing that progression!

Why did I take off .25 of a star? Because I genuinely feel like Parrish shouldn’t have died. He was so miserable and he did all he could for Theo, but a lot was out of his control. It just felt so wrong and cruel to have Theo kill him and then only think of him fondly afterwards. They had this really lovely and beautiful soul connection, his death should’ve hurt her so much more than it seemed to have. I just feel like the ending would have been the most satisfying if he had lived. He deserved to triumph over everything, but instead Minnow gets to live and he dies? It just feels wrong. Maybe I’m a hopeless romantic, but it felt like Parrish shouldn’t lived and gotten to see Arizona, the actual state. That would’ve been the perfect ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars. 

This was a mid read. I loved the concept and felt serious Buffy vibes along with some gravity falls inspo (it’s always the PNW). Our main character finds herself n a quaint town in Oregon for the summer after her and her brother royally mess up while dealing with the divorce of their parents…but of course this town isn’t what it seems. 

There’s romance, queen bees, a mystery to be solved, and some maybe possibly dead bodies? Oh, and the grandmother who is superstitious but won’t give any explanation besides just that they need to listen to her. 

I liked it. It was a good thriller but I also think about 1/4 of the book is unnecessary for the plot. The ending was my favorite part with the serious buffy vibes…but I also have SO many questions and things didn’t get developed as well as I wish they would. I could def see this being a mini series or a movie though.

When reading a YA book I always have to read the book with a completely different view. A teenage protagonist is always going to do and act completely different than an adult and so you can't judge them like you would an adult. Now, with that being said I really enjoyed this book. Advertised as a cross between Lost Boys and Buffy the Vampire slayer, two pieces of pop culture I absolutely adored as a teen, so I really wanted to read this. I do think it leaned more toward Lost Boys than Buffy, but it gave off 80/90s horror vibes in a very modern way. 

 Theodora (Theo) was a great protagonist, even if I didn't always agree with some of the choices she made. Most of the story was a little obvious but I don't think that Young was trying to hide anything. Young's worldbuilding was great, the author was able to deliver history about Nightfall without info dumping it all on you and even making it interesting.

 I almost didn't think I would like the book since the first half had a lot of setup and was just a little slow, it's the second half of the book that really shines. Once the fun and chaos started I didn't want it to stop, I practically raced through the book in one sitting, something that I have not done in a long while. It was such an enthralling, fast-paced, joyride. I now wish I had a grandma as cool and badass as Nonna is, although Theo's dad really needs to answer some of my questions.

Overall, a dark and fun rollercoaster.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. I really liked Theo and Marco, and their relationship with each other. It did take a bit to get to the juicy vampire bits, but that didn't really bother me. I loved that Theo got to meet two of her favorite podcasters, and really enjoyed the episode we got to see on the page and read all about the weirdness of Nightfall. 

Once all the vampirery stuff comes out everything starts happening pretty fast, and at any given point I wasn't sure which one of the characters would be making it to the end of the book. There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns, and their grandma who prefers to be called Nonna became one of my favorite people, she is super badass.

Thank you to Net Galley and Suzanne Young for an ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

Rating: 4/5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book! At some points I felt confused but overall really liked the setting and the writing. It was such a fun read!

Theo and her brother Marco are off on an adventure with their father amidst their parents divorce to a freaky town paved with spooky stories of the past. Theo and her brother are not immediately welcomed by their grandmother, Nonna, with whom they are just now meeting as teenagers, which leaves Theo feeling unsettled. As the book continues, we find Nonna to be a remarkable character with some tricks up her sleeve. 

There's a lot of random characters that pop in - which makes sense as teenagers are surrounded by all sorts of crowds of people. Theo and Marco have fun partying on the beach of Oregon and making friends - and she runs into two guys who run a spooky podcast that she is a fan of.... ! Theo allows herself to be curious and is on a mission to figure out what's going on here!!

I think I was expecting more vampire content from the get-go, and it took us a while to get to the exciting vampire bits and have the story progress from there. It's a quick read and easy read, but I was expecting a bit more depth with the character development and more vampires from the get-go. I think this book has the potential for an even deeper story (especially with the spooky podcast and side characters)

I think that this book would be enjoyed by a teenager or young adult. If you like fantasy mixed into contemporary story telling and don't mind predictability, you'll enjoy this story very much.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

A thoroughly entertaining vampire adventure. The setting and characters kept me entertained the whole time. Now, not a single plot point would be possible if there were a truly responsible adult in the story, but perhaps that’s the fun of the genre

So much yes! The twist on the Lost Boys I never knew I needed! This was fast paced, fun and unputdownable!

I was excited to pick up "In Nightfall" because of the comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (one of my all time favorite shows) and Lost Boys - and I would say the comparisons are pretty accurate! Needless to say, this is a book about vampires - though I did think it took far too long for them to actually be on page aside from subtle hints. All in all, while this wasn't a new favorite, it was still enjoyable! I do feel it dragged a bit too much in the middle but I think people who love vampires and have wanted them to make a comeback will really like this one!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 4.5 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review!

In Nightfall is a fantasy standalone, where Theo and her brother Marco have to spend their summer in Nightfall, Oregon. A small, rainy town where you should always be home before dark. 

“Welcome to Nightfall – population 846 souls.”

In Nightfall is a very fun, easy and quick read overall that I enjoyed. I really love these mystery books lately that are just easy fun reads, but do leave me guessing while reading it. I read this book fairly quickly and really enjoyed the feeling of getting lost in the world created. 

The plot is quite straightforward and fun. I especially liked the vibe created with the locals and what happens after dark. The stark contrast between the older population, such as Nonna, and the local kids is quite fun to see and can correspond with how youth “has fun after dark” with bonfires and drinking. 

The pacing is perfect, not to slow to lose interest and not to quick for it to feel rushed. It does pick up towards the end, but that is mostly because the stakes are getting higher and time is running out quickly, so it really fits. I liked the little bit of podcast as well, and wanted a bit more of that to be honest. It was a fun break and new view on the town that was given like that. 

One thing I didn’t really remember before reading this book is what it was about. Most of the times, I read the synopsis beforehand, adding it to my “want to buy/read” list and later on, just start reading. It is marketed as The Lost Boys meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I really should’ve known vampires would be in the story. I really liked the eerie feel and mysterious air around the locals and trying to figure out what they were, if it was supernatural or if it could be logically explained. That unknowing made me more emerged into the story and I really liked the reveal of it being vampires, but I do wonder if the reveal would’ve been better if little hints were dropped earlier on. 

The characters were fun and I liked them. Theo is very focused and goal oriented. She knows what she wants or should do and goes for it. I liked that about her. I also wanted more of Felix and Elijah in the story, because I really liked their dynamics and found them to be original as well. Marco was a bit harder to pinpoint for me and the locals were quite similar to each other. While the cast of characters was diverse, the development was a bit stalled. I feel like there wasn’t any strong development, which I would’ve liked. 

The romance was a bit fleeting and felt like a summer romance, which fits the story obviously. It was fun to see such a relationship grow on multiple fronts! A strong crush, acting on it and seeing where it’ll go was fun to see. While quick, it didn’t feel like insta-love thank god! The familiar bonds that we see were also really nice. Theo and Marco are truly a pair of siblings, biting each other’s heads of but always having each other’s backs! 

The ending reveal was really nicely done and it came unexpected! I really liked how the story wrapped up, although it did feel a bit convenient how it ended. At the same time, that didn’t annoy me.

Overall, In Nightfall is a fun and quick read that is very engaging and kinda makes you want to visit Nightfall itself!