Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a DNF for me.

This book was very boring and cheesy to me and I just could not get into it.

This was a super fun read that reminded me a lot of the Goosebumps books. While it has a bit of a slasher-movie feel, it was also a silly-enough concept that it wasn't too scary.

Nightfall, Oregon is a quaint little town nestle in obscurity. It's the last place Theo and Marco want to spend their summer vacation. Until they run into a group of fascinating teens that may not have their best intentions. In Nightfall will give the nostalgia of the Lost Boys and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there is no depth to any of the characters or the town history. Everything is superficial and strays from any hard hitting topics. At times the reader will be frustrated by both the adults and teens for the silence they keep and short comings. It's hard to root for characters that have no depth or attributes. This was all action and blood with none of the depth it deserved.

This was really interesting, it kind of gave The Vampire Diaries vibes which I enjoyed. I liked the growth of the family dynamics and relationship. I gave this a four out of five stars.

A great modern vampire tale. When two teens go back to their father's hometown for the summer things they discover a town of secrets, rules, and fear. The mystery of the vampire tie in took a little long to come to light in the story in my opinion, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I LOVED the grandma, she is so fierce! A great new twist on the vampire story.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order next year and will recommend it to students.

I was really enjoying this in in the beginning but the fact that it took so long for the mc to be like oh their vampires really annoyed me. This book definitely suffered quite a bit for me because of that.

I was excited to read this book because I love The Lost Boys, unfortunately this book fell flat for me.

3.5 Wolfsbane Infused Stars!

After Theo and her brother Marco throw a wild rager, their dad decides to ruin their summer plans, by dragging them with him to Nightfall, the tiny beach town where their grandmother lives.

Things are awkward with their estranged aloof grandmother, but not too terrible since they have met some cool kid townies. Things are looking up for them, until Theo runs into her favorite podcasters and gets the scoop on the town. Apparently, their grandmother’s warning to not stay out after dark had some merit.

This was so fun! I’ve been seeing comparisons to Lost Boy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m not super familiar with Lost Boys, but I definitely picked up on some Buffy nods. I really enjoyed the tension and dread as it built throughout the story.
The setting was a character in and of itself and done very well.
I enjoyed the unique spins the author put on some of the lore.

There wasn’t much to dislike, other than the pacing being slightly off and Theo being EXTREMELY obtuse when it came to figuring out what was going on. There were SO MANY heavy-handed hints given to her and she just wasn’t getting it. To the point I yelled at my screen in frustration and disturbed my cat’s slumber.

Overall, this was a creepy little romp!

Go Check it out now!
A big thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

MY REVIEW: 4 Stars

I thought the idea of a reverse gender of the Lost Boys was great. Some Buffy the Vampire Slayer type stuff was cool too. But, mostly the Lost Girls ⬅️ get it 😏 Of course, I love the Lost Boys more because hot dudes, but I digress.

The book wasn’t the best in the world and there might could have been a bit more but I enjoyed it good enough to get a physical copy. I mean look at that cover!!

*I would like to thank Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a digital copy of this book!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Honestly.....I ate this book up!

This supernatural YA thriller was an enjoyable read. Theo and Marco have to spend the summer in their dad's hometown of Nightfall that they have never been to. Once there and after meeting their grandmother for the first time, the teens catch a weird vibe from the town and everyone in it.

As an adult reading this book it made me mad how the Dad and Grandmother were acting because a lot of things could have been prevented if they would have just been like "yeah so the town has these things and you should uuuuh not go hang out with them", but then their wouldn't be a story I guess.

Lets be honest here though it has been a hot minute since I have seen The Lost Boys, but was it just me that felt like this was extremely similar other than being gender bent?

I do love that pretty much everyone who was badass good or bad was a woman. It was a joy to see.

I would have enjoyed more hinting to the main character throughout because there was only one point that I think she could have maybe noticed and didn't. Throughout the book I also would have loved more spooky!
The last 15% was so bonkers and wild that I loved it! There was the right amount of gore, scary, reveals, villian action, etc. I think that if I was reading this as a teen I would have completely loved this book.

I really enjoyed Marco and Theo being two teens who aren't "perfect". The story opens with them getting lectured about a party they threw that almost resulted in 46 (or the debatable 50) arrests of teens. Marco thinks the situation is pretty funny and is unaffected by the amount of trouble he is in, and Theo likewise, is relatively unphased by the situation (apologetic but not freaking out.) I LOVED that. Sure some teens are more "mature" and we often see that in books, but the responses of these two MCs was extremely refreshing.

However, the writing style was a bit frustrating. There was a lot of telling and not showing and it made this feel very much like a draft, or perhaps it was intended to be readable by the younger half of YA.

I was a little frustrated with the vampire "reveal". Theo finally figures things out, but it felt like forever before she did, and yet after she did, it also felt like too much story was left.

Overall, this was very enjoyable and I think teens will enjoy it.

The Lost Boys meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Those are some BIG shoes to fill; unfortunately, I don't think Young's In Nightfall was able to live-up to that comparison. Now, this isn't the first time I've read a book claiming to be like The Lost Boys (one of my favorite films of all time); however, I try not to think about how disappointed I was in Mayhem by Estelle Laure, so let's move on.

I didn't hate this book; however, I feel like I would've liked it more had I not been expecting something on par with the two films listed above (I do say films because this book didn't really feel like the Buffy show at all... but there were SOME similarities to the film... so, take of that what you will). Though this may be the case, I don't think I would've picked this book up without those comparisons... so, like, I guess I get it.

The similarities are as follows:

The Lost Boys
- siblings moving to a small town with their single-parent
- vampires
- a group of young nerds seeking the "truth" about the town
- a cooky grandparent
- the beach
- summer break

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- vampires
- a teenage girl coming to terms with vampires
- said girl rises to the occasion

There are some other, more spoilery, similarities; however, though this book has similar elements (just like Mayhem by Estelle Laure), the vibes just WERE NOT THERE!

It was an interesting enough story. However, the characters are a bit two-dimensional, and there is quite a bit of info-dumping at the end to explain what's been going on throughout the story leading up to that point.

Despite all of the mediocre aspects of this book... one thing truly shined through: the relationship between the two siblings at the heart of the story. It was so beautiful to read, and it really helped solidify this book as a 3-star read for me. I definitely see this being a book that many young people could enjoy (it is YA, after all); however, it was just meh for me. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it; I definitely don't regret reading it.

Just know that if you're going into this book thinking that the vibes of those 80s classics would be there... lower your expectations.

When people have asked me what I’ve been reading the past few weeks, I’ve described In Nightfall as “if Twilight was written by someone who grew up on Tumblr instead of by a Mormon.”

Unlike Twilight, In Nightfall has decent diversity for both main and side characters. Those characters are fun, with strong motivations and interesting antagonists. There’s also some really interesting use of vampire folklore, especially in homages to Dracula.

Going in, I did not know what flavor of paranormal it was going to be. I originally assumed werewolves (not sure why), but it quickly became obvious I was way off the mark.

Gorgeous characters make weird comments about how much they hate sunlight, say things like “Thank you for inviting me into your home” (wink wink), charm everyone around them, and lick strawberry sauce (that probably isn’t strawberry sauce) off their fingers.

The narrative isn’t being coy, not obfuscating what these girls are or trying to do any misdirection. It puts up a big flashing sign from the get-go that reads THESE GIRLS ARE VAMPIRES!!! THEY DO NOT DRINK…. sambuca.

So. Painfully. Obviously. Vampires.

Despite this, the word vampire is first used seventy percent in.

The narrative doesn’t bother to clue the protagonist in on what’s going on until 200 pages in. Two hundred. This made the pace drag hard. As a reader, it’s frustrating to know pretty quickly Here Be Vampires, but have to wait another hundred pages for the main character to get the memo.

As a result, the narrative takes ages to get interesting. It was only in the last third—when Theo is finally clued in on the whole vampire thing—that I was genuinely engaged.

One of the main problems I had with In Nightfall is that most of the interesting things happen to or around Theo. She does a bit of surface level investigation here and there (such as talking to a pair of visiting podcasters and doing a little surface-level googling), but overall, Theo was incredibly passive for most of the narrative.

I found myself wondering why Theo is the point of view character. Other characters—such as the pair of podcasters, the love interest Parrish, and the three vampire girls—have far more interesting motivations and character arcs. They’re also the ones actually pulling their weight in the plot, up until Theo finally decides to pitch in and goes ham.

Speaking of Theo going ham, I was disappointed in the final vampire confrontation.

Up to that point, the sense of danger with these girls was palpable. They’re incredibly clever, manipulative, charismatic, and oh, yeah, undead blood-sucking monsters that can fly and have super strength. They’ve killed several people, including the sheriff and other vampires. They’re predators, through and through, and the narrative does an excellent job making how dangerous they are very, very clear.

After all that build up, you’re telling me that two podcasters and a high school student armed with nothing more than chair legs and a kitchen knife fended off four, killing three, with nary a single human team casualty? That Theo punching one’s face did nothing to her, but a kick to one’s thigh will send a vampire capable of throwing a grown man through the air sprawling?

Sure, it’s a YA book. Theo has to win in the end. But after forcing the reader to wait 200 pages for the climax, the execution is just disappointing. Honestly, I’m a little mad on their behalf. The girls deserved more of a fight.

Did I like In Nightfall? No, not really. Did I dislike it? Also no.

In Nightfall isn’t a bad book. It’s also certainly not a must-read for vampire lovers or horror readers in general.

In Nightfall is a book great for those who loved the YA vampire trend but did not enjoy the trend’s issues with racism, misogyny, and romanticization of abuse. In Nightfall does not directly engage with these negative tropes but does avoid them. I probably would have enjoyed the book far more when I was in high school and really into paranormal YA.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but only if you’re a part of the above niche, with a strong caveat that the pacing is slow and the climax disappointing. The book appeals to a certain audience. If you’re not part of that audience, you will probably not enjoy In Nightfall, and that’s okay.

I wanted to love this but the beginning felt like Twilight fan-fiction, I mean come on...a main character from sunny Arizona moving to a small town in the PNW with a population of about 800........
Other than that my biggest issue was that nothing happened for 80% of this book and by the time something was finally happening I was too bored out of my skull to care. This could have been really great and spooky and downright terrifying but it was very flat with a main character I didn't even want to root for. This is another 2023 beautiful cover but the substance just wasn't there.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. While the premise was interesting I didn’t connect with the characters or the story in a meaningful manner. Felt a bit plagerized at points (see the Lost Boys). Some books just aren’t for us, and that’s alright.

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

My Review:

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review and place on this blog tour – thanks!

This was my first Suzanne Young novel and I have to say it was a wild ride. I am not sure what her other books are like, but In Nightfall was a horror/paranormal book filled with twists and turns coming out of nowhere. It was a fun read, even if it was a bit overwhelming at times. It read like a horror comedy and was just as addicting as that genre is.

That being said, I am not entirely sure where I should start my review. A lot of my favourite parts are certainly spoilerly and this is going to be a spoiler free review. So I guess I will begin with the characters. Theo and Marco were quite likeable main characters, despite their general naivete and oblivious to the fact that all of their new friends are well, vampires. I loved their brother and sister dynamic, and for one it felt like reading siblings written by someone who knows what it’s like to have siblings. They were always bantering playfully, but could still have deep conversations that felt genuine.

My favourite character in the book was probably Nonna. Her characterization was really well done and I enjoyed the role she played in the story, even if her intentions weren’t always clear. I felt like as the reader I often understood what she was doing more often than Theo did, but again, see Theo’s extreme naivete.

I’ve never interacted with either of the comp medias for this book, but I can say that the supernatural aspects of this story were well written. There is a lot of use of stereotypical lore and ‘hunting’ methods, but it didn’t necessarily feel cheesy. It helped move the story forward without too much worldbuilding. The worldbuilding we were given was a bit messy, but the quick pace of the story helped to move through that.

In Nightfall was a very fun read, with quick paced prose that will keep you hanging on until the last page. This book is perfect if you’re in a spooky mood or just want an enjoyable paranormal read.

In Nightfall releases March 28, 2023

YA vampires? Count me in. Theo and her brother Marco are returning with their dad to his hometown of Nightfall, OR after being raised in Arizona. Their mom is getting married, so they’re stuck here for the summer. The locals are cool and gorgeoud and actually want to make friends, but something’s weird, and Theo’s determined to get to the bottom of it, particularly after her brother starts getting sloppy drunk and super sick after.

It’s a quick read that moves quickly, and even though the reader obviously figures it out before the character(s), there are still some surprises, and the characters really make the story. I love Theo’s grandmother. She’s grumpy and brooding but also super cute and loving in her own way, and she’s got an interesting history, too. Definitely recommend.

About 50% through and so far SO GOOD! I'm really loving the overall vibe of this book and I cannot wait to know what happens next. Hoping I can veg out and finish it this weekend, because things are spooky!

3 stars only because I have not finished yet. It all depends on how this is going to end!

*Thank you Netgalley for providing this egalley!*

DRC provided by Random House Children's, Delacorte Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a good time reading this because I am a hard-core fan of The Lost Boys and this book felt like a gender-bent revisiting of the 80's vampire cult classic. I just wish it had been more original.